Golden Time

[Spoiler Warning]

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Updated: 13, July 2016


It is only natural to project grand expectations on any anime associated with a renowned classic. Penned by the original creator of Toradora!, the first six episodes had Golden Time primed as the next rom-com sensation out the J.C. Staff house. Unfortunately, the luminous promise soon became a glimmer of an afterthought. Repercussions relative to pacing, characterizations, and key revelations accumulated as the series imploded spectacularly to close out.


SPOILERS onward (based on final impressions).


The root to Golden Time’s problems stems from its peculiar inclusion of a supernatural element. Rather than a visible representation of this “alternate” Banri, an implied presence would ... have been more effective. The circumstances triggering his condition were too variable and opportune, apathetic to foreshadowing and logical parameters. Banri had been shown taking medications after and not before his first relapse, so what should have been a smooth road for the narrative instead became one scarred by potholes (plot holes).

Progression between Banri and Kouko was woefully negated by incidents blown severely out of proportion. There was simply no extinguishing the fires of drama upon their ignition. With the exception of the rocker Nana, the cast was too momentum-based and capricious in complexion. Like puppets, their decisions were not made under their own accord - most notably with Oka Chinami. For someone who was once exemplified as a friendly, happy-go-lucky acquaintance to Banri, her whimsical hostility and irritability in later stages was unjustified.

It was dejecting to endure the constant stagnancy and artificial pretentiousness on display, from Kouko wrecking Takaya's car (when did she acquire a driving license?) to Banri getting torched for his amnesiac tendencies. Ultimately though, the finale was most unforgivable in its blindsiding convenience and blatant disregard of prior developments altogether. I would like to bury this series in similar fashion to Banri with his past, but sadly the damage will remain everlasting.

What is with all of the hype with this show? Listen, this is just my own personal opinion. You can say I have awful taste all you want, but I stand by my opinion, and my opinion is that this is one of the worst anime I have ever had the displeasure of watching and I hope it is forgotten within the next few years. The art is absolutely piss poor, but I can't really blame that on the people who made this anime. Their budget wasn't all that high. The sound was okay. I actually really liked the first ending and both openings, but ... all the soundtrack beyond that were mostly forgettable. Again, though, due to the low budget, I can let that slide. What I really hated about Golden Time, however, is the story and characters, and I'll talk about the story first, because I have to save the worst for last.

The script is a pathetic attempt at drama beyond my wildest dreams. This show is advertised as a drama, but it focuses on mostly unfunny comedy about 75% of the time. It seems to try and use Banri's old self's ghost for a cheap attempt at spicing up the story, but it just crashes and burns instead because I was laughing the entire way through about how ridiculous those sections were. For about the first three-quarters of the show, all it focuses on are comedy scenes that usually aren't even funny, and it crams in all of the actual drama near the end. It's like they thought they would be getting more episodes so they just postponed the drama. And here's another thing about the show: it switches genre spontaneously way too often. One moment is a super serious moment about Banri's memories or whatever, but literally about two minutes later the characters are all joking around, playing with each other as if nothing ever happened. No transition, no nothing.

And here's the second worst part about this show: THE ENDING. OH MY GOD THE ENDING. Not since the second season of OreImo have I seen an ending this lazily and sloppily thrown together. I won't spoil anything here, but they just shoehorned in pointless drama and failed attempts at symbolism which would actually work if the rest of the show wasn't so damn STUPID. The last few lines happened so suddenly and without warning. It was so lackluster that I didn't even notice that was the next episode until later. But anyway, that's enough about the pathetic story.

Ah, yes. Let us talk about the worst and dumbest character cast since School Days. First off, let me just start off by saying this: how are the supporting characters about ten times better than the main characters? They aren't exactly good characters themselves, but at least they have SOME semblance of likability to them. The main cast, however, awful. Simply awful. Tada Banri is an idiot, Kaga Kouko is a bitch the first half of the show and contracts Banri's stupidity the second half, and Linda is an all around indecisive...idiot! During the first half of the show, back when I still had hope for this show, I was actually pro Linda for a while, but when it became abundantly clear that that wasn't going to happen, it just started going downhill from there until eventually, I wouldn't even care if Linda ended up with Banri. It would not help the show, and it would still be considered horrible by me because of every other bad character design choices in this anime.

While the main cast is a blight upon humanity, the supporting cast are not much better. First up is Oka Chinami. Moeblob the first half of the show, and melodramatic bitch the second half. Moving on. Next is Yana Something, something, something. Yeah, his character got almost nothing in terms of development, so i can't even remember his full name. And then... 2D-Kun. Yes, 2D-Kun. For a while he was actually my favorite character because of his apparent awkwardness and friendly personality. He seemed like the kind of guy I would like to get to know. Unfortunately, as time went on, he just became another generic part of the group. Oh yeah, and his name is 2D-Kun because the show explained when his character was first introduced about how he only cared about the 2D world, and that he did not care for real life. I thought he was going to be like Katsuragi Keima, but unfortunately, that's not the case. They never used this unique character feature to their advantage and instead just made him another part of the group. Even though he never shows his otaku tendencies, the cast still calls him 2D-Kun, even during the most serious moments in the anime. I think I only heard his real name used once, and it was never mentioned again. What was the point?

