From: markyesme2 MSN COM> Date: 25 sep 2002 Subject: Re: Promoting Shogi overseas (was: HABU INTERVIEW (revised)) I don't think that Hikaru no Go has had any noticeable effect on go's "popularity" in the west. I just think that it has a longer history (given a lot of publicity by Lasker a well-known chess grandmaster), broader original base (played not only in Japan, but also in other parts of Asia), as well as easier rules to pick up at first (even though go is difficult to play, the basic rules are simple). Plus there is nothing hard to understand about the pieces... just black and white... no wierd kanji things. Here in the US, Hikaru no Go is virtually unknown, except by people who are really into manga, really into anime or really into go. I am enjoying the manga series that I found fan-subbed, and I don't doubt that it "could" become popular in the West. I just don't see it getting the necessary publicity; it would probably have to reach Pokemon or at least Digimon proportions for any real impact. The same would be true of any anime or manga about Shogi. Of course all of this is in my very humble, and probably ill-informed, opinion. Mark :) ----- Original Message ----- From: "RAZA 2002" STUDENT UQ EDU AU> To: TECHUNIX TECHNION AC IL> Sent: Wednesday, September 25, 2002 8:55 PM Subject: Re: Promoting Shogi overseas (was: HABU INTERVIEW (revised)) > On Wed, 25 Sep 2002, STOUTEN, PIETER [R&D/0467] wrote: > > > It has to be balanced with the return on their investment. If that is > > insignificant in terms of money or the increase in foreigners that > > will play Shogi, then it may not make much sense to NSR to do that. > > Actually, NSR does send professionals abroad to major events, so they > > do promote Shogi overseas. Ultimately, however, it is up to the > > organizations and individuals in the west to take iniative and make > > Shogi work here. Tony Hosking's books are a good step in the right > > direction as are the books Shogi Deutschland publishes (albethey in > > German) and the national newsletters. In the end, though, the > > population of Shogi players in the west needs to grow to sustain > > publication of material in English. In some countries Shogi really > > took off, but in others it is slowly fizzling out. It is very > > frustrating, but on the whole it does not seem to me that we have made > > that much progress the past 15 years or so. > > What you need is an anime on Shogi, which fan-subber then translate. The > fans will then find out about it and then you'll get more players. I know > more people who know about Go, than shogi. You can thank the manga & anime > "Hirakru no Go"... > > RAZA 2002 > > Invisible Pink Unicorns are beings of great and mystical powers. We know > this because they are capable of being both invisible and pink at the same > time. The religion of the Invisible Pink Unicorns is based on both faith > and logic. Faith tell us that they are pink; through logic, we know they > are invisible... > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ >