棋魂 16

ヒカルの碁 [Hikaru no Go] #16

by Yumi Hotta

上次的職業棋士考試與合格擦身而過的伊角，因為參加親善交流的關係前往中國，他在那裡開始了跟中國棋院的高手切磋棋藝的修習。另一方面，因為佐為消失而躲避圍棋的阿光，面對回國後的伊角的要求，將跟他進行暌違已久的對局…？

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Young Adult, Sports, Shonen

191 pages, Paperback

First published March 4, 2002

About the author

Yumi 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.

Reviews

[Nicolo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid volume, and it highlighted several of the supporting cast. Especially Isumi, this entire volume was his arc. It could have been perfect, but it lacked one element: Sai isn't around anymore.

It was a pain to see Hikaru rudderless. At least we got to see the middle school gang again. Especially Akari, she has been a neglected character. To think that she was present from the very start. She was with Hikaru when he found Sai and the haunted go board. Her character was a wasted opportunity.

This volume was actually pretty good, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have. 3 stars.

[Kesa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this volume we follow Isumi at the Go Association in China where he's studying Go for two months. We see some growth in him, after the Go test he isn't as confident as he used to be. He made some friends there and even won against a few Professional players towards the end of his stay. Liked that this volume put a focus on Isumi. Let's see if he will become a Pro this year.
Back in Japan he's asking Hikaru for a game. And it's in that game that Hikaru finally finds Sai.
Beautiful and sad.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This tankobon should have been subtitled Isumi no Wéiqí or something to that effect. After failing the Pro Examination, Shinichiro Isumi aged out of the Insei Program and quit the Go Cram School that he attended to recollect himself. He was invited for a couple of weeks of friendship games at the Chinese Go Association in Beijing. When it's time to leave, Isumi bunks with Yang Hai for the rest of the summer – two months.

Through Yang Hai, Isumi learns that he thinks too much prior and during his matches and teaches how to manage the stress of competition and compartmentalize his worries. Another favorite character from the Chinese Go Association is Le Ping, a bratty kid that looks like a miniature Yoshitaka Waya.

Meanwhile, back in Japan, everyone is worried about Hikaru Shindo. His mother is worried about his future and goes sees his homeroom teacher, his former Go Club members confronts Shindo about his forfeits, Waya pays a surprise visit to him, the patrons of his favorite Go Salon and Toshiro Tsubaki, a.k.a. the Gorilla Man are angry, but through it all Shindo is adamant, believing that he will find Sai if he stopped playing Go and suffered enough.

It was Isumi who visits Shindo that he manages to make him play Go. During their game at the Pro Exam, Isumi cheated – he moved a stone after he let it go. He quickly resigns from the game, but he was tempted to say nothing and that is weighing on his heart. In order to go into the upcoming Pro Exam with a clear mind and heart, he needs to play Shindo.

Reluctantly, Shindo plays Isumi, justifying that it wasn't for a selfish purpose, but to help out his friend Isumi. After dusting off his goban they begin to play in earnest and that's when it happens. Shindo found Sai, he wasn't anywhere present in the world, but within his Go – Sai was within his Go all along – a revelation that brought tears to Shindo's eyes. One Go game cleared a conscious for one and restored faith in the other.

All in all, a wonderful tankobon centered one of the most popular minor characters of the series. I really liked how everything came full circle in the end where Isumi and Shindo played a game to restore themselves from whatever was in their hearts and minds. I look forward to Shindo return to the Professional Go World in the next tankobon.

[Brittany Walker · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not my favorite volume. Too much Isumi.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I was kind of skeptical when most of this volume turns out to be about Isumi, who was a minor character until now. Isumi was one of Hikaru's fellow Insei, but he failed the pro test, and decided to go to China to study go there for a while. Now that Fujiwara no Sai has disappeared and Hikaru has quit playing go, Hotta apparently decided to focus on another character for a bit. Although I had never cared much about Isumi before, he turns into just as engaging a character as Hikaru, and being older, he's a lot more mature.

In China, he finds that the level of play is much higher than in Japan, and while trying to build up his confidence and his skills, he gets p0wned by not one, but two bratty little 11-year-olds. He recovers, however, with some encouragement from other Chinese players, and returns to Japan ready to kick some weiqi ass.

