Hikaru No Go Questions And Answers

  Difficulty: Expert   Keywords: Question

Question: Can anyone tell me the name of the song starting at the 8min mark on this episode [ext] http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGsAPhWZdCM Its not part of the OST 1 or 2.


Question: Does anyone have a comprehensive timeline of events in the manga? A few things seem off, but I'm not sure of Japanese school terms, so that may be throwing off my time estimates. I'm asking because the time from the game between Hikaru and Akira at Kaio and the first pro game they play seems longer than the 2 years, 4 months that Akira mentions on the day of the pro game (just by a month or two). Three pro exams occur between the spring match and their game, giving two years (Akira passes to Isumi passes). But shouldn't more than 4 months have passed between the tournament and the end of the Akira's pro exams? Also, hasn't more than enough time passed for Hikaru to have reached 2-dan at the end of the series? Sure he missed two or three months, but between his return (late July-ish?) and the next May, wouldn't he have gained the points? Waya is a 2-dan after 9 months as a pro (says he's 2-dan in 149, and 150 is in December). Five more months pass by time the Hokuto cup comes around, but Hikaru is still 1-dan.

MMan? The (now defunct) Oteai considered results over a year or so, so those forfeits of his would hold him back for a year wrt promotion.


Question: Could someone tell me which characters hold which titles? I know Touya Koyo quit which caused the titles to go all wacky, but which ones do we know?

Willemien An attempt (between brackets the volumes of the manga) entries marked with a ? are not checked yet, feel free to add and to correct when refering to the anime use match ?? or episode??

Meijin

Judan

Honinbo

Tengen

  • Toya Koya game 1? (1) till game 119 (14)

Oza

  • In game 47 (5) Zama Sensei is Oza.
  • In game 97 (12) Zama Sensei and Toya Koya play for this title. (I suppose he wins because in game 98 he gets congratulated with his fifth title)
  • In game 119 (17 p 124) mentions the Oza as one of Toya Koya's titles (Judan, Meijin, Tengen, Oza , Gosei)

Gosei

  • Toya Koya till game 119 (14)

Kisei

  • Ichiryu.

Question: Just tell me now, plain (since it's not said anywhere apparently), how many episodes of HNG manga is there? I read volumes 1 thru 23 (ep. 1-189) and in the end there's this kind of "that way they will link the future to the past yadda yadda yadda" ending and it says "Hokuto Cup end". Is this the absolutely last HNG manga? It took me only like a week to read them all, there must be more somewhere... (btw the TV series is just crap imho, read the real thing, for you who like to watch telly). I also read the Sai spec, vol18 sidestory and Extras.

Hikaru79: Unfortunatly, despite the 'cliffhanger' ending, 189 chapters is indeed all there is to the HnG manga :( If you have also read all the omake's and side stories, etc., then you have read all there is to read. Sorry =/


Question: I have been watching the fansubbed anime the last few days. It's translated rather badly, with lots of spelling errors and stupid mistakes like consistently spelling Akira as "Arika". Are there better rips floating around on the net, or are they all like this ? (Image quality is fairly good though.)

sergio0p Can you tell wich fansub version you refer?

Elitefansubbers and Realfansubbers? I have those.

Question: Has there been any word that the manga/anime series will continue? And was there ever an explanation of why it ended?


Question: I have just watched the last episode (75). Does the manga storyline go further than ep 75 in the anime?

Answer: Yes it does. The manga goes much further. There is a HnG special that covers SOME of this, but not all. I'm hoping for a final special that ends the series correctly(where the manga did). ---MrShin


Question:

kritz available in the USA yet?

Hikaru79: The manga is already being featured in Shonen Jump. The anime is still to be released (on DVD). I don't think the anime will ever be aired on American television -- it's too esoteric. =/ Meh. Just as well, I suppose-- I don't think I'd be able to stand walking around my schoolyard and seeing little kids going "I'M HIKARU!! I'M GONNA USE MY KOMOKU ATTACK! RAWW!" -_-;;

-I've read that Cartoon network is adding it to their line up July 17 of this year (2006).


Question:

Tualha: In the Hikaru no Go manga, Chapter 4, Akira says there are "8 crowns". He seems to be talking about Japanese titles. Were there eight then? Mistranslated? Anyone know?

Answer

SAS: Perhaps "8 crowns" includes the Fujitsu Cup, which the Nihon Ki-in seems to rank above the Gosei (judging by the list on the web page linked at BigTitles).

Tualha: I just noticed, near the end of Chapter 61, Isumi mentions the "Student Meijin, Student Honinbo, and Student Juuketsu" titles (in reference to Kadowaki). Is there a Juuketsu title? Google came up empty...

mAsterdam: [ext] Cho Chikun's profile says " 1975: 12th Pro Juketsu (Best Ten) Title", but I don't know how to read that.

HolIgor: There was a tournament called "Best Ten". There is similar tournament for the best ten new players in Korea nowadays. Ten players a divided in two five player leagues and then the winners of the leagues meet in the final title match.

Dieter: I made Juketsu alias for Pro best ten. Correct if mistaken.

GoTraining: The titles are as follows: Kisei, Meijin, Honinbo, Gosei, Judan, Tengen, Oza. They have a series of Cups as well. In addition, they also have the Top Player, top 10 players, etc.


Question:

In an effort to open a bit of discussion, I present a theory:

Early on in the manga, Hikaru perfectly reproduces a Go board that he's only seen once, very briefly. He plays three simultaneous games, then writes his first three kifu from those games from memory. He plays one-colour Go without losing track of the stones, and is nearly able to produce 4 ties on four boards simultaniously the first time he tries it.

Now, skip back to when Akira is forced to play Blind Go against fellow Go club members: someone says that blind Go is difficult even for a pro player.

Hikaru's memory is phenomenal, and blind Go requires this skill. Is this foreshadowing? Will Hikaru play a game of blind Go and win with ease?

Answer (Sort of): Ok, I am just a low-kyu player but I have already played one-color go on a 13x13 and replayed some games. Actually, if you look at correct pages of Sensei's Library, you'll see that one-color go is hard but not impossible while blind-go seems really impossible. The reason is that you remove visual tips. E.g. recreating a game is just replaying some moves and following josekis or classical replies. To do that, you just need to remember special moves like fuseki moves and tesujis. To play a one-color go game, you have to concentrate on marking one's stones and remembering shapes. To play blind-go, you remove the board AND the stones so you have to remember everything. You don't even have a empty board to get visual tips. So, Hikaru won't probably do better than Akira for blind-go.


Question:

I'm sure that this has been asked before, many times, but I'm not an anime junkie (never have been, really); I can live without anime as long as there's manga! ^___^x

Anyway, the result is that I finished Toriyamaworld's supply of Hikaru no Go in only 48 hours. So, I was wondering - where can I find English translations/scanlations/scans of chapters 131-the most recent chapters?


