The Epic Hikago Rewatch: Episodes 1 and 2

[hostilecrayon]

It's time!



Note: I am using a fansubbed version of the anime, so some terms or titles may be different than the official translation.

This week’s Character Spotlight is: Fujiwara no Sai!

Sai’s official title is “The Ghost”, which is pretty self-explanatory.

In addition to this week’s episodes, let’s celebrate Sai!





Sai has many facial expressions - more than anyone in the show, as far as I can tell. Do you have any pictures of Sai making silly faces? Post them in the comments!


Brief Recap:

Episode 1 - The Eternal Rival

Hikaru meets Sai. Sai tells the story of his origins, 1000 years ago. Though Hikaru has no interest in Go, he takes Sai to play anyway. Hikaru meets Touya. Sai plays Touya via Hikaru and wins. Touya realizes it was a tutoring game, and when he finds out Hikaru claims to have never played before, he freaks out, wondering who Hikaru is.


Episode 2 - The Weakpoint Revealed!!

Hikaru starts taking Go classes. He learns of Touya-Meijin. Akari goes to a Go class with Hikaru, but Hikaru gets kicked out for dumping stones on Akota's head and pulling off his wig when he finds him bullying other players. Hikaru goes to the Children's Tournament to watch, but gets in trouble for repeating a comment on a game that Sai said to him. After refusing games, Touya finds out Hikaru might be at the Children's Tournament and runs off to find him. Hikaru runs into Touya-Meijin in the hall, and Sai recognizes him. Touya-Meijin is apprised of the situation and though Ogata protests having not gotten Hikaru's name, Touya-Meijin says that if he is truly that strong, he will appear before them eventually. Outside, Touya meets up with Shindou, saying, "I've finally found you, Shindou Hikaru."


Possible Discussion Questions:

Most of us here are watching this for the second, third, fourth, or even tenth time. But at some point, we all watched Hikaru no Go for the first time. What were your impressions of Hikago that first time watching these episodes? What was it that compelled you to keep watching from these two opening episodes? How is it different than watching it now?

In the second episode, we already see the beginnings of Touya’s obsession with Shindou because of Sai’s Go. What do you think of this? Is his obsession purely related to Sai’s strength, or is there something more (IE desire for friendship/intrigue/other interest)? They make it clear that Touya has no equal in his age bracket – does his loneliness factor into how easily he falls into his obsession with a boy his age who appears to be stronger than him?

We’re only given some brief glimpses of Akari in these episodes, though it’s clear that she’s close with Hikaru, as is most easily seen by how she calls him Hikaru instead of Shindou. What kind of relationship do you think they have at the start of the series? Is she a good friend to Hikaru? Is he a good friend to her? If you had only ever seen these two episodes of Hikago and knew nothing else of the series, what direction would you see their friendship going in?

Those of you who have read the manga know that while the anime mirrors the manga almost perfectly, the sequence of the beginning events are different. Why do you think they chose to change just this part? Do the missing events change anything about the series for you?

Let's discuss it! Also, feel free to suggest other discussion questions to add to this list!

Also, check out the fabulous meta post on the first three episodes - Manga vs. Anime by llamabitchyo!

Remember, please use ROT13 for spoilers!

EDIT: For those of you in the US, remember, you can watch Hikago for free at Hulu!

Comments

[onkoona]

Quite frankly when I watched it for the first time I was very worried that Sai might turn out to be a malligment spirit. The whole thing with the nausea was what worried me, and I sincerely feared worse. Luckily they only did the nausea thing only once in ep 1&2.

I did like the dynamic between Hikaru and Sai, and Hikaru's very naive jealousy of the Sai and Touya Akira rivalry (however unequal). Basically Hikaru was jealous/in awe of Sai's & Akira's concentration and pinpointed energies. I've seen in other Anime/Manga/Dorama that the Japanese tend to be very impressed by that sort of thing; be it skill, concentration or raw (male) emotion (and I don't mean love here).

I was very glad when it became clear that ghostly Sai wanted nothing more than play Go and that he would back down when Hikaru couldn't let him play (because of school and having a life) or really didn't want to. I think if Sai had turned out to be a poltergeist in these two eps, I would have stopped watching, 'cause I really don't like that kind of thing.

I like Sai best (this will not be news to those who know me) but it's really the dynamic of Hikaru & Sai, and Akira and all the others that makes this show interesting. After all Go is a social game; it's two people 'talking' by means of black and white pebbles on a grid.

[verys]

When I was watching HikaGo for the first time, I thought Hikaru was going to have to spend more time pretending he wasn't haunted by a ghost. I keep thinking it would be a neat special feature to be able to watch HikaGo with Sai visually removed from the picture; I think it would make it even more clear just how much Hikaru physically interacts with Sai--even small things like how he's always turning and tilting his head would strike people as weird. I anticipated that we'd see more of Hikaru's mother, and that he'd have to struggle to keep her from finding out about his "imaginary friend" and to keep her from thinking he's schizophrenic.

Akira's obsession is definitely due to being so easily and casually crushed by someone so close to his own age, but I think he was originally looking for a friendship, before Sai's overwhelming strength made itself known. At twelve, Akira is welcoming to others his own age (nf jr frr yngre va gur synfuonpx/fvqr-fgbel rcvfbqr jvgu gur Puvyq Zrvwva--gur Puvyq Zrvwva vf n pbybffny qbhpur, ohg unq ur orra crefbanyyl sevraqyvre V guvax Nxven jbhyq unir sbetvira uvf yrffre fxvyy va snibhe bs aheghevat n pbaarpgvba jvgu fbzrbar rira erzbgryl pybfr gb uvf bja ntr oenpxrg.) and while the dynamic would have been very, VERY different, he seems hungry for some kind of personal connection.

One of the things I really enjoy in these earlier episodes is getting to see Akira smile, and without any sort of artifice.

One of my favourite sentiments that you see pop up a lot in fic is that go is a game for two, not three, and the fact that Sai stands between Hikaru and Akira does a lot to set up the tension in the series. Thinking about it, I think this is what snagged me in: Hikaru's a little adrift and Akira's so hungry but Sai's who Akira really wants and this feeds the flames of Hikaru's insecurities for years.

[chagrined]

I've read at least one fic where Sai was a malignant spirit! I enjoy that kind of thing so I found it gr8. But I like that Sai wasn't that way in canon. haha idk I guess just b/c like, how different would the show have been in that case!! I like leaving it to fic/etc. to explore those darker themes.

Screengrabs

[onkoona]

My screengrabs:

Opening credits:
http://onkoona.livejournal.com/2642.html

Closing credits:
http://onkoona.livejournal.com/2898.html

Ep1:
http://onkoona.livejournal.com/3130.html
http://onkoona.livejournal.com/3451.html

Ep2:
http://onkoona.livejournal.com/3700.html
http://onkoona.livejournal.com/3876.html

For those people who'd like to know this: eps 1-4 cover volume 1 of the Manga.

(Index of all eps:
http://onkoona.livejournal.com/55710.html)

[lacygrey]

Watching these again made me SO happy, so thank you, thank you for suggesting a rewatch and putting together this mail.

I realise Ive never watched the eps. in chronological order before. I read the manga first and just kind of dipped into the anime when I fancied an episode.

Now, seeing them like this the events all seem to happen so quickly.

The first time I saw this first episode I remember being taken aback by the color (after the b&w manga): but WOW...Akira has green hair! My first watching was also the French dub. Hikaru sounds about thirty in it and when he goes in the Touya Go salon for the first time and Ichikawa asks for 'three euros fifty'. Of course Hikaru freaks out a bit - its not about having to pay, its about being asking for a currency from another continent that wont exist for another three years.

After that I watched the fansub.

[verys]

Yeah, I too read the manga first, and I think they did a good job distilling the intro down to a manageable length and focusing on the heart of the series.

