Lucky☆Star - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating

[Pellissier]

This thread is to be used for discussing the entire 24 episodes of Lucky☆Star ... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, expectations and hopes about the DVD only footage etc.

A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:

• General impression of the series.
• Opinions on the overall story, writing & plot devices.
• Thoughts about the animation quality.
• Characters/Character Design
  
  
• Which kind of footage (DVD only) you feel you'd really like to see.
• What the show meant to you.
• What could the creators/animators/writers could have done better.

And so on.

The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:

Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Editing: 1-10
Emotional Involvement: 1-10

Average = Total Series Rating

Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.

Feel free to discuss and more importantly, have fun

[stormy001_M1A2]

Good: Easy watch, cutesy characters, good voice acting

Bad: Some jokes is too obscure, aimless story, needless pandering to Haruhi nods, Lucky Channel wearing a bit thin by ep 5, too much on emphasis on one character, not an enduring series, forgettable scenes, some scenes are off for example ghostly mom scenes, some episode are nothing but waste of time since the jokes are repeated again and again

Overall: Casual anime for casual people who don't expect much from animes.

Animation Quality: 6
Voice Actors: 9
Script: 2
Editing: 5
Emotional Involvement: 1

I am wondering if the change of director has anything go to do with insipid episodes.

[Mirrinus]

I said earlier that this wasn't a show for me to dissect for plot consistancy and the like, and I still stick to that belief. Overall it was a very fun romp through the lives of some very entertaining characters. It was a slice-of-life that was both familiar and outrageous at times, and it certainly delivered all that I expected. In the same vein as Azumanga Daioh, I never failed to get me to smile. And its rewatchability is remarkably good.

All in all, was definitely worth my time. Kagami and Konata make a fantastic comedy duo.

[Hypernova]

Early episodes suffered from bad directing until the director got replaced. Later episodes suffered from over product placement of Haruhi merchandise beyond what is sensible.

Other then that execution of the latter halves were good.

[Asai]

I give it a 9. It was excellent. Really one of the best of the year. ^^

[LuckyCat]

I believe the show's goal was to take otaku culture and bring it into the household in a way that could be easily understood by everyone. Through characters like Kagami the audience played the fool to all of Konata+co.'s geek ramblings, while keeping her bound in reality.

All in all I believe LS's goal was achieved. I showed it off to some friends who were unfamiliar with otaku culture and it still gave them some great laughs. I must admit there were some scenes that were less than interesting, but I feel the same could be said for any series.

9/10

[Ultima_Rasengan05]

This show was very fun to watch from beginning to end and to even follow the daily lives of these 4 friends and their underclassmen friends was a sight to enjoy.
Though I must admit like all the others that have pointed out, the first few episodes of Lucky*Star didn't really give the show a strong start. It was funny, but not as funny when the director was changed.
The Karaoke endings was one of the segments in this show that I really looked forward to. But there were only a couple of songs that I could recognize like the DBZ theme and the FMP? Fumoffu theme, but the other songs were from much older shows that real Otakus would know by heart.
The Shiraishi endings were also enjoyable to watch also. His versions of various theme songs (especially from Haruhi) were pretty entertaining. Although towards the end of the show, it was kinda getting repetitive.
A lot of references were used in throughout the whole season. Half of it I got it right away, half of the other references left me having blank thoughts.
The character designs were really cute. Animation was also great and the music matched the mood of every event in every episode. Although there were some stories told in the show, most of them were just background stories, especially on Konata's side. I really did enjoy the episode about her mother...really emotional episode.
Lucky Channel was somewhat entertaining for me. Sometimes it made me laugh, sometimes it didn't.
Even though Lucky*Star will be missed, I don't think a second season would work out....by the last episode, they graduated and are all heading off to college. Another season would just re-use pretty much of all the jokes used in the first season....I don't know though, only time will tell.

