Hikaru no Go 13

ARGH.  So, of course, inevitably, Sai and Toya Koyo have a game.  I don’t think that’s much of a spoiler, since much like a rematch between Hikaru and Akira, it’s something that the series has been building up to forever.  Hikaru and Akira have a match in this volume too, sorta, but it was not what I was interested in.  I was interested in Sai and Toya Koyo’s match.  There is a lot of showmanship involved, and it spills over into the next volume.  Curses.

Much of the second half of the book is concerned with this game.  The first half is mostly building up to a game between Hikaru and Akira, and also sort of getting the various bits and pieces of Hikaru winning his last match out of the way.   The story does a good job of illustrating Hikaru’s unique position now, mostly by showing his mother’s reactions to everything.  Having his mother detached from everything and not quite sure of the impressive things her son does is a good way to show just how isolated the world most of the characters inhabit is.

So yes.  I complain, but obviously I’m addicted hardcore to this series, and it pains me greatly that it comes out so slowly.  It’s probably one of the few series that probably benefits best from its original format (weekly chapters) since the story moves so fast and is on such a limited topic.  It’s wonderful, though, and I am absolutely on the edge of my seat for the next volume.  Especially since I already know it’s the absolute best volume of the series hands down.

Hikaru no Go 12

Do I start off all the posts for this series by complaining about the gaps between volumes?  I really should.  I know I could just read it in Shonen Jump if I don’t like it, but I think I would rather complain.

I really thought the plot point with Sai that I’ve been looking forward to was coming up, but I forgot about the tournament Hikaru plays in at his new position.  Most of the volume is about Koyo Toya requesting a special match with Hikaru and… well, the match and its aftermath.  While the Sai part that I was thinking of was not included, I had forgotten about this little bit of Sai character development.  You see, Koyo is really more Sai’s rival, so Sai wants to play the match.  Of course, Hikaru doesn’t want this because he doesn’t want everyone to see him beat Toya Meijin at his first pro game, plus it’s a rare opportunity for Hikaru himself.  Sai is persistent and also annoying, so the two work out an interesting compromise.  The game and its aftermath are fantastic, as you may have expected from this series.  It tickles me to praise it so highly, because even though I’ve been a fan of this series for… well, nearly five years, the novelty of it being a fantastic series about Go still hasn’t worn off.

I laughed harder than I should have at the little author blurb on the front page where Takeshi Obata admits he still hasn’t learned to play Go.

This volume ends a story arc, and I can’t remember what happens immediately after this part.  I won’t have to worry about it for several months, but I’ll look forward to it all the same.

Hikaru no Go 11

Bah.  I was so happy that we were finally through the pro tests, and then I got to the last page and found out that I have to wait until May to read the next volume.  I know I took forever to read the volume before this one, but I’m still pretty bummed that Hikaru no Go runs so slowly in Shounen Jump.

I also still hate Ochi.  He’s a real little brat.  He’s like a much less funny Jan Akiyama, and he doesn’t even have the skills to back up his bragging like Jan does.  He has to enlist secret help from Akira Toya, then refuses Akira entry into his house when he loses his matches.  Ochi’s just a bad kid.

Waya and Hikaru aren’t bad kids, though.  It was fun watching them play their games.  Sai also gets a bit of a spotlight in this volume, and he starts to ponder his existence.  There are hints that he’s not too sure how long his lifespan as a ghost is, and he isn’t sure why he assumes he’ll just be with Hikaru til he dies then go back into the board.  It’s also clear that Hikaru has been learning a lot from Sai, and that Sai may be running out of things to teach Hikaru.

Mostly though, there is a lot of intense Go battles going on.  That’s what makes this series great.  If I’m not mistaken, the next part is where new Go pros play older pros, and then there may be a story arc where Sai finally gets to play Toya Meijin.  I’m really looking forward to the next 4-5 volumes, which is about how long I think the series should have been.  It has a very clear Death Note-like threshold where, once it passes a certain plot point, it’s clear that it shouldn’t keep going.  Up to then though, it’s fantastic.