Oh lord, that GREEN. It's just awful, awful. The colour of his eyes is absolutely beautiful, though, and so changeable--the later episodes, especially after he gets a bit older, give him some passionate moments when they go this bright, brilliant cerulean, so bright it almost feels poisonous.

Despite being Canadian I have almost zero French (not that learning a Quebecois dialect would have helped me much with France-French, I understand) and I find it more difficult to judge age/acting ability when I'm completely lost to sea. I like the sound of Akira's voice in the French dub, although I also like it in the English dub, which I think makes me a terrible person because quite honestly the Viz dub is embarrassing for pretty much everyone involved. I'm very grateful to France for putting out such an affordable box set, though; I understand HikaGo was never a money-maker for Viz but it's a huge shame they never put out box sets, especially since they did finish dubbing the series past where they released physical discs.

[onkoona]

Akira's green hair is an anime thing; if you watch more anime you get used to it. All it means to do is make each character look different, a problem the Japanese do have in their land of all black hair and all brown eyes. The green is meant to represent a kind of color hair that, by a very long stretch of the imagination, can be called green, but really is black.

For that same reason, Sai's hair is purple, Akari's has dark magenta & Kaga's red. At this early stage only the less important characters seam to have black hair.

This problem is even worse in Japanese Live Action series. There's a lot of bleaching and dying of hair in that, to offset the characters a bit.

It would have been interesting to see a live action version of Hikaru no Go...

[chagrined]

ahahahaha oh gosh, Hikaru sounding thirty. XD also, lol, "its about being asking for a currency from another continent that wont exist for another three years"

The fansub is my favorite way to watch Hikago!

Do the missing events change anything about the series for you?

[lacygrey]

In the manga there's more of the attitude that 'Go is an old person's game' being shown, along with Hikaru griping about it.

The first (living) Go player we meet is Hikaru's grandfather. Later the old woman* at the class says to Hikaru 'Well I guess you'll be my rival.'

We get the impression that Go was unfashionable among the young in Japan, at least before 'Hikaru no Go'.

*She tells Hikaru about the 'Go salon near the station' in the manga, but is busy fangirling Touya Kouyou in the anime!

Interesting that Hikaru's grandfather frequented the Touya salon in the anime. So there was a prior Shindou-Touya connection.

Re: Do the missing events change anything about the series for you?

[chagrined]

.......now I feel the need to also do a simultaneous re-read of all the manga, haha. I tend to occasionally rewatch episodes of the anime more often than I re-read the manga. I think it has been at least a year since the last time I looked at it!

Sai

[lacygrey]

Sai is so many things.
He's a tragic character and a comic one. He's childish and yet he's in the role of a mentor.

He represents the long history of the game but also the invisible influence of teachers and past generations.

I think the reason I feel for him so much at this point in the story is that while he continues to exist in the world of the game he loves he's not truely able to play himself or be recognised for the games he plays via others.

Re: Sai

[onkoona]

Sai.
One of the things I'm not happy with in this show is how they quickly gloss over the fact that he committed suicide. In a time when that was neither fashionable nor necessary.

As a westerner suicide bothers me. And putting is as a cute fairytale in a kids show (ages 6 and up) also bothers me.

[diorama]

I think my first impression was how young they were. It took me about eight months to read the manga because I borrowed every volume out of the library one at a time (I also find it way more fulfilling to force myself to read that way, if I had the entire series on hand I'd probably read it all in one fix and it wouldn't be quite as good.)

Anyway, to go from the end of the series to the anime at the beginning I was like 'aww they are babies'.

It's also fun (having read the manga) gb frr punenpgref gung jvyy orpbzr zhpu zber vasyhragvny va gur shgher va cnffvat, yvxr Btngn naq Gfhgfhv. Uv Gfhgfhv, lbh'er fb phgr, V jvfu lbh unq n ovttre fgbelyvar.

[hostilecrayon]

Bu zna, V xabj. Gfhgfhv vf fb nqbenoyr, naq V whfg ybir frrvat uvz urer.

[onkoona]

11 years old. That IS very young.

