Golden Time

Due to a tragic accident, Banri Tada is struck with amnesia, dissolving the memories of his hometown and past. However, after befriending Mitsuo Yanagisawa, he decides to move on and begin a new life at law school in Tokyo. But just as he is beginning to adjust to his college life, the beautiful Kouko Kaga dramatically barges into Banri's life, and their chance meeting marks the beginning of an unforgettable year.

After having a glimpse of college life, Banri learns that he is in a new place and a new world—a place where he can be reborn, have new friends, fall in love, make mistakes, and grow. And as he begins to discover who he was, the path he has chosen leads him towards a blindingly bright life that he will never want to forget.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kaga, Kouko Main

Horie, Yui Japanese

Tada, Banri Main

Furukawa, Makoto Japanese

Hayashida, Nana Main

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Yanagisawa, Mitsuo Main

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Nana ing

Satou, Satomi Japanese

Satou, Takaya ing

Hikami, Takahiro Japanese

Oka, Chinami ing

Kido, Ibuki Japanese

Koshino ing

Kondou, Takayuki Japanese

Sao ing

Gotou, Saori Japanese

Kouko's Father ing

Kanao, Tetsuo Japanese

Fujishiro, Atsushi Producer

Sudou, Koutarou Producer

Kawakami, Ryuutarou Producer

Yuasa, Takaaki Producer

Reviews

Jun 11, 2025

Turtezin

Recommended

One of the best romance anime I’ve ever seen. Even though it's from 2013, I feel like not many newer titles have managed to reach the same level of immersion. The story is clear and engaging—while there were a few parts in the relationships that I didn’t completely understand, everything wraps up in a satisfying way.

With 24 episodes, Golden Time takes its time to build a strong and emotional narrative. Honestly, I was surprised by how little fan service and filler it had compared to many modern romance anime. And yet, it still hits hard. Most romance anime today struggle to maintain a solid story ... past the first few episodes, but this one delivers consistent development—both in the story and the emotional growth of the characters.

Despite being over 10 years old, the art style still holds up. It’s not breathtaking, but it looks good even by today’s standards, and I think many people would agree with that.

Overall, I strongly recommend this anime. The story is heartfelt, the relationships develop naturally, and there’s even a little fan service—just enough, not too much. It might not be peak romance, but it’s definitely a must-watch for any fan of the genre.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Turtezin (14)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Jun 5, 2025

Gwynbleidd_Alan

Mixed Feelings

"Golden Time" is one of those titles I have never heard off, but I ended up watching it because a good friend asked me to. The first episode is a bit strange and all over the place but managed to intrigue me enough to buckle up for the ride and watch.

I can't put my finger on it but this anime is an oddity. Golden Time had all the ingredients to be something special: a mature setting, characters grappling with identity, love, and memory loss… but somewhere along the way, it got lost in its own chaos. The story feels disted, with relationship development constantly ... undone by unnecessary drama, irrational character choices, and one of the weirdest additions I’ve seen in a romance anime...Ghost Banri, who spends most of the time whining in the background like a haunted sock puppet.

Banri himself is a painfully weak protagonist. His motivations are flimsy, his decisions impulsive, and his inability to communicate makes him frustrating to watch. He often lets things spiral without standing his ground, and somehow, everyone just goes along with it. Koko, while striking and memorable, leans so hard into the tsundere trope that her constant emotional flip-flopping becomes exhausting. One second she’s obsessively in love, the next she’s a jealous mess, and then suddenly fragile and distant.

Another thing to note is how characters randomly develop feelings for people they previously rejected, without clear emotional build-up. Relationships feel more like chaotic ping-pong matches than actual progression. And don’t even get me started on the absurd subplot with Banri being abducted by a cult—what even was that? The ending does tug at your heart and provide a wholesome finishing touch, but it’s frustratingly convenient. After all the build-up, Banri regains his memory by… looking in a mirror? Really?

