Reviews

The Golden Sheep, Vol. 3 by Kaori Ozaki

teki_p's review

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

niibooksy's review against another edition

5.0

Can I cry? Because that is the only appropriate response to this volume! My goodness I loved loved loved this final chapter of The Golden Sheep. It was everything I wanted and more. Every single character fell into their moulds so perfectly yet so unexpectedly. I knew this would be the last instalment but it still had me crying when Asari and Tsugu hugged each other. Their friendship was done in such a realistic and compelling way. I couldn't have asked for more. Sora's narration at the end was just *chef's kiss*. Overall I'm in love and I don't know what to do now that it's over.

Thank you to VIZ Media for the ARC.

orionmissing's review against another edition

4.0

This third volume proves how well Kaori Ozaki did with the character arcs throughout the series. The changes we see are believable and you find yourself rooting for this group of friends after all.

Volume 3 opens with an update on Asari. It also fills in some missing backstory for her character.

I enjoyed watching Sora and Yuushin begrudgingly repair their friendship.

Tsugu was the catalyst for this change, but at this point it feels like she became a background character in the overall drama. While I expected this entire story to center on Tsugu this shift felt right.

I like its message about the importance of speaking up for yourself.

In the end these characters didn't necessarily choose the destructive paths they got stuck in, but they couldn't get out of them on their own either.

In Conclusion

This story is well worth your time.

Definitely read all three volumes of The Golden Sheep at once.

While its a very different plot than The Gods Lie, another of Kaori Ozaki's manga, I'm certain you'll enjoy this story if you enjoyed that one.

There are some similar themes. Most notably that The Golden Sheep and The Gods Lie both deal with strained parent / child relationships. The short story at the end of volume 3 of The Golden Sheep is a particularly sad one on this topic.


This was a NetGalley Review!

I was able to read and review volumes 2 & 3 of this manga thanks to Kodansha Comics on NetGalley! Thanks!

I blog at: https://www.nerdificationreviews.com
Hang with me there! <3

lolafmm's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring lighthearted reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

t6bea's review against another edition

4.0

waaa the fact i liked this even more than i thought i would is ... surprising (considering the fact i was already super excited to start reading). this was so sweet !!!

ellythehuman's review against another edition

3.0

Trigger Warnings for the Series: Attempted suicide, bullying, sexual assault.

Like I said in my review for volume 1, this series had a lot of promise. The ending is not bad, but it could have been so much more.

Summary

The Golden Sheep follows these 4 young teenagers who were childhood friends and get reunited after some time. Our main female MC is Tsugu who has moved back from Osaka. When she returns, Tsugu believes the four will continue to be best friends as they were in the past. However, the bonds they once shared may not have held up for this long...

Plot

I said this in my first review, the downside to this series is that the ending is rushed and the conflicts are underdeveloped or just dropped. This is a shame since I think the series could have explored the issues more closely and really developed the characters and their relationships. I am still glad I picked up the series because I had a fun time reading it and being invested in these characters. However, it just sucks because I really wanted more out of the story. Overall, I gave this specific volume 3 stars.

razrow's review

4.0

TLDR: It is a good ending, but there are some things not addressed that I really wish were.

Longer Review: So I will put a mild spoiler warning here. This spoiler is only if you have not read the previous two volumes. If you have, this will spoil nothing from the third volume.

They never really address that Yuushin scene with Asari.

Here is the thing, that one issue is a little bit of a big issue. Like the story starts to be very confusing without that answer. It changes the dynamic of the four friends in my opinion and yet it is never really addressed.
That said, I still like it. Even though I know the story doesn't make sense with some of the issues and some parts seem unrealistic, even with all of this I still enjoyed it. I do debate hoe readily I would recommend this series, but I think I still would. As a volume, it is a decent volume too. I really like the development between Yuushin and Sora, and I also like the developments for Tsugu.

Spoiler Review:

Here is the thing, I can overlook Yuushin's stuff with Sora. Yeah they were bullied, but if I was Sora and I felt guilty about how I treated Yuushiin in the past, then I think that guilt would move me to forgive him. The thing is I really don't see how Asari fits in here. I don't see how Tsugu could forgive her and move on so easily. I mean, I understand that it is Tsugu and she works different from the others, but still it waas a bit tough. Then that weird scene between Asari and Yuushin is never addressed and that seems a bit weird. Like I feel that if that happened in the friend group, then I would leave that group.
I really like the way Sora and Yuushin develop their relationship this volume though. Yuushin gets a rough redemption, but I don't know how authentic it is. The manga is somewhat weird because I really did enjoy it, but I just don't know how "good" I would actually say it is.

moodreaderkat's review against another edition

3.0

3.5
I enjoyed this series overall, however, I felt there were missing aspects to it... Maybe if this story went on for 6 volumes or so?

hannahmarae's review against another edition

4.0

Well, this volume was ended up being a good end to the series. I'm definitely surprised at how poignant and heavy this manga turned out to be. And the end was mostly satisfying. I liked that we got this sense that things were going to be okay between the four friends. But there was one thread that wasn't tied up and it's honestly bothering me. I really wish the story would have dealt with it.

nicska's review against another edition

hopeful inspiring fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5