lucky ☆ star 5
Categories: anime, episodic review, lucky star
Tagged: lucky star
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“It’s not as entertaining when two girls do it.”
Yes, that’s true. It’s definitely not as entertaining as watching three girls do it.
Gotta admit, Lucky Star is picking up. Maybe it’s an acquired taste, or maybe because this episode sews the various gags together better. I like the fact that they stuck to this summer festival motif for the episode and jumped around less. A few other minor improvements that ended up making a large difference:
- More LOL FANG-SENSEI: Always a plus, especially in a tank top.
- Yukatas for the girls: Kyoto is still the master of changing clothes that their characters wear. I’m really beginning to hate shows that don’t vary their outfits because of Kyoto. Nonetheless, Lucky Star scores at least a 11 out of 10 on the cute meter because Kyoto does a good job changing up the outfits.
- Reduction of references to other show: I can’t believe I’m complaining about this aspect because I always enjoy seeing random references to other series, but it was getting out-of-hand. This episode had much better balance between home-grown gags and references to other series. Whew! The odds of Lucky Star going Pani Poni on us has decreased like Kennedy handling the Cuban Missile Crisis by calling Krushchev.
- Balsamic vinegar: I could toss in a typical, “She can ferment my ethanol anyday” line, but I won’t.
- Strato’s translation: He’s the Tim Duncan of anime fansubbing.
- Konata’s MMO: I can’t believe we spent like four minutes this episode watching Konata type and rant about MMOs. Here’s hoping for a rant about h-games next episode.
- Cotton candy: No explanation necessary.
Maybe it is a cultural gap (would Family Guy be funny to the Japanese, who probably never watched A-Team and other 80 shit that they make fun of?) that I have been harsh on Lucky Star in the beginning. I was expecting to laugh like I would for a David Letterman monologue, but it’s not that… and anime that can successfully do comedy aren’t exactly growing on trees. Good comedy takes careful writing, and stuff like Fumoffu and Muteki Kanban Musume are just that– superior writing. They rely less on cultural gags and references and more on global and universal concepts… for example, Fumoffu‘s ponytail episode was funny because it took something simple and crafted a funny story out of it and executed to perfection. One thing that good comedies like those two have in common is that they are driven from the inside– the jokes and gags revolve around the characters and how the characters are setup. For example, the last episode of MKM was hilarious because of the shift in the Miki/Megumi dynamic caused by Alcohol. And, of course, didn’t you laugh at the predictable outcome when Sensei was bribed by ramen?
Lucky Star is getting there… this episode at least is depending less on relying on references to other stuff and focuses more on the characters on hand. The part when the goldfish run from Kagami? The part when Tsukasa is talking with Konata on the phone and we hear “depleted uranium”? The part when Konata blows off her homework saying “thirty minutes.” Previously, the only character who brought the character-focused comedy was Akira, and that’s probably not a good thing to have the character who appears for two minutes to overshadow everyone else. And it’s also probably not a good thing that I was happier to see Keroro than any of the gags that happened. We’re going in the right direction… whether it is caused by the director change or just getting used to the show or better source material or a bit of everything.
Shooting Stars
I enjoy Konata’s mischief mode, but it’s pretty predictable. She was obviously not going to shoot a prize like a normal person. We need to team her up with Muteki Kanban Musume‘s Miki… can you imagine the power of Konata’s planned mischief combined with Miki’s unplanned mischief? It would be legendary.
Must be one hell of a hax to play an MMORPG without opening your eye… though I think it may be possible with World of Warcraft. Still, we have more clues as to what she’s playing– death penalty! I’d guess either FFXI or Everquest now, but you’re not going to solo for an epic sword in FFXI. Just not gonna happen.
(Konata as a tank? Egads.)
As much as I like LOL FANG-SENSEI, I’m sure she’s someone who screws up skill chains, agros mobs left and right, or DoTs a polymorphed mob. Still, she only reaffirms my belief that she’s just LOL FANG-TAN ten years later with bleached hair.
(I am disappointed that they missed another easy layup… at the very beginning, LOL FANG-SENSEI should have said, “Take care to avoid trouble” and then did a glare at Konata. Kyoto should have changed directors to me. I’d even promise to sneak in Tsukasa and Kagami in twin meido outfits… like every other episode.)
