Golden Time

Due to a tragic accident, Banri Tada is struck with amnesia, dissolving the memories of his hometown and past. However, after befriending Mitsuo Yanagisawa, he decides to move on and begin a new life at law school in Tokyo. But just as he is beginning to adjust to his college life, the beautiful Kouko Kaga dramatically barges into Banri's life, and their chance meeting marks the beginning of an unforgettable year.

After having a glimpse of college life, Banri learns that he is in a new place and a new world—a place where he can be reborn, have new friends, fall in love, make mistakes, and grow. And as he begins to discover who he was, the path he has chosen leads him towards a blindingly bright life that he will never want to forget.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kaga, Kouko Main

Horie, Yui Japanese

Tada, Banri Main

Furukawa, Makoto Japanese

Hayashida, Nana Main

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Yanagisawa, Mitsuo Main

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Nana Supporting

Satou, Satomi Japanese

Satou, Takaya Supporting

Hikami, Takahiro Japanese

Oka, Chinami Supporting

Kido, Ibuki Japanese

Koshino Supporting

Kondou, Takayuki Japanese

Sao Supporting

Gotou, Saori Japanese

Kouko's Father Supporting

Kanao, Tetsuo Japanese

Fujishiro, Atsushi Producer

Sudou, Koutarou Producer

Yuasa, Takaaki Producer

Kawakami, Ryuutarou Producer

Reviews

Jun 12, 2014

ch20youk

Recommended

It makes me sad to see such negative reviews in the two review spots. This is definitely one of my favorite romantic anime out there. Yes, the whole amnesia plotline is rather wonky. Yes, the characters can be a bit overdramatic (although honestly, it's nothing I haven't seen in real life). But what really gets me is people claiming this show lacks depth. I firmly believe that this show has some of the most well-written characters I've ever seen. In fact, I think the people saying this show lacked depth just missed all the nuances (which, granted, were at times hard to see. But once ... you saw them you were blown-away.) Unlike most romance stories, where the plot is "will the characters end up together?", and then ends with a "yes!" and a happily ever after, Golden Time's plot is two people working through the relationship, and realizing that there isn't a happily ever after. I found that really refreshing. I'll admit, at times the plot is so character-driven and lacking of actual motion that it feels like nothing's happening. And when it comes to the actual plot with Banri, there are many episodes where the problem could easily be solved by Banri just talking to his friends. But on the other hand, when it comes to his relationship with Koko, when there's a communication issue, the two will usually have the conversation you wish they'd have. And as someone who focuses mainly on character writing when watching/reading something, the way the two of them were handled was really all I needed in this show.
The ending, I admit, was fairly disappointing. They crammed into one episode what they should have put into at least two. And when I first finished watching it, I felt like they hadn't answered the main questions at all. Particularly with Linda - but it was only after I'd sat and thought about it for a while (particularly with some symbolism through tennis shoes) that I understood their answer. Yet there were many other characters whose plotlines got vague symbolistic answers, and you just sort of had to accept that. And with Banri's whole amnesia thing... I found it a bit ridiculous, so I decided to interpret it as past self v present self, with the amnesia creating a more defined divide between the two. And then it made a bit more sense for me, as well as was more tolerable.
Oh, and a quick other note - the voice acting, especially on Horie Yui's part, was amazing. There were literally some scenes where I just thought "DANG that's good acting", as dumb as that sounds. The OD/ED were both forgettable, unfortunately. I actually skipped the 2nd OD most of the time because I couldn't stand it. And while the music isn't a big problem, having songs I can add to my anime playlist is always a big bonus. Also, the art, for an anime, is perfectly fine. The OD/ED both have some great scenes, but I always skipped them, so... From what I've seen of the manga, that has truly great art.
Overall, I'd say, if you're not willing to put in the mental work to really understand this show, don't bother. Not that it's a ton, but... basically, if you're looking for a light, fun show that you can watch while doing other stuff, Golden Time is not that show. But a lot of the answers you need to be satisfied, you have to come up with yourself. The hints and tools you need to get there are all provided for you in the show, but you have to keep an eye out for them. Otherwise this show can easily come off as two whiny, overdramatic college kids who cause their own problems.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Mar 29, 2014

Tylzy

Mixed Feelings

Golden time being predominately Romance and School Life-themed doesn't stop it from containing other interesting elements peppered throughout, making this otherwise humdrum university romance story unique.

