Hikaru no Go (2020)

Most underrated drama but it's 2020's best one!

I have little expectation of this drama and thought it would be boring. I watched this with little interest but this drama adaptation turns out to exceed my expectations!

Although the casts aren't well-known, but they portrayed their characters well. My favorite would be Chu Ying! The character development of the characters are also satisfying.

There is no romance in this drama (w/c i liked!) but bromance u can get enouf of it. The friendship and bond is strong .. they value their relationship and help each other to not give up.

I dare say, this made my 2020 complete! As someone who's sceptical from live action dramas adapted from anime, it's totally unexpected and worth watching!

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The Best Bromance Drama Ever

This drama was so incredibly captivating that I found myself immediately rewatching it from the beginning right after finishing it.
I loved it so much that I couldn’t even bring myself to write a review at first.
But I really want to share how amazing this drama is with those who haven’t seen it yet, so I’m writing this review now.

The story is based on the Japanese manga "Hikaru no Go." I am also a fan of the original manga.
The manga itself is wonderful and very entertaining. Even though it has been more than 20 years since the manga finished its serialization, there are still many fans of this work in Japan.
The anime remains popular as well.
I want to extend the highest praise to the director, scriptwriter, production staff, and above all, the actors who managed to perfectly adapt this wonderful work into a 36-episode drama without losing any of its charm.

Hu Xianxu, who played Shi Guang, was particularly outstanding.
This was the first time I saw his acting, but I instantly became a huge fan. He embodied "Shi Guang" so perfectly.
He was truly amazing. His performance was so remarkable that I couldn’t believe there was such a talented actor in China.
What I particularly loved was how Shi Guang wasn’t portrayed as a cool character at all. Hu Xianxu didn’t try to make himself look cool in the slightest, and that’s what made his performance so fantastic.
Even though he is actually a very handsome actor, when he played the clumsy and lazy Shi Guang, he truly became the character. He was such an adorable, endearing character that you couldn’t help but love him.

And Hao Fushen, who played Yu Liang, was also amazing.
He perfectly captured Yu Liang's obsession, passion, and competitive spirit towards Shi Guang, while showing a humble and modest attitude outside of playing Go.
He portrayed a determined young man who constantly strives for greatness, living in the shadow of his father, a top figure in the Chinese Go world.

Zhang Chao, who played Chu Ying, delivered an extraordinary performance as a character that transcends humanity—neither a person, a god, nor a ghost, but the unique role of Chu Ying. His reactions to the modern world and his gradual adaptation were incredibly charming.
The relationship between him and Shi Guang, which was like that of a master and disciple, a family, brothers, and close friends, was truly wonderful.

As a fan of BL and bromance, I especially loved the relationship between Shi Guang and Yu Liang.
These two characters are each other’s greatest rivals and confidants in life.
Their personalities and lifestyles are completely different, so they probably wouldn’t have met or become friends without Go.
However, Go binds their destinies together, creating an unbreakable bond and a world that belongs to them alone.
It’s clear that Shi Guang and Yu Liang will continue to shine as two stars in the Chinese Go world for years to come.

I watched this drama without knowing the rules of Go, but I was so determined to understand it that I bought a "Go set" and a "Beginner’s Guide to Go." I’m now studying Go because of this drama. That’s how much it captivated me.
I’m so glad I found this drama. It has become a work that I’ll rewatch countless times throughout my life.

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Nothing just go for it

So i am reviewing this now but i watched it like last year. So i don't know why but i watched it in one go. It was so addicting to watch. I loved the bromance and this was the only drama where the interaction was so less between the shi guang and yu liang but i still did not feel sad. Like it did some black magic on me or something. I kow nothing about go but i can watch this again and again?????. Amd i loved the ending although felt sad for hong he as he was my most favourite character. I really wished he was with them but i know he would been the third wheel between them??

