Hikaru no Go 20
Posted: June 29, 2010 Filed under: Hikaru no Go Leave a comment »Yumi Hotta / Takeshi Obata – Viz – 2010 – 23 volumes
I was a little disappointed that this volume was mostly exposition towards the Hokuto Cup, but the prelims finally get under way towards the end, and we’re left on a cliffhanger about who the final Japanese contestant will be, after a wonky game of Go between Hikaru and Kiyoharu, a new character from Kansai.
The beginning of the book opens up the scope of the story once again, keeping the players from Korea and China in our thoughts as the international tournament gets under way.
Other than that, there’s a nice sense of time marching on. Hikaru graduates from junior high, as does Akira, but neither has much interest in school any more. Akari doesn’t consider Hikaru a part of the Go club at Haze since he quit in his first year, despite the fact he was a major force in that one year. I also noticed the subtle way that Obata has aged Hikaru over the course of the series. He’s a great artist, and Hikaru has sobered quite a bit after the last Sai story, which is reflected in his facial expressions, his subdued attitude, and almost everything else about him. But it’s the character design that I found to be interesting. Very few artists take the time to tweak that over the run of a series, even when time passes, and to see him slowly age and mature over the course of his three years in junior high is a real treat. Character growth in the truest sense, and it only makes me feel that much closer to the characters.
With all the new people, and the focus shifting away from Hikaru and his rivalry with Akira, I’m liking the story a little less, but it’s hard to dismiss it outright. The preliminary rounds have been interesting so far, but with only national pride and Go strategy to keep the reader coming back, I’m a little worried about future volumes. Again, though, Hikaru no Go and Eyeshield 21 are the best Shounen Jump manga I’m reading right now, so I can’t find it in my heart to dislike it. It’s been so good to me, and the past volumes more than make up for any weaknesses in the final few here.
This was a review copy provided by Viz.
