The manga Hikaru no Go didn't just become popular in Japan; it also gained many fans in China. However, while many people enjoyed the calm and strategic elements of the Go-themed manga, some weren't as impressed.
"Why make a manga about a foreign game? And why about Go in Japan? China is the birthplace of Go!"
A certain user on Weibo, known for criticizing the Porter's work, raised this issue.
Initially, readers were simply curious about the Go manga and read it because it seemed interesting. However, after this account pointed it out, some people started feeling uncomfortable, sparking complaints.
Although the story was captivating and the explanations about Go were detailed and insightful, making it easy for even complete beginners to understand the game, some people felt the focus should have been on promoting Chinese Go, not Japanese Go.
"How can this be right? China is the birthplace of Go. Why isn't this manga promoting our own Go instead of Japan's?" they argued.
Despite these criticisms, the majority still enjoyed the Porter's work, and Ren's fans quickly stepped in to defend the manga.
"A Go manga set in China? What's there to draw? China's Go players are as unbeatable as our ping-pong champions. There's no challenge! If the story revolves around internal rivalry, that'd just lead to infighting. What do you want? The Porter to create some foreign Go player who defeats our champions and has the protagonist save Chinese Go? That's just unrealistic!"
"Exactly!"
"Wait, are we really number one in Go? I didn't know that!" some fans reacted in surprise.
Indeed, in this world, as the birthplace of Go, China had once faced a decline due to wars and external factors. But as the economy grew, China reclaimed its position as the world leader in Go.
With that context, many who initially jumped on the criticism bandwagon quickly realized the counterargument made sense.
If the story was set in China, the protagonist would need to face strong foreign opponents to make his journey interesting. But this would also mean portraying foreign players as better than local ones, which would feel like undermining China's dominance in Go. Thus, the debate quickly faded.
In contrast, Hikaru no Go sparked significant interest in Go and other sports-related manga genres in China. However, its impact wasn't quite the same as in Japan.
In Japan, many children, curious after reading the Go manga, flocked to Go schools, boosting both the game's popularity and the number of Go players.
In China, however, parents viewed this as a distraction from their children's studies.
Regardless of the world, Chinese children are often faced with one priority: academics. Go?
It could be a hobby, sure, but dedicating too much time to it was not something most parents would support.
It was much like how Ren viewed soccer in his previous life.
China had many soccer fans who were frustrated with the country's lack of success in the sport and dreamed of change. While some soccer-loving parents were happy to let their kids play as a hobby, very few would choose soccer as a serious career over academics.
In China, learning to change one's life through education was a deeply ingrained tradition, dating back to the days of the imperial exam system. This mindset wasn't easy to change.
Meanwhile, as Hikaru no Go continued to gain traction, other works were nearing their end.
For example, Cells at Work! BLACK was now on its 11th episode.
In the previous episode, the cells inside the body had been dealing with the consequences of the host's poor eating habits, which had led to stomach ulcers. As stomach acid surged out, threatening to destroy everything, the red blood cells were still working tirelessly to deliver oxygen to a body that didn't even care for itself.
And it was during this moment that the protagonist's best friend, a fellow red blood cell, died.
"What a terrible body..."
After reading the latest chapter of Hikaru no Go, Daniel flipped through Cells at Work! BLACK.
In Daniel's opinion, this series was bleak from start to finish.
It had LDL cholesterol clogging arteries, red blood cells fighting through CO poisoning and bacteria, liver cells forcing themselves to smile through immense pressure, red blood cells and sperm cells dying left and right, white blood cells engaging in hopeless battles, and killer T cells wiping out even friendly forces without remorse.
The death of the protagonist's friend only made the situation more heart-wrenching.
Thinking about the scenes where the dead white blood cells' bodies floated down a river, Daniel felt an urge to punch the body's owner in the face.
The message throughout the story was clear: this body was in terrible condition, and the cells' work was pointless and in vain. The series was a constant warning to its readers, filled with negativity.
"But it's certainly effective," Daniel admitted.
Since reading this manga, his lifestyle had changed drastically.
His diet was much healthier. He'd quit smoking, rarely drank alcohol, and always went to bed by 11 p.m. to get a full 8 hours of sleep.
Before bed, he'd drink a warm glass of milk and do 20 minutes of stretching to relax, ensuring a deep sleep until morning. When he went for a check-up, even the doctor told him his health was perfect.
Feeling relieved, Daniel turned the page to continue reading the manga.
In the new chapter, after his friend's death, the protagonist, the red blood cell, had become severely depressed. He refused to go to work and stayed curled up in bed.
Seeing how the once eager rookie red blood cell had been crushed by life, growing more and more hopeless, reminded many readers of themselves.
They, too, had once been energetic and motivated when starting their jobs. Now, they found themselves lying in bed, feeling like useless slugs once the workday ended.
The terrible work environment and societal pressures had beaten them down.
But, as with the cells, the world didn't revolve around them. The red blood cell had no time to recover.
The crisis from the last chapter had only been the beginning.
As the protagonist lay in his bed, motionless, the body suffered from lack of sleep and exercise. Inside the body, sharp, inorganic, giant objects started to appear.
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