This brings us back to Hikaru, who has been moping around, not playing go for months, forfeiting all his pro games, and making everyone wonder WTF is up with him. Even his mother finally notices. (Hikaru no Go has some of the most useless parents ever, even for a childrens' series.) All of his middle school friends are still playing go, but he's being too angsty even to reconnect with them. Man, this kid needs to be slapped.

Basically, he's gotten it into his head that if he plays go again on his own, Sai won't come back. Which makes no sense -- the last thing Sai would want is for Hikaru to quit playing go. But there's a teenager for you.

Speaking of which, it's nice to see that the characters are actually aging in this series. When the series started, Hikaru was 11, and now he's 15, or nearly so, and he's being drawn appropriately older.

Now, when is he finally going to notice Akari? I mean, c'mon, I don't care how brooding or go-obsessed you are, a 15-year-old boy is a 15-year-old boy.

Anyway, this volume was a bit of an uptick in the series from the rather mediocre last couple of volumes. It ends with Isumi returning to Japan, visiting Hikaru, and asking him to play one last game with him to clean the slate after his final game against Hikaru during the pro test. Hopefully the next volume will begin with Hikaru pulling his head out of his arse and playing some go.

[Alex C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Isumi is a character that I looked at differently this time around (unlike all the other times I've read this series

According to the author, Isumi is the "furthest from Sai". He is also the favorite character of actual professional Go players. I think I finally see why. As an adult I think I relate to Isumi the most too. Isumi never really had to fight anyone but himself, which I think speaks true to most people's adult life, as oppose to something as dramatic as Hikaru and Akira's rivalry..I mean, *cough* love story *cough*

[Nazish Ahmed (Nazish Reads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm pretty sure that anyone who is reading reviews for this volume have already read the vol. 15 so I don't need to worry about spoiling the Sai disappearing like I had to in my last review.

There are 3 things that happen in this volume: Hikaru is still grieving/sulking over Sai's disappearance; his friends, the patrons from the go salon he would go to for practice and others are worried about him because he hasn't shown up for any of his games in the past few months and think that he's quitting; and the thing that took up most of this volume was Isumi's time at the Chinese Go Association and his growth as a go player and as a person, this volume should have been called Isumi no Go/Isumi's Go. Also, 19 year old Isumi is really hot, his looks have changed during the months we didn't see him, he's gotten taller and his hair looks better.

I really enjoyed seeing more of Isumi, he's one of my favourite minor characters from this series. The focus on him in this volume should that the characters aren't completely neglected and that maybe we might see more minor characters have their time to shine at least I hope so. There's one thing I don't like about this series, which is that people always left behind. First it was his school go club, then it was his insei classmates, who knows who will be next. On many other shonen anime, the main character's friends are so important to them but that doesn't seem to be the case here and in those manga I never go the feeling that these are just throwaway characters who are just there until the main character decides to move on. The biggest missed potential is Akari. In the beginning of this series, she was always with Hikaru, they're close enough that they call each other by first name all the time (for some reason Hikaru sometimes calls Akira by his first name and sometimes by his last name, which doesn't make sense, unless they're translation mistakes, but that also doesn't make sense), she also joined the go club with Hikaru even though she didn't know anything about go. My point is that she seemed like she was an important character but then she and his other teammates all go sidelined, it's very disappointing. It would have been cool I'd she got good enough to have strong rivals of her own.

Overall, despite some issues, I enjoyed this one more than vol. 15. I'm going to take a small break from this series, a few days because I'm in the mood for some romcoms right now and I need a little break from reading the same series for so many days in a row. I'll be back to read from vol. 17 to the end sometime next month. I already read the first chapter of vol. 17 because vol. 16 ended on a cliffhanger and it felt incomplete just leaving it like that. I stopped at the second chapter, which Hikaru's first game since coming back to the competition.





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[Larissa Modean · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Scott Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good but not great. Hikaru is mostly missing from this volume as it focuses on Isumi to the exclusion of all other protagonists all but the last two chapters. I don't have the book in front of me, so it's possible there are some Hikaru is moping and won't play go moments earlier than that, but it's a few panels, a page at the most if they're more spread out than I'm remembering.