Overall a 9/10 for me.
For any casual anime watcher, I think they would really get into this show. I recommend it to anyone who isn't really familiar with anime or who is familiar with anime.

[2H-Dragon]

I can rate this series on sound and animation and what not. Then it won't get to a 10, but this series has been something that didn't frustrate the shit out of me. Unlike many other series. It was hard to get into the first ep, but after that it was smooth sailing. I for one can w8 for the next cute girls do cute things slice of life anime with good humor. It has its flaws, but still gets a perfect 10 from.

[Tsukiyoshi]

Perfect 10
My kind of anime. Its very slow and relaxed, it doesn't stress me at all. I loled from beginning to end.I would recommend this to anyone with a great sense of humor and a little experience in anime.

[Sheba]

Animation Quality: 7

The show is mostly talking heads but when it does have movements, it is good enough to do its job.

Voice Actors: 9

I had nothing to complain about them, however those who stand out in my mind are Aya Hirano, Nozomi Sasaki and Misao's voice actress.

Script: 7

On invidual episodes, some scenes were hit and miss, but the overall package was enjoyable enough for me to make the ride worth my time.

Editing: I need to know what it means.

Emotional Involvement: 9

I have grown to like the characters and their quirks a lot; I'll miss them, I admit I just dont have enough of Konata x Kagami Chandler&Joey-like dynamic, or Hiyori's weird fantasies, the sibling-like dynamic of Yutaka and Minami, Patricia's funny accent and perception of japanese culture, Kuroi-sensei's fake kansai accent, I wished to see more of Yukari and Miyuki interactions. Yes, the show left me with a "I want this, I wish that" taste in my mouth.

I do not feel like listing the good and the bad over again (having done that in various threads or blogs), I personally do not see the references as something genius or awful but more like the ice on my cake, so I did not mind them much. While the show did have its down moments, it was outweighted by the goods, enough for me to give it a 9 mostly thanks to the voice acting and the emotional involvement with the characters.
An excellent series, but not the groundbreaking one, and certainly not the forgetable kind as some have desperately forced its fans to make believe.

[kenjiharima]

gave it a 10.

one reason is that i am a bit tired of anime's that always involves some kind of powers...*cough*
bleach...naruto...*cough* ahem...and others that are too exaggerated. I want anime's now with realism where people act like normal people. Slice of life? Yep. That's what anime's Iam looking for right now. Though the series has it's flaws on the animation quality, it's backup with good scripts and punchlines, plus situations that will make you laugh and good family relationship and ties, the Hiigari and Izumi family sis a great job on this. Other unexpected things are the VA really do appear in and out of the anime and the endings of Shiraishi is always a big LOL, though in the last i kinda liked it, since he did it SERIOUSLY this time, not using his tone voice, but his singing voice. "Love is a Boomerang" is kinda dedicated to Akira imho since there are the lines "She's an Angel, not she's the Devil." kinda matches her character.

Anyways I'll miss the series. Though Haruhi is up again next I won't watch it until it ends, hated the time watching it mixed chronological episodes. Sorry not my type way to watch any certain film anime, cartoons or real.

Though as said it's not a ground breaking series, all the characters here are great and unique in every way and unforgettable that's what they are. <<<was that a song?

I know and you know when you watched the series you'll remember those girls aren't just cute loli's, but special girls that will remain in our minds and hearts as long as we remember cheerleaders, otaku girls, tsundere and MOE.

[DeshoDesho]

Animation Quality:8
Voice Actors:10
Script:8
Editing:9
Emotional Involvement:10
Total:9/10

as now,my anime of the year,Two of Kyoani in a row
the involvement i have with this series was incredible,maybe even more that with Haruhi

[Zero Shinohara]

Phew. I almost missed class today because I saw this topic and felt a great urge to post in it before leaving home. But the little Kagamin~ inside of me was yelling and telling me to go. Oh well.

