Anime: Golden Time

Real relationships are difficult. They require a great deal of trust, involvement, and suffering. Golden Time is not your typical romantic comedy and it is not your standard teen meets world show. It is a well executed exploration into markedly challenging relationships driven by exceptional characters and very real themes. This is delivered in a very enjoyable package with a fitting mixture of drama and humor, which is presented in a way that neither of the two diminishes each other, as often found in many other works.

There isn't a single show that Golden Time can really be compared to as a whole. The show's humor and drama mixture can be compared to Amagami SS. The early college years' atmosphere can be compared to Suzuka. The group atmosphere and interrelationships remind me of Kokoro Connect and Kimikiss. And the character development and relationships remind me most recently of Nagi no Asukara. To be compared to so many other works that I hold in high regard is no small feat, but I believe this show truly deserves it. If you enjoy character development and are at least lukewarm to the idea of putting up with a particularly needy and chatty heroine, I would recommend you give this a try. On the other hand, if you're looking for something with moe or loli, or generally shy towards lighter romance works like Sakurasou, then this might not be for you.

Animation:
The animation for Golden Time is up to par. The show has a neutral saturation tone and fairly detailed backgrounds. Overall attention to detail could have been a bit better as characters occasionally decide to change clothing color between frames and the overall look is a bit flat at times. Things fare quite a bit better in the character design department. All the important characters are very distinguishable and well drawn overall. The characters have fairly broad wardrobes, which is nice considering the length of the show. While facial animations aren't outstanding, they are above average (attention was given to important character reads on each other). J.C. Staff has an overall mixed history with romance shows, this is probably one of their best ones yet. One complaint I will log is that Banri reminds me just a bit too much of Yuuji from Shakugan no Shana in both appearance and, actually, personality.

This show is mostly grounded in a realistic portrayal of modern day Tokyo so I wouldn't expect much in the action department, pretty sure Awa dancing doesn't count. The show doesn't focus on ecchi but do expect a few suggestive scenes and a juicy slathering of kissing scenes.

Sound:
Golden Time has two OPs and EDs, the first pair of which is better in my mind. All of them are performed by the talented Yui Horie. The first OP is a playful, uplifting tune with a nice melody, and the ED is a slower, but likewise fitting song with a nice melody. The second, darker half of the show fittingly opens with a darker OP. The second OP is set in the minor scale and has literally pounding percussion as if to signal the end of the world (cough, the title). The second ED is a lighter, playful tune, almost as if to try to provide a breather from the heavier atmosphere, which is a nice thought but kind of pointless considering that it is followed directly by the dark OP again in the next episode preview section. The BGM is nothing particularly memorable. It's supportive when it is needed without being a distraction from the character dialogue.

The VA cast is impeccable and they perform outstandingly in their roles. All three primary and supporting heroine roles involved a great amount of depth and all the VAs delivered solid performances. It's been too long since I've heard Yui Horie in one of these roles, and her legacy continues as Kouko here. Ai Kayano has had great success of late and it again shows here in her somewhat reserved yet supportive personality as Linda. And relatively junior Ibuki Kido, by comparison, does a good job of giving a very slight touch of cuteness to round out the trio. Oh, and props to Makoto Furukawa for the ridiculous amount of screaming he had to do as Banri. Last but not least, props to Tetsuo Kanao; not too many lines as Kouko's father but a solid performance nonetheless.

Story:
Golden Time is first and foremost a story about the interesting, developing relationship between a group of friends centered on Banri and Kouko. Both of these characters have significant shortcomings, but they are willing to work through thick and thin to realize their dreams. Along the way, the story is able to capitalize on some pretty deep themes. One recurring theme is that of one's identity.

Memories are precious recollections of our past. But how precious are they really? Does the sum total of one's memories coalesce to form one's identity? Many shows have toyed with the concept of amnesia, but the majority of them use it as a plot mechanism to introduce critical background information later than they otherwise would. Rarely does a show actually attempt to tackle amnesia and one's identity a direct theme, especially not in a show with a good deal of humor. While I'm not saying that the portrayal of amnesia was particularly realistic (i.e. some of the later episodes), I did like how the show was able to combine this with the plot in a meaningful way.

The overall story is pretty much one long but enjoyable ride with a lot of bumps along the way to keep things interesting. Expect a lot of cliff hangers and humorous moments to keep the viewer interested. The story starts off relatively light but progressively becomes darker just once you think things are all becoming rosy. The intensity rapidly increases until the ride suddenly becomes Indiana Jones (Disneyland reference) with lots of crazy events and a few hold-your-breath moments. While the conclusion is fitting and brings resolution to the central plotline, it doesn't address some of the other "pending" relationships in the show and likewise felt a bit artificial compared to the purely realist approach of the rest of the show, not as far as Clannad After Story but still not the most realistic of portrayals.

