It’s Over! Lucky Star: Closing Thoughts
September 17th, 2007 by Shirukii
When I watched the first episode of Lucky Star I criticized it as being unfunny and boring. Twenty-four episodes of watching later, I still think it’s unfunny and boring -BUT- only about half of the time.
Lucky Star was a hit and miss show throughout its entirety. Some scenes, admittedly, made me laugh, while others made me sit back in frustration and wonder what I just wasted 6 minutes and 13 seconds of my life on.
But ultimately, did I regret watching Lucky Star? No, not at all. I’ve watched anime for much less. But that being said, it’s not exactly going to land itself in my top 10 anime list.
The problem I had with Lucky Star is that abandoned all elements that ANY series should have, those being plot and character development. Lucky Star started as an anime that did nothing but follow the lives of a bunch of high school girls as they went through their daily business, and that’s exactly how it ended. The characters remained unchanged as well. Konata is still an otaku with no sense of direction or meaning in her life, Kagami is still your classic tsundere and continues to hide her genuine emotions behind a veil of awkward hostility, Tsukasa is still as airheaded and naive as she started and Miyuki is still afraid of dentists. I could continue for the entire cast, but the point is that Lucky Star ended exactly where it began.
And it’s not as if 4-koma anime all share the same fate. Azumanga Daioh did a great job in keeping the random skit comedy feel that the manga had, but at the same time we got to see the characters subtly change over the course of their three high school years.
It ended up being three things that sustained me throughout the duration of Lucky Star. One being the interaction between Konata and Kagami, I loved the dynamic between these two. The standard fare between these two is: Konata baits Kagami by doing something over the top stupid, Kagami lectures Konata on her behavior, Konata notes that Kagami has similar tendencies, *tsuntsun*. And despite being played out over and over and over again, I never tired of it. A lot of people got yuri undertones between these two, but for once I’m going to have to disagree, they’re just really good friends, and it was heartwarming to see them getting together so well.
The second is Misao. OIIIIIIIIIIIII HIIIIIIRAGIIIIIIIIII!
I don’t need to justify this with an explanation, she’s just awesome. Every scene that she was in was made of instant win.
But on that note, I found KyoAni’s decision to introduce so much of the cast well past the halfway point. The show would have been much better if there had been the character variety it had at the end from the outset. It would have at least saved it from being known as the “Food Animu” for those first uh…10 weeks.
And of course how could I forget Lucky Channel, almost a show on its own. These short segments often made me laugh more than the main episode, mostly due to the hilarity of Shiraishi Minoru. It was funny seeing the animosity between Shiraishi and Akira build up throughout the series and then suddenly explode at the end. Many lulz were had.
Oh, and sleeves. You can’t forget about the sleeves.
And what Lucky Star 24 post would be complete without a mention of the full version of Motteke Seifuku. Hare Hare Yukai it was not, but it was certainly a well choreographed dance. While I don’t see why KyoAni feels it’s ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to put a dance in every one of their anime ever since doing Haruhi, but I just can’t complain when I see pseudo-lolis prancing around in cheerleading outfits. Good show KyoAni, good show.
When all is said and done, I will admit, I enjoyed Lucky Star. It was a guilty pleasure, yes, but I did have fun watching it. Sure it came off as little more than a Haruhi commercial at times and some of the jokes were so tangential and off key that only the most cultured of otaku would understand, but it did a decent job entertaining me these past 24 weeks.
However, after 24 long episodes, roughly nine and a half hours of Lucky Star, the question still remains…
Which side is the head?
~ Shirukii ~
21 Responses to “It’s Over! Lucky Star: Closing Thoughts”
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Oooh, its over? Kool.
Lets see…. final rating: B
I felt a lil different about the show, especially lucky channel. TBH lucky channel is the part where i always tend to fall asleep until the day Shiraishi finally decided to knock over the entire board. It’s just so old the way akira goes bipolar all the time and such, but maybe thaz becuz i have a friend in real life that ALWAYS act like that in front of me, complaining this and that in a while then flip back to a happy go lucky gangstar (and yea, im already tired of it b4 it even started.)
On the contrary, i like the main episode a lot more. I just do, watching those very-in-coherent random scenes simply gives me a nice kick back and relax moment. I guess I like fun that comes in natural bits instead of a forceful gag laugh.
O wells, shows over, so congratulations Lucky Star, thou art one of the 2 spring/summer shows left out of 8 that managed to cling on my anime roster till the end. Fun ride indeed, now it’s time to get ready for the next coming roster eh?
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Clannad and Shana, oohh Gundam00 too.
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Btw, i like that chocolate bun bit (yes im the type that would really stress on methods of eating… especially snacks XD And no im not fat)
OOO. 24 was the last episode!!?! NOOOO!!!!! NO more Lucky Star! (T___T) But I didn’t regret watching Lucky Star one bit! It was a good series! Hope that they will be more series like Suzumiya Haruhi & Lucky Star! {The seiyuu for Suzumiya is kind of cute, don’t ya think? Hirano Aya! Kawaii!!! (>u
>>While I don’t see why KyoAni feels it’s ABSOLUTELY NECESSARY to put a dance in every one of their anime ever since doing Haruhi, but I just can’t complain when I see pseudo-lolis prancing around in cheerleading outfits.
There was dancing in Kanon(apart from ep 12)?!
Did I miss something?
THANK GOD THIS CRAP IS OVER
now we can have some quality releases from KyoAni such as Clannad.
