Patel_KH

Hikaru no Go is a drama with a primary theme of passion for the game of Go. However it goes beyond your regular sports based story and explores important slice-of-life themes such as friendship, perseverance, teacher-student relationship, hardships faced while trying to achieve your dream, bi-directional family support (between children and parents) and many others.

Strengths of this drama:

• Fantastic screenplay (pulls you in from the first episode and keeps you engaged throughout its runtime)
• Enlightening short story arcs in the middle of the drama (drifting painter, temple monks)
• One of the best child actors i have ever seen (the kid who played ML was so charismatic)
• Support characters add such great depth to the story and each one contributes something significant to the main lead's journey
• Great bromance between the main leads (true to adage 'bringing out the best in each other')
• Peppy and 80s/90s nostalgic music is a bonus as well

It's a pity not many people know about this drama. It certainly gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling. You may not love it as much as I did but it definitely deserves a watch from anyone who is looking for something sweet and fulfilling.

This drama hits all the right notes. Folks who trivialize saying 'this is Moneyball version of K-drama' are grossly downplaying the depth of this show. There is so much happening in each episode. The first episode instantly sets-up an intriguing plot and every episode unravels something interesting or tackles a deep rooted issue.

Although its set against a Sports (Baseball) backdrop it isn't simply a Sports story. Please don't turn away thinking its a Sports drama. Infact there is hardly any on-field action through its 16 episodes length. It focuses more on the management side of the team and the problems that pop-up after years of under-performance. Along the way you may even pick up few useful tips on topics such as negotiation, presentation skills and general management.

What I loved:

• Great storyline
• Fantastic acting (Namkoong Min is a Korean treasure, however he was aptly supported by Eun-bin Park and others)
• Good explanation of important Baseball stats (on Viki) and not dumping lot of numbers on our face (easy to follow for a novice like me)

It's a pity so few people have watched this drama. It deserves much more recognition and love.

Go Dreams!

P.S. There is no romance in this drama. Just so you know ;) It also won the Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Drama for the year 2020

Simply speaking, 'Mother' is one of the best dramas out there!

This drama deep dives into sensitive topics such as physical abuse, motherhood and childhood trauma while never dragging any of these too long so as to lose interest. The plot instantly grabs your attention and first episode sets-up the story nicely. Not one minute is wasted with fillers or narrative that doesn't contribute to the plot. I was heavily invested in the lead characters and was crying my eyes out especially during final few episodes.

Testament to how good the story is: original Japanese drama has been remade in various languages such as Korean, Chinese and Thai.

I will remember:

• Top notch acting by the mother (Lee Bo Young) and the child (Heo Yool, this kid deservedly won the rookie award at Baeksang). Rest of the cast did great as well
• Evocative and engaging screenplay filled with heart-warming moments
• Beautiful portrayal of multifaceted mother-child relationship
• Satisfying ending

There is nothing to even nitpick, its an easy recommendation for anyone who is looking for an highly emotional drama with an engaging plot or people who are close to their mothers.

P.S. Keep a box of tissues with you if you decide to watch this :')