What were you doing when you were 11? Well I sure as anything was not focusing on any one thing like Akira was. I was mostly like Hikaru and Akari, just coasting on the flow of things, and trying to dodge homework.

Hikaru is a representation of us, the reader, who know sod-all about Go and falls down the rabbit hole into the wondrous world of pro Go.

And even though Sai's a Ghost from the Heian period, he is as much a part of this wondrous world as Akira is.

Akari

[lacygrey]

I was worried at first that she was put there just to be 'decorative'. But her later role is more interesting.

For now I think she's there as a concerned friend who doesn't know what's going on and to contrast with Hikaru - she's a normal kid who isn't possessed by a Go mad ghost.

But there is one fundamental thing here I like less about Hikaru no Go overall: Hikaru has inherant Go talent even though he never played. We know this because he can hear Sai and Akari cannot.

I think I would have preferred it without this 'chosen one' trope.

Akari and Hikaru. I imagine them like friends who argue a lot: like Calvin and Suzie from Calvin and Hobbs.

Re: Akari

[onkoona]

I'm going to disagree with you there. Go is a little bit like ballet; if you start earlier you have a much better chance of getting further in it, just on limberness of the body (in ballet) and of the mind (in Go).

To become truly great you need more of course. But if you had the talent for that 'more' but started late, chances are good that that you are simply too late.
(This is actually not my opinion, but it is one I've seen come up in Japanese things from time to time. In HnG I see it too.)

So any kid would have done as Sai's host, with similar results (possibly depending on the kids own aspirations); those results are very much a sign of the times in modern Japanese society.

And there is the Japanese bias towards a male kid of course, so Akari was never a candidate. Unfair, yes. Very. Japanese modern society has a little ways to go before Akari, and those like her, get their chance.

Re: Akari

[pandoraculpa]

I never saw it so much as a 'chosen one' trope, so much as previously untapped potential. Hikaru doesn't start out as some wonder kid when he begins to play on his own- ur shzoyrf naq znxrf fghcvq zvfgnxrf, naq guvf vf znqr nohaqnagyl pyrne jura ur gnxrf bire Fnv'f tnzr jvgu Nxven qhevat gur gbheanzrag jvgu Xnvb. Ur unf gnyrag, lrf, ohg ur nyfb unf gb jbex irel uneq gb ahegher vg.

I have recently started taking go lessons from an instructor, and one thing he has told me is that it is important who you have to teach you. If your teacher is weak, or has flaws in his game, the student will absorb those same bad habits and it will affect their play. When you look at it that way, having Sai as a mentor- who is obviously the strongest go player around- creates more or less a perfect storm. And adding in Hikaru's own determination and dedication, spurred on by his focus on Akira (another strong opponent), to me it's really no wonder that he learned well and fast.

Re: Akari

[troisroyaumes]

Hmm, I read it more as Hikaru having supernatural talent rather than inherent go talent, but you're right that it does still single him out as exceptional.

chat

[diorama]

I'm also just wondering (apologies if this has already been answered) but will there be a chat sometime?

Re: chat

[hostilecrayon]

I'm planning on putting up a post sometime soon to set that up - I didn't get any time responses for when people are available.

Yay rewatch! :D

[verloren1983]

I may have more to say, but I did want to respond to the discussion questions anyway, before I got to reading everyone else's responses and forgot. XD

1. As several people know, Hikaru no Go was my first anime. It was recced by someone who had a fic in another fandom I followed religiously. (I should probably thank her, one of these days.) So my reactions the first time watching this were somewhere in the realm of "Bzuh? What is this shit? WHY AM I WATCHING THIS?" When Sai first appeared, I very nearly turned it off, and the only reason I didn't was that I felt obligated to at least finish the first episode. What got me clicking on the second? I don't even know. I was a bit curious. And I'm a masochist or something, whatever. By the end of the second episode, I was hooked. Watching this again... it makes me a little sad now, because Hikaru's seiyuu has passed away. But I'm really trying to not think about that. Also, they're SO LITTLE AND CUTE!

