Anime: Golden Boy 2345n

This is a 6 ep OVA series from the early 90's with tons of laughs and hi-jinks that has proven to make it one of my most re-watched series of all time. Its lewd and crude but keeps itself together in a great way so lets dive in:

Plot: It revolves around the 25 year old man named Kintaro Oe and the jobs he takes to get by. Specifically the hot babes he has for bosses or lovers in those jobs. Each episode finds Kintaro in a job that he is helpless and inept to handle but in a short period of time masters and impresses his female boss right before leaving to his next place of employment. Kintaro states that his mission is "to travel the world on his Mikazuki 5 bicycle in order to learn as much as he possibly can about everything". Fun is the only word that comes to mind when describing the plot and it doesn't hold back. 3/5

Character Development: Due to the episodic nature of the series Kintaro is the only one with room to develop and sadly this doesn't happen in a very lasting way. True he does change to become a smarter person in his given situation but he does not utilize that knowledge again after learning it. Still, he is shown clearly bettering himself every episode to be the best person he can be. 3/5

Sound: The voice acting deserves special mention here, normally I only watch my anime subbed as there are very few dubs worth caring about. This is even truer when I consider the fact that "Golden Boy" is an early 90's dub. However, the voice actor for Kintaro brings a level of excitement that mixed with the series' short length warrants hearing it subbed and dubbed for the best experience. Its soundtrack isn't anything to write home about but its decent. Mixed with great performances from the actors it still holds this short series together in a good way. Special notice for Madame President's English VA in ep 1 being Tiffany Grant, better known for her portrayal of Asuka Langley Soryu in Evangelion. 4/5

Art: Hand-drawn and with a high level of detail due to the OVA nature of a direct cash flow for each episode not reliant on commercials to fuel the series. Easily the best aspect of the show it does a good job at hiding the age of the series and making it easy on the eyes of modern anime viewers. 4/5

Final Thoughts: This series is a guilty pleasure in the best sense of the word. You'll enjoy it subbed or dubbed and it will leave a lasting impression that will make you seek it out every few years or so for another watch. Frankly, any series that can stick around for this long deserves an honorable mention in anyone's top list. Personally I love the series and wish more would see it. Final Rating is 7/10

ANIME MINOR JEWELS SERIES
Full list of the review series can be found on this page, 3rd post from bottom:
http://anidb.zoneani.me/perl-bin/animedb.pl?uid=251338&show=page&do=blog&blogid=29009&page=0

Golden Boy is a legend amongst retros. Not for its production values, or its complicating stories, or its amazing directing, or its mesmerizing soundtrack. All those are just average to good but nothing close to giving it an epic title. So basically all us veterans loved it in our younger years simply because the main character is a COMPLETE PERVERT! You think harem protagonists are boring only in few last years? Even as far as a decade ago we were fed up with those wastes of meat. And then we see what this guy is doing to a toilet and… LOL instant fondness!

So we basically have Kintaro, a complete sleazeball who constantly runs from one job to another and does all sorts of things to impress the hot babes he meets there. And… that’s pretty much it really. Each episode is a stand alone case and down to its fundamentals the exact same thing happens. He is hired to do something, fails hard to it, the chicks starts to hate him, he does all sorts of deviant things, then he gets serious, does it right, and runs off while leaving them behind all horny and wet for him.

You may be wondering why is this premise any better than the dozens of super ecchi shows we get today. Well, simply said the chicks here are all over him in just one episode and they “seem” to be willing to drop their pants for him the moment they find him. No goofing around with embarrassment and holding back for a thousand episodes. At the same time he, like the perfect male specimen, manages to win their attention, do his job right, and then run to the next chick after he is through with his current one. No sir, he does not stick to just one chick or one job. He doesn’t settle down and turns to another worker nobody. He is not content with what he has like an average man. He strives for forever more knowledge and experience around the world and for that he keeps going like a Duracel bunny. HE IS MY HERO!

So yeah, if you try to see this from a more realistic point of view then this makes no sense. Why wouldn’t he settle down with a job he is good and a hot babe who is crazy about him? Why wouldn’t he have several nights of ion with them before running away to the next adventure? How does he even manage to live if he constantly travels with just a bike and no money? Sure, most of us would definitely not do that and just… settle down. But that is what makes him such a great guy after all; his love for the journey and not of the destination. He wants to be constantly on the move, constantly learning and doing different things, constantly dealing with different people, different jobs, different SEX FETISHES! He is the perfect Homo Universalis who wants to know and deal with everything! As for the erotic part, although the anime adaptation didn’t show any the manga version on the other hand does show how actually DOES occasionally have some jiggy-wiggy. So don’t make the mistake of considering him just another spineless virgin. KINTARO IS DA MAN!

Apart from him though, all other characters and the story in overall don’t mean much. Being episodic and even formulaic has this problem and thus apart from Kintaro’s charisma and wild gimmicks everything else is left on a very basic level. We do see how most of the women feel and act but by the time some sort of development is about to happen, Kintaro runs away on his bike like the “hit and run” commando he is.

