MUMBAI: ImaginAsian TV, America's 24-hour Asian American network, has acquired the hit anime series Shonen Jump's Hikarun No Go from animation, publishing and licensing, company Viz Media, LLC.

Based on the best-selling manga written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, Hikarun No Go is scheduled to premiere on iaTV on 2 May, 2006 at 8 pm.

“With its unique storyline and fantastic animation, Hikarun No Go is possibly one of the most compelling anime ever produced,” said ImaginAsian TV SVP of production and programming David Chu . “We couldn’t be more excited about adding this series to our line-up.”

In Japan, Hikarun No Go has enjoyed tremendous success as a manga and anime series since its debut in 1998 in the weekly Shonen Jump comic anthology magazine. Twenty-three volumes of the manga were published, and the creation of the 75-episode animated series later followed.

The popularity of Hikarun No Go spurred a massive interest in the ancient strategy Go game among the youth in Japan, Korea and Hong Kong. North America has also seen a similar resurgence in the game’s popularity since Viz Media began publishing the manga series in its monthly Shonen Jump magazine in 2004, states an official release.

Hikarun No Go tells the story of Hikaru Shindo, a young student who stumbles across a dusty old Go board while exploring his grandfather’s attic. Trapped inside is Fujiwara-no-Sai, the ghost of an ancient Go master that enters Hikaru’s consciousness, allowing him to communicate with the spirit. Sai, newly awakened, wishes for nothing more than to play Go again. Urged on by Sai, Hikaru reluctantly begins playing Go. As he begins to appreciate the complexities of the game, Hikaru makes it his quest to become the ultimate Go champion, the release adds.

Both subtitled and dubbed airings of Hikarun No Go on ImaginAsian TV will also feature a live-action “How to Play Go” segment, originally aired on Japanese television.