Hikaru No Go recs
Posted on November 26, 2008
Filed Under anime/manga fandom, Hikaru No Go recs |
See my review of the Hikaru No Go manga and anime here.
Usual drill:
## means “loved to bits OMG!”
# stands for “liked.”
[] means “rather liked,” on the brink between “liked” and “not my thing.”
If you want my reviews of manga and yaoi manga that I liked, click here. Other fandom recs are here. Or use the nav bar above.
Touya Akira/Shindou Hikaru, Other and various, Gen
And Waves Crashed on the Goban, by Luce Red (issen4) []
Hikaru/Akira, Isumi/Le Ping. Shortfics from multiple POV, written for September’s 31_days themes (plus one). Summary: Everyone’s searching for a miracle. Some think it’s the Hand of God.
There were several things not to my tastes in this story: 1) I didn’t like the role the author cast for Waya. I don’t think it’s OOC (out of character) but it’s not how I see him. 2) I’m not sure I believe in this Touya. Not that I disbelieve in him either. I just think I need to see how this caring side of him has developed. 3) It’s established relationship and I don’t like those in general. 4) I have zero interest in Le Ping. But I liked Isumi in this story, so I sort of liked Le Ping by default :)
What I liked was that the story is told from multiple POVs, so we can have a look into the minds of a whole range of main and secondary characters. Alternating of those POVs gives the story a really pleasant rhythm. It’s interesting, too.
The Art of New Games, by Mirabella #
Touya/Shindou, PG-13, short. Summary: Touya really doesn’t think his clothes are all that bad. Shindou and photographers disagree. Touya wouldn’t really care, except that there are advantages to humoring Shindou once in a while.
The story addresses Touya’s fashion sense (lavender suit OMGDEAD). Amusing and so charged with teenage hormones (and awkwardness) that I was really surprised to recall after reading it that it hadn’t been rated NC-17. Wonderful!
Quote: “There is nothing wrong with that suit,” Akira says between his teeth.
Shindou gives him a Look and rummages in his backpack. “Touya, there are so many things wrong with that suit that finding them all should unlock a secret level. When I get the Honinbou title I’m going to burn it as a present to myself.”
Bad Habits, by Triste (tristefic) []
Akira/Hikaru, PG-13, short. Warnings: Questionable humour. Summary: Akira has always been melodramatic.
Pretty amusing, especially the beginning and the ending. “Explain it to me once more,” said Touya. “Just *how* is this going to work?”
“You know that Sai is a ghost, right?” Hikaru replied. “And that he always has to be in the same room as me? And that our minds are connected? Well, basically, whatever I feel he feels, and vice-versa.”
“So… when I touch you…”
“He’ll be able to feel it. We’ll be sharing all the same sensations.”
An uncomfortable silence hung in the air after that, and when Hikaru sighed, Sai sighed right along with him.
Flowers and Go, by arboretum []
Akira/Hikaru, PG-13, shortish. It’s not that Touya’s actually said anything; it’s how he says nothing that gets Hikaru all flustered.
Amusing, lovely, and awkward in the best way. And the writing simply takes you by the hand and leads you in a wonderful dance you’d never think you were capable of. Unless guided by such writing of course.
“Touya, I’m coming to your house. Right now.”
There’s a slight pause; Hikaru can almost hear Touya make the decision not to be deliberately scathing in his reply. “You just left.”
In Vino Veritas Series: Drunken Promise, Goban, Teaching Go, Present from Afar, by Luce Red (issen4) []
Hint of Hikaru/Akira, PG, short. Summary 1: Hikaru gets drunk. 2: Hikaru loves his goban. 3: Hikaru has never played shidougo. 4: What the fan means to Hikaru.
It’s just a few drinking scenes. I liked Kuwabara in this series, and drunk!Hikaru too.
Inertia, by rageprufrock ##
Touya/Shindou, Touya/OFC, NC-17, oneshot. Summary: Touya has always been a quiet, mature child.
Touya Akira is married and has a baby. Can you imagine it? How do you see it? Myself, I now can see it only like in this fic! It’s perfect. Yes, yes, I believe that this is exactly what Touya’s adult life must look like. ‘Cos come on, does he even know anything about life except Go? Is he even aware of anything besides Go, well, and Shindou. Or is it Shindou and Go? Anyway, the story is absolutely wonderful. Angsty and funny in turn, and moving. And the writing is better than Hikaru’s Go <-- forgive me, I couldn't resist my first Go pun :)
Issues, by Mirabella (or here, locked) #
Shindou/Touya, PG-13, short. Summary: Five things about Shindou, Touya, and sex. By request.
This is, IMO, what good writing is about. I don’t like “five things” kind of stories but couldn’t help liking this one. Hikaru is having a rather belated sexual identity crisis. The story, or five scenes more precisely, is/are built around it. Amusing, moving, spot-on in characterisation and the details chosen to speak instead of large blocks of text, and pushing all the right buttons. I can only call storytelling like this elegant.
