Hikaru no Go

Hikaru no Go triggered a revival of interest in go across the world since its publication in 1998 (manga, then adapted into anime), especially among children in Japan, Taiwan, and Korea. And even I, who had never thought of go as exciting nor comprehensible, watched the anime series 3 times and began my own go interest. This is definitely one of the best series worth watching--even my mom went through the 75 eps in a roll with great anticipation and enthusiasm.

It follows Hikaru for 3 years all through his go progress from complete beginner to professional 1-dan. Beyond go, Hikaru as well as many of his companions walking the path of go all experience character development. The complex relationship between Hikaru, Sai, and Akira are especially worthwhile and satisfying to read. Although the women in the series are relegated to insignificant roles, the duality of masculine and feminine within the men, their connections to each other, and their go goals are more than enough to keep the story in top shape. (And owing to their complex relationship, it is no great surprise that Hikaru and Akira are the subject of many doujinshi.)



I'm running ahead of myself. Here's a snippet from the Wiki summary, which is easily gleaned from the first 2 eps:

Hikaru Shindo, the title character, is a 6th grade junior high student in Kita Ward, Tokyo. While exploring his grandfather's shed, he stumbles across a Go board haunted by the spirit of Fujiwara-no-Sai, a fictional Go player from the Heian era. Sai wishes to play Go again, having not been able to since the late Edo period, when he possessed the body of Hon'inbo Shusaku, an actual Go player of that era. Sai endeavors to attain the "Divine Move," or the "Hand of God" – a perfect game. Because Hikaru is apparently the only person who can perceive him, Sai inhabits a part of Hikaru's mind as a separate personality, coexisting, although not always comfortably, with the child.

Urged by Sai, Hikaru begins playing Go despite a lack of interest in the game. He begins by mimicking the moves Sai dictates to him, but Sai tells him to try to understand each move. In a Go salon, Hikaru defeats Akira Toya, a boy his age who plays Go with professional-caliber strength. Akira subsequently begins a quest to discover the source of Hikaru's strength, an obsession which will come to dominate his life.

Hikaru becomes intrigued by the great dedication of Akira and Sai to the game and decides to start playing solely on his own.

Although the series is a long 75eps, its length is necessary to experience the 3 years of go along with Hikaru. At no point in the storytelling does it feel prolix or tedious, and it's a faithful adaptation of the manga; at times it is even preferable to the manga, as the animation will illustrate out the moves in more detail.

There are many high point moments in the series, but to me the best was Sai's no handicap match with Touya Meijin--and Sai's subsequent realization that his purpose was to show the game to Hikaru.

As for go itself, there's no prerequisite to know the rules before watching Hikaru no Go, but on my 3rd watch-through after I had played a few games and read into theory and strategies, my go knowledge made the games more exciting. So rather than being discouraged from starting the series without prior go experience, instead, you should take it as a sign of the series' versatility, that it stands up to multiple watchings at different stages in your go hobby.

But if you do want to learn and join me: Learn rules by reading Sensei's basic rules page, the Wiki for go at Sensei's Library, then learn hands-on. You can download other people's games from the Go Teaching Ladder and look through them in a Java environment program, which also allows you to play in realtime on one of the most popular go servers, KGS. (KGS is sponsored by Kiseido, a Japanese go publishing company, and they have a large library of English translated go books.) Another option for playing online is through Dragon Go Server, which allows plays over several days or weeks through email. (If anyone want to play, my username is jomiel.)