Hikaru no Go

[fateswanderer]

So combining my Go binge with my otaku-ness, I've been reading lots of Hikaru no Go, the shounen manga about the game. For years I rolled my eyes at the application of shounen tournament tropes being applied to mundane activities (taken to its zenith/nadir in Yakitate Japan, the pun-filled manga about competitive bread-making), but having read

Comments

[toriaezu]

It must be nice being able to appreciate the accurate depiction of Go in the manga.

I read about 50 chapters of Hikaru no Go, it was pretty good. I remember that Hikaru and the other characters become mroe mature over the volumes. Well, I haven't read that much shounen manga, so I don't know what others are like.

I wouldn't say Sai is a peripheral character, I think he's actually pretty central to the story, driven by his pursuit for the Hand of God (or is it the Move of God? bad translation?).

And Sai is pretty. :P He is also a ghost.

[fateswanderer]

The manga gives me a fascinating alternative view of Go and the community around it; however despite reading books and playing lots of games, I'm really bad compared to just about any character in the manga...

On the topic of Sai, moving slightly into dip into spoiler territory...

Sai starts Hikaru playing Go, but then Hikaru appreciates it for himself and plays his own games and improves his own skills. By the thirteenth volume (where I'm up to) he's a formidable player in his own right, and it's his rivalry with Touya (rather than Sai's urgings) that drive him onwards.

[fateswanderer]

Oh, 神の一手 (kami no itte) supposedly means "perfect play" rather than a single divine move (see exswoo's comment on this page); the term is used in Shougi as well.

[toriaezu]

Regarding the spoiler, that's partly what I was referring to in terms of character growth. Hikaru starts out just doing it for kicks, but then he actually becomes really involved and serious about playing Go.

It's an interesting rivalry polygon, because Touya doesn't know about Sai so sees Hikaru as his rival, but Sai (through Hikaru) actually wants to play Touya's dad. I forgot why though... Touya's dad is the strongest Go player or something?

More spoilers... I think there's a bit where Sai disappears for a while, and I got pissed off because Sai is my favourite character. His passion for the 神の一手 brings him back from the dead..

Have you watched any of the anime? I like the ending song, Bokura no Bouken. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwNq144QjfY

Omgosh I just realised/remembered that my habit of picking up things between my index and middle finger probably came from this series!! Man I was really into HikaGo.