I’m gonna miss it…. I watced the last episode today, I found the subbed on Veoh, but I’m propably gonna download it anyway. And if not the whole final, at least the dancing scene. I’m so gonna learn that XD It’s as addicting as hare hare yukai.
I was wating for the last lucky channel, like “Noooo Minoru and Akira I know you still love each other so you have to stop fighting and make a love-love ending for a great show…..” and so on. I started to like Minoru =3= Maybe I watch some other series where he’s a seiyuu.
The dance was only thing that made me a little sad, and that was more like nostalgic. And I even cried in the ending of Azumanga. We need another season!!! >:0
In School Days news:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Hinano:
I do agree with you at some point but I do not agree it’s total crap.
@Shirukii:
Watching Kona and Kaga is one of the main points I’m watching LS. And yes, they are good friends but when you put your Yuri-Goggles on… Well, that’s a different story.
@ Nightingale: Wow, out of all the shows you decided to stick with, Lucky Star made it through? If I were as strict with my anime schedule as you were, it probably wouldn’t have made it.
As for the food thing, I do that too, lol. I’m very methodical in everything I do >.>
@ Brian Woon: Haruhi II should be coming soon enough.
As for Aya: HUEG FOREHEAD IS HUEEEEEEEEEEG!
But she can be cute at times.
@ Ravage: Well, yea that’s what I was referring to. There was also the Yuuichi and Jun dance scene in the cafe for Shiori’s birthday.
@ Hinano: Whoo! Clannad! KeyAni is always good.
@ Missing: Azumanga’s end was sentimental enough to bring the manliest of anime fans (lol, not saying much) to tears.
Minoru doesn’t have a huge list of series under his belt, but he was funny as Taniguchi in Haruhi.
WA WA WA WASUREMONO.
@ ItAintEazy: Haven’t seen it yet, I’ll get to that in a could hours. Though your Darth Vader-esque “NOOOO…” isn’t filling me with much confidence…
@ SHiN_aKuMa: They’re not gay for each other ;_; just really, REALLY good friends :3
@SHiN_aKuMa
Yay for the Yuri-Goggles!!
I’m going to miss LS, but the ending was great
I’m going to miss Lucky Star, hopefully a second season will come up but I doubt it. Most likely it will end like Azumanga and Manabi Straight where all the girls go on to live separate lives, just like real life lol. But your reasons for watching I too agree with, especially Misao…I’m a total fang moe ^^.
Now that the series is finished I’ve randomly decided to watch it at the rate of one episode per night (right before sleep) and it’s odd- I just feel almost completely indifferent to it- I don’t hate it, I don’t make any claims to liking it, it just plays and I sit in front of the computer.
For me, Lucky Star somewhat had the same feeling like the times when I watched the sitcom Seinfeld. Lucky Star was a show I ended the week with and part of my regular lineup.
I liked the show and I didnt mind all the Haruhi references because to me, Haruhi was already very hyped and I enjoyed those scenes as is. They did place other anime references and even an mmo which Konata played with Kuroi sensei. The parody I liked the best was the Initial D scene with cousin Yui behind the wheel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa-uFj0frls
I also loved the Animate crew and it caused me to re-read the Burning Pen (Moeyo Pen) manga as well as find two other treasures: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJ5PcrekxIE
Animate commercial predating Lucky Star I think and Blazing Transfer Student which I cant link but the anime film was done by Gainax.
Shirukii:
No, I promise you that the link is not a spoiler (I haven’t watched the episode either), just some bad news regarding the, uh, technical aspects of the series, that’s all.
@ Roy: The yuri-goggles, they do nothing!
@ AS: If Haruhi II turns out to be a huge success, I wouldn’t put it past KyoAni to do a second season of LS just to promote Haruhi again.
@ Karura: Yep, it’ll do that to ya, it’s a pretty neat way to kill some time.
@ Servbot: The Initial-D scene was awesome, as was the Animate team (I heard that was getting a spinoff)
>> I didnt mind all the Haruhi references
Even the Haruhi soda commercial? That was just bad.
@ ItAintEazy: Well then. That sucks. Thanks for the heads up though.
If Animate does get its own show then they should have cameo appearances from the Lucky Star cast.
Hmmm, reading the other comments, if there were a second season what would it cover? Maybe it should be about Yutaka and her classmates?
@ Shirukii
Actually out of all show i sat through none >_>
Even lucky star remained on my hard drive, i lagged behind a LOT, say i haven’t watched ep23 or 24 yet, since i really don’t have much motivation left in any of the spring/summer anime. But i still cant deny the fact i enjoyed it tho.
Hopefully this fall will create a new height.
P.S. WTF SCHOOL DAYS BBQ BUTCHER AXE!!???
AWESOME! I thought i was the only one who’s obsessed with Misao….
The Anime Graphics looks so poor =/
I definitively agree, and yeah, I love the way Misao calls Hiragi.
Although my favorite is Kagami :3
i love the lucky channel(the end show)
I think we can focus the Azumanga technique a bit better. The characters did not change much there, with the notable exception of Sakaki, who opened up to her friends and started talking a whole lot more. This stands to reason, because characters of Azumanga are beyond their formative years in regards to character. They would only change now in reaction to traumatic events, missing from the show. So, instead, the group dynamic changed. The most obvious example is how Kagura drifted from being primarily a rival of Sakaki toward the bonkura group.
You can guess that I do not agree with the all or nothing statement made in the post about what is necessary. Still, Lucky Star managed to bungle even what is necessary, that is any kind of unified theme or a story. As a result, it was a real patchwork of skits, the allegation often improperly levelled at Azumaga.