The manga this week
Hajime algorithm
By Kazuto Mihara (Kodansha)
Mathematics is "a scholastic art created by expressing one's emotions," according to Kiyoshi Oka (1901-78), one of Japan's most celebrated mathematicians, who was the first to solve three highly complex mathematical problems. He also loved Japanese nature and culture, and wrote many superb essays full of delicate emotion. When asked what mathematics is good for, his now-famous response was: "Violets bloom just to be violets." Oka proved that a talented mathematician could also be a talented poet.
The manga this week, "Hajime algorithm," has nothing to do with Oka directly, but I was reminded of him as soon as I started reading it. The story is about Uchida, an elderly mathematician almost faded from public view. One day, he returns to the island where he grew up to give a lecture. When he visits his old junior high school, he discovers something unbelievable scribbled on the walls at the rundown, abandoned school building. He had scribbled math equations on the same walls when he was a student there. Not only are his unfinished formulas admirably completed, there are additional ones, some of which are incomprehensible even to him. Uchida finds out that they were written by Hajime Sekiguchi, a fifth grader who studies mathematics by himself. Hajime is an undiscovered genius.
A manga version of a series of books for young adults that first appeared in 2007 called "Sugaku Garu" (Math Girls) -- which features a high school student as its protagonist -- has also been released, so "Hajime algorithm" is certainly not the first manga with mathematics as its theme. But what is so unique about the story is that Oka's idea of "mathematics as an expression of emotions" is evident throughout the manga.
If we borrow Uchida's words, emotion flows from a vision in one's heart that senses the beauty in what is beautiful. Some may even go so far as to say the beauty of mathematics is intrinsically no different from that of the arts, such as music, painting or literature. In this respect, mathematics could be considered no different from manga.
"Hajime algorithm" contains serious math, including explanations of difficult formulas and demanding problems that mathematicians the world over are struggling with, such as the Riemann Hypothesis. This, however, does not mean the manga is a difficult read. The story creatively introduces a cast of diverse characters, many of whom are related to mathematics, such as Tejima, another young genius who becomes Hajime's rival, and Uchida's former student Onuki, who is so distressed and entrapped in the world of mathematics that he withdraws from society. Other characters have no connection to math, such as Hajime's childhood friend who is aiming to be a pop idol, and Hajime's school classmates. They are all smoothly and ingeniously incorporated into the story.
"Mathematics has the power to transform the scenery of the world we live in" -- a claim put forward in this manga -- definitely resonates with Kiyoshi Oka's belief. This manga is therefore especially recommended for those who, just like me, feel that they are struggling with math. Oka's major essays are also available in paperback, so I hope you take a look if your interest has been aroused.
Ishida is a Yomiuri Shimbun senior writer whose areas of expertise include manga and anime.
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