Simply charming. There are numerous ways in which this series might have lost my interest. I'm not truly its target audience, yet thus far I continue to be drawn into this world of middle school boys and ancient board games.
When we first encounter Hikaru, there isn't really all that much to the guy. And that's still the case. Despite showing some latent promise, Hikaru is little more than a stand-in for the young boys who are the intended audience for this series. Certainly not something I could really find any reason to outright loathe, but rather simple. If it were just about him, I don't think I would truly feel myself still eager to read more. But I do. Why is that?
The main reason I can give for continuing with this all-ages boy manga series is the diverse cast of supporting characters. Despite Hikaru's distinct lack of nuance and creativity, the (mostly boys) who surround him are almost all of them dramatic and fascinating. The spirit of an ancient Go master, an isolated and sheltered Go prodigy, a boastful and crude middle school Shogi player - this series is rich in personality.
My one concern (as always) was the underrepresentation of female characters. Which wasn't too much of a problem at first (they simply weren't there) but seemed to develop into more of an issue as several random girls showed up just to gush over Hikaru's self-proclaimed rival. Fortunately, the end seemed to suggest that we will see a bit more of Akari, and Hikaru did receive a bit of a scolding from Sai when he declared that "Go wasn't for girls".
I also really like the way that Go is incorporated into the books. Not only with pages discussing the rules of Go, but also through various plot points. Even with the unique characters, I'm not sure if I would be interested in the series if it were a typical sports manga.
I am really enjoying this series, which happens to be my very first manga experience. It took me until approximately halfway through this book, which is the second one in the series, to become accustomed to the unique order in which one has to read the content on the page. However, now it feels much more natural. The androgynous way in which the characters are drawn was initially a bit confusing. But as I have become familiar with the characters, it is no longer such a significant distraction. (I believe this says more about my own pre-existing notions than anything else. Interestingly, I am also currently reading "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin, which is about a race of androgynous humans. It seems that androgyny is in the air, at least for me at this moment.)