Look, I'm giving it a 10. It's a series that is worth a 10, even if it didn't live completely up to that grade throughout the entire show. However, there are a number of factors that play a part in here, and so I'll try to go through each of them and try to keep the post as small as I possibly can.

First off, Lucky*Star came at a time when we definitely needed something to poke fun at ourselves, and to also show that we're not alone in our idiosincrasies. Otakus are really peculiar, because we stem into various branches of the Otaku culture, such as those who go into Shoujo, Shonen, Hentai, Action, Mecha and all of these other classifications that would take too long to list. The social context of this series is that it shows others oblivious to our world that stereotyping us only ends up adding to our point-cards, since, at least in my opinion, we're all outcasts to a certain degree. And when people take jabs at what you like, you're more inclined to ignore them and walk away victorious than discussing with people who would never understand where you're coming from.

The Slice-of-Life part of this series is really on-the-spot. Heck, some of the scenes shown in L*S were so familiar to me that I would watch an episode and keep amazed for days at how well they managed to portray the frustration/surprise that comes with such situations. Tsukasa trying to go through the gate at the subway station when it simply closes on her, Nanako-san losing her long jornal entry on which she worked so hard, Miyuki having trouble with her eyedrops and so many other scenes that you can't help but think "Hey, that happened to me before!" and laugh at it. To me, it was a great way of feeling comfortable with my Otaku persona, because I identified myself so well with Konata that it's almost scary, as I'm sure many millions of other Otaku felt the same connection. She's hardcore, but you don't have to live for the sake of Anime to connect with her, because some of Kona-chan's reactions are really basic when it comes to our world.

As we were discussing at the Episode 23 thread, L*S isn't simply a comedy work - you laugh because of the characters' reactions and the overly funny comments that they throw in, depending on the situation. There're many tragedies in it, but they are hilarious because of the context they take, which is always brought to the parody and comic aspect of them. Know when someone trips and falls into a puddle of mud and you can't help but burst in laughter, even if that was such a sad situation and you feel really bad for the person? It's something like that, except a little less mean. To me it was a good chance of stopping for a second and trying to see the comedy behind my own trips and falls - but it's hard when it's you you're laughing at, isn't it? At least you can do that to these lovely characters and get away from it. All in all, this is a powerful series - when you laugh, you laugh hard. And when it gets down to dramatic and saddening parts, then depression takes in hard as well. I wouldn't be naive to say that this series is one of a kind on that aspect, but it's almost there.

I also had a great time seeing the prototype of how I will be in fifteen to twenty years. Izumi Soujirou is the type of guy who needs to be respected, even if he is an old perverted lolicon otaku. Perhaps that's more of a reason to respect him, since he's a guy well into his 30's and possibly early 40's, and yet he still has that playful, childish self he's known for. He has his own qualities, of course, but his otakuness has broken the age taboo and he seems to have managed to stay the same throughout his life. Perhaps he came along to ease some of the otakus going into adulthood - such as myself - and who are uneasy about how to manage their passion for Anime and the need to leave for the real world. I know I've gotten a bit more confident. If I could only find a Kanata for myself, eh?

Secondly, you have to agree that most of the VAs in the series are top-notch, and they portrayed their characters very well up until the end. Aya's Kona-chan was so funny and interesting to listen to. Her voice is never the same, and the way she talks is so cute that you can't help but feeling like she deserves a glomp. Misao's seiyuu was also really amazing, because her voice, the way she talks and all the odd sounds she makes completely fills her personality. I crack whenever Misao shows up and says something, because she's always hilarious. Of course, Kagami, Tsukasa and Miyuki all have seiyuus that match their personalities really well. Yu-chan and her sweet, low, extremely cute voice is everything you'd want from a strong candidate to winning the Saimoe. Sumi Shimamoto as Kanata simply did it as well - pity she didn't show up more. I'm definitely looking forward to every characters' Singles to come out, because I already picked up quite a few nice songs from the four/five that came out.

Animation was really good, but I would expect that from KyoAni and from the way the anime appears as a whole - rather simplistic characters, abstract scenery and things of that sort. The OST and background songs are enjoyable, and some are even funny by themselves. All in all, everything was in its rightful place, and for that I think that L*S deserves a high rating. It is definitely a series that has set a standard that won't be surpassed anytime soon, and also one that will stay with us for a long time. I definitely feel like the time I spent watching L*S will be engraved in my memories for the rest of my life. I'll stop here, because I forgot many of the points I wanted to convey, but I think that, for the main stuff, it's all in here.

[Ascaloth]

I haven't an intention of giving Lucky Star the "monster rating" treatment; like Mirrinus, I simply don't think a show like this can be rated.

Neverthless, here is the link to my final thoughts on Lucky Star:

[RIUVA] Farewell, Lucky Star

EDIT: The thing about matriculating and taking up a Japanese language module midway through the Lucky Star run, is how one can know absolutely nothing about what the Japanese words on the title logo means when one first starts watching, and yet can read it by the time the run has ended.

Yup, enough to make me wonder; if the title is supposedly "Lucky Star", shouldn't they be using katakana instead of hiragana instead?

EDIT 2: Eh...a link is not against the rules, right?

[Vexx]

A few slips, stumbles, and I'm grieved it got a bit trampled in the Haruhi but I *enjoyed* Lucky*Star as much as I've enjoyed any anime I've watched. Ascaloth's review kind of expresses some of my thoughts --- I just found the show to be a marvelous set of character studies of a group of delightful quirky people.

I do hope the manga experiences a long and enjoyable run.

[Claies]

Animation Quality: 7
The artwork is amazingly mediocre for something from KyoAni. Until now, I'm still not sure whether it was a low budget anime, a light project for trainees, or intentionally done so to reflect the basic quality of a 4-koma. However, you can definitely tell that the animation smoothness has the KyoAni touch. I really loved the random 3D scenes, and I wished there were more after Anime Tenchou's first appearance...but apparently not.

Voice Actors: 10
Superb. Not dramatic when the situation isn't (as 4-komas usually don't), and not over the top when it is. Hirano Aya may suck at singing, but she handled the spectrum from Haruhi's sharp, traditionally tsundere speech to Konata's adorably and very believably childlike tone. Other characters, like Kaori Fukuhara as Tsukasa and Kaoru Mizuhara as Misao, also scored great hits. Shiraishi can't sing, but you know what...you can't deny he's hilarious in conversation.

Script: 7
It really should be 10 if not for all the Haruhi advertising and Lucky Channel. For this rating, you really need to read the manga and do the comparisons, and then you'll find that it's actually pretty flat when up against the anime. I'm very, very pleasantly surprised that KyoAni pulled such lively personas and events from this. It certainly takes a lot of imagination and skill on their part. While LC was pretty bad and probably should have been much shorter, it does have its funny parts. You just wish those funny parts happened more.

Editing: 6
Very hit-or-miss. Many transitions were sudden and warp you away from the storyline just when you think something should be happening, and then over to something else completely unrelated. Oh well...it's a 4-koma.

Emotional Involvement: 8
This is biased - I get emotionally involved in a lot of things that I watched. However, nothing has gotten me so hooked as Lucky*Star. The personalities are very believable, nobody is perfect, and everyone is beautiful. The depression I have now stemming from the end of the series is a pretty good indication of that. It really felt like they left you behind, and here you are standing at the airport watching them disappear, remembering all the good times you saw them have...or something. In real life, I tend to be the really quiet one in the corner, and I listen to conversations and feel the emotion in them, even when I might not know what they're talking about. As you can see, I had lots of fun watching over the characters.

Final feel: 9.5/10 --> 10/10

And guess what? It's easily the most influential animes of the year. Through its run, Konata's face was on anything printed by and/or for anyone otaku. There has not been an anime so controversial and polarized for quite a while. Quality or not, you simply cannot deny the fans all over the series. You want to see the next flash mob over Akihabara for Motteke! Sailor Fuku, and you know it.

