A few simple rules ... limitless possibilities

S01) Hikaru no Go
     
     Year: 2001
     Produced by: TV Tokyo
     Writer: Hotta Yumi
     Artist: Obata Takeshi
     Source: About Hikaru no Go
     Comment: This animated series began on TV Tokyo on October 10, 2001 
       and ran for several years. The Go consultant was Umezawa Yukari, the Pro
       from the Nihon Kiin. Hikaru no Go won the Excellent Work Award at the
       Tokyo International Animation Fair 2001. Now dubbed in English (area-1).

S02) Weiqi Shaonian (Go Youngsters or I-Go Youngster)
     
     Year: 2006
     Source: Chinese TV web site
     Produced by: Central China TV Children's Channel
     Comment: Historical anime set in Chinese featuring children, lots of fighting and
       of course a lot of Go scenes in every episode. We see Go games, close ups of 
       boards and a lot of Go tension between the fighting as we follow the career of
       young Liuer Jiang. The second series aired in 2009 (both have 26 episodes) and
       it has, in 2018, become available, on Showcase TV, with English translation.
             
 
16A) Bananya  
     Year: 2016
     Watch: Crunchyroll
     Comment: This series of short three minute episodes for children features a cute cat that lives
       inside a banana. At 30 seconds in of episode 3, "Bananya Watches TV", Bananya sees a Go game
       being displayed on the screen for a few seconds as the channel changes from one channel to 
       another. We see a black stone played adjoining another one and then a white large knight's move.
       The narrator says in translation "Oh, that was a good move. Not that I would know." We then see 
       shot of most of the board. It turns out the channel changing is caused by Baby Bananya using the
       remote as a trampoline!
       

15A) Wild Kratts  
     Year: 2015
     Cast: Martin Kratts, Chris Kratts
     Source: IMDB
     Watch: YouTube
     Comment: This American cartoon series about saving endangered wildlife features Go in
       Season 4 Episode 4 "Pangolin Resuce". Each episode starts and ends with live action
       of the presenters introducing the animals. In the animated section the brothers fly around
       the planet in a giant green turtle ship, that is also a submarine, and using technology gain
       super powers to rescue the animals. In this episode they get a call to China to save their
       pangolins. Whilst awaiting the ship to arrive, Yi and Duyi sit outside with a Go board on a
       table. We see an aerial view of the board which does not showa real game, the stones
       are in the squares and the player holds the stone with finger and thumb. Luckily the heroes
       rescue the pangolins from the evil Gourmand who wants to make smoothies from them.
       

14A) Tonari no Seki-Kun  (My Neighbour Seki)
     Year: 2014
     Source: Wikipedia
     Watch: Crunchyroll
     Comment: With a subtitle of "The Master of Killing Time" this series of short (7.39 minute)
       animations is about a school boy called Seki Toshinari who sits at the back of class and
       indulges in complicated distractions without ever being caught by the teacher, such as 
       producing his own animation as seen in the opening credits. His distractions are narrated
       as complicated stories by the girl who sits next to him Yokoi Rumi, who usually gets the
       trouble from teacher for being distracted. In episode 1 Seki makes a long line of standing
       dominos and in episodes 2 and 8 heroic battles are acted out on a Shogi board drawn on his
       desk. 

       Episode 4 is entitled "Igo" and starts with Seki reaching in his bag for his Go bowls. He 
       started to place stones on the board and Yoyoi hopes, as she does not know the rules, she
       will not be distracted, despite the loud clicks. However soon she realises he has drawn 
       a bear and a rabbit on a seemingly multi-lined board. Yokoi imagines this is how pros
       play with a commentry about rabbit and bear moves. After the animals fight they combine
       to form a new black and white character which then fights with its shadow self. The bear
       and rabbit appear again in a flashback during episode 20.
          

12A) Area No Kishi  (Knight in the Area)
     Year: 2012
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: In episode 24 of this soccer anime, a game of Go is played by two managers,
       one of whom compares Go strategy to soccer. The play in a Go club and we see the
       board position and one of them take a black stone from his bowl. 
             

11A) Hunter x Hunter
     Year: 2011 on
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: In episode 102 the characters have a Goban and start to learn. "It make take
       more time than Shogi" and "It may look simple, but it is a complex game" are two
       quotes. As they play they discuss the strategy of disrupting your opponent's rhythm.
       

11B) Nichijou 
     Year: 2011
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: One version of the opening credits a Go board can be seen. The boys belong to the
       "Igo Soccer Club" and can sometimes be seen at their Go boards. One says in one episode
       that they should be studying their Go problems as they are the Igo Soccer Club.
       
 
09A) Summer Wars 
     Year: 2009
     Directed by: Mamoru Hosoda
     Source: IMDB
     Comment: In this movie, Kenji meets his girlfriend's Grandma (aged 90) when she 
       is kneeling next to a tradition goban, with bowls, having just been reviewing 
       a game from a book (9.5 minutes in). Later on they play cards using the goban 
       as a table.
          

07A) Kenichi: The Mightiest Disciple 
     Year: 2007
     Writer: Shun Matsuera
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: One episode of this martial arts anime mentions Go as an example of a territory game.
 
