"Kintaro Oe, age 25. He withdrew from Tokyo University law school, but only after he had already completed the requirements for graduation. Ever since, he has traveled the highways and byways of Japan, trying out new jobs and positions and learning about life to the fullest. In tip-top physical condition and sparkling mental health, his hobby is studying the world around him. And perhaps someday, he may be destined to save Japan, or even the world! (...or then again, maybe not.)"
— Ending narration for most episodes of the series
Golden Boy is a manga series by Tatsuya Egawa, which was serialized in Super Jump from 1992 to 1997. It was later turned into a six-episode OVA series that was released from 1995 to 1996.
Kintaro Oe, the series' protagonist, is a perverted freeter (low income freelancer) who rides through Japan on his trusty bicycle, looking for his purpose in life. Having left Tokyo University without graduating (while at the top of his class, mind you), he decides to try every job he can to find something he likes. During his travels, he comes in contact with beautiful women whose lives he changes in different ways - and always for the better. However, before that change, he makes rather poor first impressions on them or the people around them due to his perverted traits, Hot-Blooded personality, and general clumsiness. In the end, Kintaro rides off into the sunset, having won new experiences - as well as the respect and sometimes even the hearts of the women he leaves behind.
After the point where the anime leaves off, the manga gets...weird. And it only gets weirder as it goes on, first turning into a hentai and then getting stranger from there to the point where Kintaro becomes so obsessed with a particular girl that he gives up his own life and personality to basically become a copy of her. For fans of the anime it's a serious case of Mood Whiplash, and it doesn't take long for it to stop feeling even remotely like the same character and story.
In 2010, Tatsuya came back with Golden Boy II - Sasurai no Obenkyou Yarou Geinoukai Ooabare-hen, which ran in Business Jump until 2011. As the name implies it's a sequel of the original series, but it remains fairly unknown, in contrast to the original series.
Not to be confused with the live-action series of the same name.
This anime/manga provides examples of
- Accidental Kiss: Kogure's… erm… moment with, unbeknownst to him, Kintaro.
- All Amazons Want Hercules: A non-combat variant, since after Kintaro beats Reiko in a race, she's practically begging for him to screw her brains out.
- Art Evolution: Golden Boy II is this in all aspects, considering it began serialization more than a decade after the original Golden Boy's ending, Egawa really evolved his art style.
- Artistic License – Physics: Used and abused to hilarious effect in Episode 5.
- Art Shift: Played for laughs, particularly with the dozens of facial expressions Kintaro has, which usually happens whenever he experiences something exciting, shocking, or when he's just trying to be dramatic.
- As Himself: The series' creator Tatsuya Egawa voiced himself in episode 6 of the OVA adaptation.
- Back for the Finale: In the last episode of the OVA, all of the girls Kintaro met throughout the series return to help Chie and the animation studio she works at meet a deadline: the computer company from the first episode aids helps make computer animation, Naoko and her friend cover for a voice actress who drops out, Noriko provides meals for the crew, Ayuko provides swimming footage for reference, and Reiko uses her motorbike to quickly deliver film reels.
- Best Her to Bed Her: In Episode 5, Reiko notices that Kintaro wants her and promises to screw him if he beats her in a race. He does, and she chases after him, begging him to screw her!
- Bring It: Once Naoko's father orders his Yakuza to beat Kintaro up over getting close to his daughter, Kintaro shouts at them to go ahead. This ends up impressing the incumbent mayor, post beat-down.
- Calling Your Attacks: "RIGHT HOOOOOOK!!!!!!"
- Cannot Spit It Out: Noriko to Kintaro in Episode 3, but he saves her from her embarrassment.
- The Cameo: Taruruto, from Tatsuya Egawa's previous series, Magical Taruruto-kun makes a small cameo towards the end of the first episode as "the wizard", serving as the office assistant-esque UI in Kintaro's newly built computer software.
- Cargo Ship: In-Universe, Kintaro's toilet fetish. There's also Reiko, who basically masturbates with her motorcycle.
- Casting Gag: Sakiko Tamagawa (Reiko) previously played a biker, except the last time, she was a police officer.
- Catchphrase: "Study!" This goes to Survival Mantra levels during the bike-versus-motorbike race.
- He also loves to mention when things are "very educational".
- Cement Shoes: Apparently, Naoko has a habit of having her father, a powerful politician with connections to the Yakuza, disposing of boyfriends that she gets bored with, with one guy shown being thrown into a lake.
- Cerebus Syndrome: Only in the manga. It starts with the known formula - then at one point, a bizarre techno-sex cult run by a former friend comes up, Kintaro gets relegated to a side character, and the manga gets more and more involved with lengthy and confusing arguments about the ills of society, mind control, etc.
