Inside the fan chat group, the drama community was buzzing with excitement.
"That was… Sai's game, played for Hikaru!"
"Damn it, I don't even understand Go, but I'm so jealous of Hikaru I could scream."
"If I had someone like Sai teaching me, I'd play Go for the rest of my life too."
"Sai is just so gentle. How can a character be this perfect?!"
"Man, I wish my old Go teacher had been like Sai. I still wake up from nightmares about how scary he was."
"This is the ultimate cheat code—Sai literally turning trash host Hikaru into a cheat code himself."
"That was such a beautifully played match. Anyone watching could see that Hikaru was far stronger than his opponent from Kaio Middle School."
"Just look at Akira's expression while spectating. He was completely in awe of Hikaru's strength."
"Is this really what it's like when people play Go? Everyone just sits quietly and watches?"
"Not always. But in this case, everyone was stunned by Hikaru's game. The board structure was beautiful, full of aesthetic appeal. It wasn't just a teaching game for Hikaru—it was also teaching the Kaio Middle School player. Little Hikaru's truly blessed to have Sai as a teacher."
"I didn't get that last move. Why place a stone where the opponent could capture it?"
"Maybe to reduce the opponent's territory?"
"An eye space on its own doesn't ensure life. Once you threaten a capture, even eye spaces can be invaded. Hikaru played that move to create a false eye."
In the finals, the main player, Tetsuo, lost—he simply couldn't overcome the powerful lead player from Kaio Middle School.
As for Tsutsui, he should've lost too—but his opponent made a blunder during the endgame, tightening his own shape and cutting off his own liberties, causing a ripple of laughter across the chat group.
"Tsutsui got so lucky, lol."
"How do you mess up that badly in the endgame? This is the funniest thing I've seen all day."
"See, this is why you need to be careful during the closing moves. One misstep, and your own territory becomes a mess."
"He just… cut off his own breathing space. I can't breathe from laughing."
"Now he's going to get slaughtered by Tsutsui—this mistake is fatal."
"That mistake alone was worth at least a 30-point loss. Watching this in real life might not hit as hard, but in the show, it's hilarious."
There was no scheming, no underhanded tricks—just a pure match of win or lose, a simple middle school Go tournament portrayed on screen.
The defeated players from Kaio Middle School bowed their heads and cried.
And though Hikaru won, thanks to Sai, his expression was full of sorrow.
He'd won—but it didn't feel like his own victory.
"That was truly a beautiful match," Akira said, with an equally regretful expression.
As the emotional background music swelled, the audience couldn't help but be swept up in the atmosphere.
"I'm really frustrated," Akira said to Hikaru in front of everyone. "Why… why wasn't I the one playing against you? I won't run away from you anymore."
The two protagonists of 'Hikaru no Go' had officially entered a new phase: Akira would now begin chasing Hikaru, setting him as his goal.
"Sai… maybe you really are something special. Even Akira, with that stubborn gleam in his eye, is chasing after you. He'll definitely give everything he's got.
But me... I'm still so far behind both of you.
Still—starting now, I'll take my first step forward."
The third episode came to an end.
As the ending theme played, most viewers didn't switch channels.
The plot of episode three was simple—just a Go tournament.
But the characters' love, dedication, and respect for Go came through in every scene, every line.
"Watching them play Go looks… so joyful. Meanwhile, I'm stuck in 996 and endless overtime."
"This reminds me of when I used to play marbles with my neighborhood friends as a kid. I was probably just as happy back then.
Moved to the provincial capital three years ago. Went home for New Year last year, but most of them didn't even recognize me anymore… sigh."
"Same. I've been drifting with no goal. But watching these characters know what they want, what they love, and how hard they're willing to work for it… It hit me unexpectedly."
"It's just a story about playing Go, yet it's making my nose sting."
"This show is incredible. I'm so glad I didn't drop it just because I didn't understand Go.
Thankfully, the online Go community really pushed this drama hard. See you all next week!"
"Ugh, I can't handle this! Ending the episode here is torture!"
"Why? The tournament arc wrapped up, Akira's joined Kaio Middle School—it's not a cliffhanger."
"I know, but I just need to see what happens next! What will happen between Sai, Hikaru, and Akira? What kind of relationship will the three of them build?"
"Who knows? We just have to keep watching."
"By the way, if this show is only at episode three and we're already this deep…
I heard there'll be plotlines about professional Go players later on. Will there be enough time to cover all that?"
"Apparently, the full storyline spans at least two seasons. But it depends on the ratings from the spring lineup. If those are strong, the network should greenlight season two."
"And if the ratings aren't good?"
"Then we might get 5-6 rushed episodes and a sudden cancellation. That's typical of Da Zhou TV.
I've followed dozens of shows that got axed mid-way. They only care about ratings. Some shows are slow burns but really good—and they just get dropped early."
"Wait, so what are the ratings for 'Hikaru no Go' now?"
"Not bad at all. Relax.
Da Zhou TV viewers aren't that clueless. If 'Hikaru no Go' can't get good ratings, what show could?
It's currently ranked 9th in the spring lineup. No idea how tonight's episode will affect that, but it should stay in the top 10."
"Ninth?! What are the shows ahead of it? 'Race Against Time'? 'How the Salted Fish Was Tempered'? Ugh, those six-network dramas are the same formula every year.
This spring, aside from 'Fireworks' and 'Deadly Gambler' in the Capital, the rest are just dull. And honestly, I think 'Hikaru no Go' is better than even those two."
"Same. It might be ranked 9th, but that's probably because Go is a niche topic. Everyone should help promote 'Hikaru no Go' more—higher ratings mean a more secure shot at season two."
"Only two seasons? That's not enough. They should do at least 3–5 seasons!
Follow Hikaru from elementary school all the way to the top of the Go world—that would be a complete story!"
After the third episode aired, that evening, fan groups and forums lit up with activity.
No more lurking—everyone was out recommending the show like crazy.
At the same time, local early-education Go training centers began to notice a slight increase in new student inquiries.
The ratings for episode three were quickly tallied:
Peak rating: 4.27%, during the episode's ending.
Average rating: 3.81%, showing an increase from the previous episodes.
Over at Chenghai TV, the team behind 'Race Against Time' looked like they'd lost sleep—they knew what this meant.
While weekly rankings hadn't been finalized yet (it was only the first day of week three), one thing was clear:
After surpassing Aurora TV's 'How the Salted Fish Was Tempered' in week two,
This week, 'Hikaru no Go' overtook Chenghai TV's spring flagship drama, 'Race Against Time'.