The Fall 2013 anime season is finally upon us. Golden Time, a promising new romance comedy, made it debut yesterday. It is one of my most anticipated shows this season.

Golden Time features Tada Banri (pic. right) a freshman attending a private university in Tokyo to study law. On the day of the opening ceremony he winds up being late, and is unable to socialize with any of his peers nor find his way to the main university building. This leaves him rather depressed as a result.

In a twist of fate, he is introduced to Mitsuo Yanagisawa (pic. left) who, coincidentally, was also lost after the opening ceremony. They instantly become friends. Little does Mitsuo know, he is actually being "stalked" by Koko Kaga (pic. center) the one woman that he was trying so desperately to get away from. Koko made a promise to marry Mitsuo when they were younger, but he really wants nothing to do with her. Why would Mitsuo reject Koko, possibly the hottest girl on campus?

(there may be minor spoilers below)

Golden Time introduces many situations that make you think outside of the box. One reason I am so fond of the story. Surely, many would consider Mitsuo an idiot to reject a woman as beautiful as Koko whom is practically eating out of the palm of his hand. Things go deeper than that however, and that is one particular facet that Golden Time brings to the forefront. If you thought you would never reject a woman if she had everything you desired in terms of appearance, this particular scenario may cause you to rethink your mindset of women.

Similarly, the story from the viewpoint of Tada Banri is also quite interesting. Put bluntly, it seems he is infatuated with Koko at first glance (like many of us men are when seeing an attractive women). One has to wonder what he initially sees in Koko besides a pretty face. Of course, he could be going after her based on her looks alone, which is totally fine. That being human nature; can't really have love without attraction after all. At the same time, Banri consciously or unconsciously chooses to befriend Koko with greater intentions in mind. He wants more than a friendship, and as a result, is determined to go after this woman with a lot of baggage (clinging to another man). Almost like going after someone who is happily taken, but not quite. It would be interesting to see how Banri would fare if Mitsuo and Koko were happily together. On the note of coming between happy couples, not something I recommend.

In summary, Golden Time is an interesting slice of life/romance comedy that presents many mature themes you may not notice at first glance. Another plus for me is that the setting and characters are of university age. Quite a rarity when you consider the majority of anime feature teens in the often cliche high-school classroom setting.

Please check out the preview of Golden Time below. Golden Time airs Thursdays in the US. It is also available on Crunchyroll.





There is a manga and visual novel based on Golden Time. More specifically, the anime is an adaptation from these works. If you would like to read the manga to get a greater feel of the plot (possibly spoil yourself) feel free to do so. Honestly, I have no idea where the anime will leave off this season, whether or not the plot will advance farther than where the manga is currently translated. I guess we shall see. I have not read the light novel, but I am sure the plot goes pretty far in that.

Golden Time on Wikipedia
Watch Golden Time at AnimeHere
Golden Time at Crunchyroll

Golden Time Manga (Mangafox)