It’s May Fifth! You know what that means….!

Happy Hikago Day!!!

Technically this LJ is on hiatus until the end of June, but it’s May 5th, and on May 5th, exceptions must be made.

For anyone new to this journal, Hikaru no Go is my true love. If you have never watched this show or read the manga, here’s my Top 5 pimp post about why it is the best. Best, best, best. Best story ever, best characters ever, best epic metaphor for life turned into a shounen manga series ever. Oh, my heart. Hikago has a unique place in the annals of beloved manga/anime series for many people. There’s just something about it that’s truly special.

This year, Manga Bookshelf, a wonderful fan review site run by my friend Melinda Beasi, is doing a very special roundtable on Hikaru no Go to celebrate the publication of the final volume of the series’ English translation (which was released, fittingly enough, on May 5th).

Melinda asked me to be a part of the roundtable discussion, which has been fantastic. If you’re a fan of the series (or don’t mind being thoroughly spoiled), please check it out. Those ladies are so smart and articulate, and we had a wonderful, fun discussion.

Every year since 2007, I have done a special Top 5 meme in honor of Hikaru no Go to celebrate May 5th. It’s my favorite post of the year – Hikago fans ask each other for their top-5 Hikago-related things! It’s so much fun and reminds me every year how wonderful this series is.

Melinda also asked me if I would like to do a very special Manga Bookshelf version of this year’s Top 5 meme, the only answer was: of course! What better to celebrate the 5th anniversary of my meme? And what better way to celebrate a story that’s all about connection than connecting with other people who aren’t on LJ?

So! Hikago fans! You can find this year’s Top 5 meme at Manga Bookshelf, right this way!

Bring your game faces, and LET’S FIVE!

IT’S HERE, IT’S HERE, IT’S FINALLY HERE! I’VE BEEN WAITING ALL YEAR! :D

So I’ve been kind of quiet on the Hikago front because I’ve been busy and Hikago fandom and I needed a mutual break from each other, by order of many months–but Hikaru no Go is still the ruler of my heart forever, and today is MAY FIFTH!!!!

Which means ONLY ONE THING: IT’S FINALLY HIKAGO DAY!!!!!!!

Hikago is my true joy, I cannot stress that enough, it is the love of my life, and every year for the last 3 years, I’ve done the greatest meme in the entire world to celebrate May 5th, aka Hikago Day. <333333

Previous Incarnations: here (2007), here (2008), and here (2009).

5 things to do if you don’t know what Hikaru no Go is:
1. Read my Pimp Post!
2. Buy the SUBLIME Manga from VIZ.
3. Watch the equally sublime anime after which you should read the manga bc there is an even more sublime WHOLE EXTRA ARC that the anime sadly does not cover
4. stare at the amazing art by Takeshi Obata until you feel the love.
5. Ask me how Hikaru no Go will CHANGE YOUR LIFE.

How to play:
1. Comment to this post!
2. I and/or other people will ask you for one of your top-5 Hikago related things! Like, it could be ‘top 5 favorite fics,’ top 5 favorite characters, top 5 favorite sexually-suggestive go positions, AND SO FORTH. anything/everything you guys can think of!
3. YOU ANSWER, WE SQUEE A LOT, REPEAT STEPS 1-3

Happy Hikago Day!!!!!

Hello, everyone!

I am making my first official crosspost from Dreamwidth to LJ to wish you all the happiest of May 5ths! It’s Cinco de Mayo, of course, but more importantly to me, it’s Boy’s Day in Japan, which means that it’s HIKAGO DAY! And Hikaru no Go is basically my favorite thing in the whole entire world.

5 Reasons we celebrate Hikago Day:

1. Because in Japan, “go” is the word for the number “5″, so 5/5 is GO, GO day!
2. Because our hero, Hikaru is a huge dork who paints “LET’S FIVE!” on his shirts, so today we can all go around and say “LET’S FIVE!” to each other and it will actually make sense. Shut up, it so makes sense.
3. Because even though it’s a very, very sad day in Hikaru no Go canon, it’s ultimately a very *happy* day, because Hikaru no Go is a story about 2 people (really, 3 people) having to travel very long and sometimes hard paths to find their destinies, and it’s a celebration of the fact that ultimately, they *find* those destinies and their souls are forever joined and connected because of that shared journey. And it’s only the most beautiful thing in the world, okay.
4. Because Hikago is all about cycles! Cycles of life and death and rebirth, Cycles of failure and success, cycles of mourning and celebration. So, for me, May 5th has become my personal holiday to celebrate all those things at once, and to look back and reflect on the cycles in my own life! (it’s spiritual, for me, this story. I love it. so. much.)
5. Because it gives us an excuse to talk about Hikaru no Go, which basically makes it the best day ever.

As you know if you’ve read my journal for a while, for the last 2 years, every spring I’ve done a Hikago Day Top 5 Meme. This year, by request, and because we’re also celebrating Dreamwidth, I’m doing it on the DW hikarunogo community here!

The previous incarnations of the meme are here (2007), here (2008), and (2009).

And just for fun, here are 5 pimp posts about Hikaru no Go: mine, eddy’s ♥, sorka’s, harukami’s, mtranc3′s, and matilda’s as a bonus. okay and one more picspam from me. 5, 7, whatever.

(We interrupt this otherwise informative post to give you HOMG A PICTURE OF TOUYA’S BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL TOUYAFACE:

FLAIL. LOOKIT LOOK AT HIM OH AKIRA ♥_♥. There is only one person on the whole planet who can make him look like that and if you don’t know who it is, it’s because you’re not reading Hikaru no Go.

Aaaaaand if you *do* know who it is, then it’s a sign you want to

COME FIVE WITH US!

ILU FOREVER, HIKAGO. AND EVER. *slips away to flail quietly*

LET’S FIVE

Top 5 Things You Should Be Doing Today:

1) Reading arboretum‘s May 5 Pimp Post
2) Reading the Hikago manga.*
3) Watching the Hikago anime.
4) Reading all of the amazing fics posted today over at !!!!!!!!!!! **
5) Participating in this redux of my favorite post of all time, ever. Posting by request***.

* you too can become a hikago fan! ask me how! lol or just read eddy’s post

** regarding blind_go, i didn’t get to submit much. lack of wireless connection at hotel interfered irrefutably.

*** because of same, i won’t be able to really participate in this meme until friday but i could NEVER miss hikago day, you guys, and have i mentioned again that this is my favorite post ever? ever ever? so PLAY AND HAVE FUN AND I WILL SQUEE WITH YOU ALL WHEN I AM BACK NEXT WEEK. ♥

it is a truth universally acknowledged that Go makes you hot.