Hana to Sakazuki

This review will contain very minor spoilers: Hana to Sakazuki, or Flowers and Pints, is a very short, fun, and heartwarming read about a girl named Ayame who has recently moved into a home with her new family following her mother’s remarriage. Despite having lost her father 15 years ago, Ayame is still very attached to the memories that remain of him and, even though she urged her mother to remarry, struggles to accept her new step-father and family. Trying to escape her new life in pursuit of reliving old memories Ayame shared with her father, she spends her nights going around town in searchof the pub that she visited with her father before he passed. One evening, she arrives at a pub with a familiar feeling, where she meets Tetta, a crude, but caring man. While I won’t spoil what’s to come, through Tetta, and subsequent interactions with Ayame’s newly formed family, Saka to Hanazuki becomes a wonderful story of accepting loss, getting the closure necessary to make that happen, and moving on. What this manga manages to accomplish in just 7 brief chapters is more impressive than many 100+ chapter manga that I’ve read. It’s not just Ayame that we end up feeling for, but all of the characters whose lives are impacted by the changes extending from the death of Ayame’s father. It paints realistic depictions of the stress and fear associated with life changing events, and resolves them in a way that will warm your heart. If you want a nice read that can be completed in under an hour, I certainly recommend Hana to Sakazuki.