Hikaru no Go (anime)

2001-2003 anime (based on a 1998-2003 manga) about the classic board game Go. I think I came across it in association with Eliezer Yudkowsky, possibly from when he mentioned in in his (weird) OkCupid profile.
==First watch (April/May 2013)==
===Format===
At home, in Japanese with subs.
===Journal===
Queued it up as a possible 'to-watch' in November 2012, so that in April 2013 when I watched the first 4 episodes I couldn't remember for sure where I'd seen it mentioned.
I watched the first 4 episodes on the 20th of April 2013. It was entertaining enough, although I felt I could hardly take it seriously, that it dramatised the most inane shit. But I still planned to watch it further.
4 weeks later, by May 18th, I'd watched 51 episodes, having been in particular on a bit of a binge for a few days. I was really enjoying it by that point. Maybe under other circumstances, if I was busier, I wouldn't have been able to get into it, I don't know. In particular I think it's got great characterisation and character arcs. The series has spanned 2 years of Hikaru's life, and he's met a lot of people, at school, in Go salons, in various competitions, and everyone has an interesting personality, generally shown by how they react to Hikaru. It was really enjoyable watching it all. I don't think I've seen character development quite as good as this before, the way Akira and Hikaru have changed over time in particular (although this applies to other minor characters, like Mitani, too). But the best thing was it was subtle.
May 19th: Episode 60 - Nooo!
May 20th: Episode 61 was a great follow up from 60, but 61 and 62 have gone off on weird tangents. Not sure if they're searching for ways to extend the series without committing to the recent plot developments.
May 21st: Episode 70 - Aand we're back to awesomeness. Actually made me tear up!
May 21st: Finished the final episode, 75. There's still an hour and a half special, which seems to cover the final arc (maybe?) of the manga, which was absent in the anime. I was getting anxious about the ending as I neared the final episodes, but it was handled really brilliantly and I have no complaints.
This series has really surprised me! I'm going to miss it.
May 22nd: Watched the 77-minute special that includes some of the last manga chapters, but it didn't really end in a wow way, I'd say it was far from necessary to watch it.
June 6th: I've read the first volume of the manga and hope to read the rest. I've rewatched bits and pieces of the anime since finishing it, and I just rewatched most of the final episode and it convinced me to upgrade this to a Top Pick :P
Note 12/07/13: I've recently watched a bit of Wimbledon (woo Murray!) and realised that the intensity of watching two people drive at each other in tennis which makes it so appealing to me, despite my not thinking of myself as a fan of sport, is one of the key ingredients of Hikaru no Go, and which seems to be missing from the manga which doesn't really portray the actual matches much.
===Rating===
3
==Ratings, awards, mentions and recommendations==
Top Pick!
=Links and references=
Category:Works
Category:TV series
Category:Japanese TV series
Category:Cartoons
Category:Children's TV series
Category:Coming-of-age TV series
Category:2000s TV series
Category:TV series watched in 2013
Category:TV series with 3 rating
Category:Top Picks