Believe it or not, everything I wrote here only covers half of what I hated about this anime, but since my fingers are getting somewhat tired from all of the furious typing because of this abomination of an anime, I'll just leave it at that for today.

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

Let’s keep it simple…this show has a lot of flaws and unanswered questions, however its main flaws can be summarized into 2 people, Tada and Kouko. Let’s begin…

Story - The story has a basic premise. Boy has amnesia, doesn’t remember his past. Makes a new life. Love triangle happens due to the past coming back. That’s the tldr version of it. No it’s not deep but it tries to be, I would love to talk about the story but that’s not where the problem lies…(score: 5/10)

Characters - (Now THIS is the problem)
Let’s start with the main MC. Banri…at some parts his reactions and actions ... are justified due to the amnesia however when it comes to the “love interest” side to things he acts like an immature child who wants their way but can’t have it. Along with being a pushover who clearly has never had a relationship and doesn’t know how to say “no” or put his foot down even tho he does know how to. However again he isn’t the true problem and most his actions can be overlooked as a character tho he is an idiot, un-funny, not charming; he basically has nothing going for him. (4/10)
Koko….Koko is the secondary MC because she is the “love interest” of dumbass whom I just spoke about. This woman’s appearance alone festers hate to the extreme levels because she is (the list is long so get ready) immature, insecure, manipulative, narcissistic, controlling, spoiled, forceful, selfish, unappealing, hypocritical, overbearing, overreactive, mentally unstable and abusive women. I could go on but I think you get the point. Everytime she comes on screen she makes me reduce the overall score of the show(no I’m not kidding, the score goes up tho). She IS this show’s issue. I know I haven’t finished this show yet (I want to drop it) but I’m holding out just to see this woman get a wake up call or she gets her heart broken, if there’s anyone as insecure as her, I wish you the worst. Anyways.(0/10)
Side characters- waaaaaay more interesting (10/10) <—{reason why the score goes up}
Overall Character rate: 6/10

Entertainment - Entertainment wise, it’s good as long as Koko isn’t involved.
5/10

Overall - I wish I could get back the time I spent on this anime. I do NOT recommend it. My overall rating will probably not change as I finish this however if it does currently I give it a 3/10 and if my rating does change it will probably be a 5/10.

Edit: I finished it…

This is my first review please go easy on me,

I have just finished watching this anime and all I can say is that this did not appeal to my tastes at all. I can understand why some people would like it but if you are just trying to enjoy a light hearted rom-com anime this is not it. The only reason i made an account was to write a review and keep like minded people like myself away from this anime.

Just to let you know if you don't like the MC main romantic interest by at least by episode 12 and don't want ... him to end up with her don't bother watching the rest of it because you'll just torture yourself like i did.



[SPOILERS RIGHT HERE BEFORE YOU KEEP GOING]
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The Story: 3

This story was enjoyable the first couple of episodes until you learn that the MC has amnesia and you learn about his past life. After that this is where you are at a crossroads and it'll be the part where you start on the course to hate the show or you might actually enjoy the show. Sadly, this is where i began to hate it. We learn that the MC's childhood friend (Linda) is at the same college as him and they he loved her in his before the amnesia. As soon as i learn this i jumped on the ship of MC and childhood friend because she is easily a lot more easy to like then his other romantic interest (Kouko). Be the 2nd half of the show i started hate the other romantic interest and just wanted him to end up with Linda. Once i thought he would finally end up with her in the last episode the creators pour salt in the would by making him end up with his ghost aka his past self (pre-accident) and he ends up with kouko for the final episode. Also, the whole amnesia thing was just BS like he loses his memory then regains it but loses his present memory but then regains his past memory and present memory??? It was just really confusing, i was not sure what state of memory he was at the end.

Art: 7

The art was good and very colorful and i enjoyed the animation very much.

Sound: 7

Gonna be honest i didn't really end up listening to the OT and ET but from what i remember it was pretty good and i hummed the first 5 seconds of it before skipping it entirely

Characters: 2

MC (Tada Banri):
Weak MC and just whines and cries a lot

Kouko Kaga:
Stalker, obsessive, and annoying

Linda:
The all around nice and funny girl that all childhood friends are

Yana-san (Is a Guy):
One of the best friends of Banri and is just there I'm not sure what he's there for

Oka Chinami:
Romantic interest of Yana... for a little. She is just a moe character

2-D Kun:
The comedic relief of the show and the best part of it.

oh boy!

well I never did an anime review on MAL, but the amount of unmeasurable disappointment I felt after I watched this highly positive reviewed dumpster, I had the utmost urge to do it

first of all, I usually consider spice and wolf the pinnacle of romance, and I somewhat compare romance animes with spice and wolf to discern the rating, boy oh boy this came down at the bottom of the list, I'm not lying when I say that I watched most of the anime at 2 SPEED, and I found myself frequently skipping the dialogue cuz it was just poorly written, this is something ... I never did before, I grasped for the hope that the true gem people are praising lies within the ending and thus I dragged my feet and continued golden time to the end, well as I expected, I was utterly disappointed.

