Golden Time – 03
You really shouldn’t trust people in silver tracksuits
Flying solo this week as Sumairii catches up on school stuff, so what happened in the story of Tokyo Law Students?
Creepy Cult Kidnapping
Everyone in the vans!
From the get-go, something’s definitely off about the Happy College Event Circle ‘welcoming’ party. When they show up late, in matching vans, wearing matching outfits and pendants, I think that most of the folks figured something was up right off the bat. And I’m sure Banri knew what was up as soon as they passed the actual school retreat house. Faced with the prospect of 3 days of brainwashing and indoctrination, and feeling guilty because he convinced Kouko to go to this event, Banri uses his real experience as a way to convince the cultists that he’s really interested in staying, when everyone else complains, and being unnaturally accommodating, they agree to send all the others back in exchange for getting one person for sure.
They all look pretty beaten, and this was just the beginning
But Kouko ruins his plan to save her by staying herself, because she feels guilty that he’s there because she whined about clubs. This ends up giving both of them the chance to make their escape, tho, because these are the worst cultists ever. Never trust the new people! So Banri and Kouko escape through the window and run away (with Banri even grabbing the contact forms they all filled out to protect everyone else).
Making their escape
Who is Banri Tada?
How well does Kouko know herself?
We’ve gotten pretty familiar with Kouko Kaga throughout the show, and know a lot about her. Well, as much as there is, because she’s always subsumed herself to being with Mitsuo. And even in talking with Banri after they make their escape into the woods, most of what she talks about is how Mitsuo ‘completes’ her. It’s somewhat interesting that she talks about Mitsuo so much, but it seems more and more apparent that the Mitsuo in her head is someone completely different from the Mitsuo that Banri knows, the one who is walking around ignoring Kouko. And it’s interesting the story of the flowers from the first episode, that she was planning on just surprising and congratulating him, but “four months of frustration” poured out in that moment, and she ended up smacking him. The big question is whether she will be able to refocus herself away from the Mitsuo she still has in her head, to a real person in Banri who is obviously interested in her.
It is important to share a laugh with someone you like
But Banri is a mystery even to himself. We finally learn a little more about his past, falling off a bridge the day after high school graduation, spending a year in the hospital and rehab. And in that year, he wouldn’t even see his old friends and doesn’t remember anything about who he was. The conflicts presented in him were interesting, that if he could add his old memories to his current self, he’d welcome that. But to change completely who he is now and return to his old self, he doesn’t want that. So he’s possibly a completely new person, and he can see why his parents and friends wanted the Banri they knew back, but that’s not really possible right now.
Banri’s actually pretty happy with who he is now
I really enjoyed the character development here, even if Kouko’s seemed a bit disjointed. Banri and Kouko seem to make a good couple, talking in a way that I bet Kouko and Mitsuo haven’t in years, if ever. But can Kouko realize what’s growing with Banri, and how it’s completely different and better than what she ‘has’ with Mitsuo? For his part, Banri seems to be a really good guy, not beholden to whims, not stupid, and nice to everyone, including Kouko. Is that the person he was before? Or is that a change?
Also, how is Linda there? That’s an awfully big coincidence. It’s been acceptable that she tends to show up everywhere else, but this time, what kind of explanation can she come up with? It’s like she’s following Banri. And why call her Barbara?
Is this really a chance meeting?
About Highway
Proving that you don't have to be young to love anime, I enjoy all genres and styles of shows. If it's not hurting anyone else, you should never be ashamed of what you like!
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 39 comments
I actualy think linda was there because the real rest house of the school is near by and the festival club was doing something there, i also think she knows something tought.
I was actualy gonna to just discard golden time without one episode altogheter whit white album 2, you see me and my otaku friends ( actualy all my close friends are otaku) have some precomcept about romance but when i read the reviews here on metanorn both seem to be pretty good so i cheked out and loved it.the rose-slaping stuff alredy happen to me but in a completely diferen’t way and you fell so dumb to be hit whit flowers… i actualy started laughting at the meedle because it actualy ticles a litle lol
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
It makes me happy that you are enjoying shows you started watching because of my (and Sumairii’s) reviews. 🙂 I love romance shows, and these two both seem to be good ones.
I’m spoiled on Linda’s role so I’m not going to speculate.
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 167 comments
Inb4 Banri is future version of Riki from Little Busters!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
But Riki has narcolepsy whereas Banri has amnesia.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 88 comments
Okay, that seriously went the weird route with the cult and all, but yeah, the biggest draw of this episode is Banri’s amnesia. Now, this can cook up interesting plot lines as neither we (the viewer) nor Banri himself does not know anything about his past before the accident. For all we know, he could have fathered a lot of kids, was a delinquent drug addict, or even a psychopath. Amnesia, as a plot device, does not work all the time for me, but maybe this show can make it work. Now it’s all about finding out pre-amnesia Banri. Linda (or Barbara) could be the key.
Seriously though, I thought the show was going to be a college romcom of sorts with Banri winning over Overly Attached Girlfriend, but it seems that it’s going to be a very character-driven show.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yeah, the cult is kind of an out-there thing, but I’d imagine it’s something that actually happens but pretty rarely. They weren’t very good cultists, tho, getting drunk, letting the marks go, etc.
I don’t really think that Banri’s amnesia will be that big of a deal in the show. I think the show is more likely to go from here with “this is a guy who really doesn’t have past attachments and a girl who is all past attachments.” I don’t think it will be “Banri has to discover his past” because he essentially said he’s not interested in that.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I seriously had unpleasant feelings when I found out they were being drawn into a cult. The very idea of a cult doesn’t sit well with me.
Banri’s amnesia is quite the reveal. For someone who’s lost his memories, he’s not very depressed about it. The person he is now must be too important to him to give way to the former. Still, unless it’s nothing bad, how could you not want to know about yourself? It’s a gamble for the outcome but the criosity would still be there.
Koko is still on her obsession with Mitsuo but with the current events, it may be enough to start her interest in Banri.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I thought he had mentioned his amnesia earlier in the show, but it wasn’t really explored.
The thing about his memories is that they’re essentially someone else’s memories. He’s himself now. So getting his ‘old’ memories back would be like integrating another person into himself (which is an idea I find intriguing, if you do you might read Deathkiller by Spider Robinson, a book I really like which kind of has that as one of the themes). But if it wasn’t ‘integrating another person’ and instead giving up the person he is now, how could the person he is now want that?