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Manga

Plot Synopsis

Shindou Hikaru is a lazy, under-achieving 6th grader until the day he finds an old goban in his grandfather's storage shed. The goban is haunted by the ghost of the greatest Go player of the Heian era, Fujiwara no Sai, who has spent a thousand years seeking the Hand of God; the Divine Move. Sai's soul attaches to Shindou's, so only Shindou can see or hear him, and Sai wants only one thing: to play Go.

Shindou has no interest in Go, but he takes Sai to a go salon to allow him to play. There Shindou and Sai meet Touya Akira, the same age as Shindou and a gifted Go player. Shindou is fascinated by both Touya's intensity and Sai's love of the game. Soon he develops his own desire to walk the path of Go and become a great player... and Touya's rival.

Written by thefourthvine.

Story & Characters

Short plot summary: A young boy named Hikaru wants some money, so he looked in his attic and found a bloodstained go board. Then this ghost came out of it (Sai) and only Hikaru can communicate with Sai. His spirit cannot rest because of an unjust game of go he played centuries ago. And so Hikaru decided it'll be okay for Sai to play go using Hikaru to play while Sai tells him where to move. But as time passes, Hikaru begins a love for the game; he starts to make a name for Hikaru himself as a go player and not Sai as the Hikaru who plays go.

Most of it is a cat a mouse chase between Hikaru and his rival, Touya Akira. Akira, the son of a pro go player, lost a game to Hikaru (as Sai) and vowed to play Hikaru again. The second time Akira played Hikaru, Hikaru decided that he himself wanted to play and not Sai because he wants Akira to recognize Hikaru and not Sai. Now being a pro himself, Hikaru now chases after Akira instead of Akira chasing after Sai. And when Sai saw the strength of Akira's father playing go, Sai himself chases after Touya Meijin.

The story is also rather historical in terms of go. If you know even the tinest amount of go, then you'll know that Shusaku is mentioned quite a bit in the story, bringing historical relevence as well.

The story, although it seems dumb, is actually well written. In no way should anyone belittle it because it seems kiddy, or dull, or not "cool" enough. Heck, Yakitate!! Japan is about a boy baking bread, and it's laugh out loud hilarious. There's just a little bit of magic when you read this sort of "coming to age" story, where a boy who thought things would always be so simple really isn't so, as such in a certain part of the manga which almost tears my heart out thinking about it.

Characterization is very very well done. And I mean, well done. Sai and Hikaru may both first appear to come out as childish, even inane. But as the story progresses, as well as Hkaru's appreciation for go, things change. You can see his jealousy for Akira's skill, his immatureness of not being able to give Sai what he pines for. And at the same time, you can see Sai's remorse for not being able to play - not through a vessel as Hikaru - but by himself. And a question arises, can Sai's tortured soul be finally put to rest through the unknowing Hikaru? Hikaru as the child to teen protagonist works wonders - he is far from perfect.

One gripe is that I would've loved to see Hikaru and Akari get together or something. They're childhood friends and I have a stupid inclination towards them. But I can see why the author doesn't want a romance to be thrown into a somewhat shounen manga.

Of course there are the obvious rivalries and contests, making of friends, making of enemies. It's not just your regular go story. Even though I don't know jack about go (until it inspired me to learn), I still love the manga to pieces. It's not the typical anime where there's fights and romance and magical stuff with swords. This is down to earth. And I like that.

Rating

9 (very good)

Art

What can I say? Absolutely brilliant. I simply cannot give anything lower than a 10 for Obata. As shown in his recently finished work Death Note, he definitely has no flaw. Every wrinkle, every finger is perfect.

Especially so in Hikaru no Go. You can actually see how Obata progresses into his artistry now. Hikaru as a child cannot compare to Hikaru adult. You can see him growing up. It's amazing.

Backgrounds are relatively realistic. Go boards and stones look almost lifelike. One thing that amazes me is the fashion of each character. From Mitani's suspenders to Hikaru's unbuttoned shirts and hoods, it really adds character and eye candy to the art. What a difference from mangas where the main characters wear the same thing on every page, every chapter, every volume!

The realism fits. I can't ask for a better mangaka.

Rating

10 (excellent)

Sound

I'll talk on dialogue. Can't say it's brilliant, but on the other hand, it doesn't outright suck. There are some times when it seems too manga-like, with the "Hand of God" synonyms or "It's him!" clauses. But the high rating goes towards the usage of silence. There're many moments where page after page is just silence. Very appropriate when the times comes.

Also is the usage of thought bubbles. Other than the "pak!" sounds of the go stones hitting the wood board, the players themselves undergo thoughts similar to Death Note, although not nearly as brain draining. You can see their thought processes as each stone is placed on the board.

Dialogue in of itself is very realistic and not overblown or overcontrived.

Rating

8 (good)

Presentation

Although I rarely give high marks, overall Hikaru no Go takes the cake. The whole cake. When I first started reading Toriyama World's scans to obsessively trying to get through all 189 chapters, it's a shame to see this story end short. When I found out the manga ended with chapter 189, I was speechless. I didn't know what to think. The manga that inspired me to play go... has ended. It had so much potential. A part of me is lost.

So the reason why a point is taken off story is because the ending was miserable. There was built up potential, then poof. Gone.

But if you like, simply LOVE a good read, Hikaru no Go is a great investment.

Rating

10 (excellent)

Final Verdict

9.33 (very good)

Reviewed by suikodee, 2y 12wk ago