Hikaru no Go, Vol. 2: First Battle

ヒカルの碁 [Hikaru no Go] #2

by Yumi Hotta, Takeshi Obata (Illustrator)

FIRST BATTLE

With sure and steady moves, Sai and Hikaru are making a name Hikaru Shindo as the one who might possibly beat the venerable Akira Toya. Wait. Who are we kidding? Hikaru: sure and steady...? Yeah, right! In between all the shenanigans Hikaru gets himself into during school and after, and dealing with Sai's unhappy sobs when Hikaru tries to run away from playing Go, his fame is growing. Principals, teachers and Go tournament kids alike are all wondering who this unruly bronco of a Go player is. Tetsuo, a Shogi punk who has a beef of his own with Akira, harasses poor Hikaru at first - then later puts him on his own Go team! Meanwhile, Akira, looking for a rematch with Hikaru, is surprised to find Hikaru playing with a third-rate Go club. You won't be disappointed with the further adventures of this dynamic Go duo!

Genres: Manga, Comics, Graphic Novels, Fiction, Fantasy, Go, Sports

195 pages, Paperback

First published August 9, 1999

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 4 out of 5]

In this re-read of the series, with volumes that I have (this was before I completed my own set after years), seeing both Hikaru and Sai again brought forth a wave of nostalgia. I've even noticed that they went with Japanese title of the series , with no awkward translation of it.

This series actually had a school life arc and it was a delight seeing the main characters and the supporting cast starting from scratch, on their way to the top of the go world. Although, it will be sad later on when most of this supporting cast is relegated to the background as Hikaru grows his game to another level.

[Jamie Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are so cute...I love the little go lessons!

[Dorin Lazăr · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story becomes a bit more consistent, and makes a bit more sense. Hikaru joins the school club - but because he's too young his team gets disqualified after winning against the Kaio school - something like the Cobra Kai Dojo of the Karate Kid fame. Except a bit less evil. And obviously, that's the school Akira will join.

Hikaru finally plays on his own initiative, and he enjoys it. Of course, he's losing every game he's playing on his own, but Sai is teaching him about the flow of the game. The volume also has a few introductory notions of Go, so someone who doesn't know the rules can learn about them from the graphic novel.

Second reading: I'm amazed about the casual sexism that is left unsolved (I'm not sure why Akari is not included in the team and not taken more seriously). But also, there's undertones of bullying which makes the school experience a bit... scary? And the relationship between Sai and Hikaru is a bit awkward, but I guess that's the underlying tone of the series.

[Kesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit weaker than the first volume but still pretty decent.
Why haven't umbrellas changed if we went to the moon? (= we did not)

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hikaru Shindo is forced to enter Middle School Go Tournament, despite the fact that he's still in Elementary School. Shindo starts playing Go on his own and have shown some sporadic brilliance to the game, however still very much a novice.

The second half of the tankobon, takes place in the Spring and has Shindo entering Haze Middle School and joining the Go Club, which consists of three people. Meanwhile, Akira Toya joins the Go Club at his school, despite his pro-level status, in order to play Shindo (Sai via Shindo), who refuses to play him until Shindo gets better.

The story is progress nicely, with the conflict between Toya, Shindo, and Sai blossoming nicely. The art is as good as always – I really enjoy Takeshi Obata's work. I'm looking forward to reading the next tankobon.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't figure out why I like this series, but I do.

[Supermomochan (PeachyFishyBooks) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5
Sai is Adorable.

[Masatooooo · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this volume, Hikaru plays Go himself against a lot of player and has started glowing little by little. It is the most interesting point of this manga. And Akira wants to play against Hikaru one more time, so he joined Go club of Kaio to play against Hikaru sometime.

[Kanna Ogihara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of new characters appeared in this volume, and many exciting things were happened also. Especially, Hikaru’s interest for Go changed dramatically. On the other hand, Akira’s mind against Hikaru became much stronger. I can’t out of my eyes from what will happen next.

[Meepelous · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simply charming. There's a lot of ways where this series could have lost me, I'm not really it's target audience, but so far I continue to be sucked in this world of middle school boys and ancient board games.

When we first meet Hikaru, there isn't really that much to the guy. There still isn't. Despite showing some yet hidden promise, Hikaru is little more then a stand in for the young boys who are the target audience for this series. Certainly not something I could really find any room to outright hate, but rather simple and if it was just about him I don't think that I would really feel myself still wanting to read more. But I do. Why is that?