Complaint #1: The characters. The main character: Tada Banri is one of the least impressive characters in the entire show. As a viewer, it's absolutely frustrating witnessing the romance in this show and where Banri decides to take it. The romance only being frustrating because of Banri choosing one of the most invasive, clingy, and annoying characters I've ever encountered. Her personality along with the romance that surrounds her keeps each and every viewer's frustration ... to a maximum. To top it off, the ending was extremely underwhelming. When watching the final episode occur, I became extremely irritated how the creator of this story could make it end the way it did. Is it to make a statement? That not all love stories end with the viewer pleased in the character's decision? Perhaps it's because the writer is showing that the character has control over their story, not the writer like most people think. Whatever the case, the characters and ending thoroughly disappointed me.

Complaint #2: The flow. The flow of the story is profoundly important. It impacts my decision as to whether I continue with the show or not, whether I enjoy the show or merely tolerate it. For this show, it was tolerance. It's hard to place my finger on, but something about this show's flow seemed off; each episode felt different from the last, almost like a discontinuation. The story should be just that: a story. Not a sequence of episodes. In a romance story, this overarching story becomes exponentially important, and the lack of it creates a difficult situation for viewers to see the progression of romance. When the flow of a show isn't good, the viewer becomes distracted from the plot and/or the message, hurting the overall reception of the story.

Commend #1: Interesting plot. I won't say much about the plot, but to be frank, this is the one and only thing about this show that kept me going. It was a very interesting plot that kept me wanting more, to see how the creators concluded it. Without this plot, there felt no reason at all for me to finish out this show.

Rating and Ending Thoughts

My disapproval of the ending, general flow of the story, the main characters, as well as the interesting plot, incline me to give this the mediocre rating of 5/10. The plot completely carries the entire show because, obviously, the characters can't do it worth anything. This plot kept me on the edge of my seat and powered me through to the end, simply to see how the writers decided to finish this dull, romantic story.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Mar 27, 2014

jiroutachi

Not Recommended

[Spoiler Warning]

Every once in a while, you watch something bad that doesn't feel like a total waste of time, because it's just so bad that you learn from it exactly what you never want to see from any form of media again. Or teaches you exactly what NOT to do if you write something yourself.

Golden Time was honestly such a terrible experience that it was almost rewarding.

The entire show was like an empty shell; you could keep looking long and hard for a pearl as much as you wanted and nothing but disappointment would surface. I give them credit for at least trying to escape ... the ordinary by setting the whole thing in a college instead of a high school, but in the end the scarce focus on the setting and the way the characters behaved like incomprehensible children instead of young adults made it all pointless. The use of tons of romcom cliches (amnesia as a plot device, sad childhood friend, half-assed love triangle, misunderstandings as source of conflict) was constant and just as poorly done as the attempts to make the whole thing stand out from other bad, stereotypical romcoms.

The entire plot revolved around Banri's amnesia and his relationship with Koko, with no focus or backstory for the side characters and relationships at all. Not only the whole thing got excruciatingly tiresome after a while, but it was clear that there wasn't enough of it to fill 24 episodes: the conflict dragged its feet for much longer than necessary, and there were lots of episodes that were so useless you could just cut off entirely and it would make no difference. They started to appeal to source of new conflicts that were so silly and uncalled for it was impossible not to question what the hell the author was even thinking. Also, the main conflict itself was done in a way that made it completely unappealing and dull; It's especially notable how they made Banri's "past self" a literal ghost that follows him around sulking, which let's face it, makes it hard to take everything seriously. Not to mention that they asspulled the most boring, predictable conclusion they possibly could for this storyline right on the last episode. Amnesia is a cliché that may work if done right, but in Golden Time it isn't compelling at all.

