My first one and absolute favorite has entirely anime based reasons, which is my excuse for why it's not one of Shindou and Touya's matches. In episode 62, where Hikaru's gone on his journey to find Sai and plays against Shuuhei, the amateur champion, I have been absolutely in love with this match since the first time I saw it. The entire atmosphere of the match, the music that plays during it, the way Shindou suddenly grows before our eyes, how the go stones fly off his fingers and how, for just a moment he forgets about his desperation to get back to Tokyo to find Sai and just loses himself in entering a deeper level within the game. It's really one of the most breathtaking and aggressive and captivating matches he ever plays, and it breaks my heart when he looks up at the end expecting Sai to be there ;__;
Second favorite has to be during the scene where Hikaru is learning how to draw a tie with multiple boards at the same time Touya is doing it with the city council members during the shigoto match. I just love the juxtaposition during that scene and the feeling of fate that they're doing the same thing at the same time, plus I love how it shows another instant of Hikaru's growth, that he's taking another step into the world where Touya's waiting for him.
Third favorite is when Isumi plays Hikaru to knock some sense back into him after Sai leaves. I cry too whenever I watch that match, seeing Hikaru so heartbroken and how stupid and relieved he feels at that moment, realizing that Sai's been in his go all along :(
Fourth favorite is the second match that Hikaru and Touya play together when they're both 12, the one where Sai goes all out and cuts off Touya's head, completely owning him by the end of the match. Why do I like it? Because it's the game that truly marks the beginning of their fated rivalry, with Touya chasing after Hikaru from then on and then Hikaru chasing after Touya later.
Last favorite match is, of course, the match towards the end of the series where they finally play each other as who they really are, Hikaru as Hikaru and Touya as Touya, and while the match itself wasn't really spectacular, I just love how brings everything to a head and shows to the reader and to Hikaru and Touya that they really were meant for each other as rivals all this time. Touya's is excited to play and moving fast and Hikaru doesn't back down from the challenge, he meets him head on and proves right there that he's the perfect companion to Touya's go. I think that moment of "everything that's led up to this has been worth it" really makes the match special to me ^_^
Sorry for the late reply, dinner stepped in and made it a first priority XD;
I hardly get the chance to fangirl HnG or my love for AkiHika as often as I would like to, so I enjoyed the excuse to do so here. Thank you for the opportunity ^_^
1. His vulnurability. Hikaru might have cried over losing Sai, but when I look at Touya, no matter at what point it is in the series, I see this lonely, vulnurable boy/young man who at times is so scared of being alone or disappointed that it's sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. That he gives Shindou his faith and trust by the end says a lot, I think.
2. How smitten he is with Shindou and how often it comes out into the open. Like the tutoring with Ochi and how much it smacked of a school girl getting her friend to check out the guy she likes so that she's safe behind a third party, when of course everyone knows perfectly well who's got the crush on who.
3. His purple suit. I think he wore it the day of the new dan ceremony just because it would match Shindou's eyes XD
4. How during the whole series everyone else was thinking, "Sai Sai Sai" while Touya was the only one thinking, "Shindou Shindou Shindou." That's me tipping my hat to Hotta more than anything else I suppose :D
5. This sounds cheesy, but I actually really admire his courage. Hikaru was in a situation where he was basically strung along for the ride a lot of the time, which gave him the opportunity to observe and learn and grow under a mentor's guidance. Touya however had only his own gut to go on every time he sat down for a game with Hikaru, or any time he took a chance and confronted Hikaru during the course of the story. He placed himself in a position so many times to get his heart broken and yet he never walked away; sometimes he got a little sneaky and watched from a distance, but Touya never gave up getting what he wanted: for Shindou to come to him and prove their equality.