Question:

In my attempts to feed my family's addiction, I came across an anime of the 6th extra chapter (the one with the antique pottery shop). Is there a subbed version of this? Does anybody know when it was aired? It is rather loosely adapted from the manga, which I have read in its Chinese translation.

barry

Answer- MikeNoGo: That special anime was created at the same time as the first episodes of the anime in order to be shown in Fall '01 at a touring version of Jump Festa, an annual festival (hence the name) put on by Shueisha every December with stuff from their Shounen Jump properties and panels with the authors. It was later released on video as part of a sort of Jump giveaway thing, not for sale. Hotta-sensei was the one who penned the story, so she decided to reuse it in the manga many months later as the Sai extra chap. This was a very disappointing move to me, since this chap was to be Sai's last hurrah and Hotta-sensei got lazy and reused something that wasn't even really about Sai that much.

Answer 2: This episode is available subtitled in English by [ext] RealFansubbers and is listed as Episode 64. Also, Episode 66 is another similar flashback episode where Touya Akira plays the winner of the Children's Meijin tournament. Reinhardt

Response to Answer 2: The original video was slightly different to episode 64. Most of the differences were relatively trivial, but in the original there was considerable mention made of the resemblance of the little girl to a girl that Sai used to play with 1000 years ago. I thought that it was a shame that this got left out. Barry

MrFigFace? Can ANYBODY please tell me what the song is that they play at the end of the special edition? The one that goes «Yarikake no shukudai wo ki ni shiteru, itsu datte kokoro wa sonna kanji demo, Seikai wa nai tte kimi kara iwarete jiyuu ni nattanda...» that is seriously the best song in the world!!! Any leads? If anybody wants an mp3 I'll gladly post it.


Question:

Why haven't we seen a ko yet?

Answer:

We did: the match between Mitani and Kishimoto in the inter-school competition, remember?

Answer: Wasn't the san-ko the main point of that theater omake in manga 6? It had to do with some story about how three ko represent misfortune ...

Answer: I think in his first game with Hikaru, Akira sacrifices a group to win a ko. That's why his group dies. They don't explicitly mention the ko, though. -- Chris Hayashida


Question: I noticed in Episode 101 (the beginner pro game), Hikaru asked Sai to win by 15 pts which Sai was unable to do.

Now, the game was played with reverse 5.5 pt komi, so a 15 pt win would require a 10 pt on the board win. Since standard komi is 5.5 pts, it is to be expected that even players will achieve a 5-6 pt win on the board as B. Ok so far?

Sai learned go in the era before komi so a win as white (I never lost as Black) required the board to be in jigo or better, which effectivly means Sai can catch up at least five points on the board against a top pro. i.e. Sai is about 5 pts better than the top pros.

Putting this together, Sai will be 5 pts ahead from playing first, 5 pts ahead from reverse komi, and 5 pts ahead because he is brilliant. I.e. Sai did not need to handicap his play.

--Corrin

Stefan: Lots of people seem convinced Sai is as good as or better than the present day top pros (also on the TW forum), but I have my doubts about that. To put it differently: great player though he was, I'm convinced Shusaku would lose out to Cho Chikun or Yoda. (Which reminds me I saw Episode II yesterday evening. Visually stunning, of course, but their plots ain't getting any better!) Even accounting for the 'differences in playing style', hoshi and the likes, that Sai is supposed to have picked up by now.

And in any event: he tried and he lost, didn't he? :-)

Dieter: Similar questions: would Pele have his place in the current Brazilian team ? Would Borg defeat Hewitt ? Would Luke Skywalker defeat Roy Robert McGregor in a swordsfight ? Shusaku was the dominant player of his era AND made substantial contributions to the development of the game. So did Dosaku and Wu. Cho dominated the Japanese scene - impressive indeed. Whether one could beat a player of another era is impossible to answer and therefore irrelevant, I think. Although I agree that comics are better if they have a coherent plot (which I think Hikaru has), it is rather funny to argue about Sai's strength.

Stefan: I see your point, but it is not just a matter of A against B and who is the better player (in my, as always, humble opinion). There is such a thing as evolution of sports and their standards as a whole (I know I said "sports", but please don't get started on go-and-the-olympics). Take world records as an indication - Roberto Salazar was a great marathon runner, but he'd struggle to finish in the top ten of any major event these days. Eddy Merckx dominated his discipline more than Shusaku, but his level is common in today's peloton. Still irrelevant in light of your statement that it's pointless to compare, you say? Ah! But the entire Sai think in Hikaru makes it relevant, I say. :-)

(And Nigel Mansell would whoop Schumi's ass, though.)

TimBrent I do think a Genan, a Jowa, or a Shusaku would easily adapt to komi and the game of today. I also think they'd do very well,after all what a 7-Dan was then would be a 9p today. Also,there are tactics,etc. in their games that could be brought back into the game and effectively used today, such as Fischer did with Staunton's games in Chess. Could a master such as Sai beat say O Rissei? Yes. Basically outside of some josekis and komi,there really is very little difference from the Go of ancient times (Heian and Edo periods) and today. After all, a lot of Shin Fuseki came from people such as Senkaku.

Answer 3: (Chris) I thought the whole point of the game was "how" he played, and not actually what the score was. Sai was playing "like" he was behind by 15 points. He wasn't including komi. In other words, he'd have to win by 20.5 points, including the reverse 5.5 points. IMHO, they are equal strength, and I am looking forward to the rematch. It's just that Sai isn't two stones stronger than Touya Meijin. :)

Answer 4: (JoanPonsISemelis) Shusaku's games are still the ones more studied by pro players or wannabe pro players. They would all have shifted to study more modern players if they thought they played better than Shusaku.

Answer 5: (Vikki) Two things, both an addition to the previous notes: 1) Hikaru asks Sai to play as if he's 15 moku behind, requiring him to make desperate plays that sink him. That's why Sai loses; later Touya Meijin and play an even game over the 'net, and that... well, you'll see. :) 2) By this point, Sai has learned a lot of modern techniques. As Waya mentions when he sees Sai play over the 'net, it's like watching Shuusaku play after he's learned the modern forms of Go. Answer 6 : (Lloyd) before Hikaru came on the scene I heard a discussion of pro players about whether an 'old time' player like Shusaku could play with modern players. They felt that, after 6 or 8 months of seeing the newer play, he would stand with the very best!

kungfu : Answer 5 seems correct. I would also like to add that when Touya played 'Sai' the first few times he noted that 'he slowed down in some odd places'. The reason for this is that he was reading out the modern josekis. The fact that he came up with the correct response and still won the game would indicate Sai is several stones stronger that Touya Akira. Perhaps six. Now, if Touya Akira takes three stones from Touya Meijin, then Sai is only one stone away from God (Cho Chikun says he could take 4 stones with God playing white but also said that he wouldn't bet his soul on the game).

The whole point of Sai is that Sai is someone who is nearly at the divine move - stronger than any human player. With this in mind answer 5 seems correct and also from what I saw in the anime :)

-Kungfu

Zarlan: Not the first few times. The first time. The first time Sai played Akira, Akira noticed that Sai's playing style was old, but even though that he still considered some stones to be placed at strange places.

"His playing style is old... And why does his hand stop at odd places?"

- Touya Akira (chapter 2 of Hikaru no Go)

Not because Sai was unfamiliar with the modern plays. No. It was because Sai was playing shidougo.

