Golden Boy (manga)

Golden Boy (Japanese: ゴールデンボーイ, Hepburn: Gōruden Bōi) is a Japanese comedy manga series written and illustrated by Tatsuya Egawa about a 25-year-old freeter, pervert, and "travelling student" named Kintaro Oe (大江 錦太郎, Ōe Kintarō). The manga was originally serialized in Shueisha's Super Jump starting in 1992, with the first collected volume released the following year. Parts of the manga were adapted into a six-episode original video animation (OVA) series produced by Shueisha and KSS in 1995, which was subsequently released through ADV Films in North America in December 1996. ADV's license of the series expired in 2007, however in November 2007, Media Blasters acquired the license to it. Media Blasters has confirmed that the dub produced by ADV was kept. In 2012, Media Blasters lost the Golden Boy license and the license was acquired by Discotek Media.

Golden Boy
Cover of the first volume of the original Japanese version of the manga.
ゴールデンボーイ
さすらいのお勉強野郎
(Golden Boy - Wandering Student)
GenreErotic comedy[1]
Manga
Written byTatsuya Egawa
Published byShueisha
MagazineSuper Jump
DemographicSeinen
Original run1992 – 1997
Volumes10
Original video animation
Directed byHiroyuki Kitakubo
Produced byYoichi Ishikawa
Takao Asaga
Kazufumi Nomura
Music byJoyo Katayanagi
StudioA.P.P.P.
Licensed by
Released 27 October 1995 – 28 June 1996
Runtime183 minutes (total)
Episodes6
Manga
Golden Boy II ~ Sasurai no O-Benkyō Yarō: Geinō-kai Ōabare-hen
Written byTatsuya Egawa
Published byShueisha
MagazineBusiness Jump
DemographicSeinen
Original runSeptember 15, 2010 – May 18, 2011
Volumes2

Kintaro, despite having met the requirements for a law degree, left Tokyo University without graduating. Golden Boy depicts his living the life of a free spirit, 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.

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.[2]

In the 2010 19th issue of Business Jump, it was announced that a sequel to the Golden Boy manga was in the works.[3] Tatsuya Egawa stated that the sequel involved Kintaro taking on the entertainment world for his next job.

Plot

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]

Characters
Kintaro Oe (大江 錦太郎, Ōe Kintarō)
Voiced by: Mitsuo Iwata (Japanese); Doug Smith (English)

Madame President (女社長, Joshachō)

Voiced by: Hiromi Tsuru (Japanese); Tiffany Grant (English)

Naoko Katsuda (勝田 奈緒子, Katsuda Naoko)

Voiced by: Yūko Minaguchi (Japanese); Allison Keith (English)

Noriko (紀子)

Voiced by: Yuri Shiratori (Japanese); Kim Sevier (English)

Ayuko Hayami (速水 鮎子, Hayami Ayuko)

Voiced by: Kikuko Inoue (Japanese); Sue Ulu (English)

Reiko Terayama (寺山 麗子, Terayama Reiko)

Voiced by: Sakiko Tamagawa (Japanese); Laura Chapman (English)

Chie (知絵)

Voiced by: Mika Kanai (Japanese); Yvonne Aguirre (English)

Media

Manga
Vol.Release date[5]ISBN
1June 1993ISBN 4-08-858721-9
2December 1993ISBN 4-08-858722-7
3May 1994ISBN 4-08-858723-5
4December 1994ISBN 4-08-858724-3
5June 1995ISBN 4-08-858725-1
6December 1995ISBN 4-08-858726-X
7June 1996ISBN 4-08-858727-8
8December 1996ISBN 4-08-858728-6
9July 1997ISBN 4-08-858729-4
10January 1998ISBN 4-08-859001-5

Anime

Episode list
No. Title Directed by Original release date
1"Computer Studies"
Transcription: "Konpyūtā de obenkyō" (Japanese: コンピューターでお勉強)		Hiroyuki KitakuboOctober 27, 1995 (1995-10-27)
25-year-old Kintarō Ōe obtains a janitorial job at an all-woman software firm led by the Ferrari-driving, skimpily clad Madame President. An electrical accident jeopardizes the firm's future, allowing Kintaro to put his newly acquired programming skills to the test.
2"Temptation of the Maiden"
Transcription: "Otome no yūwaku" (Japanese: 乙女の誘惑)		Yasuhito KikuchiNovember 22, 1995 (1995-11-22)
Working as a campaign staffer for a mayoral candidate, Kintarō is assigned to tutor his boss' attractive teenage daughter, Naoko Katsuda, who wants more from him than help with her math homework.
3"Danger! The Virgin's First Love"
Transcription: "Kiki! Otome no hatsukoi" (Japanese: 危機!乙女の初恋)		Hiroyuki MoritaDecember 22, 1995 (1995-12-22)
A car accident has left the owner of an udon restaurant temporarily handicapped, and Kintarō is helping out and learning the trade. The owner's daughter, Noriko has a well-heeled suitor, but a series of events leads Kintarō to doubt his sincerity.
4"Swimming in the Sea of Love"
Transcription: "Yasei no umi o oyogu" (Japanese: 野性の海を泳ぐ)		Akihiko NishiyamaApril 26, 1996 (1996-04-26)
Kintarō has challenged the local swimming coach (and former Olympic athlete) to a race, but he first needs to learn how to swim. While training, however, his situation with the coach, Ayuko Hayami is compromised.
5"Balls to the Wall"
Transcription: "Nōburēki no seishun" (Japanese: ノーブレーキの青春)		Kenji TakemuraMay 24, 1996 (1996-05-24)
Kintarō becomes a servant in a traditional-style mansion of a wealthy family, but is quickly dismissed. He then challenges the daughter Reiko Terayama, who abhors men and has a fetish for her motorcycle, to a race.
6"Animation is Fun!"
Transcription: "Animēshon wa omoshiroi!" (Japanese: アニメーションは面白い!)		Hiroyuki KitakuboJune 28, 1996 (1996-06-28)
Chie is a cel-painter at the animation studio where Kintaro works as an errand-boy. Production difficulties ensue, and Kintarō must rely on old friends to pull things through. An animated rendition of Tatsuya Egawa, voiced by the author himself, makes a cameo appearance in this episode.

OVA

Adapted by Shueisha and KSS into an animated OVA, Golden Boy was first released in Japan on VHS and later on laserdisc. Kintaro is voiced by Mitsuo Iwata (and Doug Smith in English). The closing theme is "Study A Go! Go!" by Golden Girls. The series was licensed in North America by ADV Films and was released on VHS in both subtitled and dubbed editions, later releasing on two DVD volumes on April 23 and June 18, 2002, and a complete series release on May 25, 2004. The license was later transferred to Media Blasters for a DVD release on November 6, 2007, and then Discotek Media for a DVD release on November 6, 2012.[6][7]

Reception

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]

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References
  1. Cruz, Luis (2004-06-27). "Golden Boy (Essential Anime Collection)". AnimeOnDVD. Archived from the original on 2005-09-22. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  2. "Golden Boy Manga-ka does live porn". Anime News Network. 2003-07-23. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  3. "Golden Boy Manga Returns In New Series In September". Anime News Network. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  4. Egawa, Tatsuya. GOLDEN BOY Volume 1. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-858721-9. (unofficial translation)
  5. "Amazon.co.jp" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  6. "Golden Boy: The Complete Series on 2 DVDs". Discotek Media. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  7. For more information, see: "Golden Boy - Chasing America: Kintaro's resume". A.D. Vision. 2005. Archived from the original on 2006-04-23. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  8. Ulmer, Jeff (2006-04-18). "Golden Boy #1: Treasure Hunt (1995)". Digitally Obsessed. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  9. Toole, Mike (2003-10-12). "Goldenboy vols. 1-2". Anime Jump. Archived from the original on 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  10. Shelton, Andrew (2005-08-07). "Golden Boy". Anime Meta Review. Archived from the original on 2006-08-20. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  11. Ulmer, Jeff (2002-09-26). "Golden Boy #2: Bound for Glory (1995)". Digitally Obsessed. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  12. От редакции [Editor's column]. anime*magazine (in Russian) (3): 3. 2004. ISSN 1810-8644.
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