Norma Editorial presents Hikaru no Go, one of the most anticipated manga of the year, with the biggest star being Go.

Sports have always had a special place in the world of manga, like Slam Dunk or Oliver and Benji (Champions of Latin America) were before and after in Japanese comics. We have contemporary examples of the sport in manga like Blue Lock, which was successful in sales and critical acclaim. But not only there is a place for physical sports, there is also a place for board games, those activities brain and strategy are more important. Hikaru no Go, a work whose central axis of the story is Go, an ancient game where the best weapon is the mind.

what is go

For those who don’t know, Go is a strategy board game that originated in China over 2,500 years ago. The objective is to control more than 50% of the board at the end of the game on a board with white and black pieces/stones. The dynamics of the game consists of placing stones at the junctions of the board in turn. Once the stones are placed, they cannot be moved, but you can capture your opponent’s pieces or remove them from the board.

Although it seems like a simple game, Go is one of the most complex games. To put it in context, it was 20 years after chess that a computer program was able to beat the world champion for the first time in 2016, when the legendary Deep Blue beat a cart of all-time great chess players. Kasparov.

Go is deeply rooted in Asian countries like China, Korea or Japan where the game is often seen as an art or science. In recent years, perhaps due to the popularity of the cultures of these countries, although it is still far from the success of other board games, Go has become increasingly popular.

In the year In 1998, Yumi Hota and Takeshi Obata published an animated manga about Go. The work was a great success (more than 25 million copies were sold) and managed to make the game popular among young people in Japan, it even had an anime. Norma Editorial finally published this long awaited manga in Spain.

Board games and spirits

The story is about Hikaru Shindo, a regular elementary school student who one day finds a goboard in his attic, with blood stains that only he can see. This discovery came with the appearance of the spirit of Fujiwara-no-sai, the spirit of an ancient Go lord from the Heian period (794 to 1185). From then on, Sai accompanies Hikaru in his daily life, where he alone can see and communicate with his ghost, which later becomes part of the child’s consciousness.

Sai was humiliated by the emperor because the second emperor’s Go teacher accused him of cheating, which is why he died days later without any reason to live. But his love for the game was so strong that his soul was trapped in Goban, hoping someone would come along to teach him how to play the game he loved so he could continue playing.

At first, Hikaru is not interested in Go, he doesn’t even know how to play, he started playing only for Sai to leave him alone, but gradually his interest in Go grows when he realizes that it is more than a “game” and the elders. Hikaru plays under the guidance of Sai, which is why he surprises everyone as they believe that an elementary school boy who has never played at a professional level is the same kind of genius.

The presentation of the work may not be surprising, the main character is not interested in a movement, but gradually learns until the feeling is awakened. However, it is effective because it allows the reader to learn at the same time as the main character. The interesting thing about this is that Hikaru plays like a pro from the start, without a clue, which makes for some hilarious situations. Hikaru and Sai’s interactions create constant hilarious situations due to their differences in interests in Go. Even so, the manga can become serious and tense in certain situations, such as in Go games.

The characters in the game are very interesting and everything is related to Go in some way. Additionally, each person has their own background and reasons for participating in said activity. Although this volume serves as an introduction to the story, all these aspects are well introduced. Yumi Hota does a great job with very childish characters as well as adults, her evolution is very natural. This is a manga that will hook you from the beginning and keep you reading and learning to play Go.

Takeshi Obata is responsible for drawing Hikaru no Gon and he does a great job with the beautiful art. Each character has a unique and very characteristic design, especially Hikaru, even the Go games are famous for their clean and brilliant action style. In each vignette, there are hundreds of details that give more life to the manga. How well-written the manga is, in addition to the stunning visual quality, makes it an essential work for manga fans.

Hikaru no Go edition by Norma Editorial

Norma Editorial published Hikaru no Go in a beautiful and stunning edition. This is a soft cover volume with a dust jacket that has a wonderful picture and a beautiful design. This first volume also contains many extras. With a total of 234 pages and a size of 14.8 x 21 cm, this first volume is sold at a price of € 15.95.

Hikaru no Go is a masterpiece by Yumi Hota and Takeshi Obata that is one of the oldest board games in the world. With a fascinating story, very interesting characters and amazing pictures, this manga deserves a chance as it does not disappoint. Adding that Norma has published it in a very nice edition, it won’t be surprising if you want to learn how to play Go after reading this volume.

Hikaru doesn’t go

Authors: Yumi Hota and Takeshi Obata

Publisher: Norma Editorial

Format: Softcover with dust jacket

Dimensions: 14.8 x 21 cm

Pages: 222 B/W + 12 in Color

ISBN: 978-84-679-6579-7

Price: 15,95 €

Summary: Discover the Secrets of Walking with the amazing Takeshi Obata painting! A boy dusts off a forgotten Go board in his grandfather’s storage room and wakes it up, triggering the legendary Saiyan that leads to this adventure.