Golden Boy (manga)

The beginning of each volume and episode of Golden Boy places Kintaro opposite a young, beautiful woman, whose interest or disdain for him serves as the basis of the plot. Some of these women initially dismiss Kintaro as an idiotic and clumsy pervert, and either give him or accept from him some challenge to prove their superiority. Kintaro invariably lusts after these women, but he is principally driven by his desire to be of actual service to them and to thereby learn more about the world. Despite his outward appearances, Kintaro is an incredibly clever and resourceful individual, and consistently exceeds what the women in his encounters thought possible, winning their hearts despite his outward awkwardness. But due to chance, necessity or a sense of honor, Kintaro never takes advantage of these newfound feelings. As the manga series progresses it introduces fewer women over multiple chapter arcs, such as a shoplifting schoolgirl, and goes back to women from earlier in the series that he's affected.

Kintaro is a freeter, and has done various jobs as he quests around Japan in pursuit of knowledge. His ventures include computer programming, housekeeping, teaching, the culinary arts, and most of all, studying. Kintaro is also often seen demonstrating the skills he's learned in previous chapters to overcome challenges faced in the current one. He's also adept in martial arts, but does not fight unless he's angered, and ordinarily just takes a beating.

Much of the humor derives from situational elements, such as encounters between Kintaro and the women gone awry, and interactions between Kintaro's libido and imagination. Recurring gags include Kintaro's fetish for toilets (especially those recently used by beautiful women), his exaggerated facial expressions, and comical entries in his notebook. The notebook entries include explicit drawings of the women he encounters and bits of wisdom such as "'C' base is not sex", and "The human head cannot turn 360 degrees." Regarding the series, Tatsuya Egawa writes: "Before leaving kindergarten, I wrote these words in my notebook: 'I really like to study.' Often I wonder when it was that our schools forgot the true meaning of 'study.' Something which is now so often misunderstood by teachers and parents. Learning ought to be both stimulating and entertaining."[4]

The Golden Boy OVA was generally well received by English-language reviewers. Jeff Ulmer of DigitallyObsessed calls it "hilarious",[8] and Luis Cruz of AnimeOnDVD says it is "surprisingly well-written for an erotic comedy,"[1] and that it "easily deserves the 'Essential' moniker bestowed upon it" by ADV. Cruz goes on to say that the series' jokes "feel like a natural extension of both the characters and the plot...".[1] Mike Toole of AnimeJump says “the mixture of realistic storytelling with Kintaro's deranged personality is always a hoot to watch.”[9] Of Kintaro himself, Toole says he "has a simple everyman appeal",[9] and Cruz contends that Kintaro's "charming character"[1] is what makes the anime coherent. In partial contrast, Andrew Sheldon of AnimeMetaReview criticizes Kintaro's "ability to master any task in a couple of weeks, when needed, as somewhat patronizing...".[10] Reviewers also seem especially pleased with the last episode, "Animation is Interesting". Toole says that Golden Boy "is worthwhile for the final episode alone...",[9] and Ulmer feels that it "took the cake".[11] Sheldon describes it as "an interesting and largely fitting conclusion",[10] but feels it is "somewhat self indulgent...".

Golden Boy popularized anime in Russia after being a huge success on its MTV channel.[12]

• Golden Boy (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia