Golden Time

Toradora!, still up to day, is the best romcom I have ever seen, I have even read the LN series to complete my experience, and what a ride that was! I mentioned this because Golden Time, from the same author of Toradora!, Yuyuko Takemiya, has been called the spiritual sucessor of Toradora!, and until a certain degree I have to agree with this statement, Kouko is like a version of a more deredere future Taiga studying in a university, and even both are visually, a bit similiar. Also, one could also find other similarities between plot development and characters. The whole show gives at points, a vibe of Toradora!'s in university version... but is that as good?! I can say that is similiar but also it is different and it was something I liked to see. Now focusing on Golden Time. The story isn´t anything superb, it is very predictable, a bit cliche, and suffers from a pacing that sometimes, made me finding it boring at parts, especially in the middle of the story, and others seemed, somewhat rushed. That being said, it has its nuances, it is a romcom, you have those lovey-dovey lightly harming comedic moments, and drama!... And thought at first I absolutly loved the romantic aspect of it, but further into the story, IMO it got a bit more boring, like "same old story bro" kinda off, and the comedy is noting worth mentioning, putting it like this, other shows were better romcom's! I still enjoyed the romance though, but the drama part gained much more relevancy, and in the end what I enjoyed the most, what was the focus of my attention was the dramatic experiences and questions I got from the story itself. STORY: 8 J.C.Staff produced the anime like they did with Toradora!. I m already accostumated to their works, again especially on the romcom segment, the nature of the series doesn't call for anything flashy, and despite of visually the animation not being top notch, the characters were well animated. For what was needed to be done in art departments, Staff achieved the goal, you understood the cast behavior and emotions well enough and Kouko is very moe! It is the standart of what I came to expect seeing on a romantic comedy, not stunning, but enjoyable and charming when the situation calls for it. ART: 8 OP's and END's may certainly fit into Golden Time's nature, but werent of my taste, I skipped most of the OP's and END's all the time. Of course you also have the sound taking part into the anime scenes... I dont remenber any of it, and I dont remenber hating it or seing it as inappropriate to the scenes it played at. Soundwise, gets the job done, but it is forgetable. SOUND: 7 Like I said I loved the dramatic parts of the anime, and most of those came from Tada Banri's past and how he deals and faces is life. Tada Banri lost his memories of his past experiences and loved ones before his accident, thus after he has to start from scratch, in a unknown world for him, he learns and again falls in love, now with Kouko, and makes great friendships in his new life at a university! But when his past memories, "his past self", cames to resurface and torment him, he doesn't know what to do, he fells hopeless and confused! Throught the story "he has his share" of these situations happening and by the end of it, he is left in a fragile state, affraid that he may lose what he has, what he remenbers, to the other Banri. You also have other great characters like Kouko that at first can be a bit annoying by her strange behavior, but with time you come to know her nature better, thus making her much more enjoyable, 2D-kun and others also make the anime interesting. This is a serious question I had never though of it before, but if you fall in love with someone, live a life, have "a world around you", and then lose everything you knew, awake a new person, and with that make a new start, then you fall in love again, gain new friendships... what will happen to these memories if the old ones may came back, will these be replaced by your olders you dont even remenber about?? Who do you truly love, how do you live, who are you?!?! And that is something refreshing and sad done in a anime, to my knowledge never explored like this. This is a reality that some people face in our world, but I was never aware that these problematic situations even existed, and this came to make me see how much important and precious our memories are, and how fragile they can be!! We never expected to forget some of the most important moments of ours lifes, but the possibility is there, and certainly is a terrefic one! The enjoyment I got from Golden Time came from the cast, mainly with Banri traumatic past experience, and how he manages it throught his life, how it affects himself, his relationship with Kouko, and with his friends and past love... This is what I came to find charming and unique in Golden Time! CHARACTER & ENJOYMENT : 9 Overall, at first I expected much more of Golden Time, the first 6-7 episodes were truly a joy... I started watching it and I just wanted more and more!! But afterwards, the story wasnt as enjoyable as the first's arcs of the story. So yeah, I m a bit disappointed with the series, not only commenting on J.C. Staff, but also the original work. Both could have done something more. I myself found Toradora! to be much better in everything, it was more enjoyable, well paced, emotional and satisfactory to watch! Golden Time drama isnt as good as the one of Toradora!(and Toradora! romcom is much higher level), but at least it is unique on its own, and comes with some serious real life problematic issues with great impact at one's lifes, that I had never even questioned its existence, but sadly there are people living like Tada Banri! It is sad, but it is reality. Wrapping up Golden Time had much more potential, it came to be "out lived" be its predecessor. But still I had fun watching it, to Toradora! fans and romcom's in general, I reccomend it. Yes, I m disappointed with it, but I wont ignore that overall I had fun with Golden Time, great cast, some great moments and a worthy conclusion. It is at least worth watching! OVERALL: 8 [(8+8+7+9+9)/5= 8.2]