Moreover, the main couple's relationship and scenes were absolutely unnatural, forced and cringe-worthy. The show gives them no time to develop feelings for each other, forcing them together 6 episodes in. Their personalities don't mash at all, making all of their interactions feel extremely awkward. There was no enjoyment whatsoever in seeing them interacting, no heartstrings pulled, no fun, no cuteness, nothing. It wasn't organic, or realistic, and it sure as hell wasn't convincing. It just fails into delivering.

The main problem with Golden Time's writing, though, doesn't even lie on the awkwardly put together plot, no. It's on the characters.

It's no exaggeration to say that Koko and Banri are among the worst leads in any romance anime I have ever seen. Banri is absolutely plain - no distinguishing personality traits, no quirks, no ideals, no goals, NOTHING about him is interesting. He's the boy with amnesia, boyfriend of Koko, and nothing more. He's just there. The fact that he lost his memories is really no excuse for his boring character either - come on, even Elfen Lied's Nyuu had more personality than this guy, and she didn't even remember how to go to the toilet. Koko, on the other hand, is painfully unlikeable. She's an annoying cheeky brat who's always causing trouble and victimizing herself. Right off the bat she's shown to be stalking her childhood friend and wanting to force him into marriage, and then screams at him and acts like a vulnerable damsel who has been wronged when he shows to be uncomfortable and creeped out. Once she engages on her relationship with Banri and shows a kinder side and some acceptable character development, she becomes considerably less unlikeable, but still annoying, to the point where I caught myself thinking "Of course she's with him, only some boy with zero personality and sense of self would willingly spend time with this girl". It's that bad. And because of this, whenever the drama kicked in, it was really hard to care. Why should I? How can the viewer possibly relate with these two? Why would I get sad over characters who keep acting like dumbasses instead of like sensible human beings?

The other characters are barely worth commenting, with maybe the exception of Linda, Banri's senior and friend. She is infinitely more likeable than Koko, but her role in the story is confusing and unclear - is she supposed to be another end of a love triangle? Is she in love with him, is she jealous? Is her relationship with Banri only sister-like, and she really doesn't see him as more than a friend? We don't know (at least not until the final ten minutes of the last episode in a really plain and threw-this-scene-in-for-the-sake-of-explaining-her-feelings development - oh, well). Aside of Linda, the side characters might as well not even exist. Literally - and I mean that - every dialogue they have among themselves is about the main couple. Their personalities are pretty much non-existent, and the sad attempts of giving them some depth of their own are so fribble it's laughable. They're only there to talk about the main couple and act like idiots on their own accord.

The art and animation are savorless. It's pretty below average and there's nothing special about it, except if you count some dramatic scenes that were animated so exaggeratedly that became hilarious. The character designs are pretty flat and unoriginal, Koko looks pretty much like a grown-up Aisaka Taiga. The music isn't noteworthy either - Horie Yui did a good job voicing Koko, Kayano Ai's voice is cute as usual, but that's about it.

Golden Time was definitely not an enjoyable experience . Watching it every week felt like a task and I got bored regularly. But at the very least, it definitely reminded me of some of the things that can make a story dreadful, and taught me to avoid it. And maybe next time I watch a good romantic comedy, I can think back to this show and enjoy the good aspects of whatever I'm watching at the time even more.

Scores/tl;dr
Story: 3/10 - Empty, poorly written. Drags its conflicts for more time than necessary, doesn't know how to distribute its focus, suffers from melodrama.
Art & Sound: 4/10 - Below average.
Characters: 3/10 - Act stupidly for the plot's sake, are either unlikeable or have no personality at all, questionable character development.
Enjoyment: 3/10
Overall: 4/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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