I found this show to be a real gem and a great way to end 2020. As a viewer who hasn't read the original manga or watched the anime, I didn't have any ideas or expectations going into this other than seeing a couple of great reviews here on MDL.
But the drama blew me away with the first few episodes and I ended up binge watching the show in just two days.
The five main things I look for in any drama are:

1) Plot/Storyline - Solid plot. This would be a great example of a character driven storyline. It falters a little bit towards the end and that's why I've taken 0.5 points off, but overall a very warm, heart-touching storyline that strongly delivers. The friendships portrayed in this show are simply beautiful to watch and very realistic. I loved bonding between all the characters.

2) Characters/ Character growth - The story treated all of its characters with a lot of care, even the minor characters who did not have a lot of screen time. I normally would find other minor characters subplots used as fillers in other dramas but here each and every character had his/purpose for being there. I felt emotionally attached to a lot of the characters and felt myself cheering for all of them. Another thing I loved was that all the characters including the main character Shi Guang went through some or other form of character growth throughout their journeys.

3) Acting - I think the actors did a great job with this. I especially loved the main actors who played Shi Guang and Chu Ying , Yu Liang as well as the child actor who played young Shi Guang. I loved how Chu Ying could very convincingly go from being this godly and serene persona to being childlike and silly the next second.

4) Overall Message/Theme - I loved the message of the drama and how it was also rooted in reality. We saw characters find their passion, how talent sometimes overtakes passion and hard work, how sometimes people have to give up their passions to survive in this world, how friends and healthy rivals can help you improve yourself, how its okay to lose sometimes as long as you learn from it, how to pick yourself back up if you've fallen down. I loved the scenes where Chu Ying imparted these little life lessons while playing Go.

5) Music/Production Quality - This was set in the mid 2000's for most of the show and the production/ set design was pretty great. I loved the Ending OST (didn't skip the ending theme one in all 36 episodes). I read somewhere that it is the same as the anime OST only in Chinese so that was pretty neat of them to do.

Overall, I would say this is a must watch for any drama enthusiast! 10/10