johanna.weber - 2014-03-31 01:15:27

A surprisingly well done mature romance anime while still carrying comedic elements into the story. While the plot is rather complicated, the resemblance to real life made it so appealing and relatable to me. I have to say well done to the last few episodes for sending me "the FEELS!!!" over and over again.

block.giuseppe - 2014-03-30 08:56:37

Golden Time is an anime by the creator of Toradora!. It follows around Tada Banri as he starts his life as a college student.

Golden Time is a romantic dramady and the pacing is extremely similar to Toradora!. The story mainly revolves around Banri and his romantic and his "internal struggle". The romance parts that largely don't involve the internal struggle are handled very well. However, as the show goes on the story becomes more and more centered around this single plot point and it damages the entire fabric of the anime. Eventually it locks the show into one of two solutions, one of them being a deus ex machina and the other where it's somewhat akin in the ending of Sonic 2006.

On the surface the cast is fairly decent. The mains in Banri, Koko, and Linda receive very rapid character development. The entire cast feels very authentic and they have a dynamic that is rarely seen in anime. On top of this I found almost all of them likable despite that they all have some flaws. However, one of them has a very major flaw, and that character is Banri. Of course, his flaw is the "internal struggle", it completely ruins his character for several reasons but for one very important one; it completely inhibits his ability to make choices in the anime. Toradora! was an anime that became about the choices the characters made. They were not always the best choices, but many of them were understandable and made you appreciate the characters more. In Golden Time Banri's inability to make choices makes every other character have less appeal. Golden Time pulls Banri and Banri pulls back, not creating a balance but instead slowly wears out the rope.

Just a quick bit about the animation and sound. It's there, not extraordinary. The animation is somewhat vibrant, but I have noticed they do have changes in the color grading as the mood of the show changes.

Despite Golden Time's very strong start, overall strong cast, and good romance the show's main focus and character weigh it down to the point where it becomes almost unwatchable late in the series. It becomes hard to take serious despite having all the parts to have been a great anime.

5/10

derick.borer - 2014-03-30 01:30:35

A good romantic anime, I enjoyed the college setting because you don't really see that in much anime. The characters are a enjoy to watch and each serves their purpose throughout the series. Golden Time is an enjoyable anime that blends drama, comedy, and romantic moments well.

ehegmann - 2014-03-28 22:17:14

This will be my first review using my new list of standards.

Story 7/10

-pacing (good)

- world building/premise (well built, but has problems.)

-consistency (Relatively consistent with a problem or two)

-flow (Flows nicely and isn't too convoluted)

The story of Golden Time revolves around Tada Banri who is a recovering amnesiac. This alone was enough for me to cringe at but, the fact that this show was set in a college environment rather than a high-school one was enough for me to do the three episode rule. Golden Time is based on a light novel series by the same person who worked on Toradora. At first I was expecting a grown-up verison of Toradora archetypes and at first Kaga Koko's annoyance almost made me think that of this show, however it evolved to deal with romance, psychology, and college life very seriously so much so that I had to finish it.
In summary the plot of the story is the relationship of Tada Banri the former an amnesiac, and Kaga Koko the rich girl who always had everything she ever wanted. At first the relationship is pretty one-sided with Banri being the one showing most of the love, and then Kaga in her own way shows her devotion. Things get difficult when Tada's old crush Linda-sempai comes back into his life. Their relationship with Banri's group of friends are just as important as his relationship with Koko. The show deals with their ups and downs which all relationships have, but did it in a relate-able and enjoyable way. The flow of their relationship and the pacing of the show was good, and although there were a few episodes of "filler" most of the episodes showed either character development nor didn't affect the pacing too much.
Golden Time is interesting not because it does something new or original, but because it sticks to realism. My only real complaint is that the character of "ghost Banri" is the only not realistic thing in this show and his shenanigans gets everyone in trouble and becomes a since of antagonism to the characters. Oh, but he gets a happy ending that he has always wanted because "ghost Banri" is Banri's past self and I guess it needed closure. Despite the fact that "ghost Banri" is despicable and not worth the time or effort that he was put in the show or screen time.
So the the story has good pacing, set in a realistic word and has a realistic premise, there is consistency, but Ghost Banri interferes with it being amazing. Also the flow of the story is smooth, but has some rocky parts showing conflict which is resolved in a way that makes all the characters have a happy ending.

Character 8/10
- ability to relate (characters are realistic so people going through have been through similar circumstanced can relate)
-development (characters show change, overcome conflict, and become better people because of it)
-personality (all the characters are enjoyable in some way, even those who aren't as interesting are at least have foils to their lack thereof.)

