This is review number two hundred and eight. This is part of the um…the 1995 anime lineup. It’s also a requested anime review. The anime I’ll be reviewing is Golden Boy. Yeah, that’s right. It’s a six episode OVA about a guy and some girls with their boobs. It’s a really popular anime with a pretty strong reputation. If you haven’t seen it then, really, go watch it. Let’s read on.

Story

The anime is about a guy named Kintaro Oe. He has mastered all of his subjects in college but dropped out before graduation. He is now travelling to learn the meaning of life. In every episode, he takes up a part time job and gets involved with some girls. Kintaro is a pervert and he always gets in trouble with the girls but one way or another, he always seem to find a way to make them admire him in the end.

Taking the Pants Off

Golden Boy is among the only 90s OVA that I can truly recommend to people. Don’t get me wrong. This anime is just like most of the stuff of its era. It has a lot of mature topics, mostly boobs, and it borders on the ridiculous. The one thing that made Golden Boy worthwhile though is that watching it actually has a payoff. Seriously, a lot of OVAs in the 90s are either majorly sexual (penis monsters) or they’ve absolutely stupid. The sad part is that it has a story but it’s so retarded that watching it isn’t really worthwhile. Well, unless you’re in it for the mental anguish. Golden Boy is one of those overly sexual and stupid OVAs that you can actually enjoy because there is something worth watching in it. That’s also one of the big reasons why this anime is so popular. If you ask any hardcore anime addict then I’m sure they’ll recommend Golden Boy in a heartbeat simply because it’s good.

There’s one major warning I must point out though. This anime is super dirty. It borders hentai and it’s the unrefined kind of Ecchi most people wouldn’t like. I was actually a bit repulsed by the mature content of the anime as well when I first watched it. The animation is very old so it takes a while to get used to the art style of the era and the blatant Ecchi it delivers. From exposed nipples to really detailed panty shots with the female parts proudly bulging as it is pressed upon the fabric, you’ll need to be prepared for anything when you watch this anime. To be fair, this kind of perversion is pretty prominent back in the 90s. Nowadays, the smooth animation and the digitally designed characters are something you won’t mind staring for days. Plus, anime has mastered the art of teasing they now incorporate in fan service. There is no teasing in this anime though. It’s your overly mature kind of “I’m here to bang you and not tease you” kind of sexual theme so really be prepared.

A GIF can nicely summarize the kind of Ecchi that can be found in this anime.

The anime has a pretty interesting story. We have a guy named Kintaro who travels from place to place and finds a part time job as he stays there. He is a simple minded guy and he acts on his perversion most of the times which would always get him in trouble with some girls he meets in his odd jobs. He often gets close to these girls but they always seem to hate him because he doesn’t really seem much. If you look closer, he’ll just stare at your cleavage and he is clearly just your typical pervert. In the show, the girls would often find themselves in some sort of trouble and Kintaro would do something pretty awesome in the end. Their opinion of Kintaro would change and they’d even fall in love in the process but he would often resume his journey before the girls can proclaim their admiration for him. It’s then revealed that he is actually a pretty extra ordinary guy. The narration at the end of the show tells that he is a law student that dropped out but mastered every available subject in his college. He then set out on a journey to find the meaning of life. The idea of a simple minded guy with a healthy sexual appetite becoming the guy that saves the day is a pretty awesome premise. One moment he’ll be acting on his toilet fetish (seriously he would hug a toilet and it’s pretty out there in the WTF meter) and doing something incredibly perverted but then he’ll do something extra ordinary you’d never expect.

The anime is only six episodes and each of them involves a different girl. Kintaro would always be in a new place and there is a story in each girl he meets. These stories are honestly pretty simple and a bit predictable. You can’t blame a 1995 anime to have a predictable plot. Most of the stories are pretty common and you can honestly predict the events in the end long before the anime even hints a progression. Plus, all the episodes are the same format with Kintaro doing something awesome and the girls admiring him in the end. The story is pretty weak but it is still really enjoyable. One thing I really admire about the anime is that it’s really sincere. Most of the stories would hit a nice charming point that really comes off as honest and sincere completely opposite to the juvenile comedic path it would start out with. A story about a girl acting out would end with Kintaro doing something to gain her trust and it’s really something that makes the experience pretty worthwhile. Like I said before, the anime has payoff. Despite the story being predictable and unremarkable, it always hits a high note and guaranteed to keep you entertained in the end.

If the story doesn’t do anything for you then I’m sure the situational comedy will do the trick. The anime has some pretty funny moments that stems from Kintaro being a major pervert to the girls really going wild. This ties in with the Ecchi though so, again, a bit of an open mind when you watch the anime. From Kintaro hugging a toilet to suddenly frenching a guy, you’ll never tire of the crazy moments in the anime. There are also some cartoonish moments in the show that comes off as a bit ridiculous. The story of the anime is mostly normal everyday stuff that happens to any of us yet it often has some cartoonish moment in it like Kintaro turning his head 360 degree. It does tie in nicely with the rest of the things in the anime and does reinforce the comedy which is a nice touch.

