Rewatch Hikaru no Go 25th Anniversary Rewatch: Episode 21 Discussion
The Twenty-First Match: The Haze Jr. High Go Club
◄ Episode 20 | Index | Episode 22 ►
Series Information:
Streams:
Purchaseable:
On Apple TV or Prime Video.
Proverb of the Day:
Tsumego of the Day:
Today's theme: Life and Death!
Questions of the Day:
- Mitani tries to force Hikaru to stay, while Kaga pushes him to leave the go club. Was either of them in the wrong?
- How long could you sit on top of your knees in a seiza position?
Rewatchers, remember there are first-timers present!
Be careful not to spoil anything that hasn't happened yet in the show. If you wish to discuss something in the future, make sure to hide it under spoiler tags.
Spoiler tags work like this:
[Hikaru no Go]>!Sai is cute.!<
Which becomes: [Hikaru no Go]Sai is cute.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 15d ago
Rewatcher
ep 21
I can't believe we're almost a full season in.
- It's always Touya Touya Touya with this guy
- and Kaga just HAPPENS to show up.
- It's weird how supportive Kaga is, he has no way of knowing if Hikaru has really improved enough to be an insei.
- I forgot about the 3 game kifu, and he just HAPPENS to play 3 games
- have Waya and Hikaru met before? I think no?
- They draw it, but it didn't register that you had to play in seiza. That's like playing with heavy metal on the PA.
If there's been two consistent things about Hikaru, it's that he's impulsive, and that he's selfish.
Poor Akari is stuck in a parasocial relationship. Now she's playing go just because Hikaru plays go. Somewhere else in the world.
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u/No_Rex x2 15d ago
have Waya and Hikaru met before? I think no?
Not personally, but Waya played online go.
If there's been two consistent things about Hikaru, it's that he's impulsive, and that he's selfish.
Poor Akari is stuck in a parasocial relationship. Now she's playing go just because Hikaru plays go. Somewhere else in the world.
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u/cppn02 15d ago
It's weird how supportive Kaga is, he has no way of knowing if Hikaru has really improved enough to be an insei.
Clearly he's Hikaru's biggest fan and has secretly been following his progress.
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u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 14d ago
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 14d ago
It's weird how supportive Kaga is, he has no way of knowing if Hikaru has really improved enough to be an insei.
He may just have a reach-for-the-stars attitude.
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u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 14d ago
have Waya and Hikaru met before? I think no?
I was surprised when they passed each other without reacting too, but then I remembered he only knows Hikaru through his match with "Sai" online.
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u/wloff 15d ago
Rewatcher and your host, E-F subs
Kaga has had such a turnaround with me from that first introduction we had for him, when he stuck chewing gum on the go board and nearly had a fight with Hikaru! I love him now.
It's no doubt because he's both the captain of the shogi club, as well as a very strong go player, but he clearly understands how rare it is to actually have the talent to push for becoming an insei, and becoming a pro. And much like Kishimoto, he understands that you can't stop to worry about things like your school go club if that's what you want to do.
And he's the only one with enough attitude to deal with Mitani, who wants to stop him..
I'm sure both Tsutsui and Mitani understand it too, in their heart of hearts at least: Hikaru is progressing beyond just their school club. But while Tsutsui reluctantly knows they shouldn't try to hold him back, Mitani is bitter about his own tournament dream vanishing before his eyes.
I love the storytelling with the three-way simul. How Hikaru after the initial shock grows more comfortable and focused, and how little by little, everyone -- us viewers included -- understands just how far Hikaru has already progressed, beyond the school club.
And while Akari doesn't want to quit go or let the club die...
Oh, and what a medley of fantastic tracks during the games! The slap bass in this one is so good.
What a first day for the new club member to experience, by the way.
At least Hikaru's mom is willing to pay for his insei exam, even if she apparently still has no idea what the whole insei program even is! But I guess it's Hikaru's only hobby that costs money, so makes sense that a good parent would be open to supporting him with it.
