Well…didn’t see that coming. I did see the overall ending coming, just that I kind of expected it to go a bit differently…and with less weirdness. It’s kind of like the roller coaster ride that has amazing loops and speed and then just kind of ends with a small loop. I mean it’s still a good coaster and you are alive, but it’s not quite the ending you thought you’d get. It really is difficult to say how I feel about the last episode since it is the ending for a series and you have to judge it on that basis as well.

Ok now if anyone has an explanation for what the heck happened on that bridge I’d love to hear it. I haven’t seen something that made so little sense since the original ending to Evangelion. Banri runs onto the bridge and enters the twilight zone or something. It’s like every memory of himself got splattered all over that bridge. Heck we got to see Ghost Banri again….yay. Plus was Kouko on that bridge the whole time and just not involved in this weird supernatural event?

I’d like to say the whole bridge thing was symbolic…but that’s not even possible. I mean we saw Linda run in there and hug Ghost Banri. I mean…what!? Does this make any sense to anyone? So maybe Linda got her chance to confess to the Banri she had been in love with and that Banri was happy with that and could move on in peace…maybe. Then Linda runs off because you know it’s all “yes” for her right now.

Honestly with Linda I was kind of hoping that she’d just go and hook up with the club president for the festival club. I mean, really it doesn’t seem like a bad pairing. Certainly some things in common and really he seems more stable than some one like say Mitsuo. And really I was kind of still believing that things were going to work out for Mitsuo and Chinami. Just seems too bad that things never worked out there despite the fact that there was mutual feelings to be had. Just a disappointing conclusion that she’s the one who ends up alone here.

Sometimes things work out

But let’s move on to Banri and Kouko since this is their series after all. Kinda say I didn’t really expect the mirrors to be the big turning point here. It’s funny since I totally called them using the DVD, I just expected that would be what would turn things. I get timing it with meeting Kouko on the bridge might have been tricky, but wouldn’t that have made more sense? A last message from old Banri kick-starting current Banri’s memories and creating some sort of fusion. I mean it’s fine that something was the key, I just think it would have been better to make the video the big focus. Not something that they’d oddly watch after. Isn’t that a bit weird anyways? Is this a fusion Banri? Is this the Banri we’ve known? I’m not really sure to be honest.

In the end though and past all the silliness, the reunion scene I thought was good. Really it was just nice to have Banri call out to Kouko and for them finally to get their happy ending. The scene had good energy and was just a positive moment. After all the craziness they finally are together and seemingly for good this time. Everything that Kouko has been holding back she could finally just release. This time Banri was in a state that he could chase after her and this time things weren’t interrupted. Pretty much putting together their mutual proposal and giving Kouko her ring. It was quite the trip to get to this point but they finally made it. We got everything that Kouko had been thinking to this point and why she did all she did.

And in the end it’s all thanks to 2D-kun. That guy really was the hero for this group, the one who cared about their friendships the most and fought the hardest to make it all happen. I just love how that guy went so far to try and get Kouko to make a move. He knew that she was the one person who could get Banri back and therefore made his focus there. Still, there was nothing more hilarious than Kouko and 2D-kun literally butting heads. It was great seeing them both fired up and 2D-kun pointing out that this is Kouko we’re talking about. It doesn’t matter if a guy moves to the other side of the world or loses his memories, she’ll chase him down no matter what. No point to hold back at a time like this.

It certainly was fitting to end this thing with the first OP’s music. Though I wonder if it’s too much Golden Time for one episode XD? I mean a song called Golden Time, in an episode called Golden Time, in a series called Golden Time….we might be breaking some sort of laws of the universe in this case

In the end it wasn’t the worst possible way to end the series. But really this was a very odd choice for how to wrap things up. I kind of wish they’d gone with my original prediction honestly. Quickly have Banri lose his memories after Kouko dumps him. Then spend an episode with everyone reacting and getting Kouko moving again. Then you can spend a couple episodes getting Banri back and wrapping things up.

I could probably have done without the twilight zone bridge and somewhat forcefully hinting at Mitsuo and Linda being a thing, which I still think is an odd pairing. But regardless…the episode did do some things I liked. Banri is back in some form, Kouko is back to her usual self, and they both did end up together. No crazy tragic ending here. And with that I can at least walk away from this series in a positive mood. It could have been better, but at least it wasn’t a trainwreck.

I certainly will miss Golden Time. It was an up and down series with the emotional roller coaster, but I still enjoyed it. I found Kouko and Banri an interesting pair and think the series was at its best when it just kept its focus on their relationship. There are things I would have liked to see go differently, but I’ll take what we got.

Final Thoughts:

This really was one heck of a trip though. From the start it had some decent impact with Kouko smacking Mitsuo with the roses and seeing Banri’s interest in her. It built up quickly towards that relationship being formed and then it was just insanity as we saw the trials these two had to go through. Banri and Kouko had their personal problems and dangerous situations that came up. That car accident was a major event for them and something that eventually helped forge a stronger bond between them.

I thought Kouko was a purely fun character. She was always in the action and always doing something dramatic. It was nice having someone who was just pure emotion driving things forward. As a whole I thought Banri was a good guy, but it depends which Banri we’re talking about. I think they could have done without so much craziness around his memory. I get it was a perfect way to create a legitimate crisis, but come on guys. It felt really arbitrary and random when Banri started to go and don’t get me started on Ghost Banri. That just didn’t need to happen.

Honestly I think the one problem I had was the series struggling to create problems. They created a ghost in order to give Banri some relationship troubles, pulled the reset button for the sake of drama, etc. Not that I don’t think playing with Banri’s memories could have been interesting. Really for a character with amnesia that’s probably the expected final struggle. I just think they could have avoided some trouble by creating different dilemmas. I mean these are people in a University setting. Plenty you can do with young adults out on their own.

Overall though I did enjoy this show. It had me on the edge of my seat at times, uneasy about what was going to happen next. Some episodes were tough to get through because I was invested in what was happening. I am a bit sad to see this series go, but I’m also ready to let it be. Well after I write a review of course XD. Golden Time didn’t end up the great series I think it could have been, but had its moments.
Score: B+