Ranked #160

Hikaru no Go

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 changing too 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. read more

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!
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