After finishing Toradora, and finding it really enjoyable as part of my first foray into anime, I decided to check it's genre, and search for similarly rated/ or produced works. I was hoping for an interesting story, and strong characters. Needless to say, after watching this series, I will not be returning to this genre! The story is a little slow at first, and I would give the show a rating of 6 for the first half as it does pick up towards the middle. The art is what you'd expect from the production company that also produced Toradora, it's clean and aesthetically pleasing. I cannot remember any music from the anime; hence the rating. But where does it go wrong? For me, the most important things in any work of fiction is story and character. And that's where this anime goes downhill. The characters are bland. Banri is a weak main character. Even if he has just had amnesia, his role remains passive throughout the story. One of the 'conflicts' in this anime is to see who Banri chooses. But, by halfway, the question is really whether you care. There's no depth to his character; he is never concerned about why a character is acting this way, only how their actions affect him. Plot wise, when a major character disappears at the halfway mark only to reappear in the final episodes..., you know where the story is heading. The story is degraded by the fact that there is only the inner turmoil within Banri as the major conflict (i.e. the entire plot is about who he chooses... boring), and episodes are filled with mindless drama/filler, and Kokou's constant whinge that, although meant for small dolphins, can still be (unfortunately) heard by humans. Golden Time would have been okay but for the threadbare plot, and weak characters - i.e. you will be better off watching something else, and if you do finish, it will only be memorable in that it was a slog. 4/10

[Anime review : Golden time] I'm just gonna keep it simple. The MC-suffering from - "amnesia" concept has been done many times. Does Golden time offers something different? NO. The story was more focused on characters. And it had good set of characters. But the characters always felt quite shallow. I never managed to relate to any characters throughout the series despite show's SOL and university setting. Kouko, got the most noticable development in first 20 episodes. You can clearly see the change. But in the last 4 eps all that development went to zero which just made me dislike her. Side characters, felt like they were just there to fill the slot. We never got any insight on any of them. Although when 2D kun & Linda were on screen it was fun to watch. The ending tho, was the worst part of the show. It left me quite frustrated on how things turned out. Also the ghost banri part, interesting but just turned out to be pointless. As expected of J.C. Staff, the animation & OST were above avarage. I managed to enjoy the show upto ep 20, but the last 4 eps weren't really upto my liking. Overall, this is just one of those many romcoms you've watched. Golden Time doesnt manage to offer anything new OR better execution than the rest. I'm just gonna give it a rating of 6/10, because I enjoyed the first 20 eps. But Golden time wasnt really "Golden time" in enjoyment. (bad pun, I know) Now, if you enjoy those avarage romcom shows and have some extra time, then give this a shot. If you're looking for something good or different than usual, then just pass on this. would I recommend this show to you? NO.

i was never a fan of the shoujo/seinen genre...that was until i watched this anime. although i started watching it by mistake(because i think the girl@koko in the poster is cute).it is one of the best anime series and a must see for any anime fan. it is extremely funny without using any cheap gag. the characters itself are unique and the director manage to combine all the element and the characters personality and make it a really funny and interesting series. to change someone like like me, who is a fan of bleach, naruto and full metal alchemist....into a huge fan of this genre is unthinkable. but after the first episode, i became addicted to it. the characters are beautifully drawn and the voice actors/actress are perfect in making the series a masterpiece it is extremely rare for an A rank series(in my book) to not have a villian...but this series prove me wrong. the closes charcter to resemble a villian here is the tada banri soul...well i don't really think it is a villian. but more of an individual character who wants something different. koko character is so cute and sexy but has its own flaw and weakness making her lovable. even the side characters such as oka chan and nana sempai...managed to contribute a lot in the series.(oka chinami has the cutest scene-describing the breakdown of society if they fail to buy the belgian chocolate). koko father who has like 5 minutes of screen time also made that 5 minutes funny and memorable. a great script combine with a great anime team plus talented cast made this series a gem. i highly recommend this series even to the hardcore shonnen fan and by the way, the ending song by yui horie. is one of the best ending song ever

Golden Time is often praised as a mature college romance, but in reality it feels like middle school drama disguised as a university setting. The characters are in college yet consistently behave in the most immature, illogical, and exaggerated ways possible. The comedy completely failed for me not a single joke landed. In fact, many so-called “emotional” or “sad” scenes were unintentionally more funny than the comedy itself due to how overdramatic and cringe the execution was. Sudden shouting, instant emotional switches, and exaggerated reactions made it hard to take anything seriously. The supernatural element involving Banri’s “other self” watching him felt unnecessary and poorly handled. A symbolic idea can work once, but turning it into an active, jealous, interfering presence just made the story feel confusing and ridiculous rather than deep. Overall, Golden Time tries to be emotional and mature, but ends up being messy, forced, and childish. Having a college setting doesn’t automatically make a story grown-up, and this anime is proof of that.

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.

