Golden Boy (manga)

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)
Genre Adventure, Sex comedy
Manga
Written by Tatsuya Egawa
Published by Shueisha
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Super Jump
Original run 1992 – 1998
Volumes 10
Original video animation
Directed by Hiroyuki Kitakubo
Written by Tetsuya Egawa
Music by Joyo Katayanagi
Studio A.P.P.P.
Licensed by
ADV Films (1996-2007)
Media Blasters (2007-2012)
Discotek Media (2012 - present)
Released 27 October 1995 – 28 June 1996
Runtime 183 minutes (total)
Episodes 6
Manga
Golden Boy II ~ Sasurai no O-Benkyō Yarō: Geinō-kai Ōabare-hen
Written by Tatsuya Egawa
Published by Shueisha
Demographic Seinen
Magazine Business Jump
Original run September 15, 2010 – May 18, 2011
Volumes 2

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 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, and 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 license to Golden Boy and the license was acquired by Discotek Media.

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.[1]

In the 19th issue of Business Jump, it was announced that a sequel to the Golden Boy manga was in the works.[2] Tatsuya Egawa stated that the sequel involved Kintaro taking on the entertainment world for his next job.

Summary

In the beginning 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."[3]

Media information

Manga

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

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 DVDs. The license was later transferred to Discotek Media, who released the complete series on DVD on November 6, 2012.[5][6]

Episode list

No. Title Original release date
1 "Computer Studies"
"Konpyūtā de Obenkyō" (コンピューターでお勉強) 		October 27, 1995
Kintaro obtains a janitorial job at an all-woman software firm led by the Ferrari-driving, skimpily clad Madame President (voiced by Hiromi Tsuru / Tiffany Grant). 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"
"Otome no Yūwaku" (乙女の誘惑) 		November 22, 1995
Working as a campaign staffer for a mayoral candidate, Kintaro is assigned to tutor his boss' attractive teenage daughter, Naoko Katsuda (voiced by Yūko Minaguchi / Allison Keith), who wants more from him than help with her math homework. 
3 "Danger! The Virgin's First Love"
"Kiken! Otome no Hatsukoi" (危険!乙女の初恋) 		December 22, 1995
A car accident has left the owner of an udon restaurant temporarily handicapped, and Kintaro is helping out and learning the trade. The owner's daughter, Noriko (voiced by Yuri Shiratori / Kim Sevier) has a well-heeled suitor, but a series of events leads Kintaro to doubt his sincerity. 
4 "Swimming in the Sea of Love"
"Yasei no Umi o Oyogu" (野性の海を泳ぐ) 		April 26, 1996
Kintaro 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 (voiced by Kikuko Inoue / Sue Ulu) is compromised. 
5 "Balls to the Wall"
"Nōburēki no Seishun" (ノーブレーキの青春) 		May 24, 1996
Kintaro becomes a servant in a traditional-style mansion of a wealthy family, but is quickly dismissed. He then challenges the daughter Reiko Terayama (voiced by Sakiko Tamagawa / Laura Chapman), who abhors men and has a fetish for her motorcycle, to a race. 
6 "Animation is Fun!"
"Animēshon wa Omoshiroi!" (アニメーションは面白い!) 		June 28, 1996
Chie (voiced by Mika Kanai / Yvonne Aguirre) is a cel-painter at the animation studio where Kintaro works as an errand-boy. Production difficulties ensue, and Kintaro 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. 

Western reception

The Golden Boy OVA was generally well received by English-language reviewers. Jeff Ulmer of DigitallyObsessed calls it "hilarious",[7] and Luis Cruz of AnimeOnDVD says it is "surprisingly well-written for an erotic comedy,"[8] 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...”.[8] 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"[8] 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]

References

  1. ↑ "Golden Boy Manga-ka does live porn". Anime News Network. 2003-07-23. Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  2. ↑ "Golden Boy Manga Returns In New Series In September". Anime News Network. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  3. ↑ Egawa, Tatsuya. GOLDEN BOY Volume 1. Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-858721-9. (unofficial translation)
  4. ↑ "Amazon.co.jp" (in Japanese). Retrieved 2006-09-20.
  5. ↑ http://www.discotekmedia.com/golden_boy.htm
  6. ↑ 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.
  7. ↑ Ulmer, Jeff (2006-04-18). "Golden Boy #1: Treasure Hunt (1995)". Digitally Obsessed. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  8. 1 2 3 Cruz, Luis (2004-06-27). "Golden Boy (Essential Anime Collection)". AnimeOnDVD. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  9. 1 2 3 Toole, Mike (2003-10-12). "Goldenboy vols. 1-2". Anime Jump. Archived from the original on 2009-06-15. Retrieved 2006-09-22.
  10. 1 2 Shelton, Andrew (2005-08-07). "Golden Boy". Anime Meta Review. 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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