'Hikaru no Go' Review

So for my first review, I figured I'd do one of my favorite series, Hikaru no Go. A manga written by Yumi Hotta and illustrated by Takeshi Obata (Death Note, Bakuman). This series is 23 volumes long, each volume around 180 pages. This manga follows the life of a young boy named Hikaru Shindo. The first thing to know about this series is that it's about the board game go. If you're not familiar with the game, the manga is a great way to get into it. This series has no voilence, blood, gore, explosions, gun fights, robots, or scantily clad women. It seriously revolves around a board game. It's very different from the typical manga that's released by Jump. Even though there aren't any physical battles happening in the story, the matches that ensue during the go games are some of the most intense things I've ever read. This series really grows and comes into it's own as it progresses. In the beginning, Hikaru is complete douche 12 year old slacker who, while trying to sell his grandpa's old goban (go board) accidentally releases the ancient ghost of a long dead go player. This ghost, Sai, inhabits Hikaru's consciousness and can't leave, kind of like another person living in your head. Sai lives and breathes go and turns Hikaru onto the game. Before long, Hikaru really gets into the game and is going for pro. He matures drastically through the series and the manga goes through many years. The story has a great cast of amazingly likable characters. The art by Takeshi Obata makes incredible growth throughout the series. By the end, every panel is just gorgeous.




*spoilers*
I really can't stress enough how much I adore this manga. The only big problem I had with it was it's romance. Or lack there of. A romance gradually builds through the series between Hikaru and his good friend, Akari. In the beginning he couldn't stand her at times and as he matures throughout it, Akari notices. It's very obvious she likes him towards the end. I was so excited for something to blossom from the this, but nothing ever did. It just didn't make any sense to me. It seemed to be building the entire way through but it never took off.




Overall, this manga is full of memorable characters that I feel like I know personally after reading it. My favorite character is probably Yoshitaka Waya with his badass wife beater. I highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. It might be a little hard to get interested in it during the beginning because of how odd it is compared to most mainstream manga. It's definitely not a quick read given the size but it's most definitely worth the read.

I give Hikaru no Go a 9/10!

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