- Actually, I had been assuming that the weird delays were due to Shindo counting the intersections, trying to drop the stones at the right place. Sai and Shindo had not yet organized the 'pointing-fan' approach to signaling moves.

Zarlan: He is counting the intersections to know where to play of course but what Akira comments on is the odd places that the stones are played

wmcduff?: I think this is a two fold comment (or at least the anime makes it seem so). Akira is commenting on the odd pauses, caused by Hikaru's counting and lack of instinct on the go board, and then by an odd move that he realizes isn't "the strongest or the best" but is a teaching move.

Keep in mind that a recurring theme is that people are 'running furiously to catch up'. Hikaru to Akira is the most obvious chase, but there's also Akira after Sai, Akira after his father in some respects, and certainly Ogata after Honibou. (My favourite chase. :)

-wmcduff?


Question: (Thomas) In some of the jpg files from toriyamaworld, there are 2 pages of the manga. It sounds stupid, but i couldn't figure out which one to read first, so, here is my question: left page first, or right?

The manga are printed to be read right to left. You read the right page first then left. It is the same as the situation when there are two panels side by side on one page, first the right panel then the left, also the dialog within a panel is read from the right balloon to the left. DaveSigaty


Question: (Agnes) and how do you play at the GBA game ? it is all in Japanese, i'm not able to pass only the first screen...

(question cut and pasted from the main page, by Dieter)

Answer: (jvt) Initially you get to play 2 characters at a very low level. You can choose the handicap and board size (9x9, 13x13 or 19x19), see Hikaru Handheld Game. Meeting other characters, and finishing the game is more difficult. If someone could post translations or a walk-thru it would help a lot!

Jasonred : I've done one and posted it on this site. The walkthrough only though, I can't read enough Japanese to understand most of it. Try Walkthrough for Hikaru-GBA


Question: No one on IRC is willing to help me out, and I only have the first five episodes. I'm well on my way to becoming a Hikaru No Go Junkie. Anyone know any other way to find the rest of the anime?

Thanks!

--Regyt

Answer: They seem to be available at least on the [ext] WinMX network from time to time. Same from Morpheus and KaZaA.

Answer 2: Also, you can try the newsgroup alt.binaries.anime. But the load of the group is pretty high and unavailable in most news servers, so you may need to spend $$ to subscribe to a commercial server to get it. p

Answer 3: Since they turned Napster down (sob!) I use musiccity's client Morpheus ([ext] http://www.musiccity.com) for file sharing. I was able to get some of the Hikaru episodes (but unfortunately not all - sob). But it's quite difficult. You need loooooots of patience! And you shouldn't mind being online for several hours. (BIG M)

Answer 4: If you're really, really desperate, I could burn Episodes 1-9 on 3 CD's and mail them... That'll probably be cheaper than trying to download them via a phone line. Ahh, the joys of cable and Winmx and/or Kazaa :-) (Jan)

Answer 5: (Regyt) I asked on IGS and some nice person sent 1-10 to me via AIM. I'd be glad to pass them on that way, just IM AshtorethD.

Answer 6: I just opened an FTP server for this purpose. Go to [ext] ftp://megablip.com or [ext] ftp://www.megablip.com. User login is "ftp" and just hit enter for the password (there is none). The ONLY UPLOADS allowed at this time are HikaruNoGo, but if you email me first, I might allow something else.-- doulos

Answer 7: (Tomjk) There has been opened recently another ftp server for HikaruNoGo anime download. Check it out at: [ext] ftp://hikago.easynet.de/pub/Hikaru/

Answer 8: (Rainer) I found this ftp server a while back and got everyone up to 64...[ext] ftp://hikago.flirble.org/pub

Answer 9: (DevilsKin) The hikago.flirble server now has the 75 episodes and a special new year episode.

  1. mdh Are these addresses still current? They don't show up in the DNS.

Answer 10: [ext] http://boxtorrents.com has a batch bittorrent with all episodes. The bonus is available there too, I think. (It seems to be down at the moment, but should come back in a few hours or days)

-You can watch them all on <www.youtube.com>, but they aren't downloadable. At least not as far as I know.


Question: Windows media player refuses to play the anime. Where do I find the software for playing the AVI files?

Answer: (jvt) You need a fairly recent media player (such as Windows Media Player 7.1 - download at [ext] http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windowsmedia/download/default.asp). Then install the DivX codec.
([ext] http://www.divx.com/ has DivX version 5.02 --unkx80)

Answer to the Answer: (AGiss) You do not need to have a recent media player, only the right codec is important (notice that installing/uninstalling players (dvd/avi/other) may corrupt your media player, in the way the only solution is to unistall/install media player)

Further Question: (Jan) Does anyone know what codecs etcetera are required to play episode 16? The first 15 played perfectly, but this one gets me a 'Invalid file format' error...

Answer: (jvt) All episodes (1-20) use the same DivX codec. Someone asked the same question on #elite-fansubs a few days ago about HnG19. The file got corrupted somehow during download. I don't know why... It never happened to me.

Jan: Oh well, I'll just download it again :-(

More Answer: The open-source VLC media player plays them: [ext] http://www.videolan.org/


Question: Is the 'room of profound darkness', mentioned in the manga, the Yugen room?

Answer 1: (DaveSigaty) Yes but this is not a very good translation. The room's name is Yugen no Ma in the story. This would be better translated as room of mysteries (in the sense of secret or hidden knowledge). There is a scroll on the wall of the room that reads (I think) Shin-oh Yugen which means something like Deepest (most profound) Mysteries. I think that the proper implication is that this is a room for seeking the most profound mysteries of Go - the kami no itte (God's hand) that Sai seeks.

Answer 2: (jvt) In the anime episode 13, Umezawa Yukari talks about a visit with children to the Yuugen room at the Nihon Kiin. A note explains:

Yuugen is an artistic epitome in Japan, and the room named "Yuugen no Ma" (The Room of Artistic Epitome) is the room in which the top pro games are played.

Answer 3: Yuugen, subtle beauty, is one of the seven major aspects of Zen-based art. (Don't ask me what the other six are because I think I threw out that notebook when I graduated college.) It's the idea behind Noh theatre as well: extremely understated, calm, subtle art. I saw a video that explained this and gave examples of a tea ceremony room that was supposed to exemplify yuugen. It looked remarkably similar to the anime's "Yuugen no Ma."


Question: What exactly is meant by "the hand of god"? Is it something that real players think about? Was it just invented for the series?

--adamzero

Answer 1: (Regyt) As far as I can tell, it's the perfect move. According to combinatorial game theory, for every two player game of perfect knowledge (games where you know everything your opponent knows, with no random chance and no hidden cards), there is a series of moves that will guarantee the win[1]. The perfect series of moves[2]. [3]

It could also just mean divine strength. I read an article somewhere in which a bunch of Go professionals were asked how many stones God would have to give to a professional 9-dan in order to have a fair and fun game. The answer they came up with was that God would need to give the 9p a three stone handicap. To achieve the hand of god, then, is to not need that handicap, in such a situation.

[1]: Actually, that's not necessarily true! Take tic-tac-toe for example: perfect play will only get you a draw there. There are also games in which the second player will win.

