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ヒカルの碁 [Hikaru no Go] #9
Hikaru no Go, Vol. 9: The Pro Test Begins
THE PRO TEST BEGINS
Practicing at Go salons is turning out to be more fun than Hikaru thought. But at one salon, he meets his match in Suyong Hong, a sullen 12-year-old who is studying for the pro test in his native Korea. By mistake, Hikaru insults Suyong, and now the only way they can settle their differences is by playing a grudge match!
Practicing at Go salons is turning out to be more fun than Hikaru thought. But at one salon, he meets his match in Suyong Hong, a sullen 12-year-old who is studying for the pro test in his native Korea. By mistake, Hikaru insults Suyong, and now the only way they can settle their differences is by playing a grudge match!
207 pages, Paperback
First published October 4, 2000
24 people are currently reading
201 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 43 reviews
February 23, 2024
This volume had a lot of foreshadowing, especially in Chapter 76. These were the story threads that would bring this series to conclusion for better or for worse.
All in all, another splendid volume for this title.
All in all, another splendid volume for this title.
January 17, 2022
Hikaru's Insei friends Waya and Isumi take him to various Go salons in order for him to improve on his Go playing skills. They end up going to a Korean Go salon where Hikaru plays against Hong Suyong, a twelve year old boy who's aiming to become a Pro in Korea. They both have a typical teen fight and Hikaru wins by one and a half points. This won't be the last game we'll see of them.
Hikaru is taking the Pro Test with other Inseis. Just four out of the twenty eight participants this year have won six continuous games, Hikaru is one of them.
Hikaru is taking the Pro Test with other Inseis. Just four out of the twenty eight participants this year have won six continuous games, Hikaru is one of them.
January 14, 2012
I've been burning through this series lately, so my ratings are kind of relative to other volumes, and maybe not so much relative to what I read in general. So "5 stars" for a volume of Hikaru no Go means it's one of my favorite volumes in the series. The overall rank of the series I'd put at about 4 or 4.5 right now.
Anyway, I liked volume 9, The Pro Test Begins, because it's really showing how Hikaru is progressing, and also brings in some new conflicts.
First, Hikaru is 14 now, which means about two years have passed in the series. He's now taking the test to become a professional go player, and the ongoing trials run throughout the previous volume, this volume, and into the next. I continue to be rather astonished at how a manga can stretch a single go game across multiple chapters and make it interesting.
Hikaru's Insei friends are taking him to go salons to play against grown-ups, which is improving his game a lot. They show up at one salon and find out most of the patrons are foreigners from Korea. (Actually, in Japan, people of Korean ethnicity who have been living in Japan for generations are still considered "foreigners.") Hikaru accidentally gets into a scuffle with a 12-year-old Korean boy named Suyong Hong. The two of them behave exactly like you'd expect a couple of puffed up tween boys to act, but it turns out Suyong is also a child prodigy testing to become a professional back in Korea. So naturally, they must settle things over the go board. Suyong, it turns out, has been having mental blocks to overcome much like Hikaru, and their game is both boys' current situation in life in black and white.
Meanwhile, Akira Toya gets his own subplot in this volume. As a rookie professional go player, he has to play against a buffoonish politician at a major go event. The politician is a VIP and Akira finds out he is expected to lose. There is some nuance here that someone not familiar with Japanese culture might miss, since a typical American response would be "Screw that, what kind of idiot expects a professional to pretend to lose to a pretentious amateur?" But in Japan, these sorts of face-saving gestures are expected, especially if you're a middle school student like Akira dealing with an important older man. Akira does, however, find a clever face-saving way to keep his pride without wounding the politician's (too much).
Finally, there is a bit of foreshadowing here when Hikaru becomes a bit full of himself and disses Sai. The ghost's participation in the plot is kind of off and on, but lately he's seemed less and less important (appropriate, as Hikaru is becoming a better go player). So I wonder if Yumi Hotta is going to do something with the nominal "supernatural" element of this series. Sai had an origin story and an archnemesis who hasn't been mentioned since maybe volume one or two.
