Hikaru no Go, Vol. 16 (16)

This is a great manga. It is a great story with excellent artwork and great character development throughout the series. It is also suitable for all ages.If you don't know anything about the game of Go and how it relates to Japanese, Chinese and Korean culture, this series provides a nice introduction to that world wrapped in great story-crafting and artwork.

Hikaru no Go, for the uninitiated, is about a boy named Hikaru who discovers a haunted Go board in his grandfather's attic. The ghost haunting the board, Sai, attaches himself to Hikaru when he realizes the boy can see him in the hopes that Hikaru will allow him to play Go. The story follows Hikaru's journey from a reluctant participant in Sai's obsession with Go to a strong professional Go player who has developed his own style and passion for the game.Of course, this is actually considerably less important to know when reading Vol. 16 which is largely concerned with Isumi's personal journey to become a better Go player after having failed the Pro test yet again. This volume stands pretty well on its own as Isumi takes a trip to China with his old study group for a series of goodwill games. After the games have ended, Isumi makes the decision to remain in China at the association in the hopes that continuing to study there for a bit longer will allow him to better himself as a player. As it happens, he stays much longer than originally intended and during that time he becomes a stronger player both by playing others and by finally coming to understand the mental roadblocks and pressures that kept him from truly excelling and becoming a Pro previously.All in all, Isumi's story is a much needed and welcome departure from the heavy drama that weighed down Vol. 15 and having his journey dovetail into Hikaru's story when he returns to Japan and discovers that Hikaru seems to have given up Go is a masterful move. Isumi's request to play a single game with Hikaru to make up for the game they played at the previous Pro test allows Hikaru to discover something he might never have realized otherwise and gives them both the closure that they need to move forward.

The story sagged in Hikaru no Go #15. It picks up a bit here.

Yumi Hotta, Hikaru no Go, vol. 16: The Chinese Go Association (ViZ, 2010)With Hikaru vowing to retire until Sai comes back, Hotta spends much of this volume focusing on Shinichiro Isumi, who took the pro test with Hikaru and friends last year, but got flustered and lost three in a row, resulting in his elimination. On a trip to China, Isumi visits the Go Association, where he gets into a pickup match with a pre-teen named Zhao and is beaten badly. He vows to stay on in China and improve his game to the point where he can at least beat the kiddies--and is then told that Zhao is one of the best players in China! If he can beat Zhao, he's certainly got a chance in this year's pro test... the series remains as good as always, and it was nice to see the focus on a previously minor character for a bit. Bonus points for Isumi's Richard Kern T-shirt! *** ½