Quote: It actually takes Shindou a long time to realize that he has Issues. He’s got Go and manga and the occasional pick-up basketball game and he jerks off in a sort of desultory way, and it takes Akari yelling at him to get him to realize that when you’re eighteen years old, have a successful career, and live on your own, you’re really a long way past the point in your life where you should be convinced that girls have cooties.
Jigo, by Dracostella #
Gen with AkiHika undertones (or gennish Akira/Hikaru), PG, novella. Summary: The day Akira became a 9-dan, his father died of a heart attack. Alone, Akira finds himself in a strange new match with Hikaru.
Sad story… well, not exactly. Rather, with a sheen of melancholy and subtle. It’s a first person Akira fic but hard as it is to imagine, I liked it. I can’t even say if the author pulled off his inner voice or not. What I was totally sold on were those tiny shifts into recollection, phrases floating up in the middle of other things, that would kill the story for me were it another one but worked wonders here. I loved a drunk Ogata who had an epiphany that he was becoming Kuwabara, loved the too nice Isumi too. Come to think of it, it’s the sort of story that makes a stronger impression on you when you begin remembering it than when you are reading it because it has quite a few haunting scenes and lines.
Memoirs of a Go Player, by flonnebonne (or here: part 1, part 2) []
Akira/Hikaru, PG, 2 chapters. Summary: The diary of Touya Akira. That is, if Touya Akira were a crazy stalker.
Written in the “secret diaries of…” format, very amusing. Part one is from Akira’s POV, part two, Hikaru’s. I liked Akira’s part better although they are about the same events, so seeing the second commentary after the first one only adds to the fun.
July 2
Ogata-sensei asked Shindou for a private match. At his apartment. Where he keeps his good sake. And Shindou agreed. Right in front of me.
I’m bringing my binoculars tonight.
Outside the Lines, by aishuu #
Touya/Shindou, NC-17, AU, ~14K words. Summary: Akira, the mangaka of “Bleach,” meets Hikaru, the mangaka of “Death Note.”
All kinds of awesome and so much fun! The idea is crazy on the surface: to make HnG characters mangaka. Not only that! The mangaka who draw the most popular manga: Naruto, Bleach, Doraemon, Prince of Tennis, Death Note. I admit I’m familiar only with about 1/4 of the manga mentioned but I believe one doesn’t have to read all of them to get the story. As for me, this AU works surprisingly well, especially the ending — I never saw it coming but it’s very logical. It all makes sense, even Sai. I do wish, seeing which manga Hikaru is doing, that he had some guidance from Sai :P Wonderful story! Hot, fun, moving, and entertaining.
Preliminaries, by stirring_still []
Touya/Shindou and Waya/Isumi, NC-17, novella. A/N: Spoilers for the entire series.
I can’t say this fic is completely to my tastes. For one, I don’t envision either Hikaru or Akira this way. There are small things in this fic that contradict my view of them as characters, my ideas of how they would/should be behaving in various situations (say, at the end, I think Touya would either be more loud and obvious about that or much more private), and also some details of the life of a Go pro or life in Japan. But while I think that some scenes could be more precise characterisation-wise, some others are spot-on, as for me. For example, when Shindou accidentally tells Waya about Touya. That’s so Shindou! Another thing not to my tastes was the beginning of the relationship that seemed too fast (or is it easy?) to me. For yet another, I didn’t like what I consider a fan service moment when Akari reacts to their relationship. But that all sort of fades because I believe it’s one of the hottest fics I’ve read in HikaGo. Awfully hot! Guh how hot :) And I loved it. There are a few very amusing scenes there, too.
“There are no manga about Go, and so manga is worthless!” Morishita said, “Concentrate!”
So on the whole, I enjoyed the story. Not bad for somebody’s first try in a new fandom :)
A Resolution of Territory, by Arboretum (sequel, A Pretty Good Year) ##
Akira/Hikaru, NC-17, ~10K words.
Brilliant all the way through and very amusing. While being highly advanced in Go and renown in the official Go world, Hikaru finds that he’s very much behind in the areas of life that interest ‘normal’ teenagers the most. Namely, sex. Hikaru’s Life-Changing Discoveries and Steps on the Way are accompanied with lots and lots of Go and relationship counselling from the unwilling Waya. That’s the kind of fic that gives you real pleasure while you’re reading and puts a happy smile on your face when you remember it. Awesome!
Quote: They fight so loudly all the time eventually three different guests from three different countries all suggest imposing a restraining order on Hikaru. “No way,” Hikaru and Touya say at the same time. Well, Hikaru says, “No way,” and Touya stiffens up and says, “Absolutely not.” Same thing, whatever.
The Rumour Mill, by Harukami #
Touya/Shindou, R, 7K words. Set some year or two post-series. Spoilers for the series.
Sequel: A Suitable Memorial (R).
A rumour appears seemingly out of nowhere that Shindou and Touya are in a relationship. Shindou freaks out in a very Shindou-ey way. This is, IMO, one of the very best versions of Hikaru’s possible sexual identity crisis. Funny and very moving at the same time. It’s also a story where Akira cuts his hair. I nearly cried. It works so well here both on the emotional level and as a sign of, well, things :/ Really wonderful! I’m going to read more of this writer.