05A) Bleach 
     Year: 2005
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: In episode 318, Ukitake and Shunsui are seen in period costume sitting on a raised floor
       with a Goban between them. One kneels and the other sits with his legs over the side of the platform.
       No stones are seen, but there is the familiar click when one of the players places a stone.
       The episode is called "Conclusion of the Death Match! White Pride and Black Desire".
       Also Go is seen in episode 258 "Stray Snake, Tortured Monkey"; Kurosaki Ichigo comes home
       and finds the occupants have fallen asleep watching television which is now showing Go.
         

05B) Code Lyoko 
     Year: 2005
     Directed by: Jerome Mouscadet
     Source: IMDB
     Comment: In Episode 29 "Exploration" of this sci-fi series, where the 
       young characters leave reality to fight in a virtual world, Yumi and her
       father play Go at home on a board on a low table. They both pass and the 
       father claims to have won by 5. However Yumi reminds him that as she is 
       white she wins by .5 after komi. However, from the board close-ups, they 
       have stopped before the game is properly over.
             

05C) Tenjou Tenge 
     Year: 2005
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: In Episode 26 (the last and one of straight to video episodes) of the anime Tenjou Tenge, about
       a long running martial arts feud in a school, two men are playing at a Go board (at 7:40), presumably
       teachers in the staff room. A white stone is placed to put three stones in atari to create ko for life
       of a big group. The opponent says "That was an impressive move." A this point two girls fighting with 
       katana fly in though the window and the board is upset before they run off. The white player requests
       his opponent to come clean and admit he flipped the board. 
          

04A) Otogi Zoshi 
     Year: 2004
     Directed by: Mizuho Nishikubo
     Source: IMDB
     Comment: In this violent period drama, a very brief scene (2-3 seconds)
       at the beginning of Episode 3 you see an ancient painting, presumably
       from the Tales of Genji, to signify the Heian period. At the left end 
       of it two people are shown playing Go.
       

03A) Gunparade March
     Year: 2003
     Directed by: J. C. Staff
     Source: IMDB
     Comment: In episode three for a brief moment you see a white stone 
       being played on a board, just as the students are called away from
       their leisure.
       

02A) Tenchi Muyo! GXP  
     Year: 2002
     Source: Wikipedia
     Watch: YouTube
     Comment: This science fiction series is about a boy enlisted in the galaxy police. In
       Episode 15, action is set on the space ship "Kamidake" which is controlled by the 
       mental thoughts and emotions of a furry creature called Fuku. The three girl members
       of the crew are recalled for a briefing on the mother ship, which is an oasis of calm
       with trees and water. They have to return to rescue their ship from prates and at        
       17:14 hurry past a couple who are kneeling at a Goban, playing and drinking tea. 
       They are not disturbed in anyway by the commotion.
       

99A) Ruroni Kenshin (Samurai X)
     Year: 1999
     Directed by: Kazuhiro Furuhashi
     Source: IMDB
     Comment: This historical anime OVA series (as opposed to the TV series or 
       the movie of the same name) shows traditional boards in the background. 
       In the first episode, one of the main characters plotting the downfall 
       of the shogunate is seen playing Go on a Go ban against a woman, when 
       a man comes in to the room and informs him some loyalists have 
       discovered a plot meeting and are assassinating revolutionaries. 
        

97A) Dr. Slump 
     Year: 1997
     Writer: Akira Toriyama
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: There have been various series and movies of this anime, 
       featuring an inventor and a robot girl called Arale, and sometimes 
       there are scenes with Go in.
 
96A) Case Closed (Meitantei Conan)  
     Year: 1996
     Directed by: Mike McFarland
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: In one episode the solution to an enigma is found "written" in braille
       on a Go ban.
          

89A) Ranma 1/2 - "Big Trouble in Nekonron, China"
     Year: 1989
     Directed by: Shuji Iuchi
     Source: IMDB
     Comment: At the start of this movie, a giant panda and a man are sitting
       playing at a goban. We see the board close up, from the side and above.
       The are undisturbed by a fight in the garden over trying to steal some panties.
          

88A) Top wo Nerae! (Gunbuster)
     Year: 1988
     Directed by: Hideaki Anno
     Source: IMDB
     Comment: In a scene, in episode 4 of this sci-fi series, the female character speaks 
       with her instructor who is seated at a low chair in a tatami room on a spaceship.
       His sword at his side, he is placing stones on what looks like a traditional Goban.  
       However there is a dial on the side of the ban and one shot is looking up through
       the ban at him, so perhaps it is a Go computer.
         


87A) The Tale of Genji (Genji Monogatari)
     Year: 1987
     Directed by: Gisaburo Sugii 
     Source: IMDB
     Comment: There is supposed to be a Go scene in this animated adaptation. 

86A) Dragon Ball
     Year: 1986
     Writer: Akira Toriyama
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: This anime series, based on "Journey to the West" ("Monkey"), 
       has some scenes with Go in. 
       

73A) Doraemon
     Year: 1973 on
     Source: Wikipedia
     Comment: The robotic cat that travels back from the 22nd century to aid the boy Nobita, 
       is seen in one episode reading a Go book and placing moves on a small Go ban.