"Peach Girl: Sae's Story" is a three volume manga that ran from 2004 until 2006. Like "Peach Girl," it is authored by Miwa Ueda. It is published in North America by Tokyopop. Having enjoyed reading Peach Girl, I decided to check out Peach Girl: Sae's Story.

So far, it proved to be quite the interesting sequel for the most part. Originally, I thought it would be a mere continuation of Peach Girl. But, I was wrong. Peach Girl: Sae's Story goes off in its own direction. In a sense, the world of Peach Girl goes in a completely different direction. But, this completely different direction was good as well. Overall, it is quite the interesting romance story.

Storyline: A

If you have read Peach Girl, you will see that Peach Girl: Sae's Story goes in a completely different direction. I liked this story as it revolves around "karma" and "atonement." It focuses on Sae Kashiwagi, the antagonist from the original story.

In Peach Girl: Sae's Story, it takes place several months later. Due to skipping classes back in high school, Sae is left behind one year. She has to repeat her senior year. In this respect, Sae is dealing with karma and the cold reality she is facing. In a sense, Sae is the unwitting tragic heroine in the story.

Like Peach Girl, Peach Girl: Sae's Story is very much character driven. This focuses on Sae while the other characters from Peach Girl take a back seat as support characters. The story focuses on Sae coming into reality with her flaws for the most part. It reveals why Sae is the way she is.

Characters: A

Peach Girl: Sae's Story introduces old and new characters. Momo Adachi, the protagonist of Peach Girl, and Kairi Okayasu return for Peach Girl: Sae's Story as support characters. Momo and Kairi constantly remind Sae about the cold reality. So far, everything focuses on Sae. Toji is not present as he goes to a completely different school.

The character dynamic has improved a whole lot. Momo and Kairi are more mature than they were back in high school. But, the main focus is on Sae who goes through her own transformation. She learns the cold consequences of her actions by being on the receiving end o the same thing. In short, the story focuses on Sae going through a tough learning experience.

Sae's childhood sweetheart Kanji a.k.a. Monkey Boy returns from Malaysia and acts as a new major character. Kanji vies for Sae's affections throughout the story but they go unreturned for the most part.

New guys appear as they constantly use Sae for their own self-gain. Through the characters, Sae's Story presents an interesting look in modern day society in regards to relationships and finding love.

Illustrations: A

Like in Peach Girl, the illustrations for Peach Girl: Sae's Story were impressive. The graphics and illustrations make Peach Girl: Sae's Story into a true continuation of the Peach Girl story. The characters in Sae's Story keep true to their appearances in the original Peach Girl manga. Overall, the graphics were quite appealing for the most part.

Overall: A

Peach Girl: Sae's Story makes an excellent continuation for Peach Girl. It is good to have a continuation in which the antagonist is the main character on the road towards redemption. The way the story is portrayed, it really is Sae's story for the most part as the light is on her. If you liked reading Peach Girl, you may enjoy reading Peach Girl: Sae's Story.

Learn more about this author, Can Tran.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

---

Add your voice

Know something about Manga reviews: Peach Girl, Sae's Story?
We want to hear your view. Write now!