Golden Time: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Golden Time: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

A worthwhile release from Sentai Filmworks.

Golden Time is a romantic-comedy anime with enormous heart. The series is produced by Kotaro Sudo (Music Girls, Pop Team Epic), Ryutaro Kawakami (Waiting in the Summer, Maria Holic Alive), and Takaaki Yuasa (Heaven's Memo Pad, Toradora!). Golden Time comes from the acclaimed animation studio J.C. Staff. Created by Yuyuko Takemiya, Golden Time was adapted as an anime in collaboration with Genco and King Records.

Tada (Makoto Furukawa) begins his school year by becoming lost while searching for his school – perhaps unsurprising as he has amnesia and can't seem to remember his past well. Yet Tada finds himself meeting a brand new friend, Mitsuo Yanagisawa (Kaito Ishikawa) while on his journey to attending law school. Thus law school begins.

As the two become friends and fellow students attending the school, Tada soon meets Koko Kaga (Yui Horie), the arranged bride-to-be for Mitsuo. Tada and Mitsuo are in for more than either expected when an unexpected love triangle starts to form. Will Koko remain the bride-to-be?

The series has a nice romantic undertone that makes the slice-of-life element all the more appealing to watch. One of the most appealing things about Golden Time is the series relaxed nature. This is an anime designed for fans of charming storylines and characters. The series doesn't revolve around action sequences or fantasy-elements. It is a nice change of pace from the more common shonen genre productions.

One of the components of Golden Time that makes it so enjoyable is the cast of characters. The characters on the series are compelling leads. Makoto Furukawa makes a solid impression as Tada while Kaito Ishikawa excels as Mitsuo Yanagisawa. Yui Horie delivers a solid voice-acting performance as the charming Koko Kaga as well. The cast members all do good work with their vocal performances and help enhance the character-development of the story.

A journey of romance and friendship.

The animation on Golden Time is beautiful. Simply put, Golden Time is a gorgeous looking series with an outstanding aesthetic. The visual component of the production is exquisite and enchanting to watch. This is a wonderful looking effort. The art direction by Hiroshi Ito (Celestial Method, Date A Live) has creativity and imagination in spades.

The music score composed by Yukari Hashimoto (If Her Flag Breaks, Tada Never Falls in Love) is a delight to listen to. The score adds a sense of magic to the production. There is a breezy air to these compositions. The music helps add something special to the production. Hashimoto did a solid job. Everything clicks in to place.

The cinematography by Yutaka Kurosawa (Ai Yori Aoshi, Dream Eater Merry) doesn't fail to impress, either. The series has a fantastic color scheme and looks lush throughout the production. The colors amaze with a sense of majesty on display. There is so much to appreciate – and to absorb. This is bright, sunny, and fun animation.

The character designs for the production were effective as well. The original character designs by Eeji Komatsu (Maburaho, Tristia of the Deep Blue Sea) fit the concept well. The character designs for the anime were completed by Shinya Hasegawa (Revolutionary Girl Utena, The Melody of Oblivion). A fantastic group of characters – brought to life by the well-illustrated designs. The designs fit each character nicely.

One of the greatest assets of Golden Time is the screenwriting. The series is penned by Fumihiko Shimo (Diary of Our Days at the Breakwater, Kokoro Connect). The romantic storyline is quite essential to the filmmaking fundamentals. The storytelling is evocative and compelling. Anime enthusiasts with an appreciation for the quiet wonders of storytelling will appreciate the subtle, romantic, and engaging charms of Golden Time.

Directed by Chiaki Kon (Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal, Junjo Romantica), Golden Time is effectively brought-to- life by Kon. The filmmaking has a delicate sensibility behind it that is fun. Wondrous. Golden Time is a well-produced series with great animation and directing. Audiences looking for a nice series with a heart of wonder will appreciate this romantic gem.

Golden Time: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Golden Time is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. Golden Time is a beautiful looking animated series and the animation is brought to life vividly by the quality encoding from distributor Sentai Filmworks.

The animation looks crisp, clear, and engaging on the release. The line art is well defined. Colors have impressive "pop" on display. There is a lot worth appreciating in the presentation – encoding is tight and clean. The release doesn't have significant banding problems or other similar issues on display.

Golden Time: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless, high-resolution audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The high-resolution audio sounds crisp and clear on the release. Dialogue sounds terrific – and the release is enticingly well-encoded. An excellent effort by Sentai Filmworks.

Golden Time: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening/Ending Animations:

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 3:04)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 3:04)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Bloom Into You (HD, 00:54), Haikyu!! 3^rd Season (HD, 1:34), Tsurune (HD, 1:33), and My Teen Romantic Comedy – SNAFU (HD, 1:32).

Golden Time: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Golden Time is a wonderful slice-of-life anime series. The production has outstanding animation – including effective character- designs. The music score by Yukari Hashimoto (If Her Flag Breaks, Tada Never Falls in Love) is a delight as well. Fans of quiet and laidback anime series will appreciate the enjoyable ride. The Blu-ray release only provides a small selection of supplemental features but manages to impress with a quality video-audio presentation. Recommended.