11-01-2012, 10:09 AM | #26 |
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Who are your favorite characters so far and why?
Which have been the most memorable or exciting moments for you thus far?
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11-01-2012, 12:17 PM | #27 |
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Hmm....honestly, I haven't gotten that attached to any of the characters yet. I mean, their problems and all that are well written and all, but other than maybe Tsubaki, I haven't taken a shining to anyone.
I uhh....I think Tsubaki is the older guy who rides the motorcycle. I would say I like him better than everyone else. He actually has a personality that doesn't fully revolve around Go, and his interactions with Hikaru are actually pretty nice. Also, the fact that he's the Kaiji narrator scores him a point or two. For most memorable moment...hmmm...I would probably say the motorcycle ride with Tsubaki. Sure it's only a cheap line that's almost always said by older characters to younger ones, but I liked it. Second would probably be the match with the Korean kid. Isumi's scenes after the Pro exams are also pretty nice. |
11-04-2012, 12:46 AM | #28 |
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Phew, after about 5 days, I've burned through the Hikaru no Go anime. I can say I've really enjoyed the show, which is pretty surprising, since this is SJ. Like I've said before, this is a well-written and solid show. Though the filler was kinda painful to watch. While I can't say I was really attached to any of the characters, I still liked them, and even some small scenes with some of them excited me. Actually I couldn't be more satisfied with the "world of go" created by the writer.
Episode 58 spoiler Spoiler: show End spoiler Spoiler: show It's not very often I blow through 75 episodes in less than a week, so that should say quite a bit for this show. I would probably say this show deserves a 9.5. Surprisingly, despite there being a few loose ends, I'm still satisfied with how everything turned out. |
11-04-2012, 08:08 AM | #29 |
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For not being that attached to the characters, you sure have given the series a high overall score! Not that I'm complaining! I just wasn't expecting such a score from you given your posts.
I'm an old windbag but if you're looking for more HnG to read or discuss, now you can go back to the first page and read all of those spoiler-boxed miniature essays of mine. I know I would be interested to hear your thoughts (given your repeated mentions of lack of attachment to the main characters), but whether you'd be interested to read all those is a different matter. From now on if I ever say "SHINDOU! " you will immediately have Touya Akira's voice in your head. You should look for the OAV now. Sadly it ends in the middle of the story arc -_-; but I think you should still check it out if you really liked the show so much. Just be prepared for it to end not where you want it to end.
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11-04-2012, 01:20 PM | #30 |
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9.5 might be too much, but I had difficulty deciding what to give it, so I went with the optimistic rating. Afterall, despite a few things to pick on, I couldn't find many actual flaws. It didn't strike any deep emotions in me, but I was interested and excited enough to plow through it, which is rare (though admittedly I did need a comedy break every now and then).
Also I read those when I finished. Though due to youtube being assholes, the videos you linked were removed, so I didn't watch them. Admittedly, that might have swayed me a little bit in my overall score. Though I guess I do have a question. End of series spoiler, I guess: Spoiler: show |
09-19-2013, 04:42 PM | #33 | |
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Cross-posting this here so it's not lost in the Suggestion Box.
Quote:
Heian-kyo Feminity: around the time of the Genpei War (circa 1180), there were two major classes of emerging "proto-samurai". The first, the Taira, were a clan who primarily resided in the capital, Heian-kyo (today's Kyoto). The second, the Minamoto, were a clan who primarily resided outside the capital. Amongst many stereotypes each clan had of the other, one stereotype was that the Taira were more effeminate than their Minamoto cousins. This doesn't mean that they were more involved in same-sex relationships or things of that sort. It just means that Taira men, stereotypically, were seen as "girly men" compared with Minamoto men. They talked more politely / less gruffly. They cared more about "girly" hobbies like song, dance, art, and poetry. (This is not to say that Minamoto men didn't care for those things too! Just listing off the stereotypes.) Their women were generally considered to be far fairer and ladylike, the women of the Minamoto considered more "rough 'n' tumble" like the boys. You get the picture. For these reasons, I suspect, the artist may have elected to give Sai purple lipstick as it really, really clearly stands out to modern viewers as something which is effeminate (lipstick) without necessarily being too much so (it's purple, which is a pretty exotic color; it's not like it's lip gloss or red lipstick). Now, you may be wondering, "Taira? But I thought Sai was a Fujiwara?" Indeed he was. The Fujiwara were the Taira's political predecessors. (In fact, they were the clan that Taira no Kiyomori more or less wrested power from in the 12th century.) But the thing is, they were even MORE notorious for their femininity, not less! Indeed, like I said, the Taira were basically a clan of "proto-samurai" (before there was technically such a thing as samurai in Japan), as were their Minamoto cousins. The Fujiwara were no such thing. The Fujiwara were court nobles through and through. Indeed, the Taira and the Minamoto both were originally branch families who were assigned to be the court's protectors. Why them? Because the Fujiwara were much too busy with courtly matters to be chipping their fingernails. For what it's worth, this stereotype about Kyoto being an epicenter of femininity in Japan didn't fade away after the Genpei War. In fact, pretty much throughout the remainder of Japanese history -- and into the present day! -- the men and women of Kyoto are considered to be amongst Japan's most feminine. That works very nicely in the ladies' favor! Noooooot so much in the guys'. ^^; By contrast, their neighbors in Osaka are considered the modern stereotype of a gruff, masculine people. This is one reason why girls from Osaka are often depicted as being quite embarrassed by their accent and why they make attempts to hide it. On the flipside, many of modern Japanese's slang elements or corrupted pronunciations derive from the gruff Kansai-ben associated with Osaka. Why? Because teenage boys want to sound cool and macho no matter where they hail from, and what better way to try to sound gruff 'n' tough than to emulate the macho Osakan accent? Quoting from Wikipedia: Kyōto-ben (京都弁) or Kyō-kotoba (京言葉) is characterized by softness and an adherence to politeness and indirectness. Kyoto-ben is often regarded as elegant and feminine dialect because of its characters and the image of Gion's geisha (geiko-han and maiko-han in Kyoto-ben), the most conspicuous speakers of traditional Kyoto-ben.Heian-kyo cosmetic practices: I dunno about lipstick, but I do know that the clans during the Heian-kyo period were known for their unique customs that set them apart from one another, including differences in cosmetics. One of the things the Taira were famous for was staining their teeth black. (This comes up, famously, in one of the chapters of the Tales of the Heike where a Minamoto adult confronts a Taira boy on the beach of a battle near the sea.) Even the Minamoto clansmen back then thought the practice strange, so it's not like this is something that all Japanese men did back then and which only modern people find weird. No, even some of their contemporaries though the practice very strange. ^^; So what does this mean? Well, it means that maybe, just maybe, either:
One thing to keep in mind, if it is in fact made up by the artist, is that the fuji in Fujiwara represents wisteria, a famously purple flower. That's likely one reason for having the lipstick be purple specifically. Because purple is "a very Fujiwara color" just by name association alone. Closing comment: You asked about the lipstick, but everything I've written here also applies to Sai's other feminine traits.
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09-19-2013, 05:37 PM | #34 |
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I've forgotten all about HnG. I got pretty damn far in the manga before I stopped picking up Shonen Jump, so I've not only not seen where the plot goes, I've forgotten most of it, too.
Really shocked it has received so much love. I thought it was a splendid manga, but I didn't really see anything "unique" or special about it at the time. I think it's high time I try watching, after all, it's been nearly 8 years since I last laid eyes on the manga...
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09-20-2013, 12:41 AM | #35 |
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Hikaru no Go is splendid. I've probably read through the manga twice and the anime thrice.
Not likely to do that again anytime soon though... |
10-16-2013, 03:46 PM | #36 |
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So I finished the anime some time ago and only now get to writing about it. This will be brief.
1. I NEED A SECOND SEASON OF THIS. RIGHT NOW. 2. No reading this one if you haven't finished the show yet! Spoiler: show 3. I still can't understand the rules of go. ^^;; Not that that's the main point of the show though, from the looks of it. Think I could get the hang of it if I really paid attention and focused on it, but HnK didn't get me interested in go in the same way as some other sports anime have gotten me interested in the sport (Chihayafuru and karuta, Kuroko no Basuke and basketball, Yowamushi Pedal and cycling, Free! and swimming etc.). Yeah, that's about it. Sorry, I know you guys were looking forward to my thoughts. But they're just not very much in quantity - Sai makes the show, essentially.
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10-16-2013, 03:53 PM | #37 |
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This is what happens, kids, when you wait three weeks before discussing the 70-episode show you marathoned in just three days. Argh that your post is deceptively short, making it seem like you didn't really care much about the show. Obviously you did since you blazed through it at a rate of like one episode an hour. ^^;
Oh well. Glad you watched it. Gladder you loved it as much as you clearly must have. Thanks for giving us some thoughts, however brief.
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10-16-2013, 04:13 PM | #38 | |
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Oh, there is one episode that kinda weirded me out though! Episode 35. Spoiler: show
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10-16-2013, 04:56 PM | #40 | |
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Quote:
Spoiler: show I'm very hung up on tiny details like that, even if I can completely miss a mediocre animation or "this character looks different in this frame than in the last one". ^^;
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10-16-2013, 05:20 PM | #41 |
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03-03-2015, 07:23 PM | #42 |
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The first time I ever watched Hikaru no Go, I watched the first fourteen episodes in one 24-hour period of time. (And it was during finals week, to boot. ^^;; ) In what may soon promise to be the fourth time I watch this beloved tale, I've gone and watched the first eleven episodes in one 24-hour period of time.
14. 11. Yep: show's still a 10/10. There aren't many shows that you can watch for the third time less than two years ago, therefore still fresh in memory, and that will still suck you in like a whirlpool like this when you sneak a peek at the first episode after recommending it to someone else. Part of it, though, I definitely blame on the format in which the story is told: shameless use of hugely effective cliffhangers nearly every single episode. So yeah. I may or may not be re-watching this series in its entirety. We'll see what happens once I reach the end of Part I. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Today in HnG gushing about the soundtrack: "Kokoro". First plays when Sai gets to play Go for the first time since his previous host passed away. Plays many, many more emotional times after that. As well as (briefly) opening every single episode for an entire season. Previously gushed about "Mae wo Muite" here and have gushed many, many times about "Tomadoi". As always, be mindful not to read the comments section on YouTube if you've clicked any of my YouTube links without having watched all of Hikaru no Go first. Spoilers, spoilers, spoilers.
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03-05-2015, 08:01 AM | #43 |
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You know what scene is actually hilarious?
Spoiler: show Is Hikaru no Go the most underrated anime ever? I NEVER hear people give it high praise like we do. Sure, you can argue that something like Kaiji is underrated, and it is, but at least it has a strong cult following, and the few people that HAVE seen it tend to have very good things to say about it. HnG on the other hand? Never talked about or listed on people's all time favourite lists outside of this board. The only reason why I checked it out at all was because of a joint recommendation from Talon and another guy at another message board I go to. Come to think of it, I would describe this other guy as being very "Talon-like." Intellectual, math nerd, lover of long winded debates, vocal atheist, anime fan, Nodame Cantabile fan, Three Kingdoms fan, Go fan. In fact I played him in Go a few times over Yahoo and I would assess his strength as being exactly the same as Talon's.
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03-05-2015, 07:05 PM | #44 | ||
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Quote:
On that note, status update: currently through 22 or 23, whichever of the two it is that has that scene in it. Quote:
I don't think Hikaru no Go is underrated. I do think it's underviewed though. (Semantics! ^^; ) Everyone who's seen it, minus maybe Yuki (I forget if she ever even started this one), has devoured it in a matter of days and rated it an 8, 9, or 10. Yeah, there might be something to be said for UPN-Anime being a nucleus of individuals predisposed to loving HnG, but I actually discovered HnG myself from one of AnimeNewsNetwork's editors. He'd indicated it as one of the best animes of all time, I was interested, and I kept hearing other people in unrelated spheres (college friends, college clubmates, people on other forums) mention how good it was too. So I ended up finally checking it out December of (iirc) 2005. And man oh man did I love it. There are several reasons I can think of why Hikaru no Go is less read/viewed than its Shounen Jump brethren like Naruto, Bleach, and DragonBall. 1. For starters, HnG is a spectacular drama set in the real world. With the exception of Sai, nothing supernatural takes place whatsoever. So for children wowed by Hunter x Hunter's and Naruto's flashy fare, HnG might seem dull. There is no chakra here, no Rasengans or Chidoris. There's no Nen, no Jajankens or Bungee Gums. There are no talking animals, no cursed weapons, no threats against all life on Earth as we know it. Oh, there's tons of drama, to be sure! But it's all within the confines of reality. Minus the ghost, of course. Minus the ghost so core to the story. 2. And I did say it's a drama -- most shounen stories that become playground popular are action stories. Naruto, Bleach, One Piece ... Sure, they have dramatic elements too, but at the end of the day they are action series with karate chops and energy-infused punches. Hikaru no Go's protagonist is a boy who wants to master "Othello-Chess." Its antagonists are all children and adults who are "really, really good at Othello-Chess." The drama is so much richer, but the action is only as exciting as a game of Go. Granted, we might find games of Go exciting, but that's only because we know what we're looking at and we respect, even revere the legends of Go. 3. The anime's animation is super old-looking and low budget-looking. Studio Pierrot did a marvelous job with the project, but it's hard to deny that superficially it looks like it bears more in common with the '90s than with the '00s. 4. It's old and therefore not hot. This wouldn't explain the lack of a larger fanbase back in the day, but you have to keep in mind that getting kids today to watch Hikaru no Go is getting them to agree to watch an anime that is fourteen years old. We have members on UPN not even that old. A lot of kids only watch what's hot. And the hot animes of the day, the Narutos excepted, are usually either currently airing or else less than two years old. SAO, Log Horizon, Attack on Titan, kids are watching shows like these. They're no more watching HnG than they are Tenchi Muyo, The Twelve Kingdoms, or Princess Tutu.