Making up for that, the production values are quite good considering the time it was made. Being in OVA format allowed for higher budgets and far bolder humor than most tv series of the era would allow, thus it is great if you see it for what it is. It doesn’t have any sort of weird settings or artistic overtones; it is almost of an average erotic comedy/slice of life with more attention to shading and outlines. It is very good in overall if you are not 2013 quality whores.

In all, it is a very enjoyable and memorable little series. Nothing that complicating or that different in the long run but it definitely offered A MAN in an era when spineless idiots were already starting to feel lame. Recommended.

And if you like something similar, there is always Irresponsible Captain Tylor.

And now for some excused scorings.
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Animation
Classic artwork but great presentation!!Very funny and sexy characters!!

Sound
Opening's not that great and not much I like from the background.

Story
Kintarou is a freelancer traveling from town to town with his mikazuki 5 bike. He is done with
college and just needed to graduate but his ion for learning new things takes him very far
from graduation ceremony and ended up involving in some crazy perverted disasters!! Each episode
partners him with different girls which at first thinks of him as a useless pathetic perverted nuisance
but at the end they will realize his potential and the girls becomes the hunter!!

Character Development
The development in kintarou is that the protagonist learns a lesson in a previous episode and
applies it to the current situation in which why he is surviving the troubles that he's going through.

Value
It's sooo EDUCATIONAL!! just like kintarou's famous expression.

Enjoyment
Exaggerated Faces, Expressions, Hot Girls and educational tips really you must watch it!!

I have finally watched Golden Boy (at the recommendation of a friend), and it was quite good. Watch this if you simply feel like being thoroughly entertained for a few hours.

Oe Kintaro is a young Japanese male who spends his days traveling around finding new jobs and educating himself on the ways of people, and the ways of the world. Each of the 6 episodes is about him working a different job, and centers around him having some form of crush on a different girl.

The technical aspects of Golden Boy are standard for 1995: average animation and sound. As such, a lot of it will feel rather dated, given the way the anime industry has developed over the last 13 years. There are many exceptionally well-animated scenes, especially some of the ecchi scenes, and then there are quite a few inconsistently-animated scenes, where the characters appear somewhat unintentionally deformed from their intended shapes and sizes. On the plus side, there is quite a bit of slapstick humour which is drawn in various funny ways, in which Kintaro's body is intentionally deformed to comedic effect, and some of these frames are given special treatment in regards to facial detail in a way that reminds me of Great Teacher Onizuka's use of animation (mind you, Golden Boy came out several years before Great Teacher Onizuka).

The music is completely un-noteworthy, as there weren't any songs whatsoever that were interesting. At the same time, the music didn't detract from any scenes that I noticed, either. The voice acting is quite good. None of the females were annoying in the least bit, and Kintaro, voiced by Iwata Mitsuo (Kaneda from Akira, Pyoro from Vandread, Itsuki from Initial D, and many more), is pulled off exceptionally well. He is appropriately insane, perverted, and serious, all depending on the context, and doesn't get annoying like Itsuki from Initial D.

The story is episodic, though the last part of the last episode incorporates women from each of the previous episodes, which was a nice touch. The short stories are designed specifically to be entertaining and outrageous, and they do a great job at this. Their depth is sorely lacking, however their main intent was simply to amuse the viewer. Each episode is extremely predictable, as a result, and yet still manages to bring forth chuckles.

The girls of the show are generally extremely shallow, and all end up falling for Kintaro, despite most of them initially hating him at the beginning of each episode. Of course, Kintaro is the only consistent character, and the show is centered around him, so the fact that nobody else really shines doesn't matter too much. Kintaro is a very strong character, and is actually extremely intelligent and talented, despite acting stupid and making himself look dumb to others (up until the end of each episode, bar none, of course). He does a lot of insane things, many of which would be impossible for a real person to do, and that is part of the show's charm: it's not afraid to go completely nuts with anything, and this is even appropriately (as well as quite cleverly) pointed out during the final episode, which is about an anime studio.

When it comes to value, Golden Boy is definitely worth at least one viewing, and I imagine that quite a few folks would want to rewatch some of the episodes, as there are several hilarious moments strewn about all six. I, personally, will likely not watch it again, mostly because if I wanted to rewatch some comedy anime, I'd go for Great Teacher Onizuka, but many would probably enjoy rewatching Golden Boy more because it's so short, so that's a obviously matter of preference.

As I've pointed out many times throughout this review, Golden Boy is highly enjoyable. The main and often only thing going for it is that it is extremely entertaining, and thus very easy to sit through each episode. What other reason do you need to watch it, if you haven't already!?

He does the unthinkable...

For starters, I have no clue why I held out so long on this anime. I knew that I would probably really like it if I nabbed it, but I constantly procrastinated on it. Finally, at long last I feel enlightened!

Kintaro is a wandering student who dropped out of Tokyo University. Well, he didn't exactly drop out because of lack of intellect - more that he mastered the ENTIRE curriculum before he could graduate! Studying is his hobby, so he circles the continent helping beautiful women that he runs into.

