Yuan Dongli — a former champion of the board game Go, who now collects and sells books, manhua, and manga. She herself lives on the second floor of her shop. One evening, a stranger appears at her door with a request to rent a room. The young man claims to be a former Go player, and indeed, his confident style of play indicates his exceptional skill.

After Nownow and Youzi, we continue to publish works by young Taiwanese female creators. For Xiaodao, this is her debut work. In preparation for undertaking this work, artist Xiaodao did extensive research by interviewing competitive go players. The result is a refreshingly original graphic novel that merges a realistic portrait of the professional go community with a tension-filled plot, all the while sprinkling in nostalgia for an era when manga rental shops formed the hub of Taiwanese youth culture.

No matter their degree of familiarity with the classic strategy game, readers will love this go-themed story about finding oneself and finding companionship.

Reading direction: right to left.