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Hikaru no Go chinese drama review
Completed
Hikaru no Go
3 people found this review helpful
by LittleHorse416
Nov 15, 2021
36 of 36 episodes seen
Completed
Overall 8.0
Story 9.5
Acting/Cast 8.5
Music 7.0
Rewatch Value 7.5
This review may contain spoilers

Solid Drama with a Key Issue

Customary to many Chinese dramas, this one was in big need of an extra episode. From episodes 1-30, everything is well-paced. Shi Guang goes from being a kid blessed with a deity following him around to a normal grade school student to a professional Go player. His transformation through these stages is natural enough. We see him put in the work in order to get to his status as a professional. We also see him slowly improve as the series goes on, which was very well done. The show does tension through Go games very well. Although I have no idea what's going on, I'm still very committed whenever they hype up a match between two very good players. Having all the other characters invested helps as well. The best part of the whole series is arguably when Yu Xiao Yang finally gets a match with Chu Ying. It was built up since the second or third episode and the audience knows the stakes. Then everything kind of goes downhill after that match. Having found the Divine Move, Chu Ying leaves and never comes back. Shi Guang becomes depressed and the whole story comes to a hault. After a couple of episodes moping around, Shi Guang gets back on his Go mojo and is suddenly the third best young Go player in China. Not too realistic but it's fine. Yu Liang is partnered with Shi Guang to compete for China in an international Go competition. Here's the problem. The last episode doesn't end with them winning, it ends with the two of them entering the competition. The entire double-length last episode was showing the two of them forming a bond in order to compete in doubles Go, so why does it end without showing the actual match? What's worse is that the ending narration says they won the match for China. Why tell us instead of just showing us? This is literally the main character and his rival coming together to win a championship for their country and it ends before they win it. What's worse is that there are so many other unresolved plot points. What happened to Shen Yi Liang and Bai Xiao Xiao? Did Hong He give up on Go after becoming a professional? What about Shi Guang's high school friends? Does Gu Yu just hate Shi Guang forever? Why did we never get an official match between Shi Guang and Yu Liang? These could've been resolved with an extra episode. Just one and all could've been fixed. Ultimately, it does taint the show a bit and makes the rewatchability go down. But it's still a great drama nonetheless. Execution was flawed but it was still an enjoyable watch.
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