Anyway, I liked volume 9, The Pro Test Begins, because it's really showing how Hikaru is progressing, and also brings in some new conflicts.
First, Hikaru is 14 now, which means about two years have passed in the series. He's now taking the test to become a professional go player, and the ongoing trials run throughout the previous volume, this volume, and into the next. I continue to be rather astonished at how a manga can stretch a single go game across multiple chapters and make it interesting.
Hikaru's Insei friends are taking him to go salons to play against grown-ups, which is improving his game a lot. They show up at one salon and find out most of the patrons are foreigners from Korea. (Actually, in Japan, people of Korean ethnicity who have been living in Japan for generations are still considered "foreigners.") Hikaru accidentally gets into a scuffle with a 12-year-old Korean boy named Suyong Hong. The two of them behave exactly like you'd expect a couple of puffed up tween boys to act, but it turns out Suyong is also a child prodigy testing to become a professional back in Korea. So naturally, they must settle things over the go board. Suyong, it turns out, has been having mental blocks to overcome much like Hikaru, and their game is both boys' current situation in life in black and white.
Meanwhile, Akira Toya gets his own subplot in this volume. As a rookie professional go player, he has to play against a buffoonish politician at a major go event. The politician is a VIP and Akira finds out he is expected to lose. There is some nuance here that someone not familiar with Japanese culture might miss, since a typical American response would be "Screw that, what kind of idiot expects a professional to pretend to lose to a pretentious amateur?" But in Japan, these sorts of face-saving gestures are expected, especially if you're a middle school student like Akira dealing with an important older man. Akira does, however, find a clever face-saving way to keep his pride without wounding the politician's (too much).
Finally, there is a bit of foreshadowing here when Hikaru becomes a bit full of himself and disses Sai. The ghost's participation in the plot is kind of off and on, but lately he's seemed less and less important (appropriate, as Hikaru is becoming a better go player). So I wonder if Yumi Hotta is going to do something with the nominal "supernatural" element of this series. Sai had an origin story and an archnemesis who hasn't been mentioned since maybe volume one or two.
December 23, 2023
Somehow, this volume feels like still covering the essentials. It talks about draw games and it shows draw games played in parallel, independently, by both Hikaru and Akira. While waiting for the Pro test to start, Hikaru visits Go salons and plays tougher opponents, including a kid who is a Korean insei. After this experience, he is no longer intimidated by Tsubaki and his antics, and he finally manages to be calm and collected when playing even against this kind of people.
He starts with a winning streak of six games. This catches the attention of Akira, who is by now really obsessed with Hikaru.
Second reading: I realize what's up with the motivation of Akira. He's basically the wealthy startup, having all cards stacked in favorable positions. Everyone appreciates his talent, but most kind of glaze over it, they expect him to succeed. On the other hand, Hikaru had all the cards stacked against him; he *wasn't* supposed to succeed in his enterprises. He's basically the prole stealing the aristocrat's thunder. Who knew we'd see class struggle in Hikaru no Go?
He starts with a winning streak of six games. This catches the attention of Akira, who is by now really obsessed with Hikaru.
Second reading: I realize what's up with the motivation of Akira. He's basically the wealthy startup, having all cards stacked in favorable positions. Everyone appreciates his talent, but most kind of glaze over it, they expect him to succeed. On the other hand, Hikaru had all the cards stacked against him; he *wasn't* supposed to succeed in his enterprises. He's basically the prole stealing the aristocrat's thunder. Who knew we'd see class struggle in Hikaru no Go?
August 28, 2015
This story is comfort food for me. I can't quite put my finger on what keeps me rereading/rewatching this and the anime, but my interest in Go certainly helps. I also like that it's a generally positive story about getting good at something.
Read
February 12, 2020Things are heating up for Hikaru and the pro test!
March 16, 2021
Things are starting to get interesting again
June 27, 2021
While not meeting up with his friends Yoshitaka Waya and Shinichiro Isumi, Hikaru Shindo would go to the same Go Salon every day to play and train. In fact, that particular Go Salon practically adopted him as their mascot and let him play for free.
