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.
Although the final arc of this series would be an international go tournament, I couldn't help feel as a long time reader that this series was limping to the finish. Sai was nowhere to be found, having left the main cast several volumes ago. It's also hard to get worked up against a final boss whose only fault was an indirect slight against Shushaku, and thus Sai. It was a stretch to think that a faulty translation would even amount to such malicious intent. That reporter character was truly a numbskull.
The art and character design still remained top-notch. Hikaru had a subtle redesign where he appeared older now, as he was finally growing into the role of a go professional.
This volume was still an interesting read, but the old magic has long gone with Sai.
The Japanese Team for the Hokuto Cup has been formed: Akira Toya, Hikaru Shindo and Kiyoharu Yashiro with Atsushi Kurata serving as Team Leader. Hon Suyon will return as a representative of the South Korea Team and Zhao Shi would return as a representative for the China Team with Yang Hai will serve as Team Leader.
Yashiro only got the spot on the team, because Kosuke Ochi, who has officially won the seat on the team, demanded for a playoff match with Yashiro, because everyone was really impressed with his skill and disappointed he wouldn't be on the team. I was generally surprised by Ochi's demand, because it seem incongruous to what we were led to believe. Ochi's request was granted and he lost the playoff match, giving the spot to Yashiro.
Tension builds, as Ko Yongha does an interview with a Japanese reporter from Go Weekly and because either he was early or the Korea Baduk Association was prepaid for his arrival, they couldn't find an appropriate translator and found a custodian that could speak a little Japanese – rather poorly at that. Through a mistranslation, the reporter thought that Ko Yongha disrespected Honinbo Shusaku, which he then told Shindo.
To the public, Shindo considered Shusaku as his mentor, but in reality Fujiwara-no-Sai played through Shusaku in his previous incarnation. So, Shindo was led to believe that Ko Yongha has insulted Shusaku and the only way to redeem Sai's name was to beat him in a match using Sai's Go. The problem? Is that Ko Yongha would probably be first board, which means he has to go through Akira Toya to play him.
All in all, I really enjoyed the tankobon – it was mainly prelude to the tournament, but it's filled with drama. With this new development of Ko Yongha insulting Honinbo Shusaku provides new tension to the newly formed Japanese Team.
Meh, pretty much a "filler" volume as the players gear up for the Japan-Korea-China Junior Tournament. The only go game of note was Ochi hoisting himself on his own petard to prove himself, thus making the Japanese team Akira Toya, Hikaru Shindo, and Kiyoharu Yashiro.
A bit of tension is rather artificially added to the scenario with a Japanese reporter's interview of Korean go professional Ko Yong Ha. Thanks to an inadequate translator, Hikaru hears that Ko Yong Ha insulted Honin'bo Shusaku (the legendary go player who was tutored by Fujiwara-no-Sai, before Sai came to haunt Hikaru). So now Hikaru feels a need to beat Ko as a matter of personal and national pride.
There really wasn't a lot else to this installment; it's just a prelude to the climax of the series.
This volume isn't as interesting as the previous one. There isn't any real major advancement in the storyline. The main points would the be the mistranslation by a reporter and Ochi's decision (which was surprising and an interesting moment in the series). I find the artwork to be more interesting in the later volumes, as Obata is now drawing "older" characters, and the surroundings include more adults, thus less of the cloying cuteness that mars many Manga series (I prefer the more realistic Manga - NOT the "cute" stuff). Even with this "off" volume, the series is still excellent and highly recommended!!
I rate this 2.5 stars (just like vol. 20). I read these chapters on the shonen jump app since I don't have vol. 21.
I should have finished this on Monday or Tuesday but I got a fever and had no energy on Tuesday, so I didn't feel like reading anything. I don't know how people have the energy to read when they're sick because all I wanted to do was sleep all day. I felt a little better on Wednesday and Thursday but I still didn't feel like reading anything. I still feel like crap but better. I didn't even feel like posting on instagram since Monday and I post there almost every day. I will try to finish the last two volumes this month.
