Last week I did one of Coppelion, this week I have chosen Golden Time. In all, I chose three-the third will be Unbreakable Machine Doll-to review and follow for the season. Since, I'm kind of new to the seasonal anime watching and anime in general (Watching since February this year) I decided to pick these three and follow them closely. I plan to post my final first impression (Machine Doll) this week, but it should be out by next Sunday (October 27) at the latest. Every week after that I will try to post new anime reviews, but they may appear every two weeks because of time restraints. Also, during the 12-13 weeks (or in Golden Time's case 24) of the show, if their is anything really different in my opinions of the show or a major event, I may post a reaction post. Also, at the end of the season, I plan on revisiting the 3 (Golden Time will have a half time review) and posting my final thoughts and a full review for each. Anyways, hope this works out for you guys and now ONTO THE REVIEW.
Synopsis:
- The story takes place in Tokyo, with our main character Tada Banri. He is a freshman in college and ran into some difficulties finding the college on the opening orientation day. He gets lost and decides to follow some girls. He loses track of them and then runs into another student, Yanagisawa Mitsuo, who ironically was also following the girls. They introduce themselves to each other and proceed to look for the school. They finally find the school and a beautiful girl walks out of a taxi all the way up to Mistuo. In here hands is a bouquet of flowers that she proceeds to use to repeatedly smack Mitsuo in the face. This girl, Kaga Kouko is actually one of Mitsuo's childhood friends and he applied to this university to avoid her. They used to do everything together and they even promised to marry each other. What Mitsuo didn't know is that she had also downgraded from a prestigious and famous Tokyo university to this less prestigious law school. The story follows these three main characters and their trial and tribulations.
Plot:
- The biggest difference between this show and many other shows is that it is played out in college/university. I might still be kind of new to anime, but even I know that highschool is one of the premiere settings for anime. Most anime, these days all try to incorporate some parts of highschool into them. Why? Because it has been proven a winning strategy, because guys and (girls) like good-looking guys and girls. The school girl look is one of the most preferred by middle-aged guys. Anyways, it's not to say that this show won't be like a highschool show, because it will definitely be very similar to one. What should be noted is how the authors use this more mature post-secondary setting, to their advantage. Because, at the end of the day, if it doesn't that it will be seen as just your average highschool comedy.
- Anyways the first three episodes have so far just been a introduction to all the characters and how they fit in the situation. So far, it doesn't look anything major is going on here. The characters are just living out their normal lives, with no huge events happening. It will be interesting to see how some of the supporting female characters pan out. Will these girls be strictly supporting characters, or will they be part of a harem style where they all like Tada Banri? The show is pretty funny so far and everything so far has just been good.
- As far as expectations go, I'm expecting this show to be a good one. Depending on the road it takes it could just be an emotional ride for the ages. I myself have never read the manga and so I really don't know what to expect.
Overall: The potential is there, but I just don't really know what to expect.
Score: 7-8.5/10
Animation:
- The animation of this show is done by J.C. Staff. They are the masterminds behind more than 100 different anime series and experience pays off, because this one is definitely well animated. The backgrounds are pretty detailed and the characters' movements are all fluid. The colour palette strong and rich helping to bring out life in the characters.
Overall: Like many other anime these days, the animation quality is top-notch.
Score: 8-9
- Often when it comes to comedy's like these, sound isn't the most important thing. Often many of the songs from many different shows have similar sounding songs. This is not to say that they copied each other, it's just that it is hard to tell the difference between them, because nothing stands out about them. So far, this show has shown me exactly what I talked about above. I don't really remember much about the soundtrack and after listening to some of it, I felt that it was pretty good. The opening is pretty good, being a cheery and fun introduction to the show, but with nothing really that stands out. I will give them credit though on the ending. For some reason I really liked the ending. It's pretty catchy and really does a good job of closing off the show. It's weird because generally I don't really like the ending to too many shows, for whatever reason, but this show produced an ending that I actually thoroughly enjoyed.
- Otherwise, the voice acting is good as always.
Overall: Fitting songs that don't really standout and are common to most other RomCom shows, but with a surprisingly good ending.
Score: 7-8.5
Characters:
- The main character we are following in this show is Tada Banri. First I would like to note that his name is kind of weird. I guess I've just never heard this kind of name at all. Maybe it's just me? Anyways, he is a pretty interesting character; especially where I'm at now. His back story is pretty interesting and it will be interesting to see how they intend on rolling with it. Next is the main female lead, Kaga Kouko. Now, let me get something out of the way first: she is very good looking. There is something about her that makes her extremely attractive; to me anyways. Anyways, segway into my next topic: Character Design. I really liked the character design of this show. All the characters seem very different and their colour palettes are all very well done.
- Next is the actual characters themselves. The next character is the one and only Kaga Kouko. She is a very interesting character. She acts very differently when around Mitsuo; she is always chasing after him and she is all about him. With Tada, she is more calm and fun-loving, and potentially more herself. It will be interesting to see what kind of character she will become and how her back story fits into her personality and decisions.
- Finally we have Mitsuo. He is the one Kaga is all over. He hasn't seen too much screen time, but the time he does has usually been running away from Kaga. He's a rich kid and we can never know what to expect from them.
- Finally some of the supporting cast seem to be just your average anime archtypes, especially the girls. It's going to be interesting to see how the girls fit into the love circles, because some of them are upperclasswomen.
Overall: Great character design and some good characters so far.
Score: 7-9
Enjoyment:
- It is the moment we've all been waiting for... the enjoyment. I really enjoyed the first three episodes of this series. Although, to be quite honest there isn't anything new from your standard ROMCOM anime, it has a fresh feeling and atmosphere. It has enhanced animation and the colours literally jump in your face. The mood of the show is very light and at the same time serious at times. I feel like the most important decision needing to be made by the directors is the direction of this anime. It could be a regular ROMCOM with great visuals and a potentially great soundtrack. Or it could try and achieve greater feats, by making a more dramatic and ROM type of story. Personally, I'm more of the love-drama type of guy, then just flat-out school comedy, but that's just personal taste.
Overall: This series has a lot of potential and could be one of the best this season.
Score: 7.5-9
Conclusion:
- This is listed as a 24-episode season and with the pace it is going at it will need the episodes. My hopes is that it uses the episodes well, perhaps splitting into mini 2-3 episode arcs for some character development, and doesn't make any solely comedy-based filler/arcs. I'm really enjoying the series right now and hopefully the writers continue a strong path to success.
BOTTOM LINE:
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A very enjoyable anime that is pretty much a must watch for fans of this genre.
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