Story 2/10

first of all, and this bothered me so much, the alchemy between the two protagonists, the bland MC and his super duper annoying girlfriend didn't fit, I was soo un-interested in their relationship, well first because it was RUSHED and second cuz the characters are bland (I'll come to that later)

Second, this anime fails completely at delivering the drama, it just iterates between comedy, drama, and romance every time to the point I didn't understand what was i supposed to feel. on top of that, the drama was often rushed and made no sense at all

finally, the ending was nothing special and to be frank predictable, I wasn't interested in the show that I legitimately didn't care anymore, everything was crammed and happened so suddenly in the last two episodes, the ending was just poorly written

Art 4/10
below average at best, maybe because of the budget, but who knows.

Sound 4/10
also below average, didn't find the music that good, nothing special about it

Character 2/10
oh god, lemme say this, the supporting characters were more interesting than the actual MC's, Banri or whatever his name is so bland, annoying, pitiful, not interesting, and has 0 qualities, the girl, oh my, I NEVER, and I say it again, NEVER felt disgusted and angry about a fictional character than this girl, she's annoying and every time she appeared I felt so irritated, she's just your typical high school bullying rich girl that is a bi**h and has no redeeming qualities.

Enjoyment 3/10:
please give me back my wasted time...

overall 3/10.

Banri Tada! Banri Tada! Banri Tada! BANRI TADA !!!!!

Boy oh boy is that a name I won’t forget for years to come…though not exactly in a good way.

Golden Time. A 2013 comedy, drama, and love story that is currently scored an average 7.75 and ranked at #996. It has remained in the top 1000 animes on MAL for the last 9 years…and I honestly have no idea how.

I feel like I write reviews on mainly romance based animes, probably since it’s up there to be one of my favorite genres. I still don’t write many…just on the ones I feel deserve to be ... a little more criticized than the rest. And after taking close to a month to finish this 24 episode anime, I felt that that was the case here

I mean it when I say that I promise I’ll try to keep this as short as I can…but I do have quite a bit to say.

So let’s get started.

Story 4/10

Okay so…I’ve come across this plot before. Person gets amnesia, meets people, struggles with said people and relationships, and then gets their memories back and even sometimes loses them again. It’s a very tricky plot that can either fly high or plummet to the ground.

For me, it was the latter.

Banri Tada, our male main character and protagonist, ends up losing his memories in an accident, then moves to Tokyo to attend college. He meets new people while also rekindling some past relationships and even falls in love. Thing is, this happens in the first 4 episodes.

This was the first problem I found within Golden Time.The pacing. In some crazy, bizarre, miraculous way, this show managed to be so rushed but so slow at the EXACT same time. It was just back and forth events and reactions and circumstances all clumped together to create a story that while, was occasionally realistic, was also immensely scattered and random as well.

There were a lot of different aspects throughout the whole series and that’s something I usually appreciate. New occurrences to spice things up. Only problem here was that they didn’t make any damn sense. We had our 2 main characters get abducted by some strange club, we have some creepy tea club girls who are insanely weird and grabby towards anyone they can get they’re hands on and are VERY annoying to boot, love that was so bland and odd and every so often kinda sweet but yet so chaotic at the same time that it made my head hurt, and the memory ghost of Banri that promised to make Banri’s life a living hell after he made his previous relationship with Linda nonexistent.

Like…wut? I mean I get college life is crazy and I get that this is merely an anime with some very poor attempts at romantic comedy/drama but…come on. There were actually several instances where I believe adult life was captured rather well, but within the instances I just explained, I was constantly cringing at every bizarre moment during the show because of just how unnatural it was.

The whole love triangle…square…pentagon? You know the whole romance aspect of the show. It was certainly dramatic with a lot of uncertainties in the beginning, but the execution and upbringing was so bland and slow that it didn’t leave me on the edge of my seat up until the last 5 episodes when things actually grew to become decently interesting between each potential couple. There wasn’t enough…pure romance. Do you know what I mean? Not enough heartfelt kisses or hand holding or one on one moments to make me downright say “OMG THEY ARE SO CUTE TOGETHER”. I watched the final 5 episodes today and trust me when I say that that was the most I had actually watched of this show at one time. Honestly, those last few episodes were what saved me from giving Golden Time a 3 instead of a 4.

Was there any good parts to the story? Yes, I will admit. I liked the collage setting, the more adult aspects of the characters (that is when Koko wasn’t acting like a spoiled child but I’ll get to that later), and I also enjoyed some of the more serious moments. Golden Time was very good at cliff hangers. It was just a bummer that the continuation of said cliffhangers weren’t as good as they could have been in the episodes that followed them.

