Golden Boy 🏊‍♂️

140; 12023 H.E.

I wanted to write a small post of appreciation for this great show, Golden Boy. A man completes all required university course credits for a Law degree; instead of graduating as anyone in the ordinary sense would—Kintaro travels across Japan, working odd jobs—all to pursue knowledge and learn everything a book won’t tell you. A student of life.

There is so much I would like to say; however, due to the short nature of this OVA (only 6 ~20min episodes) and its contained story—I’ll be succinct. Golden Boy is inspirational in showing you there is probably much more to life than we think there is. There is never a point where you should ever just stop being curious about everything around you.

Of course, you are “cool” and “jaded”. Surprise. Aren’t we all? Cynicism and a feeling of “I’ve seen life” follows us all, and the fact you succumbed to it shows nothing noble of your character. Do not deny those negative feelings either. They don’t want to be with you as much as you don’t want to be with them. Fear, jadedness, and apathy are all-natural, but it is our responsibility and duty to not let those lowly sensations dictate our life or drain us of energy. Accept them as if you are telling them, “You can tag along, but I have other things to do today.”

Golden Boy capitalizes on that big time with Kintaro. The protagonist isn’t a freezer because he isn’t “smart” or “ambitious” enough to get educated, trained, or employed somewhere. He cleared all Law degree requirements (with his integrity), and the stories he’s in prove otherwise. Kintaro is an incredibly resourceful and intelligent individual. Instead, he took upon an adventure I would call myself too much of a coward to probably ever embark on.

Exploring the different walks of life, getting to know people with all sorts of diverse backgrounds, and, if ever so shortly, becoming a part of their lives—every time almost as if by some miraculous accident, helping them to overcome challenges they’re faced with. While at that, Kintaro faces challenges with skills and life lessons he picked up in his ventures. Be it working in a women-only software company, udon shop, swimming pool, and more.
^{(I should mention, we all can and should do this)}

The ambiance of the OVA stuck with me because it touched something I have been consciously worried about—I don’t get to see people as often as I wish. Maybe I’m over-brewing in some parts. At least in my area, I wish there were more of a diversity of people to learn about and interact with. Of course, the show has more of an idealized presentation of being a “free spirit,” especially when compared to modern tendencies of loneliness, social media dividing rather than uniting, and much more.

Day-dreaming about getting out there, pushing yourself into new opportunities to learn, fail, and succeed while also experiencing life from all kinds of unique perspectives is far from new. At the very least, it would be good to remind ourselves how to hold onto that sensation and pure emotion such that our thoughts created by them stay authentic and genuine to who we are. Go, watch Golden Boy (apparently free on Internet Archive) and see if there is something in it for you.

Oh, and btw, the show is very suggestive. ◼︎