2. I am of two thoughts on Akira's obsession. First of all, it's obvious to me that Akira was intrigued by Hikaru, probably hoping to make a friend. I absolutely think his loneliness was a factor. He was a very lonely child, and he saw another child who seemed to be friendly and he thought that he might have a playmate. However, what fueled Akira's obsession was Sai's strength. That had absolutely nothing to do with Hikaru. Vg vfa'g hagvy Fnv yrnirf naq gurl cynl gurve svefg bssvpvny tnzr gung Nxven vf svanyyl noyr gb frr UVXNEH uvzfrys nf uvf Rgreany Eviny, jvgubhg Fnv va gur jnl.

3. I think that Akari and Hikaru are at least somewhat friends- at minimum, Akari is a good friend to Hikaru. Hikaru treats her kind of like an afterthought, but since we don't really get to see them before the possession, it's hard to tell whether that's because Hikaru all of a sudden has a whiny Go obsessed genius in his head, or whether it was always that way. XD Though with the way she thought Hikaru was messing with her in the attic, Hikaru probably pranked her a lot and was a general nuisance. Typical boy stuff. Still, she's clearly worried about the change in him at the beginning. Honestly, it seems like she's the only one that realizes that something significant has happened to him, even if she doesn't know what it is. If I hadn't seen the rest of the anime... I might've thought that Akari would probably be the official love interest later. Actually, I probably DID think that, to be honest. XD

4. I totally didn't remember that the anime and the manga started differently and I had to go look it up. XD I think they changed it to get to the EPIC RIVALRY sooner- maybe they thought people would get bored? I don't know. It doesn't really change anything that they cut the game with Hikaru's grandfather. That WAS kind of a throwaway thing, sort of, though it makes more sense that Hikaru would play with his grandfather first, as opposed to going to a Salon right away. Eh. *shrug*

That being said, I have a few reactions, mostly random and nonsensical, to the episodes which I jotted down while watching:
Episode 1:
- Sai is a genie! (he appears after Hikaru rubs the goban clean. :D)....... someone take away the evil bunnies, please.
- Hikaru was such a little brat. :P Also Akira knows how to work Ichikawa even at 12, the little flirt. LMAO.
- It's kind of interesting how when Ichikawa tells Akira that Hikaru's never played anyone before, you can SEE Akira's brain just shatter into a million pieces. And Hikaru, at this point, is blissfully unaware that he's had such a profound effect on Akira. Really, I'm not sure he's aware that it's POSSIBLE for him to have that kind of effect on another human being. He doesn't understand it. At that age, you're not really capable of fully understanding the consequences of your actions. But I'm sure Sai knows. ^_^

Episode 2:
- And here we see the beginning of stalker!Akira. XD
- I really have to wonder why Shirikawa, as the teacher, fails to do anything about the bullying. Really?

And that's all I've got for the moment. Next week! :D :D :D :D

Re: Yay rewatch! :D

[troisroyaumes]

Really, I'm not sure he's aware that it's POSSIBLE for him to have that kind of effect on another human being. He doesn't understand it. At that age, you're not really capable of fully understanding the consequences of your actions.

This is such a good point--and I feel like one of the ways in which the series changes both of them is making them aware of just how profound an impact they can have on each other and everyone around them. (E.g. Nxven orsber Uvxneh orvat pbzcyrgryl boyvivbhf nobhg gur puvyqera ur qrsrngf, yvxr Xntn naq gung xvq sebz gur fvqr fgbel, Vfbor Uvqrxv.)

[dancing_serpent]

My first impression was that it was all so slow! I don't think I would have had the patience to watch more than five episodes if I hadn't read the manga (all 23 manga in one go over night) first and knew what was to come. But that's a problem I often have when watching anime - I just read a lot faster than I can watch.

What I really liked right away, though, was the music. So beautiful. Well, except the OP, that makes me cringe and skip every time.

[onkoona]

I really like the music too; I even bought the OST.

The first time I watched HnG was in sessions of five eps at the time. I had seen slow anime before, and knew that was the best way for to deal with that. When I read the manga after I realized I had unwittingly done the right thing as it turned out about 4-5 eps covers on volume of the manga.