Art 6/10

By far the strongest aspects of the whole show. Although, that doesn’t really say much especially being rated as a 6. For a show from 2013, and from the studio J.C. Staff nonetheless, the animation and art in Golden Time was nothing special. Your classic looking hair, eyes, background art. Nothing really stood out to me. If anything, the biggest thing I noticed was actually the detail put into Koko’s clothes. Weird I know, but I’m being honest here.

Not amazing, not terrible. Just near smack in the middle.

Sound 5/10

Sound came close to a 6, but there just wasn’t enough of a reason for me to actually give it another notch up. Mediocre and nothing to boast about except the first ed which I found rather nice.

Character 5/10

Alright. Time for the characters. Kaga, Tada, Linda, Yana, Nana, Oka…

I think you can see where I’m going with this.

I know this is strange to say, but right from the start, I was irked with everyone’s names. I don’t know if the similarities in the sound of the names was intentional or meant to be funny, but even if it was, I found the execution extremely poor. Puns within a character’s name is something I’ve never had a problem with and I sometimes even find them enjoyable (like in Phoenix Wright) but in Golden Time, I just found the resemblances extremely annoying. And if I couldn’t even stand the names, then oh boy was I fearful of how the rest of the show would go. Luckily, I sort of got used to the names and they just flowed through one ear and out the other. But with the actual characters themselves? I have a lot to say.

Starting with Banri (I’m gonna use first names mostly here to save my sanity) A very generic male protagonist. Our boy with amnesia who struggled immensely with his inner self at several points throughout the show. I didn’t dislike Banri at all, despite how Plain Jane was. Honestly, it was his mediocre self that gave me the breaths of fresh air from time to time when I needed it. I will say that some of his memory episodes were a little…odd and I didn’t exactly like his behavior towards Koko when she treated him and the others like s*** for no reason, but other than that, I had no issues.

Now, let’s move on to our lovely Golden Girl. Koko Kaga. Talk about a headache and a half. I swear this girl pissed me off from episode 1. Y’know that whole argument when girls say “No means no” and that should be final? Well it’s the same the other way around! But no, this girl was dead set on Mituo’s ass and would not stop. She was all up in his business, whacked him with flowers, stalked him, had unnecessary outbursts, suffered the woes is me, and then ultimately ended up with someone else who I STILL feel is too good for her. Koko was just…the worst kind of female protagonist, and while there were a few moments where I appreciated her and the relationship she had with Banri, there were too many other moments where she just made me mad to a point of no return.

While we're talking girls, let’s move to Linda. Flat out, I really wished the roles of her and Koko were reversed, personalities and all. Linda, though she still had flaws, was a much better overall character who actually took people into consideration, including Banri. They were childhood friends which makes sense in the personal treatment department. She understood him, worried about him, and didn't bombard him unless it was necessary. She was very decent, sweet, and though generic as well, was very relatable.

Next we have Mitsuo, Oka, 2D, and Nana. I’m just gonna cover the four of them in a few little sentences. (Welp...all first names didn't last long)

Mitsuo- Cool but kinda bland. A little all over the place with whom he liked romance wise. I honestly wish he had had more screen time.

Oka- Annoying on several occasions. Didn’t like Mitsuo romantically but of course that changed once he had feelings for someone else. Not on my favorites list by a long shot.

2D - Yesssss my boi. Funny as hell. Carried a lot of the comedy that I actually laughed at in the show. Could check people appropriately when needed. Very relatable with liking 2D characters instead of actual humans >.<

Nana - Some random punk chick that didn’t leave much of an impression on me. In my opinion, almost unnecessary in the show and was occasionally kinda a b****

Enjoyment 3/10

So if it wasn’t already obvious, I didn’t enjoy Golden Time too much. Everything was borderline tolerable until we get to how everything came together. Story, relationships, and all. It was a snooze fest for me almost every episode until there was that little glimmer of something that made me push forward, but then it would fade and I’d be left disappointed. Like I said before, the last 5 episodes were by far the most entertaining, but that meant watching 19 episodes of a slow, bland, anime that only had a select few moments I actually enjoyed.

Drama was honestly the better part of the 3 genres Golden Time focused on. There was quite a bit of it, but then the events that followed the drama made it forgettable and almost pointless.

Comedy was barely there with exception of 2D and his shenanigans.

And the romance…that was by far the biggest disappointment for me. I was always paying attention to the obvious love triangle between Banri, Linda, and Koko, and with the end result, I wasn’t fully moved. Honestly, I got pretty ticked at how often my ship preference changed throughout the show when it’s usually something that doesn’t bother me. It just went along the lines of “Mk well Koko just pissed me off so now I ship Banri with Linda” to “Well Linda just pissed me off so now I ship Banri with Koko”.

I just never got a strong, heartfelt grasp of the story and everything within it in comparison to other shows, thus making my enjoyment of Golden Time as a whole falter quite a bit.

Overall 4/10

Several times I thought, “Maybe I just don’t get it. Maybe this show hits home for a lot of people and I’m not one of them.”

And that could very well still be the case.