It's not the most innocent plot, but nonetheless cute. Don't be fooled; cause I was. Just when you seriously think he is an absolute idiot, outwitted in all possible ways, Kintaro pulls off the unimaginable. I won't go into any intimate details, but I should say that I'm convinced the true genius wears the mask of an stupidity.

Besides Kintaro kicking ass, this is one of those animes that we all can say is "classy ecchi." It pains me when productions can't go any farther than pathetic panty shots or tumbling boobies. This OVA gives it all in the raw: naked chests, wisecracks on sexuality, and just about every good, nosebleed-worthy piece of humor in the book. There are a few repetitive jokes that do get tiresome, but for the most part it keeps a vulgar, pathetic aura that sends me back into my chair laughing.

Perhaps the best voice acting I've heard in a short OVA.

Honestly, when you line up Mitsuo Iwata, Junko Iwao, and Inoue Kikuko, there is bound to be some incredible acting going on. Pretty much anytime Kintaro screamed, it was outlandishly hilarious. When I talk about "good" voice acting, I'm referring to series such as this one.

As for the music, the opening reminds me of the cheesy 90's music that used to blare on the radio, but it's not bad at all. The ending is somewhat bland though, I think. Also, the background music never gets particularly amazing, but it's all there to the show and the awkward shounen wandering about in it.

Naturally a good animation.

For a 90's title, giving it an 8 should be saying a lot. There were a couple other animes released around this time which I thought to have better animations, but this one is different. Teeth. Yep you heard it. It's not the typical semicircular line with little bits of tooth showing everywhere. No, my friends, we stare at the ugly trooth (hee hee har har) - several of the disproportioned faces that Kintaro makes are perfectly suited with a set of somewhat-crooked, heavily outlined teeth. It looks creepy, and that is why it's so fucking cool - I swear!

Beyond the overdetailed teeth, I am delighted with the well-proportioned figures of beautiful women that Kintaro meets. I cannot say they are 100% my style, but I definitely give kudos to the proportions of breasts and outlining of the clitoris. It's classy ecchi at it's best.

Conclusions:

This is an entertaining work at all ends, but I think it needs an absolutely specific sort of audience to retain its effect. Thus, watch this if...

...you like ecchi.
...someone who likes ecchi that you think has good taste recommends this to you.
...you like Ebichu, Futari Ecchi, any colorful ecchi comedy, or any hentai.

I'm not kidding when I say it needs a specific audience. Thus, do NOT watch this if...

...you don't like ecchi.
...you like ecchi, but can't handle bare breasts or strong inferences.
...you hated the above animes/genres.
...you are curious about these "divine teeth" I kept mentioning. It's personal taste on my part.

Of course, there are always exceptions, so give it a try if you're daring. Altogether, stay alert when watching this. The comedy or plot twists will come up and surprise you, and it can be quite humiliating, even if you are good at figuring out the routine of typical ecchi anime.

Golden Boy is the story of a 25 year old man named 'Kintaro' and his adventures across Japan. He dropping out of law school, even after he had completed all the courses required to . Now he travels Japan, trying to learn as much as possible about life, women and doing odd jobs.

Animation
From the first glance you can tell that the animation is a little dated, but it does the job fine. Kintaro's facial expressions are the thing that in my opinion, stands out the most. The way his expression can change from goofy to serious in an instant does a good job of get his character across. There are also times where the animation shines, but for the most part itÂ’s fairly plain.

Sound
The main thing this series lacks in is a decent OST. There is very little noticeable music during the episodes, but the opening tune is kinda catchy. Having watched the english dub(which I don't usually do) I was pleasantly surprised. I can't imagine how Kintaro's voice could have been done any better and it's probably more amusing to watch for English speaking viewers than the sub.

Story
Golden Boy doesn't really have any kind of developing story, it's all based around him doing odd jobs around Japan. With each job we get to follow Kintaro as he learns as much as possible about...well, anything really. While these jobs usually end with him being fired for doing something perverted, I find it amusing how, at the end of each episode the boss realises that he had learned and done the job better than anyone possibly could in that amount of time. But now that he's left, it's too late to get him back.

Characters
Kintaro is the only character which remains in all the episodes and there isn't enough of this series to see him develop much. However it's still highly amusing to watch him learn lessons about life and the jobs he does, which he writes about in his note book. Even if you don't see him develop much, Kintaro has to be one of the most hilarious characters I've seen in awhile.

Value
Despite it's flaws, Golden Boy is one of those series I just have to love. It's a series that I enjoy rewatching whenever I need a good laugh and with old 6 episode it has a lot of rewatch value.

Enjoyment
From start to finish it's just a hilarious tale of a young naive man who just enjoys to learn. It may not have much depth, but it's the kind of series you'll wanna rewatch just to relive the funny moments. I highly recommend this to anyone who has a good sense of humour and doesn't mind a bit of ecchiness.