Hello there!
I just finished a game, where I felt terribly behind in the early game. While I think that I have identified what led to me recovering from that start, I still feel like I don’t understand how I got myself in such a mess in the first place. Can someone please take a look and point me in the right direction?
The game: https://online-go.com/game/11644106
My thoughts on the game: https://online-go.com/review/300581
Except for J4 which didn’t do anything for you, I see absolutely nothing wrong with your opening.
I left a review of the game: https://online-go.com/review/300599
I think you’re totally fine in the opening. If anything, you’re better. Your opponent gets to build his huge moyo, but that’s all he gets for the rest of the game. Your influence gives you most of the rest of the board. Take a look at the board at move 40 and at move 120. Your opponent got basically everything he staked out in the opening, but it didn’t give him a base to expand into the other side (or, if it did, he didn’t use it.)
In the opening, you played big moves, enclosed your corners, and mostly resisted the urge to try to invade too early. That’s what you should do in the opening! Big moyos look scary, but content yourself by making bigger moves while your opponent gobbles up territory. you’re getting more than enough compensation.
@ckersch88 Thanks a lot for the detailed review. I guess in the end it just felt worse than it actually was and I need to reevaluate my fear of big moyos 
. It is hard not to panic and judge the value of influence when faced with your opponent’s 6x6 corner and lots of 4th line territory.
That is actually a good point, I just thought “oh cool, that’s a weakness, I know what to do here” without considering whether it actually is urgent to play there.
My review is now finished. Your opening was definitely superior, but there were a couple places that were maybe a little (although not much) slow.
I’ll add to the noise: https://online-go.com/review/300717
Like others, I liked your opening more. And after the opening, you more or less sailed to victory, which I think only confirms it. I think our different perceptions might come from a discomfort you might have dealing with moyos that are fully grown. Techniques to keep in mind are attachments for sabaki, shoulder hit reductions, and peeping at shape weaknesses. If you get comfortable with those, you may fear moyos a bit less.
@mekriff @mark5000 Thanks also to both of you for your reviews, they have been very helpful! It is great that one can simply post a game and get so many responses around here.
I just went over a few of my recent games and discovered I never do that! Thanks for opening my eyes to something I apparently completely missed so far.