“I’m expecting news in the mail any day now. Whoever it is, though, I look forward to a real good game!”
The interviewer laughed politely. “And… let’s see, any chance that it might be Touya Akira?”
“I can hope, right?” His grin brightened at the sudden interest on her face. Well, of course — two young Go geniuses across the board from each other, attractive and smart, what wouldn’t a girl be thinking about?
“So, you don’t think your relationship with Touya 4-dan will interfere with your playing?”
Hikaru chuckled. “Of course our — what?”
“Pardon?”
“Relationship? What?”
Square One, by murinae #
Touya/Shindou, PG-13, ~26K words. But if Shindou Hikaru is a frog prince waiting, that would make him, perhaps, the princess. And since Akira refuses to accept such a role, he kicks Shindou’s sandals with a not-so-gentle thump…
One thing is clear: I’m going to read more by this author. This story is wonderful on many levels. Plot is: Hikaru is framed and accused of cheating in his Tengen matches. Imagine how it affects him. He knows he didn’t cheat. Touya trusts him. They begin investigating. It’s written wonderfully, with lots of moving scenes, and lovely scenes, and lines that are perfectly placed. But I want to just stop at a couple of points that made me fall in love with this story. Ogata. He is perfect. I’m a big Ogata lover but, disregarding the fact that there are too few fics at all that feature him, as for me, most of them either fluff him up a bit (or not a bit, but I’m not speaking about those) or villainise him. This one though… As for me, he’s spot-on here. Another moment that I’ll be re-watching inside my head is how Shindou sort of moves into Touya’s life and how Touya frets about it. It’s just so IC, real, and lovely. Very engaging and satisfying reading!
Touya’s Pride, by Ravenna C. Tan (also on IJ) #
Hikaru/Akira eventually, Akira/others, sort of, NC-17, novella. Summary: Touya Akira loses a match and suffers a crisis of faith. Could wily old Kuwabara-sensei have the answer? Or is the answer to be found in Touya’s eternal rival, Shindou Hikaru? Warnings: This is not a fluffy Aki/Hika fic. There is what could be termed cross-gen/chan, and also psychological manipulation as part of the plot. The sexuality is graphic, but not gratuitous. Touya is 16. Spoilers for the series, also.
This is unlike any other AkiHika story I’ve read. For one, it’s several times kinkier than the kinkiest HikaGo fics I’ve seen. I believe that it might have something to do with Ravenna’s applying the arsenal of things by now habitual in HP fandom (what’s with its pornish_pixies and daily_deviant and multiple kink-oriented communities) from where she comes to HikaGo. IMO, HikaGo (and AkiHika in particular) can only profit from it.
I’m not sure I believed in Hikaru in this fic. He’s more balanced and mature than how I see him. IMO he’s weirder in canon. But I liked the rest enough to disregard this disagreement in the author’s and my view of him. So, Touya loses his momentum. Help unexpectedly arrives in the form of the creepy and manipulative Kuwabara Honinbou, who obviously has some strange agenda of his own. The help at first looks more like torture. But Touya perseveres. Hot, intense, interesting. I was looking forward to the updates every day (it was posted as a WIP but is finished now). Now if only Ravenna promises to love Ogata better next time she writes a HikaGo fic, I’ll be quite happy :)
Upon NetGo and Next to NetGo, by Luce Red (issen4) []
Akira/Hikaru, PG-13, short and novella-length. AU. Summary: What if Hikaru had continued playing NetGo, and never became an insei (or a pro)?
Story one is amusing, especially the players’ net names (Kuwabara in particular) and the running commentary involving them. Story two is more serious. It’s a more detailed look at how things might have gone if Hikaru never became a pro. I’m not sure I’m quite ready for HikaGo AUs in general and there are a bit too many direct references of the canon scenes and situations in this AU-verse than how I like it. But it’s an interesting story. Held my attention all the way and I enjoyed it.
Waterloo, by Aja (bookshop) #
Akira/Hikaru, PG-13, 8000 words.
This story shows us a very interesting situation: Touya Jr. is on the brink of a victory which would better (much better) be a loss. One victory he’s not ready for. Think of him and you’ll know which victory it is. The way it’s shown to us is, while not unheard of, interesting. Aja reveals necessary details one by one so that we construct the whole picture from them gradually. It’s not a puzzle though, nor is it an annoying formal trick. Instead, it lets us connect to the characters and their emotions slowly and the more inevitably the more we learn. Wonderful piece, masterfully written and very intense. It will make you love the pairing and Go even more: how they work, what things mean between them, what the game is for them, what secrets they harbour and how those affect them, everything. Wonderful!
A Whole New Apocalypse, by Aja #
Akira/Hikaru, PG-13, short. Summary: So Hikaru has this problem, and it starts and ends with Touya.
Reading a HikaGo fic of Aja’s reminds me of all the reasons I loved her fiction in two other fandoms. It’s just brilliantly written and adorable.
