Tsugu and Sora have had enough of life in their small hometown, where childhood friends have turned into bullies and it seems like their families are always on edge, so they have ditched the sticks for Tokyo and are now skipping school to spend their days making croquettes. This break might be what the two of them need, especially Sora, but as the two of them start to settle into this new normal all the people they left behind grow even more agitated than before.
It’s a little remarkable how quickly Tsugu and Sora settle into their new normal of making croquettes every day for a cranky old man to sell and also surprising just how much satisfaction this seems to bring them. Sure they are teens, and what teen doesn’t want an extended opportunity to skip school, but Sora especially seems to be thriving now that he’s not constantly dreading a text from Yuushin to come over and get bullied some more.
Tsugu is just thrilled to see her dad again, even if she’s guitar-less for most of volume 2, and having fun doing some sight-seeing in Tokyo while they’re there. Although I am a tad bit surprised that no one’s parents are doing more to get the kids back, that aspect does feel a bit too fictional for me — I have a bit of a hard time believing that Tsugu’s mom wants so very little to do with her dad and that Sora’s grandmother is so accepting that maybe he needs some time away.
One character gets their, I wouldn’t say comeuppance but something along those lines and it felt good, so I appreciated Kaori Ozaki taking that character down a peg. I am a little worried how they’ll handle another character however, and that is Yuushin’s dad. In volume 1 we learn that Yuushin was bullied after his father, a city councilman, was charged with paying cash to a minor for sex and Yuushin holds a lot of resentment towards him which I interpreted as resentment because of both how his father’s actions affected him and some deep shame for the action. The side characters in Golden Sheep seem to be pushing Yuushin to make up with his father, to have a reconciliation of sorts, which makes me incredibly uneasy. If the story is trying to go the direction of “your father’s actions did not justify others bullying you and he shouldn’t be held accountable for the bullying” then I’d be alright, but that’s such a fine line to walk that I would much rather have the story end with Yuushin still being upset about his father’s past actions.
I also don’t think that will be the ending Yuushin has. Tsugu, Sora, and Yuushin’s stories so far have all dealt heavily with their families that I can’t imagine cutting people off for good fitting in tonally. The group’s fourth member, Asari, still hasn’t had a large role in the story so far but if she does have a bigger role in future volumes I bet her family will play an important role in her story too.
Volume 2 of The Golden Sheep continues along without any major revelations but it does signal that change and growth is possible for all of its’ characters, not just the ones who want to change.