However, in Go, you have pass moves which ensure that Black doesn't lose in an even game without komi. If all moves would lead to a loss for Black, he would pass on his first move, and put White in the same position - thereby ensuring a draw (remember: no komi!). (Jan)

Answer 2: To answer the original question, the divine move thing was indeed an invention for the Series, not some pre-existing "Holy Grail" that Go players were already questing for. As stated above, though, it does have analogues to perfect play concepts in game theory.


evpsych: What if W passes after B passes?

Jasonred: Then the game's over. Or it will be, eventually. With a draw. HOWEVER! Go seems to have black, going first and winning in most instances I see of small board go, which I admittedly haven't researched much...

DracMonster?: Uh, not quite. A game officially ends when both players pass (or when there's nowhere left to place a piece, but that almost never happens in practice.) Whoever has the most points wins. Passing when you're behind is effectively concedes the game, since your opponent just has to pass his turn to win. This is the graceful way to end it, continuing to play when you're clearly doomed is considered sore loser territory.


[2]: Scartol has jabbered a bit about this in Scartol/Philosophy of Go. Odd, insofar as he's a total newbie.

[3]: Jasonred - Theoratically, this theory IS true. If you analyse ANY game of Go, you can identify a point at which it all went FUBAR. Or at least a point at which, if you did something else, a loss was no longer certain. It just depends how far back you go. Now, imagine that pro players have an "undo" button in their games, and just at the end of the game, they just go back to that point and do that move over. Then, once THAT game is over, (no matter who won) you keep "working backwards" until you find a "flawless" game, or one in which neither player can see any way to change the outcome. Of, course, the further back you go, the more alternatives are possible. Thus, in reality, after some point working backwards, you'll hit a point where both players get tired of the whole thing. Usually this occurs when they find 4 alternatives which all look equally good/bad/they can't tell. In the end, people have tried this and failed, in chess as well. There's just too many combinations possible, even on a 9x9, for even modern supercomputers to handle.

BUT, it just might be possible for a computer to work out the "hand of god" so to speak. On a 9x9, someone might have almost completed it.

Want to work out your own Go Hand of God? Just work out a game on a 5x5 board... I tried a 3x3, but too many games just end in seki... And then you have to factor in komi as well, AUGH!!!

Confused: Jasonred, it has been done, just have a quick look at the page on small board go. 7x7 is the smallest board, where the perfect game has not been calculated yet.

Answer: (AGiss) It sound like "kami no itte" in the anime. while kami mean god, it- mean one and te mean hand (meaning of the kanjis). but the itte as a whole word mean (referring to the [ext] edict dict.) a monopoly, single-handed, a method, a move (in game) . By seeing that, it seems that The hand of God is just a wrong translation. The right one should be The move of God.

Answer(2): (Vikki) My friend is Chinese, and she says that the idea of 'The Hand of God' originates from a legend in which two godlike characters became locked in battle over a Go board. I don't know all the details, but they were in a stalemate for thousands of years (or something like that). Supposedly, the move that will allow one of them to overcome the other is the move known as 'The Hand of God'.

Of course, she also mentioned that the legend is 'broken' because a guy who knew nothing about Go managed to make the perfect move purely by chance. Personally, I think this reflects (on some level) the innocent revelation of Hikaru after the Touya Meijin vs. Sai game, involving how Touya Meijin could have beaten Sai with only one move.


Trick-Question: Whats wrong with the board position in ep 14 at approx 16:33? ;)

Answer: The two stones at 4-3 and 5-3 get exchanged!

Another one: In episode 34, 13:40, the goban don't look right too! =) --unkx80


Scartol: In the English translation of the manga, before a game, each character says "Please." What's the original Japanese, and is there (I assume) a difference in the meaning? (It feels like an awkward translation.) On a related note -- does anyone else get ticked when the sound effect for the stone clicking is translated into "pa-chi"? What's wrong with the original?

And another thing -- was anyone else disappointed in the way the final chapter of Vol. 11 was told? I expected more celebration from Shindo. Instead, he's just mopey and his face is all twisted in preparation for his next meeting with Touya Akira. I would at least like to have seen Ochi's face when he lost..

moonprince: I bought a copy of Jump Weekly to help me study Japanese. In the original the sound of the stones is 'pachi' and written in katakana.

"HadouKen24?": Pachi is a very literal translation. As someone pointed out elsewhere on this site, it is not uncommon to either whisper a "u" or "i" or just remove it entirely. (The Japanese word for is, "desu" is pronounced "dess") If you whisper the "i" or omit it, the word sounds much closer to the actual sound.

splice: The original Japanese is "onegaishimasu" (お願いします). It can be used in many situations, and does carry a meaning of "please". I think a better translation would be "Good luck" or "Have a nice game", but then not as literal. I haven't read the manga, but I bet pachi was how the stone clicking on the board would have been written. In katakana, obviously, denoting an onomatopoeic word: パチ. It's a type of word that's often used in manga.

HolIgor: I looked at the meaning of the word "negai" in the dictionary. It means hope, wish, desire. "O" is honorific, "shimasu" is a present polite tense of "suru" (to do). Thus the whole phrase means: "I do exercise a honorable hope (or wish)".

It is clear now that taking away all politeness the phrase means "I wish". There is not much difference between "please" and "good luck" after all.

--Just a note, "negai" is the verbal stem of the verb "negau", which in addition to meaning hope, wish, desire, also means request and petition. Given that Japanese is a foreign language, the meaning probably means something in between all of these, something like a wish/petition that you hope will be granted. In the context of Go, my theory is it means something like "I request/wish for a good game", although everything except the request/wish part is implied.

"Onegai-simasu" is the humble polite form of the verb "negau" which is made by taking the verbal stem, adding "o" to the beginning, and appending the polite version of the verb "suru", which is "simasu" onto the end. This is mostly a ritual expression which essentially means "please". It means something like "I humbly make a request", which can be contrasted with a slightly less polite "kudasai" (which is incidentally the stem of the verb "kudasaru"), which means something like "give me" but in an honorific polite way.

Another example of making a humble polite tense: the verb "kaku" which means "to write/draw", the stem is "kaki", so the humble polite tense would be "okaki-simasu". You would only use this when you are writing something down for someone to whom you need to be polite. For example, a humble little kyu ameteur recording a pro's game, "kifu o okaki-simasu".

Incidentally, if you are speaking to someone whom you want to be especially polite too, you could use the humble polite version of the verb "suru", which is "itasu". "Onegai-itasimasu" wouldn't be used casually however. Under more casual circumstances, the verb "suru" may be dropped altogether in favor of simply "onegai".

--Your friendly neighborhood stickler for Japanese, who hopes he didn't sound to know it all, and tried his best not to ramble on forever and ever.