The biggest reason I can give for continuing with this all ages boy manga series is the wide cast of supporting characters. Despite Hikaru's decided lack of nuance and creativity, the (mostly boys) who surround him are almost all of them dramatic and interesting. The ghost of an ancient Go master, an isolated and sheltered Go protege, A boastful and crass middle school Shogi player - this series lacks nothing when it comes to personality.

My one issue (as usual) was the under-representation of female characters. Which wasn't too much of an issue at first (they just weren't there) but seemed to spawn into more of an issue as several random girls showed up just to fawn over Hikaru's self-proclaimed rival. Thankfully the end seemed to indicate that we will see a bit more of Akari, and Hikaru did get a bit of a talking to from Sai when he asserted that "Go wasn't for girls".

I also really enjoy the way that Go is integrated into the books. Not only with pages talking about the rules of Go, but also through various plot points. Even with the unique characters, I'm not sure if I would be interested with the series if it was a normal sports manga.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hikaru takes his first steps to becoming a Go player, independent of Sai! He's still a novice, but he has a desire to learn (even if it's only a little). My favourite thing about this volume is how it sets up the Hikaru/Toya rivalry. Toya is far and away the best player, beating out everyone else, but because of Sai's play he still sees Hikaru as some monster yet to be defeated. Hikaru, on the other hand, is starting to recognize Toya's skill and has a desire to best him on his own terms. Hikaru has waltzed into a rivarly he doesn't yet deserve, but it still pushes both of them forward like any good rivarly- it's just that this one is built on a deception.

[Denny B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il secondo volume scorre rapido ancora più del precedente. E inizio a provare una discreta voglia di provare a giocare a Go.

Il design dei personaggi, così come la premessa, se vogliamo, mi ricordano molto Yu-Gi-Oh: Hikaru ha i capelli che ricordano quelli di Yugi, e dialoga con Sai come Yugi faceva con lo spirito del Faraone (anche se quest’ultimo si impossessava del suo corpo); il giocatore di Shogi, che si presta al Go per vincere un piccolo torneo delle scuole medie, ricorda alla lontana Joey Wheeler, e il fatto che Hikaru inizi a sentire il flusso delle mosse di Go, ricorda il famoso “credi nel cuore delle carte”.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

TW: misogyny

Ugh, Hikaru's misogyny makes me wanna ring his neck, but the other characters, especially Sai, make up for his bone-headedness. I wish we had more female characters, as any who show up are quickly written off. But I'm assuming Hikaru's going to learn his lesson so I'm more than happy to continue to vol. 3.

[Clar · Rating 5 out of 5]

VALORACIÓN: 4'5 estrellas

Y ahora a esperar a que salga el tercer tomo 🥲

Hikaru es un poco imbécil. En su defensa diré que tiene 12 años... Pero Akira tiene la misma edad y es un amor 🥰

Disfruto mucho de resolver problemas y jugar online, pero estoy deseando jugar en persona con quien sea 💖

[Breonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm in love with this series, no joke, <3

[Mia · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25/5 stars

[Kenneth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent

[Brittany Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hikaru and Akira and starting Junior high!

We also get some Go rules in this one~ and I will admit to being mistaken about one (it's been a while).

[Eve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series so much and being able to read the manga is really great. The artwork and story is just fantastic.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unexpectedly compelling for a manga about a board game I have no clue how to play! I appreciated the basic rules being shown at the end of some of the chapters.

[Omar Villafane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The spirit within ⚪️⚫️

[Jill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another stand in but I have read this volume. It was amazing book below not so much.




Stand in: What is my life, I’m not sure I want to read recs from these people anymore. 1 🌟.

[Tachan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Que ça fait du bien, une lecture fraîche et jeune où l’on suit des héros en pleins apprentissages dans une ambiance bon enfant mais qu’on sent monter et sous un trait des plus ravissants !

Moins flamboyant que le premier tome, cette suite reste de grande qualité. Les auteurs y déploient tout le talent d’une narration simple et confortable au service d’une histoire qui prend le temps de s’installer et se poser. Nous avons fait la rencontre avec les principaux personnages, ne reste plus qu’à les étayer avec l’histoire qui va les faire grandir.

C’est ainsi avec un vif plaisir que je me suis amusée à suivre les péripéties d’Hikaru à son club de Go, avec des matchs où il souhaite jouer lui-même mais n’y parvient pas et pleure de frustration, avec des amis qu’il se crée avec qui jouer, avec un rival qu’il frustre au plus haut point et encourage. Tout est hyper classique pour un titre aux allures de shonen sportif, mais c’est d’une efficacité imparable et ça marche du feu de dieu. Hikaru est un personnage solaire, amusant et sympathique. Akira est un peu l’ombre de sa lumière avec son côté plus lunaire et les rebuffades d’Hikaru l’y poussent encore plus.