Hikaru finally clearly states in the penultimate chapter why it is that he's refusing to play Go. Obviously it has something to do with Sai's disappearance, but the implication last volume was that Hikaru felt inadequate remembering Sai's game, and that combined with his disappearance kept his from playing. What the connection was between the two was never explained, in fact only the logical fallacy of post hoc ergo proctor hoc connects the two in any understandable fashion. Finally in this last chapter Hikaru indicates that his refusal to play is motivated by more than moping--don't know why it took that long to explain. The admission only comes as an explanation of how/why the problem is removed, which is a bit late, but whatever...

The Isumi chapters have a much different tone than the book normally does as Isumi himself is a far more serious and mature character than Hikaru. It worked here, I don't think it would work long term though.

[Joseph B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hikaru no Go has lost a central element, Sai. Vol. 16 proves it can continue on without him, although it is a noticeably different series in his absence. Hikaru is without any motivation, abandoning the go world entirely. Instead, this volume almost entirely focuses on Shinichiro Isumi while he studies go in China. This "Chinese Go Association" arc picked a strong secondary character to focus on; as after the initial chapters I was moved to keep reading about Isumi's struggles following his failure in the pro test. The cast in China is decent; but given their one volume stint it is hard to be overly interested in them.

I admittedly found it hard bring full focus to each chapter as the loss of Sai is still keen; just as it is for Hikaru as he is aimless. However the expanding of Isumi's character, and the world of go in general, makes Hikaru no Go still worth continuing. 3.5 stars.

[LG (A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very Isumi-heavy volume. Isumi is trying to gain confidence and experience in China by playing against young Go pros. Although he's initially worried that he might be accomplishing the opposite, he struggles and sticks with it, and the experience pays off. Then it's back to Hikaru, who's still resisting Go to the point of refusing to help his former Go club friends. Isumi comes back to Japan and asks Hikaru for a rematch, during which Hikaru breaks down in tears: "I couldn't find Sai anywhere I looked...and now I found him here." (In a move he played against Isumi.)

I hate to say this since I know so many people, particularly professional Go players who've read this series, love him, but Isumi isn't really one of my favorite characters. I suppose it was nice seeing him again, working hard to build up his confidence, and his struggles are likely much more realistic than Hikaru or even Akira's experiences with Go. Still, it was a relief when the volume turned back to Hikaru, despite Hikaru's guilt and grief.

That said, the damage Hikaru was doing to his professional Go career by continuing to forfeit matches made my stomach hurt. Could he catch up to Akira at this rate? Could he be fired at some point, and how many more matches could he forfeit before that happened?

But man, that ending elevated the volume. Isumi tends to come across to me like a "reliable big brother" type, so it was kind of nice that he was the one to see Hikaru break down. While I loved that Hikaru found Sai in his own Go playing style, I still really want Sai back...

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)

[Nente · Rating 4 out of 5]

With Sai gone, the series firmly plants both feet on the ground. For one, we have to realize that professional Go is consistently on a higher level in China and Korea than in Japan. Our Japanese characters knew, of course; but Isumi's arc in this volume serves very well to drive it home to the readers, too.
Inside the story, Isumi learns a lot about the mental side of skill. It does seem as if his regular teachers just expect the students to learn to contain their feelings all by themselves, as a result of experience. But what if it doesn't work? Hasn't worked for Isumi, and he gets a few lessons from Yang Hai that serve him better than a year at the Kyusekai.

Arriving back home, Isumi finds out about Hikaru, and he's the right person to help.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume serves us up the least amount of Hikaru in a series called Hikaru No Go...at least up to this point! This volume definitely serves as a catch-up volume for all the characters we met along the way that really have been neglected. And don't get me wrong, the characters are good, but I didn't miss them when the story was so focused on the main characters. This is still solid and needed, but just didn't connect with me the way some other volumes did. With that said, the story works very well and it's at a crucial point this seems to be happening, so kudos to the creative team!

[Novels and Neckties - Kira Murasaki · Rating 5 out of 5]

SPOILER
.
.
.
.
.
In this volumes Hikaru is very inactive cause he mourns.
So we follow Isumi to China, where he learns more about Go and returns to Japan only a few days before the pro test.
He plays a game with Hikaru and when Hikaru realises he plays Sais moves, he realises Sai has been with him all the time.
And I cried.