One of the reason I think I prefer the anime over the manga is the timing. Since the anime is a running film, the viewer is directed more in what they get to see and when. This means that a nuance that the reader can just gloss over because he's going quite fast, can be pointed out now.

The other reasons are the sound and the color. I findthan when I'm reading manga, the lack of color makes it harder for me to make out the scenes. And I do so miss color. Also I'm very much distracted by the actual process of reading, and don't get enough time to really look at the pictures.

And of course there is the fact that Obata changed/improved his style of drawing over the first few volumes and the anime went straight with the better style from the beginning. I do like the consistency of all those factor in the medium of the anime.

There is going to be a little bit more detail in the manga vs. the anime. That always happens when you go from a book to a film. But I must say that, apart from some reshuffling of scenes in the first few eps, the anime is pretty much a scene perfect rendition of the manga.

I know this for a fact, 'cause when we did the re-read over 1 ear ago, I wrote down every single scene and who was in it and what happened, and I could just copy & past that info straight to the anime re-watch I did myself at the same time.

[chagrined]

OK I was trying to find someone to watch with me but I couldn't sniff sniff so finally I gave up and just watched it myself. MAYBE FOR THE NEXT TWO EPS I WILL BE ABLE TO FIND SOMEONE???? Ahem.

See, below, my extremely intelligent commentary, lol:

ahahahahaha hikaru. I mean I remembered he was originally in his grandpa's attic to find things to sell, but I kinda forgot how lulzy it was. SUCH A BRAT.

lol there was also totally a moment where this could've turned into a horror film hahahahaha. also the animation in this beginning segment seems a lot better to me than most of the animation in the series. I wonder if they got a bigger budget for the pilot or just for like, the intro "hook" to try to suck ppl into it.

so much backstory, oh man. drama rama.

love the forced vomiting ahahaha.

oh hikaru, you were even wearing a "5" shirt already. YOU WERE DOOMED FROM THE START HAHAHA.

TOUYA TOUYA TOUYA TOUYA TOUYA YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS. hahahaha too adorbs.

ahahahahahaha when Sai cries. I LOVE IT. SO MUCH EMOTION. THIS MUSIC. BEST.

awwwww hikaru EVEN THO YOU ARE NOT ACTUALLY PLAYING YET you already look so ~focused~.

PACHI PACHI PACHI PACHI~~

NEVER PLAYED ANYONE BEFORE???? OMG!!! WHO IS HE????

*CHAIR-DANCES WHEN CLOSING THEME STARTS UP*

Gosh I forgot how gr8 of a first ep that was. For me, the Sai backstory kind of drags a bit but I like it anyway b/c lol melodrama. But other than that the ep wasn't super exposition-heavy! And got right into some excellent Go action, explaining a few things, without needing to get into all the details right away. Pretty good balance! And the Sai backstory is def really necessary in the grand scheme of things so even tho for meeeeeee it's a little slow, it's probably good to get it in there and get it over with!

NOW WE'RE LEARNING HOW TO PLAY GO. AWESOME.

EPISODE TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

THE WEAKPOINT REVEALED!!!!!!

love the intense shots of touya kouyou through the tv haha.

OH TOUYA YOU'RE SO OBSESSED ALREDY AHAHAHA. your little faaaaaaaaaace.

lolol love hikaru getting hit by the dodgeball in the FACE hahaha.

SAD DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING. ugh I'm so easy for this show, I always forget how much I love it.

O HAY BAD TOUPEE! lol. ok everyone yell at shindou now hahaha.

OH MAN TOUYA HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WAITING FOR SHINDOU NOW??? lol

yeah let's take hikaru into the back. eheheheheeheh. *lecherous grin*

RUN TOUYA RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN

ahahahaha my dirty mind: "sooner or later he will come before us" has me picturing Hikaru in a gangbang surrounded by all the old dude go pros. AS IT SHOULD BE.