The characters of Golden Time are what makes it enjoyable week to week or episode to episode. You think Tada Banri is boring, but that is because he is a character that needs fleshing out. At first glance Koko is annoying, but slowly you become attached to her vulnerability and actual state of affairs. She as a character is one who puts up a lot of walls be them emotional or psychological to defend both her ego and pride from attack. Banri in many ways is her foil to this because as she is outgoing and assertive he is insular and easy going.
Banri develops fears and frustrations with his memories and his friends. He is the central character, the protagonist. Although not many can relate with his amnesia. The only big issue as almost all modern anime use this trope of amnesia for plot convenience. However, how he as a character deals with it and its impact on his life as well as how it impacts those around him is very well done and executing in a fashion that is very easy to relate to.
As development goes the two main characters, Kaga and Banri do the most development. However other minor characters also develop throughout the course of the show. Be it Yana's love for Linda sempai and their separate story arc or the impact of Banri's mental illness has on them. This show does not half-ass its character development and builds and builds until the bubble bursts and Banri who is constantly changes has to deal with the inevitable. I will say that the amnesiac attacks are some what of a cop-out, but at least in theory with the premise it is executed in a well fashion.

Music/Sound 8/10
- music (Fun, but not memorable)
-sound effects (Used when needed)
-voice acting (A great cast, but might be better dubbed.)

The music selection both the openings and endings made me pump to watch the show, however none were memorable, and I wouldn't go out of my way to buy the soundtrack. The sound effects and in show music were used when needed, but again not memorable. The voice acting cast was good, but since this is romance it might be better dubbed in English.

Art/Animation 7/10
- character art (Distinct characters that had memorable designs)
-background scenes (Looked generic Japan, with little landmarks to distinguish)
-animation (Well done by a studio that knew what they were doing. It had good production values as well)
-visual effects- (This was realistic, the visual effects in Tora Dora not so much.)

The art section is all positive. The character designs were distinct and memorable, even the background characters looked distinct. J.C Staff tried real hard to get this show to be as realistic so in that regard they get an A in my book. However, I know it is supposed to take place in Tokyo, but I didn't see any landmarks around the area so it could be placed anywhere not just in Tokyo. This may of course be why it has a generic look. Other visual effects were done well in comparison with J.C Staffs handling of Tora Dora which was not done well.

Entertainment Value 7/10
-Engagement (I was sucked in for the premise, setting and never looked back)
-Re-watchability (Waiting for it to be dubbed)
- General Enjoyment (Except for Ghost Banri, and the hard to watch end this show was rather enjoyable)

Okay, the show was pretty good. If I could have one complaint is that Ghost Banri almost ruined the show for me. The ending was hard to watch, but at least everyone was happy. It ended on a postive note. I enjoyed my time watching the show, but it wasn't higher thanks to Ghost Banri.

Overall 7/10

Golden Time is great for someone who loves romance shows, or who wants something out of the highschool setting. As a seinen romance it is mature and deals with love, disorders, and relationships in a smart and adult way. No tsundere and ecchi in this show, instead a relatively good show with some ups and downs.

hayes.axel - 2014-03-28 03:49:53

Plot:

Tada Banri, a newly admitted student at a private law school in Tokyo, found himself completely lost after the opening ceremony, trying to find his way to the freshman orientation. At that moment, he ran into another lost freshman from the same school, Yanagisawa Mitsuo, and they hit it off at once. Somehow arriving at their intended goal just on time, there appeared in front of the two a beautiful girl holding a bouquet of roses. The girl then whacked Mitsuo across the face with the bouquet and handed the flowers over to him. "Freshman, congratulations," was all she said, and then left. The stylish, well dressed, perfect woman that had swung at Mitsuo was his childhood friend, Kaga Kouko. As children they had promised to marry each other one day, fulfilling their dreams. In order to escape from her, Mitsuo had gone out secretly and taken the examination for this well known private college, but now she showed up in the freshman orientation hall. She too had taken the law school entrance examination, catching up with him there.

Story: I found the story to be very interesting. The story overall is very character driven. As the viewer you see how each of the main cast develops their personality and their relationships throughout the series. The characters make the story very moving to the point were you are cheering them on and hoping the succeed in their goals. There isn't to many negative things i have to say about the story other than at the beginning it did start out a bit slow but quickly became more entertaining a few episodes in.

Animation: The animation is very good everything stands out very nicely in this show. The characters are very well animated and also fit very well in the scenery which also looks very good.

Sound: The sounds of Golden Time are also very moving. The fit very well into the series. The intro and ending theme go really well together and start the series out on the right foot. The soundtrack is very good and really drives the emotional scenes home which is a good thing in a romance anime.

Characters: The characters are all very enjoyable to watch. They also all develop their own personality in the series and i felt the majority of the main cast got just enough screen time for the viewer to become attached to them. As i said earlier the story is very character driven and they are the ones that make the show so good in the first place.

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this show. It was a bit slow to start but i am glad i kept watching because it slowly became a romance anime that could rival some of the more well know ones such as Toradora. This is a show i would recommend to any fan of romance anime.

clare.harris - 2014-03-21 23:45:45

This Anime is very good but at the end (i have watched 23/24 Episodes) the Anime "will "Shit" in your face"

nmayer - 2014-02-26 02:58:33

Story - 7/10

The plot in Golden Time is an interesting concept. The troubles of getting total amnesia, the worries over what happens when you get back the memories you lost; will you still be the same person? Or will you go back to the way you were before? Will your emotions and feelings come back with the memories? If so then will the feelings you have for your current partner be lost in the new wave of emotions? It's a very interesting idea that has a lot of potential.