- Chekhov's Armoury: The skills Kintaro learns and the girls he meets in the first five episodes of the anime all help him in the final episode.
- Chekhov's Gun: "I think I'll change these brake pads."
- Colour Failure: In Episode three. After taking part in the "Kogure Special Corkscrew Kiss," he's left grayscale for hours.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Kintaro may act like a hopeless pervert, but is skilled in many fields, including martial arts.
- Deconstruction: What does it say when episode two explicitly shows that the only reason a teenage girl would be willing to use her body to taunt and tease an older man is because she is a desperately bitter and unhappy person looking for ways to lash out at her father?
- Determinator: Kintaro is one of the more extreme examples of this.
- Does Not Like Men: In Episode 5, Reiko claims to have no sexual attraction to men and think they're disgusting overall, having only eyes for her own motorbike. Subverted after Kintaro wins their race. She goes absolutely crazy for him, begging for him to have sex with her!
- Drill Sergeant Nasty: Ayuko Hayami runs her swimming lessons like this and it's only after Kintaro leaves that she finally realizes it's not the ideal way to teach children how to swim.
- Dominatrix: How Kintaro's imagination normally portrays his more mature love interests, particularly Madame President and Ayuko.
- Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: A bit downplayed, but the dynamic between Kintaro and Naoko plays out like this in the second episode. She sexually harasses Kintaro by undressing in front of him for the sake of making him uncomfortable. The second time she sees him, Naoko feigns getting lightheaded and falls over, deliberately positioning herself so her breasts will land into Kintaro's hands. She then moves his hand over her ass. While the scenes are initially played for awkward comedy due to Kintaro's perverted tendencies, the episode subtly demonstrates this isn't okay because of what a bitter, manipulative girl Naoko is and the realization Kintaro figured out what she was doing and didn't say anything because he pities her. It's finally averted fully when Naoko cuts up her clothes and makes it look like Kintaro assaulted her; Kintaro exclaiming he loves Naoko and letting her dad's men beat him up causes her to suffer an extreme My God, What Have I Done? reaction and beg for Kintaro's forgiveness over the horrible way she treated him.
- Expy: At least in terms of design and her motorcycle hobby, Reiko Terayama is one to Mari Ooaya
from Tatsuya Egawa's previous series, Magical Taruruto-kun.
- Friend to All Children: Kintaro is great with kids. Encouraging fun ways for them to learn when he's placed into care of them at the swimming school in episode 4.
- Genius Ditz: Kintaro always acts like an idiot for most of the episode, before amazing the woman he was chasing (as well as the audience).
- Gondor Calls for Aid: The final episode.
- Gratuitous English: Madame President speaking to the company's American client in the original Japanese release. "Prease don't wurry, our company has never bloken a delibury date!" and "I will contactyou again, next week. Bye!"
- Hard Work Hardly Works: An enormous subversion. Kintaro starts off not knowing much about the jobs he takes, but then ends up mastering them through training and application.
- Heel Realization: Happens to some degree with almost anyone who meets Kintaro.
- Helmets Are Hardly Heroic: Reiko doesn't use a helmet during her race with Kintaro, most likely because her facial expressions would be more difficult to portray if she wore one. Still, it's not only uncomfortable to race at high speeds without any protection for the eyes, but it goes without saying that it's insanely dangerous.
- Hypocritical Humor: "...I know how badly you wanna see inside this thin layer of cloth, Kintaro, I can see it in your eyes! you really wanna touch me so badly don't you?! Your hands are saying that in the way that they shake! YOU WANNA TEAR OFF MY CLOTHES AND (gets increasingly explicit)*gasp*...what a typical man, always thinking about sex..."
- The Immodest Orgasm: Reiko using her motorcycle to get off.
- Indulgent Fantasy Segue: Madame President's reaction to Kintaro shutting off her computer went considerably better in his head.
- The Ingenue: Noriko, while it's hinted that Kintaro has a small crush on her because of her politeness and kind heart, she's one of the few women that Kintaro doesn't completely perve over. However, she becomes the target of Kogure which drives Kintaro to risk his own life to protect her.
- Jerkass: Kogure. Not only does he orchestrate the accident that puts Noriko's father in the hospital, he plans to marry and divorce Noriko, who's already a timid girl, in order to convert the noodle shop to a sleazy bar and expand from there.
- Large Ham:
- Kintaro. "Life is STUDDDYYYY!"
- Tatsuya Egawa and the director in Episode 6, as well.Egawa: But you better make this gripping! I WANNA GRAB THE AUDIENCE BY THE BALLS!!
