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For some reason I really love watching anime no one else seems to care about. Part 3
I am rewatching Hikaru no Go but as a dub. Its still incredibly entertaining, which is impressive considering weekly anime wasn't necessarily of high quality (I'd say in those days, but honestly any days). Its honestly still fun for a show that is mostly watching characters be ridiculously over the top dramatic and putting stones on a Go board. Honestly it makes me nostalgic and wonder if the creator ever made another manga. I vaguely remember he wasn't happy near the end of the manga's run, but that was a long time ago.
As a child I really loved the manga and the anime. Though its hard to remember exactly why. I think I loved the way the characters were so unapologetically emotional and crying over things I would be told to not cry about and passionate about things besides school. Though I was not Asian, I was raised by immigrants to be more serious than Western youth and diligently aiming for college since the first grade. I vicariously lived through the anime where characters could just be incredibly and seriously invested in things that weren't school, but weren't normal things either.
I also really love rivalries in general and Hikaru, Sai and Akira are iconic to me. To be intensely passionate without romantic love or sex. As an adult, I struggle to find Western media that focuses on such things. Especially adult media. Usually the protagonist has to be explicitly aroace for me to really connect.
I think also HnG was also a lot more serious than other shows I watched such as Pokemon or all the other toy selling 25 minute commercials. Since most other serious anime I had seen at this point were about adults, and adult things middle school me just couldn't relate to. I think I appreciated how deeply serious the manga and anime treats the trials and tribulations of the young characters. Although now as an adult it is both compelling and hilariously cheesy.
If there is one thing that I don't like now, it is Hikaru's and the female character's (Akari?) relationship. They yell at each other a lot. I think its supposed to be cute. And I guess children, especially in those days, didn't necessarily have the healthiest of relationships. But its a bit hard watching designated love interest cling on to Hikaru so much. We do see she has friends on and off, but mostly we see her hanging out watching Hikaru. Hikaru ignores her, he's not 100% jerk but he is a bit tsundere and very into himself and Go. I guess the idea is one day he'll get better. But as I watch his elementary to middle school transition, its my least favorite part of the show.
Honestly I might write more about the show as I get into Hikaru's middle school and high school years. Does the anime go to the same point as the manga? That'll be... interesting, especially as the manga just ends. If there is one major weak point, its that the ending isn't satisfactory in any life but at the same time I don't think the show intended a "life goes on" style either.
Haré+Guu is another anime that faded into the mists of time. To be honest, its understandable. It wasn't really a great show. It was a comedy in the jungle, and to be honest I'm kind of wondering how much racism was in the show that I just did not register as a young child. Guu is a magical being who messes around with Hare, the protagonist. But sometimes she also helps? Mostly they just hang around in the forest and comedy happens. Unless its the last three episodes out of six, then a kind of serious plot happens. Meh. Although the opening songs are fun.
I recently watched the English dub with this one. There are certain elements that don't hold up well (weird rape fake out joke why? and also the special effects hurt) but there are certain elements such as war and exploitation that are handled surprisingly well for a show that is ultimately about dudes punching each other with fancy powers. Honestly there are plenty of modern shows that could learn a thing or two. Such as how the problems weren't 100% solved by the guys punching things. There was a lot of showing the community having to build things back up.
In fact there are a lot of ways this anime deviates from the norm such as flawed characters that make understandable yet poor choices, or the ways the romantic subplots go. Villain motivations suck, but overall its a satisfying watch.
Also the opening is unique and fun to work out to.