The Brief and Abridged History of Ko Yongha, by chaineddove (or here) #
Various m/m pairings, PG-13, ~9K words. Description: Ko Yongha, 2002-2010 (1986-2010, I’d say — pj).
I love it when I read a story about a character that I have no interest in and it makes me care about him. That’s what happened here. The author made me see Ko Yongha in a new light, understand him, and even feel for him. It’s not that long a story but somehow it felt longer to me. Maybe because it spans some 20 years, maybe because we can see a lot of things and people. It’s very intense too. Hikaru, Akira, Ogata, Yashiro and their various relationships play a big part in the story. Ko Yongha lives to provoke and have fun, in his spoiled and twisted ways, so where he goes and where passions are already running high because of Go, clashes of personalities are bound to happen (there are quite a few amusing episodes too). Ko Yongha grows though. I wouldn’t enjoy the story if he didn’t. Have a look at how it goes and what events and people shape the Ko Yongha of several years later.
Crossing Boundaries, by Ai (aiwritingfic)/ann_applecore and chaineddove #
Isumi/Le Ping, PG-13, novella. Summary: Isumi is stuck with the notion that Le Ping is a kid. Le Ping, unfortunately, has other ideas.
Really, really lovely and heart-warming. Only Le Ping’s broken English that is supposed to express his broken Japanese becomes a bit tiresome after a while. A bit, not much. And as his Japanese improves, you stop noticing it. I have no idea how well the English speech patterns and errors that the author uses reflect the patterns and errors of a Chinese native speaker made in Japanese so it worked fine for me. I do know though that I couldn’t find a way to translate from Russian into English a story a friend of mine wrote where a German student was learning Russian because too much in it depended on word play which would be completely different in another language. But I digress. Everybody’s paired up in this fic (well, almost everybody, with a few notable exceptions). That should have irked me but instead I found it amusing because the author wrote it in a humorous key. Isumi is so perfectly Isumi here that I kept wanting to hug him. Yang Hai is awesome and very Yang Hai, too. The relationship between the two main characters moves along slowly but believably. I loved ch. 5 that consists of messages and email exchanges best, especially Kuwabara there and how Ogata keeps trying to hide from him. Made me laugh out loud. Wonderful story!
A Deeper Calm and Pearly Gates, by Ai (aiwritingfic)/ann_applecore []
Story 1: Touya Kouyou/Fujiwara Sai, PG, short. Summary: A very chaste romance-that-is-not-a-romance. Fujiwara Sai finds Touya Kouyou in the afterlife. Story 2: Ogata, Kuwabara, Isumi, Touya Kouyou, Sai, G so far, WIP (2 chapters/3 LJ posts so far). Summary: Ogata finally arrives at the great go salon in the sky.
Story 1 is lovely if a bit too conflictless, if to read it as a stand-alone. But it should really be read together with Pearly Gates. Basically, they both are just a beginning of a story but this afterlife world looks fascinating. I hope the author continues it ‘cos it’s interesting to see how it works. Ogata/fish OTP forever! That scene made me coo and laugh. So far the story is very peaceful. I hope to see more of it in the future.
Desynchronization, by ontogenesis (scroll down) ##
Gennish Ogata/Sai, PG-13, novel-length. Summary: Two years after Sai’s disappearance, Sai turns up in Ichigaya, amnesiac, wet, and and very much alive. Ogata finds him.
Ogata lovers on my flist! Yes, the two of you! Also, Sai lovers on my flist! Yes, the considerably bigger number of you. This is our birthday and Christmas at once.
Because OMG, this is so freaking amazing! It’s my dream HikaGo story. Seriously. Long! And plotty! although not an action/adventure. It’s a story centred on character and relationship, the main characters being Ogata and Sai. Ogata finds a ‘woman’ floating in a canal. It soon turns out that the woman isn’t a woman at all but a rather unusual but beautiful young man. Who doesn’t remember anything prior to his dunk in the canal. But who soon recalls the game of Go upon seeing a Goban in Ogata’s apartment. And whom Ogata very soon recognises as the mysterious s a i from the Net. You didn’t think Ogata was a sharing type, did you? But you can’t imagine a thing of such magnitude to stay hidden for a long time, right? The story is gripping; it’s so interesting and tense and complex. The cast of characters isn’t limited to Ogata and Sai only. You’ll see basically everybody, and many of them play major parts. I hope the next chapter is posted soon because I’m completely addicted. ## is a bit of an advance payment on my side but if it keeps on as it has been going, that’s indeed how much I loved it.
Easy, by The Hoyden and lynnmonster []
Ogata/Ashiwara, NC-17, short. Spoilers: Episode 60. We are so not kidding.
This is a nice PWP. I don’t much care for Ashiwara (or PWPs) but I love Ogata (newsflash, right? :D). It was lovely to see him have some. Not just sex. Some understanding, and familiar comfort. And to see him understand somebody else so well, too. Nice :)
Everyone Else’s Story, by Aja []
Waya/Isumi, PG, short. Summary: Isumi only asks about Shindou the one time.
Isumi is a bit too perfect here (or maybe he just is in Waya’s eyes) but who am I to turn down a perfect Isumi? :)
A Game for Three, by Harukami []
Hikaru/Akira, one other pairing surprise, R, ficlet. A/N: AU, because, well, yes, rather different events before end of the series would have to take place for this. But. XD CRAAAAAACK.
I just burst out laughing when I reached the end :) The rules of writing a tiny!fic say that the ending is most often what makes it. IMO it works wonderfully here.
Getting on and getting off: Or How Touya Akira Got his Groove back, by beleidigung #
Touya, Shindou, Ochi, Waya, R, two chapters.
This is the best Ochi I’ve seen in HikaGo fic, hands down. Not that I care about Ochi. But beleidigung made me care and even fall in love with him a little. Another thing is that she made me fall in love with Hikaru even more. But Ochi shines here, he really does, especially when delivering his ‘killer’ line :). So, Touya discovers one day that he’s socially inept and lonely. A pet doesn’t help. Shindou, which would be his first choice, looks like he plays for the other team. So he begins eyeing his ever-second choice, Ochi. See how it turns out. The fic has several lines that took my breath away with their brilliance. The style is sparse but so very precise there’s no need for many words when a few can work so well. Awesome! I was happy to find it.
Shindou’s first impulse is to hurl the goke in his hand at Ochi’s stupid head and maybe flail around and knock over a few gobans, preferably Ochi’s. But this is the same part of him that wants to eat fifteen chocolate bars in one go and spend his entire paycheck on arcade games, and he’s learned, painfully, that this is the not the voice to follow.
The Good Friend, by corbeaun []
Waya, Isumi/Le Ping, PG-13, ~6K words. Summary: Not everything can be fixed, but this time Waya Yoshitaka tries to be the good friend.
Bittersweet. Le Ping arrives in Tokyo — without cash but with a goal; Isumi places him at Waya’s. Which turns into a complicated triangle. The story is built on the subtle nuances of the three characters’ relationship and things in Waya’s past that influence his present. I liked that Waya stopped running from himself at last (possibly), which in turn affected Isumi. Pleasant story, quiet, and although not the most cheerful one, the overall effect is nice, I think.
How Certain the Journey, by Jain (or here) #
Ogata/Touya Akira, PG, short. Summary: “Strange how I know inside you. I measure the time, and I stand amazed.” — Vienna Teng
Yay, Ogata fic! Ogata gets some, yay! Well, will get anyway :) Quiet and lovely, with some lines to die for, so precise and well-timed they are. I particularly liked Akira confessing about the weather forecast. Wonderful!
Mirror Games, by cest_what (FKA Crawfords_Lover) (or here) []
Waya/Isumi, Le Ping/Zhao Shi, PG, short. Teaser: Shindou dropped his chopsticks with a clatter. “Waya,” he said, his eyes huge, “don’t look now, but there’s another of you.”
Adorable and perfectly proportioned, so to say. Features a troublemaker!Le Ping and a very moving Zhao Shi, not to mention two wonderfully written main characters. Why would I care about Zhao Shi, one would ask. Well, noramlly I wouldn’t, but there were several lines in this story that made me pause and admire them, not for their stylistic value or word-smithing but for how very spot-on they are in expressing people’s emotions. One of them was when Waya was playing Zhao Shi and observing him, and it made me see the character all of a sudden. There are lots of funny scenes too.
“Are you brothers or something?” Yashiro asked, only faintly curious.
Waya snapped his eyes open. “He’s Chinese,” he said.
More Than Meets the Eye, by cest_what (FKA Crawfords_Lover) (or here) []
Saeki/Ashiwara, PG, short. Summary: In which Saeki spies, and Ashiwara might not be quite what he seems. Follow-up: Reciprocal Stalking (Is More Fun Than the Regular Kind).
Sweet and amusing (especially Morishita-sensei in his rivalry-cheerleading way), and written really wonderfully. My only problem is that I can imagine both main characters only vaguely :) But you know, that’s the thing about good writing. C’est What writes in a way that makes being only vaguely familiar with characters enough somehow. Lovely, lovely story… well, stories, as I liked the second one better. Probably :)
Ogata’s Loss, by Ravenna C. Tan #
Ogata/Akira, NC-17, 5700 words. Summary: Ogata Seiji 10-dan is fairly sure he loses his mind when he sees Touya Akira kissing another boy in a public place. Insanity would be a good excuse for why he can’t figure out who is seducing whom, Akira-kun or himself. Warnings: Somewhat cross-gen. Ogata is probably around 30, Touya is 17-18.
I loved it. Tugged all my heart strings in the right ways, it did. I loved how Ogata always thinks ahead, and how hopelessly in love he really is, and for how long, in fact, he has been, probably never admitting it even to himself. I loved how masterfully Ravenna showed it. And how awkward, mentally even more so than physically, Akira is. The story is bittersweet, it’s also detached and hot at the same time. Detached because the two characters are both people who tend to overanalyse and observe, so they do it endlessly. And hot because sometimes even they get overcomed with sensation and feeling, so when they do, it’s steaming. Wonderful story!
Opening Move, by Ravenna C Tan #
Ogata/Touya, NC-17, under 1000 words. Summary: Touya receives an unexpected lesson from his senpai.
Ravenna wrote this ficlet for me and it’s designed to hit all my HikaGo rare pairing kinks :) Paraphrasing my comment to the author, awwwwww! It’s Ogata/Touya! It’s so lovely! And it’s for meeee! I do wonder how Ravenna manages to combine detached with hot and make lovely things without shmoop.
If you like Ogata, go try it!
Overture, by Triste (tristefic) [] seems to have been removed?
Sai/Hikaru, PG-13, AU, angst. Summary: Spring is a time for new beginnings.
Tearjerker. IMO rather melodramatic but not unpleasant. This is
a Muggle AUa no-Go AU where Hikaru is a schoolboy and Sai, a terminally ill and bizarre young man he meets who volunteers to tutor him. I liked and disliked this story at the same time. Liked ‘cos it’s easy to remember and visualise, disliked ‘cos take Go out of this universe, and I don’t know why I’m reading it, besides I don’t see either Sai or Hikaru as the author wrote them. But if one wants something to cry over, it’s what the doctor ordered.
The Relative Value of Things series, by rageprufrock ##
Ogata/Shindou, some Touya/Shindou, NC-17, series of short fics.
It so happened that the first ever HikaGo fic I read was Ogata/Shindo. Not my first pairing of choice but I certainly don’t object, and this is why I love Pru’s writing. A writer like her can turn you to any pairing, tested and proved by pj. Because I loved Remus/Sirius fics of hers in HP fandom and I don’t even like Remus/Sirius. The same happened here. The story grabs you, makes you see with Ogata’s eyes (3d person), and just try not to like him — or him paired with Shindou! Scorchingly hot, too. You feel the air charged with desires, covet glances sliding past you from one incredibly intense guy to another, rivalry, jealousy, and victories. Absolutely wonderful!
Unexpected Developments, by Jain (or here) #
Touya/Waya, NC-17, one-shot. Summary: Waya’s affectionate when he’s drunk.
This is all sorts of lovely! I’m starved for non-AkiHika pairings, so I was really happy to find such a wonderful Touya/Waya story. I’m totally sold on them after it. The relationship grows so smoothly, so naturally here. And the writing is also natural like breathing. I’m smiling out of sheer happiness of reading a story like this.
Waya’s Move, by Ravenna C Tan #
Waya/Touya, NC-17, short. Summary: Waya is tired of all the mysteries about Shindou. But maybe everything isn’t about Shindou after all. A/N: I’m imagining Waya and Touya as 16-18 here, this taking place maybe a year after the end of the manga. Mild spoilers for the series.
And this is a fabulous Waya, probably the best I’ve seen in HikaGo fiction. I love Waya. He’s an ordinary talented and intelligent guy surrounded by prodigies, genii, and mysteries. How hard it must be for him to be a friend and not quite a peer/not quite a rival of someone as brilliant as Shindou and at the same time Touya. AND at the same time not to lose his integrity and not completely lose his faith in himself. He isn’t particularly jealous but one has to suffer from time to time in his position; even a much more level-headed Isumi does. Others deal with it worse, say, Ochi or Honda. But I digress. Ravenna here sort of lets us be in Waya’s head for a little while, which also reminds us how really lovely and likeable Waya is. Waya’s Move is a story about a paradigm shift or, if you will, how something rather like a stagnant mess inside Waya’s head becomes a beautiful clarity. The way it’s done here is pretty amazing. I loved it, especially the ending.
And you know what’s the bestest? That it was written for me :DDD
Affecting Eternity: Ponnuki, by lanerose []
Gen, G, short. Summary: In which Touya Kouyo acquires a student and, some day, a rival.
A nice short story where we can see a much younger future Touya Meijin and the coming to Go of another character I like very much. Lovely!
All the Pieces, by metisket #
Gen (Waya, Shindou, Touya, Isumi, Akari), PG, one-shot.
I loved it! It was amusing, insightful, and wonderfully paced. The story doesn’t contain any drama; very little happens in it. But it still stays engaging and very entertaining. It’s spring; Touya has had to leave on a Go-related trip and asked Waya to ‘babysit’ Shindou because the latter “doesn’t like spring.” Waya is annoyed and mystified. Waya’s POV makes this fic. IMO it’s awesome. But really, both Waya and Shindou shine here and the dialogues are so much fun!
An Approach to Tsumego, by trixie_chick #
Sai/OMC but not explicit; I’d even say it’s Sai gen. AU. Novella.
This is a really interesting AU. I’m rather used to seeing Sai AUs set in the present but this one is set in the past! It’s an alternate route Sai story takes when he plays that game with the cheater. I can’t hope to evaluate anything concerning historical accuracy but that aside, the story impressed me and moved me. I’m tearing myself a bit ‘cos I can’t decide who I feel for more: the Emperor who was so unlucky in falling in love and who wasn’t the kind of man to make do with what he had, Sai who was (is) so much into Go that he noticed little beside it, or the poor commoner who got stuck in between so unfortunately. That game of Go (you’ll get which one I mean by the end of the story) and Sai’s single-minded fixation on it? Wow. Anyway, I liked the story a lot. I think I’ll reread it later to savour some finer points.
Autographs on Fans, by Luce Red (issen4) []
Gen, G, short. Summary: If there was one thing Ogata resented, it was being compared to Kurata.
A short and amusing scene in the Go Institute. Ogata talks to Kurata. Shindou has forgotten his fan, and Ogata wonders, as usual, about the mysteries Shindou hides. And gets his answer. Well, an answer :) Very much in Shindou’s style.
Feints and Passes and Feints and Truths, by Luce Red (issen4) #
Gen, PG, shortish. Summary: 1: There’s a rumour that Kuwabara is retiring. Ogata investigates, without success. 2: Ogata discovers why Kuwabara is retiring.
Lovely to have friends who are into some of your fandoms ‘cos then you can discover fics you missed in a casual talk :) Thanks to Lyssaphra for reccing this fic to me!
Something is wrong with Kuwabara. There must be ‘cos the man is retiring. And everybody seems to know what it is except Ogata. Unable to stand a mystery at the best of times, he goes to beard the lion in his den. You can imagine how well that would go, remembering their games and talks. Nice story, intriguing and moving. Kuwabara is properly insufferable, Ogata is properly frustrated by that, and the ending is really lovely.
Kuwabara is Dead (Long Live the Honinbou), by flonnebonne (or here) ##
Gen, PG, short. Summary: So, what does Kuwabara do on the last day of his life?
Brilliant, can’t find a better word for it! I didn’t like Kuwabara Honinbou at first when I read/watched the manga/anime but he grew on me, the impossible, manipulative, rude old geezer. This story catches his essence perfectly, as for me: his character and his relationships with Go players around him, especially Ogata. One would think that a fic about the death of its main character would make one sad and teary-eyed. Well, maybe it will work like this for some. It made me shake my head in wonder though. Wow, simply wow. Every bloody line works, every tiny detail is in place. And Kuwabara, aww, old man, I’m almost in love with you!
Lore of the Fan, by Amber Michelle (runiclore / Myaru at FFN) (or here) []
Gen, but you can read at least two pairings into it, PG, short.
Poetic, has a really nice ending with a poem that brings it all out and ties it all together. Written very pleasantly.
new Princess, Princess, by Viridian Magpie (or here) []
Gen, PG-13, short. Cross-dressing.
Kuwabara, with his usual deviousness and tendency to f-ck with his opponents’ minds, hints to Touya that he might be gender-confused. Which plants a seed. Touya decides to experiment a bit, to put the disquiet born out of Kuwabara’s words to rest. See how it goes.
What I liked in this fic is that it’s neither a PWP nor particularly kinky nor even…I’ll keep quiet about this last one :) Makes it pretty refreshing. And the ending is funny.
Reasoned Madness, by thephoenixboy []
Gen, G, short. Summary: After the last match of the Honinbou tournament, Kuwabara takes Ogata out for a drink.
The Ogata-Kuwabara duo never gets old. Ogata finally wrestles the Honinbou title from Kuwabara. But the latter wouldn’t be the man he is if he couldn’t find his victories elsewhere. Very amusing. Drunk!Ogata (and hangover!Ogata) is fun.
Seance de Go, by aishuu (or here) []
Gen (with some Touya/Shindou undertones), PG, short. Spoilers: Through the anime. Summary: A stormy night, a game between Hikaru and Akira, as promises are finally fulfilled and made.
This is a nice story. I was sort of under-impressed when I began reading it. Like, well-written but didn’t sink a hook in me. But the ending was what did it. I thought, gah, the clues were all there. Why didn’t I notice? The story is very sad but somehow not quite hopeless. I like this feeling.
Shadows of a Voice, by Luce Red (issen4) (also on LJ; scroll down) #
Gennish Akira/Hikaru, PG, novella. Summary: Someone out there also plays Shuusaku Go.
A proper longish mystery. Formally, it is Akira/Hikaru but it’s an established relationship with a couple of kisses in the background, the story itself meanwhile is about something different. A young guy appears who plays Go scarily similar to Shuusaku’s and who calls himself Sai. Imagine how it messes with Hikaru’s head. Poor Hikaru. Although he’s not the kind of guy to back down from a challenge, so he goes on a crusade to uncover the mystery. It’s a really interesting and captivating story, told in a way that is near ideal for me: a straightforward narration, with hooks to keep our interest and hints to help us be a tiny bit ahead of the characters sometimes. But what I liked even more was that it wasn’t limited to mystery only. Other things sort of play a bigger part in this story, and IMO it’s a good balance. It speaks of honour and love and memory and various aspects of Hikaru’s relationship with Sai, which I can’t speak of in detail because it would be a spoiler, although I would love to. Wonderful story!