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03-05-2015, 08:13 PM | #45 |
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The anime reminds me that my last opportunity to take the Pro Exam either:
1) was last summer at age 29. This summer at age 30, I'll no longer be eligible. :') 2) is this summer at age 30. But seeing as how I'm nowhere near good enough at Go right now to make it in time for summer ... :') Either way, the door's closed on my chance at being a Japanese government-paid Go player. If I want to play with the pros, I'll just have to settle for becoming a really renowned amateur. ... ... That moment when you realize you are older than Tsubaki-kun. orz Goddamn. It's been ten years since I first saw this anime, how the time flies ...
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03-05-2015, 09:26 PM | #46 |
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It's true that the story enjoyed some popularity about ten years ago; it was popular enough to warrant an official English localization after all. I should rephrase it as HnG being the worst victim of being forgotten by time. Compare it to another sports anime, Hajime no Ippo, which is roughly the same age but still enjoys a lot of popularity and buzz today. It's a much easier sell since it's about boxing, fighting, COMBAT!! A show about a kid playing some ancient board game that they've never heard of? Ain't nobody got time for that!
The "black coffee" scene reminded me of an incident that I myself experienced, and talked about in the Starcraft II thread. My ultimate goal was to make the Master League so that I could finally retire and quit wasting so much time playing the game. I was really close to making it when Master League was first introduced, but when I stopped playing for a year and then started again, the game had experienced an inflation in the level of skill relative to each league. Diamond League was now as hard to make as Master League was a year ago. This fact was made very apparent when it took me about a month of struggling just to make Diamond League again, despite my skill level being way higher than it was a year ago. After beating one guy who was in Diamond, I took a look at his profile and saw that he was an ex GRANDMASTER LEAGUE (the highest level) player a year ago! This meant that even an ex Grandmaster League player was now struggling to make Master League. At that moment I said to myself: What will I have to do in order to make Master League, and am I willing to do that? The answer was, no, so I said ... I'm done. I quit SC2 on that very day. I wasn't willing to put in the effort and time necessary just so I could say I made Master League. After having my black coffee revelation, instead of electing to stay in insei school like Hikaru did, I chose to drop out.
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03-05-2015, 09:39 PM | #47 | ||
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Did a Tumblr search for hikaru no go for amusement's sake. The best finds sorted by category:
Akira and Hikaru are gay: funny comic, sweet comic, funny thing I saw on Imgur once before, Touya Meijin weighs in New fans bummed out they missed the hype train: Akira x Hikaru shipping fanart, shoutout into the vacuum of space Quote:
Quote:
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03-05-2015, 09:46 PM | #48 | |
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Quote:
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03-06-2015, 03:06 AM | #49 |
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Yep, I still see people talking about Ippo all the time, although it might have something to do with the fact that the manga is still ongoing and there have been some new anime series recently released as well (by the sounds of it though the original series was the best one. It's still on my list of things I want to watch). I also see Slam Dunk mentioned from time to time. You can see how it really helps for a show to be about a sport that people in the West are familiar with. "Hey an anime about basketball, I gotta check this out!" That simply can't happen with Go.
I'm sure that a number of people downloaded Akagi just because they're curious to see how they made a show about "That computer game where you match two identical tiles on the ends until you've gotten rid of the whole pile."
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03-06-2015, 04:38 PM | #50 | |
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Quote:
Screencaps from the comments sections of several HnG soundtrack uploads on YouTube. I think it's safe to say that it isn't only UPN that rates HnG highly. If this doesn't motivate folks lurking this thread to go and watch Hikaru no Go, I don't know what will!
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