Hikaru no Go

*Reviewed by spcnet

75 episodes.

Spoiler review!

For the Go fanatic or those unfamiliar with the game of Go, "Hikaru No Go" is an anime that will appeal--from the story development to the sheer passion and love of the game that the characters have for Go.

The story is simple. Shindou Hikaru is a young boy who finds an ancient Go board in his grandfather's attic where the spirit of a great Go player, Fujiwara no Sai, resides. Sai lived during ancient Japan's Heian period and used to teach Go to the emperor. In a game between another tutor to determine who will remain the sole instructor to the emperor, Sai was wrongfully accused of cheating, lost the match, and exiled from the capitol. In his great sorrow, he drowned himself but his spirit still desired to play Go very much and drifted onto a Go board. Similarly discovered by a young boy who played many more Go games for Sai, the boy became known as the historic legendary Go player, Honinbou Shuusaku. Unfortunately, Honinbou died at the young age of 34 and once again, Sai awaited for the day that another person could hear his voice and continue on his quest to achieve the "Hand of God" (aka "The Divine Move")--something like the ultimate, god-like level of Go. This day of course came in modern day Japan when Hikaru happens to come across the Go board.

Seeing Sai's undying passion for Go, Hikaru uninterestedly agrees to play Go games once in a while. They venture to a Go salon for the first game and Hikaru chooses to play against a young boy, Touya Akira, his age. Little does Hikaru know is that Akira is the son of Japan's best professional Go player and possesses great Go skills himself. Unknown to Akira is that his real opponent is an ancient Go master Sai and not the amateur Hikaru in front of him. Sai wins the game easily to Akira's great surprise, at both the high level of skill and ancient style of playing Go.

Akira seeks out Hikaru thereafter as his life's Go opponent and it is because of Akira's determination and passion that Hikaru slowly wants to learn Go and play his own games. Throughout the anime, we meet equally passionate Go players and see Hikaru's and their trials, triumphs, and disappointments.



The highs of this anime is definitely the story set-up and the character development of Sai, Hikaru, and Akira. You can feel the comradery between Sai and Hikaru that grows between them and the influence of Akira's dedication for Go on Hikaru. It is ironic how Akira chases after Hikaru at one point in the anime and then Hikaru in turn, chases after Akira in his footsteps as they are destined to be Go rivals in life.

Hikaru is drawn as a cute, innocent boy and as the anime progresses, the animation artists visibly showed how he matures, from the sharper facial features to the clothes he wears. You grow with Hikaru in his awakening love for Go.

One of the major lows for this anime must be the abrupt ending. On about episode 60, Sai disappears for good. He sees that Hikaru has matured much along in his Go and developed his own unique style of playing. Probably the "Hand of God" will never be achieved by Hikaru either but as Sai put it, each person in life plays a role for another person--that perhaps Honinbou's existence was so Sai could continue playing, but Sai's existence after that was so that he could guide Hikaru in that long quest to the god-like level. Akira's existence was also for Hikaru because as Sai put it in one episode, if Akira had never met Hikaru, he would've continued down his path instead of waiting for Hikaru to catch up. Hikaru too, exists for the next person. This is probably best implied during the online Go match between Sai and Akira's father, Touya Kouyo. Sai wins but afterwards, Hikaru points out that had Touya placed once crucial piece at a different spot during the game, Sai would've lost. Sai is stunned as he did not see it during the game and it's when Sai realizes it is his time to go because Hikaru's potential will probably exceed his own one day and that it is the end of his guidance.

The disbelief that Sai is gone forever is hard to believe for both Hikaru and the viewer. Which makes Hikaru's realization near the end that Sai's influence in his style of Go playing is the only remnant where he could still find Sai inside him that much more touching. However, while there is some kind of closure for Sai and Hikaru (we just have to accept that Hikaru will eventually fully mature into a legendary Go player), there were so, so many threads to the story that are just left open to the imagination, and perhaps fan fictions.



For instance, we don't get to see Hikaru catch up to Akira and win finally. Everyone keeps speaking of the new waves of talent in the Go world and of the excitement this new blood will bring, yet while the viewer is getting hyped up along, the anime ends at that point! We want to see the exciting new match-ups and competitions and see who will win and lose. But then again, it is also unsatisfying that Sai will not be there to witness it either.

Another aspect of the anime that could've also improved upon is certainly the character development of some of the minor characters--some who are quite interesting too. Which goes back again to how the anime set up a great background story for itself but just didn't follow through and ended it too suddenly.

The music arrangement in this anime is done very well, the scores fitting for the various emotional scenes and matches. Many of the instrumentals were very beautiful and some of the ending vocal songs were also some of the best I've heard in anime. Personal favorite has to be "Bokura no Boken" by Kids Alive.

One thought you'll certainly walk away with is that these kids are so serious about Go. They will cry over losses (you'd think it's just a game), and revel over wins. Hikaru was captivated by Akira's seriousness over Go and I think in part, he wanted to understand how a person could be so serious about anything in life. It certainly made me wish that I was as passionate about my own career and loved it as much. Overall, this is a slow moving anime that creates a great back-drop but just didn't follow up to its potential. It is certainly recommended though for its wonderful story-telling and character buildup.

Some interesting notes:
At the end of each episode, there is a short clip that will teach you the basics of playing Go and give some insight into the world of Go. It was quite interesting to discover that there are kids out there in Japan who aspire to be pro Go players like Hikaru and Akira and have similar Go clubs and sessions. It has also been said that with the release of this manga based anime, there has been a revival of interest in Go nowadays.

There are two specials released in addition to the 75 episodes. The specials will tell of the matchup that Hikaru will have against the Korean kid he played.
source:www.spcnet.tv