Reviews for Hikaru no Go

How on earth could anyone make a 75 episode anime about a school kid playing a 3000 year old board game? Surely there must be a lot of filler episodes. Those were my initial thoughts but Hikaru No Go had a great rating on Animenfo and I decided to start watching it. The first thing to do is to collect the entire series of 75 episodes, the special and the Journey to Hokuta Cup before you start. One of the most amazing things about Hikaru No Go is it's ability to capture the viewer from the get go, once you start watching, it's like you don'twant to stop. Every episode except for Story Arc endings is a mini-cliffhanger motivating you to start the next episode. This perfection of editing and pacing has not been achieved by many other anime.

The story centers around Shindou Hikaru, a 12 year old school boy. He's just had his allowance cut and was in the midst of rummaging through his grandfather's garage looking for something to sell for money when he picks up a "Go" board inhabited by the ghost of Fujiwara No Sai, a genius Go player from the Heian dynasty. Sai has unfinished business in this world, he wants to achive "The Divine Hand or Hand of God" in go. He possesses then haunts Hikaru ~ all he wants to do is play Go.

Initially Hikaru lets Sai play by moving the stones for him but he starts to fall in love with the game and starts playing himself. The series is a coming-of-age, maturing of new talent, exposure to the competitive world of Go and the beauty of the game. There's a nice large cast of supporting characters, all of which are fascinating in their own right.

The soundtrack is wonderful and fits the scenes well. The animation does have some frame reuse but it's done by the same artist who did Death Note and is good. As the series continues you can physically "see" the characters growing up, they get taller and their faces change.

One of the reasons Hikaru No Go is such a good anime is because Sai is the best anime character ever created (in my opinion). He's very loveable, smart, funny, honorable AND he's a Go genius.He shows amazing patience with Hikaru's moods and childishness, not just being his friend but also teaching and mentoring him from nothing to greatness at Go. Sai is just one of those characters you'll never forget. He has a big heart.

Having dated a nationally ranked chess player in my wild and mis-spent youth, I was amazed at how faithfully the series captures the world of competitive board game sports ~ rivalry, one-up manship, jealousy, excessive obsession with the game, psychological warfare, pushy teachers, they're all there and exist in real life. Even a person who doesn't play Go can understand it as it is presented in the anime.

The series has many layers of philosophy behind it that escape most people the first time around.

* How great is a person's desire for something?

* Can one live, obsessed with a game and winning?

* To achieve greatness there is always a price one must pay, in time, or friendships sacrificed by oneself or others. How far should one go?

* How should one deal with or live with regrets from one's past actions?

* Do people care about legacy and what should one try to leave behind?

* If a goal seems "unreachable / unattainable" is it still worth pursuing?

On surface the plot seems simple but in reality it's very profound, that's one of the reasons I consider this series a masterpiece. It could easily go on for another 75 episodes and I would want them all. Even after it ended, I was still thinking about it and craving more. I even started playing Go online. The manga sparked a resurgence of interest in Go in Japan, wih some message boards featuring posts by Go professionals stating that they wish they could play against Sai. For an anime to arouse this level of interest is amazing. Hikaru No Go deserves to rank much higher than it does, it is truly a masterpiece.

Hikaru no Go is, in essence, an anime about the world of Go; about the game, the friendships and rivalries that arise in this world, the challenges, obstacles and feelings. This is a lot to actually live up to, and Hikaru no Go most certainly fills its role well. It starts out very simle, in a way you've probably seen before. The main character, Shindou Hikaru, encounters a paranormal apparition by coincidence while stumbling around in his shed, and only he can see it. Said apparition is, in fact, the ghost of a skilled Go player from the past, Fujiwara no Sai. He really wants toplay a game of Go, and as such Hikaru brings him along to a Go salon, where he finds a kid his age which he can play. Since only Hikaru sees Sai, Hikaru must play the pieces for him. Of course, fate throws a twist by letting the opponent be a prodigy almost strong enough to become a professional Go player. Sai, skilled as he is, beats this kid, Touya Akira, to a pulp. From here, a wild goose chase after the illusion of Hikaru starts. Sai of coruse manages to get Hikaru into the game, and he eventually chases after Akira. As such we have Hikaru chasing after Akira, who again is chasing what he thinks is Hikaru. Voilá, the stage is set for an intense anime full of emotions, drama and, of course, Go.

The plot from there is, for the most part, what I said above. Through tournaments, encounters at Go salons, school Go clubs, Inseis (aspiring professionals), and eventually the professional world of Go, we see these two chase after each other, and what remains in their wake. Quite honestly, the plot is very barebones, but that is completely irrelevant, because Hikaru no Go is in each and every way a character-driven series, which makes it in many ways more riveting and inspring than a plot-driven series.

And characters, we lack not. Aside the intense, heart-throbbing rivalry that develops between Akira and Hikaru, there are bucketloads of interesting side characters, who range from Go club members to hardened professionals who gaze as these two young players lead on a new wave of young and skilled Go players. Mostly everyone gets an acceptable amount of development, for example the challengers; why they play and what's at stake for them are usually revealed in a gripping way - I surely don't think I've ever rooted for ten characters when all of them posed as adversaries to the main character. The professionals and newspaper people's reaction to these up-and-coming kids, it all seems so real you kind of experience their surprise and excitement at this.

But of course, I can't get lost in the characters only; even though the characters are so good it's easy to forget the artistic qualities of the show, one must not at all forget the music and animation, which both play an impressive behind-the-scenes role in making this series what it is.

Let me ask you one question: When you were a teen, or if you're one now, have you ever looked at a picture from when you were two-three years younger? If so, the reaction "Holy mother of love, did I look *that* young?" is probably a familiar one. And when you watch this series, you'll probably end up thinking the same. For this is indeed a coming-of-age anime, following Akira and Hikaru from sixth grade through ninth grade, or three years. Their growth, while seen mostly in their Go playing and their personalities, is also very much reflected in the animation. Towards the end of the series, I asked myself: "Did they always look like that?". When they showed us flashbacks to the beginning, I realized, they did not. While you can recognize them, it is actually impressively easy to spot that they were different. Their faces, so much more child-like, and their stature lower. Much lower. I commend Pierrot for doing such a great job of reflecting their growth physically, too. It was so smooth that I couldn't say from one episode to another that, "hey, he looks older!", but on an overall basis, by skipping, say, twenty or so episodes at a time, I see that they gradually change.

Apart from that, the animators did an outstanding job. The next thing on the list is probably how they made the Go matches very interesting to watch. Just pain watching the stones being placed could've been very deterring, at least in the beginning. So instead they throw in a heap of special effects; lights, shadows, camera angles, intense effects when placing stones, even changing the background to make the game more in the center of attention, or even make a symbolic scape, for example the universe itself, symbolizing the "world" that is the Go board, and even the so-called Divine Move.

In general, Pierrot did an awesome job of making the show pretty to look at. Now, even in 2002 you had better-looking series, but it does not change the fact that it looks really nice. And they improve as they go on. It looks only mediocre in the first episode compared to the final episode. Among the stronger points I can mention clothes, backgrounds and effects when playing Go. The weaker parts are a bit annoying, but are mostly fixed upon as they go along, creating a most aesthetically enjoyable series. One problem is faces, which look a bit weird - at times some details are a bit misplaced -, but they do a nice job of expressiions, while not going overboard with them either, keeping a fairly serious tone. And later on, when I saw the sheer intensity in their eyes, I just thought "whoa!" and had to let a drop of sweat run down my cheek. The other problem is that sometimes when they placed stones on the board, the perspective was done entirely wrong, when the rest of the stones already there looked real nice. This, too, improved very much as the series went on, and in the latter stages I noticed very litte to none of this problem.

And now, the soundtrack, which was done quite nicely. No, that's an understatement. It was inspiring and evocative, all the while not taking over the series, doing a nice job behind the scenes to build up and strengthen the emotional impacts of the show. The intense feelings of the games, the sad feelings that happened occasionally between characters, it was all done with music that reinforced those feelings and made it enjoyable to the point where I felt this tingling feeling in my stomach. The opening and ending themes are quite nice, too. The first opening, "Get Over" by Dream, especially; its synth-pop rythms and lyrics are very inspiring, but it doesn't completely outmatch the others; they were all very strong candidates for favoritism and defnitely a worthwhile watch. Not to mention the final ending theme, which is a ten-minute half-instrumental, half-original mix of Get Over. That was a masterful piece of music.

All in all, Hikaru no Go provides sufficient character-driven, intense and emotional entertainment, which most people would find interesting. And don't let the pretense of a baord game like Go deter you from watching; it is hhgly enjoyable, and though I didn't really care for the Go, it remained interesting throughout the whole series. And the more enjoyable aspects of the show will definitely overshadow it if it comes to that. And for new and seasoned Go players alike, this is a very interesting ashow to watch!

An anime about a grade school boy playing a board game. Sounds intense, huh? *cough* That's what I thought when I first heard about Hikaru no Go. But how about something like this: A young boy is introduced to a board game unchanged through nearly three millenia by the spirit of a top player still yearning to complete what is called the "Hand of God." But then again, everything sounds good when you throw in big words. Hikaru no Go is essencially the story of Shindou Hikaru as he is inhabited by Fujiwara no Sai - a genius go player from the Heian Period. As Hikaru isinducted into the world of Go as Sai's 'hands,' he sees for himself that an entire world built on the base of a board game exists almost secluded from reality.