J’ai aimé voir Hikaru se prendre au jeu ici et décider de réellement s’intéresser au Go et pas juste de laisser Sai y jouer à travers lui. On sent ainsi qu’on va avoir un beau manga d’apprentissage avec un héros qui va tout découvrir, parfois tomber, se relever, mais toujours lutter. C’est déjà le cas. Les auteurs transcrivent d’ailleurs à merveille la frustration de l’échec et de la déception pour les autres chez Hikaru lors de son premier tournoi. Il y a aussi, la formation d’un petit groupe autour de lui, avec sa voisine qui le suit depuis le primaire, mais aussi le binoclard Tsutsui, le président de son nouveau club, et le rebelle Kaga qui joue également au shogi. Les auteurs commencent à construire leur galaxie et ça reste simple et savoureux, très jeunesse. On aime ça.

En parallèle, ils s’attaquent aussi à des questions plus sérieux telle que l’ostracisme d’un club dit « intellectuel » auprès de jeunes collégiens qui trouvent ça « nul » ou bien le bizutage pour ne pas dire le harcèlement à la fois de quelqu’un de plus jeune et de différent, la société japonaise étant des plus rudes envers ceux qui ne rentrent pas dans le moule, même s’ils sont brillants. J’ai aimé qu’Hotta et Obata prennent le temps pour cela et dénoncent ces faux petits caïds.

En attendant, dans ce nouveau tome la rivalité Hikaru-Akira se fonde de plus en plus et la passion d’Hikaru pour le Go également, ce qui donne lieu à de fort jolies scènes pleine du feu d’apprendre, de progresser. Les auteurs maîtrisent vraiment à merveille leurs classiques et détalent une narration parfaitement coordonnée où tout sonne juste et simple. Mais la simplicité, c’est souvent ce qu’il y a de plus dur à faire. Chapeau !

Avis complet : https://lesblablasdetachan.wordpress....

[Maja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Handlung:
Wir steigen mitten in die Szene ein, in der Tetsuo Kaga eingeführt wird, der eigentlich jetzt Schach statt Go spielt, nachdem ihm klar wurde, dass er niemals so gut wie Akira sein wird. Dann wird sein Ehrgeiz geweckt und zusammen mit Tsutsui und Hikaru melden sie sich zu einem Go-Turnier an. Wir enden mit einer Szene als Mitschüler an Akiras neuer Schule darüber diskutieren, dass sie ihm einen Denkzettel verpassen wollen.
Also erstmal: der arme Akira, er wird sehr viel schlecht geredet in diesem Band, und das vollkommen unverdient. Ja, er hat den netten Drittbesten im Go-Klub geschlagen und wird seinen Turnierplatz wegnehmen: aber es ist ja nicht seine Schuld, dass er besser ist! Und insgesamt finde ich Akira immer sehr nett und sehr höflich, er entspricht so gar nicht dem Klischee des Arschloch-Genies (dafür ist Hikaru ein umso größeres Arschloch -.- ). Insgesamt ging mir in diesem Band alles etwas zu schnell: Kaga wird gut eingeführt und ist zwar nicht immer sympathisch, aber wenigstens ein interessanter Charakter. Im Turnier hingegen wuseln dann auch einmal ein Haufen Leute durch die Szenen und man hat in den Spielen kein Gefühl dafür, wer die Gegner eigentlich sind. Und dann werden in Akiras Go-Klub auch noch ein Haufen Leute eingeführt, von denen ich aktuell kein Gefühl habe, wer noch relevant ist und wer nicht.

Lieblingsszene:
Keine Lieblingsszene, aber dafür eine Szene die tiefe Wut in mir ausgelöst hat: Als Hikaru die arme Akari anschreit, nachdem sie Go lernen will und sich am Anfang dumm anstellt. Genau dumm hast du dich auch angestellt, Hikaru!! Eine schlimme Szene, die auch nicht dadurch besser gemacht wird, dass wenigstens Sai kurz sagt, dass Frauen auch gut Go spielen können.... (eine Aussage die direkt wieder dadurch untergraben wird, dass man in der Flashback-Szene dazu primär schöne junge Damen sieht, die ihn offensichtlich anhimmeln...implizit wird also mehr oder weniger, dass Frauen Go spielen wenn sie die Go-Spieler süß finden........)

Lieblingszitat:
"Aber einer ist noch besser. Hikaru Shindo von der Haze-Schule. (...) Aber du, du könntest ihn schlagen."
Akira: *setzt Stein mit dramatischem ZAPP!* "Das habe ich auch vor."