While the plot had a lot of potential and is a very interesting concept, the delivery of it wasn't very well done. The delivery made the plot and characters seem very forced, which can be difficult to watch. It does a good job when it needs to, but for a lot of it, it can feel very stiff.

Animation - 8/10

The animation in Golden Time is very good and suits the series well. While the animation doesn't totally match up with the personalities of the characters, it fits many of the over-the-top traits many of the characters have.

Sound - 9/10

There was nothing really special about the Golden Time soundtrack. It fit the mood very well and was interesting to listen to, but nothing more. It was slightly above average, and slightly memorable.

The voice acting in Golden Time is very enjoyable. It fits the characters perfectly and portrays the characters feelings extremely accurately. Also each character sounds very different so it's impossible to get them mixed up.

Characters - 8/10

The character designs in Golden Time look so much like Toradora it's not even funny. Even if these characters are nothing like the characters from Toradora, it's weird that they would make them so similar. Other then the fact they look like they should be in a Toradora sequel, I thought the characters themselves were well designed. They have a very good mix of characters, that are all very interesting. The only one that I found really annoying, even though it's not her fault, was Linda. She just feels kinda...out of place.

The development of the two main character Tada Banri and Kaga Kouko is amazing, making them feel like real people. It may not be so apparent in the first half of the series, but in the second half the ball is dropped and just keeps rolling. The only problem I have with the development is it feels like some of the other characters don't get a lot of it. I feel like that's going to change in the upcoming episodes, because of the drama around them.

Enjoyment - 8/10

I find this series fun to watch, but that's about it. It's fun, but I'm not emotionally invested in it. Sure I'd be sad if something happened to one of the characters, but I wouldn't have a hissy fit over it.

Overall - 8/10

With all of that being said I still think it's worth a watch just for the amazing scenes with Tada Banri's and Kaga Kouko's development.

elinor.wilderman - 2014-01-15 23:13:29

I've watched half-way through the series, so don't read if you aren't up to episode 12. I love Golden Time. It's so friendly, while still maintaining the college and romance drama. Koko is the typical overly-attached girlfriend, but Tada Banri feels quite unique to me. He always seems light-hearted, but stands up for what he believes. He doesn't want to hurt anyone's feelings -especially Koko's- which is where I get my "School Days" vibe from.

I'm not saying that I expect a bloody end or anything of the sort, but it's that feeling, the one where you know that Tada can't keep up with Koko and long as he loves Linda. Just knowing how attached Koko is to Banri, enough to even steal his photo, it's clear something must be coming up.Also her obsession with him always being with her and within her reach. Then there is Linda, who seems to still have feelings for Banri as well. Their feelings are so complicated and intertwined...

I'm just putting what I feel out there. These three have a very "Makoto, Sekai and Katsura" feeling around them, and I'm quite interested to see how they end up.

rempel.reilly - 2013-11-30 06:44:35

Golden Time. Involves a young boy who has graduated his High School Life and plans for the future but memory lane won't be following his future. This is a great show to watch. Involves a bit of drama, mix of flash backs and a sad story to connect it all. I would recommend this to many Otaku's and anime lovers.

herta.willms - 2013-11-30 06:17:34

Golden Time Impressions Episodes 1-9:

I'll come right out and say it: This is THE show to watch for this season. Please don't read my 8 score and think "oh he gave it an 8, that's pretty good." Because an 8 in my books is pretty fucking fantastic. Keep in mind as you are reading this that this is an impression, NOT a review. I do not officially review shows until they are completely finished.

Golden Time has really flown under the radar most likely due to its not-so-unique first episode, and the fact that Kill La Kill and Beyond the Boundary have demanded so much attention. However, this show deserves some more respect and I see it getting it with due time.

This show started off as a simple romcom with a love triangle, but the show has quickly changed its tone from a comedy, into a true drama. Due to character backstories, along with the general instability of many of the characters, there is a lot of drama to be dealt with, and there have already been numerous moments that can hit you hard.

The main character started off as your average main character with little personality, but after a reveal about his past, everything changed. Now instead of being the observer of the events around him, Banri is the center of the majority of the drama, and it works beautifully.

This show really does have a Toradora! feel like many are saying, but I would go further than that and say that Golden Time is much more mature than Toradora! Not only is it set in college, but the themes it tackles are much more thought provoking then the simple love story that Toradora had laid out.

Having 20+ episodes just shocks me, because honestly, so much has already happened in the first 9 that I couldn't even try to guess what is coming next. All I know is that I will continue to excitedly wait for the next episode each and every week until the show is over.

I know I didn't really say anything negative about the show during this segment, but that's because I am honestly trying to sell this show to all of you. I'll save the negative points and more in depth analysis for my official review when it's all over.

Now please. GO WATCH THIS SHOW.