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Golden Boy
Studio: Shueisha-KSS Format: 6 OVA Released: 10/27/1995 to 6/28/1996 Written by: Face 
Golden Boy is exceptionally unique. In six gauche episodes, lechery and perversion make way for a loveable, genuinely sincere -- perhaps too sincere -- character, named OE Kintaro. He is the kind of guy who gives the rest of malekind our piggish stereotype. I think Roger Ebert describes him perfectly with this quote from his American Beauty review: "...men are born with wiring that goes directly from their eyes to their genitals, bypassing the higher centers of thought." Granted, Kintaro is not alone; most men are designed with that exact same "wiring" architecture. We all have thought how great it would be to see [insert-girl-here] draped in dishabille. But surely none of us have straddled their toilets in seek of leftover warmth -- then again, some things are better left unanswered.
The series is about Kintaro's life-learning journeys. As a self-proclaimed "easy-going job-hopping, part-timer" he travels from town to town to learn more about life, and while he's at it, he lusts after anything with legs, and a pair of breasts. His passion to learn and desire to study is so great that he dropped out of the prestigious Tokyo University Law school because he had "mastered the curriculum." Armed with his trusty notebook, Kintaro rides from job to job on his bicycle, Crescent Moon, but not without a few pitfalls here and there. Coincidentally, we meet Kintaro during one of these pitfalls as he rides to his new job at a software development company. In the first episode, he explains how he learned about computers without even owning one. Being such a clever young man, Kintaro decided to draw a keyboard on a sheet of paper -- how resourceful. He spent "all-nighters" with his pencil-made keyboard so he could land this job. The stupidity and absurdity of doing such a thing ends up being very funny, and is one of the first times we are shown how bizarre Kintaro truly is. Since he lacks the experience and skill needed to be a programmer, he ends up being assigned bathroom duty, but still manages to have a good time in his own unusual way. Each episode is a recycled version of another; not so much in the characters or in the particular conflicts, but rather in the situational humor. All of the episodes (besides the horrible third) show Kintaro doing the same debauched antics as before, just to a different girl or body part. He rubs his "Queens'" toilets, fantasizing about how they place their "assets" on these holiest of thrones. He describes how naughty he is to be thinking about such things, but is unable to stop himself from doing so. Of course, during all of his perverted toilet-hugging escapades, he gets caught in the act by the "Queens" themselves. Literal toilet humor can only be funny for so long, and thankfully, Golden Boy ends before its novelty runs sour.  What makes this series so enjoyable is that each episode is a new adventure, independent within itself. However, all 6 go through the same geriatric plot devices that lead up to the same exact conclusion in every episode. Oddly enough, this was, more or less, the point. For example: in the first episode, Kintaro mistakingly pulls the plug on his company's latest project, deleting all of the files. This is humorously contrived because no company would ever work without creating a backup file. But Kintaro thinks he's done an invaluable service to the company. Once he learns of his mistake, he begs to keep his job. He goes as far as to say he'll "wipe" his boss's ass, or lick her shoes, just as long as he can keep the job. The funniest part about these situations is watching Kintaro's unreal facial expressions. Wacky.
At times, the cleverness reminded me of U-Jin Brand, particularly episode three. Initially, it appeared as if it would be outlining a corrupted relationship, while adding a unique brand of critical commentary. However, it quickly proved otherwise, and instead opted for a crummy romance story modestly sprinkled with useless ecchi. When it comes to ecchi comedies, I still stand firm on my belief that U-Jin is the indisputable master. Golden Boy's problem is that it has something U-Jin purposefully neglects -- uncoordinated slapstick. I yearn for the improbability of illicit romance. * * * 1/2 (Above Average) Posted: February 19, 2004
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