It is probably the most satisfying liveaction I’ve ever watched. I usually avoid Liveactions as 9 out of 10 LA are so poorly done, and cringey. Part of the reason why I enjoyed this chinese adaption is bc I didn’t read the original manga, but still as a normal sports drama, it exceeded my expectations.

STORY
Brilliant!
Previously I watched Chinese adaptation of Prince of Tennis, which was just so-so imo, so I didn’t have high expectations for Hikaru, either. Besides, when I saw posters of Hikaru, they were like some trashy posters for typical bad dramas..
But then I saw so many positive reviews on Douban and here on MDL, so I gave it a try... I am surprised and got hooked. I went into this totally blind so everything was a surprise. I laughed watching those funny moments, and cried so hard while watching sad scenes.

ACTING
Splendid!
Most of them are new faces, I have seen ML in NiF 2 but I haven’t seen other main actors. Some supporting characters are from My Huckleberry Friends, so I am quite familiar with them.
All of them are brilliant. From main character like Shi Guang to minor character like Wu Di, all of them impressed me.
Director’s cameo as Lazy Monk was a pleasant surprise as well.

BROMANCE/FRIENDSHIP
Do you know what’s the best thing about this drama?
Of course, it is bromance and friendship.Friends motivating each other, helping each other out, and the best thing is bringing them out of their darkest moments.
Bromance? This is the best part of drama..
My favorite two characters are Chu Ying and Hong He. Ofc I loved Shi Guang.

MUSIC
I noticed that some songs are quite good, but I haven’t fully listened to them. But ending song was nice.

So here are some SPOILERS...( If you haven’t watched, pls don’t read)


I have some small complaints;
1.Hong He quitting Go?
It is a little disappointing, with many obstacles he has gone through to become a professional player. He just quitted like that? And from his dad’s expressions, I can tell that his dad wants him to continue playing..
It is quite a relief that Shi Guang said he will continue persuading Hong He
So the drama should have given a proper solution to Hong He’s problem before ending

2.Episode 34
I have already cried my eyes out in Ep 32 and 33, but Ep 34 was super hard to watch. Shi Guang was like I’ll forget everything about Go bc Chu Ying left.
I expected this but this arc was longer than I expected.

These problems are very small... so small that these didn’t change my opinion about this drama.
I would say it deserves high ratings and it is definitely worth watching.