[Denny B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detto sinceramente, di Isumi non me ne può fregare di meno.
La sua storia è solamente un mero riempitivo per giustificare il suo ritorno tra i professionisti, ma poteva essere sintetizzata in due capitoli al massimo.
Shindo deve riprendersi in fretta e tornare a giocare perché Sai forse non è mai sparito del tutto: è sempre lì, sul goban, che lo attende.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the American comic book companies are hard at work making super hero comics boring, The Japanese are succeeding in making comic books about Go, a game where everybody is sitting down, interesting and exciting.

I don't even play Go, but I read this in one sitting. This is how comics should be done.

[Ken Yuen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing against Isumi, his side story is interesting enough, but it's not what you want during the story where Hikaru is trying to find Sai. Maybe this is an allegory for depression or being stuck in a rut. But I hate that we have to lose Sai in order to reach this point

[Shin Donghae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plot yg sangat menarik. Dulu Hikaru yg "membuat" perubahan pada Isumi.
Kali ini pertandingan vs Isumi lah yg menjadikan landasan kekuatan Hikaru utk terus "menghidupkan" Sai di papan Go.
Sungguh menyentuh!!

[Khari · Rating 5 out of 5]

伊角さん戻った！よかった！
このキャラすごく気になってもう一度見たかった。イエーイ！嬉しい！

でも何で全部カタカナなの？また？読みにくい！

[Julie (Let's Read Good Books) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty great board game manga, Really liked the story and the art was really nice😁😻👌♟♟📖💕

[Ally (AllyEmReads)]

Agh the volumes just keep getting better! I loved seeing Isumi again after all that time away, so having a volume centered on him was very nice. But the last chapter had me tearing up!!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just didn’t enjoy this one as much.

[Omar Villafane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The build up of confidence and the end of distractions

[Ben Nealis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story. Bringing back a side character was a good idea.

[Robert Beveridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yumi Hotta, Hikaru no Go, vol. 16: The Chinese Go Association (ViZ, 2010)

With Hikaru vowing to retire until Sai comes back, Hotta spends much of this volume focusing on Shinichiro Isumi, who took the pro test with Hikaru and friends last year, but got flustered and lost three in a row, resulting in his elimination. On a trip to China, Isumi visits the Go Association, where he gets into a pickup match with a pre-teen named Zhao and is beaten badly. He vows to stay on in China and improve his game to the point where he can at least beat the kiddies—and is then told that Zhao is one of the best players in China! If he can beat Zhao, he's certainly got a chance in this year's pro test... the series remains as good as always, and it was nice to see the focus on a previously minor character for a bit. Bonus points for Isumi's Richard Kern T-shirt! *** ½

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had fears that with Sai's departure, the series would continue on a path of inevitable decline. That fear seemed to have been justified in this volume with a tangent to the story with a side plot involving Izumi's training in China. However, all my fears were set aside once the story seemed to make use of Sai's absence with some strong drama over the aftereffects and Hikaru's reaction to this new change in his life. With Hikaru alone, this volume brings up the important question of "What is Hikaru's motivation with Go with Sai no longer around?" The answer we get at the end was particularly pleasing.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As Hikaru reels from Sai's disappearance, we get a quick breather arc featuring Isumi in China playing against the Chinese go professionals. I always loved Isumi, and how the whole Japanese inseis played off of each other, and it was crushing to see him get left behind. Like all the other supporting characters, he seemed doomed to disappear outside of brief cameos. But now we get a whole arc about him regaining his composure and preparing to once again take the pro test! At the end he returns to Japan and seeks out Hikaru, to confront him and ask why Hikaru has been forfeiting all his games, and it turns into the most emotionally devastating moment in the entire series.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Hikaru not playing Go, the focus in this volume is on Isumi, who is studying Go in China. I love Isumi, so that was wonderful to read. It was great to see him grow - I pretty much expected him to fail the pro exam back then, but I am glad he is back in the game and the story. Some bits were also really funny. The ending of this volume is a very touching game between Isumi and Hikaru. I love Hikaru's realization in the end, and I am glad that it was him playing Isumi that made him realize that. Lovely.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

The change of focus allows other people to shine in this story. Shindo's absence casts an interesting shadow around the Go world. Isumi's struggles parallels Shindo's issues in different ways. I was reminded of the East vs West parallels for most Olympic sports (and chess) seeing the Chinese Go association -- how can you compete against someone who lives and breathes Go nearly every hour of every day compared to a "regular" schedule?