About mid-way through the tankobon, Shindo nearly caused a minor International Incident – after a fashion. Isumi was given directions to a very strong Go Salon after one of their training sessions. En route, Shindo met a boy and they got into a minor skirmish, only to find out that the boy was a South Korean nationalist and nephew to the Go Salon owner and things didn't go well from there.
Hon Suyon is the equivalent of an insei in South Korea and came to Japan to overcome his losing streak as of late. In ignorance, Shindo replied he never knew that South Korea had Go pros or that South Korea is better at Go than Japan. In retaliation, Hon was willing to play with Shindo, but a teaching game, which angered Shindo, by slapping the twirling cap from his hand to demand an even game. Both angered, they played a grunge match to end all grunge matches.
Another character that I've grown to like is Kawai, a halfhearted taxi driver that spends most of his time playing Go and is a big supporter of Shindo. He likes to playfully yell at Shindo or give him noogies or put him in a headlock. As the strongest player at the Go Salon, he really helped Shindo not just at the game, but helping to relaxed in playing all sorts of people. Furthermore, he knows quite a bit of the Go World and would occasionally help him out.
The tankobon ends with Shindo being relaxed at the Pro Exams – to the point of giving Toshiro Tsubaki, the person that intimated Shindo in the first place, a noogie. Shindo would eventually win six games in a row, which got Akira Touya interested as he ponders how strong Shindo has become. Three other people won six games as well, Isumi, Waya, and Kosuke Ochi, whose grandfather called Toya to hire him to tutor Ochi for his upcoming matches, which Toya accepted rather urgently.
All in all, this is a very intense tankobon and the Pro Exam isn't halfway finished! With Toya teaming up with Ochi the rest of the Pro Exam promises to be just as intense!
About mid-way through the tankobon, Shindo nearly caused a minor International Incident – after a fashion. Isumi was given directions to a very strong Go Salon after one of their training sessions. En route, Shindo met a boy and they got into a minor skirmish, only to find out that the boy was a South Korean nationalist and nephew to the Go Salon owner and things didn't go well from there.
Hon Suyon is the equivalent of an insei in South Korea and came to Japan to overcome his losing streak as of late. In ignorance, Shindo replied he never knew that South Korea had Go pros or that South Korea is better at Go than Japan. In retaliation, Hon was willing to play with Shindo, but a teaching game, which angered Shindo, by slapping the twirling cap from his hand to demand an even game. Both angered, they played a grunge match to end all grunge matches.
Another character that I've grown to like is Kawai, a halfhearted taxi driver that spends most of his time playing Go and is a big supporter of Shindo. He likes to playfully yell at Shindo or give him noogies or put him in a headlock. As the strongest player at the Go Salon, he really helped Shindo not just at the game, but helping to relaxed in playing all sorts of people. Furthermore, he knows quite a bit of the Go World and would occasionally help him out.
The tankobon ends with Shindo being relaxed at the Pro Exams – to the point of giving Toshiro Tsubaki, the person that intimated Shindo in the first place, a noogie. Shindo would eventually win six games in a row, which got Akira Touya interested as he ponders how strong Shindo has become. Three other people won six games as well, Isumi, Waya, and Kosuke Ochi, whose grandfather called Toya to hire him to tutor Ochi for his upcoming matches, which Toya accepted rather urgently.
All in all, this is a very intense tankobon and the Pro Exam isn't halfway finished! With Toya teaming up with Ochi the rest of the Pro Exam promises to be just as intense!
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.
July 24, 2025
One of the best instalments in this series. It has everything! Parallel narration unfolds with Hikaru and Akira testing their skills at the same Go challenge, though in different circumstances. Akira combines this with his celebrated lack of soft skills and almost upsets an official occasion, but gets away with it because he's so cute. Literally no other explanation.
And if that wasn't enough, Hikaru gets a great grudge match against a Korean prospective pro, his own age.
