At Yunteng TV headquarters, the analytics team monitored the real-time ratings of 'Hikaru no Go' with high intensity.
To everyone's relief, the worst-case scenario they had feared never came true.
The show opened with a 2.5% rating, which was about what Yunteng TV could expect from its own regular audience base. But whether those viewers would stay—or better yet, whether more would join—depended entirely on the drama's quality.
As of now, the live number has climbed to 2.72%.
That meant one thing—audiences were staying.
Producer Cheng Lie finally let out a long breath of relief.
On screen, two very different children faced off:
Akira Toya, a young prodigy whose Go skills were so advanced that he could give three to four handicaps even to adults in the Go club.
Hikaru, a complete novice who didn't even know how to hold the stones, was relying entirely on Sai's (Zuo Wei's) fan-tapping to tell him where to place them.
Yet the tension between the two—the contrast of genius and supernatural aid—was already hooking viewers like Su Yuan.
Especially Sai.
When he teared up—after hundreds of years—finally able to play Go again... Su Yuan's heart softened immediately.
But once the match began—everything changed.
Akira was utterly crushed.
Same-aged children.
But the moment the match started, Hikaru Shindo was playing high-level teaching Go against the supposed prodigy.
Even viewers who didn't understand the game could tell—this ghost was insane.
"What does that move even mean? Why was Akira so shocked by it? Was it really that strong?"
"It's not about strength. That move looked like a mistake, but it was a trap. Sai deliberately didn't play the optimal move—he used a decoy to bait a response. Based on that response, he could gauge Akira's skill level. It's like a cat catching a mouse and just playing with it instead of eating it."
"Yikes... Isn't that kinda mean? A thousand-year-old Go ghost bullying a kid?"
"Depends on how you look at it. How else do you train someone? If a pro goes full power on a beginner, they'll learn nothing but despair. But a guided match? That's how you grow."
"What if the teaching game backfires?"
"Then the teacher just ends up looking dumb, that's all!"
Lurking in several fan and drama groups, Cheng Lie was reading the live reactions, his brow furrowed in thought.
His biggest concern had been that people wouldn't understand the Go content, and the moment the match began, they'd get bored and switch channels.
But that... didn't happen.
Instead, viewers—even those who had zero knowledge of Go—were actively discussing what made this game so special, and why Akira took the loss so hard.
It was completely not the response he expected.
Reading through the posts, Cheng Lie suddenly realized something shocking—
In just twenty-some minutes, 'Hikaru no Go' had already managed to ignite genuine interest in Go among a bunch of total beginners.
Faced with unfamiliar subject matter, beginners usually do one of two things:
Try to understand it.
Ignore it completely and walk away.
But this time, these "Go noobs" didn't run away. They didn't switch channels.
Instead, they ran to fan groups, posted questions, and asked for explanations.
Which meant only one thing:
The pull of the drama's story was stronger than the complexity of the sport itself.
Back in the control room, the ratings ticked up again.
2.89%
Almost 3%.
For context, Yunteng TV's previous flagship show from last season opened with:
First episode start: 2.47%
End: 2.46%
Average: 2.43%
Over its full 12-episode run:
Series average: 2.64%
Peak episode: 3.14%
That show was decent but forgettable—pretty much Yunteng TV's standard benchmark.
But with 'Hikaru no Go', just the first episode was already outperforming it. If the rest of the series didn't collapse, then breaking 3% average seemed well within reach.
Of course, nothing was certain yet.
But Cheng Lie's heart had finally steadied.
Elsewhere, Su Yuan continued watching while scrolling through commentary from experienced Go players explaining the game between Hikaru Shindo and Akira Toya.
She still didn't understand most of it.
But somehow, it was really fun to watch.
She even started daydreaming about being the protagonist, with the dashing Sai guiding her Go games.
Her imagination spiraled wildly beyond Go...
Yikes, so embarrassing!
The scene shifted.
Akira was still shaken by his loss.
Unable to forget Hikaru Shindo, but with no idea where he lived.
When he heard that the Go club owner had handed Hikaru a flyer for a children's tournament, Akira rode the subway across half the city just to try and find him again.
His obsession with Go and his desire to win were fully on display.
Su Yuan found herself holding her breath.
At the children's tournament, Hikaru Shindo casually muttered a comment while watching a match, and then blurted out a critical move.
This drew the attention of several professional players, who began analyzing his remark.
It was surprisingly intense.
Even though no one explained exactly why the main character was so good...
You could feel that he was.
It was that kind of plot that felt unexplainably satisfying.
Time flew by.
As 'Hikaru no Go's first episode reached its end, the stunning ending theme song "Our Adventure!" began to play.
The final scene froze on Akira—having run across the city—finally spotting Hikaru in the crowd at the tournament venue.
Su Yuan's emotions were peaking.
Destined reunion... two little boys... rivals, friends, maybe something more...
Oh-ho-ho!
"Akira...?"
"I found you. I finally found you, Hikaru."
On screen, Hikaru stared in surprise, while Akira looked at him seriously.
Two elementary school boys.
One fateful game.
One inevitable connection.
The ED continued playing.
Su Yuan blinked.
"...It's over?"
Then her face scrunched up in rage.
"They ended it THERE?! What is this, the screenwriter is a cliffhanger addict?! Can't even finish the scene?!"
In the drama groups:
"What the hell? It ended THERE?!"
"This screenwriter is evil."
"Just two more minutes! Was that too much to ask?!"
"I bet Akira's going to get demolished again. Not his fault, though—the other guy has a literal Go ghost cheat code."
"Real talk—I didn't understand a damn thing about the Go matches. But this episode? I'm hooked. I'm following this one."
"Same. I'm in."
"My grandpa used to try teaching me Go, and I'd always refuse. But he watched this with me tonight and explained everything as we went along. It was the first time I've ever seen him so passionate about Go."
"Also... can we talk about how amazing the music is?! That ending theme is a banger."
"I'm doomed. My brain is stuck in 'Hikaru no Go'. The kids are so adorable. Sai is too handsome. And now I have to wait an entire week?!"