The Most Underrated Anime of the 2000s Taught Me Something I Can’t Stop Thinking About Two Decades Later

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The Most Underrated Anime of the 2000s Taught Me Something I Can’t Stop Thinking About Two Decades Later

Hikaru no go is my favorite anime of all time, and due to its niche appeal, it naturally sits as my top pick for the Most underrated anime of the 2000s. The series is a brilliant coming-of-age that, despite its silly premise of ​​a ghost trapped in a walking board taking on a child as his next boss, is immaculately written and a realistic depiction of growing up and embracing His desires. However, at the end of the US Hikaru no go anime, I found myself wrestling with its painful depictions of loss, loneliness, and desperate depression.

This series was a revelation to me, a subscriber to Shawn Jump magazine, which saw the first chapter in January 2004 and Got hooked on the premise of a game-focused, non-combat manga Without the stupidity of Yu-Gi-Oh! I was enamored with Takeshi Obata of Death note Rum, whose artwork I was introduced to Hikaru no goAlong with Yumi Hotta’s brilliant, touching image of a child embracing the board game of Go, launching a global surge of popularity in the process. But Hikaru no go Anime is different enough from manga to leave indelible impressions.

Hikaru no Go’s anime has unique appeal

Incomplete yet perfectly nostalgic

The Hikaru no go Anime, just like the manga, focuses on the journey of Hikaru Shindo, a twelve-year-old child who discovers A blood-stained board possessed by the ghost of Fujiwara no Sai, a Heian Go instructor who once served the Emperor. Hikaru goes from disinterested in Go to humoring Sai’s whims as the ghost tragically longs to play the game and play “The Divine Move,” elevating the Go term to encapsulate a completely original, tactically sound game in the ancient board game. Eventually, as Hikaru grows up, he develops his emerging passion for the game.

Despite the differences, the execution of the anime’s conclusion is still flawless.

However, these Hikaru no go Anime ends abruptly, with the main series concluding on the return arc. At the same time, the manga goes to the Hokuto Cup and beyond, Showing two different conclusions for the story. In the anime, Hikaru survives the most painful low of his age, determining his identity for himself, while the manga ends with him challenging other young professional Go players on the world stage, garnering young fans of himself and his rival, Akira Touya.

Despite the differences, the execution of the anime’s conclusion is still flawless. The Hikaru no go Anime will hardly hold up to other late 1990s-early 2000s anime in terms of production values. However, it is an elegantly executed series animated by Studio Pierrot, who have handled Yu Yu Hakusho, NarutoBleach, and Black clover.

One of its special quirks is how each episode is followed by installments of Go go!A live-action educational series starring Yukari Umezawa, a professional Go player, and the child actors who played her students. Hikaru no go Has some of the catchiest opening and ending themes of animeIncluding works by famous performers like Dream.

The Hikaru no Go anime provides a devastating lesson on facing loss

Turn emotional crisis into an uplifting opportunity

Hikaru no go Prepares readers and viewers wonderfully for how his characters face loss in the competitive realm, seeing it as a call to action for reflection and improvement. Characters often encounter profound developments even after crushing losses; Even the biggest final matches of Hikaru no go Anime and manga end in losses for multiple main characters.

But when it comes to personal loss, The series focuses fundamentally on the possibility of dealing with death or disappearanceSuch as when Sai passes away in his first life or when his previous boss, Torajiro, dies later. The first approximately sixty of the seventy-five episodes of Hikaru no goExcept the anime film Journey to the North Star Cup, Is A healthy journey where Hikaru first indulges Sai’s desire to play Go, only to find himself growing interested in the game.

Hikaru starts the series as a blank slate witnessing Sai’s touching love for the game as a ghost who never got to live out his original days playing to his heart’s content, but by episode #60, Hikaru has become a teenage professional player. In light of this, Sai’s presence in Hikaru’s life starts to fade.

One hundred and forty years ago… Torajiro lent me his body. If Torajiro existed for my sake, I exist for Hikaru’s sake. Then… Hikaru exists for someone else too. And that someone will also… be there for another person. A millennium becomes two, built slowly man by man. The long road that leads to the divine movement… my part in it is over.

– Fujiwara no Sai

Episode #36 foreshadows this moment well, with Hikaru reaching greatness when defeating Suyong Hong, recognized by Go enthusiasts for his talents, just as he was when he let Sai play in his place. Sai’s presence is taken for granted, while the amorous Heian Go instructor begins his existential crisis, Fear of the possibility of suddenly no longer existing, even as a ghost.

This is why, in episode #60, after Hikaru lets Sai play a drunken Seiji Ogata while pointing out an oversight that Sai didn’t notice, Sai fades soon after, beginning the most painful arc in Hikaru no go.

The penultimate arc of Hikaru no Go’s Anime is a lonely piece of shit

A difficult experience for those coping with loss and isolation


Hikaru no Go Sai disappears

From episode #61 to the end, Hikaru realizes Sei is gone and begins the stages of grief When his closest confidant and mentor suddenly disappears. Hikaru withdraws from the Go world, only longing to find Sai once more, angrily dismissive of Go challengers, willing to travel across Japan to many historical wonders linked to Sai’s previous boss, Torajiro, alias Hon’inbō Shūsaku, a historical Japanese Go Professional.

