Hikaru no Go, Vol. 15: Sayonara

ヒカルの碁 [Hikaru no Go] #15

by Yumi Hotta, Takeshi Obata (Illustrator)

Sayonara
Hikaru ignores Sai's pleas to let him play go, and then one day Sai vanishes! Is he mad at Hikaru? Where has he gone? Will he ever come back? And will Hikaru be able to play without Sai's coaching...?

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

211 pages, Paperback

First published December 24, 2001

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]

It was a bold move to retire one of your main characters while the series was still ongoing. In one fell swoop, half the original appeal was gone with it. However, it did fit a theme that kept recurring in the series.

The recurring theme for this series was the loss and loneliness that one endures on order to get to the top. It wasn't obvious because this manga was relatively lighthearted. Yet, in his journey to become a better go player, several characters fell by the wayside to be relegated to the background while he kept moving forward. He left his middle school go club friends to become an insei. He left his insei classmates when he became pro. Now, Sai has disappeared. All he now has left was his rival, waiting for him at the opposite end of the board. Because in go, there are only two pieces, the black and the white, with no room for any other hue in between.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, there was one thing I liked in this otherwise kind of flat volume, which is that the author is doing "something" with Fujiwara no Sai, and it promises to lead to some character development for Hikaru.

The thing is, Hikaru no Go is basically a cross between a bildungsroman and a typical adolescent boy power-up progression series - play a game, get better, play a tougher opponent, get better still, and so on, taking on successively tougher "bosses." What makes the series better and more sophisticated that DragonBall-Z or Pokemon is that it's set in the real world with real-world contests, and the best sequences have been when the author, Yumi Hotta, manages to convey all the tension that actual go players feel over a board, where every single stone is life and death, and character really is displayed on the board.

There wasn't much of that in this volume, because Hotta finally addresses the supernatural elephant in the room: Hikaru has been haunted from the beginning by the ghost of a Heian nobleman and go master. Aside from Fujiwara no Sai, the series has been basically free of fantasy elements, which makes sense, though it leaves Sai as basically a plot device who doesn't really fit now that Hikaru no longer needs a ghostly tutor to nudge him into playing and improving.

So, in this volume Sai disappears. And Hikaru freaks out, and goes looking for him, searching out what were supposedly his old (corporeal) haunts in Hiroshima. This volume is more road trip than go contest, though we finally get some interaction between Hikaru and Akira Toya.

It will be interesting to see whether Hotta has really written Sai out of the series entirely, or if the ghost will be back. Also to see what effect this has on Hikaru. However, the immediate effect, that Hikaru goes totally emo, bawls his head off, and decides to quit playing go, had me going, "Huh?" I mean, it's great that the kid finally learns a lesson about taking other people for granted - he's been a real jerk to everyone, especially Sai, though no more so than most teenagers. But considering how he treated Sai more as a pest and/or a pet than a friend, his sudden overwhelming depression when Sai vanishes did not ring true.

Anyway, I guess it does make a convenient excuse to delay the Hikaru/Akira showdown a while longer, but dang, let's bring some tense go games back into the plot.

[Kesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sayonara Fujiwara no Sai. Reached its emotional apogee.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

With the foreshadowing from the previous tankobon, I knew what was about to happen. Artistically and literary it makes sense for it to happen. I didn't like it, but I knew it was necessary for the story to go on. I just didn't expect it to happen so soon – I thought we would get one or two more tankobon worth of stories before it happened. However, when I saw the title of the tankobon – Sayonara, which is Japanese for Goodbye – I knew, without a doubt, I knew.

When Sai brought his concerns about possibly disappearing to Hikaru Shindo, he didn't believe him. Not that I could blame Shindo, if history had anything to prove was that Sai lived alongside his host until their demise and Shindo thought the same for him. However, he was wrong and Sai did disappear. What happened next was heart-wrenching to read.

In denial and thinking that Sai ran away, Shindo searches for his ghostly best friend in all the places that he's been in his previous life with Honinbo Shusaku. He is joined in his travels with Kawai, the lackadaisical taxi driver and a patron to the Go Salon that Shindo prefers. He travels to Hiroshima and back without luck. It was in the archive room at the Go Institute, in the middle of the night that Shindo accepted the fact that Sai was gone and came to a realization:

It was his selfishness of wanting to play Go that drove Sai away and to bring him back, he would stop playing Go. His conviction is so strong that not even Akira Toya, his rival, could convince him to play when he showed up unannounced at Shindo's school. For the first time since deciding to chase after Toya, Shindo relents, because the need to reunite, to find Sai again is more important than his rivalry with Toya.