TOUYA AND SHINDOU 2GETHER AGAIN, HEAVY BREATHING, EPICNESS, FINALLY FOUND YOU, ETC. ETC. ETERNAL RIVALS IN LURVE. #gay

Time to learn more about how to play Go again???

ugh and already just rewatching the first two eps has so rewawakened my need to make this hikago vid I had the idea for a while ago but never made. WHERE DOING THIS. WHERE MAKING THIS HAPEN.

yeah probably all of my comments for the whole show as I rewatch are going to be EQUALLY AS INTELLIGENT AS THESE, LOL.

[troisroyaumes]

Re: making a Hikago vid...DOOOOO IT. (And post it on the comm of course so we can enjoy it. XD)

[chagrined]

Ahem, now that I have spammed the crap out of this post, maybe I shall attempt some of the discussion questions. XD

FIRST IMPRESSIONS! I got the manga instead of the anime first, and read the first three volumes. I thought it was cute but wasn't really ttly sold on it, but it ended on a cliffhanger! I had gotten the manga from my public library and didn't feel like going back there right away so I decided to get the anime and watch it up to where I'd left off in the manga so I could resolve the cliffhanger. My first impression with the anime was that I found the animation pretty terrible, but then I thought, "I'll watch at least through that cliffhanger!" and ...by the time I did get there, the anime had completely hooked me, haha. At the time the factors I blamed were: Touya, Touya's seiyuu, Touya's clothes, the Touya/Shindou epic gayness, and the addictive plot. Looking back on it now I think the music also played a big role in why the anime was the thing to really hook me first where the manga had failed. I am a sucker for soundtracks and HikaGo's soundtrack is so gr8. Like the entire show, it's epic and melodramatic and ttly sincere and unapologetic about it! I LOVE THAT. Gives me all the feels. So many other shows/things seem to feel the need to like, deny or push to the side their own melodrama and feelings.

Watching it NOW, the main difference is just that I'm so in love with all the characters/music/plot/everything from the start, haha. And obviously I anticipate future developments in various characters' plot arcs. Also I still think the animation is pretty bad but it doesn't bother me so much anymore. And at least watching these first two eps, there were various moments where the animation surprised me by being better than I expected. I am probably watching it with an eye out for that a lot more now b/c I want to try to think of how I would vid it.

Ttly just lazily +1ing verloren1983's response to the questions about Touya's obsession, haha. Also pretty much Akari and Hikaru.

I'll have to re-read the manga again too b/c I don't remember it as well! When I want a sudden Hikago fix I usually go for the anime.

CELEBRATING SAI: My favorite Sai is silly playful dorky Sai. I do think it's interesting how the show plays out Sai's plot arc. Ur boivbhfyl tebjf nf n cynlre guebhtubhg gur frevrf, naq trgf uvf xvaq bs pyvznpgvp zngpu jvgu Gbhln Zrvwva, ohg gura ...bs pbhefr ur tbrf njnl, vg'f nyy yvxr, uvf checbfr jnf ernyyl gb uryc Fuvaqbh tebj nf n cynlre gur jubyr gvzr! vqx, bxnl, V zhfg nqzvg gung V'z abg nf nggnpurq gb Fnv nf n ybg bs gur bgure punenpgref. Naq V jnfa'g fhcre-fnq jura Fnv inavfurq. Ohg nf sne nf aneengvir nepf tb, vg vf ernyyl cerggl fnq! Gb unir n punenpgre jub unf nyy gurfr ubcrf naq qernzf bs gurve bja ohg vf qravrq gurz naq znqr gb cresbez n fhccbegvat checbfr sbe nabgure punenpgre'f qrirybczrag naq gura qravrq gurve punapr gb pbagvahr ba va gur raq. V guvax vg ernyyl jbexf naq jnf gur pbeerpg pubvpr sbe gur fubj, ohg jura V guvax nobhg vg zber pybfryl vg'f whfg n ovg fhecevfvat ubj gentvp vg vf! Anywho.

lol, belatedly, another thought

[chagrined]

It's interesting how at least in the very beginning, HikaGo certainly acts like it might actually be ...scary. lol.