As he watches Sai play, Hikaru develops a want to play himself. What makes this story reach out towards you is that not only do you watch on as Hikaru's will to play increases, but you yourself also want to play.

At times you'll be watching two players put down stones while dramatic music plays in the background. To an outsider, this may seem a bit odd and lame but when you truly watch it, everything feels correct. Hikaru no Go is not just the story of Shindou playing a game. Throughout the anime, Hikaru matures eventually realizing that the world of Go isn't just built on a game but the emotions -for the game- each player possess.

The animation proves to hold very consistent through the entire anime, peaking towards the end as Hikaru becomes older. There isn't much flash or bang to each episode but there's always a well done scene when needed.

Too many openings and endings to count. There'll be at least one that you enjoy - not to mention the OST is half decent, with a few tracks standing out (Honda vs. Izumi!).

You'll be introduced to a huge cast with only a handfull being quite important to the plot and even then a smaller handfull remaining important to the plot after their 5 seconds.

If you're interested in a story about a young boy pushing through the world as he experiences that you can't always do what you want and make the best situation of things, check out Hikaru no Go.

I will begin by saying that do not let the length of this anime turn you off. Although watching 75 episodes is not an easy job for any given anime, I cannot once remember the act of watching Hikaru no Go being a pain. In fact, every single episode was a pleasure to watch and the entire experience was nothing less than spectacular. I will not go into the plot since there are countless places on the web where you can find the plot outline (including myanimelist lol). This review is therefore strictly to do with the elements that make Hikaru No Go such anawesome anime to watch. For starters, although this anime is about Go, you do not need to have an understanding (or even liking) of this game in order to enjoy it. The driving force of HnG is a combination of excellent character development, brilliant plot, fantastic music, and an overall gripping presence to the show. All you have to do is to watch the first episode of this anime and I will guarantee you that you will crave for the next episode. Yes, it is THIS good. Another noteworthy aspect of this anime is the emotional impact it has towards it's viewers. I found myself laughing, smiling, upset, angry, and almost in tears at specific time points throughout my experience of watching this anime. You will really be putting your emotions through a roller coaster ride, which is quite rare for a lot of other animations. I strongly suggest you all to watch this one. It will not disappoint you.

Story: I know that I mentioned that I will not talk about the storyline but since this is part of the review, I will provide a brief outline. HnG is based on the ancient strategy game called Go (similar to chess or checkers) and it journeys into a student's (Hikaru) self discovery when he begins to play Go under the influence of an ancient ghost called Sai upon being possessed by it. At first, Hikaru is compelled to play Go on behalf of Sai but as he begins to play more and more, he begins to develop a personal liking to the game, especially when faced with a genius rival of the same age (Akira). This leads to his aspiration of becoming the best Go player that he possibly can. 9/10

Art: The art was fantastic and colorful. It complemented the theme of the anime very well and the overall art was generally perfect. I cannot imagine the art being any different to what it was. 10/10

Sound: Another amazing addition to the anime. The sound was simply outstanding, which really leaves an impact on the viewers. Bokura No Bouken (ending theme of the first dozen or so episodes) was breath-taking and gave a lot of character to the anime. The other themes were equally fantastic. 10/10

Character: Each character was portrayed in a realistic way and fortunately there was not a single character who was "over-the-top" or irritating. Unlike naruto for instance, where certain characters are too silly or juvenile, the characters in HnG were unique in their own ways without acting overly stupid. This gave an interesting flow to the anime overall. Even the comical aspects of some characters were extremely well developed. 9/10

Enjoyment: For me personally, Hikaru No Go was extremely fun to watch and I was seriously addicted to this show. After watching the first episode, I just knew that I had to complete this anime asap because it substantially increased my confidence that I would not be wasting my time. The only thing is, I was sad when I finished it and felt this strange void instantly after I watched the final episode. I think it is remarkable that some anime can have that effect on you. It is as if they become a part of you. 9/10

I am quite strict when it comes to scoring anime, so I give this a 9/10 overall. If you have not seen this anime yet, I suggest you add it to your "plan to watch" list. It really is a fantastic show.

So how does one make a 75 episode anime about go, let alone a good anime? Simple, you don’t, instead you make an anime about people that play go. While Hikaru no Go can be classified as a sports anime it does not follow the typical sports anime structure. That structure is characterized by train, fight/play, train, fight/play, etc. One can call Prince of Tennis an anime about tennis and Hajime no Ippo an anime about boxing. However, it would be incorrect to call Hikaru no Go an anime about go. Before I start this review let me justsay one thing. I was once a nationally ranked chess player back in high school so I have first hand experience of many of the things the characters goes through.

Hikaru no Go is 75 episodes long yet it has this uncanny ability to keep the viewer sitting wanting more. I attribute this partly to the seamlessness nature of Hikaru no Go as well as having constant cliffhangers. Virtual every episode ends on some sort of cliffhanger. If I really think about it, I have a very hard time really breaking down the story down into multiple arcs, this only shows how each episode seems to blend with each other. Wait, actually I can, the first arc is over 60+ episodes long though. Around this time the seamless nature breaks down a bit and loses much of its focus but, it does get back on track in the end. However, if one looks objectively the dip in quality spanned around 7-8 episodes, that’s around 10 percent of the entire series. It like saying a 26 episode anime series was bad because of 2-3 weak episodes. So I can forgive Hikaru no Go for its slight dip in quality, especially considering how good the other 90 percent was.

As I said in my introduction, Hikaru no Go is all about the characters. Shindo in particular goes through a lot of change in the 2 years the anime covered. However, the change the characters go through is so gradual and natural that one won’t realized it unless you go back to the first few episodes. Also, as I mentioned in my introduction, Hikaru no Go doesn’t follow a typical sports anime structure. Shindo does lose, and he loses plenty of times. No matter how good one at something, they are bound to lose. This isn’t because one needs to lose to grow. While this is true, sometimes your best isn’t enough. Sometimes no matter how hard you work you’ll still fail, what matters is that you keep going. This is far more realistic than most other sports or shounen anime. Where the protagonist is so perfect they’ll always win or at the very least push a far superior opponent to their limits. For those titles, I often get annoyed and even start to hate the protagonist or at the very least get bored by its predicable nature. Shindo on the other hand is far more human and likable when compared to other sports/shounen anime leads. Also, I can’t forget about the other characters. Sai in particular is a lovable character, with plenty of depth and complexity to compliment his fun nature. Ok, I’ll stop now, because if I don’t I’ll probably keep going on and on about how awesome a character Sai is. In fact, most if not all the characters are likable to some degree. I find it really hard to not like or at least understand anyone as they do a good job fleshing the characters out.

Music is another one of Hikaru no Go’s high points. The many pieces they use really bring out the intensity of some of the games as well as accent some of the more emotional scenes. In addition, I’m fond of most of the OP and ED, in particular “Get Over” by Dream.

As for the art I much rather like the style they used (same artist that did Death Note) and I really like the female designs. Too bad there were so few female character. Sighs, oh well I guess its realistic in that sense too. In addition, I really like the fact that the characters actually ages realistically over the course of 2 years, especially considering the fact that they’re going through puberty. However, what makes me really like art is the fact that it was extremely consistent. For something this long one is bound to have some weakly animated episodes, thankfully they didn’t, or at least I don’t remember any. As for the actual animaion, I felt that they got a bit cheap in this regards. Sure Hikaru no Go doesn’t need extremely smooth animation, but it can get annoying when we’re constantly viewing panning shots.

As someone that has played tournament chess, I must say they did an excellent job in portraying the life of a tournament player. If an outsider looks in on me playing a chess match, they’ll probably think its boring. Well chess or go isn’t a spectator sport and its definitely not boring to the people playing. When I’m playing a chess match, I go through a wide spectrum of emotions as well as playing with an extreme amount of intensity. Hikaru no Go perfectly depicts this intensity and the emotions of the player perfectly. In addition, to game play the tournaments as well as the life of a professional player are depicted in a true to life manner.

Hikaru no Go features nearly flawless pacing and strong character development. The flow of the story does get a bit weak in the mid 60’s but that’s only 10 percent of the entire series. Furthermore, the characters are realistic and extremely likable. Music is used to great effect as well as featuring some very nice OP and ED songs. Hikaru no Go is not a very deep or complex anime, for the most part its pretty light but, it is nevertheless fun to watch thanks to its very likable cast of characters. Also, make sure you marathon Hikaru no Go as the story structure and light nature lends it to be marathoned.

Sometimes, when you describes a story of manga with “pretty words”, it’s more of an attempt o advertisement than presenting the truth. There are rare times when those words reflect the story to the fullest. The manga of the Hikaru no Go (HnG, for short) opening by the fact Yumi Hotta took some plain old board game as the centre of the plot, and used her storytelling skills to get the rest. Extraordinary as those words seems to praise the story HnG presents, amazingly it’s pretty much one of those rare cases that the exact words are presenting the plot and story of HnG. It’s notabout the old Go game, it’s about its story.