Virag0?: Used in a restaurant the expression "onegai-shimasu" is essentially a jocular vernacular "Let us get on with it".

nobody special?: I'm surprised that no one here has mentioned that "Onegaishimasu" in this sense is basically short for "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu." I know the full phrase has been said in a few places. I have seen yoroshiku onegaishimasu used in dozens of similar situations. It means "Please [look on me] favorably," and is used when you meet someone for the first time, when you are brought into a new working or team situation, when you begin a competition, etc. The idea behind it is "Take care of me, treat me honorably and fairly, and let our relationship be what it should be." It's often translated as "Nice to meet you," "Nice to be working with you," "Take care of me," or, in this sort of rival situation, "Good luck" or "Let the best man win."

tps12: "Pachi" is also the sound made by pachinko.

Syb: In the chinese version it's translated into something like "please show and guide me". Politeness in assuming the superiority of the opponent. The sound effects stayed in katakana.

-In the fansub I saw it was translation as Good Luck.


Warcraft III player's should recognise "onegaishimasu" as like Perfect Play OK?


Question: What is it with this "5" or "55" on almost every of Hikaru´s shirts. Is there something special with this number? --benni

Answer: Sure. Ichi, ni, san, shi, go - one, two, three, four. five.

Addenum: Also, if you see this character on his shirt: 五, it also means five and is also pronounced "go". :-)

Bitti: I asked me this question as well, and thought about the same connection between the pronunciation of "Go" and 5. But in my opionion, although there's a picture playing with this correlation ([ext] http://www.toriyamaworld.com/hikago/gallery/HikaGo62-01.jpg), it can't be the answer. That is because Hikaru's wearing those shirts right from the beginning before he met Sai resp. before he has anything to do with go. And later, when he doesn't even *want* having anything to do with go, he's wearing those shirts too.

So does anyone knows more on this subject?

DaveSigaty: All the shirts really are plays on the pronunciation "Go". Of course in episode 1 he hasn't discovered Go yet - but we all know he is going to, right? After all right from the beginning the name is "Hikaru No Go", yes? :-)

JoanPonsISemelis: There's still 1 more pun on this, as saying that Hikaru was born to play go: his birthday is the 5 of may (the 5th month, and in Japanese months are just numbered).

addendum:(Vikki) On the subject of puns: As Joan said, Hikaru's birthday is on the fifth day of the fifth month, which was also the day when Hikago was first published, which was the date Sai disappeared (Real Time, not plotline). As the manga-ka said: Is May 5th the day of Hikago? ^^x;;

Rainer: Actually May 5th is also the day sai disappeared in the plot line. If you look out of Hikaru's window you see the fish 'banners' that represent Children's Day (Boy's Festival) (japanese holiday) which takes place on, you guessed it, May 5th!


Question: Am I the only one who -- while loving HNG and being a total HikaruNoGoJunkie -- has trouble with the implicit messages in the story? To wit: (1) Two years is a reasonable amount of time to go from complete beginner to professional shodan; and (2) It's a good idea to start a go club, recruit new members, then throw it all away in order to achieve your goal of besting another individual.

The former seems to be another brick in the wall of our society's instant gratification fetish; the latter gives a nod to the maxim of 'go for self, forsaking all others'. Maybe I'm just too critical, but I wish the story were a little more realistic and the characters less single-minded. -- Scartol

I do not see it like that at all, in fact I think the message you should read is

- Two years of constant study under a 9dan Pro will probably bring you to Shodan level if you have the talent for it. - Sometimes you have to make a choice in life between your own achievement and not progressing to please someone else.

Although I do agree on the fact that the characters are too single minded but then again would they progress so much if they weren't? (Darak)

Answer(2): (Vikki) I'd like to address both issues separately. 1) It seems to me that the manga emphasizes how extremely unusual it is that Hikaru has progressed so quickly in Go. Before I read this question I was talking to a friend and exclaiming how amazing it is that Hikaru goes from total Go dunce to Go pro in just two years, so I don't think it's lost on the average reader how amazing and shocking Hikaru is. As to the 'instant gratification' thing, I disagree; I think that Hikaru's brilliance is a reflection of a different message: that Hikaru is meant to surpass Sai, Akira, and Kouyo in reaching for the Hand of God.

2) The second message is a bit more difficult, because I agree with you. ^^x;; There are three things, however, that seem to point the other way; first of all, it's not 'okay'; (1) Hikaru misses his friends once he's left the club and is something of an outcast; (2) he is torn with indecision when he first realizes the consequences of becoming an insei; and (3) he doesn't go wholeheartedly with his plan until Kaga encourages him.

Ultimately, though, I think this aspect of the manga reflects on the Japanese culture and highlights the difference between Western and Eastern mindsets. In Japan, being single-minded and driven to the point of caring about nothing else is ... more accepted than it might be elsewhere. Being successful is more important. (Please, correct me if I'm horribly wrong.)

Kungfu : Speaking as someone who wants to be a pro and who studies Go all the time:

If I played 1 or 2 games every day with a very strong pro (i.e. Sai) I can guarantee you I would be a professional shodan in 2 or 3 years, too! :)

-I think you should also keep in mind that when he started the club, he wasn't planning on going pro. It's not like he helped make the club, while knowing he was going to be leaving soon after. And I don't think he bailed out. I think he realized that this was something he had to do. Life sometimes requires those type of sacrifices(sp?) that seem heartless, but are needed to take you were you want to be in life. And you just have to hope the people around you understand that.

[Daniel} : Remember the episode where Hikaru gets asked if he wants to go bowling with Nase and he declines. He states he just wants to play Go all day. It shows his commitment to the game. Furthermore, hes getting taught by the strongest player every day. Compare that with Morishita's study sessions, which is once a week and with a relatively weaker teacher. Added with Hikaru's natural talent for the game it makes sense.

For ditching his friends. Think about it this way. Pretend you are a star basketball player in middle school that has the talent to be in the NBA and you want to be there. What are the chances of all of your basketball middle school friends going to be in the NBA? Eventually you want to test your own strength and go on to play tougher opponents in high school. Eventually if you are better than your high school teammates you want to go to a college where you can still improve. Sometimes you got to think for yourself than make other people happy.


Question: Does anybody know how many episodes have aired in Japan? I am wondering how many episodes elite fansubs have left to do.

Answer(Sort of): I haven't heard of them stopping it, and the story follows the manga almost exactly. Currently, episode 46 of the anime corresponds to episode 96 of the manga, about a 2 manga per 1 anime episode ratio. If this continues, there will be at least 75 episodes and probably more, as there are currently over 160 published chapters of the manga. They'll be busy for quite some time.

-There are 75 episodes and one hour and a half special.

Can anyone tell me for sure where does HnG New Year Special fits; when should i watch it!?

Thanks...Alex

Stefan: It belongs right after episode 12.

Answer 2 (Chris Hayashida): When I was in Japan (September 13-23, 2002) they were airing episode 49. As of right now (October 11th) episode 46 is out, so it looks like they are still a few behind... By my math, episode 52 aired this week in Japan.

jvt: ??? episode 51 is out on channel #R-F today (October 11th).


Question: Has Sai lost as black? He said that he hadn't before komi was invented, but I sort of lost track in the manga and anime. I thought it might be used as some sort of foreshadowing or to add tension...

Answer: (Vikki) Sai lost once as black in the manga, last I checked, and that was the Beginner Dan series. In that game he was asked by Hikaru to behave as if he were 15 moku behind rather than 5.5 moku ahead, and thus he played a wild, desperate game. So, Sai lost that one time ...