Hikaru no Go 10

More of the Pro tournament, and the competition carries on through the end of the volume, so the three people who will go pro has yet to be decided.  Most of the major characters take a loss after waging intense psychological battles with themselves, including Hikaru, Ochi, and Isumi.

Ochi is getting trained by professional Go players while going through the tournament.  Akira gets invited over at one point, and Ochi promptly throws him out when he starts asking too many questions about Hikaru.  He’s… invited back later, though, and Akira explains to him why Hikaru shouldn’t be underestimated.

Intense Go action!  I don’t have much more to say about it now, but the series is still just as excellent as ever.  The main draw in this volume is seeing how all the characters deal with loss and how it affects their games afterwards.  Hikaru takes one game particularly hard.  Though it was his win, he struggles with whether or not he would have won had he not said something… basically he didn’t win because he was necessarily better at Go.

Hikaru no Go 9

Oh… I forgot how long the pro tests take to play out.  We are STILL in the middle of them, but this volume is dedicated mostly to having Hikaru learn how to play against different types of opponents in Go parlors and not so much focus is put on the test.  Also, it makes a big show of demonstrating both Hikaru and Akira can play tie games, which is something.  Something big.

I really think it’s a shame that Sai falls so much out of focus later in the series.  He really is probably tied as my favorite character with Hikaru, and he makes for such a good climax for the series later on, but he really does get neglected through sequences like this.

I do, however, like the attention paid to Hikaru’s school, where it notes that he is missing class and his classmates do think it’s weird that he’s trying to become a professional Go player.

Well, now I gotta wait forever for the next volume.  There really wasn’t too bad a gap as far as remembering what was going on between the last volume and this one, but everything happens so fast and not much goes on… it’s hard to describe, but it feels like I have to wait a long time for a really small piece of the plot.  Ugh.  But what a good series to make me think these things.

Hikaru no Go 8

Slow releases are killing a couple of the next series for me.  I know I could read this in Shounen Jump, but I hate collecting magazines because I can’t bring myself to throw them out.  Graphic novels are the way to go for me, but 3 a year for this series is seriously murdering it, especially since it’s got such a fast pace.

For this series, you’re sort of expected to remember all sorts of background characters and what strengths they possess, because they’ll pop up later.  Except… later could be two years/5 volumes down the road, and I’m not going to remember that.  I hardly remember Akari anymore, and I’ve already read the damn thing through to the last volume.   Also, we often get a lot of buildup for particular pivotal events with lots of Go games in the meantime.  After 4 months elapse, not only do I not remember what Go game the characters are talking about, but I don’t remember that Hikaru was even getting ready for the Pro test.

Aside from that, we got to meet Tsubaki here.  Apparently, he’ll reappear in the next volume to try and throw off Hikaru’s groove again.  I like the guy, but I’m not going to remember him in April.   I also like the fact that Hikaru’s playing in the Go parlor against some old men, but I’m also not going to remember this is where we left off.

I really liked that we got to see Hikaru’s Mom’s take on everything, and this take was that she was totally clueless and Hikaru told her nothing.  Having a Go pro for a son I gather would be like having him become a professional baseball player and not even knowing it.  Awesome.

Other than that, I’m very excited for the next volume, because I love the pro test stuff.

Hikaru no Go 7

This volume starts off in a rather negative way with a long losing streak for Hikaru. Of course, they need to build up tension for the Young Lions tournament, but it’s a real downer, all the same, especially since Hikaru is such a cheery lad.

And of course there’s a ton of fanfare for the Young Lions tournament with a lot of games to build up to it, including the inevitable Waya/Hikaru game. Sai’s games on the internet come out again, and Hikaru almost blows it for himself. Even Ogata and Toya discuss Hikaru again. Of course Toya hasn’t forgotten, which also makes me like him a little more, for keeping quiet about how much he wants to play Hikaru… or not play him, as the case may be.

And we get more from the Go club. They keep becoming less and less important, which is a shame. I really felt sad when Hikaru became so separate from all his friends at school. All the characters are quite lively, and… well, characters, but the major Go players are all rather serious and not as funny as the kids Hikaru used to hang out with. Waya’s still the only one that can compete with them.

