I can safely say that "Hikaru No Go" is the best anime show I've ever watched that is based on the ancient board game Go. Of course, it's the ONLY board game based on Go! After all, just how big can the demand be for this sort of thing?! Surprisingly, the anime both was popular AND featured in "Shonen Jump"....a manga magazine usually devoted to fighting manga.
So why did I give this one an 8? Well, much of it is because it is so unusual. Plus it manages to be one of a kind without being bad or utterly ridiculous...which you'd assume it would be! After all, the story is about a young man who has the ghost of a long-dead Go master following him about and helping him to become a great Go player! Silly....but also endearing and rather clever.
UPDATE: After finally finishing the series, I dropped my score a point. This is because "Hikaru No Go" is like many anime series, such as "Naruto", in that the pacing is glacial! Instead of the 70 plus episodes, it could easily have been told in half to 2/3 as many. A neat show and a lot of fun to watch...but just too slow to put it among the best anime programs.
So why did I give this one an 8? Well, much of it is because it is so unusual. Plus it manages to be one of a kind without being bad or utterly ridiculous...which you'd assume it would be! After all, the story is about a young man who has the ghost of a long-dead Go master following him about and helping him to become a great Go player! Silly....but also endearing and rather clever.
UPDATE: After finally finishing the series, I dropped my score a point. This is because "Hikaru No Go" is like many anime series, such as "Naruto", in that the pacing is glacial! Instead of the 70 plus episodes, it could easily have been told in half to 2/3 as many. A neat show and a lot of fun to watch...but just too slow to put it among the best anime programs.