Full-time comic artist

This is the significance of inheritance.

For thousands of years, history has repeated itself in this way, and through countless inheritances, Go has developed step by step.

The comic book has become more substantial.

This romantic sentiment brought tears to the eyes of mystery novelist Mamoru Yamamura.

He picked up his pen and, with a flourish of his brush, drafted a manuscript.

He wrote thousands of words in one go, freely expressing his feelings.

This feeling of being moved must be shared with others.

……

On Monday, Hibiki Higashino was holding a copy of the Yomiuri Shimbun when he came across a reader's commentary on "Hikaru no Go," and the author turned out to be Morimichi Yamamura.

The title is "The Beauty of Go's Thousand-Year Heritage".

He started from the "Tezuka Award" banquet and described how he saw a short story there.

It is called "Hikaru no Go".

Torajiro, who was getting close to a professional Go player, discovered a soul.

He was Fujiwara no Sai, a Go player from the Heian period.

After being falsely accused and lacking the skills to make a living, Sai ultimately committed suicide in despair.

Torajiro discovers that this soul possesses an incredible skill in Go that he cannot comprehend.

No matter how well you play chess, you can't reach that level.

The gods allowed him to meet me, so the meaning of my existence is to let this soul continue playing chess.

Torajiro became someone who existed for Fujiwara no Sai.

Then, Yamamura changed the subject and talked about Hikaru Shindo.

Compared to Torajiro, Hikaru Shindo, fearless and young, chose to play Go himself.

This decision made Sai understand his significance.

That is inheritance.

The person who should be pursuing the "divine intervention" is not yourself, but the people of today.

Hikaru inherited Fujiwara no Sai's technique and began his first step toward the "God's Hand".

And so, Fujiwara no Sai disappeared.

Like countless masters of Go, Sai can be said to have not disappeared.

As long as people play Go, he will continue to exist.

It exists in the game records, on the game board, purely in the player's mind, and in time itself.

At this point, the comic transcends winning and losing, and is magnified within the entire history of Go.

It carries romance and epic elements.

Yamamura Morimichi is very grateful to Tori Akino Mirai for being able to see such a manga.

Mamoru Yamamura, November 15, 1995, at the Yamamura Arai Studio.

Higashino Hibiki held the newspaper, surprised that Yamamura had actually reviewed the entire "Hikaru no Go" manga.

It coincided with my idea of ​​drawing "Hikaru no Go".

I don't know what the original author, Horita, was thinking, but Hibiki Higashino himself certainly understood it that way and drew it that way.

"The story of Hikaru no Go has come to a perfect conclusion, except for the game of Go between Hikaru Shindo and Akira Touya."

He changed into his regular clothes and went to school.

……

“Continue playing Go…” Odagiri stroked the newspaper. “Is this what Hibiki Higashino-sensei is thinking?”

"Thinking about it carefully, my mentor was Hibiki Higashino, and his playing style is indeed present in my games."

"Since my teacher can no longer play Go, then let me remain active in the Go world, using my teacher's style of play to ensure that 'Hibiki Higashino' remains a prominent figure among professional Go players."

Chapter 115 Learning a New Style

Hikaru no Go has entered a new world.

The gloom that had followed Fujiwara no Sai's disappearance has been swept away.

The pace of the comic has quickened. In the past, one match could take up two or three chapters. Now, multiple matches take place in a single chapter.

The readers thoroughly enjoyed the game as Hikaru Shindo continued to compete.

Even though he was only a first-dan player, third-dan players thought he shouldn't be a player of that rank.

He grew stronger and became more widely known.

Besides Akira Touya, there is also Hikaru Shindo.

The showdown between the two of them was bound to happen sooner or later.

Readers are also eagerly awaiting this day.

……

In December, Akemi Akemi was very curious about Hibiki Higashino's new habit: he was always watching the NBA.

I never used to read comics; I spent most of my time drawing manga. Occasionally, when I had free time, I would read the collected volumes of "Dragon Ball," "Touch," and "City Hunter" to learn paneling techniques.

But now he's gone mad.

Watching NBA games feels like studying in high school; I have dark circles under my eyes, I'm exhausted, and I've even neglected my comic book reading.

However, his eyes shone with an astonishing sharpness.

This made Akemi Akemi realize that Higashino Hibiki hadn't fallen into depravity, but rather that he was making plans for his next work.

Just like in "The Garden of Words", pointillism was used to draw the background.

Now he takes out his sketches and brushes and starts drawing muscle lines based on NBA stars.

At first, I wasn't used to it, but after 3 to 5 days, I made great progress.

I've persisted for almost a month now.

The art style has changed from before, becoming more realistic. With the addition of lines, it is more dynamic, making the characters feel like they are really moving.

Akemi Akemi was both worried and touched by his condition.

My original passion for comics remains unchanged.

……

Hibiki Higashino experimented with drawing characters from multiple camera angles, showcasing their movements from different perspectives to make them appear more three-dimensional.

Other sports comics also use this model, but they don't use it well.

He studied it carefully, hoping to reach the level of Inoue Takehiko's first-class painting skills in his later years.

He became obsessed with basketball and grew increasingly thin.

Akemi Akemi felt sorry for him, so she made a bowl of vegetable and clam soup and handed it to Higashino Hibiki.

Higashino Hibiki took the soup with both hands; it was still hot. He put it down and boasted to Akemi Akemi, "How was it? My drawing is pretty good, isn't it?"

Akemi Akemi nodded: "She's progressing very quickly, but..."

Pointing to the drawing paper, she said, "The perspective of the character is not drawn well. To make the style more realistic, it must be complex."

"Your character's chest doesn't have a bulge, which looks rather discordant."

Hibiki Higashino looked at the manga and nodded, agreeing that it was indeed true.

“Look,” Akemi Akemi picked up her pen and leaned over, her hair hanging down, Hibiki Higashino could smell the scent of shampoo.

He leaned closer to take a look.

Akemi Akimiya added two strokes, and the effect was immediately different.

"How is it?" She turned to look at Higashino Hibiki, and their lips accidentally touched.

"Um," Akemi Akemi stepped back, covering her lips and blushing, "Why are you so close?"

"Of course I'm looking at it carefully," Higashino Hibiki said, carefully examining the drawing to show that he had no ill intentions. "Akimiya-sensei's teachings are indeed very different."

"Hmph." Akemi Akemi stomped her foot.

Higashino picked up the vegetable and clam soup, took a sip, and covered his eyes, which were squinting with laughter.

……

In January 1996, Sasaki signed an annual contract.

Torishima Kazuhiko accompanied him.

Oda was very nervous, constantly tidying up the room, spraying air freshener, turning on the air conditioner, and preparing fruits and vegetables.

Higashino Hibiki sighed, "Is it really necessary to make such a fuss?"

“That’s Mr. Kazuhiko Torishima!” Oda exclaimed in surprise. “He’s the one who discovered Toriyama-sensei. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to see Dragon Ball! And he stopped Toriyama-sensei from ending Dragon Ball several times. He’s practically my benefactor. I have to thank him properly.”

Oda is definitely a suitable person for fans.

Ordinary readers don't care about the author's editors, since they are the behind-the-scenes workers.

Most readers don't even care who the author is. They just focus on Dragon Ball and don't care who drew it.

There are too few people like Oda.

Akemi Akemi stood to the side, holding a rag, unsure of where to begin.

Oda cleaned it up so thoroughly that it even has a sparkling feel, like something out of a manga.

Yoshii Yamahisa also felt unsure where to put his feet, as if he might accidentally defile this clean and pure land.

"You're really good." Higashino Hibiki gave him a thumbs up.