All in all, this tankobon was a heart-wrenching, albeit necessary, ride. I really felt for Shindo and I wonder about his future. Although it was an emotionally based tankobon, there was one Go game of note – the game he played with Shuhei, Hiroshima Strongest Amateur Player. I can't wait to read the next installment of the series.

[Dorin Lazăr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally the arc of Sai gets to its more or less necessary end. It's been a long time since Sai was no longer really fitting the narrative, and I feel that finally, Hikaru can mature as an individual. After Sai kept nudging him that he'll disappear soon, he finally disappears after some demonstration games, and after playing the new title holder who drunkenly asked Hikaru to play Sai.

But Sai can no longer offer any helping hand to Hikaru and he feels that it's his time to go away. He cannot take over like he did with Torajiro, so he finally can rest at ease that he fulfilled his purpose.

Hikaru is scared by Sai leaving abruptly, not having the same understanding as the reader has about why he went away. He is upset, and searches everywhere for him - he takes a train to Hiroshima, and visit his birthplace and grave in Innoshima. Back in Tokyo, Hikaru chooses to quit go altogether. Akira tries to prompt him on his choice, and question his motives, but Hikaru is just too depressed.

At times it does feel like the Sai-Hikaru relationship just didn't work. While the strong point in the beginning of the manga, it definitely is the weaker point in the last few volumes. I think their relationship was truly mishandled by the author. This is the redeeming moment, a good solution that will allow Hikaru to be his own person.

Second reading: Now, while I still agree with my initial thoughts on the volume, for certain, the finale of the Sai-Hikaru relationship hits a sensitive spot. The moment is emotional, it does strike hard and makes you tear a bit. That aspect is well done.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume made me sad.bHere, Sai finally disappears from Hikaru's life, and Hikaru has a hard time accepting it. In the end, he comes to the completely wrong conclusion, namely that he should have let Sai play all the time, because he himself could never surpass him. So in the hope of making Sai return to him, he stops playing Go altogether. Touya Akira then goes to talk to him and they have a very emotional confrontation. What is interesting is that even though their rivalry is very much the centerpiece of this series, they don't actually interact all that often, but it's something you only notice when they do meet. Great stuff; I'm really loving this.

[Omar Villafane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Someone is off to spirit world 👻 ⚫️⚪️

[Tamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

;o;...

[Kynthos-the-Archer (Kyn) · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars because I felt sad for Sai. What happened in book 15 is very unfair to him. It was like he is just a tool, a stepping stone to be discarded when no longer needed. Where is the reward? After waiting for a millennia and this is the answer?

I am glad Hikaru is in a slump now. He should be, as it serves him right since he dared to forget who brought him into the Go world in the first place, tutoring him and encouraging him all the way. I do agree that Akira could be the catalyst to rev up Hikaru's passion to succeed in the world of Go but without Sai guiding him Hikaru could not have attain such heights of success in such a short time.

Actually part of why I am reading this manga after I've finished with its Anime version was a tiny hope that the story in the manga would answer Sai's unresolved wish since the manga does continues where the Anime had left off. The other reason was simply because I am missing Sai very much.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the series that got me into Obata's work and is the best when taken as a whole, of the ones I've read. (I have since overconsumed various iterations of Death Note and have started to resent it just a little as a result, and Platinum End was mid-tier from the beginning.) Unfortunately, I gave away the entire series when—all things considered—I wasn't that interested in having to lug around *23 BOOKS* about a game I don't really understand in between homes, and I'm not that excited about re-acquiring it given that our probably forever home isn't THAT spacious that I could wallpaper the house with books—particularly since there is almost no chance my spouse and I will have anybody to "inherit" our stuff should we both kick the bucket at the same time or close enough that the other won't have time to deal with it all first.

Sorry, Spouse has been watching condemned houses being completely renovated, and it just strikes me as worthwhile to cycle things out rather than hoard everything. Like Hikaru's grandfather, who had the ancient go board that caused Hikaru to find Sai in the first place!

