Lucky Star (Generic Discussion thread)

[Pakxenon]

Just watched episode 1. It's a reasonably good episode, although the entire first third about food got quite boring. My favourite part would have to be the Lucky Channel section - needs more Akira!! Having read a little of the 4koma (from SF I think), the jokes were a little tamed (even though they were pretty tame in the first place). The transition on screen was quite good with the timing and placement of jokes. Also, it's mostly the characters and their reactions that make this work. Good thing I watched 4 episodes of Azumanga Daioh beforehand to set myself up. XD

[Daniel E.]

Some avis from episode 1.

[Kaioshin Sama]

I go to ANN and loe and behold look at the poll of the day. It's about Moe and what you think of it personally. To me it almost seems like a referendum on the whole concept. The results seem to be pointing to the final nail in the coffin so to speak of the genre's dominance. Just as I expected, but still somewhat surprising. Here are the results thus far.

To Pelliesier who mentioned Yuko Goto. I don't even think she's in the show.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Daniel E.

MUCH BETTER than the manga IMO

At the moment i'm finding it pretty hard to decide. Sure with the anime you get the music (which is absolutely amazing :3) & voice acting that helps, though there's that certain relaxing feeling i get when reading the manga, and that hasn't appeared yet with the anime. Hopefully it shall in a few weeks.

[NeoSam]

And now for figurines from Kadokawa Shoten yes the company thats publishing the manga is also going to release the following figurines:

Spoiler:

Price (for each figure): 2940 yen
Release date: 26/9/2007

As you would expect from the publisher of the manga, great looking figurines

[Pellissier]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin_Sama

To Pelliesier who mentioned Yuko Goto. I don't even think she's in the show.

No, she's not .. my mistake, I watched Hidamari Sketch 5 after Lucky Star 1 so my mind shuffled the names ... I meant Endo Aya, voice of Miyuki.

[kenjiharima]

Originally Posted by NeoSam

And now for figurines from Kadokawa Shoten yes the company thats publishing the manga is also going to release the following figurines:

Spoiler:

Price (for each figure): 2940 yen
Release date: 26/9/2007

As you would expect from the publisher of the manga, great looking figurines

OMG!!! Those are quite nice and KAWAII!!!
DAMN IT!!! 5 months I can't wait that long to have those figures, by in any chance are there any other figures of Lucky Star released now, just hoping?

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by kenjiharima

OMG!!! Those are quite nice and KAWAII!!!
DAMN IT!!! 5 months I can't wait that long to have those figures, by in any chance are there any other figures of Lucky Star released now, just hoping?

Probably their will be some LE kits that cost far too much for the materials used. 5 months is less time than you think believe it or not. Basically the price difference for possible LE's versus the mass-produced kits we know are coming will be be something akin to the difference in price between Himeya Shop and YesAsia including shipping costs.

[cmage]

Finally found it on IRC! ~ I really like it. Didn't have me laugh out loud or anything, but definitely kept a smile on my face. And before I knew it, it was over. I'm looking forward to getting more characters and getting to know the girls more. And I love Konata. X3

[Kyuusai]

Another thought I have as I watch it again (which I think proves that I did enjoy it): I can have faith that the timing and awkward cuts will improve, but I really wonder about the music.

As long as music is appropriate, it doesn't necessarily have to be anything special, but the cheezy synth sound is unbelievably annoying. The long periods of being musicless tend to work well, but music is needed to keep the mood. However, if the alternative is the lame synth horn we hear in lunch scenes, they can keep the silence...

Edited to add: The next episode preview's music track was pretty good. Maybe we'll hear more like that later. The Lucky Channel music was also great, but it's a bit too high energy for the rest of the episode.

[ZeusIrae]

Well,It's funny................I am not sure if it's going to keep me intrested but for now it's intresting.
It certainly doesn't deserve the very harsh criticism it has recieved on some blogs.

I would even say that the "food scene" was hilarious.

I guess it's not for everybody.It's not subtle but it takes a little patience.You smile at the beginning but I started to laugh after 30sec.

It has a lot to do with the character design,just watching them makes me smile.

Anyway,don't use glasses,it attracts "certain fetishes".