I’m glad that Kyoto toned down the self-referencing. Once or twice an episode is okay. Once or twice a minute is not okay. The worst part of seeing the Bonta-kun mask is that Kyoto should have made another comedic Full Metal Panic series instead of Lucky Star… oh, well… in other news, I heard that in the latest Haruhi novel, because Haruhi wishes so hard for aliens, espers, etc, another group appears! Konata is the esper, Kagami is the stabby alien, Tsukasa is the quiet alien, and Miyuki is the time traveler. It all makes sense now…
Or, better yet, Kyoto works on a remake for Fate/Stay Night. I’m not sure if that’s up their alley though… oh, what am I saying? If it leads to Rin costume raping Saber, it’ll be a 10x improvement over the original.
Konata looks a lot like Ageha from Toshiue no Hito.
(Andohbytheway, TnH morphed from romantic comedy to dramatic comedy to out-and-out sex fest in like… uh… three volumes. Coincidentally, I am predicating a similar curve for High School of the Dead, only with more zombies and lesbianism.)
Moe blob 4tw!
Balsamic vinegar 4tw!
NDS 4tw!
(Yui is clueless. I don’t find her very interesting… at least give her an accent like Osaka.)
I counted at least four “sugoi’s” for Tsukasa this episode. I know: riveting.
Reminds me of when I was growing up, I loved having fish as pets… only my parents were horrible in taking care of them when I was away. If I were gone for more than a week, I’d find similar looking but definitely different fish in my fish tank. Oh wait, anime blog… anime blog… uh… definitely one of the cutest scenes so far: Kagami and her fish. Only way it could have been more awesome is if Konata comes by, stares at it intently, and goes “So who’s up for some sushi?”
The least believable portion of Lucky Star (almost as unbelievable as the School Rumble girls scoring like 250 points in a coed basketball game) is Konata surviving Comiket. She looks like a delicious flat chested loli… and, well… isn’t that as ill-advised as wearing a Boston Red Sox jersey and cap into Yankee Stadium? Dangerous. Very dangerous.
(Does beg the question, what type of doujinshi does Konata buy?)
Really enjoyed this episode of Lucky Channel. Not sure what was more awesome, the fact that they referred to an NEET, Akira’s MMO addiction, or the “character change” bit at the very end. The NEET postcard thing was funny just because I got flashbacks of NHK‘s Satou playing his FFXI ripoff. It’s probably also a calculated dig at Lucky Star‘s audience, after all, it’s an otaku being otaku series. Akira’s MMO comment about how she got all this rare stuff reminds me of those girls who play MMOs and get items for showing their breasts. And finally the name change at the very end parallels the director change for Lucky Star. Maybe the change was planned from the beginning and Yasuhiro Takemoto was just on vacation or addicted to Lineage II… I dunno.
(Andohbytheway, notice how we never really see the whole bodies of either Taniguchi or Akira? Maybe they’re elaborate hand puppets… I’m just sayin’…)
Finally, of course, we get the OP to DBZ at the very end. Ugh. Sailor Moon and now this… ugh.
41 Responses to “lucky ☆ star 5”
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-Sailor Moon?
-My japanese is limited, but I just love sensei’s weird dialect.
-I read that one of their classmates (shown in the OP) is yuri doujin writer; can’t wait for her take on the girls XD
-Konatank. LOL.
-BTW, they MUST sing Moonlight Densetsu
Just a point…
Remember that phonecall that mentioned deplicted uranium? Some of us came to the conclusion that it was a VERY well hidden FMP reference.
Specifically, Tsukasa was talking to Konata about cute big metal frogs… That sounds suspiciously like the Soviet-built Armslave “Savage”, armed with depleted uranium rifle rounds.
So, yeah, KyoAni hadn’t slowed down the self-references; they are just hiding them better. :P
This series is going nowhere but up, nothing much to say about this episode except it was just amazing. I almost cried laughing so hard at konatas’ chat dialog in her mmo.
“If I were gone for more than a week, I’d find similar looking but definitely different fish in my fish tank.”
~~~~ ~~~~
^This just cracks me up. XD
Heh.
“but you’re not going to solo for an epic sword in FFXI.”
You would in MapleStory. >__> [still adamant towards it]
>> of those girls who play MMOs and get items for showing their breasts.
Pancake nipples!
