Hikaru no Go, Vol. 9

by Barbara KelleyThis is a fantastic series, both as a manga and as an anime. I found a difference between the two methods: the anime shows Sueyong Hong, the twelve-year-old Go player from Korea as speaking English; however, the manga shows the words in parentheses as English, but being translated from Korean by an older man, so that Shines will understand what he is saying. I like the Funimation anime version better in that instance. Otherwise, the manga and anime are perfectly alike. This is the first actual episode of the beginning of the Pro Test. Only four guys have won all six of their first Pro games (28 in all): Ochi, Isumi, Waya, and Shindo. I plan on reading Volume 10 next. I gave this volume 5 stars!

Yumi Hotta, Hikaru no Go: The Pro Test Begins (ViZ, 1998)The pro test is finally here, and Hikaru's ready for it. Meanwhile, Toya, playing in a Go festival, is asked to throw a game he's playing with a minor government official (this seems to be common practice, rather than any sort of ethical violation, as we might see it in America); can he overcome his own pride enough to do it? Hikaru and a couple of his friends start playing against adults in Go salons in order to improve their game, and the owner of one sets Hikaru a challenge which might improve his skills faster than ever. Unfortunately, though, he inadvertently insults a Korean insei, and the fallout from that leads him to what may be his most challenging game yet. You wouldn't think a comic about a game as sedate as Go could be as gripping as this, but it is. A fine piece of work, as usual. ****

Not in good condition there are stickers all over the book and lots of yellowing