At this moment, Hikaru feels completely lost, A familiar feeling of loneliness I have experienced either the absence of friends or death in the family. Sai’s disappearance in the Hikaru no go Anime is The closest the series comes to depicting an onscreen deathAnd for all intents and purposes, it achieves the same ends: in one moment, Sai is there, then suddenly is nowhere.

Seeing Hikaru try and fail to cope with this loss by pushing others away must feel familiar to many viewers who have dealt with heartbreak, seen family and friends drift apart, and lost friends and loved ones to various tragic events. in this sense, Hikaru no go Is still the anime I reflect on when life reminds me of the hard lessons.

Hikaru Shindo’s depression is tragic and relatable

Hikaru without Sei felt inconceivable


Hikaru no Go manga art with Sei in the background

In many ways, the loss of Sei was critical to maintaining these Hikaru no go History moving. Sei would eventually teach Hikaru everything he needed to know to inspire the Go wave, and a happy ending for a ghost usually implies moving on to the next life. But seeing Hikaru willing to give up walking for fear of knowing Sei isn’t there to watch and guide him reminds me that this anime is a painful viewing experience, Even if it’s cathartic to see it through to the end.

Hikaru’s resignation to never play again for much of the arc, An attempt to escape from his grief over losing SaiSomething he can’t plausibly articulate because it’s an absurd concept makes it incredibly difficult for others to get through to him. A former insei (by-goer apprentice) named Isumi faced similar issues, he went to China to meet them and finally passed the pro exams, attempting to pass his lawyer to Hikaru, as Hikaru’s main rival, Go Prodigy Akira Toya. Hikaru’s many connections help him get back on track, especially one key encounter.

The best Hikaru no Go anime scene is a perfect lesson of acceptance

Not a dry eye in the house

My favorite scene from Hikaru no goAnd really from any anime ever, is from the final episode of the main anime series. After Hikaru returns to the professional Go world, recognizing that Sai lives on metaphorically, permanently embedded in his style as a player, he finally has his set match with Akira Toya after years of anticipation. The result isn’t even the main concern of the match, as such Akira finally articulates to Hikaru that there is someone else in his playstyleCome the closest possible to grasp that Sai is a real spirit in the boy.

The realization occurs with Hikaru as he goes to bed, in which he has a vivid dream sequence, which is the last visible encounter with Sai in the series. Sai is silent as Hikaru relays his recent experiences, namely his play with Akira. But when Hikaru brings up how Akira sees Sai in his playing, Sai looks forward into the light, signaling that the dream is about to end.

Hikaru begs for Sai not to go, to which Sai only responds by giving Hikaru his fan In a beautiful scene as the piano theme in the background flourishes; The moment is exalted.

I can’t watch this scene without breaking down in tears because it’s the second time that Sai is present, then gone, but this time, Hikaru acknowledges Sai’s departure. It is a wild acknowledgment of Sai’s passing, and essentially, Hikaru’s acceptance of his mentor’s “death” in Hikaru no goA significant step in his coming of age As he begins to rely on himself. But in reflecting on Sai’s departure, there is one final, noteworthy aspect of his character I can’t help but consider and its importance to Hikaru as he grows up.

Fujiwara no Sai was Hikaru Shindo’s father figure

Another round of walking with the old man?

Fujiwara no Sai was like a father figure to Hikaru, whose father, Masao, was not maliciously absent, but a typical salaryman whose appearances boiled down to a brief implied cameo in the finale. Sei was there for Hikaru’s formative eventsDiscover his passion for Go, climb the ranks as an Insei, become a professional, and make a name for yourself.

Sai also spotted subtle things, like how Hikaru’s friend Akari had romantic feelings for him. Although Sai’s disappearance was crucial as a major step for Hikaru to grow up, it was still hard to see him go. Sai’s absence left Hikaru aimless, but his impressions as a player and a major part of Hikaru’s life left a clear mark, as shown in Hikaru’s furious gameplay in episode #62, along with his longing to see Sai observe him play.

Sai was a perfect mentor and the wonderful father figure Hikaru deserved, and his disappearance is all the more heartbreaking.

He was a responsible teacher, always gentle when it counted, while giving Hikaru room to show his talents when the moment called, such as in his match against Sooyoung, to reignite the passions of other young players indirectly. Sai was a perfect mentor and the extraordinary father figure Hikaru deserved, and his disappearance is all the more heartbreaking.

In the experience of Sai’s disappearance, I remembered drastic mishandling the first time my father left for a business trip. I could not deal with such key figures in my upbringing suddenly gone, even temporarily. Although my father is still a part of my life, it is hard not to look at the series as a strong reminder of the transitory aspect of life and how important it is to face it. in a way, Hikaru no go Reminds me how to face this sudden loss and not feel lost in confronting it.

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