The Simple Life Plan of Shotaru Shindo, by aka_anonymous []
Gen, G, short. Request 1: Hikaru’s dad - his opinion of his son’s liking for go.
Apart from the Western first name-last name convention applied in this fic that my brain, used to the opposite, stumbled over, I liked it. Hikaru’s father is a bit more present than absent in it, the fic being from his perspective, than in canon but he’s still rather detached and doesn’t really get his son, which, IMO, is as it should be in this universe. A very ordinary man raises a very extraordinary child. What’s going on inside his head? This fic offers us a look into it. I found it believable and the story, interesting and a bit amusing, if a bit sad at the same time too.
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13 Responses to “Hikaru No Go recs”
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Hello,
this is pj's fannish place made with the goal to be a sort of public library of (or a gateway to) fanfiction. I read mostly slash, I love sex and various kinks, so if you are underage and somehow wormed your way here past net nannies and warnings, please surf responsibly and go somewhere else when you are asked to!
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Thank you so much for compiling this! I was dying for some new Hikago fanfic when I stumbled upon your list, and it sure fulfilled that desire! I was happy to see old favorites: Inertia, The Art of New Games, Issues, and A Whole New Apocalypse. Almost as happy as I was to find new favorites; I particularly enjoyed Outside of the Lines (it works, strangely, and boy was it HOT!), A Resolution of Territory (somehow this struck me as the most in-character Hikago fanfic I’ve ever read. I’ve rarely seen the boys discover they’re gay before discovering their huge crushes on each other, and it ended up being so much more natural that way), and Seance de Go (I agree, it doesn’t really pull you in until the end, but after that I couldn’t stop thinking about it for days).
If you’re open to suggestions, some additional favorites of mine are Catsin the Cradle (Hikaru’s mom’s POV, second person. Quiet, simple, powerful), and the Sam Shindou, Private Five series (very very AU, very very satisfying).
Thanks again!
Thanks! I’ve heard about these two so I believe I’ll get to them eventually. Right now I’m reading a WIP that’s unlike any HikaGo fics I’ve read. Will rec as soon as it’s finished (soon, I think).
Have you tried A Neverending Road? It is a wonderful fic tht takes up where the manga left off and the new characters are very compatible with Yumi Hotta’s. There are also serveral side stories that delves further into charaters like Nase Asumi and Waya. The author does a lot of research into Go moves and previous games played, and explains it well enough so that someone with minimal understanding of Go, like me, as well as an experienced player can enjoy. I haven’t read a lot of HnG fics, but A Neverending Road and the side stories helped to ease the pain and cure my fix after I realised there were no more chapters.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2914615/1/The_Neverending_Road
What do you think?
Hi Kris,
yes, I have. I read everything there was of it, but can’t say I liked it.
I didn’t think the writing was all too stellar: way too many errors and weird word usage, quite a few rambling bits. And I seriously disliked the teen het love triangle they were dragging out. Just not my thing, I suppose.
I can see why people would love it though. Things to do with Go are done well there.
i remember reading a fic about hikaru imitating sai physically (longer hair, earring, ect) and akira acting cutely possessive. have you ever read it?
please email back if you have, i want to read it again but cant find it!
No, I haven’t, sorry!
http://riva-tebro.livejournal.com/692.html?view=10676#t10676
have you read this? it’s superb
My personal favourite so far in the Gen catagory. “Watch and learn” and its sequel, “Trial and Error” by esama
Watch and Learn’s summary:
When God gives Hikaru his wish, he begins his journey again with a new goal in life, to prevent Sai from fading.
Have some typos and grammatical errors but the story itself is very nice. Trial and Error is still a WIP though.
Not really my thing. I dislike “fix-its” to begin with, and this one isn’t to my tastes either. But thanks for the rec anyway!
Thanks a lot for the rec list! I’m going to enjoy reading through it.
By the way, have you read Brightly Burning by Aishuu? It’s beyond amazing. It’s an AU in which Hikaru never met Akira at his dad’s Go salon, but instead became an amazing insei at 15.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1387722/1/Brightly_Burning
Hope you like it!
I have. Not really my thing though :)
Firstly, thank you for this list, there’s a lot of stuff I enjoyed here. Your manga reviews are helpful too.
On the list above, I noticed that the link for ‘Overture’ by Triste is broken.
Finally, I can’t help but wonder what the WIP was that you mention at the top of the comments, which was ‘unlike any HikaGo fics you’d read’. Could it have been the roleplay roadtothemeijin?
http://community.livejournal.com/roadtothemeijin/
I’d certainly call that one ‘different’: it has some interesting takes on the canon, doffs its cap at numerous fanfics and the writers illustrate their input with pictures from the series, manga and doujinshi according to what’s happening.
I think I meant Ontogenesis’s Desynchronisation. See rec somewhere on this list. It’s one of a kind, really.
I won’t read a roleplay for anything. :)
And tristefic seems to have removed that fic. Pity.