Director: I'LL GRAB 'EM AND SQUEEZE SO HARD, THEY WON'T BE ABLE TO SIT DOWN FOR A YEAR!
- The Lost Lenore: In the manga Yoko Morimura is Kintaro's. She died during the summer of Kintaro's 3rd year in college. Leading him to drop out and begin his travels. Her death is his saddest memory.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: Kintaro. And how.
- Made of Iron: Kintaro, most notably in episodes 2 and 5.
- Meta: The last episode of the OAV centers on an animation studio working for Tatsuya Egawa.
- Mind Screw: "if only my hand was my penis"
- My God, What Have I Done?: Naoko reacts this way when Kintaro doesn't beg her dad's forgiveness and shockingly exclaims he loves her, rather than say Naoko cut up her clothes herself and is lying. Seeing Kintaro lie for her and get the shit beaten out of him makes her realize Kintaro does care about her, and causes her to break down in tears begging his forgiveness for her behavior.
- New Job as the Plot Demands: Kintaro always has a different job in a new story, though he is a Jack of All Trades so it helps explain a bit.
- No Fourth Wall: When Kintaro gets fired in the fifth episode, he yells, "You can't do this! We haven't even developed the subplot yet!"
- Obfuscating Stupidity: The basic premise of the series is that even though Kintaro might seem like a real dumbass at first glance, he's actually incredibly smart and athletic.
- After accidentally deleting a company's software for a client in Episode 1, he makes another (and better) version in under a week. He also prepared for his job at the company by teaching himself basic programming with a paper keyboard.
- In the second episode, he becomes enamored with Naoko, a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing teenage daughter of a local politician who has a habit of acting sweet and intimate around men but just enjoys playing with them. However, when she steals Kintaro's notebook, the following night she discovers from his notes that Kintaro saw right through her from the start. He considered her teasing amateurish and felt she's really a very sad and bitter young girl who might be lashing out due to Daddy Issues.
- In Episode 3, he effortlessly kicks the crap out of a local Yakuza who had beaten him up earlier in the episode.
- After less than a month of lessons, he almost beats the head swimming instructor in a race in Episode 4.
- He beats a woman on a motorcycle with his pedal bike in Episode 5.
- Oh, Crap!: Kintaro, in episode 1, with a matching facial expression.
- Pretty in Mink: Has a run in with a lady wearing a white fox fur coat. Kintaro doesn't go after her because he's busy trying to win another girl.
- Running Gag: Kintaro hugging a toilet bowl when imagining that a beautiful woman sat on it. During his fantasizing, said woman will surprise him. Hilarity ensues.
- Hilariously averted in the last episode when Kintaro is interrupted by his male boss rather than the original woman; let's just say the use of a butcher knife is involved.
- Shameless Self-Promoter: From episode 6:Kintaro: What?! The ultra-popular, best-selling author of Golden Girl that's featured in the Weekly Comic Bungee Jump who can draw erotic illustrations better than anyone else and is the richest person alive and is really slick and handsome?! That Tatsuya Egawa?!
- Shout-Out: Combined with Title Drop in Episode 6.Boss: Kintaro! That golden boy is our only hope!Kintaro: NO! There is another!
- The So-Called Coward: Kintaro is beaten up several times without fighting back - except for once, where he wins handily.
- Stripperiffic: Especially notable with the outfits of the woman in the first episode of the anime. And she's the boss of a successful software company.
- Villainous Breakdown: Naoko has one when she reads Kintaro's notes and finds out what he really thinks of her.Naoko: "She looks shy on the surface, or is she pretending? She thinks she's very bold by playing the tease by taunting me in her amateurish fashion, but in truth she's really a very sad girl. Is it some sort of father complex? Is she seeking revenge on her father? I shall help her with my love?!" Holy SHIT, he saw right through me! He's a better actor then I was! I was the one dancing in the palm of HIS hand! Every time I stripped, every time I touched! And even said I have a father complex! Kintaro, you BASTARD! I'll never forgive you! AND MORE THAN THAT, I WILL MAKE! YOU! PAY!
- Wholesome Crossdresser: Kintaro spends most of volumes 4 and 5 of the manga pretending to be a 17-year-old highschool girl. Earning the love of many men and women.
- Yamato Nadeshiko: Reiko is a subversion, given her secret love of riding motorcycles and getting off on them, while doing her level best to embody all of the trappings of this trope in public and around her household.
- You Got Guts: What Naoko's Father thinks of Kintaro's unapologetic attitude after his No-Holds-Barred Beatdown
