Golden Boy

Everybody loves Kintaro.

Golden Boy is a Japanese sex comedy manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Egawa. It was serialized in Shueisha's seinen manga magazine Super Jump from 1992 to 1997, with its chapters collected in ten tankōbon volumes. It tells the story of Kintaro Oboe, a 25-year-old freeter, pervert "travelling student", who despite having met the requirements for a law degree, left Tokyo University without graduating. Kintaro is living freely, roaming Japan from town to town, job to job. During his travels, Kintaro meets several women whose lives he dramatically changes, despite poor first impressions. He constantly observes and studies the people and events around him, recording his findings in a notebook he carries on his belt.

Parts of the manga were adapted into a six-episode original video animation (OVA) series produced by Shueisha and KSS in 1995. In North America, it was first licensed by ADV Films in 1996. ADV's license to the series expired in 2007 and was later acquired by Media Blasters. Media Blasters lost the license in 2012 and it was later acquired by Discotek Media.

The Golden Boy OVA has been positively received by English-language reviewers, but it is widely known for its mature content: while the OVA is not strictly a hentai animation, it does feature instances of partial female nudity, orgasms, and female masturbation. In contrast, the manga becomes almost pornographic starting in the second volume.

 

An accident that leads to his first job.

Surrounded by smart women.

"Kintaro Ooe - age 25. He withdrew from Tokyo University law school, but only after he'd completed all the requirements for graduation. Ever since, he's traveled the highways and byways of Japan, trying out new jobs and positions and learning about life to the fullest. Striving ahead on his bicycle, the Mikazuki-5, he continues forward, seeking his destiny. And who knows? perhaps he's destined to save the Japanese animation industry, or even the world! Or maybe not."

Golden Boy, the OVA adaptation, is one of those rare cases where the changes made from the source material improve the entertainment value by a 100%. An Ecchi comedy is always welcomed. Especially, when it can make you laugh with all the random situations in which Kintaro gets into. The erotic factor makes a lot of sense. Kintaro is not a straight forward rapist, like most Ecchi male characters from the 80s/90s. He neither is a sexist who sees women as meat or sexual objects placed there for men who know what to do. He's just a young shy man who has the luck perverts wish they would have.

 

Kintaro is always aware of his surroundings.

Business is where you find it!

 
What makes Golden Boy so great is the blend of juvenile, irreverent sexual comedy, combined with this lovable goon of a main character that you just can't help but guffaw at. Kintaro may be a smart person when it comes to problem solving or lending a hand at random jobs but, he doesn't seem to fully understand what the women around him want. This character defect sets  up the basics for the laughter you're about to experience for six episodes.

 
The episodic setup of Golden Boy leads to a simple, yet very effective premise: Kintaro gets a new job, likes a new girl, messes up trying to impress her, loses the job, saves the day, get the girl, and move on to a new job where new adventures await. While this may sound repetitive, I assure you, it's not. Each story is so well written that different events will save the formula from instant exhaustion.

 

Smart & Sexy CEO.

No panties!

 
While Kintaro may be an innocent boy on his way to become a man, he still has that ecchi side on him: He likes underwear, sexy women, "accidentally" touching boobs & butts, and can go as far as worshiping a toilet just because the lady he likes may have peed/pooped on it.If you take a closer look at his notes, you can see how he likes to draw the women he meets, detailing their body features and personality traits.

 
As a friend of mine here said, "Golden Boy predicted the fetishes of the 21st century with total accuracy tho". And he's right. At times, Golden Boy almost reaches into the hentai realm, but quickly falls off a cliff, and into the next dimension with some ludicrous scenarios that are so off the wall batshit crazy that you can't help but fall out of your chair gasping for air. 

 

Where there's a will, there's a way.

Accidental Cunnilingus.

The people behind the show, studio APPP and Tatsuya Egawa are also a bit of an interesting history tidbit. APPP made only a very small handful of anime (were mostly auxiliary producers for other shows), including the old school Jojo OVAs, Roujin Z, and Now and Then, Here and There, but they did have one real, honest to goodness hit, and it has stood the test of time well. Tatsuya Egawa, the writer and illustrator of the Golden Boy manga, was also a college math professor before he turned to manga, and later, even directed several porno films (!). Safe to say the man has had an interesting career.

Art-wise, Golden Boy looks solid for a mid-90s anime, but what really sets it apart is another trademark of Tatsuya Egawa- crazy as fuck facial expressions! Hyper detailed, grotesque, wacky, goofy, and zany are the myriad of faces- which only add to the hilarity.

 

Legendary bike lady.

Vroom Vroom!

 
Sexual comedies and toilet humor might not be the average viewer's fetish in their anime, so what would make anyone want to watch this show, anyway? It's old. It doesn't look like Akira or anything, and there are only 6 episodes, so what gives?
   

Golden Boy is truly an anime classic- and it's probably the absolute best example of a pure, non-disgusting wish fulfillment ecchi with actual humor that's ever been made. I don't think there will ever be another Ecchi Anime that perfectly combines comedy with sex while remaining entertaining and broad enough to appeal to a variety of audiences and not just men looking for an excuse to beat their meat.

 

Necessary adjustments.

Take notes, make the grade!

 
study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study study!

That was very educational. 

 

Here's the 2002 Trailer made for the ADV DVD release: