Reviews

Hikaru No Go, Volume 20 by Yumi Hotta

dorinlazar's review

4.0

Finally some tense Go action (if that can be said about Go and action). The boys are fighting for qualifiers in the international Hokuto cup - Akira, as said, was seeded, but Hikaru, Waya and Ochi have to fight for the remaining two spots. However, there's a new star, Yashiro, from a different Go association, who plays an amazing, disruptive game. Honda is the first to experience it, when playing him in a different circumstance. All said and done, Hikaru has to prepare for a nasty surprise - he will eventually meet this guy in preliminaries.

The volume's tone comes back to the sporting action, and it's once again quite fun to read. I love that after the main story arc, the new arc is also quite exciting.

tsitua's review against another edition

adventurous informative inspiring fast-paced

5.0

wanderer24's review

adventurous funny inspiring relaxing tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

sonofthe's review

4.0

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.

buuboobaby's review

4.0

4 stars

tmaluck's review

4.0

Ogata-sensei is now one of my favorite manga villains and the remainder of the series had better only enhance my impression of him. (He's not evil or anything, but he is a decidedly sharp and charismatic obstacle to Hikaru/Akira's progress)

mergs_scribbles's review against another edition

4.5

Awww the kids are growing up!! These matches were good as always. Really excited to see how they turn out.

familiar_diversions's review

4.0

Hikaru finishes his game with Kadowaki, which he wins. Kadowaki admits that Hikaru is good but thinks that Hikaru was somehow better the last time they played (I'm pretty sure his last time was actually against Sai). He's shocked when Hikaru cheerfully agrees with him. A new character, Kiyoharu Yashiro from the Kansai Go Association, is introduced.

Spoiler

He plays wild/risky Go, beginning with the middle (tengen) in one of his games. Hikaru plays against Morishita (his teacher in his study sessions) and Akira plays against Ogata (his father's student), resulting in two emotionally charged matches. Akira and Hikaru both lose, but they establish themselves as players to be watched. Then it's time for the Hokuto Cup qualifiers. In his second round, Hikaru plays against Yashiro, a game filled with risky and unexpected moves.

This was a fun volume. Again, a bit scattered, and I honestly have no clue what any of them are working towards anymore. Even Hotta admits that pros' schedules and tournaments are confusing and complicated. I'm better off just focusing on individual matches and their outcomes rather than trying to figure out the big picture. One thing I do know is that the Hokuto Cup qualifier determines who's part of the Japanese team in the big Japan-China-Korea tournament.

Yashiro and Hikaru's game is exciting, even though I suspect it's unrealistically reckless.

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

hgeditor's review

3.0

Basically just going through the motions at this point...

ladydewinter's review

4.0

The addition of another Really Strong Player was a little sudden, but it was understandable in that I really wouldn't have wanted Oshi to play in the international tournament and Isumi wasn't available. As for Waya, he just wouldn't have fit with Touya Akira and Hikaru. Anyway, this was still fun and exciting.