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Tuesday, December 24, 2019

Manga Review: The Golden Sheep, Volume 1, by Kaori Ozaki


Rating (Out of 5): ~4
Publisher: Vertical Comics
Release Date: September 2019
Volumes: 3.
Spoilers?: Hints.
Volume: 2.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Golden Sheep features story and art by Kaori Ozaki the author of The Gods Lie. “They say if you write down your wish, bury it under Sheep Tower and then dig it up after 7 years and 7 months, your wish will come true…” Tsugu Miikura, a high schooler who loves to play guitar, due to family circumstances, moved away from the rural town where she had spent her childhood. After several years, she’s back in her old hometown. She reunites with her childhood friends—Sora, Yuushin, and Asari—the friends she’d buried a time capsule with back in elementary school. Tsugu is overjoyed to be with her friends once more, but the bonds that she thought would never change have in fact started to grow major cracks…

Review:

I didn't know what I was getting into when I started this volume.
The volume starts in a very drastic place, and then goes backwards a bit. We meet Tsugu, who moved away from her hometown and best friends when she was younger, and is suddenly able to move back. There've been some family circumstance changes, and now that she's back, she wants everything to be the same. At first, it feels like it could be. But, slowly, the pieces of teen angst and change start showing through.
There are some very serious themes explored in this volume. Bullying, in particular, is harsh and awful, and we even get to see two different sides of it. And suicide, though I won't go into detail on that one, but warning none the less.
Tsugu is really the bright spot of this so far. She's optimistic, but also blunt and doesn't hide from things. When she discovers what's happening with Sora, she doesn't hide from it, and she doesn't shy from being there for him.
This volume took a very dark turn for a while in this volume. It's realistically harsh, and I definitely think it's well done in that. It's realistic in how it portrays being a teenager, too, while also being thoughtful about it.
I'm also glad to say that things seem to be looking up at the end of the volume, though. And knowing this is a short series, I'm hopeful that it won't go too dark and dreary in the end.

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