Anyway, I'm reviewing this volume in specific because that's what the library had, and it's the least-effort step toward my bucket list goal of reviewing every book I've ever read (within reason). It's sort of a mixed bag, since it's the one where Sai vanishes. Oops.

Thinking about it, I feel like the anime* treated this part of the story better, because it was able to pace out Sai's disappearance in a way that feels more like a real "death," like Sai had died for a second time. It's a lot more confusing in print, since it doesn't show Sai fading away so much as Sai meditating internally, then a close-up of Hikaru looking tired until the close-up statics out for a moment before returning to normal—when the point-of-view switches to Hikaru being annoyed at Sai making him play a game while he's still tired, until he FINALLY notices that Sai isn't there anymore.

Most of the rest of the book is Hikaru not dealing well with the fact that his selfishness has driven away Sai—as he discovers from some records that Torajiro only let Sai play, vs. tapping into his own talent and growing through Sai the way Hikaru was—and quitting Go in his depression at losing his ghost friend. It's not a bad volume, but it's certainly not one to read by itself, especially for anyone completely unfamiliar with Go. Definitely an important volume otherwise.

The interstitial pages with notes from the author mention a video game, which is interesting and probably a lot more informative than this series (which only actually shows important games, since... meticulously planning EVERY game would be a nightmare, haha). She says that there's a One-Colour Go option at Level 10, but she could never reach it despite all the hints, and Konami admitted it was partly luck to unlock.

That's interesting, but also kind of cheap, haha.

*In digging up links, I discovered that, curiously, they have made a live action series of it, which... I think I will not watch, haha.

[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.

[Nazish Ahmed (Nazish Reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was some foreshadowing in the previous volumes that this was going to happen soon, although I didn't expect it to happen this soon, but then I saw the title of this volume and knew that it's going to happen now. When I started reading this series, I expected this to happen at or near the end, not when were still sixty something chapters left.

I didn't like this volume for many reasons, one of them being that Hikaru was so in denial about what happened that he either ignore people he knew who were talking to him or was rude to them even though they were only trying to help him and didn't know what was going on. I understand why he was like that but it was still frustrating. Another reason is because I didn't want that to happen (I'm trying to say this without spoilers) but I do know why it had to happen. This whole volume is so heartrenching and it was a hard one to get through. Hikaru did play one game of go and the way he was playing and look in his eyes made him seem like a different person. It wasn't mentioned in the book but I thought I should talk about it here.

Hopefully the next volume is more enjoyable, although I do understand if there are chapters of grief since those things take time, it's not easy to go back to normal so quickly. I've already started reading chapter 131 because I NEED to see what happens next.





Blog: nazishreads.net/TravelandBookBlog
Twitter: Naz_readsanime
Instagram: nazreads01, nazcosplay, nradesigns, charmedanimegirl01

[Nente · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout the series, there was an ever-so-slight mismatch between the intended audience and the message put across: the message is too realistic! Our main character is not the best ever; he's got problems, including ones that never get resolved; and here comes the boring grown-up idea that perfection is a dream goal that will never get achieved.

Hikaru reacts to Sai's disappearance much as I'd have expected. Sai was a mentor and a friend, and Hikaru doesn't even have anyone to talk to about him. He makes a desperate attempt to find Sai, but it feels hopeless even to himself. So he slides into a depression. Stops playing. And he's got nothing else to drive him. The friends he made along the way make many attempts to pull him out, but it doesn't work.

Heartbreaking, but necessary.

[Joseph B · Rating 3 out of 5]

While far from a bad sending off for one of the main cast; Vol. 15 falls flat compared to the previous Sai-centric storylines. I will commend Yumi Hotta for the bold decision to retire such a constant presence in the series. It was foreshadowed well enough; and while it is bittersweet it does inject an, "anything can happen" sense back into the series. My main issue is it feels rather milquetoast in build-up. However the aftermath of the departure is palpable.

I hate to be so harsh to this volume; but the execution while having positives has its fair share of negatives for my taste. Regardless, I am still looking forward to where Hikaru no Go goes from here.

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

Sai desperately wants to play a game against Hikaru, but Hikaru figures they can play anytime. He does let Sai play against a drunken Ogata (figuring Ogata would be too drunk to notice Hikaru playing like Sai), but then he's too tired to play what turns out to be Sai's last game against him. When he wakes up, Sai is gone. He hunts for him at every possible place Sai might be - all the places associated with Shusaku - but he's nowhere to be found. Finally Hikaru realizes Sai's not coming back. He decides to quit Go, promising that if Sai ever does come back, he'll let him play all of his games and never play on his own again. Akira is confused and worried about Hikaru.