[itzfurrball]

ok, these are some of the versions of the OP I saw in japanese blogs. with an uncomitting translation (because I'm not too good in either japanese or english, just felt silly so posted)
the different options are in pick whatever you feel is closer to what's on there and start singing

Spoiler:

(I MY/aimai) san-senchi, sorya (puni/furi) tte koto kai? chou
la, (punpun na/bunbun na/kyuu-bunka) seifuku (lovely/nara furi) tte koto kai bun
ganbacchau? yacchacchau? sontokya release yo
(I say (hoo) I say (hoo) / ase (hoo) ase(hoo))
bari bari)tanima ni darling darling please)

(I my/unclear) 3cm, that's kind of (little/pretending)? isn't it
(perfumed/shaking/old/fashioned) uniform is kind of lovely, isn't it?
give your best? go at it? and then just let go!
I say (hoo) I say (hoo) / Sweat (hoo) sweat! (hoo)
(in valley/gibberish) darling darling please (or something completely different)

nan kataru, nanka deru, ai shiteru, are ikko ga chigatterun bun
nayaminbou koutetsubou oishinbou
ii kagen ni shinasai
tondeta aitsu mo hoteru (karada tte/ka na datte)
iwayuru futsuu na onnanoko
odoroita? atashi dake? tonkotsu harigane okawari dadadadadada

what do you tell, something comes out, I love you, there's one missing/wrong?
worryhead, steel rod, gourmand
... please stop that already
he flied? and burned? ...what you'd call a regular girl
are you surprised? or is it just me? pork chops, wire, they're bringing more!

(come on/bobon), ouendan let's get cherry pie
ranran (kangeikai/kankeikan) you'll have sensation
hiiiii sonzaikan ten-ten shouwakusei
butsukatte tokemashita bouzen
ooi ni (utatte/waratte) (shirindaa=cylinder/shiren da)

come on, cheering skuad, let's get cherry pie
run-run (welcome party/feeling of belonging) you'll have sensation
hiiiii feeling of existance, rolling planet
you collided, melted, dazed, sang
(sang/laughed) much, (cylinder/now a test)

motte ike saigo ni waracchau no wa atashi no hazu
sailor-fuku dakara desu ketsuron
getsuyoubi na no ni kigen warui no dou suru yo
natsufuku ga ii no desu kawaii

take it, I should've been the one to laugh first
sailor-uniform it is, decided
it's monday and you're in a bad mood, what can you do?
better go with summer uniform, cause it's cute

(saying/seihin) (sanpiece/sanpi) sorya (mattete/mottete) chuucho da (nyan/yan)
ganbatte! yeah! harikitte! yeah! oh darling darling darling please

(saying/goods) (3piece/yes or no) you (bring it/wait) and hesitate nyan/yan
do your best! yeah! at full swing! yeah! oh darling darling darling please

[Woland]

Not a bad first episode, better than I've expected to tell the truth (I've read the manga, 3 chapter, and it didn't impressed me).

Addicting and well directed (I love the timing) OP, at the beginning I found a bit annoying the song but it's sorta grown on me. And I like the idea for the ending but I expect a different song for each episode

Like many other the food part was an overkill, really... I tried to figure how it work for a Japanese but...
The rest of the gags was better, or at least I'm more comfortable with those with my level of knowledge of Japanese and Otaku culture.
So far I have yet to grasp the main character (unlike, for example, with Hidamari Sketch in which was love at first sight) an Kagami is the only one who get my attention.

Lucky Channel by the way is simply amazing, it worth the whole episode alone.

The series is surely more on my taste than "Kanon" (I have a soft spot for slice of life comedy) so I was planning to make some gif, but I see already so many people at work and so...

well it's a lie... I just really, really, REALLY hate 120fps raw -___-


BTW

[Kaoru Chujo]

I've now seen the show four times: twice raw, Chinese sub, English sub. And I've enjoyed it at least as much each time. The food sequence seems to me to be the heart of the show. They keep coming back to it. kj1980 mentioned how much he enjoyed it, and I think you really have to be familiar with the foods they are talking about, and also prepared for this relaxed form of humor.

Kyuusai's comments about timing were interesting. I thought about them as I watched the English sub. I think the timing is totally deliberate on the part of the director and sound director. "Lucky Channel" is definitely more hilarious, but they use a faster pace of music with it and intend it as a different kind of humor, so the punch lines are more prominent.

In the main body of the show, they use music that seems to intentionally detract from punch lines, and sometimes they run straight into the next thing, not leaving a space for laughter. I think that deemphasis is deliberate, to suit the atmospheric, laid-back, nature of the humor. They probably think it will work better in the long run, by not wearing us out. Whether it does work better or not, we'll see as we go on. I have to say I too don't like that "cartoony" kind of music, even when it's intended not to be heard.

Actually, it reminded me of some of the clips in a compendium of things done by Yamamoto Yutaka that was on a Japanese video site. I'm not sure if everyone can get into the site, but here is the URL anyway:
ttp://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm112375

By the way, I couldn't help thinking of Hirano Aya through the whole thing on Lucky Channel about parents and agents. Intentional? For sure.