Golden Time held a lot of promise and excitement for me in the beginning. It was fresh and new, though a bit older and different. For the first few episodes I respected that. But then, it slowly became a show that I knew wasn’t going to be on my list of favorites. Perhaps I missed something or didn’t understand the message. But there was only one I really received by the last episode.

Golden Time…was just bronze in disguise.

I was really enjoying the series. All of a sudden, right about halfway through the series. I felt like it was drifting off of the topic. I thought it was pretty obvious who he was going to choose. The ending felt rushed to me and they didn't even focus that much on the main characters at all. One of the main characters felt more like a side character towards the end. The ending was the worst ending that I've seen so far. It made no sense. People who have seen it will understand what I mean. I really thought it had potential. There so much ... that went wrong with this series. I was hoping that it was at least going to end with an amazing plot twist. The author was probably more lost than me, as to how to make this series with a good ending. I wouldn't recommend this series to anyone.

The main problem I had with this series was how his "original self" was more like a supernatural character. It would've been better if his memories had started to come back while still being the person that he was while he was in college. That would've been the most obvious way to go, realistically speaking. Then it would've been a dramatic ending by having him choose with who to stay with in the end.

While looking through the list of my anime and the few that I've remembered well enough to rate, I wondered why I gave Golden Time such a low score.

After I revisited the page I remembered why this series fell short. The plot device was too forced. Banri's Amnesia really didn't make him likable, more than a few times I had to sit there and just think "wtf is going on here."

As others have pointed out, a fair amount of drama occurs, things break down, and at that point I'm just thinking to myself "God damn it." It didn't make the anime more enjoyable or give ... it any more depth.

I will say that I did really like Koko, I enjoy animes that have ladies. The bouquet scene was definitely funny, and throughout the anime she stayed beautiful and enjoyable.

At the end of the day, I feel like the forced plot and everything that comes with it just made the anime irredeemable. At the end, I just couldn't feel satisfied, I was just asking "Why?". That's why it's a 4, because there's just not a good aftertaste of it.

I will say that if you're able to overlook the forced plot the Amnesia creates (the biggest part), and the drama doesn't hurt you, then I can totally see this Anime getting an 8 or 9, which probably explains why it seems there's a gap of 3/4s vs 8/9s on the show.

I've seen hentai with better plotlines.

I've never written a review on MAL before, but this shit was so bad that I felt obliged. This is the worst anime I have ever watched, and I've seen tons of anime in the 5-6 rating range. Please don't waste your fucking time. It was the most painful thing ever.

I kept trying to persevere, thinking "It's rated 7.76, I'm probably just not seeing something." Alas, it did not deliver. Episode after episode I waited for something better until about episode 20. I wanted to quit so bad, but at that point I only had 4 episodes left, so like, ... might as well, right? Let me tell you, it took me a month to force myself to watch the rest. When I say it was painful, I mean it really was excruciating. I won't even bother detailing why the show is horrible - seriously, it's not worth it.

Do yourself a favour and, for the love of everything that is good in this world, skip this.

For the longest time I couldn't figure out why I had started watching this series only to get in a few episodes and then just stop. I had started watching it when it originally aired and got to around the 5th of 6th episode before stopping and only when I picked it up again over the last month did I remember why.

The story is trite, and the characters are either poorly developed, unlikeable, unsympathetic or all three. I generally tend to find these types of anime an easy watch, but I honestly had to stop myself from stopping this series again in the hopes ... that it would redeem itself. My hopes were sadly misplaced.

Not only does it use the hackneyed plot point of convenient cinema amnesia as a premise for most of the external conflict for the show, but it manages to somehow make most of the main cast terribly shallow and unlikeable save for a few minor characters.

Banri is pretty much a generic anime male lead who is made to look like a good guy until he selfishly manipulates Koko into a relationship with him by first forcing her to befriend him, open up to him, and then threaten to not even be friends once she rejects his first advances.

Koko is an emotionally unbalanced and manipulative stalker who has very clear co-dependency and trust issues. Despite being obsessed by one of their shared friends, she appears to very rapidly 'fall in love' with Banri, only after he threatens to not talk to her anymore.

I held hopes that the show would address the unhealthiness of the relationship that was on show, and allow the characters to grow and develop through the course of their relationship, but unfortunately this doesn't eventuate and the series finishes in an achingly saccharine cliched way.

If relationships built on lack of trust, obsession and co-dependency don't bother you, then there may be something in this anime that you might find enjoyable, but if these things don't sound like your idea of a great main couple then it may be best to pass this one by.

Alright lets write this ....

I saw this anime a couple of months ago ... and its been annoying me ALL this time so I finally decided to write a review for it ...

THE GOOD:
The ONLY reason I watched to the END was the unpredictable story line ... it twists and turns, there are a lot of misunderstandings between the characters and also a LOT of past grievances and hidden secrets and feelings stirred in the weird but enlightening college theme. In most cases each episodes brings a new story plot to the table or something interesting to ponder on ... and the BEST way ... to interest the viewers as I ALWAYS say is for them to say "ooohhh what's going to happen next" or "ooohhh I wonder how X or Y deals with this" and in all honesty you get a LOT of this in the anime which is BRILLIANT ... just the sheer pain and emotion people go through this anime is fantastic and keeps me wanting to see more .... see more turmoil, more despair, more pain ... yes I am weird check my anime list out lol ...

