OP2 Sequence

OP2: (“The♡World’s♡End”) by (Horie Yui)

「夏が来た] (Natsu ga kita)
“Summer Has Come”

Time heals all wounds, so the old saying goes. I only wish that were true.

Two weeks ago I said that the long winter’s break with Golden Time was indeed a golden time for me – I needed a chance to refresh myself with this show, which was really starting to get on my nerves in a big way. Unfortunately, though, my take based on this episode is that neither of us has changed, and the problems are no less apparent now than they were before (and now I don’t even have "Sweet and Sweet Cherry" at the end as a reward). That’s usually what happens when relationships go on a break, I suppose.

I just can’t get over the feeling that GT is trolling me in a big way, but that may, in fact, be giving it too much credit. Take the new OP and ED – literally not a shot of Linda anywhere in either one. Likewise the episode preview. For all intents and purposes this series seems to pretend Linda doesn’t exist – so why the hell does it keep making her the far more likeable character with much better chemistry with the main lead? Is GT just so inept at narrative that it thinks it’s doing a masterful job selling Banri and Kouko as a couple and Linda as a roadblock? Or is that a massive and masterful fake-out that will leave me stunned if I manage to stick it out till the end?

The fundamental problem for me remains unchanged, but this episode better than any reveals why it’s such a huge problem. This is like two different shows – the one with Linda is heartfelt, sincere and dignified. The one with Kouko is a mess of bad comedy and a worse relationship. It isn’t an issue of liking Linda better than Kouko, though I don’t deny that I do – it’s a matter of the show simply not being very good when it revolves around Kouko. I’ve said from the beginning – even in the heady early days of endless possibility – that when it came to comedy Golden Time was hit-and-miss at best. But when the series is structured around Banri and Kouko being the destined pair and they’re one of the most ill-suited and unpleasant couples in anime, that’s an even bigger problem.

As if all that weren’t a problem enough, you can add in the dubious narrative device of Ghost Banri, who now seems to be back as a factor in his own right. And not just that, but he’s apparently decided to curse Banri for not following his lead and may have the ability to control the weather. I’ve tried to give GT the benefit if the doubt and see GB as a metaphor for Banri’s pre and post-amnesia identities, but the growing sense is that he’s intended to be taken as real. Of course the heart of the matter is Ghost Banri is actually right, it’s obvious that Banri and Linda have a thousand times the chemistry and compatibility he and Kouko do – but again, it seems as if we’re supposed to take Ghost Banri as a roadblock to the obvious path of true happiness with Kouko.

Add it all up, and the only part of the episode that really worked was the three minutes with Linda in it, which was powerful and genuine (and removed all doubt as to what her answer that night was going to be, not that I ever had any). None of the rest of it worked for me at all – not the comic dance number, not the "air yakisoba" bit, not GB’s playing at a hungry ghost. I find it hard to believe that a clearly competent author like Takemiya-sensei could be so disconnected as to not realize how off-kilter the seeming narrative tilt of Golden Time is, but just as hard to believe that this could all be an elaborate hoax leading us towards the ending that actually seems to make sense – I’m not sure even Andy Kaufman could pull that off. Something has to give either way – but I’m not sure I’m going to be strong enough to stick around long enough to find out what it is.

 

ED2 Sequence

ED2: 「 半永久的に愛してよ♡ (Love Me Semipermanently♡) by (Horie Yui)

Preview

71 Comments

  1. This episode indeed felt kind of disjointed; the screentime with Linda was the only part that felt harmonious.
    This scene more or less proves that Banri can only play along up to a point (it isn’t GB’s doing; he can only affect situations around him); maybe because he subconsciously is feeling sorry for Koko he is continuing this relationship but he is not truly committed.

    J-Luke
    1. Yes, that’s a key moment J-Luke, but the bigger issue is that the whole series feels disjointed to me – this ep is just the most obvious about it. It’s as if there are two competing narratives – the one the OP/ED, previews and screen-time are telling, which is that Banri and Kouko are the dream couple of fate. Then there’s what’s actually happening, which shows the two of them as awful together, Banri not emotionally committed to her, and he and Linda still hopelessly in love. Is this just really bad writing, or intentional misdirection on a staggering scale?

      1. The only reason I’m sticking around with this show is because I sincerely hope it’s one long troll of epic proportions. I mean, if true, this beats Endless Eight! Think about it!

        shoftee
    1. The OP pretty much is foreshadowing how the series will end up. Koko is going to struggle and cry over Banri and in the end they’ll be together. A lot more dramatic than the lovey-dovey first half OP so we know the next 12 episodes are going to be much more serious.

      Horus
    1. honestly the ghost banri still seems metaphorical to me even tho it’s gettin confusing if it’s intended to be. it made banri not kissback to koko that one scene right? without banri gettin a supernatural interference to it so it just seems like its still his inner lost self

      nooooo
    1. Yeah, it was. A lot of anime this season has pretty bad audio mixing. I noticed it a bit the last few seasons, but I’m also judging based on the Cruchyroll stream. Then again Tokyo Ravens has had its fair share of distorted sound fx as well, and it’s not a CR show. In particular, Nobunagun was really bad with having the dialogue way lower than the really loud music and fx. Then again I also can’t help notice bad mixing when I do post production audio for a living.

      Annyms
  2. Everyone back on board the Nana H ship <3

    What surprised me was that the ghost of Banri past is self-destructive dick. He had his shot in S1 and blew it. The ghost should be trying to get Banri concussed to a) knock some sense into him and b) take over his body again. Cursing yourself is a bit of an own goal.

    Btw, the quality of OP's this season took a bit of a dip. I wasn't sold on Chuu2 Ren's OP song (KyoAni usually makes very good ones) and this is as bad as I've ever heard Hocchan (who again is usually very good).

    Hang on in there Enzo.

    celebrinen
    1. Yeah, a dip is right. Before I always had Sweet and Sweet Cherry as a beautiful reward for making it to the end, but the new ED (and OP) are a sizeable step down.

      Some of us never disembarked that ship, as it was the only one that ever made any sense. The irony is that Ghost Banri is actually the only one who’s getting the big picture right, but he’s still pissing everybody off.

  3. In the source LN, the story is told from the POV of “Banri’s Ghost”, who is the carrier of all of Banri’s memories from high school and before. He follows the living Banri around, watching everything and occasionally making commentary on what he sees.

    zztop
  4. Yeah, this series is starting to test my patience a little too much. I hope I can make it through the end. Otherwise, I’ll have no choice but to give up on watching this band aid slowly tear off.

    Annyms
  5. I kinda stopped watching this show few episodes ago, but not completely dropped it for good yet and have been skimming through the blogs here and there, just to see if anything changes. Why must a rare show about college life come to this anyway? Bloody shame it is turning out to be…

    I, too, see it extremely unlikely that all this is a massive misdirection/troll and that Linda and Banri will end up together. These people (the writer & studio folks) don’t have guts to pull that off. They don’t have it!! In fact, I am so confident of it not happening that I would be the 2nd poster (after Enzo or whoever wants to go first) to admit that I was wrong all along. At best, Banri and Koko go separate way and that’s that. Even that is highly unlikely. Too much screen time and effort has been wasted, ahem, invested for anything other than Banri+Koko. It’s inevitable.

    However having said all that, would anyone including Enzo & Zanibas then turn around and call this show a good show (let alone a great one) if they manage to pull the “massive and masterful fake-out” in the last episode? I don’t see it. It seems every passing episode/week, too much damage is being done that it seems less and less likely that even pulling the one of the kind fake-out can salvage the reputation. And besides, pulling such stunt -no matter how much gleeful it may make me- would just show what a lousy writing it all has been.

    Nevertheless I do wish someone, some studio at some point do just that for the heck of it. And not only that, really elaborately plan it from the get-go. I don’t think there was ever a show that had basically spent the entire show including OP/EP to build a couple then at the eleventh hour, a barely-there secondary character swoops in and steals the guy and everyone is happily ever after. Nope, never happened. Unwritten rule of TV series, no, storytelling, won’t allow such trolling.

    deathtogeneric/formulaicshows
    1. Unwritten rule of TV series, no, storytelling, won’t allow such trolling.

      I agree. But you know what, it’s just that 0.00000% possibility that keeps me watching this show. In that case, I would say “Still a bad show, but damn it, you passed to the history!” and start to laugh uncontrollably.