Strange as it sounds, yes, the Go game sure is played in the series. Yes, the characters are playing the game. Yes, the dream of the main character is to become the number one player in the Go world. But is it about the Go game itself? Doe people who don’t understand the rules, nor understand why that guy put that black piece on the board and the other were saying “Oh! That move! It’s changed the whole game”, do those people cannot watch this anime? Surprisingly, the answer is Yes. So how the hell is an anime about game can be possibly enjoyed, if It’s not even about that game? The answer is what I said before - Yumi Hotta, the mangaka of HnG, truly is masterpiece at storytelling, and that’s where the the anime succeeding at. Not at action based games and such, but pure storytelling that it’s sucking you into the story right in the minute you start watching it. Words like “rollercoaster of emotions” are pretty words. HnG will make you regret you ever started watching, because from the first minute ‘till that last episode, you won’t wanna stop watching it for anything else. It will addict you to the deep bone of your soul. So if you really wants to watch HnG, make sure you are on vacation of week and/or so.

Story & Character

As strangely as it is, yeah, the main character is, surprise, Hikaru. One day he’s going to search merchandise to sell at the attic of his grandfather. What he doesn’t know, that in the next few minutes he’s going to change his life from ordinary one, to anime on. Specifically on the Fantasy genre. He finds a hunted Go board by an evil spirit, that had been banished from this world in accusation of cheating in Go game and by doing so he were drowning himself so he could hunt people to make them play Go, and when those people won’t hear, he makes them vomit, so they have no choice but to get stick to this horrible plain boring old game, ’till they get sick, and then the ghost will hunt the Go board again, ‘till the next worthy victim will appear.

But that would be if Hikaru would get into Seinen anime fantasy, like Breserk. Since he isn’t, the ghost that hunt the Go board is a nice one, that the only thing he needs in his life is only to play Go. His name his Sai. And yeah, he does make Hikaru vomits, but not because he’s evil, but because Hikaru won’t listen to Sai full of heart request, so Sai’s sadness makes Hikaru get sick. Oh, and Sai hasn’t cheated, his tactless but honest behaviour is what made him banished from his lord too many years ago.

So in the end, Hikaru had answered Sai’s pledges and takes him to play that boring board game Go. He finds himself at Go salon, and surprisingly instead playing an old man, he meets some another boring-to-death kid who decided playing Go from some odd reason. His name is important, Akira it’s his name. He decides clearly that Hikaru is innocent not-knowing how to bore himself to death with Go game, so he took him to play with him with the chance that it won’t get hurt to spend the time with some real friend expect the Go board. The most dangerous thing could happen, he thought, is that Hikaru will decide it’s boring to death game and he will never return by the power of his (Akira’s) great power in Go.

What he doesn’t know though, that Hikaru had made a contract already with a legendary Go instructor ghost, that Hikaru himself doesn’t even know that yet, and he whispers the moves to his ears. And by those he wins that clueless child Akira, that doesn’t know his soul where that kid come from and where he absorbs masterpieces skills at Go, when it was only his first game at this bore-to-death-game. And by that he decides to chase Hikaru, interrogates him with his intense methods, and extract the secrets that makes him invincible.

Just joking, we are in Shounen anime after all, and like Naruto chases Sasuke, Ash trying to be Pokemon Master, and such, Akira is setting his foot to chase Hikaru. As Hikaru himself learning how to be shut-down kid like Akira, and studying the great quality of the boring-to-death game known as Go.

Though I used lots of graphic sentences and words, to be honest, the so-bored-to-death Go game, isn’t so boring in HnG at all. In fact, Pierrot adding a lot to the manga game that is already so good, with some changes from the original manga to improve the already good story. That doesn’t mean they are cutting stuff out, only changing the events of things to make the story with more impact.

As I said before, the story is sucking you to it from the first minute. The Go game itself might be “boring to death” in real life, but the way the anime is presenting the storyline, you won’t even know what they playing. You will see the characters putting stones and getting astounded by each other skills and such, and though you won’t understand, you still will be glued to the screen. Because as I said, the storytelling is so good, together with steady character growing development.

Yes, you will love Hikaru the more he grown on the game. It’s not called Hikaru no Go for nothing. The story isn’t growing Hikaru for nothing. It’s not the Go skills he’s achieving but more the maturity the more he’s getting stronger. Yes, he might be annoying from time to time, and though to get more mature the more he grows, he still is a kid.

For that are we have Sai. Though he’s the most not-effecting character in the whole 70 and so episodes on the “materialised” world, he’s serving the mentor Hikaru needs to survive the harsh world of go. And by thus he’s balancing gratefully the immaturity of Hikaru with his own maturity.

Akira, on the other hand, honestly and though some might love his character, never liked him in any way. Yes, he has good determination. And yes he might have good qualities of his own. Never the less, he’s crossing too much bonds with his fanatic Hikaru “addiction”. At some point he’s get over that addiction. The problem is that he’s getting back to it at some point. Conclusion: when you trying to recover from addiction, don’t stop drinking Cola (I used much strong word for this, but to prevent misleading I corrected it to Cola addiction. Yes, the one I had myself), but go to rehabilitation centre. But since it’s serving the plot so well because Hikaru and Akira chase are inevitable from the beginning of the story, and needed to serve the main anime plot (as I will continue to say soon), Yumi Hotta doesn’t send him there.

On Hikaru, on the other hand, the chase after Akira is making him stronger. The mere chase after Akira is what makes the plot twisting around to plots that you will be surprising seeing in game anime. Hikaru chasing after Akira is what makes him grow. It’s not addiction or disease, such as Akira has, but more of the great target of the main character. And though to be ordinary shounen one, Yumi storytelling makes it’s very interesting and unique. And again, it’s not pretty words, it’s what makes HnG special.

There’s a lot of characters, a LOT of, a TON of (well, not as much as LotGH as lol). HnG doesn’t stop being some randomly odd setting with the primary characters as much as other game or sport anime. There’s sure are following characters from the start ‘till the end. But HnG is breathing its exciting and interesting plot ideas from the mere facts of new characters, with interesting and variety of personalities. Though to have some hit and miss here and there, Yumi Hotta knows fine how to be the puppet master, and use those hit or miss for the favour of the story.

For that point I will repeat again and say - HnG strength isn’t in the Go gaming, but the storytelling. And as I said, the characters are the main meal for the plot. And when you think it’s time for deserts - Yumi smartly using a new plot lead or character to drive the next arc. So yeah, there’s no real deserts. Only a meal you will never want to stop to eat.

So yeah, talking about the whole cast of characters will be pain. So I find myself to write only the main ones. Those who wants to enjoy and experience the full details of great writing characters, will skip this review and go to watch the anime.

No wait, I didn’t waste my time to write this so you can go away. Hear me out ‘till the end please. It’s going to be long journey ahead in this review and we only at the half of it.

Please bear with me.

Back to final note about the characters. My only complain is (except for what I already said), lack of girls. Yeah. Though in general the anime industry is suffering from bad writing in those characters. And if there are good ones, those are mainly the main characters and will mostly surpass even the male characters. Yumi Hotta knows fine how to write those. So why is there a lack? There are 2 active girl characters in the story, which are fine by any scale. I very much like Akari’s cuteness and non-selfish personality, with the usual stubborn women characteristics to do good in the world. And there’s also Asumi who has some potential. But both don’t get much screen time to show what they worth of. Though the general complain, Hikaru and Sai are felt pretty much to be the meat of the series. The rest (maybe expect Akira) are feeling more of vessels to direct Hikaru in his grand Go adventure.

And though I have said earlier that Go is boring game. This is only the first impression someone will have the first time he will hear or see about it. On the same manner that if I would have watched baseball in real life I wouldn’t think twice to watch it in anime. But here I was watching the entire Major anime with great pleasure, since anime knows how to make some boring-to-death game very interesting. Though honestly you don’t have to understand the game much the enjoy the series (as I clarified earlier), the mere existence of the Go anime with its great plot will make you wants to try and play game yourself. And as the anime made me do it, I can guarantee that the game itself not less addicting than the anime.

The “study Go” section at the end of each episode, also cheering you to try yourself the game, and realise it’s very smart game.

But if you watching the anime and trying to play the game, don’t be disappointed if you won’t love the game as the anime. After all, anime has always unique stuff that the real world doesn’t have. Fortunately or unfortunately for us.

Here I wanted to make big fuss about fans complain on some part of the anime. But since it contains too much big spoiler, I was afraid even tagging “spoiler” in the review will make people attempted. So I decided to take the easier and shorter route. So even if some of you haven’t watched but run over some word accidentally, it won’t ruin your pleasure from the anime. But I still suggest not reading it.

~Major spoiler ahead~

If you are a fan, you might know the usual complain about the big downhill that occurs in the late episodes of the series. But though I’m agreeing with the downhill I’m not agreeing with the reason. It’s not Hikaru that take the quality of the series with him, but I believe it’s the mere director decision to make it that way.

Those 10 episodes that don’t feel like the rest of the series, is suffering from the moment they decided to use side story. Yes, those side stories are canon. But the director used those to slow down the pace, that even Isumi’s arc after that suffering from some slow pace.

So though overall this arc is the biggest downhill of the series, it’s sure not because of Hikaru. The minute the series get back to it’s fit, though the missing, the quality is back like it used to be. So as I said, the downhill is due the director choices. Both in managing those 10 episodes, and in directing in slow pace the important ones.

~End of spoiler~

As some people might know, or those who aren’t. Hikaru no Go isn’t adapting the whole manga. And those who might read this and say “SO WTH DID I READ ALL THIS? TO READ INCOMPLETE ANIME?” Hear me out.