I agree with some of the other reviewers on here that aside from a few chapters, this volume felt like a filler volume. I feel like I've been lied to about this series (it's actually my mind was convinced that the series would go one way when I started reading this series and it went a different way, which I don't like, which I've mentioned in previous reviews but I'll talk a bit about it here). Even though I didn't understand how to play go (I still don't understand), I still enjoyed it because of Hikaru and Sai's friendship and Hikaru and his schoolmates friendships. While I understand why Sai had to leave the series, I don't understand why his old friendships were treated the way they were by the writer and I still don't like that Sai left. It feels like after he left, this series got stale, especially this volume and the last few. I just realized that there is no final boss/villain for this series. I guess the guy that annoyed the reporter and Hikaru probably is (I already forgot his name since he's a new character) but he doesn't really feel like it, not like for example, Akashi in Kuroko's Basketball (I haven't finished that anime and haven't read the manga series yet but I can tell that Akashi will be the final boss, that doesn't mean I like him though, I don't understand the simping for him). Earlier in this series I was hoping that Hikaru would somehow for some reason play against Sai as the final boss, having to play against his mentor and see how much he's improved. I feel like that would be a more interesting and more deserved ending than what might actually end up happening but we shall see how I feel by the end.
As I mentioned in vol. 20, I'm annoyed that they keep saying how strong a player is when they actually mean how good they are. Why not say, this player is really good or that they have good skills as a Go player (anything but strong, it's a board game after all). You can't say someone is strong in something when that something does not require strength. Sure there is emotional strength but I don't think that's what they mean when they say a player is strong. Saying Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach is a really strong fighter or that Natsu Dragneel's magic is really strong makes a lot more sense than saying Hikaru Shindo/Akita Toya is a strong go player.
I really want to dnf this series but there are only 15 chapters left plus 2 bonus chapters (2 volumes), so I might as well finish it. I regret buying most of the volumes (I'm only missing 5, vol. 14, 15, 19, 21 and 23 because they are so hard to find for a reasonable price and I'm so glad I never paid that much money for them). Like I said, I enjoyed the first few volumes and even some in between but now I just want to get this series over with. I will probably end up selling most of my Hikaru no Go volumes after finishing this series (only keeping the ones I really liked).
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.
Ochi beats Waya, qualifying for the Hokuto Cup, but when he sees Hikaru and Yashiro's game, he knows it's several levels above his and Waya's. He asks to extend the Hokuto Cup qualifiers so that the can play against
Another fun volume, although, again, I deeply miss Sai. It hurt my heart that Akira's dad was working towards a rematch that he didn't know could never happen. I'm not sure that even a match against Hikaru after he's had a few years to acquire some experience would be good enough.
Oh man, Ochi. If it hadn't been I liked that Yashiro's unsupportive parents made Hikaru more aware and appreciative of his supportive mom. She may not understand Go in the slightest, but she does her best to make sure he has the time to concentrate on it.
One quote I liked from this volume: "...it must be lonely to be the God of Go. You'd have no equal, no rival." (Hikaru to Akira and the people at Akira's Go salon) I still wonder about Sai. Did he disappear because he'd finally found his perfect rival (Toya Meijin?), or did he disappear because he'd helped lead Hikaru down the path of playing his own kind of Go? Considering the series title, the latter seems likely, although maybe there's an element of both.
They must plan to do some amazing stuff with this Hokubo tournament, because to me the build up already feels a little excessive--I feel like I'm being set up for an inevitable let down. That took a star off for me, as the pervasive feeling that would be the case kept me from enjoying things as much as I'd have liked to.
A lot of time with the supporting characters here, at least equally balanced with Shindo. I particularly liked seeing Ochi in the early issues show some character I didn't think he had. I've found him annoying so far, but the grand gesture of putting his spot in the tournament on the line in a game with Yashiro he didn't have to play completes a nice little character arc for him.
I was also interested to see the time spent on Koyo Toya, and all the ways he's still very much playing and a part of the Go world even though he'd "retired" I feel like there's something more to be done with him before he and the young protagonists are finished in this series.