THE BAD:

OH HELL NOOOOO .... THE ENDING WAS BULL CRAP .... ABSOLTELY THE WORST ENDING anyone would have written ... IN SHORT .... They tried to make everyone happy! and solve all their complicated and insecure issues they have been struggling with for 23 plus episodes in the last 10 or 15 minutes of the last and final episode.. in the worst conclusion POSSIBLE .... that makes NO sense at all considering what they all went through ... this is why I gave it a 4/10 should have been a decent 6 or 7 .... shame

TIP .... STOP WATHCHING at EPISDOE 23 ... that would have been the BEST ENDING EVER ... a non conclusive lost ending but this would be a fitting end to a never ending turmoil and struggle for such a character ....

I don't want to repeat myself BUT episode 24 was the worst episode that I have watched thus far .... awful ....

Amazingly enough, this romantic comedy series actually exemplifies all the things NOT to do in a relationship.

** there are spoilers ahead **

The characters are the worst part of the show. All of them do things that doesn't follow a personality and have no rhyme or reason. Out of nowhere, Oka is bitchy. Out of nowhere, Koko is angry. Out of nowhere, Mitsuo likes another girl. It's like their character switches for plot convenience (which is likely the case). From the get-go, we see that Koko is an obsessive, possessive, self-obsessed stalked who hasn't graduated from high school emotionally. At the start, while obsessing over ... Mitsuo, she stalks him, degrades him, and even assaults him. After getting together with Banri, you would think she improves but nope, she stays exactly the same. She obsesses over him, doesn't allow him to see girls, doesn't allow him to work, crying and getting angry over the smallest things and then victimizing herself to make it seem like she got the short end of the stick. I can't even count the number of times she said "I'm so stupid" and attempts to self-reflect, become a better person and then the next scene, we get her doing something ridiculous again.

I'm amazed anyone would look at this relationship and think it normal or desirable. It is straight up an abusive one. One great example is when Banri works at the party for Nana and gets caught by Koko while he was with Linda. There were so many things wrong with this whole situation. Firstly, she didn't allow him to work part-time. What right does she have to "allow" or not allow him to do that? Secondly, when she found out, she hit him and then apologized, making herself seem like the victim and making him feel sorry for her. In the end, he thinks he's at fault and grovels for her forgiveness (when there was nothing to forgive), making him reliant and dependent on her approval and love. Thirdly, the abuse. It started with verbal abuse but it quickly progressed to physical abuse. Sure, it was a slap at first, then it was a pillow, what's next? Soon, it'll be her phone, her bag, maybe even a knife if that was on hand.

Not even the word plain could describe Banri. He has no sense of self, no ideas, no character whatsoever. He's always hiding behind the mask of amnesia, which was another huge problem with the show. If they wanted to make it realistic, they should have not made it supernatural. How can someone forget the memories they made in the future just because they regained memories lost via an accident? When did doctors treat spiritual events as a norm and prescribe medicine for supernatural visions? What's with the "ghost" of Banri trying to make life difficult for him?

The other characters are not even worth mentioning. You would think 24 episodes would be enough to develop a few characters but other than the two main characters (they tried), the others had dismal, that is to say, zero growth.

The soundtrack is there. That's about it.

The story line was attempted. Again, that's it.

By the end of it, I just wanted it to be over. There's no way I could root for a couple with such poor character traits. Even if that was alright, I cannot stomach the idea of an abusive relationship being painted in such a positive light.

MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS

First off, the ending of this anime REALLY ruined the show for me.
Up till around episode 10, I absolutely loved this show since it was very engaging. The last few episodes (except ep 24) were also great since it made me think that MAYBE this won’t have a cliché ending, BUT they absolutely ruined it with another cheesy cliché ending where the main girl ALWAYS ends up with the mc, and the best girl (Linda in this case) ALWAYS loses in a love triangle. The powerful build up in the last few episodes were wasted, it all became meaningless. The build up ... was so strong for Banri and Kouko to NOT end up together and yet the author decides that, yep gonna ruin this with another cliché ending.

A far better ending would be Linda x Banri since they had known each other for years and have supported each other during hard times, whereas the relationship between Banri and Kouko is the childish lovey dovey cringe type where they will likely break up after they get bored of each other. Linda x Banri would be a much more stable and mature relationship.

Also the original ending was so poorly written anyway, the bridge scene simply didn’t make much sense, it was as if the author had to include it so we Linda fans wouldn’t hate on this anime. Far from being good enough though. A bad ending IS a bad ending and nothing will change that.

I really would’ve given this at least a solid 8/10 overall if the ending wasn’t SO PATHETIC man, but the ending is one of the most important parts of an anime, and this anime did it terribly.

