*twitches*

[silverthunder]

I finished reading all of the Hikaru no Go manga... It is over.

That makes me sad.

Er... also extremely annoyed, because I *really* didn't like Hikaru's last opponent. Someone needed to smack him a good one, the arrogant bastard! Darn it all, why *didn't* they? I was very dissatisfied with the result of the match, but of course, that's probably part of the point.

Did anyone else find the guy annoying? Every scene he was in, all I wanted was for someone to kick him in the crotch or something.

... I'm tempted to write fanfiction just so I can kill him off or have something horrible happen to him.

Anyway, though... I am done venting. That was probably one of the best manga I've ever read. It was certainly the most addicting. The anime really isn't as good, even with the great music and all. I am looking forward to seeing more of it in animated form, though.

Comments

[sailormac.livejournal.com]

I'm among the fans who would like to see Hikaru kick Ko Yeong-Ha's arrogant ass in a rematch.

I like to think that a few years down the line, Hikaru *did*. (I also like to think that a few more years down the line, Hikaru won the Honinbou title -- since he *is* the direct heir, teaching-wise, of Honinbou Shuusaku -- and Akira won most of his father's old titles.) I also like to think Ko Yeong-Ha has a *human* side we didn't get to see, because Hotta and Obana don't create heroes and villains, they create *people*. Ochi, the previous candidate for Biggest Jerk In The Manga, redeemed himself in the early rounds of the Hokuto Cup tournament by giving up his slot to Yashiro after Yashiro beat him fair and square.

Hikaru does gain a small victory in the end, though -- he gains respect in the eyes of the Go elite and the press. That's always been one of the most realistic and appealing things about HikaGo. Hikaru advances in small steps, he didn't go from newbie insei to top of the insei class overnight (in fact, he was *never* top of the insei class, he barely made the pro exam, the majority of his growth came between the first and second rounds of the exam).

[silverthunder]

I never really had problems understanding Ochi. I can totally see where he's coming from. When I was younger, I used to throw tantrums whenever I lost at something. I can see Ochi being the same type of person - he doesn't like losing, because it makes him feel insignificant. But a cheap win like the one he would've taken in the Hokuto Cup prelims would have been almost as bad. He has a lot of pride and as a result a lot of ego. It makes complete sense to me, so I find I can't really hate him.

The other guy - Ko Yeong-Ha? It was mistranslated in the scanlations I read - was too arrogant for me. He's a tall, good-looking guy with a high place and a lot of admirers, and it gives him a high opinion of himself. At least, that was my interpretation. The fact that he wouldn't even acknowledge Hikaru's strength really grated on me, too. I guess sometimes there are people in life you just can't like - he's one of them. And I think that's very realistic as well.

The way Hikaru rose was believable, yeah. There wasn't any point where I could sit back in my seat, scoff, and say "Oh, that would *never* happen! Who comes up with this crap?"

One of the things that struck me the most was the match in the pro exam between Hikaru and Isumi. Just... the drive to win, and how it pushes people. The way both of them struggle with whether or not to say something, resulting in Isumi losing confidence and Hikaru gaining a cheap win. It's so *real*. I can imagine what it would feel like to be in either position.

It's refreshing to read a manga like this, honestly. I was so impressed with the way it was plotted and written. And the artwork is excellent, to top it off.

Just... wow.