True that, there might be some official excuse for Pierrot finishing HnG in the form of “the anime got close to the manga” reasons. But as a fan that loves how its end, and also read the manga. Not from the point the anime ended but from the mere start. I believe the end of the anime is great by it’s own due two main reasons.

1. Like some other unfinished adaption. Like HxH2011. The anime is ending at ending point event. Though the story heavily hinted for some futuristic event, the main anime end have its own event, that can be connected from the start of the anime to finish. And it’s lucky that this event is canon and not anime made unlike unfinished adaptions. So, like in HxH2011, though there’s more ahead, the end still felt end-like, HnG is the same. And the anime not even trying to do something of its own “ending”, the source manga has the same feeling, as it goes to kind of “part B”. True that the sequel special is continuing where the anime left of the manga. But the special itself isn’t perfect (specifically from the reason 2). And its well aware that the anime left of where certain plot events occurring. And the special itself isn’t adapting the whole arc it’s started.

To conclude this reason. It’s may not make HnG full adapted anime. But it sure feels that the anime ends in the point that the anime can proudly says it ended what it started.

2. This reason, to be in fact. Is been said by manga reader, who may felt like others who wanted to continue the manga where the anime left off, slightly disappointed how Yumi finishing the story. And not only that, but seeing the differences between the manga and anime adaption. Not to be exactly bad, THERE IS difference between the two versions, as usually there’s. But as usual the manga have the upper hand over the anime, HnG anime by Pierrot is one of those cases where the anime have its own level.

It’s not necessarily means that the anime is better, as I’m gonna expand on the ‘Art’ and the ‘Animation’ sections. But in term of telling the manga, directing, and as well the OST (as I will talk about in it’s own destined section) are making the story justify in the anime level. The anime is balancing right and delicately between the sometime overdoing comedy of the manga, by putting little more seriousness. And also putting more Go than the manga shows. Where the manga is showing less the Go board, if to rush the plot or highlight the characters actions, either by the limited manga 19 pages format, or by the fact that the manga have its own closure on the story. The anime have its own version how to show the games. Though ultimately those who don’t understand much the game won’t get much from it, the mere direction and pace are helping the tension and the plot to be more directed. So yeah, HnG isn’t perfect by all means to be one-on-one adaption, but rather setting it’s own version to the story. In term of story and direction, it’s for the best. In the other terms, check the Art, Animation sections. And as well the OST section, where I think the anime had great success in it.

And so, though the special sequel kind of trying to continue the story where the main series left off, you can see already the change. Not in the anime direction, but in the story direction. The special is enjoyable as the anime, but it’s just shows that the story going in the way the anime kinda tried to avoid.

To be exact, it’s not the arc right after the anime end that is bad, or even the last big main arc, but more the execution of it. I’m myself may had enjoyed some of it, but its not the best end for the story to be.

So in the end, I recommend very much to watch the anime. As I said, the anime has its own level and quality. If you are satisfy by the ending, you may leave the anime as it is and not even interest in the manga continuation. If you do though, and wants to know how the story ends, it’s more recommended to read the manga all from start, to see the slight changes in the direction. It’s really not much, but if you will notice those, you will understand my main point of the direction I mentioned above, you might appreciate the two versions alike.

I myself like very much the anime version. And although the manga is addicting as much as the anime, the anime has its own qualities to be proud of, as I mentioned already, and will mention on the ‘OST’ section.

Story - 10

Characters - 10

Art

(Usually I’m combining the Art and Animation in one section. In this review, since I’m gonna be critical on both (for good and worse) , I separated those. Specially due HnG manga artist :o )

This is actually where the anime made big hit or miss, and the latter is more true. But It doesn’t mean it’s bad.

First thing is, there might be those who might know already, but for those who don’t know - the manga illustrator is no other than Takeshi Obata. Yes, the one who joined Tsugumi Ohba making Death Note, Bakuman, and their latest production Platinum End which its quality is arguable by the the duo fans. So never the less, those who know Obata’s art well enough, know of his high level art on the manga. Though even through the manga itself his art is pretty well evolving, after all this is Obata’s first long term manga, matching his art in the anime is already pretty well known to not succeeds. So talking about Obata’s art adapting to Hikaru no Go, have it’s own discussion.

So it’s true, Pierrot artists weren’t able to match Obata’s art, same as other Obata’s anime adaption. But it still not complete failure. True that in some sense they don’t have the full detailed art Obata is known for, but Pierrot manages somehow to have some of Obata’s skills in the anime. Such as the characters growing, and some detailed backgrounds and building, are not making any shame to Obata’s work. True that, in the end lots of details are lost in the adaption transmission, but Pierrot’s artists doesn’t go too low in their job. Much as MadHouse treatment to Death Note. Though the comparison Is really farfetched, those who will check Obata’s work on Hikaru no Go will see what I mean. Only in the latest parts of HnG Obata went to the same art level as Death Note. It’s not means that the rest aren’t, but more as Obata’s art developing along the manga developing with the art. The same treatment may be seen in Bakuman as well, for those who read.

So yeah, ultimately Pierrot doesn’t come close to Obata original work, so it worth to check the original source. But otherwise, they still makes good art on their own. Though that it’s worth criticise Pierrot for making the Characters little “square” from the manga, and for the “lighter” mood of the art compare to the manga, on it’s own Pierrot making pretty good job. And as I said earlier, some of Obata’s original work isn’t completely lost. And even Pierrot style somehow fitting little more to the light story theme than Obata seriousness. As it seems in the manga itself that he fought over his art to match the light story themes. Pierrot did fine in making that.

To summarise this. Yeah, Pierrot does not follow straight to Obata’s work. In some ways it may be blamed for the year. And as rereading the manga I come to have though that modern remake may make more justice to Obata’s art (and also the animation, as will followed).

It doesn’t mean that Pierrot made completely bad job, as been clarified. In fact, at some point (episode 20 and so, I think) the art getting major upgrade. It may not be a revolutionary upgrade, as the character designs pretty much stays the same. But those with good eyes and great quality (as myself have the series in BluRay quality) the upgrade in the art sure makes great deal to the anime.

Art: 8/10

Ahh, if only the animation would be good as the art…

Animation

Don’t get me on this part, mostly due the fact that I most had saw couple of glitches in the animation, nor animation problem, that I were checking very closely every movement. In fact, HnG doesn’t need that good animation, and maybe if I weren’t checking it closely, or rather wouldn’t have good quality to observe them, I wouldn’t have my complains.

After all, there shouldn’t be any problem to animate characters playing Go. There’s no fast or action movements that needs too much of it. So basically the animation is pretty much getting the least budget while the art and OST much more.

Plus, as I hinted in the Art section, the year may cause it. And so Hikaru no Go, though to have good treatment overall from Pierrot, is may lack only in the animation area. It doesn’t mean it’s bad, but as you would expect from kind of board game anime, there isn’t significant and outstanding animation to shine on. Basically from the main reason I said earlier. The problem in the animation to my taste at least, is where animation lags that was common in the 90’s anime, occurs also on HnG. To be honest they are quite rare, but since I went and looked for them, they are annoying to see in 2001 anime.

Still though, it doesn’t mean the anime had bad animation. As I said, pierrot doesn’t need much investing in the animation as much as other anime like Naruto or Bleach. In the modern vision that I can see in my head (see Art section), the animation could be much more fluid to match up some of the drama and tension. But as for the 2001 version, HnG could do little better. Only slightly better. Apart for the rare animation glitches that shouldn’t be even if it were released 2 years earlier.

Animation: 7/10

What they did invested very much in, and did probably the best decision in the production area, is

OST & Songs

I’m excited that I finally got to this part of the review. This is actually where HnG anime shines, and where the anime superior over the manga. Hikaru no Go OST is maybe not the best and modern music production there is, but it reaches for me the high level of music such as Death Note in term of fitting the moments, the tension, the playing, and more. The simplicity of the OST is just the best thing Pierrot did for HnG.

Even upon writing this review, the guitar OST of HnG is playing again and again in my head. I have been addicted to some OSTs before, such as Death Note, but not in level that HnG makes me addicted. HnG OST surely knows how to make simple but addicting music tracks, to make sure by the mere long chance that if you won’t get glued to the HnG by its story, the OST will force you to.

Hikaru no Go songs also doesn’t have any bad ones. Sure there are more likeable and less. But every each opening end ending songs in HnG have uniqueness on its own. Music Is My Thing was the best ending out there, going. Bokura no Bouken makes my body shivers anytime hearing it. And those only the ending themes. Any opening theme have its own specialness in drawing you to the anime, starting with Get Over that makes me never get over on the song. To Fantasy which makes me cry, since the opening starts 16 episodes before the anime ending.

So in the OST and songs area, Pierrot did masterpiece of work.

OST: 10/10

Songs: 10/10

Overall/Enjoyment

For this last part of the review, I will share my journey with Hikaru no Go over my youth. It’s all started when this anime had been aired In TV. Luckily, unlike the other anime that had been aired over TV, HnG wasn’t dubbed but with the Original Japanese audio and localised subs. Watching the series made me closer to the anime culture. Both because the anime itself is connected to the Japanese culture, but also for it’s addicting storyline as I went in this review to explain. After the anime had finished sadly to be aired, and at times where I started watching anime more seriously on my PC, I had rewatched this anime. And ‘till those days I’m rewatching this amazing series. So personally, this anime feels kind of coming to age journey. Both in the part that HnG was part of my youth, and also the fact that Hikaru himself growing in it. His character is enabling those who watching the anime connecting to his coming to age story through the Go world.