Besides, somewhere between ep 12-18 before old Banri started to return, this part was hella cringe. The best parts of this anime really were the parts reminiscing about Linda’s and Banri’s past, and obviously the parts where he spends time with Linda. THIS WAS THE ENGAGING PART.

I had VERY HIGH HOPES in the first half of the show that this would actually have a well written ending that’s not cliché, but I’m very disappointed. Ship sank again. In fact this was one of the few anime shows where I ship the mc with the best girl SOOO MUCH and they had to ruin it for me.
I wouldn’t have even given this any points because of this atrocious ending, but I gave it some points anyway since Linda is a great character.

I gave character 7/10, but would've given it a 10/10 if Kouko and new Banri weren't counted.

Another anime i do not understand how it got such a good rating on.

For me the story was flawed from the start am sorry to say, boy loses memories. gets badly injured and family quite happily send a guy away to university who remembers nothing of his past from what he learned, how to function in society, etc, cook, use machinery, but yet does them all with no mention of how.

He then goes to a university, with poor characters who claim to be friends, lovers, etc. Yet is no real loyalty there. On the first opportunity, he goes dates the crazy stalker ... lady despite it being the best friend, ex-GF of sorts. He knows how creepy, jealous, angry and insecure she is but jumps on the crazy train without a care for how awkward it makes the best friend or her.

When the friends, lover argues and they run of, you don;'t just accept people back. Add the secrets and lies and it is enough to drive normal people off. As we guess is an anime, everyone comes running back.

When we see the mental health deteriorate os one of the only bits i have sympathy over, as little by little such things brew up, as it gets worse is easy to be afraid to get help, and when getting help, getting the right medical dosages of the right drugs. Also symbolism of certain items, places and if a person is really read to face something.

However, I have never seen the present memories as it portrayed in a clinical surrounding as the old resurface, and rarely do i see them all at once. More drips and drabs of those who shared the most important and most tragic, emotional experiences.

When Lindas is generally the only one who can balance him out, and only can tell they both have feelings for each other, as is not guilt alone that keeps her caring for him. it annoys me his choices, especially when the person complaining about lies etc, can lie, and hurt him so easily in Koka.

I honestly wouldn't have wanted to be around any of the people really ever again if they were who surrounded me, maybe bar Linda, with even worries of the violence of Nana. A guy who accesses your email to generate a scenario, a woman who could of pushed you to suicide when at the height of a mental health crisis, a best friend who abandons you, and a person after your best friend, who instead of telling the best friend, blasts you.

I honestly saw it as a trash show, enough to entertain barely, but knowing, in reality, would be a train wreck.

I'll preface this by stating that this is my first review, so bare with me. I also dropped this anime at EP 15, but have read a synopsis of what (predictably) happens in the rest of the anime. If there is anything wrong with the format of my review, or blatantly wrong with my review please inform (also tell me if there is anything you suggest I do in order to improve!). If you want to tell to go suck a a fat one you can do that as well.

I'll start with sound, personally I love the 2nd OP, and the first is decent as ... well. The voice acting is fine (I did watch dub) and I have no real complaints. If you are wondering how the dub is, it is fine and I would say that if you are a dub watcher to go for it. Sound overall 8/10

The art is pretty good, but it's not anything amazing. It's kind of generic but I like that more modern style so personally I give it a 7/10

The characters within Golden Time are kind of generic. There really isn't anything too special about them, that makes them shine out from the rest of the crowd. Honestly, most of the characters lacked depth and I could care less about them. Though they are not really why I disliked the anime, as they act like reasonable people which I guess (now thinking about this) is ok for anime. They also don't fit entirely into their stereotypes and have some originality, but as stated before nothing too special about them. The main dude is not really a self insert and once again the characters ARE competent human beings so if that is what you are looking for, then it should be fine. Overall about a 5/10

The main problem with the anime is the story. Initially I was intrigued after reading the plot, and story started off strong. I think that the first 12 episodes were alright and honestly the anime could have ended there and I would be perfectly fine with that (some plots holes or whatever but you get what I'm trying to say). Anyways the story becomes weirdly supernatural which does not make any sense to me. I understand anime is supposed to be fantasy like, but I thought this show was an experience of someone re-discovering who they were, and how they are now as a person compared to what it turned into. The story seemed predictable enough so I decided to look for synopsis of the future episodes to see if I was correct, and I was more or less correct. Since the story started off strong I give it a 6/10

When I get bored of an anime I don't ever feel the need to finish it, and that's exactly what happened with Golden Time. Honestly I was thinking of watching the rest at 2.5x speed which I sometimes do, but eh too many episodes and I know what happens. This anime was not very enjoyable for me to watch, when I dropped it and I don't think I'll ever pick it up again. I did enjoy the beginning so I would give the enjoyment rating a 4/10

tl;dr Golden Time is a somewhat original plot that starts strong with likable enough characters, but eventually gets predictable, boring, and unnecessarily supernatural. I would rather read doujins then finish this anime.

Five words: forced. forced, forced, forced and forced! That's the only word that comes to mind when thinking of this anime. Just forced. I don't think I'm going to be watching another romance anime with a memory loss plot anytime soon.

