Lucky Star - Episode 08 Discussion / Poll

[Decagon]

I liked how that one guy does so many of the extra voices.

[Samatarou]

I'm getting pretty tired of the Shuffle stuff too, it's clearly product placement, and yet there are far more interesting Kadokawa titles that Kona-chan could "like", e.g. Karin, with all OTT the nose bleeding etc. it would be right up her street I would have thought and could be the setup for some jokes, whereas ISTM Shuffle has no use in the plot at all.

[Risaa]

Y'know... suddenly I feel great about not having watched Shuffle! and thus being unable to catch many of the Shuffle! references.

..Ain't I a stinker?

[Vexx]

I *suppose* the connection is that two of the characters (Mayumi and Primula) are built like Kona so she has some attachment to that.
But yeah... some indication that she watches other things like Karin would be nice. We know she has *some* taste (she watches Haruhi) but I kind of expect her to seek out obscure titles and mysterious niche series.

Fortunately, that she watches Shuffle is completely irrelevant to the plot -- the main joke was "stuff I have to GET!!!", "oops I bought the same volume twice", "and a poster homage to Mayumi over her computer. It is totally unnecessary to know what Shuffle was about (outside of the 'special tastes' connection ).

[angel_wing0]

another great episode...9.5 out of 10 but since there is no 9.5 i give it a 10

[Sheba]

Originally Posted by Sorrow-K

I mean, as diplomatically as I can possibly put this, the Shuffle! fan is a species I've always had a difficult time trying to understand...

Just like how I feel whenever I meet a Naruto fan (when there are waaay better shonen around, like JoJo or Gunnm/Batle Angel Alita), alright. Case closed.

I pretty much agree on how people seems to overestimate whatever influence Lucky Star have and blow the thing out of proportion.

[FatPianoBoy]

Originally Posted by Sheba

Just like how I feel whenever I meet a Naruto fan (when there are waaay better shonen around, like JoJo or Gunnm/Batle Angel Alita)

Not to nitpick or drive this off-topic, but I very, very seriously doubt GUNNM is aimed at the 12-18 crowd; what with entrails flying about and whatnot.


I think these long-running series have a sort of loyalty factor that keeps people interested. I know a guy who has quite literally lost almost all interest in manga and anime, yet still reads the Naruto raws when they're released even though he admits that he doesn't really care anymore. Of course, he's been following it since it began.

[Sheba]

I dunno, but in France, it was aimed at this age range, and the manga itself was highly praised by medias that usually scorn manga and anime.

EDIT: Ok, it was listed as Seinen over wikipedia. I guess it was misaimed in France, just like how Hokuto no Ken was aired at prime time during the old days (it sparkled that famous anti-manga/anime sentiment you have heard of in the french presidency topic).

Would my statement still stand if I replace the mentionned manga with "YuYu Hakusho"?

[Skane]

Interesting. It seems there has been a lot of pre-planning for the NewType references. Konata's entry is for "real".

Refer to this article.

Cheers.

[CrowKenobi]

Originally Posted by Skane

Interesting. It seems there has been a lot of pre-planning for the NewType references. Konata's entry is for "real".

Refer to this article.

Cheers.

Good article; and in the comments section, someone is wondering if Aya Hirano drew that picture!

[Smithj]

To be honest, it's running dry in Seinfeld-like/Family Guy humour. Though I did have a giggle at the mention of HMS Dreadnought.

I find the magic of Lucky Star is the ability for people to connect the events of the characters to their experiences. The terrible recorder playing and the Hurdle Event for example. While none of these are exactly *funny* by themselves, they triggered good memories of my personal childhood (and funny ones too). And to those who don't have such memories, the moe factor of say Tsukasa attracts attention.

I personally don't know what they're trying to achieve however; I was rather sure this was meant to be a full blown comedy not a "remember your past and when all fails die from the moe factor". They're just cashing in on the moe factor while it's still hot methinks; and it appears to be working alright...

[Vexx]

@Smithj

Your comment on memory event connection is well-aimed. There's a heavy feel of nostalgia (or nostalgia for the way things should have been). This is often a key component of 'slice of life'. I have a particular fondness for that sort of story element (hence the recorder sequence had me smiling so much my mouth is sore).

Other than that? They're adapting the manga ... and I think they're doing a pretty good job. If you like the manga, its a win. Its not a PPD HAHAHA funny, the comedy is much more gentle in the manga (someone called this sort of thing "human comedy").

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Skane

Interesting. It seems there has been a lot of pre-planning for the NewType references. Konata's entry is for "real".

Refer to this article.

Cheers.

I told you it would actually appear and was likely mentioned in the anime to boost sales. That issue is going to fly off the shelves. Lucky Star, Comedy Anime or Kadokawa Shopping Channel. The line is forever blurred.

I bet most people who will post in the comments section think it's like the coolest idea ever and it's never been done before and it's a very witty and detailed play between real life and anime and yet how could you not see it coming, I would have done the exact same thing. Which means that Kyoto Animation thinks like me. Scary. Either way a bit disillusioned with what exactly the goal of this anime is now. People know how I hate product placement and its getting worse and more blatant with each passing episode.

edit: I made a post of my own there actually in my usual paragraph long style. Maybe I went a wee bit overboard, but it is an intriguing idea (Even if I could see it coming a mile a way when I saw the episode). How come nobody ever noticed that Haruka Amami had a blog though. One is left to wonder if it only matters when Kyoto Animation does something like this. To me the fact that a character from an anime series actually has a real life blog is far more interesting than some fanart in a magazine they want me to buy to get it.