Hikaru Shindo, Akira Toyo, and Kiyoharu Yashiro have all landed themselves on the team for the international Hokuto Cup tournament. Pretty much the entire focus of Vol. 21 is cementing them as a team while expanding on Yashiro's character. Hotta does a good job bringing him into the fold. It is great to see them all bonding as they study and prepare together. This volume is quite slow, but the character moments make it feel more like a palate cleanser ahead of the tournament. The art is beautiful, as Obata's style has been perfected for this series. Vol. 21 won't disappoint Hikaru no Go fans who have kept on with the series.
SPOILER . . . . . ok. First! Why is an elegant Yagami Light on this cover?! The drawing style changed over the years. Now you can see a 100% that it´s the artist who drew Death Note! And yes, I loves Death Note also for the drawing style. Obatas clear lines are just what I am looking for in a manga! The three players for japan move in with Akira in his house and play Go day and night. Hikaru and Toya have the best Bro-enemy conversations and it really lightens up the mood to see Akira coming out of his shell so much!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
The Hokuto Cup is just about to start. The best young players under eighteen from Japan, China and Korea will compete against each other in this tournament. Hikaru will meet Hong Suyong again. But he's most eager to destroy Ko Yongha in a match, Hikaru heard that he told a Japanese reporter in an interview that Ho'ninbo Shusaku isn't a strong Go player. Hikaru surely won't let this one grave offence slide off so easily. The first international tournament in Hikaru No Go is just around the corner. Consequently the last arc is about to end. Just two more volumes to go. I will miss this manga.
The series is winding down but the Go play is up! Maybe I am pausing too soon but I feel that Yumi Hotta, Takeshi Obata and Yukari Umezawa have put together a master class in storytelling and entertainment that has you glued to each page and each match. The people matter. The games matter. The Hokuto Cup is looming, and it will have those young players from China, Korea and Japan match up in intense play as the future of Go seems bright! The pages flow as the preparation for the big finale is about to take place!
I like Ochi as a villain (or as close to one in this story) but he's pretty admirable here too. I like the stuff going on in the background with Touya's father, but on a reread, why does it feel like this is a story that got dropped before the manga was cancelled?
My take on this reread, is that the secret to this serie's greatness is whenever Sai shows up. Whether it being the mystery of Sai in Hikaru or Sai vs Touya's father.
This ongoing manga about the game of Go is generally fascinating. This was not the best volume of the series, and would make a terrible jumping-on point for a new reader, but was still very interesting. One of the central plots hinged on an odd set of misunderstandings that seemed a bit forced, but the character development still made this a strong volume. Hikaru, the central character, has just qualified for an important tournament that will pit young players from Japan against their peers from China and Korea. For those not familiar with the game, those are the "big three" nations of the game, and so the matches gain the attention of the press. One reporter shows up on what may be the wrong day, to interview the Korean team, and the answers he receives, through an emergency substitute translator, seem like a deliberate insult to Japanese Go. This leads to extra stress on Hikaru and the others. The quiet, philosophical side of the story, though, is where it shines, as characters of all ages are shown at different phases of their lives and of the game. A subplot about a grandmaster of the game who has taken a step back, to look at his life and the game itself, is oddly fascinating.
It's like a training arc while preparing for the Hokuto Cup, but without any real training. As we enter the final stretch we're getting into the mind of Hikaru and why he wants to win so bad- yes, he's fueled by the determination to beat Akira Toya and be better at the game, but why should he care about the Hokuto Cup? For Japan's pride? He doesn't really care about that. So let's give him something else to fight for, some other personal reason to fight! Which is good and all, but I'm excited for the actual tournament to start instead of watching them hmm and haww over what will happen during it.
While still a fun read I felt like this book had a severe decline in the story not that the story was bad just that it was almost all filler. Still an enjoyable read but in my opinion the weakest volume in the series.
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.
The art is nice as usual (as expected from Obata), but the story and drama is as exciting as a tempest in a teapot, with grudges based on artificial misunderstandings and coincidences.