      Although if Enzo drops it, I’ll drop it too. Reading the good reviews and comments here is kinda satisfactory and amusing, and that’s an added value I couldn’t do without 🙂

      Voyager
    2. would anyone then turn around and call this show a good show (let alone a great one) if they manage to pull the “massive and masterful fake-out” in the last episode?

      Big maybe on good,most likely above average if it does or just simply average. It probably already lost it’s chance to get to Toradora level so doing that “fake-out” will most likely just prevent it from being a bad show(and no I’m not fanboying over Toradora,I thought it was a good show and that’s it – I didn’t really the ending and Taiga in general).

      MgMaster
    3. I don’t think there was ever a show that had basically spent the entire show including OP/EP to build a couple then at the eleventh hour, a barely-there secondary character swoops in and steals the guy and everyone is happily ever after

      Mashiro-Iro Symphony kind of did that. It’s a sugary harem anime, and kind of hard to get through, but the winning girl was completely unexpected and barely appeared until about 3 episodes from the end.

      Tre
      1. Just FTR, I disagree about the qualitative judgement about Mashifony – I think it’s excellent. But even more, while I too was surprised at the result it’s demonstrably false that the eventual winning girl “barely appeared until three episodes before the end”. She was a major character from the beginning, practically – just not the seeming main girl.

      2. It was over two years since it first aired, so it’s likely just my memory failing me as to how much she actually appeared in the first two thirds of the anime. What I do remember was being shocked when it became clear who the protagonist was choosing – that moment of clarity happened at about 3 episodes from the end, I believe.

        I hadn’t even considered the possibility that he would end up with her before that. That twist (or what seemed like a twist to me) made the show worth watching, despite my overall assessment.

        Tre
    1. Linda’s been watching Banri unravel before her eyes. Especially lately. So when he tells her to scrap the past cause it’s troubling him, she thinks she’d best leave her feelings unsaid and sacrifice them for his sanity. I don’t think that’s unnatural to do that considering she has no idea there is anything left to salvage.

      Breedo
    1. I wish it were that simple. I have no issues with shows like WA2 and True Tears, where the chemistry is interesting between both the female leads and the male lead. The problem here isn’t shipping – it’s that the show basically sucks when it focuses on Banri and Kouko. They’re a disaster.

      1. That is just your oppinion. There are plenty of people who thinks the parts with Linda sucks. But oppinions are obviously valid ones, but you are deluding yourself if you think that your oppinion are objective facts.

        Znail
      2. Couldn’t agree more. It’s not that just Kouko sucks (which she does), or Banri sucks (which he does, though slightly less, or both. It’s about their interaction. Banri and Linda and even Kouko and Mitsuo (post ‘breauk-up’) just have some chemistry as characters, but the main couple doesn’t; the show ran out of things to tell about them shortly after Banri moved from ‘I feel for that hopelessly obsessed Mitsuo’s stalker, she must be lonely’ stage. Their confrontation and his refusal to stay in friend-zone was the last event before the age of boredom we’ve been experiencing for this day.

        Mikako
      3. erm.. the 3 of them suck?

        koko: insecure
        Banri: indecisive
        Linda: untruthful

        thats not saying that any other combination (or pairing) is better. IMHO this is NOT a bad thing: seen couples that really really shouldn’t been together.. but surprise: people changes. and i think thats the point of Golden Time.

        PS: seen people complaining about the OP , i actually liked it.. wonder if they read the lyrics.

        PS2: some people complained of no Linda on either OP or ED.. well she IS a supporting character …

        inanis
  6. The new OP is so dissonant that it’s either fully intended as foreshadowing that Banri’s definitely dating a crazy person/this is not going to end well or the director handed out the composition to someone trying to get work on Dark Souls 2 as a favour. The music itself is so noisy… and overlapping noise at that… that, no matter what the lyrics might say, it feels like it belongs to horror/suspense show about someone breaking down. Or Watamote.

    The music box intro and lead out don’t help. Music boxes are always creepy.

    Given that Linda is Nana’s friend, and we know she vents to her, I like to think that punch to the face was merely awaiting an excuse conveniently provided.

