A1) Ashes of Love
Year: 2018
Source: IMDB
Watch: YouTube
Comment: This a 2018 Chinese television comedy fantasy romance series, based on the novel
"Heavy Sweetness, Ash-like Frost" by Dian Xian. At the end episode 11, there is a scene
where Jin Mi (daughter of the flower godess) finish of a game of Go with Run Yu. They
have a board with decorated side and legs, on a table, with red bowls and translucent
stones. She plays a white empty triangle and then thanks him for letting her win. As he
starts to pack away the stones she tries to magic a stone into a bun, but gets a hailstone
instead!
B1) Bubujingxin
Year: 2011
Comment: A Chinese TV drama where in one episode two characters in period dress sit
at a table with a Go board with a random position on it. The board is brown with
white lines and one of the lids of the round bowls is on part of the board.
G1) General and I (Gu Fang Bu Zi Shang)
Year: 2017
Cast: Wallace Chung, Angelababy
Source: IDMB Dramafever
Comment: In this Chinese historical romantic drama there is a whole episode (episode 52)
on Go. The heroine Bai Ping Ting goes to a gambling house to seek help, where she is
challenged to a game. Her lover and adversary Chu Bei Jie is secretly in charge there, but
believes Bai is dead. The proprietress, Thirteenth Lady Yan, ensures the game is played
blindfold, the players having to remain in their rooms, so the opponents do not recognise
each other. The two players gradually recognise each others style from their moves. For the
viewer the game is played out on a huge Go board set with ninja fighters acting out Go moves.
G2) Gosei Sentai Dairanger
Year: 1993-1994
Comment: A Japanese TV series in the Power Rangers genre that ran for 50 episodes.
In one episode a boy named Akomaru is in trouble with a big chap named Gorma.
At the start of a scene the edge of a Goban, with very dark Go bowls, can be seen
and later it is seen with stones scattered over it. Even later Gorma can be seen
placing stones it.
J1) Ja Myung Go
Year: 2009
Comment: A Korean TV period drama where, in episode 10, General Wang Geng plots
assassinations while seated at a Go ban, brown with white lines and with black
translucent white stones.
K1) Kamen Rider 555
Year: 2003
Cast: Kento Handa, Masayuki Izumi
Source: Wiki
Watch: YouTube
Comment: This live action Japanese sci-fi series sees the battle fought against
shape-shifting "orphnocs" created by the evil Smart Brain Corporation to
replace feeble humans. In episode 1 (9:20 minutes in) we see a Go ban and
bowls in the foreground of a shot in Yuji's uncle's house. This is followed
by the uncle playing through tsumego problems from a yellow book he is holding.
While he is doing this he discuses his late brother's business with his son.
We see close ups of white and black stones being placed on the first line of
the board and also the uncle rearranging the position on the board. As each
stone clicks on the board the sound echoes through the head of Yuji, despite
him being elsewhere, who has just recently been resurrected from the dead.
M1) Misaeng
Year: 2014
Watch: Episode 1
Source: WikiPedia
Comment: This popular Korean drama is about an insei, Jang Gue-Rae (played by Yim Si-Wan), who
has failed at Go and given it up to work as an intern in a large international trading company.
He uses his Go skills to get ahead in the company. Various scenes in flashback show games being
played and tournaments (episode 1 at 48:50 in). A lot of the later plot-action is filmed in
Jordan. It is based on the webtoon and manga by author Yoon Tae-ho.
Q1) Qi Hun (Hikaru no Go)
Year: 2020
Cast: Hu Xianxu, Zhang Chao, Hao Fushen
Source: My Drama List
Comment: This is a 2020 live adaption of the manga/anime Hikaru no Go. It has been
changed from Japan to China of the 1990s, with a few plot developments but faithful
to the original in many areas. 36 episodes chart out the relation between Shi Guang
(Hikaru) with his friendly Go ghost (Chu Ying) and the rivalry with the pro's son (Yu Liang).
As can be expected there are special effects with the ghost being see-through, but also
animated moments such as the Divine Move.
R1) The Rise of the Phoenixes orig. Tian Sheng Chang Ge
Year: 2018
Cast: Kun Chen, Hong Yuan, Ni Ni
Source: IMDB
Watch: YouTube
Comment: This 2018 Chinese television historical drama series is described as the
story of power, desire, lust and love among people of different kingdoms in
ancient China. The trailer for season one features Go four times. First comes
a single black stone wobbling on an empty Go board. Secondly we see two men
talking with the subtitle: "Are you going to let one stone destroy your entire
Go Board?" The other scenes two show men placing opening stones on an ornately
decorated Go board, typical of historical dramas.
R2) Reply 1988 (Eung-dab-ha-ra 1988)
Year: 2015-
Cast: Lee Hyeri, Park Bo-Gum, Go Kyung-Pyo
Source: IMDB
Comment: This Korean family drama features the lives of five families who live
on the same Seoul street in 1988. One of the young men is a quiet genius
Baduk (Go) player, but struggles with ordinary life. In every episode Go concepts
are used in the plot. Go features in lots of episodes. In episode 3 our hero Choi
Taek reveals the match he is going to is in Tokyo, in epsiode 4 he tries to teach
the girl Sung Deok-seon to play and in episode 9 he plays and beats a pro, for
example.
S1) Samurai Gourmet
Year: 2017
Cast: Naoto Takenaka, Tetsuji Tamayama, Honami Suzuki
Source: IDMB
Comment: In this drama (shown on Netflix) there is a Go scene in the third episode of
season 1 "Mackerel in the morning". Recently retired Takeshi Kosumi explores the local
restaurants helped by a fantasy samurai. In this episode he stays up late playing Go
with his friend and misses his train home.
Last updated Thu Mar 18 2021. If you have any comments, please email the webmaster on web-master AT britgo DOT org.