I have decided to do a series of reviews on good Ecchi. It's a genre which unfortunately has some truly appalling shows. Panty shots, jiggling breasts, and compromising situations are the order of the day in your average Ecchi, and plot is entirely optional. What is even more unfortunate, is that some of them are actually good (even if you're not looking for panty shots and boob jiggles). The first example I'd like to introduce, is Golden Boy...

Golden Boy is an Ecchi/Comedy OVA that tells six short stories involving a young man called Kintaro and some very pretty ladies. He's presented as an overly horny yet hard-working doofus, who redeems himself unexpectedly, and is one of the best characters I've seen in any (animated) comedy. The strange thing is, on paper there's no reason why he should be. In fact the show is filled with most of the tropes you might expect - mainly involving Kintaro getting caught in compromising situations (The guy definitely has a thing for toilets). I'd say what makes him (and the OVA by extension) appealing, is probably the presentation. The ridiculous face animations and voice acting make a powerful contribution, and you're doing yourself a disservice if you don't at least try the English dub because it is A M A Z I N G.

Visually, this anime is exceptional, even if you view it on *ahem* a low quality internet stream. There's some really cool character designs, with the women in particular covering several classic character types. To me, the art style is a little different, although it is still clearly of it's time. It stuck me as a bit more, mature, somewhere inbetween the style of more serious anime, and that of it's Ecchi brethren. It also strikes me as one of those anime made by artists who really knew what they were drawing. Kintaro's bicycle in particular, is really nicely detailed. The only anime I can think of to compare it to, in terms of vehicle detail, is Riding Bean (which you should see, if you haven't already). It doesn't stop there though - anatomy, hair, and clothing all have pretty good attention to detail. You'd think this would be pretty important for an Ecchi, but Golden Boy actually stands out in this aspect.

Overall, Golden Boy is fun and amusing, laced with cringeworthy moments here and there. Be sure to give it a try if you have an interest in the artistic side of anime, or if you just want an easy laugh...or if you want an Ecchi ofc, it is very good at that as well.