Go Filmography - Oriental Dramas

Occidental Films Oriental Films TV Dramas Oriental Dramas Anime Other TV Various

 
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.
      

D1) Dong Yi (Jewel in the Crown)
    Year: 2010
    Cast: Han Hyo-Joo, Lee So-Yeon
    Source: IDMB
    Comment: In this Korean historical drama, Palace Lady Jang keeps a Go board 
      in her room. She is first seen studying a game in Episode 5.
      


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. 
      

G3) The Glory 
    Year: 2022
    Cast: Song Hye-kyo, Lee Do-Hyun
    Source: Wikipedia 
    Comment: This Korea revenge thriller, shown on Netflix, features Go in four episodes of 
      season one. The heroine Moon Dong-Eun (played by Song) sets out to get revenge on a 
      childhood bully. In episode 2 she learns Go from an medical intern, Joo Yeo-Jeong (played by 
      Lee). Go is played in a club in episodes 3, 4 and 8.
         

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: 2015-2016
    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 Sat Aug 26 2023.
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