March 14, 2024
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By Zoe Crombie.
Banri Tada is a shiny younger scholar at a personal legislation faculty who has simply completed convalescing from a fall he skilled after his highschool commencement that left him with no reminiscence of his life or relationships from earlier than that second. Fortuitously, he finds a pal in fellow first-year scholar Mitsuo Yanagisawa, and begins to uncover parts of his previous as he continues his research. In true romantic comedy style, he additionally finds himself concerned with the intimidatingly lovely Koko Kaga and mysterious second-year scholar Linda, who every develop near our perpetually confused protagonist. As Banri’s reminiscences re-emerge, these new relationships (that will, the truth is, be older than he realises) change into extra advanced, and he has to reconcile the occasions of his previous with the chances of his future whereas navigating college and deciding on the sort of particular person he desires to change into.
Amnesia is an oft-denigrated plot gadget that nonetheless can be utilized to nice impact – notably in tales that aren’t taking themselves too severely. Golden Time undoubtedly falls into this camp, as a romantic comedy that’s extra about balancing potential love pursuits than uncovering some convoluted conspiracy. Although the amnesia ingredient of the present does present a degree of intrigue, it’s watching the relationships unfold between characters that’s the true glue holding Golden Time collectively.
Golden Time relies on a collection of sunshine novels which had been tailored right into a manga shortly after. The collection was created by Yuyuko Takemiya, who you may additionally know from the extremely profitable collection Toradora!, one other romantic comedy with a deal with budding relationships and love triangles. Nevertheless, Golden Time differs in its extra intense plot and confrontation of assorted social points, bringing extra drama to the slice of life format that Toradora! thrived in. However this doesn’t imply the anime is all doom and gloom – the truth is, it might be somewhat too saccharine for some, as evidenced by its candy-coloured opening sequences and their bubble-gum-flavoured backing tracks.
The collection was additionally created by the studio who made the anime adaptation of Toradora!, J.C. Workers. As the corporate behind beloved classics like Revolutionary Woman Utena and Azumanga Daioh, and a bunch of artists already acquainted with Takemiya’s work, they had been effectively positioned to work on the Golden Time adaptation, placing their expertise with a variety of kinds and genres to good use. The result’s an anime that isn’t essentially showy with its visuals for almost all of the operating time, however one which nonetheless successfully captures the feelings of the characters at its core, conveying their pleasure and heartache with the sincerity that so many admire inside anime.
As a seinen anime that takes place in a college setting, Golden Time has among the extra mature relationship drama and grownup humour you would possibly anticipate. Nevertheless, it visually and narratively attracts upon shojo romances in loads of methods, not least in its pink and lacy title playing cards and wide-eyed protagonists, who all really feel each single emotion on a gargantuan scale. This lends it a cross-audience attraction that isn’t at all times straightforward to search out in anime, notably romances, and implies that it isn’t simply restricted to older viewers. Clearly, Golden Time has had a major influence on audiences of all types – you solely want a cursory look on YouTube to search out all of the Prime Ten Saddest Scene compilations that clips from this present have made it into. And there are even occasional fantasy parts to boost the present considerably, together with the spectral look of one of many extra controversial anime characters in current reminiscence – if you recognize, you recognize…
In brief, Golden Time is a crowd pleaser of an anime – it has a compelling plot with characters who’re straightforward to like and relationships to root for, in addition to an absolute cracker of an ending. Although technically for grownup viewers, it has an easy-going really feel that’s positive to attraction to most anime followers, whether or not you’re into shojo romance or goofy shonen comedy. J.C. Workers already had a powerful again catalogue as a studio, primarily from adapting mild novel collection, and Golden Time is one other feather of their cap that simply stands alongside the very best of their newer releases as a real emotional rollercoaster of a present.
Zoe Crombie is an affiliate lecturer and PhD candidate at Lancaster College engaged on Studio Ghibli. Golden Time is launched within the UK by Anime Restricted.