The art is perfect and really adds to the narrative: don't you dare just read the text bubbles, even in the most tense moments!
I love one sequence here in particular:
- in the middle of the grudge game, we see Isumi, Yun sensei, Waya, and Hikaru's opponent all thinking about what a bad move Hikaru just made;
- the next panel shows Sai's face half-turned with a slight smile on his lips;
- then we see the game unfold a little further,
- and then there is finally an explanation that actually Hikaru's move was truly original, no one but Sai expected the effect it had on another area on the board, and it won him the game.
The combination of words and looks is perfect.
The story then continues on with the pro test proper, but not before we get a little premonition that begins to haunt Sai: he's teaching Hikaru, and Hikaru is becoming better and better, but what happens when he's good enough to go on by himself?
And if that wasn't enough, Hikaru gets a great grudge match against a Korean prospective pro, his own age.
The art is perfect and really adds to the narrative: don't you dare just read the text bubbles, even in the most tense moments!
I love one sequence here in particular:
- in the middle of the grudge game, we see Isumi, Yun sensei, Waya, and Hikaru's opponent all thinking about what a bad move Hikaru just made;
- the next panel shows Sai's face half-turned with a slight smile on his lips;
- then we see the game unfold a little further,
- and then there is finally an explanation that actually Hikaru's move was truly original, no one but Sai expected the effect it had on another area on the board, and it won him the game.
The combination of words and looks is perfect.
The story then continues on with the pro test proper, but not before we get a little premonition that begins to haunt Sai: he's teaching Hikaru, and Hikaru is becoming better and better, but what happens when he's good enough to go on by himself?
November 27, 2017
This volume takes place nearly entirely between the rounds of the Pro-Test. After last volume got Hikaru past the preliminaries, this volume focuses nearly entirely on the period between the prelims and the first round of the Pro-Test.
Some nice character work here. Waya, Isumi, and Hikaru go out to go salons in search of the opportunity to play adults and engage in some not quite con work in walking in and offering to take down the best three players they've got. It's kind of...go-sharking to borrow from pool terminology.
We also see a neat bit of storytelling in which Akira and Hikaru each end up playing four simultaneous games and the same astounding result.
The last week's chapter (I think) is set at the beginning of the first round of the Pro-Test proper, but I don't believe the game even quite gets started. If it does, it certainly ends mid-game.
Some nice character work here. Waya, Isumi, and Hikaru go out to go salons in search of the opportunity to play adults and engage in some not quite con work in walking in and offering to take down the best three players they've got. It's kind of...go-sharking to borrow from pool terminology.
We also see a neat bit of storytelling in which Akira and Hikaru each end up playing four simultaneous games and the same astounding result.
The last week's chapter (I think) is set at the beginning of the first round of the Pro-Test proper, but I don't believe the game even quite gets started. If it does, it certainly ends mid-game.
November 4, 2023
Hikaru No Go's ninth volume delivers as the insei continue their training for the pro test and later... the test begins. Hikaru is now 14; and has teamed up with two of the other insei to train at go salons over the summer. We see his confidence grow. Especially when he goes up against a talented young player from Korea. There's a subplot where Akira has to play a four-vs-one game in his duty as a pro. Akira takes it on himself to tie his matches with all four of them, something incredibly challenging. This directly mirrors something Hikaru is learning simultaneously at a go salon. It was a well executed intertwining of narrative threads that I appreciated. When combined with the gorgeous, detailed art; Hikaru No Go continues to grow into a strong sports manga with a brilliant rivalry at its core.