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Una gran serie

Ha sido una gran sorpresa encontrarme con esta serie, a la que llegué gracias a las buenas reseñas y a la gran puntuación que tenía. No suelo fiarme mucho de las puntuaciones, hay series que considero que son regulares o muy aburridas que tienen una puntuación alta -a veces más por el actor que hay en ella que por la calidad de la historia- pero en este caso no hay sido así.
No puedo poner ninguna pega a nada en esta serie. La duración de los capítulos es más que correcta, y eso que son treinta y seis, algunos de cuarenta minutos y otros más largos. Pero es que si se pudiera los verías todos de golpe porque el ritmo de la trama es casi perfecto. Desde que el protagonista se encuentra con el maestro del Go hasta que alcanza su gran potencial en estos capítulos vemos cómo va progresando en su amor por el Go, y en sus relaciones con los que le rodean.
Pero gran parte del acierto de esta serie es la elección de los actores, Hu XIan Xu, el actor principal lo borda, se nota que es un gran actor y a pesar de su juventud ya tiene experiencia detrás lo que le otorga una gran flexibilidad a la hora de abordar las diferentes situaciones a las que se enfrenta. El otro protagonista, Hao Fu Shen, está más rígido y parece que ésta fue su primera incursión en la interpretación pero esa rigidez -bien de su modo intepretativo o porque así lo exige en papel- es perfecta para interpretrar a Yu Liang. Los actores segundarios también lo bordan.
Este es un buen reflejo de que con grandes actores y una historia bien contada puedes crear una serie casi perfecta. Por no decir perfecta, al menos desde mi punto de vista, porque a estas alturas sigo sin saber cómo se juega al Go; y sus reglas y todo lo que lo rodea me parece muy extraño porque a simple vista parece un juego simple, como las damas. Pero no es así.
Una de las mejores series que he visto en mucho tiempo, sino entre las diez mejores de mi bibliotecta visual.

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Finding life’s meaning through a sport

I am not interested in Go. But I love a good sport centric or solid character development story.

And Hikaru no Go nails it - essence of what makes for a great sport / competition centric story.

True to good Japanese sports animes’ spirit, Hikaru no Go has well fitted cast which brings out the characters on screen, solid storyline which makes us care for the characters’ growth and journey, and lovely relationship dynamics - be it mentor-mentee, rivals or friends.

1. Acting and cast
First things first, what drew me in first was young Shi Guang played by Lucas Lu. What made me stayed after was older Shi Guang played by Hu Xian Xu. Shi Guang is one of the typical leads of “hidden talent who started late” troupe in sports story. They both nail this character well and manage to maintain the consistency even when it’s played by 2 different people. They piqued my interest and made me care for Shi Guang’s journey and development with Go. From not knowing what it is, to tolerating it because of Chu Ying, to learning about it and then to taking it seriously.

Both of them also had great chemistry with Chu Ying, played by Zhang Cao. This is important because it’s the story’s backbone and spirit. Chu Ying was a spirit who can only interact with Shi Guang throughout and the one who introduced the latter to Go. If this mentor-mentee dynamic didn’t work out, it means Shi Guang’s connection to Go won’t be as believable. Kudos to all 3 actors and their dynamics.

Other actors and actresses were also well casted, which adds to the enjoyment of this live adaptation.

2. Storyline and character development
Next, the pacing of storyline was done well.

I hadn’t read the manga before, so it probably helped considering I didn’t have any biased lens watching this.

The show first started with young Shi Guang playing Go reluctantly because of Chu Ying. Thereafter, he picked up Go again during high school because of an incident with his school mates. I enjoyed how the show took time to tease this part out and to establish this context for Shi Guang. I may not know or interested in Go. But I cared for Shi Guang, which then extends to the thing that Shi Guang came to love - Go.

Thus, I got invested in his improvement after he found his own motivation and interest in Go - not because of Chu Ying, not because of extra pocket money, not because of his ego, not because of his friends.

Every improvement and a small win by Shi Guang gave me a smile.

3. Relationship dynamic
Great sports stories are made up by characters who have a devotion and dedication to said sports as our main lead dived deeper into it. In Hikaru no Go, we see characters’ relationship with each other and with Go.

How lovely, to understand the characters motivation and to follow their discovery / learning of themselves through the game of Go and with each other. I still know nothing of Go after watching this (because I kinda zoned out whenever they got too much into the technicalities of it), but it never hindered my understanding of the characters’ motivation or traits or quirks.

I particularly loved Chu Ying’s battle with Yu Xiao Yang - on their 领悟 (learnings) from their inevitable face off. It stands to show how learning is boundless and everyone has their own unique journey / lesson on mastering an art.

While Yu Liang was supposedly the rival of Shi Guang, I somehow can’t seem to connect much to their dynamics. Not that the storyline or the actors’ chemistry were bad. Just other things - be it moments, characters or friendships- seem to drew me in more.

Ultimately, my favorite dynamic remains Chu Ying and Shi Guang.

Nevertheless, I rated Hikaru no Go at 8.5 because the story and cast didn’t managed to draw me in completely to the Go world. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think one requires to know Go to enjoy this story - just like I did. While it’s barely hit the mark for me, it might for you.

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This is not an adaptation this is a Spin off.

Warning guys this is not an adaptation of the anime, this is a spin off.
They made their own story using the IP. It's in a chinese setting with chinese world and characters. I appreciate the effort so much, not only you get the nostalgia but its an original story, most live actions the best thing they can do its just make a shitty adaptation of what we like. But this is different, in a good way, its fresh its new, its 2021. So much love was put into this, it only adds to the original because its not trying to copy it. I love that creators of this show, they wanted to put their heart their personalities into this and they succeed it. I hope more studio take this examples and make their original stories, yeah i know detective pikachu sucked but hey, I can appreciate the effort. Take more risks try new things, thats the spirit.
If you are one of the few people that have watched this and not the original anime, then watch the original you are not missing anything, you see its a WIN-WIN. This show could have been so bad but because it isnt makes me so happy. It get too soap opera at times, but besides that absulutely fantastic. It's a slow start so watch atleast 6 episodes i reccomend if you dont like it, then quit for sure. It has a lot of build up at first but then its followed by a lot pay off, a little boring at the beggining but fantastic middle and ending.

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A good Manga Adaptation.

I love this manga adaptation. I have read the manga, although the "character writing" of the main character (Shi Guang/Hikaru) is different from the manga. But I like it. Hikaru's initially calm character turns into a cheerful and goofy one. But the goofiness makes the story more lively.

Actually, the real manga is short. So there will be a lot of filler episodes, but most of the filler episodes don't feel like filler. Some episodes support story progress and character development. Except for a few episodes at the end. it felt a bit dragging.

But overall it is very good adaptation.
For overall experience i give it 10/10.
GOOD JOB.

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one of the only shows ever to have made me cry

Hikaru no Go is genuinely so good. It's a pretty realistic coming-of-age story with fantasy elements that don't overwhelm the plot but rather enhance it.

Unfortunately I haven't seen/read the original media so I can't review it as an adaptation, but as a standalone show it's fantastic. Good pacing, good plot, plenty of ups and downs. Likeable and three-dimensional characters with plenty of flaws and bad decisions. Plenty of character growth. Unexpected plot twists, nice cinematography, good acting. Comedy and drama in equal measure.

I really have no complaints. This is one of the only shows that's ever made me actually cry, which was wildly unexpected, but goes to show how good the actors are and how well they portrayed experiences. And how good the framing was too for everything. Nothing felt like a scene in isolation and nothing felt out of place, everything flowed. I'd give it a 10 if I'd had no reason to cry in the first place!

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hm

omg really boring ,,curious opening but the story maybe to long for that boring story ,, this drama like a combine a set of cut scenes ,, i very hate annoying stubborn ML ,stubbornness out of place ,, it's actually quite interesting when discussing Igo, especially since I really intend to study it, and there are some problems that actually make me quite curious how it happened, until ep 12 I really couldn't stand to continue it, the plot was too slow ,alot of cast with annoying character ,, maybe it will get better at the end of the story, but too late

and for some events actually I don't understand why?
even though yuliang was able to finish the IGO online match but he chose to give up and rematch so he passed an important match

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非常棒的改编，剧情中国本土化了，不逊色于日本原作。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。

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