Golden Boy

Also Known As: GB
Genre: Comedy
Format: 6 OVA
Allegiance: Shueisha-KSS
Director: Kitakubo Hiroyuki
Vintage: 1995
Intelligence Agency Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen
Oe Kintaro is a 25 year old single male touring Japan on his trusty bike, the Crescent Moon. A former student in Tokyo University’s Law School, he dropped out, only after completing all course requirements, to become a “freeter” – someone who switches between many odd jobs. Engaging in unlikely endeavors ranging from computer programming to anime production, these are the adventures of the golden boy.

Field Agent Report by: Kuzu Ryu Sen
Plot
Characters
Impact
Visual
Audio
6.50
8.00
10.00
8.50
7.50
Overall 9.00
(not an average)

Alright, next on our agenda is… let’s see… Golden Boy, a series that from the outset appears to have very few redeeming qualities. After all, it’s just 6 loosely connected stories with a pretty basic and unchanging plot. None of the characters get too much development or anything like that, the animation is good, but not great, and the music is negligible. So why in the world is Golden Boy so popular? Simply put, it may damn well be the funniest anime ever made.

The humour in Golden Boy relies mainly upon crazy stunts, sexual innuendo, and *ahem* toilets… but it works tremendously well because the characters aren’t the one dimensional sex-crazed maniacs that you normally see. Oe Kintaro (and to a bit of a lesser extent, all the girls he’s after) has this charm about him that comes mainly from his eagerness for knowledge and ability to think on his feet. As such, all but the most prudish of viewers will be able to actually enjoy his crazy antics, no matter how perverted they are. Another key factor that keeps the series fresh is well, that Kintaro often, unlike Love Hina’s Urashima Keitaro or other shounen leads, actually deserves what’s coming to him, which makes jokes involving physical violence actually work.

Also, in a show largely devoid of spectacular storytelling, music, or animation, the role of voice acting in projecting atmosphere is magnified greatly. Kudos to Iwata Mitsuo and Doug Smith for doing fantastic jobs portraying Oe Kintaro in their respective languages.

Golden Boy is a show that fans of comedy should definitely not miss. Underneath all the hilarious innuendo and toilet fetish is actually quite a sweet (albeit a bit too predictable) story with a charming cast. Come study with Kintaro, I’m sure everyone will learn something by the end.