Was habe ich gelernt:
Frauen dürfen Go spielen, aber nur wenn sie dabei auch die männlichen Go-Spieler anhimmeln.

Cover:
Diesmal gibt mir das Cover endlich Sai, mit todernstem Gesicht und seinem lustigen Hut ♥️ Sehr hochwertig!

[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.

[Nente · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this instalment, Hikaru no Go fully commits to being a sports manga. We're diving into school tournaments and school clubs. Quarrels are settled at a goban, implying a direct relationship between ability in Go and general worth as a human being.

First glimpses of brilliance appear in Hikaru, and as the main character, he of course has a superpower — but he's not going to use it! He insists on playing himself, with Sai just looking on. This sets up the second conflict that we'll follow: when should Sai play, and how is Hikaru going to justify playing on so different a level?

We're also getting deeper into Akira's character. His extraordinary Go talent combines with good manners and a total lack of people skills to create an immense amount of drama wherever he goes. Even Kaga's backstory shows a little of that, and the whole Kaio school club sequence is a perfect example. Stay tuned for more of the school club in the next volume.

Hikaru and Akira are each other's opposites in many ways. Their slightly different social background was hinted at even at first appearance — Hikaru in untidy sports clothes and Akira invariably wearing a tie — but in this volume, we also see Akira getting into a prestigious school, the same as his father before him, while Hikaru makes do with a middling one that can't afford to have a Go club.

The art is consistently good. I especially love all the scenes with rain, for some reason.

[Rosenblue(promoting non-biased,honest reviews & a dislike button on GR) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read: 12/21/24 - 12/25/24
This volume is for all ages.✨
This volume was as good as the last one if not better.
Hikaru is finally playing GO for his own reasons.
He is also slowly becoming friends with Sai which I felt was adorable.
However I feel uneasy about the rivalry between Hikaru and Akira Toya.
Akira isn't aware that Hikaru had help from the spirit of an ancestor of his in their first game of GO.
Poor Akira doesn't even realize Sai is how had defeated him the first time.
Hikaru only recently started taking the game of GO seriously.
Perhaps there is some positive that can be taken from this situation.
Akira and Hikaru now have a proper rival.
That said despite feeling uneasy about Akira's predicament I look forward to seeing both Akira and Hikaru's journey as GO players.
Hikaru keeps Akira from becoming lax from being used to being one of the best players of GO around and Akira and his father inspires Hikaru to become a better player and form an appreciation for Japanese GO.
They help each other improve as players and people.
I'm rooting for both boys.
I'm excited to see where their paths take them!

[Francine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though I liked the first volume, I'm not super invested. It's probably because I don't know a lot about Go (although this volume finally explains the rules!).

I think Sai is adorable, because he loves the game so much.
Akira is cute because he's so polite and aspirational, while at the same time trying to become a better player for the right reasons.
Hikaru is kind of boring because he's such a cliché "stupid brain with heart of gold and god powers" archetypal shonen protagonist.
Akari is... also in the story. What's the point? They needed a girl character but she doesn't have any wants or needs. Give her a backstory for gods sakes.

Oh, there was also a Shogi player in this volume. Wonder if we'll ever see him again?

Anyway so this is basically The Prince of Tennis but it's not a team sport.

[Joseph B · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hikaru no Go's second volume focuses more on the school arcs as Hikaru is shooed into entering a middle school go tournament while Akari finds his new path forward in the go world. Vol. 2 does slow things down a bit to bring Hikaru's school life into forefront. New characters join the core cast and Akari Jujisaki gets more time in the limelight as she begins showing an interest in go. Tournament arcs are a staple of sports manga/anime; and Hotta writes it in an interesting way as it is entwined into helping Hikaru and Akari figure out there goals. Obata's art continues to deliver with thoughtful paneling and attention to detail in the go matches.

While Vol. 2 of Hikaru no Go is a bit weaker in comparison to the debut volume, it still builds off the first chapters well and sets the stage for the next few arcs of the series.

[Adrienna · Rating 1 out of 5]

Japanese comics you have to read in the opposite direction (left to right instead of right to left) and the same goes for the page you are reading. It was a little awkward at first, but the story focuses on tournaments (which reminds me of Chess) that are played among middle schoolers.

Overall, it was an okay read. I do not plan to continue or read the series/volumes. The names were a little confusing since Akira was a boy, and those I know with this name are women (Egyptians have also used this name). Akari was a female for instance. I actually like both names.