And that’s where HnG is better than other game anime, such as YuGi-Oh and such. Where the main plot is lying more on the playing of the game rather than the character growing. True that there might be other doing this, but Hikaru no Go is special above them, because the anime simply is not concentrating on the Go game itself but by the mere storyline, which focus solely on Hikaru grows, as well as other characters in the anime growing with him.

So I believe, that Hikaru no Go is one of the basic anime that the average anime fan will enjoy. Its uniqueness above other anime highlights its own importance. This anime is meant to be watched by everyone, and is very addicting and fun not less than the modern and popular ones. I would say, it’s hard not to enjoy by it. Even though it’s kind of old one, it’s one of those anime that being unique even by long time, and the more time passed and more anime created, that Hikaru no Go gains its own good name. Either by its anime or by its manga.

Personally, though the anime is good by itself, and as being said makes its own special version compare to the manga, I’m recommending reading the manga as well. It’s no matter if before or after. That way, you might realise some of the points I myself pointed out, where the anime can be on its own dependant on the story telling from the manga. So by that you can enjoy the anime on its own qualities, though to have some disadvantage over the manga. And still enjoy both media, by reading the manga.

Hikaru no Go sure is, one of the best and important anime that got released in the 2000’s. Make sure not to miss it. And don’t deny the anime for glueing you to the screen.

Enjoyment - 10/10

Overall - 10/10

Hikaru no Go is one of those animes that seems to push the bar for other animes to follow. In almost every aspect, this anime provided entertainment, thought-provoking ideas, great comedic moments, and the eternal drive for the better game that exists in some fashion in every sports/game orientated anime. The character-driven action and emotional resonance creates one of those gems of anime that would have culminated into an anime classic except for a single glaring aspect that prevented stardom. I enjoyed this series so much that I made a marathon of it and the hour and fifteen minute special within a three day span.Thank goodness I decided to pick this anime up on spring break, or I think my brain would have melted trying to balance the want to watch this anime and the need to study. :)

Story:

This area of the anime is one of its strongest, yet weakest, features. Most sport/game animes have a pretty basic plot that any watcher of this genre can catch, eternal drive to better a game, head for the *insert title here* championship, and grow as a result of playing. HnG has this in spades; yet, it has so much more. I actually started to understand the game of Go by the end, but that is definitely not the reason I stayed watching. Hikago delves into the character's motivations for playing and shows very deeply how those motivations affect the player's game, inner self, and the world/relationships around them. I think that's one of the prime driving forces of this anime, relationships, be they rivals, friends, or the occasional romantic (though there's really not that much there). I kept watching episode after episode, hour after hour, pretty much because I wanted to see how far Akira and Shindou pushed each other closer and closer to the top of the professional Japanese Go world.

I mentioned that this is one of the strongest features, yet sadly, one part of it is the only reason I'm not giving this anime a perfect ten. In the mid-60's range of the episodes, the forward momentum of the plot almost crashes to a halt with about 5 to 6 straight episodes of fillers. There's even about two episodes where the main character makes cameos. CAMEOS!!!!! I'm sorry, this story is about Hikaru's drive towards pro, the perfect Go game/move, and Akira's acceptance as a rival. It is NOT about a side character's training out of country and his re-finding of the game. Now this little plot twist and deviance I might have been able to accept if it hadn't completely taken over the story and moved the anime in a different direction. Thankfully, this little weird direction change only lasts for about 6-7 episodes and then we're back on the track of Hikaru vs. Akira. I can enjoy the advancement and growth of other characters just fine, but it's the rivalry and relationship between these two main characters that provides the main incentive for me to keep watching.

Art:

This is actually what caught my attention in the first place, though probably not in the way one would expect. The first time I saw Akira's and Hikaru's children faces, the first thought in my mind was "Fushigi Yuugi eyes!!!". That was enough to make me do a bit of research on this anime called Hikaru no Go that looked so much like an anime from my nostalgic past and put it on my to watch list. While the animation part of Hikago isn't going to be leaving you awe-inspired, it does the job beautifully and actually gets better as the anime progresses which I find very refreshing as more often it goes downhill. The characters faces are all completely distinct and wonderfully rendered; the background settings and surroundings are all unique to their individual places. I don't think I saw any repeated footage, but then I don't really notice that unless it's blaring.

I actually enjoyed watching the Go matches as well since the animators created some unique ways to make watching Go interesting, from light shows to picture layering to computer screen simulation. Something was always done to make a tad bit more interesting for us viewers who may not know the game that well and couldn't possibly remember all those moves and definitions we were provided with (I personally only remember the names to about two moves and don't ask me how they would relate to an overall strategy and placement. ^_^;;).

Another little aspect of the animation that helped the story flow so seamlessly was how the animators created the differences in ages of the characters. Since they grow over four to five years (through puberty no less) in the anime, the art reflects this with the faces and bodies of the characters growing up with them. And this is done so seamlessly that I almost didn't notice. It was like my eyes just followed their growth naturally as I was living their lives with them.

Sound:

The music in Hikago fits it perfectly where in another anime it might be a bit melodramatic. There were a few times in the beginning where I raised an eyebrow and wondered why the heck I was listening to music I thought more appropriate for an epic siege or swordfight between two samurai when these two kids were playing a board game. It wasn't until I got used to the huge musical score that everything dropped into place to flow seamlessly with the story and the emotional ambiance that the music portrays. Now I can't imagine Hikago without the musical score that puts Lord of the Rings in the shadow. ^_^ The actual sound effects of an anime is something I don't really pay too much attention to. As long as I hear the sounds where I should, I'm good and don't really notice them. However, the sound of the stones hitting a Go board started to become a symbol for the game itself. It became so much a part of my watching experience that I expected the sound and actually listened for it.

Characters:

Like I pointed out in analyzing the story, the characters are what drives this anime and is it's other extremely strong point; they are the heart and soul of the entire thing. The anime demands that the viewer feel for the characters and to understand why they do what they do. How the characters portray their thoughts and feelings and interact with the world around them is pretty much how any real person would, given the same situation. This especially becomes apparent when the emotional pitch of the story reaches one of its highest points in the late 50 to early 60 episode range. I could understand exactly why characters reacted the way they did; I probably would have done the same. So overall, the characters are extremely fleshed out with past stories revealed and motivations that can echo with a viewer's emotions beautifully.

Enjoyment:

I think this can be a given since, like I've already mentioned, I devoted a three day marathon to this anime just because I couldn't stop myself. ^0^ My hand had a mind of its own when it clicked that "next episode" link. I found myself captivated by the characters, the story, and the game itself. I probably prompted a few thoughts in my neighbor's brains about how they wished I was quieter when I was cheering for my favorite player and yelling at the screen "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT MOVE?!?!" even though I really don't know what the moves were. ^_^;; I just couldn't sit still for this anime; I constantly moved, wiggled, cheered, and cried. This anime, as evidenced by the many actions I mentioned, pulled at all my heartstrings and reached emotional depths in me that definitely makes it one of those animes I'll need to keep for future viewing.

So all together, with a very strong story, depth of emotion, very fleshed out characters, a musical score epic enough for a Peter Jackson movie, and animation that got better as the anime progressed, this is one of those shows that everyone should give a try. You WON'T regret it!

Story - 9 I've never really been a person to watch sports, or game animes. Why watch a game when you can go out there and play it? But wow... Hikaru no Go captured my attention in a way that I would not have thought possible. Every part of the storyline had me watching until I could no longer keep my eyes open. Believably intense and even inspiring, Hikaru no Go is an anime, that will have its place in my library of goodies. Story for Hikaru no Go gets a 9. Art - 7 The art is nothing spectacular and yet nothing could I imagine changingtoo much. Just your average anime here. There was one segment that I liked tremendously, where the Go stones left a trail of light in their wake, but unfortunately it was never used again. Also the blurring of the hands to show motion was well done. So the art gets an average score of 7.

Sound - 8

Sound seems to be a very heavy influence in Hikaru no Go, with a soundtrack that plays matching the mood of the current events. The soundtrack was not bad at all, with an opening and an ending theme that have found their way into my list of random anime music. The sound of the Go stone hitting the wood of the board could not have been cooler. It was extremely fitting and almost looked forward to, especially in the intense game sequences.

Characters - 10

The characters in Hikaru no Go are definately the strongest point. You will find yourself completely in synch with Shindou's reactions to other people, (unless its a storyline mechanic) and even then you completely understand Shindou's reasons. The characters in Hikaru no Go are as real in my mind as it is possible for any anime character to be. Well deserved score of 10.

Enjoyment - 9

Throughout this anime series I have laughed, cried, cheered, and gotten downright disheartened. I admire any animes that can control my emotions that much. I watched this 75 episode anime in 2 days with 2 eight hour work shifts. I would say that I enjoyed this anime alot.

Overall - 9

A great storyline, with near-perfect characters to enact it, and a soundtrack that is in synch and catchy, makes for an anime worth watching.