[Kyuusai]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

Kyuusai's comments about timing were interesting. I thought about them as I watched the English sub. I think the timing is totally deliberate on the part of the director and sound director. "Lucky Channel" is definitely more hilarious, but they use a faster pace of music with it and intend it as a different kind of humor, so the punch lines are more prominent.

(Unfortunately, I couldn't observe the video, due to registration being required.)

At first I thought it was a matter of style--not one that I necessarily thought was appropriate, but a choice. However, at other times they do go for "gag" timing... and do it poorly. The seiyuu seem like they're rushing through their lines when they do, and it doesn't "feel" quite right. Combine that with the abrupt scene changes... some of which are used for good effect, like switching to Miyuki's explanation of the cold and influenza and the girls exiting the room from their physical, and some of which are just jarring and confusing, like switching from the conversation with Kotona pointing out Miyuki's "moeness" to the scene where Kotona notices Miyuki in front of the clinic. Observing all of that, I concluded that it was poor timing rather than style.

Man, I'm griping a lot for a series that I'm enjoying so far.

[Shiroth]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

and I think you really have to be familiar with the foods they are talking about

I don't think so at all. Sure knowing them might help enjoy the scene, but not knowing isn't a handicap.

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

and also prepared for this relaxed form of humor.

Well yeah, thats what the manga is known for. I just hope the anime can reach the level of relax the manga has gave me. They have 23 more episodes, so it should happen.

As for the talk on music --- what was used worked perfect, though its not really that hard to create the fitting music for something like Lucky Star. From relax, to hyper --- they've done a great job with it for episode one.

[Lunacy]

Originally Posted by Level E

hahaha

Found the reference
It's from the old anime 怪物くん (remake ver). YouTube, but I like this version better

Wow.. that is a truly a good find. I used to watch Kaibutsu-kun as a child along with Urusei Yatsura on TV, and it brings back memories. It has been a long time so there is no way I could have remembered it without your help or googling it.

As you can see from Kaibutsu-kun 80's version ED, Franken loves saying "funga-"; Dracula "zamasu"; and Ookami-otoko loved saying "gansu". I have more respect for Lucky Star now.

[Kyuusai]

Originally Posted by Shiroth

As for the talk on music --- what was used worked perfect, though its not really that hard to create the fitting music for something like Lucky Star. From relax, to hyper --- they've done a great job with it for episode one.

Oh, there's no arguing that it was appropriate music! It was, indeed, very appropriate.

It was just awful.

[Sushi-Y]

Originally Posted by Kyuusai

At first I thought it was a matter of style--not one that I necessarily thought was appropriate, but a choice. However, at other times they do go for "gag" timing... and do it poorly. The seiyuu seem like they're rushing through their lines when they do, and it doesn't "feel" quite right. Combine that with the abrupt scene changes... some of which are used for good effect, like switching to Miyuki's explanation of the cold and influenza and the girls exiting the room from their physical, and some of which are just jarring and confusing, like switching from the conversation with Kotona pointing out Miyuki's "moeness" to the scene where Kotona notices Miyuki in front of the clinic. Observing all of that, I concluded that it was poor timing rather than style.

That's why I say it's a faithful adaptation. The manga is pretty much exactly what you see here, a bunch of random daily life topics presented in no particular order. Lucky Star has always been a "page filler" type of manga on the magazines it serialized on: you see it here and there in between other mangas, they may share a loose common theme but no coherent story on their own.

You could say it's like an even less structured Azumanga, I guess.
Oh the other hand, the otaku and moe content is quite high, which means otakus will love this, while others will struggle.

[Jiji]

Originally Posted by Kyuusai

At first I thought it was a matter of style--not one that I necessarily thought was appropriate, but a choice. However, at other times they do go for "gag" timing... and do it poorly. The seiyuu seem like they're rushing through their lines when they do, and it doesn't "feel" quite right. Combine that with the abrupt scene changes... some of which are used for good effect, like switching to Miyuki's explanation of the cold and influenza and the girls exiting the room from their physical, and some of which are just jarring and confusing, like switching from the conversation with Kotona pointing out Miyuki's "moeness" to the scene where Kotona notices Miyuki in front of the clinic. Observing all of that, I concluded that it was poor timing rather than style.

Just a thought: what you are percieving as "poor" timing is just a matter of cultural differences, I think. The timing and pace of Japanese humour, whether manzai, or most others, just doesn't fit with what we're used to in the West. You are judging it based on your cultural expectations, and that's not wrong, but keep in mind that it's not going to match up with your expectations.

Personally, I've always struggled to see what was funny in Japanese comic routines, although it's usually easier in movies and anime. Just...not always. Heck, there were plenty of times in Aaumanga that I just didn't see what was supposed to be funny...it's just that the characters had won me over by then, so I didn't care.