There is a particular scene where Banri and Kouko end up in a huge argument with potentially relationship-shattering phrases thrown at each other. Banri then learns of the insignificant, overlooked ember that triggered the firestorm and the couple is able to come to terms with each other. It's this kind of attention to detail in execution and presentation that truly elevates Golden Time in the story section.

Character:
This is the show's strongest category in my opinion. The show just has such a wonderful balance of character depth and character development.

None of the heroines are anywhere near cookie-cutter material. Kouko, for example, is an ostentatious yandere who seems to do whatever she wants all the time. Yet once she discovers her feelings for Banri, she starts showing a more insecure and caring side as well. Furthermore, all of the characters (and the viewer) are forced to interact with each other through a complex (honestly realistic) set of constraints be it knowledge of someone's relationship with another or knowledge of someone's past. We learn more about the characters as the show progresses, though most of the character background focuses on Banri and Linda for pretty obvious reasons.

The character development and relationships are likewise greatly enjoyable in the show. There is a solid amount of relationship building and romance. Kouko for the longest time can't even get Banri's name right. The many tribulations that the characters go through really test their relationships and their dedication to each other, but through them their bonds grow. This is all helped by the sense of maturity that is honestly refreshing after endless high school and moe shows. In addition to the already enjoyable romance, the show has a fairly intricate web of relationships and polygonal love interests. It isn't as complicated as some other shows but there is definitely a multiplier effect due to Banri's amnesia.

Given that I pointed to Sakurasou as an example of something different, I probably should explain why here. Sakurasou is likewise a great show also by J.C. Staff but its intended audience is a tad different. There are much fewer moe and comedic relief supporting characters in Golden Time and the focus is much more squarely on the core couple. If Sakurasou were to follow this show's execution, it would focus much more on Shiina's failings in dealing with society and Sorata's inability to reach his dreams, and how the pair would bond and grow together to overcome such challenges. It's a much different feel, though I wouldn't mind watching such a version as well.

Back to Golden Time, the show also successfully focuses heavily on the main cast. There are a fair number of secondary characters but they are used sparingly, and used to good effect when they are present. Kouko's father, for example, shows up at a few key points in the show but is otherwise absent.

Overall, this an excellent execution and a true model for other shows to follow.

Value:
Once in a blue moon, the animation industry churns out a romance piece that actually focuses on character interactions and development rather than trying to create a harem or giving the protagonist an instant girlfriend. Very infrequently are we blessed with characters with more depth than an elementary novel's characters, or even characters that have passed the magical high school boundary. And even rarer are shows where writers allow couples to be put through trials and setbacks. However, for those who covet such characteristics, Golden Time is a golden gem. While not a perfect diamond, this show has so much done right that I can only hope that its qualities will be emulated by other future works. This is a strong recommendation for anyone looking for a good romance with an overall positive feel-good experience.

Review
Golden Time is a very interesting case. While watching it I was brought back to my late teens and early twenties, when cutesy never felt wrong while watching Honey & Clover's powerful cast, when being a ero-game never was an issue to Rumbling Hearts powerful drama, or when the ecchi parts just fit nicely for Onegai Teacher's charm. From there on, however, I rarely found light romance shows that managed to feel as right as those. They always felt far too cutie and sligthly dumb like Clannad or with too much ecchi and unrealistic drama like Ano Natsu de Matteru. Some fell in the middle, like the recent Sakurasou no Pet no Kanojo and Toradora, but yet just slightly above average in quality.

Golden Time, animated by J.C. Staff, the same studio from Honey & Clover, Sakurasou, Toradora, and Ano Natsu, is perhaps a return to those golden days stuck in my memories. Created by the same woman behind Toradora, it feels like a natural progression from that work and one that emanates a slightly more mature and dramatic aura.

This is a tale about Tada Banri, a boy who lost his memory right after his high school graduation due to a serious accident. Banri, however, decided to attempt a new life in Tokyo, attending to a law school where he could meet new people and give a new meaning to his new "self". There he befriends Mitsuo, a boy fleeing from an annoying, obssessive, yet charming girl named Kouko. While helping to keep the annoying cute girl away from his new friend, Banri forms a deep and loving bond with her. He doesn't know, however, that the very fact that he choose to attend to that specific school is because his forgotten, previous, loved one is there.

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1. The first impact
   Golden Time first impact is not as good as it should. Although the animation, coloring, consistency, and sharpness of the art is superb, they all draw from the generic database of characters. Basically, all shows from J.C. Staff looks the same, and that also applies to the vast majority of every other shows released in the last five years or so. In addition to that, the generic design also puts 18-year old boys and girls with the very same art of 14-year old we typically know. They don't have a slight difference in their facial expression and body behavior to make us believe they are older. Fortunately their personalities reflects a bit better their maturity.
   