*dies*
>>I’d guess either FFXI or Everquest now, but you’re not going to solo for an epic sword in FFXI. Just not gonna happen.
Unless Konata’s HAX is just so awesome, she can solo Charybdis or something…
>>Konata as a tank? Egads.
Begs the question: PLD bloodtank or NIN blinktank?
I suspect she was at Comiket with her dad (what a dad!). In any case, the H-doujins are mainly ’18+ only’ and Konata is only 16/17.
lol fang sensei actually reminds me more ofharuko, misuzu’s mother from air, which brings us to: i want to see her drunk.
>>lol fang sensei actually reminds me more ofharuko, misuzu’s mother from air, which brings us to: i want to see her drunk.
LOL, I second that motion.
dammit i knew i knew that song from somewhere i just didnt think of dbz, damn. also, if the show keeps improving every ep at this rate its gonna be legendary near the end.
I’ll be more than happy to hear Konata or Kagami sing “You WA Shock!”, the legendary OP of Fist of the North Star :)
Maybe the show’s picking up due to the new director?
I read that at some point Konata’s male char got married in-game to a female char played by a guy… There’s no marriage system in WoW but I think there’s one in…uhh… Everquest and RO (and maybe SW Galaxy?).
Yui with the Bonta-kun mask is a nice self-reference, actually. Didn’t Bonta-kun first appear in the episode with the crazy policewoman (who I always thought was an allustion to You’re under arrest)?
The music sounds suspiciously similar to RO, and you can solo things there if you’re good. They even have the Levaetin sword.
Not to mention, since Konata mentioned she was a tank that means she is most likely probably a melee class, and the fact that she was doing a ridiculous amount of clicking with very little keyboard action, therefore RO could be the case because you usually click alot to move around in that game and if she was just hitting things melee style she would have very little reason to use the keyboard.
>> There’s no marriage system in WoW but I think there’s one in…uhh… Everquest and RO (and maybe SW Galaxy?).
Her “wife” in-game is actually a male irl, it is not unlikely that the wife is a priestess, should the game be RO. (buff/heal/SP slave)
Strato’s good because he translates quite liberally making it sound all the more natural and probably like something that you would read or hear from a natural English speaker.
Other translators tend to follow the philosophy of “zomg must translate everything word by word”.
Wiki says the Demonic Sword Laevateinn is a sword from Valkyrie Profile. Which is strange because Valkyrie isnt for the PC.
:/
It’s “probably” FFXI, in AFK’s translation there was something said about how after Konata mispulled and that she had to spend an entire day grinding up her lost levels.
As far as I know FFXI is the only MMO which punishes death with EXP loss…
The beauty mark on konakona’s face is such a turn on.
Lucky channel announcer girl is the cutest thing in the anime.
And I totally don’t get the thing about konata’s dad being able to tie a yukata knot or w.e
>> As far as I know FFXI is the only MMO which punishes death with EXP loss…
RO does that too. It gets pretty irritating when you are a transcendant class level 90+.
>>>RO does that too. It gets pretty irritating when you are a transcendant class level 90+.
It does? Lol, I’ve been playing too much high rate private servers.
I’m reasonably sure Konata plays Ragnarok Online. There is a demon-slaying weapon called Laevateinn in the Ragnarok manhwa that RO is based on. And “cave near Chopron village” reminds me of that cave near Payon village. I’m not sure where to place that “almost at the Imperial Gate” mentioned in an earlier episode (#2 I think).
What song is she humming while playing the MMO, right before the rare drop?
>>What song is she humming while playing the MMO, right before the rare drop?
The Haruhi Opening
>> I read that at some point Konata’s male char got married in-game to a female char played by a guy… There’s no marriage system in WoW but I think there’s one in…uhh… Everquest and RO (and maybe SW Galaxy?).
There’s marriage in FFXI as well. There’s also an Imperial Gate (in Al Zahbi).
I think its RO as well due to the chatbox and the color although it could have been just pure chance and randomness. In RO the chatbox looks exactly like that and clan member chat is green as well.
Are there “pulling”, “tanking” and other strict RPG mechanics in RO? The brief time I played it sort of seem like you just go around solo grinding.
>> Are there “pullingâ€, “tanking†and other strict RPG mechanics in RO?
Pulling is better known in RO as mobtraining.
Tanking is a task mostly done by swordman classes like Crusaders, Knights, Priests, and their advanced versions.
