Young Adult Literature.1

Nice being king here - when the new books come into the media center, I always get pick of what I want to read. So, we had a huge manga order come in, and while the books were being processed I get them before the hundreds of students get to them.

So - while the stuff wasn't ready, i was picking apart the manga series Hikaru no Go. I'd ordered 1, 3, and 4 last year (#2 O.S., or out of stock), and liked it a lot.

So- this year I filled ot the collection to #12 -and have spent the last few days catching up. Hikaru no Go involves a boy who becomes - not haunted, but - well, a ghost named Sai comes into his consciousness. Sai is a 1000 year old ghost who loves the Japanese board game Go. When Hikura touches a dusty old Go board in his grandpas attic, Sai becomes part of his, well consciousness. Don't worry - it's a friendly ghost - and over time Sai teaches the precocious youth the game - and how to win.

So, in the beginning, it was Sai who played for Hikura. Sai is a super master whose skills swamp even the best players though he last played 1000 years ago (basically - I won't give you all the finer points, because he HAS played in the last 1000 years-but just follow). So, Toya - a young master who is lights out great - plays one of the games when Sia is telling Hikura where to put the pieces on the board. Predictably, Toya gets killed by Sai - but he can't understand, because Hikura has just started playing Go.

So- the story revolves around Hikura getting better, Toya becoming obsessed w/ Hikura even though nobody can understand why........ and the relationship between Ghost and human.

This relationship is where I've been digging the series. As Hikura gets better and better, he needs Sia less and less. I know it's only comix, but one really feels for Sai - we can all see that Hikur will eventually take on Toya- and I realise that he'll Rocky 2'm and win @ soe point - and then i bet he'll tke on Toya's Dad- then that Korean kid agai- and then , eventually - he'll take on Sia. I haven't read ahead - but it's gotta go this way.

And eventually, he ill reach the point where Sai isn't .......... no, I do not want to write it.

Sai- trapped in time and in a kids body - but the kid is growing and will eventually Sai knows, and it's always tough to see the realization flashed in his face....... Many times, there is such a sadness to the passage of time.... the touchy march of time that binds you* ..... But - this series is kool. I recommend.

And, like in Death Note - there will have to be a time when to say goodbye. Deathnote is one of the class titles in all of Manga, and they tried to do it right. They closed after 12 issues (108 weekly comix, put into 12 books. Since @ this point I only read the books - I tend to refer to them in the smaller numbers) with a natural and not forced ending. We have a long way to go in this series.

What the next title in Securityout to get the workover? Well, since the new manga were not processed before break today-I get - all to myself and Matt Jenke - Prince of Tennis #8-14 and two brand new titles : Kensin something or other, and, uh, something else. I'm looking fowrard to the end of 10th period today. 45m.
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*=I use this line too much - it's one of Stephen Patrick Morrisseys best written ones,and one that Q loved. Where did all this Q stuff come from lately??