-- Chris Hayashida

One Thing I don't get. Does Sai count the games he played as black when he was a kid and/or still learning. At what point in his GO life did he say. "All of my previous games no longer count. If I don't lose from now on, my record will be flawless when I am black"

Answer: (JD) I assume it is correct to say that he is referring to all games either as a PRO or in competition, i.e., all the salon type or "friendly" or tutoring games do not count.


Question:

On the Toriyama Forum they regularly use MangaTalk like yaoi and bishounen. It probably has to do something with sex. Is anyone familiar with these terms ? Thanks. (I get scolded when I ask there). Dieter

Jurgen: Yaoi is a woman's genre of manga (comic books) and short stories, produced by female artists and writers for the enjoyment of female readers. Bishounen, on the other hand, is a Japanese term relegated to 'pretty boys' and other such, often with regard to the anime genre. I guess Studio Clamp (with titles like X, Rg Veda, ...) is a good example of that. Or is it more Ecchi ?

Brian: That's not entirely accurate. Yaoi usually refers to an explicit male/male relationship (as opposed to shounen ai, which is usually more subtle, though many don't make a distinction between the terms). While yaoi manga/anime is most popular with women, that's not the meaning of the term. A bishounen is indeed a 'pretty boy', a male with feminine features.

There are a number of web pages which discuss manga/anime terms, such as [ext] Anime Academy.

Vikki: 'Yaoi', as Brian pointed out, refers to explicit male/male homosexual relationships. It is actually an acronym, YAOI, which stands for a Japanese phrase ('YAmette, Oshiri Itai!') that literally translates to 'Stop, my arse hurts!' *sweatdrop* 'Shounen-ai' is non-explicit male/male homosexual relationships. It literally translates to 'boy-love'. (You know how one can refer to an erotic story as 'hardcore sex' or something? You could say that yaoi is 'hardcore shounen-ai'.)

You're probably running into these phrases regarding Hikago because a popular 'pairing' is Hikaru with Akira, which is 'shounen-ai'.

Other terms include 'yuri' (female/female hardcore homosexuality), 'shoujo-ai' (female/female non-hardcore homosexuality; 'girl-love'), 'hentai' (pervert(ed) ), and 'ecchi' (perverted act; erotic material). Although 'hentai' translates to 'pervert', it is usually a general term used applied to erotic material - at least on the internet.

And now you know what to watch out for. ^^x;;

Madoka: Actually, yaoi came from yama-nashi, ochi-nashi, and imi-nashi (without climax, ending, and meaning). Although your version is more widely known...

Vikki: Actually, I've heard both, so I think it might be safe to say both are correct ...? (After all, there is a climax ... ^~x;; )

Ida: Small correction, couldn't help but not to make. Yuri refers to all kinds of female/female relationship, whereas, in fact, shoujo-ai refers to female version of pedophilia. At least, in Japan. In the west the meaning mutated somewhere along the way...


Question What is the actual English translation of "Hikaru No Go"?

Stefan: "Hikaru's Go"

The Japanese sentence particle "no" indicates ownership or composition ("A no B" means "B belonging to A", or "B which is a part of A"). It is thus usually translated to the various English possessive forms ("mine", "yours", "his", "Hikaru's", etc.), or "of" with the nouns reversed. Thus, another translation might be "The Go of Hikaru". -- Bignose

Hikaru is also the Japanese verb "to shine." This can be interpreted as "Shining Go" or "Brilliant Go;" which also has the implied meaning that it is Hikaru's playing that is brilliant. --JaisBane?


Question Is it possible to identify manga pros such as Touya Meijin and Kuwabara Honinbo with actual pros? If so, who corresponds to whom?

exswoo: Not really an answer to you question, but it wouldn't surprise me if Hikaru develops into a sort of a Lee Chang Ho-ish player, since his biggest strength seems to be in yose.

Jasonred : This is BOUND to happen... since they have to make the games more dramatic for the readers! Hikaru should be behind for most of the game, then make a recovery in yose. Not quite Lee Chang Ho-ish, but close enough.


Question In the most recent comic (potential spoiler ahead), Sai gets his opponent to resign, then offers to switch sides (captured stones and all), and beats his opponent again. Has anyone ever heard of this actually happening? That would be so tight!

Grauniad: I've read short stories about chess in which this is done as a way to humiliate an opponent.

George Caplan I once did something similar. I was watching a game between two guys about 7 stones weaker, and one of them resigned. I asked if I could take his seat and continue the game. I played one move and his opponent resigned. I then asked to switch with him. I played one move and the original guy resigned again. It was a good lesson in making sure you calm yourself and look carefully at a situation before resigning.


Question Where the heck is Hikaru's dad?

On page 4 of chapter 67 Grandpa mentions his name, Masao, when Hikaru's mom asks what a Go Pro is. She says he'll do some research about it.

His left hand and shoulder appear in one panel on page 20 of chapter 122, and his left foot and ankle appear in another panel on the same page. He mentions Grandpa's loft being burglarized but says he's not going there with Hikaru.

His absence from the story is probably intended to represent how Japanese fathers in general are not very involved with their children's lives.

I guess this is due to the fact that Japanese middle-class fathers usually are so involved with their jobs that they hardly get to see their kids at all.. 10 to 12 hours of work a day, maybe more, and then after-work-parties.

Yoshiki: I think there is a bit of the above, but it has more to do with the storyline; there are already too many "father-like" characters for Hikaru. Sai is the most prominent, who teaches him, leads him, protects him when necessary, and shows examples. The theme of the entire story is a boy overcoming the loss of his father and stands on his own. If there is real father in the picture, it'd dilute it.


HolIgor: There is the rumour that the second part of Hikaru no Go ends with the chapter 189.

Hikaru79: Sadly, this rumor is true. Hikaru no Go ended with Chapter 189 of the manga, and episode 75 of the anime... :(


Question: What kind of clock is used at the Pro Exam? Is it modeled after a real clock (it looks somewhat like a Chronos) or is it completely stylized?

Matt Noonan: I don't recognize the clocks used at the Nihon Kiin in Hikaru no Go, but in the anime when they show games in China they are clearly using Ing clocks. Because of this, I would guess that the clocks shown are actual models.

Christiane?: I think I came across the [ext] line of clocks that stood model to the clocks in HNG. I'm afraid otherwise there is not much detail in the web shop. The particular model from my link does not seem to be suited for go, but the shop owners told me it was some no-name brand made in china (so they probably have other models, too). Hope that helps. :)

Velobici: For the month of January 2006, this [ext] site has what appear to be the same clocks on sale for one-third off list price.

The clock used is the old Citizen DIT-10 (see the manual at [ext] http://www.tic-citizen.co.jp/support/download/manual/index.html), now superseded by the DIT-40.


Question Can somebody explain what the heck this "Hikaru No Go Special Edition" is that has been circulating the fansub rings lately? It's like somebody else made that same side-story about Kaga's teacup or something, with totally different music...any word on its origin?

JohnnyC? It's written above, it's just an early draft of what is now episode 64 that the animators released as a demo. The quality isn't great, but the ending theme is fantastic!!! Does anybody know what it is?

