The golden sheep vol 3 by Kaori Ozaki

Asari is on the receiving end of the bullying she wrought upon Tsugu when she first came back into town, and she does not enjoy the taste of her own medicine. Tsugu, Sora, and Yuushin all stay at the restaurant after the boxing exam since Yuushin rescued a kitten, reminding them all of childhood sleepovers. In the morning, Tsugu goes to a studio where her Pop is working to play her guitar with him, but receives some devastating news about her family dynamic. The friends finally travel back and reconnect back at the base of the Golden Sheep and regain some closure by digging up their time capsule.

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This being the finaly vlume in this short series, we get some resolution to the storylines and drama set up between the broken friendships, especially between Asari and Tsugu, which is satisfying. Overall, Ozaki is trying to provide a lot of commentary on growing up and the transition into adulthood, and how difficult some of those life choices can be. This short series may resonate with high school students who may feel at a loss themselves during this difficult transitive time, but my overall problem with the series still lies in volume two with the interaction between Yuushin and Asari and just how quickly the sexual violence was glossed over between the two of them. Without that one scene, this series would have been an excellent addition to high school shelves.

Sara’s Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Grades 9-12

Reviews of previous volumes in this series: vol 1, vol 2

Publisher: Vertical Comics (Kodansha)
Publication Date: December 10, 2019
ISBN: 9781947194885 (Paperback)

Tags: Rating: 7/10, Suitability: High School, Manga, Realistic Fiction, School Life, Kodansha