Hey, it's Waya! ...which means he's still an insei, so he didn't pass the pro exam this year.
[Future HikaGo]There's something fun about seeing Hikaru enter this floor for the first time and look around timidly and curiously, when you know it's a place that's going to become very familiar for him soon enough!
Good to see Hikaru is still a bit of a dum-dum. Surely he should've realized that the whole point of bringing three kifu was to bring games where he did really well, to show his skill? Not three random games he played at the same time?
Well, his mother is not very optimistic, but Waya is. We'll see!
QotD1: I can understand Mitani's feelings, but he's also being very selfish. Whether it's a game or anything else, I think if someone has talent and passion for something, they should be encouraged and supported to chase their dream. I love what Kaga is doing here.
QotD2: I don't think it's as bad as Hikaru makes it sound... but I also wouldn't want to play a whole long game of go sitting like that!
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 15d ago edited 15d ago
I love the storytelling with the three-way simul. How Hikaru after the initial shock grows more comfortable and focused, and how little by little, everyone -- us viewers included -- understands just how far Hikaru has already progressed, beyond the school club.
The soundtrack's shift in atmosphere also went a long way to convey that so effectively, yeah.
Mitani is bitter about his own tournament dream vanishing before his eyes.
More bitter about Hikaru abandoning the reason why he pulled Mitani into the club against his will, me thinks.
I don't think it's as bad as Hikaru makes it sound... but I also wouldn't want to play a whole long game of go sitting like that!
Try it before making such claims
Surely he should've realized that the whole point of bringing three kifu was to bring games where he did really well, to show his skill?
Nah, I'm sure it's just a test that they know what a kifuu is
Well, his mother is not very optimistic, but Waya is. We'll see!
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u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 14d ago
Kaga has had such a turnaround with me from that first introduction we had for him, when he stuck chewing gum on the go board and nearly had a fight with Hikaru! I love him now.
I know, right? When did Kaga become one of the most entertaining characters in this? I would not have believed it after that obnoxious intro.
What a first day for the new club member to experience, by the way.
I forgot it was this poor dude's first day. So much drama...
Hey, it's Waya! ...which means he's still an insei, so he didn't pass the pro exam this year.
Oh right, I didn't make the connection. Well, it'll be interesting to see him play against Hikaru, and maybe even notice a similarity between his style and Sai's.
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 15d ago edited 15d ago
Rewatcher
They're really going all-out for the directing in this scene. A massive Dutch angle, blue filter (and in a diegetic way!), three-fold visual isolation between Hikaru, the male club members who know about insei, and the female club members who don't know... Being reminded that insei can't play in amateur competitions really came as a shock to Hikaru. To everyone, really, and tensions are high. Mitani in particular sees Hikaru not playing in the tournament as a betrayal.
And just at that moment, Kaga oh so conveniently barges in. Having an outside opinion of someone who's not emotionally invested in the outcome really comes in handy in a situation like this, especially from someone who knows to assess the situation and can give informed advice of his own. And for Hikaru, remaining in the go club means stagnation. Becoming an insei and pursuing Akira is the right path to take for him, but none of this erases the attachments that have build up over the all this time. I suppose that's a Buddhism lesson crammed in here, huh?
Given all this tension, I'm really surprised that they went for this upbeat soundtrack as soon as they started playing their games. I suppose the atmosphere has shifted from doubt to momentum, and it actually matches the circumstances of those games in particular: Playing three opponents at once, Hikaru has no time to worry about the tension on any one particular board. He just needs to play by instinct for the most part, three times as fast as the others are playing.
Alas, Akira would've been able to do this blindfolded
And in the meantime, Akari makes her decision. She won't play go just for Hikaru, but start treating it as an endeavor for its own sake. Hikaru isn't making excuses to run away from what he must do, so she's not running away either!
And just like that, Hikaru got himself his three game records! One of them's a loss, though... And Mitani is thoroughly crushed. He gave it the best he could in a desperate attempt to cling on to Hikaru, and yet it wasn't enough even when Hikaru's attention was divided in three. His pond really is too small to contain a big fish like Hikaru in.
Wait, we're getting to the test this episode already? And here I was all prepared for the ending song to start playing!
I so understand Hikaru's exasperation... There was a time when I tried to learn sitting in seiza. The first 20-30 minutes are total hell, especially towards the end of that time. After that it kinda gets easier, but it's actually standing back up that then becomes even more torturous... But hey, even his mom was impressed when he sat down like that!
It's really impressed that the examiner can just read a kifuu just like that. I'd be totally lost. I guess that's why nobody pays me for playing go. But using recordings of games he played simultaneously really isn't doing Hikaru any favours now, considering it makes his play look much weaker than it actually is.
Are we gonna have to do all tsumego puzzles simultaneously today?
Aaaand catbox crashed just as I was about to upload my screenshots. Imgur it is for today, then.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 15d ago
Alas, Akira would've been able to do this blindfolded
oh that's a good callback, I had forgotten. There's such a wide gulf between the two.
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 15d ago
I do want to learn blindfold chess. I keep making calculation mistakes and I imagine that would go a long way to fix that.
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u/wloff 14d ago
It's really impressed that the examiner can just read a kifuu just like that. I'd be totally lost. I guess that's why nobody pays me for playing go.
I wonder if that's realistic... I'm sure you can get better at it if you do it for years, but man, I replayed quite a lot of games from books back in the day, and even when they print "only" 100 moves in one diagram, it'd be completely hopeless without actually playing it out on a board.
It's okay-ish when you know where to look, but then someone plays a random forcing move on the other side of the board, and I spend minutes going "where the hell even is move 69", and by the time I finally find it I've completely lost the mental image of the game in my head.
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 14d ago
It's most certainly realistic, and should be outright trivial for anyone who can play a game blind. It just doesn't follow the kind of linear notation that a novice would be used to—and I think that non-linearity is really a massive strength even at the cost of upping the bar for entry somewhat, because non-linear thinking and organisation is highly correlated with stronger comprehension of the material.
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u/TradingStoicly 15d ago
First Timer Subbed
I'm starting to fall in love with this anime. I only started this Rewatch bc I'd been meaning to watch HnG for years but never sat down to do it. Now I'm glad I'm watching it and learning more about Go. I'm really excited to see how good Hikaru gets. He's made so much progress in just a year. It inspires me to continuously work hard and get better at everything that I want to achieve. He's definitely becoming an Insei that's for sure!
QOTD: 1. None of them were in the wrong. They both have their perspectives on what Hikaru should do but I will say that Yuki was selfish in wanting him to stay while Kaga wasn't. There's nothing wrong with either though 2. When I visited Japan for Study Abroad, I had to formally sit at times but it was horrible lol. I have bad knees even then so it was really hard. If I had to do it now, I could probably only last 10 minutes lol
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u/zambonijesus 14d ago
Rewatcher, manga reader, subs
I mentioned this in yesterday's thread, but repeating it again here: I really like how after setting up Kaiou as a goal to defeat, it's now recognized to be too small of a goal without ever having been completed. I also think that Mitani has a right to feel aggrieved by Hikaru, even if he's immature about it. I appreciate how they've made it a genuine choice with real consequences.
Hikaru's mom continues to be the best character.
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u/is-this-a-nick 14d ago
Yeah, love his mom, and the whole "skipping goals" thing hits part of how this series works for me.
Lots of sport anime/manga (or related) feel the need to keep the same people around the whole time, and in the end it feels ridiculous to (overexaggeration) have like half of wimbledon being filled by tennis players from the same grade school.
Hikaru is not dragging his school club mates along towards being a pro player. Because thats not how it works.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ 14d ago
it's now recognized to be too small of a goal without ever having been completed
Now some irony in my observation that the Kaiou club room is full of darumas.
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u/No_Rex x2 15d ago
Rewatcher
Not participating, but loosely following along. I mentioned early on that I binged a bit of HnG. Turns out, I watched till about this episode (well, technically also the next and then a few later ones). This is a good moment to add a few thoughts, because I think both the good and the bad side of HnG's storytelling have become clear by now.
Overall, I like the anime, but it is not masterpiece class for me. Let me give one argument for each side of that sentence. What HnG does extremely well, is setting up sportive rivalries. Literally better than any other anime I know, and it is not close either. After only one single episode of setup, the Hikaru-Akira rivalry starts right away in episode 2. Well, technically, Akira's rivarly is with Sai, but he doesn't know that. What you don't initially know then, but do know now, is that it is two sided, because Hikari runs after Akira just like Akira runs after Hikari/Sai. However, it does not stop there. We have Mitani and Hikari. We even had conflict between pure side characters with Tsutsui vs Kaga and Tsutsui vs Mitani. And this is just 2 cours in, still plenty of room for potential other rivalries [HnG]We will indeed get more. Including one that, err, rivals Hikari vs Akira, namely Sai vs Touya Sr.
Yet this episode also shows the darker side of HnG: Its relentlessly selfish main character. Hikari's treatment of Akari always rubbed me the wrong way, and Mitani is not wrong when he points out how Hikari forcefully dragged him into the Go club for his own selfish reasons, only to now leave the Go club for his selfish reasons. [HnG]And we will get another heartbreaking version of this when Sai disappears. It would be ok if this was a character study, but it never felt that way to me. I believe that Hikari was planned as a plucky protagonist that the younger audience can identify with. He starts low, learns Go, gets better ... all in line with an audience character. I don't even think that Hikari does a bad job as protagonist. He asks the needed questions, pushes the plot along, and basically works as a central hub for the character web. However, he never rises above standard shonen MC for me, which holds my evaluation of the series back from being even higher. [HnG]I wish I could say that we'll see him change in the following cours, but he basically stays like this until the epilogue arc, after Sai.
The real standout character in this is Sai, not Hikari [HnG]which is also the reason I dropped my binge watch here. I like the Insei arc far less then the start (and climax). It basically relegates Sai to bystander and I am just not invested enough in the new insei crowd for it to compensate.
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u/cppn02 15d ago
First Timer, subbed
Kaga is back! I liked how he was supportive of Hikaru becoming an Insei. And in one fell swoop he showed the other kids in the club that Hikaru has outgrown them and he got Hikaru to get three Kifu's to take to his exam. I'll never get tired of Hikaru showing off his ability to remember every move played.
We also have another Waya sighting. With him still an Insei we'll likely get to see quite a bit more of him. I wonder if the topic of Sai will come up again.
QotD:
Mitani tries to force Hikaru to stay, while Kaga pushes him to leave the go club. Was either of them in the wrong?
I guess you could argue that Mitani was wrong but he was clearly acting emotional and we also shouldn't forget that he was basically forced to join the club by Hikaru only for Hikaru to no leave them.
How long could you sit on top of your knees in a seiza position?
Two minutes?
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u/wloff 14d ago
I'll never get tired of Hikaru showing off his ability to remember every move played.
It's a cool little quirk to give to Hikaru! It shows everyone that wait, maybe there is something special about this kid, but it's not the kind of superpower that should give him some crazy advantage in his own games.
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u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 14d ago
First-Time Viewer no Go
Kaga was pretty cool in this episode. Nice to see him sticking up for Hikaru's choice to become an insei, and it is fitting that he would be the one to say so because he's also the type to choose his own path and not care what anyone else thinks. His idea of playing three simultaneous games was a good one. It proved to Hikaru's teammates, and Hikaru himself, that he does have what it takes to go for it.
I've noticed that Sai is taking a step back lately though. He's still watching over Hikaru, but hardly spoke to him directly during the whole episode. He said more to Yuuki (who couldn't hear him) than Hikaru. I'm curious if this will lead to Sai feeling like Hikaru doesn't need him anymore, or that he might get in the way of Hikaru's success if he continues to play games with his aid.