[Sheba]

You sir need a chill pill. A few praising posts does not represent the average casual fan, this minority does not mean we, as a whole, are mindless zealots bumping our heards repeatedly on the floor while hoping for God to send us a sign.
Chill up already.

And that's after reading your post here and there.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Sheba

You sir need a chill pill. A few praising posts does not represent the average casual fan, this minority does not mean we, as a whole, are mindless zealots bumping our heards repeatedly on the floor while hoping for God to send us a sign.
Chill up already.

And that's after reading your post here and there.

That's why I said I probably went overboard. I'll probably never be able to fully relax as when this company specifically does this kind of stuff it has a way of getting blown way out of proportion on the internet (you know what I mean).

Plus, I'd rather hope to see people sending another message as well to them to tone down the advertising a bit and kick up the comedy rather than just being Yes Men. I also have issues about praising advertising as it sends a message to the company I'd rather not give them. Remember how out of hand the Pizza Hut thing got. Basically the opposite of this message:

Elydis
June 1st, 2007 at 7:30 pm

Haha was thinking of buying the mag cause konata mentioned it. Tks for the picture and u arnt cheating unless u r caught. Lucky star is definetly an awesome anime, thank god it is not licensed.

Even I find it hard to believe that somebody actually said that, but it's true. Some of the comments on this page are absolutely outrageous.

Tyrenol
June 1st, 2007 at 6:54 am

>>and also, as a side note, includes a small plead for Shirashi-kun to be given better treatment.

Shiraishi does need better treatment.

The fact that KyoAni can pull a stunt like that is one of the same reasons the media and advertising industries are losing their audience every day. The line between entertainment and advertising is gone. And good stories can’t be told anymore as long as everybody’s trying to cash in. WTF, Japan.

This is the message we should be sending.

[Vexx]

Having Kona's post actually appear in NewType is an interesting bit of integrative marketing that makes the lame McDonald's movie tie-ins look very pale (we don't actually sell food, we sell little scraps of pretend-toys made by people in China who think American consumers must be freaking nuts).

Basically I think its cute (blurring the line tween fantasy and reality) but I'm not going to go out and buy NewType just because of it. For those that do, P.T. Barnum said it best For those that already buy/subscribe, its just an extra little bonus/silliness.
I'll choose what I'm suckered for more carefully.

[Daniel E.]

Just watched the episode!



This part made me remember the time when my name appeared in one of the Oh My Goddes! mangas (Dark Horse) on their pen pal lists at the end.

I also got pretty crazy about it, and I also got the So What? look from my friends.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Basically I think its cute (blurring the line tween fantasy and reality) but I'm not going to go out and buy NewType just because of it. For those that do, P.T. Barnum said it best For those that already buy/subscribe, its just an extra little bonus/silliness.
I'll choose what I'm suckered for more carefully.

Thank god for that. That's exactly what it should be, an added bonus. I honestly cannot believe how many comments on blogs I've already seen about people wanting to buy the issue just for that fanart, and they don't even appear to be literate in Japanese either. I mean I knew some KyoAni fans where rabid, but I still held out hope that they could discriminate between "advertising and extremely cool play between anime and real life".

Ebay should have some auctions for it soon enough I would imagine.

Seriously though the comments like the one I mentioned in my post seriously make me worry for the future of independent thought. I just wish these people would actually consider a little bit before commenting on something which I think is controversial and bears a little extra thought and consideration. Even a little, "Well I know it's advertising and it's neat, but maybe I'll check out what else is in the issue and see if I want to buy it, then I'll also have the fanart" would be better than:

Kouji
June 1st, 2007 at 7:29 am

So did Hirano Aya drew this?

Maybe it's just one of those mistakes of youth. And yes I know these people don't represent Kyoto Animation and Anime Fans as a whole, but my god are there a lot more of these types of fans in Kyoto Animation's court then any other companies. How can anyone deny that?

[Ffenix Rising]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin_Sama

Seriously though the comments like the one I mentioned in my post seriously make me worry for the future of independent thought.

Dude, it's already too late... we have George Bush as president after all!

/zing!

[Samatarou]

Originally Posted by Risaa

Y'know... suddenly I feel great about not having watched Shuffle! and thus being unable to catch many of the Shuffle! references.

I'm not aware of any actual references (but then I haven't seen Shuffle! either!), I was thinking of all the images of Shuffle stuff - posters, manga, etc. we keep seeing in Lucky Star. If I were one of Kadokawa's other authors (other than Haruhi author Nagaru Tanigawa of course) I'd be feeling pissed off by now that they weren't mentioning my story. I guess I feel for Karin author Yuna Kagesaki in particular since from her omake she strikes me as being exactly like Konata, a female otaku who's into the sort of stuff that you associate more with male otaku. Kagesaki's high school days seem to have been not unlike Konata's, she didn't spend much time studying either.

As to the title "Shuffle", given the focus on sexy girls I always assumed it came from this term, I recall someone claiming that once anyhow

Yuna Kagesaki, writing to
complain about lack of publicity
for Karin in Lucky Star: