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ヒカルの碁 [Hikaru no Go] #7
Hikaru no Go, Vol. 7: The Young Lions Tournament
After stumbling across a haunted go board, Hikaru Shindo discovers that the spirit of a master player named Fujiwara-no-Sai has taken up residence in his consciousness. Sai awakens in Hikaru an untapped genius for the game, and soon the schoolboy is chasing his own dream--defeating the famed go prodigy Akira Toya!
Hikaru is horrified to find that he's losing all of his games at the insei school! The Young Lions Tournament is just three months away, and the insei who qualify will play against rookie pros, including Akira. Hikaru sees his chance to impress his rival, but can he turn his losing streak around in time?
Hikaru is horrified to find that he's losing all of his games at the insei school! The Young Lions Tournament is just three months away, and the insei who qualify will play against rookie pros, including Akira. Hikaru sees his chance to impress his rival, but can he turn his losing streak around in time?
205 pages, Paperback
First published June 2, 2000
15 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
About the author
Yumi Hotta
100 books100 followersYumi Hotta (堀田 由美 Hotta Yumi, most often written as ほった ゆみ) is a Japanese mangaka, best known as the author of the best-selling manga and anime series Hikaru no Go, about the game of go that is widely credited for the recent boom of the game in Japan. The idea behind Hikaru no Go began when Yumi Hotta played a pick-up game of go with her father-in-law. She thought that it might be fun to create a manga based on this traditional board game, and began the work under the title of Nine Stars (九つの星 Kokonotsu no Hoshi), named for the nine "star points" on a go board. She later worked with Takeshi Obata (the illustrator) and Yukari Umezawa (5-Dan, the supervisor) in the creation of Hikaru no Go. She won the 2000 Shogakukan Manga Award and the 2003 Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for Hikaru no Go.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
April 24, 2023
The insei arc is the probably the most memorable phase of this series. The reader gets to dive deeply in to the world of go, along with Hikaru. What makes it memorable is that the stories involving aspects of the game is written accessibly. Although you won't turn out to be a go player after reading, it gives you the itch to try the game yourself.
The main plot is definitely Hikaru's growth as a go player, but the side plots involving Akira and the rest of the cast are interesting as well make for this series a more well-rounded story.
The main plot is definitely Hikaru's growth as a go player, but the side plots involving Akira and the rest of the cast are interesting as well make for this series a more well-rounded story.
December 31, 2021
Hikaru proceeds to the A League and can take part on the Young Lions Tournament. Sadly, he didn't win in the first round otherwise he would have the chance to play against Akira Toya. Nonetheless, he was even with his opponent for most of the game. Just three Inseis won in the first round. The Pro test starts in summer, let's see how they'll be doing.
June 23, 2021
The tankobon opens with Hikaru Shindo waiting for Yoshitaka Waya to bring him to his study group. While waiting, Seiji Ogata, a student of Toya Meijin and the person that sponsored Shindo for an insei, crosses his path and invites him to attend the study group of Toya Meijin, alongside Akira Toya, Shindo's rival. Breaking Sai's heart, Shindo refuses, because he doesn't want to study with Toya, he wants to beat him. With his parting words, Ogata tells Shindo about the Young Lions Tournament.
The Young Lions Tournament is a Pro-Am Tournament, where the amateur component consists of the top sixteen students of Group A – the problem? Shindo is still on the bottom of Group B. With a new goal in mind, Shindo works hard and eventually get into Group A. Shindo eventually rose in rank and made it to sixteenth position in time for the Young Lions Tournament, but failed to pass the first round to play Toya in the second.
Meanwhile, the Go Club at Shindo's school tries to conscripts Yuki Mitani to play as First Board, so the Boys could play in the upcoming tournament and perhaps beat their rival school that Toya Akira goes to. Surprisingly, they managed to coax Mitani to come, but also managed to keep him there – a beautiful ending to a Go Club that started with a hope and dream.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this tankobon and seeing Shindo grow in strength at an astronomical rate. Having Shindo move from the bottom of Group B to Group A and then to the Young Lions Tournament, just being a round away in playing Toya. With the Pro Examination around the bend, I can't wait to read the next tankobon in the series. I can't wait to see Shindo and Toya both being professionals and playing a game.