"Hikaru no Go" is an anime that took me just a week to blitz through, but months to get over. It's the second long shounen series I've seen recently, the first one being "Hajime no Ippo". Even though they both look like the same type of show at first (long running shounens in which the hero goes from a complete n00b at something to being immensely strong... I'm sure you know the kind of stuff I'm referring to here), in reality, they're as different as chalk and... er... chimpanzees. Whilst "Hajime no Ippo" never really broke free of the stereotypical image of its genre, "Hikaru noGo" does, and thus has the potential to appeal to far beyond its primary targetted audience. Both are coming of age stories, but "Hikaru no Go" emphasises this factor like no other - for the first time ever, the true meaning of this coming of age theme hit me full in the face. It may not break any obvious barriers (with tournaments, rivalries, and all the rest of the usual ingredients that's on the standard shounen recipe, it's certainly doesn't have the originality of "FMA" or "Death Note"), but the quality of its writing and profound character development that underpins it set it apart from its brethrens in a subtle but firm way.

Shounen this may be, but I'm almost reluctant to call it that because I just know people will mentally file it away in the same category as some of the more shallow anime around... in fact, at first glance, "Hikaru no Go" reminded me of "Yu-Gi-Oh", with Hikaru's unusual hair style and the whole possessed by spirit who's good at the game kind of thing. I was all for having a dig at "Yu-Gi-Oh" for copying ideas from "Hikaru no Go", but having checked the dates, it seem more likely to be the other way round. But that's okay, because thankfully, the resemblance between the two ends with the superficial character design and settings. Yu-Gi-Oh went on to become a repetitive show reminiscent of "Pokemon" whilst "Hikaru no Go" grew into... well, lets just say something far more substantial.

"Hikaru no Go" begins much like a run of the mill shounen... except it's about go, a board game that originated from ancient China (think chess, but a lot more complex). Not the most exciting of subjects, right? I bet you're already visualising people playing a boring game of go that's decorated by over the top shounen style production such as lightning streaked backgrounds and BGM so epic it wouldn't have sounded out of place in a Gundam anime... and you would be right. Unfortunately, because the subject is a board game, all these age old gimmicks seem not only cliched, but also out of place a lot of the time. (Okay, I'm probably not making the anime sound great so far, but bear with me...) However, by the end of the series, they no longer seem so out of place, because "Hikaru no Go" actually manages to build up into something that fits the epic score and production, and *that* is a testament to the tremendous growth of the series.

For anyone even remotely interested in Go, "Hikaru no Go" is a must watch. I read somewhere that it's been estimated that this anime single handedly caused the size of the go community worldwide to triple - the impact it's had on the game has been nothing short of phenomenal. The anime used a Japanese pro go player as a consultant during production, and most, if not all the matches shown in the anime are taken from real games played by both historical and modern go players. The games are drawn in painstaking detail, allowing go enthusiasts to freeze frame and examine each situation thoroughly. It's a treat for anyone that plays go - almost everyone at my local go club has seen some of the anime or read some of the manga, and yes... that includes the old men... believe it or not one of even buys the manga (this is even more incredible when you consider the fact that I live in the UK, where go is not a very well known game)! More than this though, the matches can be very exciting even if you don't really understand go. One thing that particularly impressed me is that Hikaru doesn't just lose games, he loses quite a few despite his astronomical progress as a player. In fact he loses at the most unexpected of times, often at critical moments when I expect him to dig deep and come up with the win. This makes Hikaru seem far more human than most of the shounen anime heros, and because you just don't know who's gonna win, it gives the matches that extra spark of excitement that is missing in anime such as "Hajime no Ippo".

But as good as the shounen aspect of "Hikaru no Go" is, it could have been better. Normally in this kind of show, too much time is spent on the main activity central to the theme and not enough focus is given to the story and character development that makes up the flesh and blood of the anime. With "Hikaru no Go", a good balance is struck, but I feel there could have been more exciting matches. With a series this long, you would expect to get quite a few memorable matches, but there are actually only a couple of really good ones in "Hikaru no Go". I'm not saying the anime did not feature enough games, just that the ones they did feature could have been better. In quite a few of the matches, they did not show the match properly played out to the end, but instead revealed the results in a round-a-bout way from post-match perspectives. I can see the novelty of this idea when used a couple of times, but it happens so frequently that it gave a lot of the key matches in the series an anti-climatic feel. Don't get me wrong though, there are still many more positives than negatives in this department of the anime.

For anyone who's not at all interested in go, "Hikaru no Go" is still a must try. I started watching the anime without any knowledge or interest in go, but I was hooked pretty quickly. This is because it's not go that carries this show along, it's the characters. It's rare that a main character steals the spotlight in a show, and I've heard a few people say that this is no exception - that the main protagonist Hikaru is nothing special. I can't disagree more - there are plenty of interesting side characters for sure, but Hikaru outshines them all. He starts off with this brattish streak not too dis-similar from Yutaro's from "Rurounin Kenshin"... not exactly the perfect hero. But it's this same characteristic makes him such an infectious character. Even as I wanted to frown at his antics, I often found myself grinning instead. It's a great starting point for a character, but what really sets him apart is the terrific development he undergoes in the duration of the series - it's something that really underlines "Hikaru no Go"'s credentials as a coming of age anime. The depth and magnitude of his development is on a similar scale to those found in "12 Kingdoms" (that is to say: of epic proportions), but "Hikaru no Go" manages to take it to a higher level through its subtlety. I remember constantly being aware of the characters' change process when watching "12 Kingdoms", but here the changes were much more natural and it didn't really occur to me how much Hikaru had changed until the end. This is probably the pinnacle for character development because it's the kind of thing that occurs in real life - if you know someone over a couple of years, you might not notice the gradual change in them until you think back to what they were like when you first met them, and this is exactly what Hikaru's development feels like. It's a neat trick for an anime to pull off, and I only picked up on it because of the artwork. There's this point near the end of the seres when a flashback towards an early part of the series took place, and upon seeing the young Hikaru in the flashback I nearly choked... how the hell did he manage to change so much without me noticing?! I originally found the character designs somewhat childish with all the chubby faces, but those have all disappeared, and Hikaru in particular has a more serious look in addition to being a lot taller and having a more adult physique by that point. The contrast is breathtaking, And THEN it occurred to me that Hikaru growing up is not only evident in his change in appearance, but also in his change in personality - he hasn't just grown in stature, but also in confidence and maturity (though the brattish streak doesn't disappear completely, thankfully). In that moment when those two revelations hit me almost simultaneously, I finally saw how far the anime had progressed, and perhaps for the first time, truly appreciated it as the extraordinary work it really is.

If I have one major gripe with the anime, it'd have to be the fillers. Up until about episode 60, the anime had done pretty well in terms of fillers. And by that I mean there are none. As far as I can think of, every episode had a connection to the overarching storyline, which is pretty damn good for such a long anime. And then at around episode 60, the story reaches a dramatic turning point... and during the resolvation of this crucial part of the story, the series inserted not one, but TWO blatent fillers. AAAGGHHH! What were they thinking??? If they had to put those two episodes in, it would have made waaay more sense to have them in a lot earlier, as they're like flashback episodes that had no relevance whatsoever to the core storyline at the point where they appeared. But nooo, they had to put it in during what is arguably the most emotional part of the series! A lot of people have complained about the episodes between 60 and 70 being slow and boring, but I think a lot of the blame can be attributed to those fillers. Yes, Hikaru did take a long time to snap out of his piteous state of mind, but I think his behaviour is extremely believable, and is also justified considering the cause of his depression. Recovering too soon would have undermined the turbulent emotions that he must have been going through at the time, and what it all meant to him. Those episodes are probably the ones that would bore a typical shounen viewer, but I personally think that they contained some really powerful moments and are very underrated... apart from those fillers of course. Once the fillers are over, the anime gets back on track and Hikaru's transformation soon completes. To top it all off, the last episode features an incredible dream sequence set against a beautiful chopin-esq nocturne playing in the background. It's a scene that's calm on the surface, but thinly veils such deep emotional content that I was nearly moved to tears. Though not really significant to the plot, that memorable scene is not only one of the most poignant in the entire series, it's right up there as one of my all time favourites.

Despite never hitting the exhilarating heights peaked by other shounen classics such as "Rurounin Kenshin" and "Yuu Yuu Hakusho", "Hikaru no Go" is one of the best shounens I've ever watched - it's certainly one of the best anime I've watched in the last couple of years overall, and that's including jugganauts such as "Death Note". I found out after I've watched it that the person who's responsible for the story of "Hikaru no Go" is a woman, and suddenly everything clicked - in retrospect, the feminine touch is very much apparent in the anime: it has the all the usual shounen kick-assery but the "action" is heavily complemented by heart felt character development that's right up there with the best slice of life animes. In fact the attachment I feel to the characters is very much akin to the feeling I get after watching a good slice of life show. And that's not all. I started writing this about 2 months after I finished watching the anime. Since then, I've gone on to read the manga online (I hardly ever read manga, and had never previously read a manga online), joined my local go club, and learnt how to play that gorgeous piano nocturne that featured as the BGM of the dream scene I mentioned earlier. So yeah, "Hikaru no Go" didn't just leave behind an enormous legacy in the go world, in terms of lasting impressions and impact on my own life, this is right up there with the Crest/Banner of the Stars series. And that, coming from me, is saying an *awful* lot (as anyone who's familiar with my rabid obsession with *that* particular series will tell you).

A TV series about GO? Must be boring hm? No must not!!! Hikaru no Go is one of the interestings Sports Series you'll find at the moment. The difference between other Sport Anime is that Hikaru is not the guy who's only winning every game. No he has first to learn the game and he will lose many times. Its much more interessting to see how he grow up unlike Prince of Tennis who the Protagonist is only Winning.