This may include spoilers.

I guess I'll just start with the characters.

Koko, which is a dumb name if you aren't a dog, was just the worst type of person in this whole thing. She displays a lot of traits and qualities of that of an abusive, possessive boyfriend. Banri has to respond as soon as she texts him, he can't get a job, can't talk to ... or be alone with other girls. Heck, she doesn't even want him to remember his past. Doesn't once try to help him or encourage him to face it. No, it's just about her and what she wants.

She originally comes to the college to follow another guy who doesn't like her, but when she fails to control him, she gets her hooks in Banri and since he is the genetic weak-willed guy who always sports a confused look on his face, he just goes with it. She makes him turn his back on an old childhood friend who has done nothing but helped him since he came to college, even though she doesn't help him with anything!

Banri is this guy who is starting over because he lost his memory right after graduating high school. He meets Koko and after a while, they start dating but he has no choice at all. Basically, the only thing he can do is go to class, talk to people who aren't girls and always be with Koko.

He has no personality really. Since he lost his memory, he acts like his only identity is this possessive chick who tells him who he can and can't hang out with.

I didn't see any kind of chemistry at all with them. It probably had to do with how and why she came to college to start with. And sure okay, there are six episodes that show them as friends before they date and that usually serves as the chemistry building, but it fell flat. With Koko's character, I can't really see it any more than a girl not getting her way with one guy, but got it with another.

Almost every episode after the seventh one is just them always reconfirming their relationship like they are reminding each other they are dating.

The setting makes no kind of difference to me. Should have been a high school setting because that's how they were acting. And the club was more important anyway. It was most of a college club setting than a college setting. Always talking about the club and the festival. So why specifically mention the college is some private law school or whatever when they were mostly in the club talking about events?

I really felt sorry for Linda. In the childhood flashbacks, I felt some chemistry between her and Banri. She does any and everything for him and he just goes with whatever Koko says or does. Just selfish! Both of them! I was hoping she would be with the guy from the festival club. They would have been a cute couple.

Maybe it had something to do with the looks. Banri looks like a plain, boring character who should be in another anime or at least a side character in this one because of everyone, the art was just much better. Koko is this flashy, stylish girl with long brightish hair. And even Linda had these eyes that just stood out. And you put either of these girls with a guy like the main character and expect chemistry? Not for me!

Another thing that drove me nuts was the Nana character parody. I mean really? Hey, creators, your lack of originality is showing! I guess when they thought of a tough character with a soft side, they thought of Nana Osaki and that's sweet, but seriously? Same name? Same looks? Possibly the same piercings too.

Just no, this anime didn't work for me. And the ending was just a cluster fuck from hell. But I won't spoil that.

Let me just start of by saying that this is not a bad anime by any means. It is just something I really dislike and I personally did not find enjoyable. Before I start the review I will say that there are some MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD. I rarely drop anime but this is a rare exception

The story starts of really good with the introduction of Yanna and quickly setting up ghost Banri and real Banri and making it easy to tell what was going to happen. It also had some really good side characters like 2D, Oka and Yanna. The main characters I dislike are ... the main characters, Banri and Koko. There are also some things I don't like with the overall story.

A couple problems I see with the story is that ghost Banri's plans don't make sense. SPOLIER SECTION AHEAD :
when Ghost Banri starts of, he is normal and doesn't do much. When normal Banri decides to go with Koko instead of Linda and he gets mad and rightfully so. But the way he gets revenge doesn't make any sense. He purposefully put all the characters to sleep while there were driving in a car and was surprised when they all almost died. It was like as if Ghost Banri didn't have common sense. Other then that plot hole the story is solid and pretty alright.

The reason I do not like Koko is because she is obsessive, a stalker, unlikeable and just entitled in general. She is very unfun to watch and the crazy stuff she does is just downright psychotic. The other character I dislike, Banri is not a bad character by himself and is actually quite enjoyable to see whenever he is not with Koko. The biggest reason I don't like him is because he is completely ok with all the stuff she does and doesn't see any problem with it. He is also a big simp and does whatever Koko commands him to do. He doesn't think for himself and when he does he immediately gets shut down by Koko.

Overall I would say that this is an alright show that is being brought down by a multitude of factors (mostly because of certain characters). If you can handle some downright annoying characters then you will have a good time watching it. I just personally didn't because I don't care if something happens to characters I don't care about and I don't care about any of the characters except 2D, Oka and Yanna

I find this anime cringey. The male protagonist's character has no depth, and annoying. Annoying because his college life s just trying to follow the pretty girl or just focusing on who to have a crush on. Story is boring, and characters are not that interesting or honorable. If you liked toradora, special A, ouran high school, lovely complex, kimi ni todoke, then you will not enjoy this.

I enjoyed other romance animes who are mostly about just conversations like haikyu but even their conversations are boring and random.

Time went so slow whenever I watched this.

The heroine is also just obsessed with her ... childhood love and just found another one too obsess over.