Oh man, it sucks that I had to skip volume 14. The "story thus far" section in this volume helped, but I really wanted to see the full match between Sai and Toya Meijin.

It still surprises me how soon Sai's disappearance happens. There are still eight volumes to go, and one of the series' most prominent characters is gone. I loved the way Hotta and Obata depicted his last moments, though. Very beautiful, sad, and startling. Hikaru's grief was well-done, too.

The flow of this volume was occasionally a bit odd, and Hikaru's hunt went on longer than I'd have liked and came across like a Shusaku tour in manga form. Overall, though, this was an excellent and sad volume.

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

[Barbara Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Great Episode!

by Barbara Kelley

Except for the fact that mangas are in black and white and the anime is in color, the two were exactly the same. I love this series in anime dubbed into English! This volume is the one where Sai disappears and Hikaru goes searching for him. When he can't find Sai, he decides not to ever play GO again; however, there are still 8 more volumes, so you know Hikaru never playing again is not likely to happen. What will bring Hikaru out of his depression? I gave this volume 5 stars and will read Volume 16 next.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

WAIT, WHAT, EXCUSE ME!? HOW DARE

I CLEARLY did not read this whole series as a child, because I WOULD HAVE REMEMBERED THIS. Are they even allowed to do that?? 😭

Sobbing aside, these volumes were excellent. I especially enjoyed the return of Internet go and the worldwide speculation about "sai," a match between Toya and Sai, and Sai's realizations about why he was partnered with Hikaru and why his job there is done.

This shelving and rating collectively represents Volumes 11-15.

[Ally (AllyEmReads)]

So far this is my favorite volume. I didn’t think Sai would leave so early since there are still eight volumes of the manga left, but Hikaru’s emotion was just so raw that I feel like this was the best way the writer could have gone. Also I always love learning more about Japan and the history there.

[Novels and Neckties - Kira Murasaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

SPOILER
.
.
.
.
.
In this volumed Sai vanishes and Hikaru travels to Shusakus grave in Hiroshima, hoping to find Sai there. He meets Go players in Hiroshima, but there is no Sai and Hikaru understands, that he is gone.
I don´t think it´s ok, that the Authors didn´t give Hikaru an explanation for this.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume shocked me and the changes in the story made sense...and I kind of knew it needed to happen, and yet I felt a sense of loss when closing this volume. The creative crew continues to tell a story that to me is appealing to both young and older readers, but while this volume felt necessary...I still felt like I didn't want to like it for what it had to do. Art and story still top notch.

[Scott Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't see this one coming at all. Hotta delivers some compelling storytelling here, although I think it sells Hikaru a bit short, even for someone as young as he's supposed to be.

A few cool games, but they're not the focus this time around.

[Ken Yuen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hate this story arc. It just feels so pointless and it's doubly tragic that Sai doesn't even get to say a proper goodbye to Hikaru. I don't know if people enjoy this story arc for Hikaru, but I think this kind of ruins the rest of the series for me

[Shin Donghae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ini volume yg sendu setelah pukulan utk Isumi di hari terakhir ujian pro. Sai adalah karakter fave saya selain Isumi hhe.
Penyesalan memang selalu datang terlambat, namun Yumi Hotta sensei membuat perkembangan seperti ini utk memperlihatkan kemajuan tokoh Hikaru

[Denny B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sai è scomparso.
Il suo tempo sulla Terra è infine scaduto e Hikaru lo cerca dappertutto, disperato, tanto che non vuole più giocare a Go.
Mi chiedo se Sai sia scomparso per sempre o se tornerà negli ultimi volumi.

[Khari · Rating 5 out of 5]

ヒカルの気持ちは分かる。でも碁をやめる？それがどこにさいを喜ばせるの？どこでもないよ。それはたださいにもっと寂しくなるよなんで気付かないヒカルは。

広島のゲームはすごかった。

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

4.25 stars

[Kurtis Burkhardt · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

[Alex C. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sobbing so hard I feel sick.

[Kyle Dinges · Rating 5 out of 5]

:(

[Forthright . · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: this volume is basically the point where the anime ends.