   A light and charming romance
   As the episodes go on, you are presented to Banri and Kouko's relationship, a charming couple of an active, yet lonely and loving girl with a caring boy that still struggles with his forgotten past. The daily deeds of their lives, your typical club activities (Damn it! Burn all clubs! Exorcise them from animes, please!), love struggles, hanging out with their friends, and episodes slowly enhancing their bond are all filled with a crafty combination of charm, cutesy, and maturity. It's darkest moments are considerably light, but the show as a whole has such a natural progression that you're likely to be smiling from time to time and laughing a bit from the comical situations that never feel forced or intrusive. This is no comedy show, no ecchi show, no harem show, it is a romance show...
   
   And it's about a boy and his two personalities
   Amnesia is perhaps a weird plot device that hundreds of tales told in Japan use. Tada Banri, however, suffers from something slightly different, more like a split personality than a memory loss. The Banri from the past loved Linda, a friend from high-school that unknowningly drew him to the law school in Tokyo. The new Banri loves Kouko and is determined to leave everything behind. The struggle of the show and its major dramatic point is knowing when the old Banri will take over or if the new Banri will manage to conciliate with his past. With this in mind, it turns a bit harder to determine if Kouko will be the chosen love interest or if Linda will manage to be the winning girl. This sort of "fantastic" element to the tale may feel superficial from time to time, but it works nicely in favor of creating situations where it differs from other similar shows.
   
   A support cast worth of watching
   Golden Time keeps itself very safe when it comes to cast size. Beyond the main love triangle we have three of Banri's friend and an additional bonus character with importance. With this support you get a few more spice when it comes to love polygons and they also work to enhance most of the charming and dramatic scenes from the show. Everyone else in the school are just your background group and do a decent job when they are needed.
   
   A few missed opportunities
   Although the show does a great job at creating interesting circumstances, it also tricks you at some points and makes you expect something more than what is delivered. It teases you, for example, with the fact that Kouko is hellish rich, yet this fact never poses importance to the greater scene. She is also lonely as the first episodes tell you, but this is only an issue for about 10 minutes, after that you never get to dig deeper into the loneliness she suffered before. Basically, every tease in the show happens because the only character whose past is discussed is Banri, and every interesting hint about the rest of the cast is just there for extra flavor and not to be developed and explored. Fortunately, the focus on the present for the rest of the cast manages to cover up for such flaws and as a whole the cast turns out to be Golden Time greatest asset and one of the best cast I've seen in the last years alongside Tari Tari.
   
   The ending could've been better
   The events of the show are typically your slice-of-life stuff, slowly crafting its cast and, from time to time, giving you a glimpse of what can happen when the old Banri takes over to erase all his memory from after the accident. The last string of events deals with this pivotal plot point and does so in an awesome and dramatic way, yet however, at the very end, the show appears to lose its courage and sticks with a far more predictable and dumb finale then it could have been. It's still acceptable, but with just a slight change to it this could turn out to be one hell of a dramatic gran finale... a pity really.
   

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Comments
Seriously, why does this show get such average ratings while Clannad gets absurdly high scores? Clannad is not a bad show, it's a decent light romance, but Golden Time offers much more in terms of drama, maturity, fun, and complexity. Both deal with events that feel superfical, but Golden Time doesn't have a collection of cute girls neither it is filled with moesque elements, but if that's what made Clannad so better rated by fans this certainly means there's something wrong somewhere in the industry or amongst the fans. As far a romances go, if I had to choose between Golden Time and Clannad I would immediately choose the former.

Anyway, despite every flaw Golden Time has, I felt absurdly pleased of watching it. This came quite as a surprise to me because in the past I could only really enjoy a romance show if my situation somehow reflected in it, which clearly is not the case now. Many times I was watching it just to notice how wide my smile was after a charming scene, or how some short scenes made me laugh for a bit. These reactions all came naturally and gradually with each episode, and I never felt the show was forcing some stupid situation to its cast for the sake of plain-old fanservice. Well.. it DOES have a beach episode and Kouko looks like a fashion model with all her wardrobe, but even this came out just fine because it matches with her exquisite personality and it never overflowed to the rest of the cast.

So, if you're looking for a light romance, one with a bit more of drama then Clannad and less cute girls, Golden Time may be exactly what you are looking for. If you prefer cutesy, this may still work for you because, even with the generic character design, Kouko is one hell of a cute anime character after all. The best of all, it manages to be 24 episodes long without that much of fillers, which is quite rare considering the genre, making it a slightly longer ride and certainly making a far better impact on you than the rest.