    I still think “Ghost” Banri is less ghost and more the part of his consciousness that’s locked away somewhere in his brain trying to claw its way out. So far, all he’s really done is “leak” prior memories into his head and play with his dreams.

    Dave
  7. I feel like Ghost Banri is a plot device that isn’t working well. It’s not making the story more interesting nor is it really giving me some insight that makes the story better.

    I also am not a fan of the new op. I listened to it twice. And to me if feels like something is missing. It’s like every part of the orchestra is doing a great job, but the main musician that makes it all work isn’t there in the final mix. Like his audio track was accidentally turned off in the final mix.

    Which is like the show. It’s like we are missing the one important ingredient that pulls it all together…

    ThePointman
  8. All shipping aside, what very much gets to me is that this show grabbed my attention intially because it was about young adults and not high school teenagers, and yet, somehow, this episode almost entirely abandoned that idea, with the characters constantly behaving like awkward wooden dolls under the guise of questionable comedy. This is further amplified (as you say) by the show just generally dropping in quality whenever Koko is on screen. I read someone saying that according to the source material, things are gonna “get really real” next episode, but at this point the complete lack of pacing and purpose of this series makes me question just how real things can really get.

    On the topic of the OP, I gotta say even though it’s pretty much awful, it did manage to convey a demented sense of anxiety and desperation, which makes me kinda wish that an unexpected turn happens smewhere along the line and Koko goes on a killing spree or something and Ghost Banri current can meet up with actual Ghost Banri so they can discuss all the wrong turns they made, watching hopelessly as Koko hunts down Linda to the ends of the earth, for ruining her dreams of ever going to Paris.

    Dein
  9. Though i’m seriously pissed off with Ghost-Banri and the present Banri, though i think i’ve been repeating myself in every GT’s reviews…heck, i really dunno what to say anymore. I’m a Kouko fan, i want to see her winning but i think i’ll it loosen a bit. Come what may, i dont give a damn about Banri and Kouko anymore, or Linda. I hope no one wins.

    Damn, this series is getting on my nerves. sigh…i’ll stop expecting, take my chips and just enjoy the drama.

    onion warrior
    1. I ended dropping this series last EP because I couldn’t deal with Banri. I was a bit curious to see if anything changed this EP, and from what I’ve read, clearly not.

      It didn’t take all 12 episodes for me to figure out that (IMO) there is NO winner between Linda and Koko because the “winner” ends up with Banri. I simply can’t understand how that can be considered “winning”. Frankly, IMO the winner is the one who does NOT end up with him. “Present”/”Current”/”v2” Banri is tolerable at times (key being at times), but “Past”/”Ghost”/”v1” Banri is just a terrible character IMO. Personally, I prefer IS 2 Ichika over “ghost” Banri. Yeah, I dislike “ghost” Banri that much.

      I can empathize with your frustration because IMO there are elements of the show which are worthwhile if they wouldn’t be thrown to the side. The problem is everything is centered around Banri. If you (somehow) like Banri, then the show works, but if you don’t…

      daikama
  10. So I decided to actually look at the translations for the GT LN (specifically, I looked at the chapter where Banri and Koko were caught in the rain) to see what the difference between the two mediums were. And…wow there is a huge amount of difference.
    o ____ o

    For one, Banri actually gets annoyed more that Koko is asking him if he still likes her (when he’s made it clear that yes, he does), and prior to that, it actually shows how worried she is that she has to ask this (like she is clearly off in her own mind pondering this). It also shows how confused Banri is that his old memories are starting to surface and how he’s not really sure who he is anymore.

    So what’s that tell me? That the anime team is borking this up BAD and we should be more worried for the future if they can’t get their act together (and frankly? I don’t see that happening). It’s like they can only make this show work with “Koko = comedy” and “Linda = emotional/sadness”, with no real in-between. And that’s kind of depressing, since the novel actually bothers to show that yes, Banri actually does care for Koko even she’s being annoying. (I haven’t actually read the LN, but just from a snippet alone, I can tell that it’s better written.)

