Synopsis

After a devastating accident, Banri Tada wakes up with no memory of who he used to be. His entire past, friends, hometown, feelings, just gone. So he does the only thing that makes sense: starts over at a law school in Tokyo, hoping a new city means a new life. Things are going fine until Kouko Kaga shows up. She's gorgeous, intense, and completely obsessed with Banri's new friend Mitsuo, who she's been planning to marry since childhood. Mitsuo wants nothing to do with her. Banri gets caught in the middle, and from there, relationships start shifting in ways none of them expected. What makes Golden Time stand out is the setting. This isn't high school romance, it's college. Characters go to parties, join clubs, deal with adult emotions, and actually talk about their problems (sometimes). Banri's amnesia isn't just a gimmick either. The show uses it to dig into questions about identity, whether you're the same person without your memories, and what happens when your past self and present self want different things. It gets genuinely emotional without being manipulative about it. If you liked Toradora, this is from the same author, but more mature in tone. Fans of Clannad or White Album 2 will also find familiar ground here, messy love polygons, real stakes, and characters who feel like actual people making actual mistakes. 24 episodes, and J.C.Staff handles it well.