And of course we get the Young Lions tournament. I liked that the only people who took Hikaru seriously were Ogata and Akira. Everyone else just looked at his opponent. It’s also always sad when Sai forgets he’s a ghost and tries holding conversations and games with people. Most heartbreaking.
‘Tis a good manga full of good, lively characters. Lots of Go, too. I still like it, even the second time through. I’m remembering less and less about specific parts, so it’s less and less repetition. The only part I remember really distinctly anymore is, of course, volume sixteen. I cried like a little baby.

Hikaru no Go 6

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve read these two volumes of Hikaru no Go. Like, months. I’m not sure why. But since I just got the newest one in the mail yesterday, I’ll go ahead and finish up the stuff on these two. They’ve certainly earned it.

So Hikaru becomes an Insei! But not a very good one. The way everyone makes fun of him for being terrible and somewhat full of himself is quite funny. Also continually funny is Hikaru’s ignorance of Go terminology, which is especially hilarious now that the Insei’s all can’t believe that he doesn’t know certain people et al.

Also still cute is Akira. It’s a bit of a shame he still hates Hikaru with such passion, but the way he plays his game with the pro in this one is interesting nonetheless. Again, it impresses me that this series can make a board game seem so epic, and for that it gets a lot of respect for me. Certainly it’s got a touch of the Shounen Jump to it at many parts, but it applies to Go, and the novelty of that still hasn’t worn off.

The scene with the Go club at the end of the volume was very sad too, the fact that everyone’s waiting for Yuki to come back. The old characters are still my favorites, as much as I love some of the Insei. Akari, Yuki, and Kaga are still really good characters, as much as I love Waya and… well, none of the other snobby Insei, really.

The little bonus story at the end with all the old characters was also very funny, despite its subject matter. It’s like a little play!

Hikaru no Go 5

I LOVE THIS SERIES. I will say this every time, too. I know it’s about Go, but it’s so goddamn good, the characters are all good, the situations Hikaru gets put in create a real sense of conflict, and absolutely everything is done right. That’s what makes it a great series.

This volume is great because of the conflict of Insei and Toya Akira vs. School Go Club and Mitani. I really liked the balance of consequences and rewards for each action. I also like how every character reacts to Hikaru’s Go game. There’s a nice sense of progression, and while I agree he may be getting really good really fast, he slowly beats each character game by game and there is a very nice sense of progression. I liked the fact his family started supporting him too, such as his Grandpa and Mother. That sort of gives more of a sense of him being a kid too… family life is often left out of manga, bizarrely enough.

God, I love it love it love it. I love Hikaru, I love Go, and I love Sai and all the rest of the characters. I read 18 volumes of this series over the course of two or so days, and I’m loving it even more the second time through… so much so that the wait between volumes kills me. I know it’s not for everyone, but it’s so damn good.

Hikaru no Go 4

I really should stop reviewing these tonight since words are starting to fail me and the reviews are getting more and more generic and repetitive, but I really do want to catch myself up. And I’m not entirely sure the words would be there for Hikaru no Go anyway, because they do indeed fail me.

I love this series. I’ve read up until the point where it should’ve stopped, and I’ve read most of what lies beyond, and it is a wonderful series. I’ve read it more than three years ago, and it still amazes me that a series entirely about Go can be so interesting. But it is. This volume is good because we have a Go match between Hikaru and Akira, and we have the start of internet Go where Sai may exist as himself. And I like the internet Go element a lot, mainly because all the professionals seem to while away their time on it and know who Sai is.

This series makes me wonder with each volume… There’s always some major story element in the volumes, always something important. You’d think that stuff wouldn’t come up that often, but everytime I buy a new English volume, I think “woah, that happened already… didn’t think that was later, and with such-and-such happening last volume!” I hate admitting my love for this series, because it is somewhat humiliating to admit to anyone who hasn’t read the series. But yeah, I swear it’s decent.