As for strict RPG mechanics, RO have about as much as Diablo 1 and 2. Updates even brought quests that rewards you with XP or some items should you bother to do them.
The game being not named in the original 4koma, I am guessing it is a game based on RO.
Re: Yukata knot
It’s hard to think of a good reason for a dude to have that specific knowledge of womens’ clothing. It’s like if he knew how to lace up a corset.
Galge player. When memorizing how to get an yukata off, putting it back on is just reversing the process.
Well… I played FFXI with my eyes closed, it was pretty easy as a white mage, I’d set up heal macros and just hit them once in a while, and listen for the skillchain macros that other team members set up.
Then again, the eyes were closed ’cause I always played on Japanese time, so I was always half-asleep.
To me this was easily the worst episode of the series. The pacing was all over the place and I don’t know if I have a different idea of “well-sewn together”, but I prefer to call this episode “Chaotically organized”.
There was far to much Summer Fun potential wasted on gimmicky things like Lol-Fang Sensei (Score points with Tsuruya Crowd), Tsukasa x Kagami (Score points with Yuri fans), Comptiq pushes (Score Points with Kadokawa execs) and lots of typical Kyoto Animation pandering, which was mercifully missing in the first 4 episodes. As with most episodes, the jokes that stick to the them of the overall episode (The fish catching, rifle shooting festival stuff) were the highlights, and in this episode the jokes relevant to the theme all seemed to be crammed into the 7:00-9:30 minute mark of the episode. Also I notice that Lucky Channel seemed to come way way earlier than in previous episodes, which also cut down the opportunity for good jokes to make up for the wasted ones. Another example of poor pacing.
In all of this, I hope the director wasn’t replaced because the new one is more likely to play ball in terms of Kyoto Animation customizing their series for their hardcore fanbase.
In the future I would hope Kyoto Animation takes this advice to heart: Reminding me of Haruhi, Bonta-Kun and Comptiq’s promotions for the umpteenth time is not funny KyoAni. Get it together again already and stick to the funny jokes about Otakus and Schoolgirl life. Also references can be very funny, but not when they always seem to be about the same thing.
What are my posts being censored now. I just made one and now its gone. Maybe if I shorten it. Pacing was off, Too many Haruhi, Fumoffu and Comptiq pushes. Wasted Potential I felt could have been better spent pursuing the summer theme, but it was squandered on scoring points with specific portions of the anime watching population (Yuri, Tsuruya,Hikkikomori. Also too much time was spent on some jokes, and too little time on others and it seemed to be completely random how much time they spent with each one, just like in episode 1. Weakest episode of the series for me since episode 1 overall, far weaker actually.
>> Lol-Fang Sensei (Score points with Tsuruya Crowd),
She reminds me of Haruko Kamio gone the way of Yukari-sensei more than Tsuruya (hell, she even have Kamio’s funky accent). Only more responsible than Yukari (she is actually trying to get Konata’s arse to school when the otaku just want to skip classes).
Yeeah.. I’m totally getting Natsumi from You’re Under Arrest vibes from Yui.
>Andohbytheway, notice how we never really see the whole bodies of either Taniguchi or Akira? Maybe they’re elaborate hand puppets… I’m just sayin’…
We did see Akira’s legs… does that count?
>Does beg the question, what type of doujinshi does Konata buy?
If only we can get an “I *bleep* to this!” scene for Konata… Genshiken Reference FTW!
I never had the patience for online gaming. Never reached upgraded classes before I quit. And I’ve tried a few. Good luck to Konata’s MMO Adventures. Hope she doesn’t get hacked.
EF: Yeeah.. I’m totally getting Natsumi from You’re Under Arrest vibes from Yui.
Which is interesting, as her maiden name is apparently Kobayakawa…
Oh, come on.
Cha-La Head Cha-La is a CLASSIC.
Hearing Aya butcher it makes me very happy indeed.
Heh it seems like RO to me, with the Wizard clicking AOE spells and tank’s getting a mob togheter. I played a wizard in RO before and it’s pretty much gathering a mob and nukeing them to hell with some sort of massive damge aoe spell. Most of the time I solo and you can get rare items if you’re really lucky
mmm, i think that the MMORPG is knight online, the music when she is playing is like the background music of this game, the window of the private mesages is similar too.