May 4, 2022
Fantastic Series!
by Barbara Kelley
This is a fantastic series, both as a manga and as an anime. I found a difference between the two methods: the anime shows Sueyong Hong, the twelve-year-old Go player from Korea as speaking English; however, the manga shows the words in parentheses as English, but being translated from Korean by an older man, so that Shindo will understand what he is saying. I like the Funimation anime version better in that instance. Otherwise, the manga and anime are perfectly alike. This is the first actual episode of the beginning of the Pro Test. Only four guys have won all six of their first Pro games (28 in all): Ochi, Isumi, Waya, and Shindo. I plan on reading Volume 10 next. I gave this volume 5 stars!
by Barbara Kelley
This is a fantastic series, both as a manga and as an anime. I found a difference between the two methods: the anime shows Sueyong Hong, the twelve-year-old Go player from Korea as speaking English; however, the manga shows the words in parentheses as English, but being translated from Korean by an older man, so that Shindo will understand what he is saying. I like the Funimation anime version better in that instance. Otherwise, the manga and anime are perfectly alike. This is the first actual episode of the beginning of the Pro Test. Only four guys have won all six of their first Pro games (28 in all): Ochi, Isumi, Waya, and Shindo. I plan on reading Volume 10 next. I gave this volume 5 stars!
December 3, 2022
Picking this up again! It's more of the same, but that's not a bad thing. It's still good, just feels a bit formulaic.
In this volume, Hikaru and Akira both (seperately) go for draws against four different opponents. It sounds like a boring premise, but I somehow ended up turning the pages quickly!! It was really exciting and I don't know why!!!!
After this, Hikaru plays a Korean go student, and that was also very exciting! I can't wait to see this kid again. I was sad that this arc was so short.
In the final chapters, the pro test begins. I feel "🤷♀️" about it compared to the rest of the volume, but it's still fun.
I don't generally care about sports manga but this series has been pretty fun!
In this volume, Hikaru and Akira both (seperately) go for draws against four different opponents. It sounds like a boring premise, but I somehow ended up turning the pages quickly!! It was really exciting and I don't know why!!!!
After this, Hikaru plays a Korean go student, and that was also very exciting! I can't wait to see this kid again. I was sad that this arc was so short.
In the final chapters, the pro test begins. I feel "🤷♀️" about it compared to the rest of the volume, but it's still fun.
I don't generally care about sports manga but this series has been pretty fun!
May 25, 2022
I rate this 4.5 stars.
So far I'm really enjoying this series (not counting vol. 5 and 6, those were the weakest of the series so far). Watching Hikaru's games were so fun in this volume, even though I still don't understand much on how to play go, maybe I should go over some of those tips that Yumi Hotta put in the first few volumes again. The only part I didn't like was Akira's match against the assemblyman and his supporters, that was boring. That's why this is not 5 stars.
Blog: nazishreads.net/TravelandBookBlog
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
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So far I'm really enjoying this series (not counting vol. 5 and 6, those were the weakest of the series so far). Watching Hikaru's games were so fun in this volume, even though I still don't understand much on how to play go, maybe I should go over some of those tips that Yumi Hotta put in the first few volumes again. The only part I didn't like was Akira's match against the assemblyman and his supporters, that was boring. That's why this is not 5 stars.
Blog: nazishreads.net/TravelandBookBlog
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
Instagram: nazreads01, nazcosplay, nradesigns, charmedanimegirl01
April 7, 2025
The devil is in the details and this volume has a lot of things to think on. A lot of the professional world of Go is also slowly coming to light to the reader. I do think the most interesting aspect of this series is Akira feels like Ryu in Street Fighter 2. He's got the talent and while he is admired for his skill, it is loss on those around him the work he puts in to reach this level. Hikaru is growing by playing at Go salons...and the progress continues to show! A winning streak starts to form that really gets your attention! (And others too!) Another great volume from Yumi Hotta, Takeshi Obata and Yukari Umezawa.
October 16, 2023
Hikaru diventa ogni giorno più forte e le persone attorno a lui non possono non accorgersene. Persino Sai lo vede, e sente un brivido inquietante quando Shindo, sentendosi dire dall’insegnante della Kaio che le abilità utilizzate in una delle sue partite memorabili erano proprio le sue (quando in realtà stava giocando Sai al posto suo, se ne esce con un “Cancellerò te, Sai, dalla mente di Toyua”.
Durante l’esame da professionista Shindo infila sei vittorie di fila e Toyua diventa sempre più curioso di scoprire quanto è diventato forte.