I thought I'd write a review to express why I don't really like Golden Time, even though I usually love any romance anime with even the lowest decency of love relationships in it. Maybe it was the amnesia part of the anime that really annoyed me, because I hate it so much when someone forgets something about their love, it just bugs me! Or maybe it was the annoying-level of the characters. Or maybe it was because it was dull, with no funny comedy to add onto the no-chemistry-between-the-characters romance. Or maybe it's because I'm just being mean to the anime, but whatever the case is, I wouldn't recommend Golden Time to other people, even if you really love romance. Looking back at it now, I don't even know why I watched it all the way through, probably to see if it could get better or worse. Certainly it was interesting to me to see a romance anime not take place in high school, but in a university. But that interest quickly died away after a couple episodes. Story: It's about a college boy named Tada Banri and his journey into falling in love, and remembering who his love was from before getting the love-story cliche, amnesia. Really, nothing special or unique about this show either than it taking place at a university. Art: Typical 2014 art, high quality I guess. Art is something that I don't know how to rate. Golden Time certainly doesn't have any sort of bad art, but nothing special either. Sound: This is really rare of me to rate the sound section of an anime so lowly, but there's good reason for that. I didn't like either of the 2 openings, they both were barely even songs, they were just someone muttering baby-like words to no end. There were no mention-worthy soundtracks either, and in fact thinking back, I don't even remember a single decent tune throughout the entire anime. And most of all, the character's voices, especially Kouko's were annoying (except for Oka Chinami, who had the most adorable voice ever!!). Every time Kouko yelled out "Banriiiii", my ears begged me to scratch nails on a chalkboard in order to find relief. Characters: Really weak set of characters in my opinion. I couldn't feel any sort of attachment or liking for any of the characters, except for maybe the adorable Oka Chinami who barely gets any screentime. Tada Banri, the main character is one of those weak, innocent, and be-nice-to-everyone boys. And he gets paired up with Kouko, a rich and beautiful girl who is somehow ostracized by society, because other people are too embarrassed to actually talk to her (like really?). Then there's the other two main characters Nana Hayashida, Mitsuo Nanagisawa, and Oka Chinami. And wouldn't you know it, the character's don't develop what-so-ever, and quickly the entire plot of Golden Time moves away from it's set plot, and just roams around wherever. A compliment that I have to give to Golden Time is that, I did like how all the characters were seemingly realistic, and had a specific personality to their character. But, I didn't like the chemistry between the characters, I could never find myself rooting for the characters to fall in love already like I usually do in a romance anime. Enjoyment: I didn't really enjoy Golden Time all that much. Definitely an anime that could have been better with a few adjustments like staying on the right romance plot, getting rid of the whole pointless amnesia thing that seemed like it would play a big role in the story but never did, actually develop the character and their chemistry with one another to make the whole story more romantic, and add some sort of comedy or fun to grasp the viewer's attention. I wouldn't really recommend people to prioritize this show on their to-watch-list, but I wouldn't say that this anime is horrid either... I guess bit disappointing and below average describes Golden Time. Sorry for being kind of mean to Golden Time!

Do you have a problem that is not over? Have a bad past to the point that it's the worst memory in the world? Frustrated and depressed because of your past, what else concerns your ex-lover? And you thought, "I wish I had amnesia so I forgot all about it !!" while listening to sad songs. Sure?? Re-think that desire, before you experience it and in the end regret it. Why? Because the amnesia is suffering, you know. He or they will definitely feel something missing in his or their life. Humans will never be complete without their past. From this anime, we can see that Banri, who has amnesia, has a problem with her identity. He felt he was wrestling with the ghost in Tada Banri's body. Although in reality there may be no such thing as a ghostly past. But this anime is a polished story that can be enjoyed. So the creator of the story might make his past tangible and that form is the ghost of Banri. Or it could also be a story that might happen to people who have amnesia. Due to confusion about identity, maybe people with amnesia will often hallucinate to meet themselves in the past and assume that they are different figures who are fighting for positions in order to live in the world. Amnesia Banri felt that Tada Banri had been split into two figures, and divided himself into past and present Banri. He who is amnesia or he is now trying to erase the existence of Banri in the past so he can calmly live life. But he realized his mistake, and tried to accept the past. Unfortunately, by not running away from the past that he did not fully remember, it made Banri feel he was at war with Banri in the past to get Tada Banri's body. When Banri accepts the past, it means that he accepts Banri's ghosts from the past as part of his life, therefore Banri's ghost sometimes takes over Tada Banri's body. Everyone will also be confused with his own identity when he does not remember a single one about him and his life. These two Banri are both afraid of disappearing. Banri of the past wants to go back to Linda, while Banri of the present loves Kouko very much and doesn't want to make her alone and cry. In the end, Banri felt that he who would now disappear was replaced by Banri in the past. He knew that he would forget the people he knew now. He also felt frustrated and sad because he himself did not know who he was, and instead thought he was now a ghost who could disappear at any time and not be seen by anyone. In my opinion, one of the messages from this anime is that we shouldn't run from the past because the past is part of our lives. It is also not wise if we try to erase our past, both bitter and sweet. Whatever our past, we still must be able to face and accept it. That way we won't be burdened to look into the future. Even though it is just an anime, there is still a possibility that the problem that occurs with Banri's character who is confused by his own identity can also be experienced by people who have amnesia. So, are you sure you want amnesia ?? If you have amnesia with a purpose, it is not impossible when you really have amnesia, you will forget your purpose and your desire for amnesia and you will suffer from losing all your memories. Overall : 9/10

"Golden Time" is one of those titles I have never heard off, but I ended up watching it because a good friend asked me to. The first episode is a bit strange and all over the place but managed to intrigue me enough to buckle up for the ride and watch. I can't put my finger on it but this anime is an oddity. Golden Time had all the ingredients to be something special: a mature setting, characters grappling with identity, love, and memory loss… but somewhere along the way, it got lost in its own chaos. The story feels disjointed, with relationship development constantly undone by unnecessary drama, irrational character choices, and one of the weirdest additions I’ve seen in a romance anime...Ghost Banri, who spends most of the time whining in the background like a haunted sock puppet. Banri himself is a painfully weak protagonist. His motivations are flimsy, his decisions impulsive, and his inability to communicate makes him frustrating to watch. He often lets things spiral without standing his ground, and somehow, everyone just goes along with it. Koko, while striking and memorable, leans so hard into the tsundere trope that her constant emotional flip-flopping becomes exhausting. One second she’s obsessively in love, the next she’s a jealous mess, and then suddenly fragile and distant. Another thing to note is how characters randomly develop feelings for people they previously rejected, without clear emotional build-up. Relationships feel more like chaotic ping-pong matches than actual progression. And don’t even get me started on the absurd subplot with Banri being abducted by a cult—what even was that? The ending does tug at your heart and provide a wholesome finishing touch, but it’s frustratingly convenient. After all the build-up, Banri regains his memory by… looking in a mirror? Really? Despite everything, I gave it a 7/10. Not because it’s great, but because it almost was. That final emotional hit, forced as it was, still managed to reach me. It’s a messy, flawed, and often frustrating ride, but one that tried to say something real. And for that effort, I’ll give it some credit. But only some. Tread carefully, fellow romance enjoyers, this one is weird.

“Whenever you want to scream or cry, I’ll be there. I’ll share your feelings and stay with you.” -Tada Banri Golden Time is the first romantic comedy anime I have seen, and many people I talked to for recommendations said it was one of the better in the genre. After completing the series I had my fair share of positives and negatives about it. It was an emotional rollercoaster relying heavily on character development rather than story, with a happy yet slightly unfulfilling ending thatcould be interpreted many ways. I’ll warn readers now that this review will contain spoilers (especially in the story section) in effort to fully explain my opinion of the series. I don’t really have much to go on as far as “stereotypical” romantic comedy animes go, but the story itself in Golden Time was fair at best. The main protagonist is going to a Tokyo Law School when he meets a friend, Mitsuo Yanagisawa who just so happens to have an over-obsessed, clingy beauty chasing him around. This girl, Kaga Koko confides in Banri initially for the sake of getting closer to Mitsuo, but in turn ends up falling for Banri herself. Oh, and there’s one important plot point to mention… Banri suffers from amnesia due to an accident he had at the end of high school. It seems relatively convenient to include this in the story, but it could’ve been done far better. Personally I would’ve enjoyed the series much more without this element at all. It certainly made the last two episodes confusing and unfulfilling. Before Banri was struck with amnesia, he was in love with Linda, an upper classmen he meets again during his first days at his new law school. Although he doesn’t remember a single thing about the relationship, an ominous, “ghost” version of his past self lingers on watching Banri’s life unfold, while moping through inner monologue. I also felt like personifying Banri’s past memories was unnecessary and could’ve been accomplished by him slowly remembering bits and pieces at a time. As I said previously, the rest of the story is told mainly through character development and dialogue, and it was actually done quite well. I found I often had to take a step back and analyze the situation at hand, and discovered that Banri and Koko were working out their issues like grown adults even though they may have seemed overdramatic at times. Undoubtedly the biggest issue I have with Golden Time is the way the last few episodes were written. So I can understand Banri slowly remembering information about his life prior to his accident, but at the cost of forgetting everything that has happened afterward??? That didn’t bode well with me. He went from not remembering anything before his accident, to remembering some, then forgetting the present entirely, and finally to remembering everything from before and after the accident. Talk about confusing. I also wasn’t pleased with the way the Linda situation was handled. She’s actually the character I felt bad for throughout the entire show, even more than Banri. Inside it seems that she wants to go back to the way things used to be between her and Banri, and on top of it feels a level of responsibility for his accident. At the end, just when it appears that the two of them are going to end up back together again, Koko visits Banri at his home and he magically remembers everything. He chases after her and Linda throws him some shoes she previously gave to him, and then magically runs to the ghost of Banri shouting that she wants to be with him forever. I was seriously confused. She turns to Banri and says yes to her comfortability of him being with Koko as well and runs off saying she has something she needs to take care of. Except, you never find out what that is. Does she get together with Mitsuo? Is she content with being the eternal side to a love triangle? This definitely could’ve been better written, and is a large reason for the relatively low score. The dialogue and character development is where Golden Time really shines. In fact, Koko is one of the most complex characters I think I’ve seen in an anime. At first you hate her, then you understand her, then you hate her again… it’s all due to the clever and intricate writing from the creators. Tada Banri himself isn’t necessarily a deep character, and I often found his actions to be rather unbelievable; a college-aged guy who blushes every time he’s about to be kissed by his girlfriend or professes his love for a girl he’s only known for a few days in a rather dramatic way. Seems like the way a middle school student would act to me. On the opposite end, Koko and Banri solve their problems in a very mature fashion. Other than the fact that Koko sobs and screams along the way, the dialogue shared between them is very to the point, while still pouring on the mushy stuff. Linda is also a very strong character in this anime, and you can really feel for her. It has to be really hard to essentially press the reset button on a relationship you’ve had with a guy your entire life, let alone right before you were going to accept his token of love. She stays distant, but in the interactions she has with Banri, you can tell it takes a lot out of her each time… it’s like you want to grab her by the arm and yell “dang it girl, just tell him you love him already!” I probably sound rather silly since I normally don’t watch these types of shows, but Golden Time had a profound effect on me in that respect. The rest of the supporting cast is just as good. Mitsuo and 2D-kun both served as loyal man-companions to Banri, and Oka Chinami seemed to balance out the slightly overbearing Koko in the main friend group. Even Nana, Banri’s neighbor and friend of Linda (although this is never fully explained) adds a great contrasting personality type with her flagrant sarcasm. I was slightly disappointed that Oka’s story wasn’t touched on more. She appeared to only have one chance at Mitsuo and missed it, and had to struggle with finding herself again within the friend circle afterward. You never quite figure out which avenue the love triangle between her, Mitsuo and Linda went either. In the ending credits there is a moment where Mitsuo is filming Linda and she turns away blushing…. But of course that’s all you get. The art score may seem relatively low, but you’ve got to understand that this show aired less than two years ago. The artistry isn’t bad, but it definitely could’ve been better. Some of the still scenes were drawn a tad sloppy and the expressions the characters had sometimes seemed out of place. I may be alone on this, but I’m not a fan of the over-enlarged eyes in anime. They take over the face and detract from the character’s overall expression. The animation in the character’s mouths was also slightly off and felt more like two flaps of skin moving up and down adding no real individuality to each character. Other than that, the environments were decently drawn, and the OP/ED were filled with plenty of color. The OST felt a little lacking, and I sometimes didn’t even notice it was there. The first OP I really enjoyed but I thought the second one was quite loud and annoying… and began/ended in a rather odd fashion. Both ED were alright, I actually found myself watching them all the way through on most occasions. The voice acting is a large part of the high score for sound. Yui Horie did an exceptional job playing Koko, the inflections in her voice when she's upset or crying are 100 percent spot on. Banri's voice played by Makoto Furukawa was very soothing as a main, and the narration was well done. All in all, Golden Time felt like a great introduction to the romantic comedy genre. It did have a few elements that felt unbelievable or improvable, but I did enjoy it overall. With strong character development and dialogue, it’s an anime you have to sit back and think about rather than take at face value. It’s a great one time watch but I don’t expect to rewatch it anytime soon. Thanks for readin…

Golden Time. This anime made me feel happy and sad, made me laugh and embarrassed and made me fall in love with the characters. Isn't that what a great anime is suppose to do? With the premise of self conflict and aspiration for romance this anime gave me everything I needed. A compelling story and relate-able characters these are two aspects which are the foundation of a good anime. Character development is the fruit of a good romance anime and it is outstanding and you definitively see how much each character has grown since the first to last episode. If you are looking for a roller-coaster ride of emotion accompanied by heartfelt romance and comedy then this is the anime for you!

I'm not one for romance type animes but this was a really good anime to watch. Once I started watching I couldn't stop. I'm just giving my own opinion although not many people may agree. At first I thought the whole amnesia thing was a bit cliché but it went very well with the story and the characters. I couldn't stand the female lead at first. She was overbearingly obnoxious, demanding, immature, and didn't think about other people but herself. She was liked a spoiled rich brat! Ugh!! Still, throughout the entire show, she showed great character development. She changed and I got used to her. As for the main character, he did went through a lot and watching how he changed and overcame his situation made me literally tear up! It was nice to see that. It wasn't just him and the main girl who changed. His friends did too. They all, well, most of them experienced pain and overcame it somehow. I was shipping a certain two people together but they didn't end up together because she was acting nonchalantly stupid. *sigh* I felt bad for her in the end. I know how she felt though~ In any case, I would say this is a pretty good show. I would give it a try if you like romance. There are so much feels. :D