-WAYNE- Hi, I just recently started getting interested in Hikaru No Go, and was wondering how to play it for real. I've only seen it in Shonen Jump and it doesn't tell you how to play. So if you know how to play please email me the rules and how to play at capitonnemo@comcast.net. Thanks.


Question: I have been looking at the Ing rules and it seems some of them would apply to Hikaru no Go. We can wonder what would happen if everyone just switched to Ing rules.

The Ing etiquette is not tapping the board on the side with the stone. I guess Mitani would LOSE the game on Ing rules if it were some kind of an official match.

Also, Ing rules say that proper etiquette means no holding stones between your thumb and index finger. Hikaru would have been screwed in his games vs. Akira :P

The question is, applying the Ing rules, how many things would have changed except for the two things listed?


Question: A librarian friend tells me an English manga (stand-alone, not as part of Shonen Jump) is expected soon. There are several HnG titles on Amazon.com, but there are no details as to what "Hikaru no Go" (published in May) is, vs the same title expected in October, vs "Hikaru no Go, Volume 1" and such. Does anyone know? Thanks...

SirLyric: As of June 2005, four volumes of the manga have been released by Shonen Jump, translated into English but in the original right-to-left format. This includes "games" 1-34.

Amazon is stunningly poor at labeling which volume is which in any useful way, though you can often tell by the picture, which has a large number on it. But, for reference, on the cover vol. 1 has Hikaru in a yellow shirt standing straight, vol. 2 has Sai, vol. 3 has Akira, and vol. 4 has Hikaru in an orange shirt with arms crossed.

It's really much easier to buy the books from [ext] Viz's online store.

Ah, great. Thanks!

ixo111? Volume 5 of the english translation is due to be published in October, 2005 :)


Question: Jurjen? In the series lots of board positions are shown, are those taken from real matches or thought up for the series? Especially the important matches that would show the real strength of the players should come from really good go players. And I wonder if the old style of Sai really shines through his first matches. When my own go skill increases I would like to study some matches from the anime.

Sorry. there is a comparison list to real games on this site already. Nice!

Velobici: There is a hobby of game spotting with regard to HnG. Find a game position in the manga/anime and determine which professional game is shown. Many have been identified to date.


Question: Has there been any attempt to quantify how strong Hikaru and friends are throughout the series? As in Kyu and Dan strength? Edit: before they become pros?

unkx80: Yes. For example, at the end of the series, Hikaru is professional 1 dan while Akira is professional 3 dan (if my memory serves me right).

Velobici: Warning: Nearly all of this is from memory. Shindo 1-dan and Touya 3-dan are their ranks rather than their strength. Touya is winning his new professional game against Zama Oza till he pushes too hard in an effort to create a kifu that will overwhelm Shindo (who is watching the game). Shindo and Touya play a game in the Oteai, during that game Touya thinks to himself that Shindo is reads out a complicated joseki as fast as a 9-dan. There is also an episode entitled The Strongest 1-Dan referring to Shindo, once his period of mourning Sai is over and he returns to the Oteai. The strength of these two is considerably greater than their rank.

George Caplan Velobici's memory is flawless above in all important detail, and fully supports the point he is making. It fails in a minor detail, at least according to my memory. The game against Touya is in a title prelim not the Oteai - remember - Hikaru thanks Kurata for beating Touya last year so in this tournament Touya did not move ahead of him.

Chris Hayashida: At the beginning of the manga, Akira is already a strong amateur. There are multiple instances where other players in the Go salon say that he is already strong enough to pass the pro exam. My estimate is that it would put him in the top ranks of the amateur level, at 6-dan or 7-dan level. I'd guess that by the end of the manga, Akira has gained about three or four stones of strength, since he went from "good enough to be pro" to "strong enough to do well in the major title leagues." Hikaru obviously goes from a complete beginner to a comparable level in a short amount of time, so obviously his level is much harder to track.

Heraclitus?: The question of related ranks in the anime/manga has also bothered me. There are a few points I want to make. First of all, according to people on kgs, the lowest insei in japan is about 5d on kgs, which would put them around 5-7d amateur level (japanese). This is about right since most 1p's in japan and korea nowadays can play tough games with high dan pros, This suggests that playing and learning as an insei will get you to approximately 2/3p in real life. So in order to pass the pro exam, you'll have to at least have a strenght of 2/3p. Second, right at the beginning of the series, when Mitani is recruited, Hikaru and the Go club guys put up a poster that Mitani answered correctly that was supposed to reveal that he was at least a top kyu player. Then, after a while , Shindo plays internet Go with Sai and ends up beating Mitani after summer. Supposing Mitani improved a little, this would suggest that he was at least a dan player when Hikaru beat him, say 2/3d, Hikaru beating him in a 3 way game, and winning by at least 5 point margin would suggest that he would be around 4-6d. This would be the correct guess since the weakest insei is about the same level, around 5-7d, and Hikaru took the Insei exam right after defeating Mitani. Remembering that the insei examiner said Hikaru was a little bit weak at the time of his exam will suggest that he was around 4-6d, a little bit weaker than your weakest insei. During the time when he studied as insei he would finally make it to around 2p at the start of the pro exam, and after defeating Ochi, perhaps about 3p. <Edit> Following the above speculation, Tsutsui would be around 1-5k, Hikaru playing with Akira in the High School tournament would be around 5-10k, since he hasn't won Tsutsui yet, not until the end of the summer, after internet go. Mitani playing at the High School tournament would be about 2d, which makes sense since he resigned against Kishimoto, who was a former insei, about 5-7d, or perhaps less, since his rank may decrease after quitting in the competing atmosphere, making him about 4-6d, two to three stones stronger than Mitani, which explains his confident arrogance. Kaga would be around 3-5d, considering that he lost against Kaio's first board, which was not Kishimoto, but i'm guessing around Kishimoto's strength, 4-6d. Kaga winning against Hikaru in the 3 way game for about 6.5 points would also support the previous idea that Hikaru was about 4-6d, at that time, since it was a 3 way game...(right before insei, refer up). Akira being 5-7d when he beat Kaga at that club event when they were still small kids. 2/3p when he finished the pro exam, which explains the forcing game he had in the shodan/high pro game. Typically, 1p difference in pro rankings refers to 1/3 a stone. Playing against a 9d, and making him think hard, at least proves that the game was equal. Having 5.5 reverse komi and playing Black would give Akira around 11pt advantage, which if about right in terms of an equal game, would prove a strength difference of 2 stones between him and a 9d, which converts to a 6p rank difference, 9-6=3, Akira being 3p at the beginning of shodan. Afterwards perhaps improving to around 4p when Hikaru began the pro exam, supporting the idea of Hikaru being around 2p at that time, since he miscounted 1 game out of the 4 jigo games, and Akira was intentionally presented as successfully completing 4 jigos. Afterwards, Akira would be around 5-7p when he played Ogata, and Hikaru perhaps 4-6p.

-Wow thanks Heraclitus, that was exactly what i was looking for! Nice detailed analysis!

Pallando: I second that! Superb work!

