Golden Boy
Overview
Golden Boy is a HILARIOUS 6 episode ride through the life of Kintaro Oe, The Eternal Student.
Storyline & Narrative
Golden Boy consists of 6 episodes, not directly related, and mostly watchable on their own, although there are running jokes continued throughout the 6 episodes.
The absolute first thing that has to be mentioned about Golden Boy is that it's perverted. Very. Very very. Rediculously. So rediculously it's impossible not to laugh at it. One could almost call it hentai, except there is absolutely no nudity at all in the series that I can remember. (Although they do come pretty close sometimes, and I could be mistaken.)
The situations however are more rediculously sexual than in most serious anime's WITH nudity, and so some caution has to be advised; Golden Boy is definately not for kids, mature themes are a big part of the show.
The main thing that prevents Golden Boy from just falling into the trash is the outrageous, rediculous humour. It's what makes it a worthwhile watch. Some scenes from Golden Boy are just classic, side splittingly rediculous, and the animation follows closely; comically exaggerated.
The individual storys vary in their overall quality. In my opinion, Episodes 1, 3 and 5 had the best actual PLOTS, but 5 was overboard, even for Golden Boy.
Characters & Dynamics
There is only one consistent character throughout the series : KINTARO OE!
Kintaro is a student of life, out to learn whatever he can about... well, pretty much everything. He dropped out of university JUST before getting his law degree, to explore Japan.
He tries to be a gentleman, but his overactive imagination (and penchant for talking out loud while day dreaming) get him into a lot of trouble with the folks he's trying to help. (Routinely gorgeous exaggerated anime women.)
The fact is, Kintaro really isn't a bad guy, and I think most GB fans I know grew to like him. :)
The Routinely Gorgeous Exaggerated Women follow a pattern as well. Not one of them are brainless bimbos. They're all exceptional women, at the top of their (widely varying) fields or professions. They're already predisposed to men being scum, and intially, Kintaro does nothing to change this notion.
Animation & Visual Direction
The animation quality, and this score, are not a typical linear score on how well drawn the anime is, but rather how well the animators used the techniques available to them to advance the humourous over the top nature of the series.
Voice Acting & Soundtrack
THE ENGLISH DUB ROCKS! Kintaro dubbed is a riot, the voice actor falling into the same rediculous over-the-topness that matches so well with everything else in the series. I haven't seen the Japanese dub, but I can't imagine any other voice for Kintaro, the dub is perfect. For anyone who has seen TriGun dubbed, the voice actor for Kintaro (Doug Smith) sounds almost EXACTLY like the actor for Vash (Johnny Young Bosch); over the top, and super excitable. (Thanks for the head's up Justin!)
While I haven't seen the Japanese language version, the same has been said of the Japanese actor; he MAKES Kintaro.