The Young Lions Tournament is a Pro-Am Tournament, where the amateur component consists of the top sixteen students of Group A – the problem? Shindo is still on the bottom of Group B. With a new goal in mind, Shindo works hard and eventually get into Group A. Shindo eventually rose in rank and made it to sixteenth position in time for the Young Lions Tournament, but failed to pass the first round to play Toya in the second.
Meanwhile, the Go Club at Shindo's school tries to conscripts Yuki Mitani to play as First Board, so the Boys could play in the upcoming tournament and perhaps beat their rival school that Toya Akira goes to. Surprisingly, they managed to coax Mitani to come, but also managed to keep him there – a beautiful ending to a Go Club that started with a hope and dream.
All in all, I enjoyed reading this tankobon and seeing Shindo grow in strength at an astronomical rate. Having Shindo move from the bottom of Group B to Group A and then to the Young Lions Tournament, just being a round away in playing Toya. With the Pro Examination around the bend, I can't wait to read the next tankobon in the series. I can't wait to see Shindo and Toya both being professionals and playing a game.
December 22, 2023
There's a drop in quality - there's neither focus on the games, nor on the development of the characters. We don't know why or how Hikaru grows - and we can hardly empathize with him anymore. Why is he growing? How does he reach the 16th position in Group A?
To put it shortly, Hikaru manages to rise in the Insei groups, and he's suddenly good enough to enter the Young Lions Tournament. There's a chance to actually play against Akira, but he fails, as he turns around a bad position but closes the game badly.
Anyway, I feel that there were better ways to write this evolution, and there are a lot of missed opportunities.
Second reading: it seems that the first time my reading was correct. There is a drop in quality, there is lack of focus and Hikaru's advancement is way too abrupt. Probably Yumi Hotta didn't have something to fill this time with; no family drama, no interesting interactions, although I would've loved to see the „git gud” arc, how his relationship with Waya works and how is the family handling his laser-sharp focus on the game of Go. There's a small interlude with Yuki, where he comes back to the go club, but... is that even enough? I'm not sure.
To put it shortly, Hikaru manages to rise in the Insei groups, and he's suddenly good enough to enter the Young Lions Tournament. There's a chance to actually play against Akira, but he fails, as he turns around a bad position but closes the game badly.
Anyway, I feel that there were better ways to write this evolution, and there are a lot of missed opportunities.
Second reading: it seems that the first time my reading was correct. There is a drop in quality, there is lack of focus and Hikaru's advancement is way too abrupt. Probably Yumi Hotta didn't have something to fill this time with; no family drama, no interesting interactions, although I would've loved to see the „git gud” arc, how his relationship with Waya works and how is the family handling his laser-sharp focus on the game of Go. There's a small interlude with Yuki, where he comes back to the go club, but... is that even enough? I'm not sure.
September 10, 2025
4.5/5 (Review is for the series as a whole and does not contain spoilers)
12-year-old Hikaru finds an old Go board in his grandfather’s attic and accidentally frees the ghost spirit of a young Go teacher from medieval Japan, named Fujiwara-no-Sai. Sai has a strong passion for Go and wants to achieve the “Divine Move,” but unfortunately for him, Hikaru knows nothing about Go and has little interest in learning the game. When Sai finally convinces Hikaru to play, they defeat fellow middle school student, Akira, who has been training relentlessly with his father, Go master Toya Meijin. Akira, who is good enough to go pro, is shocked at his defeat and declares that Hikaru is his rival. This rivalry sparks a passion in Hikaru, who decides to learn the game and soon becomes a good enough player in his own right.
This series is appropriate for the middle grade age group, and may inspire readers to want to learn how to play the game of Go. The author consulted with actual Go players to make the manga moves more authentic, and throughout the series there are tidbits and instructions on how to play and resources for learning more about the game. In addition, this series teaches valuable lessons about friendship and explores some of the challenges in coming-of-age, especially as we grow up and move away from some people. This series is also likely to appeal to fans of sports manga, as it features similar story telling devices, and works to build tension in the Go games that the players play. Overall, this series is a fun, low stakes story that makes me want to learn a bit more about the game of Go.
12-year-old Hikaru finds an old Go board in his grandfather’s attic and accidentally frees the ghost spirit of a young Go teacher from medieval Japan, named Fujiwara-no-Sai. Sai has a strong passion for Go and wants to achieve the “Divine Move,” but unfortunately for him, Hikaru knows nothing about Go and has little interest in learning the game. When Sai finally convinces Hikaru to play, they defeat fellow middle school student, Akira, who has been training relentlessly with his father, Go master Toya Meijin. Akira, who is good enough to go pro, is shocked at his defeat and declares that Hikaru is his rival. This rivalry sparks a passion in Hikaru, who decides to learn the game and soon becomes a good enough player in his own right.
This series is appropriate for the middle grade age group, and may inspire readers to want to learn how to play the game of Go. The author consulted with actual Go players to make the manga moves more authentic, and throughout the series there are tidbits and instructions on how to play and resources for learning more about the game. In addition, this series teaches valuable lessons about friendship and explores some of the challenges in coming-of-age, especially as we grow up and move away from some people. This series is also likely to appeal to fans of sports manga, as it features similar story telling devices, and works to build tension in the Go games that the players play. Overall, this series is a fun, low stakes story that makes me want to learn a bit more about the game of Go.
March 11, 2021
Some excitement this time
February 4, 2024
Moving up in the league & versing a pro.
July 19, 2025
This volume is entirely focused on Hikaru’s progress and discusses both mental issues and the value of different types of practice.
The insei classmates are getting a little more fleshed out: Fuku is a fast and slapdash player, quite good but not too competitive; Isumi is getting worried about not showing his full strength when it matters; Waya is the junior in his study group and feels the pressure; Ochi is insufferably smug.
The pressure of this highly competitive environment is sketched in: there are around 50 insei but only 3 can go pro every year! And they also have school or are thinking about a future career in case of failure.
Meanwhile Ogata continues to add fuel to the fire of our main rivalry, egging Hikaru on to get into the only tournament open to both him and Akira, then teasing Akira with it. Still works like a charm.
In the middle, we also get a school go club episode, where Mitani finally meets his match in Kaneko, the new member of the girls team. She’s weaker in Go—not by much—but fully makes it up in the force of character.
The kids are growing! In this instalment, I’m definitely noticing that the characters grew a little visually, their faces are a little more mature, and build and height change to match. All while staying recognisably themselves.
The insei classmates are getting a little more fleshed out: Fuku is a fast and slapdash player, quite good but not too competitive; Isumi is getting worried about not showing his full strength when it matters; Waya is the junior in his study group and feels the pressure; Ochi is insufferably smug.
The pressure of this highly competitive environment is sketched in: there are around 50 insei but only 3 can go pro every year! And they also have school or are thinking about a future career in case of failure.
Meanwhile Ogata continues to add fuel to the fire of our main rivalry, egging Hikaru on to get into the only tournament open to both him and Akira, then teasing Akira with it. Still works like a charm.
In the middle, we also get a school go club episode, where Mitani finally meets his match in Kaneko, the new member of the girls team. She’s weaker in Go—not by much—but fully makes it up in the force of character.
The kids are growing! In this instalment, I’m definitely noticing that the characters grew a little visually, their faces are a little more mature, and build and height change to match. All while staying recognisably themselves.
May 23, 2022
I did not enjoy vol. 5 and 6 because of the direction that series is going in and I just didn't enjoy the insei stuff like I did when Hikaru was with his school's go club. Thankfully, we got to see some of their practices and it was fun. Although, like I mentioned in my review of vol. 6, I'm surprised that Akari isn't as close to Hikaru as she was in the beginning of this series. She didn't even know that Hikaru had a tournament the next day and she told someone from his class to give him a message.
Anyways, I enjoyed this volume more than the last two because Hikaru is finally getting better at go after so many losses and I just enjoyed this one more and I'm not exactly sure why.
Blog: nazishreads.net/TravelandBookBlog
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Anyways, I enjoyed this volume more than the last two because Hikaru is finally getting better at go after so many losses and I just enjoyed this one more and I'm not exactly sure why.
Blog: nazishreads.net/TravelandBookBlog
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
Instagram: nazreads01, nazcosplay, nradesigns, charmedanimegirl01
October 29, 2023
Vol. 7 of Hikaru No Go is largely dedicated to his development as an insei; while Akira adjusts to life as a pro. We also get a little subplot of the middle school go club trying to get Yuki to come back into the fold. While I do wish Hikaru's insei class got a bit more fleshed out as characters; it is nonetheless fun to see Hikaru failing and succeeding there. The volume centers on Hikaru's determination to enter the Young Lions Tournament to face off against Akira. But he has to move up to A class in order to do so. Sai takes a backseat in this volume; but we do see him mentoring Hikaru and lament not being able to play go against others physically himself. Obata's style remains as perfect as ever for this series. Characters are expressive and the go scenes feel dynamic and detailed. Despite some stumbles, Vol. 7 remains an enjoyable entry in this series.
April 23, 2022
Fine Storyline! Fine Artwork!
by Barbara Kelley
Hikaru finally reached # 16 in the Insei A League, so he qualified to be in the Young Lion's Tournament, where the top 16 Insei play against the top 16 Pros. Hikaru loses his first round, but Akira Toya and Ogata 9 Dan watch Hikaru's game. Akira, however, came in at the end of the game and does not understand how Hikaru lost by only 6 1/2 points. Ogata tells Akira that he will find out just how strong Hikaru is when he plays against him in the Pro Exams. I gave this episode 5 stars!
by Barbara Kelley
Hikaru finally reached # 16 in the Insei A League, so he qualified to be in the Young Lion's Tournament, where the top 16 Insei play against the top 16 Pros. Hikaru loses his first round, but Akira Toya and Ogata 9 Dan watch Hikaru's game. Akira, however, came in at the end of the game and does not understand how Hikaru lost by only 6 1/2 points. Ogata tells Akira that he will find out just how strong Hikaru is when he plays against him in the Pro Exams. I gave this episode 5 stars!
May 1, 2022
I feel sorry for Sai - him being a ghost and unable to play against (let alone talk to) anyone but Hikaru.
I do think his character and the supernatural element are wasted on this story, which focuses so heavily on Hikaru/Akiru that there's hardly any space for growth for the other characters.
I also miss the side characters from Hikaru's school go club - their plot thread was left behind and now their presence doesn't add anything to the overall story anymore.
I'm still enjoying this manga, but I was hoping for more (character) depth.
I do think his character and the supernatural element are wasted on this story, which focuses so heavily on Hikaru/Akiru that there's hardly any space for growth for the other characters.
I also miss the side characters from Hikaru's school go club - their plot thread was left behind and now their presence doesn't add anything to the overall story anymore.
I'm still enjoying this manga, but I was hoping for more (character) depth.
October 14, 2023
Hikaru migliora giorno dopo giorno: da Insei di 2^ classe passa alla 1^ classe e si qualifica per il Torneo dei Leoni dove sfidano alcuni professionisti tra cui anche Touya, che sul finire del manga si sente dire da un suo collega che Hikaru può puntare tranquillamente all’esame da professionista.
April 7, 2025
Hikaru's growth is impressive...and the reason for some of his stumbling comes to light as well. I wonder just how quickly he will be able to rise, but with the growth, also comes the setbacks. Another solid volume that truly makes you want to play the game of "Go". Thank Yumi Hotta, Takeshi Obata and Yukari Umezawa for another engaging and exciting volume!
November 22, 2021
Ogata-sensei adalah orang yang menarik, bukan? Dia ingin Hikaru dan Akira berpasangan hha
Hal menarik lainnya adalah perkembangan plotnya yg sangat baik dan terus berubah. Akira dan Hikaru kedua tokoh ini memperlihatkan perkembangan yg menarik .
Hal menarik lainnya adalah perkembangan plotnya yg sangat baik dan terus berubah. Akira dan Hikaru kedua tokoh ini memperlihatkan perkembangan yg menarik .
September 15, 2017
Not a bad manga, just not my favorite.
November 8, 2017
おがた先生は面白い人だよね。彼はヒカルとあきらに互いに対にならせたい。でも彼の理由が分からない。なんで彼がこの若どもの興味があるかな？
他の面白いところはこのシリーズのアートがどんどん変わってゆく。あきらもヒカルもちょっと大人ぽくになったんだ。ヒカルにさておきあきらの変化は良いことかれの性格はあんな小さな体に似合ってなかった。
他の面白いところはこのシリーズのアートがどんどん変わってゆく。あきらもヒカルもちょっと大人ぽくになったんだ。ヒカルにさておきあきらの変化は良いことかれの性格はあんな小さな体に似合ってなかった。
November 16, 2017
Hikaru is inspired by the opportunity to enter a tournament in which Akira is competing, and so he gets it together enough to move from the Insei B-league to the A-league so he can get in.
April 4, 2019
Pretty great board game manga! Really good story and sweet art, Another awesome Shōnen so far😻♟😁❤️❤️📖
April 17, 2019
My favorite volume so far.
September 8, 2020
If you want to learn about the culture of Go in Japan, this is the series for you.
January 12, 2022
It´s sad that Hikaru hs to leave the Schools Go Clup to be an Insei.
Many new characters are introduced here.
Many new characters are introduced here.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 22, 2024
Love this part of the story.
July 23, 2024
How fast can you get good at something ?
July 28, 2024
I am not sure how this manga keeps me so engaged. The cleanness and consistency of the art as well as the well differentiated character designs is excellent so far in the series.
January 11, 2012
Still enjoying this series, as Hikaru Shindo, the young protagonist, continues to move upwards in the go world. I realize that on one level, this series isn't a lot different than Pokemon or Yu-Gi-Oh or any of those other silly children's series about a boy prodigy on his quest to the BEST EVAH!!! But the fact that this is actually based on a real game with real institutions and the events are (barely) plausible are what makes it compelling. That, plus the go, which I swear, makes me want to dig out my go books and start playing again.
So, in volume 7, Hikaru has made it to the Insei ranks, and learns there is a "Young Lions" tournament in three months in which the best Inseis will play even matches against the most recent players to make the pro ranks. This, of course, includes Hikaru's "rival," Akira Toya, who despite his denials is clearly still fixated on Hikaru as much as Hikaru is determined to catch up to him.
Unfortunately, Hikaru is still in the "B league" among the Inseis, and to play in the Young Lions tournament, he must make it to 16th place in the "A league." Will he? Well, there can't be much of a story if the hero always stays in place, can there?
Memorable moments in this volume: Sai's realization that Hikaru is losing all his games because he's learned to be afraid. As he tells Hikaru:
It's a great segment that is a metaphor for mental barriers one must overcome in order to make progress in life, and really, this children's manga about a go-playing thirteen-year-old, like go, is full of hidden meaning.
There is also another nice, subtle moment when Hikaru makes a bad move during a tournament, causing Sai to wince, but then he manages to turn it to his advantage. So even though Hikaru is still pretty low on the go totem pole, we can see him slowly advancing.
The side plot about Haze Middle School go club's attempts to get Yuki to come back seems kind of pointless. Hikaru is barely even involved with them anymore. I liked the brash jock girl Kaneko, but of course she still loses to Yuki, and I'm kind of annoyed that the author insists on showing all female go players as ditzy and ineffectual against any male player.
Not my favorite volume in the series, but still a pretty good one.
So, in volume 7, Hikaru has made it to the Insei ranks, and learns there is a "Young Lions" tournament in three months in which the best Inseis will play even matches against the most recent players to make the pro ranks. This, of course, includes Hikaru's "rival," Akira Toya, who despite his denials is clearly still fixated on Hikaru as much as Hikaru is determined to catch up to him.
Unfortunately, Hikaru is still in the "B league" among the Inseis, and to play in the Young Lions tournament, he must make it to 16th place in the "A league." Will he? Well, there can't be much of a story if the hero always stays in place, can there?
Memorable moments in this volume: Sai's realization that Hikaru is losing all his games because he's learned to be afraid. As he tells Hikaru:
"You used to play against me in ignorance. But gradually, you are developing the insight needed to see the edge of my blade."
It's a great segment that is a metaphor for mental barriers one must overcome in order to make progress in life, and really, this children's manga about a go-playing thirteen-year-old, like go, is full of hidden meaning.
There is also another nice, subtle moment when Hikaru makes a bad move during a tournament, causing Sai to wince, but then he manages to turn it to his advantage. So even though Hikaru is still pretty low on the go totem pole, we can see him slowly advancing.
The side plot about Haze Middle School go club's attempts to get Yuki to come back seems kind of pointless. Hikaru is barely even involved with them anymore. I liked the brash jock girl Kaneko, but of course she still loses to Yuki, and I'm kind of annoyed that the author insists on showing all female go players as ditzy and ineffectual against any male player.
Not my favorite volume in the series, but still a pretty good one.
November 18, 2008
hikaru finds out that there's a young tigers trounment where pros goes against inseis, but you have to be in the a group and the 16th or higher and hikaru is the 18th of the b group.so he tries hard and sai knows what his weakness is it's because he's scared of what the other players move is.and there he goes up to the a group and than finally gets to the 16th place.when he was playing a game with waya he almost gets discover that he was sai well playing as sai which was the strongest go player waya has ever known and that hikaru is a weaker player.the young tigers trounment beings and his first oppent is shinich and he loses by 6 and 1/2 points.and akira toya still thinks about hikaru's game that he missed the last part of the game so he asked ogata 9 dan.he said that akira will find out in the pro's test.
johanna ma
205 pages
johanna ma
205 pages
August 28, 2009
Yumi Hotta, Hikaru no Go: The Young Lions Tournament (ViZ, 1998)
Hikaru hears about the Young Lions Tournament, and sets his sights on it, despite needing to be ranked sixteenth in A league, when it's only three months off and he's still eighteenth in B league. With some counseling from Sai, Hikaru starts working on improving his focus. What really impresses me about this series is that while it's structured the same way as most manga—fight, increase power, fight, increase power, repeat ad nauseam—it never quite feels that way. Hotta knows how to vary what's going on in the rest of the story to make it feel more original than episodic. A wonderful series, this. ****
Hikaru hears about the Young Lions Tournament, and sets his sights on it, despite needing to be ranked sixteenth in A league, when it's only three months off and he's still eighteenth in B league. With some counseling from Sai, Hikaru starts working on improving his focus. What really impresses me about this series is that while it's structured the same way as most manga—fight, increase power, fight, increase power, repeat ad nauseam—it never quite feels that way. Hotta knows how to vary what's going on in the rest of the story to make it feel more original than episodic. A wonderful series, this. ****
August 2, 2025
"I mean, it's all over if you lose your spirit. Right?"
Hikaru is doing terribly for an insei, but gets word of the titular "Young Lions Tournament" which pits the top 16 insei against young go pros. Determined to face off against Akira in the tournament, Hikaru has to kick himself in gear to start improving. I love this phase of Hikaru's career, where everyone around him is obviously flawed and the biggest barrier is how far the young people are willing to push themselves. There's a dual-meaning between Hikaru's "spirit" being his drive to improve, and the "spirit" of Sai that guides him, and the question is which of the two spirits is what will help Hikaru win.
Hikaru is doing terribly for an insei, but gets word of the titular "Young Lions Tournament" which pits the top 16 insei against young go pros. Determined to face off against Akira in the tournament, Hikaru has to kick himself in gear to start improving. I love this phase of Hikaru's career, where everyone around him is obviously flawed and the biggest barrier is how far the young people are willing to push themselves. There's a dual-meaning between Hikaru's "spirit" being his drive to improve, and the "spirit" of Sai that guides him, and the question is which of the two spirits is what will help Hikaru win.
August 16, 2016
The pacing in this series as it goes along can get a little frustrating, despite the fact that my appreciation of Hikaru and Akira and a handful of other characters increases each volume. I have trouble remembering character's names in anime and manga and it's been exacerbated by the somewhat regular introduction of new characters that disappear from one book to the next. I'm pleased to see that the relationship between Hikaru and Fujiwara has evolved from the last two books.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews