Yumi Hotta

Playing against Isumi helps Hikaru realize that Sai is now in his Go - if he wants to see Sai, even just a shadow of him, he must play. And so he does, and proceeds to win. There are rumors of a Japan-China-Korea Junior Cup, and players like Akira, Hikaru, and Ochi would be Japan's best chance. Meanwhile, Hikaru has his first match against Akira in two years and four months. Hikaru loses, but it's a good match, and Akira sees Sai in his game, leading Hikaru to say that he might tell him the show more whole story about what happened to him one day. That night, Hikaru dreams of Sai.

Oof. This is technically a slow volume, and I got a bit tired of older dudes talking about the up-and-coming youngsters, but the beginning was great - seeing Hikaru cry and realize he must play in order to see Sai (if I were Isumi, the way Hikaru was acting would have made me assume there was a death in Hikaru's family). So was the ending, with Sai silently passing his fan on to Hikaru.

I loved that Akira could see Sai in Hikaru's playing style but also appreciate Hikaru as his own player. He's no longer chasing after Hikaru because of the player he thinks he is (Sai) but truly seeing him as he is. If I remember right, this is where the anime ended (not counting the special), and it's a nice stopping point for those who liked Hikaru and Akira but also really liked (and really miss) Sai.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

A very Isumi-heavy volume. Isumi is trying to gain confidence and experience in China by playing against young Go pros. Although he's initially worried that he might be accomplishing the opposite, he struggles and sticks with it, and the experience pays off. Then it's back to Hikaru, who's still resisting Go to the point of refusing to help his former Go club friends. Isumi comes back to Japan and asks Hikaru for a rematch, during which Hikaru breaks down in tears: "I couldn't find Sai show more anywhere I looked...and now I found him here." (In a move he played against Isumi.)

I hate to say this since I know so many people, particularly professional Go players who've read this series, love him, but Isumi isn't really one of my favorite characters. I suppose it was nice seeing him again, working hard to build up his confidence, and his struggles are likely much more realistic than Hikaru or even Akira's experiences with Go. Still, it was a relief when the volume turned back to Hikaru, despite Hikaru's guilt and grief.

That said, the damage Hikaru was doing to his professional Go career by continuing to forfeit matches made my stomach hurt. Could he catch up to Akira at this rate? Could he be fired at some point, and how many more matches could he forfeit before that happened?

But man, that ending elevated the volume. Isumi tends to come across to me like a "reliable big brother" type, so it was kind of nice that he was the one to see Hikaru break down. While I loved that Hikaru found Sai in his own Go playing style, I still really want Sai back...

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

This is an incredible manga series (and, for that matter, anime - although for the anime, I'd really recommend the fansubs, as the English release is agonizingly bad). And the thing is, it shouldn't be this good. It's about a bunch of Go-obsessed people. Who talk about Go. And play Go. And argue about Go.

And yet it's the most compelling, involving, and fun manga I've ever read. Partly, this is because of the characters - Shindou Hikaru, Touya Akira, and Fujiwara-no-Sai are realistic and show more interesting, and the relationship between Shindou and Touya is, well, very slashy, if you're me. But it's entrancing whether you read it that way or not. The secondary characters are likewise engaging. And the artwork is incredible, especially in the later volumes.

And it has no typical manga elements. There are no battles, just shouting matches over Go games (and refusal to play Go games, and playing Go games with the wrong people or in the wrong way). No one levels up, although they certainly get better at Go. The only really typical manga element is the destined rivalry, and it's between guys playing Go, not ninjas or whatever.

Oh, I'm doing this badly. And that's because I really can't communicate the joy of Hikaru no Go in words. But it's fabulous all the same, and I recommend it to anyone and everyone. show less

While exploring his grandfather’s shed, Hikaru discovers a Go board haunted by the spirit of Fujiwara no Sai, a great Go player from the Heian era. Since Hikaru is the only person who can see or hear Sai, he decides to take up residence in a part of Hikaru’s mind. Urged by Sai, Hikaru attends a Go Salon and unwittingly challenges a very advanced player, Akira. Playing under Sai’s direction, Hikaru defeats Akira, causing an upset in the world of competitive Go. Will Hikaru continue to show more play Go? Will he rely on his own skill or Sai’s? Will Hikaru or Sai ever make the Divine Move? Well written, wonderfully drawn and very entertaining. Hikaru is very funny, especially his reactions to Sai’s thoughts and comments. Akira is an intriguing opponent and there are informative and interesting entries on the game Go throughout the manga. I would recommend for anyone looking for a fun, funny story. show less