Mm top five AkiHika canon moments~
1. Well since I was just thinking about it with my last one on Touya's, I love the scene where Touya goes all the way to Shindou's school to track him down and ask him why he's not playing go anymore. To me it comes back to how big of an act of bravery that was on his part, to walk into unfamiliar territory (a rival high school no less!), and seek out someone who he's hardly had more than a superficial relationship with up to that point. Seeing how much Hikaru playing meant to him, and seeing Hikaru realize this by how earnest and pleading Touya was, I get happy chills every time I watch it ^_^
2. Touya inspecting Hikaru's hand for calluses from holding go stones. I can't stop myself from thinking that there was more than one reason for Hikaru snatching his hand away so quickly XD
3. The elevator. Getting onto the elevator together. Getting onto the elevator together and them already arguing and Touya already completely opening up emotionally to Hikaru just from the first match *___*
4. It's not a scene where Hikaru is there, but I absolutely love the part when Hikaru storms out of the Touya go salon and Touya steps up behind one of the customers and completely tells him off for dissing Shindou and Shindou's abilities. The times that strike me the most strongly in regards to how two people feel about each other take place when the other person isn't there and is being defended so vehmenently *wibbles*
5. I love how frequently the series makes a point to show how often Hikaru and Touya manage to read each other's minds and understand each other on a deeper level than most people can possibly achieve. Like when Touya completely ignores Shindou during the new dan ceremony, Hikaru is gobbsmacked until he sees the sheet for the matches and then completely understands Touya's attitude towards him. You'd think a guy like Shindou would think Touya was being rude or a prick or a cold bastard to him, like Waya would assume, but Shindou understands Touya's mindset on a pretty deep level to be able to cope with Touya's attitude. Things like that just make me feel even more deeply rooted in my OTP, to know that canon provides such wonderful foundations for them to build from, that kind of trust and understanding that yeah, starts on a go board, but really has the potential to leak into their every day lives just as much ^_^
THIS COMMENT MAKES ME SO HAPPY. you've thrown out so much wonderful, insightful stuff here, and given me a bunch to think about. i will be back tomorrow (sleep, why do people need sleep) for a better, non-comatose response. though it still might not get much better than AJSDKFLSJFAKSLJDSA.
plus I love how it shows another instant of Hikaru's growth, that he's taking another step into the world where Touya's waiting for him.
YES, YES, and isn't it so much love that everyone around Shindou is like "Four, that's impossible" and Touya does that and then Shindou almost does that and JDKFJSKLFJA those boys ♥
My first one and absolute favorite has entirely anime based reasons, which is my excuse for why it's not one of Shindou and Touya's matches. In episode 62, where Hikaru's gone on his journey to find Sai and plays against Shuuhei, the amateur champion, I have been absolutely in love with this match since the first time I saw it. The entire atmosphere of the match, the music that plays during it, the way Shindou suddenly grows before our eyes, how the go stones fly off his fingers and how, for just a moment he forgets about his desperation to get back to Tokyo to find Sai and just loses himself in entering a deeper level within the game. It's really one of the most breathtaking and aggressive and captivating matches he ever plays, and it breaks my heart when he looks up at the end expecting Sai to be there ;__;
Second favorite has to be during the scene where Hikaru is learning how to draw a tie with multiple boards at the same time Touya is doing it with the city council members during the shigoto match. I just love the juxtaposition during that scene and the feeling of fate that they're doing the same thing at the same time, plus I love how it shows another instant of Hikaru's growth, that he's taking another step into the world where Touya's waiting for him.
Third favorite is when Isumi plays Hikaru to knock some sense back into him after Sai leaves. I cry too whenever I watch that match, seeing Hikaru so heartbroken and how stupid and relieved he feels at that moment, realizing that Sai's been in his go all along :(
Fourth favorite is the second match that Hikaru and Touya play together when they're both 12, the one where Sai goes all out and cuts off Touya's head, completely owning him by the end of the match. Why do I like it? Because it's the game that truly marks the beginning of their fated rivalry, with Touya chasing after Hikaru from then on and then Hikaru chasing after Touya later.
Last favorite match is, of course, the match towards the end of the series where they finally play each other as who they really are, Hikaru as Hikaru and Touya as Touya, and while the match itself wasn't really spectacular, I just love how brings everything to a head and shows to the reader and to Hikaru and Touya that they really were meant for each other as rivals all this time. Touya's is excited to play and moving fast and Hikaru doesn't back down from the challenge, he meets him head on and proves right there that he's the perfect companion to Touya's go. I think that moment of "everything that's led up to this has been worth it" really makes the match special to me ^_^
Sorry for the late reply, dinner stepped in and made it a first priority XD;
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Forget lateness. This is such a beautiful reply. It is swelling my heart with love.