Hikaru no Go is a shining example that a fantastic shonen anime can be created without excessive violence, tragic backstories, or the world-saving hero trope. Instead, the characters engage in intense battles of intellect rather than physical prowess. If anyone ever claims that board games are boring, this series will prove them wrong. The Go matches in this anime are not only well-executed but also highly captivating, keeping the spectator on the edge of their seat. The central theme of the series revolves around pushing oneself forward, confronting new challenges, and embracing difficulties head-on. An intriguing aspect of Hikaru no Go is the focus on characterdevelopment and personal growth rather than defeating a clear antagonist. Characters strive to improve themselves and surpass their rivals, leading to compelling and dynamic interactions. The series skillfully blends seriousness with humor, creating an engaging and enjoyable experience for viewers.

The exceptional soundtrack of Hikaru no Go plays a crucial role in heightening the tension and drama, solidifying its status as a successful manga adaptation that stays true to the original source material.

Truly one of the anime I've seen out there. Just so you know I've watched this anime four times so far and it still entertains me :) It may say it is for children which is true but it has a certain quality that makes even teenagers enjoy it. Story It is great, it has a wonderful plot full of excitment and suspense and it keeps going on and on. One of the best things is that the story starts immediately without any fillers. A young boy gains a spirit and goes into the world of 'go'. A truly magnificent story Art Considering the year the art is exceptionally good.Detailed and balanced.

Probably because the producers are the same as Bleach and Death Note.

Sound

Again great job. The sound of people's footsteps and of 'go' stones are remarkable. The voice actors (seiyu) are extremely good, full of talent. What I liked the most was the music, as well as the openings and endings.

Character

Three main characters. Two end up as rivals and the third one eventually...

disappears. Hikaru starts off as a snob, but then matures and becomes one hell of a legend. Akira chases Hikaru persistantly and they both push each other higher and higher till they become the strongest there is.

Enjoyment

As I've said I've seen this anime four times and I still love it so I can say with full confidence that I enjoyed it. If you like seeing people rise above what is expected and see them unleash their potential then watch this NOW!!!!!!!

Overall

The only I have seen which just barely surpasses this is Dragon Ball Z. I love both anime and will continue to for the rest of my life. This is an anime you DON'T want to miss XD

Story- 10

Art - 9

Sound - 10

Character - 9

Enjoyment - 10

Overall - 10

Freedback greatly appreciated :)

[Longest Review I've ever written - as originally posted on AnimeNfo.com - warning minor spoilers] -via Kyzoryn When I stumbled upon Hikago I was shocked to see its rank as Seven here at Anime Nfo. A series soley revolving around the world of Go and not simply a theme for a plot centralized elsewhere. Though a drama at heart Hikaru no Go is a an anime that goes beyond the experience of enjoyment, it has affected me personally and the world of Go, nearly tripling the number of active players worldwide. It is a series that will remain a classic in the realm of anime asone of the greats.

Now, though I have given much praise to Hikago, it is not flawless. With that being said, its main weakness is episodes 65-70 (fillers), plot holes, and a weakness in the core of the plot. Given the plot solely relies on Go, if you don’t take the slightest interest in Go within the first five episodes you might as well cease watching the remaining 70 episodes; however, even if you take the slightest interest, it will hook you till the very end. As for the plot holes, Hikago builds such a vast array of characters it is impossible to give each group of characters the air time that they are worthy of, this alone causes close friends of Hikaru to simply disappear for nearly 20-30 episodes and then reappear out of nowhere. However, each meeting and interactions with each group of friends serves a vital role in progressing the development of Hikaru in strength and character – afterall growing up is a gigantic theme in hikaru no Go. The greatest weakness and what prevents Hikago from being a masterpiece as a whole, is a critically horrible filler between epison 60ish to 70. Here the series deviates from the manga in attempts to give Fujiwara no Sai a final good bye, even though he never truly leaves as anyone who has watched knows.

Despite the filler, I still place Hikaru no Go in my top five greatest anime of all time. It builds on a young boy who starts as a regular brat that talks in slang and has no respect for elders or anyone else around for that matter. But as the series continues he depends on Sai as a mentor, best friend and a third parent - which he still gives little respect too ironically enough. As his interest in Go increases he becomes set on passing Akira Touya. This serves as a crucial catapult into his dedication to the path toward Kami no Ittoue or the Hand of God (It is every Go players dream to play this hand). As he faces many opponents he also grows as a person, learning to overcome his weakness. Towards the end, though he still harbors that bold and rash disrespectfulness, he becomes more polite, calm, and focused. But above this incredibly astounding growth, what shocks me most is the way he grows – it is so natural I didn’t realize he had grown taller and older until the first flashbacks Sai had and then the very end. Stunned, I gained a new respect for the author Yumi Hotta – no one could have carved out a better character who portrays such growth and development than her.

The fact that the author who wrote Hikaru no Go was a girl did not surprise at the least. In fact it made sense, seeing how feminine like many of the characters were drawn, for example Sai and Akira, but beyond the style in which they were drawn, the story its self was a typical “slice of life” type drama – and she couldn’t have done a better job. Each match was pieced together in such a way that the viewer could actually feel the intensity and tension between two players, if not actually understand the game of Go itself! The highs and lows intertwined and spiraling upwards in perfect combination that the ending is very symbolic and worthy of great praise, especially the moment Sai left Hikaru – this pivotal moment changed Hikaru as a person and tripled his dedication to Go. She does a great job of riding this tremendous wave to the very end when Sai hands his fan to Hikaru. As a whole, Hikago has a bit of everything, you may laugh at the brat in Hikaru, or cry at the loss of sai, or cheer him on against a tough opponent – it’s a good “slice of life.”

Beyond the 75 videos I watched over the internet, pulling two all-nighters, Hikaru no Go didn’t simply capture my heart and love for anime, it changed me as person. I now have learned to play go and play on KGS online (Kyzoryn). And if I weren’t as senior in highschool, I would have started a Go club. In the future I plan on joining a local club sponsored by the American Go Association – who knows how good I’ll become. Hikaru no Go has also left me interested in learning more about the culture and language of Japan. It has open many doors than just one and has changed the world of Go, inspiring much of the worlds youth into playing Go. Raising respect for go, this series has brought back an ancient board game to the future of many of our worlds youth and for those of you who have read the manga has “linked the far past, with the far future.”

Overall, I simply love Hikaru no Go, from the opening song, to the credits of the last episode. I have no complaints about the music, special effects, and opening and endings. There are moments when I couldn’t stop laughing and there are moments when I nearly cried. They all contributed to the series in such an astounding way. For those who appreciate anime and understand the meaning of each and every GOOD series (forget the bad ones), then you will surely love Hikago just as much as I do, but I do warn you, you must atleast take a slight liking in Go, when you do, you’ll fall in love with Hikago. If you haven’t watch it – you must! I hope my review did not give to many spoilers away and most of all I hope you enjoyed it! This is what I do when I’m not watching :)

Wrote this review (more like a reflection) a while ago. Thought it'd be a waste if I didn't post it. So here you go: Hikaru no Go is a 75 episode anime series revolving around go, or as they call it in China, weiqi. It follows the journey of an adolescent Japanese boy named Hikaru Shindo, from when he first gets to introduced to the game all the way to the beginnings of his career as a professional player. First and foremost, I’d like to point out that you do NOT need to know anything about go to enjoy this series. Hikaru no Go has avery heavy focus on matches, and most of the time you won’t understand what’s going on, but like all great sports stories (or in this case board game stories) the matches are intense because of our attachment to the competitors. In other words, it’s the characters that drive Hikaru no Go. While none of the cast is especially unique, the way they develop and mature over the course of the series makes them compelling. The trials and tribulations presented to these people who have dedicated their lives to go feel very real and unforgiving, especially in the later half of the series when the characters begin to pursue the professional level. But as a result, watching them grow as they struggle to move forward allows for an incredibly rewarding experience. Nowhere is this more evident than in the fierce rivalry between Hikaru and Akira, which comes to mind as one of the most emotionally engaging rivalries I have ever seen.

Where this series really shines however is its portrayal of the game. In the western world, professional go is non-existent and go as a whole is generally seen as a niche past-time. So for those of us here in the U.S., this series may come off as gimmicky. But Hikaru no Go has completely changed my perspective of what go is all about. Over in Asia, go is widely played, well respected, and at the professional level, is fiercely competitive. While following the characters in their never-ending journey to improve their skills, the series explores various facets of go in Japanese society. You never really figure out all the rules of the game, but slowly you learn to appreciate its endless depth and subtly. It’s this cultural value that makes Hikaru no Go exceptional among others, and a truly worthwhile watch.

If you’re interested in watching Hikaru no Go, all seventy five episodes are on Hulu.

~This is my first review, so lets see if I can write this~ Hikaru No Go. What can be said about this anime. When I first saw this anime I first thought aww man, I don't know a damn thing about Go. Then this anime got much deeper as things progressed. And in all honesty, it was not fully the storyline that grabbed me. I will only be focusing on two things:"Soundtrack" & "Progression"

I will first explain the soundtrack.

The good and the bad.

Now don't get me wrong, for 75 episodes the music can get a little bit dull after awhile (but that did not stop me from finding the soundtracks). But there are definite times when it comes in at the right time. It is absolutely riveting and the music makes it feel like it is more than just these kids just playing these games.

This anime has sorrow, pain, strength, and it is followed up beautifully with the musical scores.