Questions of the Day:
1) I think Kaga has the right idea, but Yuuki's feelings are understandable too. Hikaru pestered him until he joined the go club, only because it was convenient for him, and now he wants to quit before the year is over.
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u/wloff 14d ago
I've noticed that Sai is taking a step back lately though.
It was Sai who told Hikaru "it's not impossible" and is encouraging him to push forward and chase Akira, though. It feels like Sai is quite willingly shifting into more of a mentor/teacher role for Hikaru.
It'd be nice if Hikaru had his own computer at home though, so Sai could at least continue his internet go dominance!
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 14d ago
I've noticed that Sai is taking a step back lately though.
I've been noticing that as well, yeah. If they didn't sprinkle in shots of Sai observing every now and then, and could be forgiven for forgetting that he even exists. Then again, they've also much increased Sai's cute mannerisms lately to compensate for that, but he just kinda ends up feeling more like an excited puppy for it.
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u/Heda-of-Aincrad https://myanimelist.net/profile/Heda-of-Aincrad 14d ago
Yeah, it does seem to me more like he's reacting every now and then rather than driving the plot forward like in the early episodes. Hikaru has kind of taken the reigns himself.
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u/wloff 15d ago
wloff's go corner #21
Happy Saturday! I spent the entire day at an arcade playing rhythm and retro games and unfortunately didn't have enough time to prepare anything proper for today.
So it's going to have to be another manga cover art day, and break from exhaustive go talk!
(up to the Online Go arc)
One thing I can say about the simul today is that Hikaru vs. Kaga is Yuki Satoshi (B) versus Cho Hun-hyeon, played 1997-04-12 in the 10th Fujitsu Cup. Tsutsui's and Mitani's games are unknown. Not really enough of the games is shown for analyzing them, and it's not really the point of the scene either, I think.
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u/wloff 15d ago
Tsumego of the Day
Today's theme: Life and Death!
When in lack of time to prepare anything cool... always some good old Life and Death to do! Let's do them from White's perspective today, in honor of Hikaru playing three games as white.
- Beginner 21-1. White to live.
Beginner 21-2. White to kill.
Intermediate 21-1. White to live.
Intermediate 21-2. White to kill.
Advanced 21-1. White to live.
Advanced 21-2. White to kill.
Solutions to yesterday's problems:
Beginner 20-1
Beginner 20-2
Intermediate 20-1
- White should make a two-space extension on the top with 1. It stabilizes the white stone by giving it a base, while putting pressure on the lone black stone.
- White 1 here provokes Black 2. Now White's stone on the right is the one without a base and weak, while Black's stones on the left and right are strong.
Intermediate 20-2
- Black 1 is a good move because it is both an extension and an approach move to White's corner stone. This move also establishes a secure base for the black stones, which is important, because White's stones on the left are so strong, so Black's two stones on the bottom could come under attack.
- White would be grateful if Black played 1 here. She could then respond by playing 2, which is both an extension from the corner and a good attack on the two black stones. Black C would be a big move, but it lacks the urgency of the correct answer.
Advanced 20-1
- Black 1 (and 3) play on the border of two potential moyos. Black needs to play there before taking any other big moves. This both gives Black a huge moyo towards the right side of the board, and limits what White can build on the bottom.
- If Black takes a big point like 1, White 2 flattens out Black's potential framework and expands White's territory on the bottom. Looking at these two diagrams, it should be obvious that this is the key point in the whole position.
Advanced 20-2
- This is a game of territory versus influence. The time has come for White to put a stop to Black's influence-buliding, so he plays the moves 1 to 5.
- White 1 is a good point, but if Black were allowed to play 2, his territorial framework on the right would be almost impregnable.
- Even if White gets 1 and 3 here in sente, playing them now is not recommended. These moves thicken Black's position here, so they are better left until later.
If you wish to discuss today's problems, please do so under spoiler tags, to give others the chance to solve them on their own! I'll be posting the solutions to today's problems tomorrow.
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 15d ago
I'll try doing these largely by instinct today, to honour the simul-game theme. No deep calculations and thorough deliberations allowed!
[Beginner 21-1]C-1
[Beginner 21-2]D-19
[Intermediate 21-1]
D-2oh wait, we're playing white. D-1[Intermediate 21-2]B-3
[Advanced 21-1]D-3 C-1 C-2
[Advanced 22-2]D-2
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer 15d ago
first time baduker hikaru no go to the polls
not related to anything, but I'm also watching Zexal and Sai is basically Astral. Hikaru is too good to be Yuma though
also probably for the next week I'm not going to be on time, but I should be able to catch back up afterwards...
are they playing on the floor to hide from the teacher still lol
Mitani why dont you also go for Insei, at least in the Spring
Kimihiro of course Hikaru will clamp you in the early phase, you are the late game king - play to your strengths
why did they fill everything in lol, Yuki just refused to conceed
how is Tetsuo doing this much better than Yuki anyways
idk I think Yuki should get a 1 stone handicap
yeah see easy win for her
my solutions for yesterdays tsumego
B20-1: K4 i suppose
B20-2: White, what the hell is black trying to do
I20-1: Q14 or something to try and limit the corner play black has going
I20-2: I would have picked A, but now from overthinking the hint, C? I wouldnt say they are secure but I dont think its pressing
A20-1: N5
A20-2: B
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 15d ago
Mitani why dont you also go for Insei, at least in the Spring
Mitani is nowhere near strong enough to get accepted, unfortunately.
why did they fill everything in lol, Yuki just refused to conceed
They didn't actually fill those in, this is after shifting the stones around for easier counting.
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u/baboon_bassoon https://anilist.co/user/duffer 14d ago
oh so his resigning later was more metaphorical then
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u/is-this-a-nick 14d ago
shes so lost lmao
Hikarus mom is such a "clueless but supportive" gem. Its his real super power, not Sai :D
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u/ClearlyQ 14d ago edited 14d ago
partial rewatcher, manga reader, subs
To answer the first QotD, I'll go into my thoughts on the characters first!
Kaga's reintroduction doesn't feel quite as organic as Ogata and Kishimoto's do, but still Kaga re-enters the storyline in style! I'm so fond of him. A delinquent, a shougi club captain, and a former Touya Akira rival aspirant. He's really the perfect character to just be casually supportive of Hikaru's ambitions to become an insei even without fully knowing Hikaru's current skill, but also the perfect character to point out when Hikaru behaves too selfishly. That whole "when you're the one leaving, you can't have everything you want" was very important for Hikaru to hear and it makes sense with Kaga's history that it's him who says this.
I think in this moment, the series makes a stand to say that following your dreams can be a very selfish thing to do, but sometimes you just gotta do it and put yourself first. Just don't expect everybody to put their lives on pause for you while you do. The fact that this lesson is brought to us by a middle school shougi and go playing delinquent hiding from his school teacher is iconic, really. When your go club advisor doesn't play the game or even really supervise at all, I guess that's the next best thing.
This moment in the series where Hikaru basically risks his friendship for a shot at following his dreams really marked Hikaru no Go as different from anything I had encountered before it and even after. For a lot of sports series I knew that start out in a school environment, the school tournament is the main battleground for the students' entire academic career. But when your sport has players that can become professionals even before they enter high school, the line between hobbyist and aspiring professional gets drawn much, much earlier. Mitani knows that even before Hikaru does. I think it's part of why Mitani initially tries to convince Hikaru to stay, and why Hikaru still innocently suggests that they can go to the tournament if he fails the insei test. Mitani thought Hikaru was a hobbyist just like him and for most of the time they've known each other Mitani was the better player too, and then Hikaru unknowingly draws the line between them. But at the heart of it all too, apart from the internal realization that Hikaru's potential and seriousness as a go player surpasses his, Mitani just straight up feels betrayed by a friend.
I think it's more or less text that Mitani was a loner before he got pulled into the Go club. The story doesn't shout and shine a huge spotlight on it but it's implied by Mitani's prior characterization that going out and finding a new member all on his own was a big deal to him. It's one thing to stay in the club; it's another to actively recruit new members yourself. Hikaru surprise announcing he wants to become an insei on the very day Mitani basically also announces that he's 100% serious about the club would feel like a rejection of friendship. It's understandable how that would make someone like Mitani feel insecure and lash out, and why he'd at first convince Hikaru to stay. It's about the tournament but it's also not just about that. It was a very volatile and desperate reaction of a kid who suddenly felt very vulnerable. I feel bad saying it was "wrong" of him; doesn't feel right to put a definitive judgement on someone just plainly Going Thru It.
Then in the thick of it all, we have Tsutsui and Akari. Tsutsui had less to lose than Mitani or Akari did because his prospects for joining the tournament were already very low, but still very commendable that he immediately got what Kaga was trying to do and calmly helped Hikaru with his application right after. Akari though, Akari was going to lose the person who she followed into the club. I think it was a real moment of growth for Akari here when she decided to stay. Like yes, part of why she continues to keep at the game is because Hikaru's continuing to be passionate about it, but she's also choosing to continue with the club in spite of the fact that her crush won't be there anymore. I think that's growth.
And to think, all of that isn't even the entire episode lmao.
I really like the insei examiner. He's got such a kindly grandpa design, haha. Hikaru's mom continues to be a great character too. Her being similarly ignorant about Go and its periphery like her son was in the beginning but willing to indulge her son's interest in taking the exam anyway, even if she didn't have much faith in him passing due his inability to sit in seiza for very long, is just so believably Hikaru's mom of her to be. Like, yes, I can understand how a character like her is Hikaru's mom! And Hikaru totally gets some of his obliviousness from her, haha. And there's something low-key fascinating about Hikaru's mom just leaving him there for the next hour even though she also saw the girl leaving the insei exam crying. Whether it's because she doesn't think Hikaru needs the emotional support if he fails (as she expects he will) or just because she doesn't want to sit still doing nothing for very long or both, it's interesting.
QotD 2: I don't often sit in this position so I don't really know. That said, it's not an uncomfortable way to sit.
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 14d ago
Your write-up puts today's episode very nicely into context. What we're seeing is really the clash of two opposing selfish sentiments between Hikaru and Mitani. And usually we would be inclined to judge that the selfish interest that doesn't impose on another's action is better, but when Mitani's entire reason for being here is that he previously let Hikaru impose his selfish interest onto him, that kind of reasoning rather stings. It's very understandable why Mitani would see this as such a gross betrayal.
That said, it's not an uncomfortable way to sit.
It's... not? Are you perhaps mixing up seiza and wariza?
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u/ClearlyQ 14d ago
Thank you!
when Mitani's entire reason for being here is that he previously let Hikaru impose his selfish interest onto him, that kind of reasoning rather stings. It's very understandable why Mitani would see this as such a gross betrayal.
And yes, this is itexactly!
It's... not? Are you perhaps mixing up seiza and wariza?
Wariza is a lot more uncomfortable for me. My legs just can't continuously bend that way at the knees. Seiza is pretty comfortable in comparison, especially if you have a mat to kneel on.
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u/Blackheart595 https://anilist.co/user/knusbrick 14d ago
Woah... sounds incomprehensible to me. I'm kinda jealous!
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 15d ago
First-Timer no Go, subbed
Of course Mitani is the one taking the whole Insei news the worst…
What did Tetsuo do…?
That’ll be tough.
Dang…
Tsutsui resigned from his part of the match first, huh.
And Hikaru also beat Mitani not long after. What about Tetsuo?
Okay, he lost the Tetsuo match.
I was wondering if that’s where this was going, haha.
Ah, moms.
Ooh, Waya passed Hikaru when he was taking off his shoes. I think he also overheard Hikaru say the thing about this being his first step to defeating Akira?
What he doesn’t know is that Hikaru played all three of those games at once.