-Summary- Story: 7 Art: 9 Sound: 8 Character: 10 Enjoyment: 8 Overall: 8 This show is a good and realistic romcom/drama with an amazing and enjoyable cast of characters. The realism is contradicted by the ghost haunting the main character and the contrived memory problems the main character deals with. These factors however do not ruin the show but do perhaps prevent it from being something great and classic. The art and character designs are beautiful and the sound gets the job done. -Details- Story: 7 Genres: Comedy, Drama, Romance Themes: College Life, Memory Loss, Personal Identity, Coming of Age This show has a continuous narrative, and the story is mostly about interpersonal relationships and romances. This is a show where the story goes beyond the point where the main guy asks the girl out; the story mostly explores the challenges that come along with dating and opening up to someone else and letting them learn everything about you: the good, bad, and ugly. One thing that sets this show apart from other romcoms/dramas is its attempt at realism. While there is some reliance on typical anime romcom/drama tropes, the uniqueness and personality of the setting and characters is actually pretty refreshing. This anime takes place in college, not high school, and this difference actually shows, is significant, and does indeed give a different feel to the show than if it was a high school anime. The wildness and relative freedom of college life is captured well, whether that be in the adventures/dates of the main cast, or whenever they get pulled into the shenanigans of the crazy tea party club. This show is mostly about the romantic relationships between the main characters, and this seems to me to be much more realistic than other romance anime. Realism isn't necessarily a virtue in itself since many people, including myself, enjoy the wackiness and unrealistic feel of anime quite a bit. However, the upside of a realistic romance is that it isn't done as much since it's hard to write. In that respect this anime can be refreshing, especially for people who do actually value realism and want to see it more in anime. I think the realism of this show comes across most in the character interactions and in the dialogue. What I love most about this series is that the love that develops between characters in this show makes sense and does not happen for no reason. The hero is legitimately attracted to the beauty and playful personality of the heroine, but he also does not mindlessly pursue her and is willing to give up the relationship if she is not willing to see him as more than just a friend she can be real with. He doesn't let himself get used and thus is a strong and pretty respectable male character. The heroine starts out with some emotional-dependency issues and is a little immature, but she grows in a realistic way. She goes through difficult times and sufferings, learning that people are not simply who she wants them to be. She learns to love people for who they are and learns how to get along with other people who have their own freedom and desires and learns that she can't just control people based on her plans. She gains a lot of self-confidence and matures into someone who can truly support and love another person. In this show we get to see this process of maturing and the suffering that can go along with it, which I think really adds to the realism. The dialogue between characters in these kind of situations makes sense and is not just rehearsed anime dialogue. I felt like these people were real and were having real life dialogue when they were trying to work through their problems and disagreements. What they said made sense; they were people and they tried to stick up for themselves and tried to communicate their own real thoughts to another real person. This was probably the strongest part of the show and its story. The reason the story gets a 7 from me is because this attempt at realism is completely contradicted by the main plot device: the main character's amnesia. Amnesia and memory loss in itself is not unrealistic of course, but the way it's handled in this show is pretty unrealistic (it seemed to me at least; I don't know how regaining memory works so if this show actually does it right then feel free to contact me about this). I'm going to avoid end-of-show-spoilers so I unfortunately won't be able to get into the details of why I believe this to be true. I will say that the thrust of the plot later on in the show is whether or not the main male character will be able to live a stable life and have a stable romance despite the memory problems he has. There is this bizarre narrative choice taken in the show where the main character seems to be one person, and the person he was before losing his memory seems to be another person who has come back as a ghost to haunt the new person. At first I thought this was just a narrative choice and so I was fine with it, but then the ghost actually started to interact with the real world and curse the main character, like making it rain when they try to go to the beach. Furthermore, the main character seems to switch between these two personalities every now and then, and when he does so it seems to come at arbitrary times. I don't know if this is how memory works or not, but when he reverts to his pre-memory loss self, he loses all the memories he has made since then. This seemed pretty weird to me. I can't give away the ending, but what I will say is that it did not make all of this memory stuff seem any more realistic than what I have just described, and is in fact probably even more fantastical. The main character's relationships with the supporting cast are also not very satisfying by the end. In summary, there is a great amount of realism in this series in the characters, their interactions, and in the romance, but this is contradicted by the memory loss plot and the whole thing with the ghost haunting the main character. The realistic parts are very enjoyable and refreshing and make me want to give this show a higher score, but this incongruity with the memory and ghost stuff really hurts, and thus I think a 7 is appropriate for the story. Art: 9 Studio: J. C. Staff The art in this show is very good and consistent throughout. I never noticed any drop in quality and I don't remember there being in shift in art styles. The art is an attractive, modern anime style. The character designs are all quite appealing, especially the main female's design. The characters are fashionable and attractive. Backgrounds look pretty good; there is some CGI, but I think this is mostly used for cars and stuff like that. There was nothing jarring and frankly I think CGI for stuff like cars actually works pretty well. Overall I think the art worked well with the story; I give this category a 9 simply because nothing really blew me away or stood out as simply amazing. I don't think a more realistic art style (like in shows like Monster or Space Brothers) would have aided the realism since these are still college students. I find that realistic art styles makes the most sense in shows with a primarily adult cast. So again the art in this show is attractive and appropriate, but not groundbreaking. Sound: 8 The sound/music in this show gets the job done but is nothing to write home about. The opening themes are quite good and appealing; the second opening theme is actually very unique and I like it a lot (it's not a typical j-pop song; frankly I don't know how I'd classify it, but it is good). I don't have any lingering memory of the OST apart from the opening and ending themes, so it doesn't contain anything that you'll like remember and listen to a bunch. The voice acting is very good though. Yui Horie as the female protagonist is probably the standout role; she does her very well and makes for an attractive tsundere voice. I had no problems with any other voices but I don't remember them too well ei…

This is my first time writing a review but actually I just want to record my opinion of this anime. If ever you find this helpful, then I'm glad. I have seen many anime, and I mean "a lot" and those that gave me great entertainment whatever its genre are those anime that captivates me from beginning to end. And this anime is one of them. There are anime that I liked to watch but its not really enchanting yet this work has pulled me in emotionally; just as DN (Death Note) pulled me in thrillingly, Golden Time captured my interest and focus from episode 1 up to the end. The plot is great, it begins interestingly, develops intensely further up to episode 7 but it gets a little bit dragging in the middle (only because the ending needs that foundation I think) and gets intense again up to the end. I almost cried, I was drawn into their world, and their feelings became my feelings it was though as if I can really relate to them; it was as if I also experienced what they've experienced. The opening song has added a lining to its atmosphere, the comedy was really funny and the romances are natural. Last time I felt this excitement was when I watch Attack on Titan, I was like (even late night already) "1 moooorrree..." It's so fascinating. Overall i give this 9/10 I love the ending, but I feel like it won't need another sequel. Its great in its ending. And also, I had a crush on Kaga Koko! hihihi p.s. I only give 10/10 when I want another season ^____^

