You know you've got a problem with a romance anime when you can't give less of a damn about the main romance. (A/N: This anime was dropped at episode 12, so any developments after that point are not discussed. It also contains spoilers for some events leading up to that episode.)
Going into Golden Time, I was convinced that it would be different from the norm. To begin with, it followed college-aged characters, which is still a novelty as far as anime is concerned. The light novel the anime is based off of was written by the creator of Toradora, which is one of the better examples of teenage romance anime in my opinion. Even when the first episode played out more like a harem introduction, I was confident that it would pick itself up and get to the good stuff sooner or later. However, while it does deliver what it promised--the two main characters get together but still have to deal with some love triangle stuff--it does it in such a bland and occassionally frustrating way that I don't know why I'm supposed to root for this couple.
The two leads, Tada and Koko, are highly underdeveloped characters. It feels like they were thrown together because the plot said so rather than being based on any actual chemistry. If you pay close attention, their relationship is kinda messed up and they bring out the worst in each other. Koko started out as a clingy, whiny, self-obsessed rich girl while Tada was a bit of a pushover who mostly just went along with things for better or for worse. After they get together, Koko continues to be clingy, whiny, and self-obsessed, and Tada apologizes for everything even when it's not his fault, putting Koko on a pedestal. Both of them have a lot of baggage, and neither is doing a lot for the other to help them resolve their internal issues. With the most recent plot blowup, Tada seems to think that completely burying the past will satisfy Koko, but that's pretty laughable at this point.
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| Forget mutual trust and communication! |
However, I can't really bring myself to care about the problems in their relationship because I wasn't invested in it in the first place. This anime does have some truly original setups; after the rocky start, I was sold on this show in episode three, when the characters had to deal with being tricked into joining a cult. How many romance shows have gone with that angle? The party scenes were fun to watch as well, and felt much more full of life than the rest of the show. The costume bits at the end of this first cour were more than a little obvious in the fanservice, but at least something different was happening. Most of the show is snippets of good stuff strung between long periods of personal drama featuring characters the show had barely fleshed out.
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| It's also not in the show's best interest to remind the viewers that there are series out there featuring the same age group that have much better writing. |
Bottom line, Tada and Koko's relationship is too flimsy and unsubstantial for me to want to watch them for another twelve episodes. The parts that I liked usually had little to do with the romance, which is not a good sign for a show whose whole point is to follow a relationship. Since I'm still not invested at the halfway point, there's no reason for me to keep watching. Maybe I'll use the extra time to rewatch Nana instead...
Images from Crunchyroll.com.
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