What They Say:
Banri Tada is a newly admitted student at a private law school in Tokyo. However, due to an accident, he lost all of his memories. During his freshman orientation, he encounters another freshman from the same school, Mitsuo Yanagisawa, and they hit it off at once. Without any memory of each other, their lives become more and more intertwined as if set by the hands of fate. But what is their fate, and will it lead to happiness or another memory to forget…
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Golden Time hit an interesting moment at the end of the previous episode with Koko admitting her feelings to Banri, who himself is struggling with his memories and what’s coming back in little bits that’s disconcerting. It was certainly a sudden admission, even considering the circumstances, but one that you have to kind of feel for in a way since so many characters never actually say the words. Having her admit it is a welcome change and I actually like that it could be fully true as well, since some people certainly do fall in love at first sight and it can grow from there easily as well. That doesn’t make matters any easier here though, especially after being taken to the police station and getting question about the bike she stole. Which leads to Banri meeting her father, a really stressful moment overall.
The shift in dynamic here as the two go about their normal college lives again is definitely interesting, especially as she makes it clear to her father that Banri is her boyfriend. Seeing her wait for him at the train station, the holding of hands, the progress of a relationship (even at lightning speed) is a sight to behold, especially since she’s so outgoing and honest about it all that it surprises and actually delights Banri. Rather than the usual panic we get or other common tropes, we get the two holding hands and enjoying each other’s company and presence, though you do hope Koko will settle a little bit once time goes on a bit. Still, there’s something to be said for her very public nature with it all as it has some adorable moments and you have to enjoy being the center of attention like that. That it throws off others is only comical, especially when the other guys find out what’s going on.
Banri is certainly taking the relationship seriously, which is welcome to see, as he even packs away all his dirty magazines since he doesn’t want that to be an issue. It almost does, of course, but that’s just the right kind of silly gag. And silly gags are the order of the day at times as we see just how well paired these two are as they spend more time together in this open way, from just dancing around having fun to a comical moment about when they might get physically intimate, which was a great reaction from Koko to see. There’s a lot to like with how the pair interact, but the problematic aspect of it all still comes back to Linda. She’s trying to get in touch with Banri, but he’s not taking her calls or texts since it could lead to all sorts of problems, especially with his memories that he’s afraid of getting back since it would mean losing who he is now. It’s a difficult situation and one that he handles the best as he can, especially with the internal conflicts he has.
In Summary:
Golden Time has another strong episode overall here as it works the main cast well and introduces some neat little twists and turns to Koko and Banri being a couple. I really like them as a couple, I like that they both like being a couple and that there’s a sense of fun about both of them now that they’re in the first stages of a relationship with each other. It’s just so welcome to see people getting together and working through the issues they’ll face like this rather than the usual chase that it can be quite disarming. It’s not all sunshine and kittens of course since Banri is struggling with his memory issue as well as what Linda means to him, but it’s all real and honestly done in a way that makes it compelling.
Grade: B+
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDL70R550A 70″ LED 1080P HDTV, Apple TV via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