Now for progression.

Without giving really anything away in this anime, "Hikaru No go" does what so many anime that have LONGER series/episodes fail to do with the number of episodes given. That is actually show progression of their characters. (They are not stuck in the same time bubble for 200 episodes or so) I literally sit on the edge of my seat when I see one of the pieces fall or when you see the shock on someones face when they are stuck on thier move (do I have any Idea what the hell is going on in the game? In all honesty, hell no.) But watching *most* of the characters develop and see them change throughout the series is definately a rewarding feeling because there is again, progression.

I honestly found no problems with the progression of this anime along with the story, art, sound, characters and find this series highly enjoyable and I am watching it again right now as I type up this review.

I would go more in depth for this anime, but until I can do in depth reviews (WITH spoilers), this is pretty much what I am limited to.

Hopefully soon, I will try to have another review out soon.

I give Hikaru No Go a overall 9/10 and recommend those who enjoy those aspects I mentioned in anime to watch and check it out. You might find it as rewarding of an anime I did.

Another sport (or game?) that I have recently completed. It's a fresh and entertaining sports overall, but there are some points when it gets annoying like the obsession of "the" rival (reminds me of Naruto seemingly forever chasing Sasuke). Other than that, the character development of the main protagonist, Hikaru, is slow but steady as he tries to find his own style of playing and not to heavily rely on his ghostly friend, Sai. While Hikaru has an interesting twists and turns in his life, I gotta say his rival doesn't get as much development but his growing obsession, to the point that its annoying.The tracks are also very nice and the art, though obviously not one of the best, I give it a high mark since it doesn't really affect the story. The comedy may sometimes be forced but the emotional scenes are done well specially about Sai (being a ghost is tough afterall).

For those who never heard of Go like me, Hikaru no Go introduces the game and interestingly too.

Hikaru no Go is an anime told a story about Japanese board game "Go" or "Igo" 19x19 board game where you put stone to make a bigger territory than your opponent. The people who don't ever watch Hikaru No Go might have below perception: - I cannot play go and will not play go, so I won't watch it, OR - Go is a boring game, I cannot catch up with the rules, OR - A chess-like game plot must be like "I lose, so I have to train harder", "I face a difficult opponent, I have to keep my spirit up and concentrate". This is to predictable! That isNOT TRUE, because

Hikaru no go is an anime not focusing about the go board game. It is about rivalry of 2 people, Hikaru and Akira with a "Go board game" as a link. The rule here is not discussed to deep, even the newbie like me can understand the story. This is an anime about emotion (happy, sad), and not discuss about go technical (a basic might be important though). This anime will bring you into a better person not only in go, but in every aspect in your life, especially at work.

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THE GOOD SIDE

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The 75 episode in this anime never make me boring. Even I rewatch this 2 or 3 times. The anime's plot is very good the start is very promising. Each episodes make you wonder what will the next episode looks like. You will wonder how this anime will end enthusiastically.

The first episodes are the start of the excitement.

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There is a boy "Hikaru", a not very smart and a reckless boy, met a "ghost" named "Sai". Sai is from an era when a "Go" game is so popular and he is very strong at Go. However Hikaru cannot play Go at all.

There is also a boy "Akira", a serious boy who play Go since childhood and believe by many people that he will be a pro Go player soon.

Now the 2 person meets. Akira is easily beaten by Hikaru, a newbie (of course because of the help from ghost.)

In perspective from Akira, he lose from a newbie. He is so desperate.

In perspective from Hikaru, he won because it is not his true power. Yes, he is so desperate (at later episodes)

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The characters emotion and growth is very detail in this anime. You might find how desperate Hkaru want to beat Akira, how desperate Akira to lose by a newbie. At later stage, you will find many individual conflicts from go players. For example, how a person can be so desperate by always losing, or how a person can be so desperate by losing something important in life, or do you ever feel you jealous so much. Yes, is is an anime that might make you cry. I also experienced the same in my life.

I am glad that the ghost part is not too significant. Sai is truly a support character in this shows. Sai has overwhelming power, yet he is still humble so does Hikaru. He use Sai's power to learn, he is not using the power to be arrogant.

This anime will present you how a character can grow from a child in episode 1 to a mature in episode 75. The concrete thing you can see directly is the height of each characters.

This show defines the "rivalry" very great.

Akira and Hikaru turn the desperation into evolution to something better and better. This is so good when you really implement this in your real life.

Rivalry is actually something good when you look at different perspective, yet many people think rivalry is like a villain and a hero.. It is not.

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CONCLUSION

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Watch this if you really like an emotional (happy, sad, etc) anime, yet also deliver good messages. This anime also defines the rivalry very great.

I can see why this show might not appeal to some. It's about an obscure board game after all, but within that niche this anime tells an insanely compelling story to near perfection. Broader topics that anyone can relate to are illustrated through the narrow but focused lens of Go, and that lens is crafted with an attention to detail that shows an immense love for the game. I think anyone who has found a passion like that, which expands in your heart the more you explore it, will find Hikaru no Go's story just as entrancing as the proclivities themselves. It's entertaining, honest, andinspiring all at once. The editing keeps an engaging pace while conveying the nuances of the characters. The art direction is dramatic and inventive, using surrealism and realism tastefully in accordance with the story, which makes the final product feel both grand and grounded. The animation is surprisingly energetic for the subject matter, with choice scenes and movements really standing out. While it's no Demon Slayer level sakuga, it's clear they put in extra effort to engage the audience in each match through the use of animation. The characters are loveable and hateable, and loveable because they're hateable, and I could go on. But all in all, if you have even a passing interest in this show, as was Hikaru's while reluctantly playing his first match, just know that seeing it through to the end could change your life forever.

Absolutely wonderful anime. I had this anime at a 10, but changed it to a 9. This anime is quite the trip, its had me crying to being a bit angry to being super pumped. This anime is what I would consider to be a tragedy. This story is amazing yet a failure. I fell in love with this anime, however once I reached episode 63 my mind was changed from a 10 to a 9. I can't say if its worth watching, but I really enjoyed the experience for what it was, just not the conclusion to the story. The conclusion was utter trash,it basically took all the feelings I built up and the hype for the story and threw it in the trash. I had such high hopes for this anime, to even hear that the manga has an even worse ending I chose to spare myself by dropping the show where the real end should be, episode 63 or around there. The story almost has a Hajime no Ippo feel to it, it saddens me that the story all of a sudden took a 180 then backed up to episode one. If you choose to watch this, great!

So I pulled out my old monopoly set out of the basement and set everything up. I set the car (because come ON the car IS the best peice) on GO and Mr. Monopoly pops out and scares the living daylights out of me! Has this ever happened to you? Hikaru No Go revolves around a young boy, Hikaru who like every other Japanese child doesn't really care about his future, and has no real motivations toward much of anything except having fun. When one day he is trying to get some extra cash, he goes through his family's store house to find something tosell, and comes across an old Go board with a bloodstain that only he can see. As soon as the go piece touches the board, a spectral form appears before him. This spirit is none other than Sai. A Go player and tutor to the emperor from an ancient dynasty. After loosing a rigged game of Go, Sai was disgraced and took his own life, but his spirit remained by his only desire to continue playing Go, and to perfect "God's Hand' or the Divine Move.

The story interweaves as Hikaru plays matches of Go for Sai to make the comaical spirit happy. Hikaru sees how hard the people around him are struggling to live their lives, and the passion they put into the game and finds himself more and more regretting his negligent lifestyle and wanting more than anything to play the game with the passion he sees in those he plays against.

Hikaru No Go is quite the interesting work of art. Revolving around a board game, in much the way (don't walk away) Yu-Gi-Oh revolves around card games, you would expect to be revolted, but the show is surprisingly well put together and enthralling the further you get into it. Each move (although you will probably not understand most of it) having its own purpose. At times becoming nothing less than inspirational. Watching this boy fighting to be the best he can be, seeing the human nature change. It is quite moving.

Story 7- It revolves around Hikaru and his rivalry with another Go player his age. It is a compelling story and fun to watch although having some flaws with the timing, it works well with itself and builds into something unforgettable.

Art 7- Although quite a bit older, the art is quite dazzling. Very fluid motions and very consistent throughout. The only flaw is that is given quite often to using still frames and moving the mouth without much else moving. It is nonetheless extremely eloquent for the budgeting and how often it was used. Null forgettable if only for the quaint speeches and thought provoking dialogue.

Sound 6- Taking into account both the dub and the sub, the sound is only fair. having a great opening music, the English dub has extremely poor, nigh, annoying voice acting making it nearly unwatchable. The sub on the other hand is beautifully done and makes, even a sub hater like me love it. Dub- 2 Sub- 9

Character 8- this is where the show shines. Building the characters, developing new personalites. Showing how each character grows. how they thrive off of each other and how they build each other up and gain new relationships. The characters themselves are all enjoyable in some way. Even the less likeable ones get development in some way. For example, there is even a character that shows up for only one episode, only a little bit, and shortly after meeting him you learn several things about his personality, and how he plays the game. If not for Sai's abilty to be completely serious and a serious loony at a moments notice, I would give the characters a 9.

All in all this show is definitely worth recommending, as the only show I have completed in sub, I must highly recommend the sub over the dub. It may take a few episodes to get into, but once you do and once you finish the show, you will not regret it. It is a ride worth taking. I hope you all enjoy it.