Story = 8/10 Engaging, somewhat unpredictable twists and a solid grasp on the situation. The reason this score isn't higher is because of it's not groundbreaking and the fact that some questions regarding the side characters are left open for the viewer to assume what happens to them. Overall, quite good. Art = 6/10 The art, in my opinion, is this show's weakest point. It's not bad, but it does falter numerous times. I found myself feeling like the production crew had to do budget cuts and they decided it to be in the art department. Even so, I believe they should be commended for choosing the best times to do this, as most of the scenes I was dissatisfied with were not crucial and do not distract the viewer from what the show is trying to portray. Sound = 7/10 The OST was at times sub-par, but it did go well with the show's tone and they obviously made the effort of having a variety of themes for every occasion. It even surprised me in it's synchronisation with the feeling in the last few episodes. Overall, it could be better, but I was still, quite satisfied with it. The voice actors did a superb job as well, every breath and stutter was done excellently. The laughter though, a little disappointing. I should also note that, the first ending was really to my liking, and the second opening was quite bad. This is my own personal opinion though, and as much as I try to be objective about it, I still prefer to let it sit in a different paragraph to make it stand out. Characters = 8/10 Very good, I'd even go as far to say it's the best I've seen in quite some time. Characters are shown in great detail, and given the exact amount of attention for their importance in the story. Another important note is that they do develop throughout the show, in a way that is unlike most other shows - Their personality. While most other shows present a character and only change their decisions throughout the show, Golden Time shows us how people change, visibly, not only by their actions, but their behaviour and even their body language. Personal note: I don't know why I can't give it a 10/10 on this part, but it feels like there is something they could have done to make it even better. Regardless, really good characters, and their development throughout the show. Overall = 9/10 Great, thoroughly enjoyed it. The amount of realism and emotion it shows, coupled with the voice actors' excellent work, makes this show one of the best dramas I've seen so far. It's good traits heavily outweigh the bad and you'll hardly notice them, making you sit back and enjoy the emotional ride from start to finish. To be honest, it's a 9.5/10 for me, but I just couldn't round it upwards because it felt just a little bit slow for me, 20-22 episodes would have been perfect, and a little more effort in the art department, and this might have been the best show I've seen, but alas, nothing is perfect. I highly recommend it.

Ok, I'll start this review short. This anime might have been the greatest representation of having a girlfriend and college life ever. The story of this anime was somewhat a bit under average and not greatly supported well. However the art was great and the characters is something relatable. Right now, I'm going though college with my gf and some of those events did occur to me. While watching this anime,I physically cringed on how real they were. Shout out to the crazy tea club and the glow stick scene. Overall my enjoyment was pretty high. This anime should be something to watch with your girlfriend if you want to give her the quick emotions and comfort move. This review might just be totally bias for my experiences. However, if you want a realistic type of anime, this one would be the one I'll recommend

Welcome to a straightforward review for those who are looking for short descriptions to help decide whether this anime is something you want to watch: A pretty straightforward love drama/comedy with no plot twists. If you're asking(why so?)the anime lays out the events for you as if you were watching the characters develop real time.If you ask me,this helped emphasize the drama. If you hate female protagonists who are clingy and obsessive over their lover,you're going to have a 50/50 with the lead(加賀公子/Kaga Koko). it never goes over the top as she herself understands this trait and tries to control it. HOWEVER the big 50/50 here is the male protagonist himself.(多田万里/Tada Banri) Half of the time he is the perfect lead role:Noble,friendly,firm with his decisions. THE OTHER HALFHe turns to everything I hate about an anime MC.:whiny,weak,fixated.THE START OF THE ANIME BASICALLY REVEALS HIS DEFEAT on his first love conquest and his persona doesnt even try to accept it. #Now like I said,he cannot control this,you will know why as you watch the anime,but it gets frustrating to watch# I had to mention this trait,because it is PRETTY MUCH 80% OF THE PLOT.TRUST ME. if he wasnt like this the anime would end in 10-12 eps. support characters are archetypes. dont even try to argue with it,it is what it is. handsome guy,nerdy guy,strong willed childhood friend.their backstories arent too deep. the plot revolves around 3 characters(a love triangle)so if thats your thing then this is the anime for you. If you hate a love triangle anime with no strong supporting characters and a deeper plot to give a backbone then maybe you should skip this.

Ok, in any serialization, they childhood friend was often left either in the shadows or being rejected by the main character, I mean that for the most part was often the fate of the childhood friend. Here, we see the childhood friend, being placed in a whole prospective, this is the part where we see what happens next to the childhood friend after being dumped by the guy, and viola she finds someone for her. Ok, there there might have been a lot of ships, that has transpired in this anime over the course of its airing, however I cannot deny that this anime to be 24 episode long was simply too much since it was all about the relationship between Banri and Kouko and the challenges that their relationship has to go through. About the characters, well at first I do find Kouko very annoying as she represent every girl despite of how gorgeous and affluent she is that every guy wants to dump, because of the way she clings to the guy like glue, on the other hand Banri was this guy better suited for a kind of girl like Kouko, since he somewhat is a glutton for punishment, but I really can't fathom that he has another personality that who was often referred to as "Ghost Banri" who seems to have a liking for his former high school classmate Linda, frankly I find it hard to accept that a person who is still alive would be haunted by his own ghost, co'z usually a person who ha suffered amnesia would still be able to retain his current memory along with his past, but as they say' leave it to them Japs to come out with something unusual and make it usual. As for the other character's like Linda, Mitsuo and Chinami, well in any serialization them Japs always include a harem element, so in the case of these three the harem element was transferred to them, thought I would have preferred that Mitsuo would have gone for Chinami and Linda went for 2D. The support character's here tbh where the usual support group that would keep the protagonist on its toes, well that was expected, so at this point I have nothing more to say, how I rated each part of this anime, I'd say that I gave all of it a straight 7. Story, Art, Sound, Character, Enjoyment and Overall: all a Good 7. Adios.

