Golden Boy? More like Golden MAN

by eternal on January 3, 2010

Golden Boy is a story of manliness.

Well, no, not really. It’s a story of life, of the energy and ambition of youth, and-

No, no, it’s not that either. It’s a story of the manliness of youth, the energy and ambition that only true men have. If you don’t believe me, hit the jump button and I’ll try to explain what makes Kintaro Oe a man amongst men.

Only a true man could make such an astute observation… and only a true man would learn it the hard way.

Only a true man could hide in the women’s changing room while wearing a stolen bra… and live to tell the tale.

Only a true man would have the courage to lower his face to the porcelain for the sake of his burning passion.

Only a true man can impulsively transmute his hand into a reproductive organ.

Only a true man could use his weight to curve his bicycle around hairpin turns while maintaining a lead against a skilled motorbike driver.

Only a true man could maintain balance on a power line without plummeting to his death or cutting off the electricity.

Only a true man could uncover the secret of the anime industry on his first day on the job.

– – – – –

Golden Boy isn’t the kind of show that warrants a serious reflection, but I can’t say that I didn’t learn something from it. Like Great Teacher Onizuka, it’s a vulgar, crude comedy filled to the brim with sexual undertones and social stereotypes. Also like GTO, it’s ultimately a slice-of-life, coming-of-age story that hides behind a thin veil of low-brow jabs.

As the epilogue to each episode states, Kintaro Oe is a successful academic, but he chose to drop out of school to learn more about the world. Though technically unrealistic, this scenario allows him to “be himself,” allowing his youthful naivety to mix with his youthful resourcefulness. Kintaro has a knack for doing things right, despite the strength of his sex drive, and each episode shows us a different way in which his charisma and shounen-esque attitude solve a problem that a trained professional couldn’t solve. In that sense, he’s accomplishing his goal of “studying” outside of the classroom, and he unintentionally shows the viewer the value of common sense and a positive attitude.

Much like GTO’s first episode in which Onizuka unhesitatingly breaks down a literal wall to bridge the gap between a student and her parents, Kintaro’s juvenile idiocy is naturally endearing to the viewer. Nothing can take away from the show’s sheer entertainment value, but the pleasant slice-of-life moments beneath the penis jokes and the toilet fetish make the difference between the anime equivalent of a bad buddy comedy filled with sexual innuendos and a hilariously awe-inspiring tale of the passion of youth.

In that sense, Golden Boy truly is a story of burning manly passion, but it’s GAR in a bizarrely heartwarming way. Some might prefer their s’life with a side of hahii~, but Kintaro’s journey through society is unexpectedly fulfilling.

~ ETERNAL
つづく

{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

digitalboy January 3, 2010 at 1:26 pm

It makes me greatly happy to see you watching MANLY shows like this and writing about them. I haven’t finished Golden Boy, though I am pretty well acquainted with it and it’s legacy. Kintaro and Onizuka are the type of character that I think we lost the most leaving the 90s, and while I miss them, they were also kind of done to death – if we want em’ back, we just have to rewatch the greats. Incidentally, if you want another one, go watch the excellent Irresponsible Captain Tylor.

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Baka-Raptor January 3, 2010 at 1:50 pm

Let’s not forget Golden Boy’s manliest acts: moving on immediately after he’s learned his lessons. No sentimental hanging around.

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zzeroparticle January 3, 2010 at 3:03 pm

I cannot, for the life of me, find Golden Boy enjoyable when everyone else has. I think that it’s just a bit too coarse for my tastes and seems a bit… strange than the kind of humor I find funny.

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Seinime January 3, 2010 at 5:59 pm

Try dubbed. Dubbed is awesome, if not better.

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kluxorious January 3, 2010 at 9:22 pm

I gotta see this GAR show otherwise I feel like I have missed learning some important lesson in my life.

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Blowfish January 4, 2010 at 4:35 pm

Boy those were the times when stuff like this and Lupin ran on MTV…:(
To be honest I cant rememeber much excpet that he has a toilet fetish and moves on at the end of each epsiode even though he could stay and live a good life.

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chii January 4, 2010 at 5:40 pm

gotta say i agree with zzeroparticle on this one. I just found it boring. But i definitely see the manliness of the show… probably one of the reasons I didn’t like it. for perverted men :P

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phossil January 5, 2010 at 4:01 pm

Only a true man reads this post. Lol ^^

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Shin January 6, 2010 at 1:18 pm

>Only a true man earns the loli end.

………..
……………….__
…………./´¯/’…’/´¯¯`·¸
………./’/…/…./……./¨¯\
……..(‘(…´…´…. ¯~/’…’)
………\……………..’…../
……….”…\………. _.·´
…………\…………..(

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Doriinatrix January 8, 2010 at 7:43 pm

I need to watch this. I’ve read the manga (it kind of goes off of the deep end after a few volumes, but it’s still awesome), but some things you just need to see animated. Like a man rubbing his face on a toilet seat.

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bob January 9, 2010 at 10:45 pm

The manga goes furthur than the anime, but i do prefer its animated form. However theyre both still awesome. I’d say why did it take you this long to watch it, but you like honey and clover so i’ll forgive you.

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ETERNAL January 10, 2010 at 12:07 am

@ digitalboy: I never thought about its place on the anime timeline, but now that you mention it, it does sound like something that belongs in the 90s. I have bookmarked Tylor for future reference :P

@ Baka-Raptor: Indeed. It’s something that isn’t nearly as common as it should be.

@ zzeroparticle/chii: The vulgarity is definitely hit-or-miss. I’m normally not into this stuff to begin with, but thanks to my usual diet of fluffy moe, I tend to enjoy the generic manly shows when I find them. That said, I still think Golden Boy is a few notches above generic.

@ Shin: I couldn’t figure out what that was from the short comment preview on the WP dashboard, but yes. This.

@ Doriinatrix: For better or worse, that’s the one thing that I will always remember about this show.

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The (golden boy) January 19, 2010 at 4:10 pm

This show is the best show ever made not because he is true man but the lessons he learns form the places he travels to (and the toilet seats) what really makes this anime shine is the fact that the animation goes out of its way to keep your self entertained :D (much like the extreme faces like GTO.

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