Durante l’esame da professionista Shindo infila sei vittorie di fila e Toyua diventa sempre più curioso di scoprire quanto è diventato forte.
November 14, 2019
The Go match between Hikaru and the Korean Insei was such a good build-up of character. I love how the authors' convey Hikaru's desire to get stronger so Akira will notice him.
(Also, I just get such a foreboding feeling when it comes to Sai T_T )
(Also, I just get such a foreboding feeling when it comes to Sai T_T )
January 14, 2022
I really AM rooting for everyone during the Pro Test.
I think in this manga it was a really good idea to introduce Korean Go players. I think that episode was very well executed and with much respect for the culture of both countries.
I think in this manga it was a really good idea to introduce Korean Go players. I think that episode was very well executed and with much respect for the culture of both countries.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 15, 2017
Not a bad manga, just not my favorite.
November 10, 2017
この巻は難しかった！
韓国の碁会場の話はとても読みにくい。その話は外国ぽいになるの着掛けは文をカタカナで書いた。読むのは大変だった。
ヒカルは可愛い。好きだよ～
韓国の碁会場の話はとても読みにくい。その話は外国ぽいになるの着掛けは文をカタカナで書いた。読むのは大変だった。
ヒカルは可愛い。好きだよ～
January 3, 2019
4.25 stars
How are these so good? I still don't understand anything about go, but man, this is a fun series
How are these so good? I still don't understand anything about go, but man, this is a fun series
April 8, 2019
Pretty great board game manga, Really liked the story and the art was really nice😁😻👌♟♟📖💕
September 4, 2021
These are some of my favorite parts of the manga. It is just so much fun reading Hikaru playing Go in the Go Salons.
November 22, 2021
Volume ini tergolong menarik.
Go antar negara!!!
Tentu saja karakter Hikaru begitu kocak, saya menyukainya ~
Go antar negara!!!
Tentu saja karakter Hikaru begitu kocak, saya menyukainya ~
October 1, 2022
The simultaneous tie games were super interesting.
February 4, 2024
Hikaru is improving by leaps and bounds~ Just in time for the pro test to REALLY begin.
I had a lot of fun reading this one and Akria keep tabs on how Hikaru is doing is adorble.
I had a lot of fun reading this one and Akria keep tabs on how Hikaru is doing is adorble.
July 25, 2024
Losing fear to lose will unlock the winner 🏆
July 1, 2021
All right so this series grew on me. I'm going to rent the volumes I don't own from the library and read the entire series.
August 28, 2009
Yumi Hotta, Hikaru no Go: The Pro Test Begins (ViZ, 1998)
The pro test is finally here, and Hikaru's ready for it. Meanwhile, Toya, playing in a Go festival, is asked to throw a game he's playing with a minor government official (this seems to be common practice, rather than any sort of ethical violation, as we might see it in America); can he overcome his own pride enough to do it? Hikaru and a couple of his friends start playing against adults in Go salons in order to improve their game, and the owner of one sets Hikaru a challenge which might improve his skills faster than ever. Unfortunately, though, he inadvertently insults a Korean insei, and the fallout from that leads him to what may be his most challenging game yet. You wouldn't think a comic about a game as sedate as Go could be as gripping as this, but it is. A fine piece of work, as usual. ****
The pro test is finally here, and Hikaru's ready for it. Meanwhile, Toya, playing in a Go festival, is asked to throw a game he's playing with a minor government official (this seems to be common practice, rather than any sort of ethical violation, as we might see it in America); can he overcome his own pride enough to do it? Hikaru and a couple of his friends start playing against adults in Go salons in order to improve their game, and the owner of one sets Hikaru a challenge which might improve his skills faster than ever. Unfortunately, though, he inadvertently insults a Korean insei, and the fallout from that leads him to what may be his most challenging game yet. You wouldn't think a comic about a game as sedate as Go could be as gripping as this, but it is. A fine piece of work, as usual. ****
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews