So Golden Time is like the younger sibling of Toradora. It was based on the light novel series written by Yuyuko Takemiya and it was adapted by JC Staff, the notorious classic romance animes. It combined a romantic comedy-drama and sprinkled some supernatural flavor. Imagine this, Toradora, her older sibling is somewhat a grumpy and a tsundere one. But Golden Time is sweet and fabulous. Like a diamond in the rough. I don't want to compare both of them because they served as a great romance experience for the audiences. I also bought all the light novels of both series. So this review contains some spoilers and here we go.
The main story contains two parts; the first half and the second half.
First Half ~ The Moment Where Everything Began ~
The story took place at a college university of law. In the beginning, a gorgeous lady is walking with a bouquet of roses. Mitsuo was freakishly scared of her, while the main protagonist, Banri Tada was amazed at her. Especially when Kouko Kaga, the female protagonist, hits Mitsuo with a bouquet of roses in front of him. But before that, let's take a look at the premise first. The story revolved around Banri Tada, which he's late for the orientation of his college university because he was new in Tokyo. He's from a province but I'll get to that later. Then he met Mitsuo and Kouko after some time and now he was somewhat pinched between Mitsuo and Kouko's quarrel. But after some conflicts and progression of the relationship between Kouko and Banri, they fell in love, and they both found their significant other. The first introduction of Kouko was fabulous and I like her personality. Bold yet gorgeous in a unique way. The way she wears her fashion and the way she spoke. I wouldn't say she's a waifu material but yeah. The setting was so refreshing because it was in college. Most romance stories were set in high school. The premise got interesting when it introduced the backstory of Banri, which suffered from some amnesia. Especially when Linda got into the picture, as somehow his special person from his past. This part made me think, "If the past returns, the present will be disrupted.", which is true. The ghost Banri symbolizes the past of his current self and somewhat, his amnesia. He suffered from retrograde amnesia, which is he might forget the present, but he might remember his past. The first half was fun, sweet, and charming. It's because the first half was an introduction to the characters and the story. The question was, "what will happen to their sweet relationship, especially in Banri's case? Will they keep fighting for their love?". They overcame an obstacle when they fought about the relationship between Banri and Linda from the past. I understand the character of Kouko as being clingy to him because she's afraid to lose Banri. Girls are normal to be paranoid about their boyfriends and it's their instinct. She just wants to express her love to Banri, and I like her for that. But after that, Banri started to cut ties with his past and started a new relationship with Kouko. Resetting his status from his former self and feelings from his past, especially toward Linda.
Second Half ~ Together in Paris ~
So the second half of the story shifted the tone into more drama. This kind of formula doesn't fail to amaze me, especially in romance animes. Just like in other JC Staff romances, Sakurasou, Toradora, Little Busters!, Honey and Clover, and others. But they kept the sweetness of the story. Unlike the first half, the second half was focused on the development of the characters. Chinami was being honest with her feelings to Mitsuo. 2D-kun was cherishing his new friends, as we know he hated the 3D world and its people. Mitsuo gained his feelings for Linda, and our main couple, Banri and Kouko, strengthened their relationship. Kouko promised to stay by his side, no matter what happens, and Banri cherished his feelings and time with Kouko, even when the time come that he might forget everything. But guess what? It happened. Banri started to lose his memories of his current self, and he kept calling Linda over and over again. Linda somewhat became a babysitter to him. The development of the characters was vague and it's like you just have to accept it. But if you apply the events deeply, I think you might understand it. It's a pain in the ass to see Kouko cry because of Banri, but that's reality. Like Nana said, "No one can promise they'll be together forever. Life is full of misery but you just have to go through with it.", which is true. Kouko broke her promise first and she just gave up her relationship with Banri. But deep in her heart, I know she didn't want that. I guess that's inevitable. Linda's regrets about it being her fault that Banri got into an accident were understandable. If we made some big mistakes, we might think that if we go back to that time, we could redo it again. Mitsuo being a jerk to Banri because he suspected him if he had a connection to Linda was a bit annoying. But damn, I never thought he was a really great friend to him. I mean, Banri is his first friend from the start of the story and I was touched by their friendship before Banri forgot him. After Banri forgot his current self, we got to see all of his friends really loved Banri. The bridge scene from the last episode was somewhat ridiculous so I decided to interpret it as past self vs present self, with the amnesia creating a more defined divide between the two. And then, it made a bit more sense for me, as well as was more tolerable. The ending was pretty rushed and a bit disappointing because there were some questions left unanswered. But I'll let that slide and it was pretty satisfying. They both reunited, as Banri finally regained his feelings for Kouko. They started over again but this time, they will do it one step at a time.
The animation was incredible. I remember Sakurasou's quality was not satisfying but this is different. The scenes were detailed and full of golden sparkles and it was suitable for the atmosphere. It gave me a really springtime experience.
The characters were realistic. Unlike the other characters that use a lot of different personalities and troupes, the characters from this show were full of normal people. The characters are portrayed with realistic emotions and they are thought of as a real person. They are filled with multiple facets and glaring contradictions, just like all of us.
The sound was pretty great, as expected from Hashimoto Yukari, one of my favorite composers. It was really suitable for the series. As for the voice performance, they did a great job. Hocchan's performance as Kouko touched my heart, as well as the other characters like Mitsuo (Kaito Ishikawa), Banri (Makoto Furukawa), and Linda (Ai Kayano). I remember the characters of Banri and Mitsuo are somehow similar to Saitama and Genos from One Punch Man. They were voiced by the same actors and their roles were similar. The OPs and EDs were great. A big thumbs up for the music.
Overall, it was a rollercoaster ride. From a usual romantic comedy, shifted into more serious drama. I think this is how all anime should be especially when it comes to romance. Some unrealistic romance can become cliche and cringe, but Golden Time wasn't like that. If you want a really good realistic romance story, Golden Time is really for you. A truly golden romance.
Story: 9/10
Animation: 8.9/10
Characters: 9.1/10
Music: 9.5/10
Romance Factor: 10/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