Despite everything, I gave it a 7/10. Not because it’s great, but because it almost was. That final emotional hit, forced as it was, still managed to reach me. It’s a messy, flawed, and often frustrating ride, but one that tried to say something real. And for that effort, I’ll give it some credit. But only some. Tread carefully, fellow romance enjoyers, this one is weird.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by Gwynbleidd_Alan (28)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Nov 20, 2023

MorningstarGX

Not Recommended

Let’s keep it simple…this show has a lot of flaws and unanswered questions, however its main flaws can be summarized into 2 people, Tada and Kouko. Let’s begin…

Story - The story has a basic premise. Boy has amnesia, doesn’t his past. Makes a new life. Love triangle happens due to the past coming back. That’s the tldr version of it. No it’s not deep but it tries to be, I would love to talk about the story but that’s not where the problem lies…(score: 5/10)

Characters - (Now THIS is the problem)
Let’s start with the main MC. Banri…at some parts his reactions and actions ... are justified due to the amnesia however when it comes to the “love interest” side to things he acts like an immature child who wants their way but can’t have it. Along with being a pushover who clearly has never had a relationship and doesn’t know how to say “no” or put his foot down even tho he does know how to. However again he isn’t the true problem and most his actions can be overlooked as a character tho he is an idiot, un-funny, not charming; he basically has nothing going for him. (4/10)
Koko….Koko is the secondary MC because she is the “love interest” of dumbass whom I just spoke about. This woman’s appearance alone festers hate to the extreme levels because she is (the list is long so get ready) immature, insecure, manipulative, narcissistic, controlling, spoiled, forceful, selfish, unappealing, hypocritical, overbearing, overreactive, mentally unstable and abusive women. I could go on but I think you get the point. Everytime she comes on screen she makes me reduce the overall score of the show(no I’m not kidding, the score goes up tho). She IS this show’s issue. I know I haven’t finished this show yet (I want to drop it) but I’m holding out just to see this woman get a wake up call or she gets her heart broken, if there’s anyone as insecure as her, I wish you the worst. Anyways.(0/10)
Side characters- waaaaaay more interesting (10/10) <—{reason why the score goes up}
Overall Character rate: 6/10

Entertainment - Entertainment wise, it’s good as long as Koko isn’t involved.
5/10

Overall - I wish I could get back the time I spent on this anime. I do NOT recommend it. My overall rating will probably not change as I finish this however if it does currently I give it a 3/10 and if my rating does change it will probably be a 5/10.

Edit: I finished it…

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by MorningstarGX (2)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Hop scotch on da block

by Blu-e

34 Entries · 27 Restacks

Student Romances

by Majoux

50 Entries · 590 Restacks

Life and experience of young adult characters

by RobertBobert

38 Entries · 38 Restacks

North American Anime & Manga Releases for December

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for December Week 1: December 3 - 9 Anime Releases K-On! (incl. K-On!!, Keikaku!, Live House!, Movie, Ura-On!,...read more

Dec 2, 2019 3:58 PM by Discuss (2 comments)

English Dub Cast Announced for 'Golden Time'

Sentai Filmworks announced the English dub cast for J.C.Staff's romantic comedy anime Golden Time on Thursday. Shannon Reed is in charge of direction and Marta ...read more

Oct 19, 2019 10:09 AM by Discuss (6 comments)

	Poll: Stark700 - Jan 30, 2014	277 replies	by »» Jun 12, 1:49 AM
	Poll: Stark700 - Jan 16, 2014	271 replies	by »» Jun 11, 8:31 AM
	Poll: Stark700 - Dec 19, 2013	486 replies	by »» Jun 6, 10:52 PM
	Poll: Stark700 - Nov 28, 2013	437 replies	by »» Jun 4, 6:35 AM
	Poll: Stark700 - Nov 21, 2013	293 replies	by »» Jun 2, 11:12 AM

In Numbers: The Best Anime of the Decade

What's the #1 anime of the 2010s? Which year was the best? What studio had the most hits? We have the answers to all these questions and more!

by Shymander

662,355 views

Good Chemistry: Ingredients for a Successful Romance Anime

Despite a wide variety of styles and settings, many of the most successful romance animes have one thing in common: they inspire us. But what is it about these shows that tugs at our heartstrings? The answer might be simpler than you think.

by MAL_Articles

33,056 views