    P.S. I actually thought the ‘air yakisoba’ bit was kinda funny…though I admit that I have terrible taste in comedy sometimes. XD

    P.P.S. Ghost Banri is a giant dick, in my opinion. What, does he think that creating minor, outside inconveniences are going to make Banri jump into a completely different relationship? I would understand trying to make Koko look bad or something, but how would Banri somehow connect crappy weather -> DATE LINDA? :/

    platinum
    1. Well, quite a number of the unfortunate events that happened with Banri tended to involve Koko. Being with Koko to watch the fireworks show when it started raining, getting socked by Nana when he planned to surprise Koko when she came to his floor (only for her to take the stairs to surprise him instead), and whatnot.

      Probably try to make Banri see Koko as nothing but bad luck or something, with that luck only getting worse and worse the longer he stays with her, which makes me think that something more extreme may end up happening.

      HalfDemonInuyasha
  11. What really bothers me is that present Banri / Linda have chemistry, whereas Ghost/Past Banri / Linda is really annoying. Ghost Banri acts likes a self destructive kid who has lost his toy, and Linda doesn’t deserves this.

    I like Kouko but current Banri can’t date anyone seriously with his state; he should stay single for the moment and really set up with his past (if he leaves kouko for linda likes that, it will really piss me off)

    I want Linda to stop blaming herself for Banri’s accident! she’s strong and can get over this!

    Air yakisoba was so stupid it still made me laugh

  12. Okaaay,Golden Time‘s going down on my list pretty damn fast…definitely not a good start of it’s 2nd half. Since WA2 is now over,it’s easier to watch GT without having to compare it to that one all the time but even so,my opinion of this show hasn’t improved either. If anything,it’s gotten worst with this episode which brought out some of the worst in this anime:

    – the hit or MISS comedy
    – Ghost Banri’s return with him being presented more & more as another entity
    – Kouko & Banri’s relationship,getting tons of screen time but doing nothing with it

    Time’s running out,we’re already 13 eps in and there doesn’t seem to be any improvement. I’m more worried than I was before the break now. Still,worried means I still have hopes for GT to be at least decent.

    MgMaster
  13. I feel like Kouko is just trying very hard to keep the ‘spice’ in their relationship, she apparently caught on to Bari’s rejection of a kiss. Honestly, maybe it’s just the feeling of relating to the character but Kouko deep down is a very lonesome, sad character that is just trying to for once hold onto a relationship. Linda, has those feelings but Linda has played far too much multiple times rejecting Banri even when he asked her what was the answer! Show Spoiler ▼

    I just don’t get what the fuss is about Linda is it the concept of ‘I just want what I can’t have’ to Banri? Just some thoughts.

    jasmin12e
  14. It was a nice return after the break (that seemed to last forever). The new OP sucks hard in my opinion, but the new ED is quite nice.

    Aside from that, I got this feeling I’m starting to like Kouko better at this halfway point. I still don’t trust her one bit and prefer Linda, but it’s miles up from where my original opinion of her stood.

    Looking forward to seeing more. That ghost Banri is evil.

  15. What’s going to happen?
    1 – sorry koko i can’t forget linda (break up)
    2 – start dating with linda(or at least some kind of flirting)
    3 – sorry linda but i was confused, I don’t really love you anymore
    4 – hey koko, wanna go paris? (happy endo, though everyone hates koko and loves linda)
    The end

    I’d be really surprised if something else happens

    Thalandor
  16. Golden Time teaches us a valuable lesson:

    Girls, fall in love with your childhood friend because if you don’t they may get struck by a moped, fall off a bridge, get amnesia, and be haunted by a ghost of their former self. And you wouldn’t want that to happen now would you?

    Horus
    1. Clearly and directly express your love to your childhood sweetheart or else he will shack up with a crazy, possessive girl, forget all about you when he bumps his head, get bitter at you for not telling him about your shared past and get a moronic ghost tailing him.

      And we wouldn’t want that now would we?

      celebrinen
      1. I wouldn’t mind that with the exception of the bitterness and ghost haunting. Koko, I believe, is at the very least controllable in terms of her crazy possessiveness. She displays incredible loyalty and if you return affection and train her a bit, you can tone it down to a tolerable level. What I like about her is that she had immense pride in her girlfriend status and won’t ever cheat on you.

        Horus
  17. I commented awhile back that you could get by with watching the first 5 minutes and last 5 minutes of this show and not miss anything – and this episode (unfortunately) follows that pattern perfectly.