The strongest aspect of the anime is certainly Kintaro. The story doesn’t do much but Kintaro would often do something that’ll certain keep you watching. He is often portrayed as a simple minded guy with perverted thoughts going through his head all the time. He also has the curiosity of a child that makes everything around him look magical and wonderful. He would write new things to him in his notebook. Most are related to his part time jobs so he can study them later and most are simply perverted things he is unaware of. All of these things are to give us the impression that this guy is just an ordinary nobody. This works wonderfully in the anime because you’re to believe that he isn’t remarkable yet he would pull something really amazing out of nowhere later on. Seeing him start out as a simple minded guy and leaving as this awesome remarkable person is really the best part of the anime. In the span of six episodes, he is revealed to be a fast learner, a really skilled fighter and many more that completely counters our idea of him we have in our head. These kind of main characters are a rare species nowadays. Kintaro shares the same appeal as Onizuka from GTO (1999). They’d look foolish and dumb and perverted but then they’d do something awesome when push comes to shove. The audience would often be left in awe when they do their stuff. You never see this kind of characters anymore. With the sudden rise of BL and the heavy interest in 2D girls nowadays, seeing some super perverted main characters with the heart of gold is a major rarity. I literally watched all the 12-24 episode of 2012 and there was no character like that. It’s one of the reasons why I like to watch old school anime. The mindset of the era is different from today and you’ll see things you won’t see today which feels very refreshing.

The girls are all pretty simple. They don’t really do much other than expose their breasts but their individual stories are still pretty interesting. The wonderful thing is that there is a wide range of personalities among the girls. There is a super slutty girl and there’ll be a really timid one. Seeing Kintaro interact with them is always a treat. Of course, you’ll see things from the super slutty one that you won’t see in the timid one and vice versa. Their personal circumstances are all pretty normal but simply seeing Kintaro and the girls interact is enough to make every episode special. The moment where they slowly realize that Kintaro is awesome also adds some value in the anime. Kintaro is an unpredictable guy and the thing he does to make a girl like him is certainly something worth seeing.

This is a really wonderful anime. Again, it’s very very dirty with a lot of toilet hugging and exposed nipples so ready your mind. Once you get used to it though then I’m sure you’ll realize just how amazing this anime is. I am a bit disappointed that the anime is only six episodes long. After I finished it, I was really asking for more and it’s a shame it’s so short. That’s OK. After re-watching it, I realize that the simple story doesn’t do much for the anime and you’re really in it for the Ecchi which, honestly, you can get anywhere else. The things you’ll see in this anime will stay with you though so that’s something the anime did right.

Sight and Sound

The character design is pretty great. The girls are the best examples. They really look amazing. The proportions are nice and the details really add a lot to the sexiness. I also like how their demeanor was nicely translated through their design. These are the mature kind of girls and there is no “moe” to be found. They are straight up sexy and they look awesome. I also admire how the girls dress. Some of them are really provocative and I was honestly expecting it to look awkward because of the dated animation but they really put a lot of effort in it to make sure the girls stay attractive through and through. The timid ones are clothed normally with long skirts and almost every inch of their skin covered. Boy, those slutty outfits would make a child drool though. The heavy emphasis on the breasts without sacrificing the proportions was a nice touch. The ways the nipples poke through the outfits were also something I really admire. The detail works on the girls are really amazing. I personally admire the close up shots of their faces where you can truly see how lovely these girls are.

Kintaro is decently designed. His look changes depending on the situation. Most of the time he would be chibi and then, at other times, he would look like a really ugly pervert. There are scenes though where he looks like a bishie and other scenes where he looks pretty plain. This was done on purpose because the character has a flexible personality that needed to be presented fully at every scene he is in. This makes the animation work on him pretty precise considering how complex he acts in the show. The wide range of looks also made the unpredictability of his character more effective. It’s the little details that make his character really amazing.

The animation is outstanding. This is hand drawn animation so I really admire the amount of details that are in the anime. It looks a bit awkward at first and that’s simply because of the era it was in but the movements are pretty precise. The anime also doesn’t shy away from complex scenes that demands high animation. There is a race scene in the anime with Kintaro pedaling his bike till the anime ends and there is also an episode in the pool where almost every part of the body requires movement. These are all nicely presented. Add the fact that they need to make sure the girls stay sexy in every opportunity is a daunting task if you consider how much work is needed to make the transitions precise. This is what I love about hand drawn anime. You can really feel the talent of the animators seeping out if you look hard enough. The quality doesn’t stay consistent though and the audio work isn’t as clear as I hope it’d be. The animation is amazing enough to enjoy the anime though and that’s really the important part.

The anime’s OP is “Opening” by Joyo Katayanagi. This is just an instrumental piece with an upbeat vibe to it and some nice jazz arrangement. The song is really energetic and stylish which was a nice touch coupled with the awesome OP. The sequence is about Kintaro looking very cool in highly detailed animation going out on his journey and gearing up to ride his bike. It’s pretty amazing. The ED song is “Study A Go! Go!” by Golden Girls, Hiroyuki Kitakubo, Saito Kanji, and Tadamisu Hiro. This rolls along the credits. It’s a cute song with the girls nicely giving it an energetic beat. It’s also a bit catchy with how the singers’ voice nicely blends together.

Overall Score

7/10 “It’s a wonderful story of a perverted guy and the girls he is involved with. It’s one of the best OVAs to crawl out of the 90s.”

Whether it’s the awesome main character or the huge amount of Ecchi you’ll see, there is something really worth watching in this anime. The best part is that it’s guaranteed to entertain you. The highly perverted content of the anime should still be something to consider though but this is a nice anime from an era full of mediocre and really embarrassing crap. If you’re a fan of Ecchi anime then you’ll love this show. If you enjoy some classic 90s anime then you should definitely try this one out. I recommend it.