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WELL THEN MAY I GIVE YOU FURTHER OPPORTUNITY???? PLEASE? :D
top 5 things you love about touya (because i haven't actually asked anyone on this page this question yet, and it occurs to me: WHAT AM I THINKING)!
top 5 favorite akira/hikaru moments in canon, please.
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Top five things about Touya~
1. His vulnurability. Hikaru might have cried over losing Sai, but when I look at Touya, no matter at what point it is in the series, I see this lonely, vulnurable boy/young man who at times is so scared of being alone or disappointed that it's sweet and heartbreaking at the same time. That he gives Shindou his faith and trust by the end says a lot, I think.
2. How smitten he is with Shindou and how often it comes out into the open. Like the tutoring with Ochi and how much it smacked of a school girl getting her friend to check out the guy she likes so that she's safe behind a third party, when of course everyone knows perfectly well who's got the crush on who.
3. His purple suit. I think he wore it the day of the new dan ceremony just because it would match Shindou's eyes XD
4. How during the whole series everyone else was thinking, "Sai Sai Sai" while Touya was the only one thinking, "Shindou Shindou Shindou." That's me tipping my hat to Hotta more than anything else I suppose :D
5. This sounds cheesy, but I actually really admire his courage. Hikaru was in a situation where he was basically strung along for the ride a lot of the time, which gave him the opportunity to observe and learn and grow under a mentor's guidance. Touya however had only his own gut to go on every time he sat down for a game with Hikaru, or any time he took a chance and confronted Hikaru during the course of the story. He placed himself in a position so many times to get his heart broken and yet he never walked away; sometimes he got a little sneaky and watched from a distance, but Touya never gave up getting what he wanted: for Shindou to come to him and prove their equality.
Mm top five AkiHika canon moments~
1. Well since I was just thinking about it with my last one on Touya's, I love the scene where Touya goes all the way to Shindou's school to track him down and ask him why he's not playing go anymore. To me it comes back to how big of an act of bravery that was on his part, to walk into unfamiliar territory (a rival high school no less!), and seek out someone who he's hardly had more than a superficial relationship with up to that point. Seeing how much Hikaru playing meant to him, and seeing Hikaru realize this by how earnest and pleading Touya was, I get happy chills every time I watch it ^_^
2. Touya inspecting Hikaru's hand for calluses from holding go stones. I can't stop myself from thinking that there was more than one reason for Hikaru snatching his hand away so quickly XD
3. The elevator. Getting onto the elevator together. Getting onto the elevator together and them already arguing and Touya already completely opening up emotionally to Hikaru just from the first match *___*
4. It's not a scene where Hikaru is there, but I absolutely love the part when Hikaru storms out of the Touya go salon and Touya steps up behind one of the customers and completely tells him off for dissing Shindou and Shindou's abilities. The times that strike me the most strongly in regards to how two people feel about each other take place when the other person isn't there and is being defended so vehmenently *wibbles*
5. I love how frequently the series makes a point to show how often Hikaru and Touya manage to read each other's minds and understand each other on a deeper level than most people can possibly achieve. Like when Touya completely ignores Shindou during the new dan ceremony, Hikaru is gobbsmacked until he sees the sheet for the matches and then completely understands Touya's attitude towards him. You'd think a guy like Shindou would think Touya was being rude or a prick or a cold bastard to him, like Waya would assume, but Shindou understands Touya's mindset on a pretty deep level to be able to cope with Touya's attitude. Things like that just make me feel even more deeply rooted in my OTP, to know that canon provides such wonderful foundations for them to build from, that kind of trust and understanding that yeah, starts on a go board, but really has the potential to leak into their every day lives just as much ^_^
Good lord I babble too much XD
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THIS COMMENT MAKES ME SO HAPPY. you've thrown out so much wonderful, insightful stuff here, and given me a bunch to think about. i will be back tomorrow (sleep, why do people need sleep) for a better, non-comatose response. though it still might not get much better than AJSDKFLSJFAKSLJDSA.
Reply
YES, YES, and isn't it so much love that everyone around Shindou is like "Four, that's impossible" and Touya does that and then Shindou almost does that and JDKFJSKLFJA those boys ♥
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