There's essentially two things about this anime that make it stand out:
One, the character romance is really bad, and even cringe-worthy.
And two, the comedy, when it tries to be funny, is actually really funny!
Golden time is supposed to be a romantic comedy. When it tries to be funny, it succeeds fairly well on the comedy side, and can actually be quite hilarious! There are some instances in this show that are really, really funny, and just totally had me shrieking with laughter.
On the other hand, on the romance side of things, that's where this anime really fails. A lot of people have pointed out that, "well at least the main characters pursue the same relationship for the whole story..." Well yeah, but it's a really bad, terrible forced relationship.
Simply put, Golden Time is kind of a love triangle. You have Guy A and Girl A and Girl B.
Guy A and Girl A have genuine chemistry together, and a history together. However, Girl A is a bit of a tsundere (someone who's initially cold, while gradually showing their warm side) and is kind of in denial about how much she really cares about (and loves) Guy A.
But the problem comes in, when Girl A takes so long to be honest about her feelings for Guy A, and so Guy A ends up dating (settling for) Girl B.
And this is where the romance just kind of goes south. Guy A and Girl B basically have no chemistry at all, and he spends his entire time thinking about Girl A whom he really loves, and pretty much just kind of humors Girl B. Meanwhile, Girl B is kind of crazy and obsessive and after spending so much time with Guy A it becomes apparent that she's been with him so long that he feels really guilty about leaving her, and so they just kind of keep going, even though they have no chemistry at all.
He's clearly not into her, but they just keep going with the relationship. Meanwhile, Guy A has serious health problems due to a past accident, and whenever he needs real help and support the first person he turns to is Girl A.
Really, as a romance, this anime is a tragedy. The entire time you want Guy A and Girl A to be together, and it just never happens, and so the relationship between Guy A and Girl B just seems really forced, awkward, unnatural, and just sad really.
You feel like they're just settling for less and choosing to be sad rather than really listening to their heart and being with the person who really makes them happy.
And that's really the fatality of this anime, the sadness that underlines it when it becomes clear that the main characters really *aren't* going to do the right thing and be with the person they *really* care about... It just puts a damper on the comedy which is otherwise the real highlight of the show.
It leaves you feeling disappointed, and kind of sad, rather than satisfied.
And despite some strong humor, the disappointment in the characters pulls the anime down a lot from the build up the that humor makes.
Overall, it was somewhat enjoyable to watch, but it was more like a 6. It really could have been a lot better and it wasn't.
The whole thing just kind of has this overlay of sadness. Like: "We'd really like to be together, but alas... we cannot. For... no apparent reason really."