When I first heard of golden time I thought it was an answered prayer, a drama/romance with a setting in college that had the potential to more serious and realistic than its high school counterparts. I loved the plot idea of the main character losing his memories and saw a lot of potential for later plot twists. Story - 7/10 As mentioned earlier I loved this setting and premise of this series. A college setting with 24 episodes to build a good drama, and hopefully have some major character development in the process. The plot itself was also pretty well laid out, as expected from the creator of Toradora, with a good balance of drama and comedy. However, something just felt missing throughout the story. My biggest complaint, without giving any spoilers, is the fact that some of the major characters weren't likable enough. You feel like the story is pulling you towards a heart wrenching and joyous ending, but it really turned out to pretty mediocre and full of plot holes. Art/Sound 6/10 The art and sound of this series were pretty average especially considering some of the other series premiering at the same time. It wasn't bad by any means, but at times it felt hazy and the color contrast looked very dull. As for the music, I thought the 2nd op was absolutely annoying, and the other tracks in the series were okay at best. Characters- 9/10 Aside from the great setting the true jewel of this series is the characters. They are all very unique and even the supporting roles show a great deal of character development. The only draw back in this section is the limbo of the main character's thoughts and motives. Their indecisiveness throughout the story doesn't create more drama, it just makes the plot drag a lot for two episodes while they make up their mind. Enjoyment/Overall- 7/10 Honestly I was pretty disappointed in "GoldenTime" especially after the first half of the series was so good. I feel like the writers were afraid of pushing the envelope and finished out the second half of the story in a very generic way. Sorry to say it but this is nothing but Toradora's awkward sibling and is an insult to be compared to Clannad AS. If you're considering this, I might suggest you just check out "Nagi-Asu" from this showing season instead.

Golden Time is a kind of anime which gets a lot of things right and just as many things wrong. It does manage to capitalise on many brief moments to give the viewer a pretty rewarding experience. Unfortunately, certain shortcomings really drag down an anime which could have otherwise become much more memorable. *Possible spoilers from here onwards; read at your own risk* Story:7 The story isn't really the most original or special one you'll see: our MC Banri Tada suffers from retrograde amnesia, following an accident in which he had fallen off a bridge. He gains admission to a university in Tokyo, and there he meets Kouko Kaga (the heroine), and falls in love with her. I won't give away too much of the plot, but it's basically about their relationship and how it is affected by the altercation between Banri's past and present selves. Art:7 Nothing to write home about, but I do like the way the characters, specially Kouko and Banri, are drawn. The animation is a bit shoddy in parts though, but overall it isn't too noticeable. Sound:8 One of my favourite things about the show. The music stays with you, and the both the ending themes are really good. The BGM is above average, and the Japanese voice acting is commendable. I particularly liked Yui Horie as Kouko. Characters:7 Volumes can be said about this, because the plot is mainly character-driven; and in this respect Golden Time shows us some true masterstrokes as well as some pretty bad mistakes. My biggest problem with most anime is the way the male MC's are characterized: they are displayed either as absolute oblivious dimwits, or as shy/spineless guys, or as too-many-layered tragic heroes (to the point where they become confusing). The great thing about Banri Tada is that he doesn't fall in the first two categories; the bad thing, that the writer tries a bit to make him like the third. Sometimes he will make you cheer for him (most noticeably when he refuses Kouko's friendship after she refuses his love) but more often his amnesiac melodrama will make you cringe, and though the "ghost" of his past self is symbolically appropriate, the writer might have done better to take a less cliched plotline. The secondary characters, specially Linda, are great in parts, and here again Golden Time has a flaw:it simply does not give them enough screen time. Mitsuo and Linda's romance is only hinted at in the end, and we get to know even less about Oka Chinami and Nijigen-kun's lives. However, nearly all of these flaws of characterization are made up for by one character: Kouko Kaga. Granted, she falls for Banri a little too fast, but her evolution throughout the show is remarkable; and seeing her, once in a while I had that thought which is so rare to have while watching an anime rom-com: 'Yes, this really happens in real life'. Kouko Kaga is one of an endangered species:a non-stereotyped anime rom-com heroine, who seems frivolous, but always wants to do the right thing and can own up to her feelings. Yes, she is a bit over-the-top at times, but then again, it is a romantic comedy. Her romance with Banri has some really great moments, and while they do not make the show exceptional, they certainly do their bit. Enjoyment:8 I won't lie, I really enjoyed this show. There is much more to Golden Time than would appear going by the storyline; make no mistake, this isn't your standard fare. You'll have to keep your mind open and look for the nuances, and trust me, you wont be disappointed, unless you are expecting another Toradora! (which by the way, was written by the same author). There is an element of maturity in the handling of relationships; in particular, the "college" setting is a welcome break from ordinary high school romance. The best thing about Golden Time is its closeness to reality: the characters act quite sensibly most of the time, and are certainly refreshing considering the abundance of all kinds of "deres" in anime. Overall:8 My review in short-- What I liked: 1. The refreshing maturity of the show. 2. The attention to little details and nuances to lend both liveliness and substance to the plot. 3. The feel-good nature of the show and at certain points, the characters' sensibility. What I disliked: 1. The uneven pacing and a sloppy, almost forced ending which only answers half our questions. 2. Certain over-dramatic moments. 3. Banri's exaggerated amnesia which, though symbolic, deviates too far from reality and (let's face it) is far too often used. I personally feel that if you want a soft, romantic anime which can make you think a little and reward you for it by making you smile, you can certainly give Golden Time a try. A word of warning though: if you are critical, skeptical, or cynical by nature, this anime is absolutely NOT for you. This is my first review. Maybe a bit overlong, but certainly hope it helped!!