[shiro83]

Animation Quality: 10
Voice Actors: 10
Script: 10
Editing: 10
Emotional Involvement: 10

Yeah, I am biased.

[chlorine]

Animation Quality: 8/10 <= No obivous graphic faults are found in this series, and the use of drawing methods enhances the mood and expresses the atmosphere of scenes nicely and lively.

Voice Actors: 10/10 <= Aya does an excellent job playing the role of Konata especially the changing of voice due to cosplay. Other voice actors also do a very good job to show the personalities of characters. I give a 10 to this one.

Script:9/10 <= The jokes are so refreshing at the beginning, and you can't stop laughing. However, they start to be repetitive(mostly because of the jokes related to Haruhi) in the later episodes. However, the ordinance will still be entertained by the show. And it is worth watching it over and over again.

Editing: 8/10 <= Broken storyline, I don't have much to talk about it. However, what can you ask for in a series based on a 4-strip comic?

Emotional Involvement: 11/10 <= Sorry for breaking the rules, but I have to give it a score over 10. This part starts to be subjective. I hope my comment won't offense anyone who has read it.
When the series had started, I checked the wiki since I loved it so much. From there, I discovered that Yutaka's birthday is exactly the same as mine. It makes me a lot more passionate to this series. When Yutaka made her first in episode 14, I was addicted by her(her voice actor was the 4th best in the series i think) that she is so cute and lovely with both the apperance and personality.
The Whole series addicted me with the storyline, jokes and also the characters themselves. It is like, the characters are living with you watching it.

Overall: the series is a must to watch, although some gags may not be understood by people who are beginners to ACGN, it is outstanding as a comedy that you will find yourself mentally in the show since the characters reflect the reality.

The Script is quite innovative and refreshing, even now, i still enjoy watching it over and over again. As my ACGN knowledge increases over time, I can have other experience when watching it.

10 to this show.

[Kaioshin Sama]

I was gonna do a rather large summary, but I think everybody knows my score now so I'll just keep it simple and to the point.

Animation Quality: 6
Voice Acting: 8
Scripting: 4
Characters: 9
Music: 3

Overall Series Rating: Six Out Of Ten

I've got a more detailed look at things up on my blog, if people are interested they can mosy on over there. Here's the Link For Those That Are Interested. And please by all means drop a line as I'm desperate for conversation on my own blog.

[OceanBlue]

Well, we can leave the storyline out of this anime, I think. ^__^

Animation: 7/10.
To be honest, it was average. It wasn't that good, but it wasn't that bad either.

Voice Actors/Sounds/Music: 9/10
The VA's [and the conversations between them] were a very essential part of this anime. It would be tough to deny that the humor in this anime is mainly verbal. The music was okay as well [actually, that's why it's a nine instead of a ten]. The music set the right mood, but some very memorable moments in this anime went without background music, which I thought was great.

I have no idea what editing is.

Script: 8/10
Basically, what has been said. The jokes got more interesting as it went on, then went through the Haruhi phase. Around the end the Haruhi references seemed to lessen though. The jokes were great though, and there were great emotional parts as well.
It's the first time I almost cried over a character [Kanata, if I have her name right] with less than 20 minutes of screen-time [although I guess if you include Konata and her dad, then I guess that statement is wrong].

Characters: 10/10
I am so glad that there wasn't the dependable/complete pervert character.
I loved the characters in this anime.
I figure most of you can fill the details here.

Overall: 9.5/10

No, I don't follow an equation for my ratings. Not all anime should be judged the same, and in this one I feel that the characters and the voice actors/script were a major point in the enjoyment of this anime. It didn't matter to me that the animation wasn't the best I've ever seen, since the animation wasn't the reason I watched this anime.