I always thought Hikaru was cute. One thing I really liked about the manga (dunno if it's the same in the anime) is the way the characters aged so subtlely. By the end of the series, Hikaru and Akira look so grown up, but you don't really notice the change as it's happening. Very realistic. (In general, his drawing style is a lot more realistic than most manga and I really, really like it.)

It's definitely one of my favorite series, though.