    One trait that kills me about Koko is that she doesn’t say anything. Sure she talks (a lot) but it’s all cutesy fluff and nothing substantive. The most endearing moment where I thought Banri and Koko could be in a serious and healthy relationship was when Banri was honest about his past relationship with Linda and Koko said she was trying to be a better girlfriend – they were both being honest and forthright. Well that lasted about 5 minutes (again, the last 5 minutes) and we’re back to fluff again.

    7godeohs
  18. You know it makes sense when there was like… 20 chairs in the background WITH shade and yet she gets a chair and puts it down out in the sun! Who knows maybe the shade would’ve helped poor Koko, either way that logic ;<

    Jason Isenberg
  19. I to join the ranks of people shocked at the piss poor music of op/ed. I can’t help but wonder if the singer thought, NO I WON’T and was forced to continue or shrugged her shoulders and said “can’t be helped”. I kept waiting for the opening to change midstream into something more salvageable, “it’ll pick up now right?”. I didn’t mind the ED so much. On the matter of Linda not in the opening, more of the same. Chinami or his buddies aren’t either. They sure spent time on developing Chinami as well. Maybe she’s an exit strategy if the other two girls get too stressful. I think the worst part of the Kouko Banri situation was him admitting he’s just going with Kouko with guilt on is mind. If he resolves that and starts taking her seriously maybe then it wouldn’t seem fake. I’m starting to think they beat up Banri just to keep people from totally hating on him. Nana can check her mail in her shirt because she can punch like that. *nods*

    Breedo
  20. This episode was a case of really bad adaptation, and to be honest it might just be J. C. Staff’s fault that Golden Time is so bad. Take the matsuri scene in this episode. It was a whole load of pans and slow shots which didn’t do a thing to convey the atmosphere of the actual festival. To be fair, the novel doesn’t convey much of an atmosphere either, so we can let J. C. Staff off. But what the novel does do with the matsuri bit is have Ghost Banri narrate through the whole scene, detailing his hatred for Tada Banri and how he’s going to curse him and mess up his summer. This narration is meant to take place during the matsuri dance, with Ghost Banri even joining in the dance himself. But J. C. Staff cuts all this out.

    I’ve only read that matsuri scene (after watching it and being unable to believe that it could be this bad), but I get the feeling that significant portions of Golden Time are in fact narrated by Ghost Banri. The opening prologue is first person, by Ghost Banri; every part that features Tada Banri rather than his ghost is written in third person. He was probably meant to be significant from the start as a symbolic representation of Banri’s past come back to plague him, only that the anime was unable to translate this clearly enough and instead gave us a messed up character who could be a symbol but could also be a plot device.

    I blame J. C. Staff.
    🙁

    Mocha
  21. Ghost Banri needs to get his ass kicked. There better be an episode of confrontation because I know that the Current Banri will lay the smackdown.

    Oh yeah, I LIKED THE EPISODE, THE OP AND ED, AND I LIKE KOUKO AND LINDA. I actually love having my own opinion.

    Needs more Mitsuo though, share the spotlight please.

    Magoiichi
  22. Ok, I can see it now… Real Banri in this episode thought he heard a voice (GB). This will increase over time and eventually, the two of them will have it out as his memories and personalities re-mesh. The kicker would be that when that happens – he wakes up in the hospital and it’s all been a dream…Linda will be there, a heartfelt reunion, and she’ll help him up to go for a walk down the hall. As they do, they pass Koko and Mitsuo taking flowers to someone. Banri and Koko will look at each other quizically, and then pass on. Linda asks if he knows her, he replies that he thought he did, but probably not, and the final episode ends with Linda and Banri walking hand in hand down the hall. Fade to black – followed by screams of anguish from viewers that are so strong, they change weather patterns in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans.

    SmithCB
  23. I wouldnt mind for Koko and banri to end up together if she would have a better personality. It gets really annoying when all she wants was to be with Banri 24/7 and over controlled. I really want Linda and Banri to end up together, but it will never happen. Though I hope she finds someone better or get to be with old banri because she deserved someone better than the new Banri.

  24. What the hell happened to Golden Time coverage? Seriously? Not even a simple announcement that you’re dropping this or just saying your hands are tied at the moment and coverage will be massively delayed?

    A little communication goes a long way.

    Anonymous

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