Elom: Here's an analyses I've done, but before you read this I'd just like to point out a few things:

1: I'll use EGF ranks. For the sake of simplicity, assume that AGA and KGS are two stones weaker than EGF and IGS ranks, which is about right (a KGS or AGA 5 Dan = EGf or IGS 3 Dan)

2: Despite the fact that I've researched the strength of insei by using various sources, my judgement may still be incorrect, and I'm not completely sure of the exact timing of the years and months during the manga.

3: In the manga, there are only two classes, A and B, but I think this was done for the story plot (trying to get into in the young lions from the lowest class in two months would be impossible if there were more than two classes) There are usually about 60 insei, and the bottom of the A league/top of b league would be around the bottom of C class in real life. [ext] http://www.nihonkiin.or.jp/player/insei/

4: I've used gooften and 361 points.com insei section to gauhe the strength of insei plus some other source to gaugeu the strength of pros across the spectrum of pro strength (for example, in How strong are pro in 361 points blog.

Start of manga: Hikaru is a complete begginer in the game between Sai and Akira. Sai is technically on par with the top pros, but would be disadvantaged by not knowing komi and using outdated josekis. Akira, at 12, is at least as good as the weakest japanese pros, around EGF 7.5D, to 8D, and 7D is 3 stones weaker than Toya Meijin, a top pro. Akira moved to a 2 stone handicap against his father a bit later in the manga, but the exact point is unknown.

Kaga v Sai: Hikaru, using a little time, solved a 25 kyu or so problem. Kaga's rank, after knowing he could NEVER beat a young Akira who was possibly around 7D~7.5 at the time, puts Kaga at about EGF 5D (sai and the insei instructot both remarked that he was good). We don't have any info on tsutsui's strength

Hikaru v Akira at kids team go tournament: With a look at Hikaru's moves, he seems to be 10k~6k, but it's hard to tell. Kishimoto is around 4.5D, since he could barely get to class A. Mitani is around 1D (Weaker than Dake). Tsutsui might be 7k~3k.

Hikaru playing Simuls, taking insei Exam: As stated above the weakest insei are around KGS 5D = EGF 3D. this is in accordance with the rough estimates of both Antti Tormanen and Sohrin Gherman, who were themselves insei. Kishimoto beat Hikaru without much effort, like he did to Mitani. This would make Hikaru a 2D~3D with a knack for simul go, according to the manga, suggesting hidden talent. As for the simuls, Mitani would be around 2D, Kaga 5D, Tsutsui 1k~5k. At about the same time, Akira takes th pro exam when around 8.5D, making it lucky but not strange to pass undefeated (except from th skipped game) and clear why he'd be even against a top pro (EGF 10D) on reverse komi.

Bottom of A league: Hikaru is around 5D, but beat Waya, 7.5D, when Waya lost focus.

16th in A league: Hikaru is around 6D

Start of pro exam: Ochi, Waya, Shindo and Honda are 7.5D~8D, the strength of an average 1p~3p. Isumi is at Akira's start-ofmanga strength 8D.

End of Pro exam, shinshodan series: Hikaru is Closer to 8D, Akira is at least 9D since his father moved him from a 2 stone handi to a 1 stone handi.

Hikaru v Akira: Akira is 9.5 Dan, 0.5 stone weaker than his dad and other top pros, Hikaru is 9D

This incomplete, more is coming soon. Suggest any corrections and points in the manga where you'd like to know peoples strength.


Question: Where can be Hikaru no Go's music found? Or just a list of songs.

Phelan: If you search Google for [ext] Hikaru no Go OST(Official Sound Track), or something similar, you'll probably find it.

This is a list of the opening and ending themes, taken from [ext] Anime News Network:

Opening Theme:

   #1: "Get Over" by dream (eps 1-30)
   #2: "I'll Be the One" by HAL (eps 31-60)
   #3: "Fantasy" by Nana Katase (eps 61-75)

Ending Theme:

   #1: "Bokura no Bouken" by Kids Alive (eps 1-12)
   #2: "Hitomi no Chikara" by Mizuki Arisa (eps 13-30)
   #3: "Sincerely ~ever dream~" by dream (eps 31-46)
   #4: "Days" by shela (eps 47-63)
   #5: "Music is My Thing" by Dream (eps 64-74)
   #6: "Get Over ~Special Mix~" by dream (ep 75)

Tamsin: Hi! please can somebody identify me the wonderful music in the background in various episodes of HNG, starting around episode 5. It sounds very much like Mahler, and it appears whenever Hikaru has a moment of awakening. I need to go out and buy the CD right away, but first I want to know what it is. Please help me, oh please do!!! And quickly!

pwaldron: The composer is Megumi Wakakusa. The music from Hikaru No Go has been released on two CDs. Best of luck.


I lately stumbled over a HnG-clip that features some scenes not shown in the anime - see, for instance, [ext] http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9182754767691313845&q (Hikaru plays Morishita, Sai hands him his fan..) . Now, I'd really like to know more about that video, in particular whether there are any additional episodes available after the end of the anime. I can't quite tell whether its just a music video (the MTV sign may hint at that) spiced up with HnG-goodness, or whether its advertising for new material. The video is actually not so new, but I've gotten so curious by now that I'd really like to know.

Does anyone have more information concering that?

-- Pallando

There is an additional episode: The New Year Special. Look here: [ext] http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=hikaru+no+go+new+year+special


Question: Has anyone drawn a graph of the ranks/ratings of the characters against time/episodes?

IIRC, they never mention any ranks until after the characters go pro; all the time as students and insei they just say "he seems strong", etc. Once they become pro I don't think the go further than 2d or 3d (not completely sure). So the graph wouldn't be too interesting, i don't think. emeraldemon


Question: Why is there such a big fight about the cheating of Sai in the first episode of HnG? There are only 3 white stones caught so far, so it should be easy for Sai to prove that his opponent was cheating. This whole sequence makes no sense....

Answer: That's true, if they were allowed to discuss it. However, their master didn't allow this, saying that he didn't believe such behavior would possibly be perpetrated in his presence.


Question: When we first see Isumi playing at the Chinese Go Association, it looks like the captured stones are being lined up next to the board on the table rather than in a lid (there seems to be no lid). Is this actual Chinese practice?


Question: Has anyone composed a list of differences between the manga/anime world of Hikaru no Go and the real go world in Japan? One obvious example, which serves as a plot driving point in HnG, is that inseis cannot play in amateur tournaments, which is not true (at least nowadays, insei can and do participate in amateur tournaments). What other (big) differences are there?

Question_: Can Anyone tell me what type of fan and tassel Hikaru's Fan is? This has been bugging me for a long time and i really want one of those for myself. Thanks.


Hikaru No Go Questions And Answers last edited by 2001:067c:2d50:0000 on September 15, 2020 - 22:26
RecentChanges · StartingPoints · About
Edit page ·Search · Related · Page info · Latest diff
[Welcome to Sensei's Library!]
RecentChanges
StartingPoints
About
RandomPage
Search position
Page history
Latest page diff
Partner sites:
Go Teaching Ladder
Goproblems.com
Login / Prefs
Tools
Sensei's Library