Story:
Golden Time is a SoL anime, and usually SoL shows don't have the greatest story. Its usually because they just follow people's daily lives and don't need an overarching goal. Golden Time focuses on a group of college students, mainly Tada Banri and Kaga Kouko. It deals with the relationships between every character, especially romantically. Banri lost all of his memories from before his high school graduation due to an accident and is making a new life for himself in college as a new Tada Banri. He meets many new people and forms good relationships. Tada must juggle his romance with the constant pain of his lost memories and dealing with the problems he faces in college. This frames up the developments of the plot well, and gives it a somewhat frantic but well paced development. Overall the story is about the relationships that one may have in college, especially romantic ones. It captures the feeling well.
8/10
Art:
There really isn't much to say about the art style of Golden Time, its rather traditional anime fare and has no really outstanding elements. That being said, the character designs are varied and accentuate the personalities well. Kouko and Mitsuo have the best designs in my opinion. The backgrounds look nice as well.
7/10
Sound:
Golden Time has really good sound design overall. The music, especially the opening and ending themes, is great. Along with the music is the voice acting. Each VA nails their role, and they really shine in emotional scenes like arguments or if a character is crying. I could feel the emotions in the voices and it really got me into the story.
8/10
Characters:
This is where Golden Time shines in my opinion. The characters are all wonderfully done. Yes, they overreact and act like idiots, but they're college students. The kids are fresh out of high school and have been thrust into maturity. Each character has their own emotions and their feelings seem real, this is especially notable in the main romance. I don't want to spoil anything about specific characters in the show since I want people to experience it for themselves. Each character develops well, but some more than others. Overall the main characters are well written and seem realistic yet impulsive 19/20 year olds.
Enjoyment:
Watching Golden Time is what I would call an experience. I really was enthralled from the first minute and finished the series in 2 days flat.
10/10
Overall:
Golden Time has something to it that makes it special, I honestly don't know what one aspect it is but I know its there. Give Golden Time a try, if you do you'll laugh, cry, and get mad but its worth it.
10/10
