Lucky Star (Generic Discussion thread)

[Vexx]

Having heard the drama CD now ... meh... I don't see the inherent superiority of the CD group over the anime group or viceversa. The emphasis is a bit different depending on the character (like Kagami being brassier in the CD rather than plaintatively "why me?" in the anime while dealing with Kona's antics). Aya's reading of Kona just seems to fit the part nicely (brooding, long-winded, almost muttering) but then that kind of reminds me of my older son's geekgrrl friend when she's in the same modes.
ymmv, obviously. She's got some of the biggest rambling speech bubbles in the comic (outside of Miyuki, who sounds like a walking wikipedia most of the time because they always go to her for the "official explanation")

edit: Lucky*Channel is just pure omake ... apparently inserted to kill time (though it is rather funny) and provide some self-mockery of the industry (not just the idols but the whole thing). I think it'll get boring unless they bring in more characters though (fixed number of jokes one can do there).

The food sequence comes right out of the comic... (first volume). In a way, it was a 'small-talk' method of establishing character personalities. The comic doesn't hit that scene until a few pages in... the first few pages seem to be kind of random as if the creator was trying to figure out how to get started.

[Deathkillz]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin_Sama

Also, has anyone ever considered what exactly Lucky Channel is.

i have and came up with the reason that it is showing (or rather taking the piss) the viewers what and how celebrities really think behind the camera's but this time doing in front of them ~ great to see a false mask come right off seeing akira revealing her real thoughts about the situation (in ep 1's case its the question on money)

[Ffenix Rising]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin_Sama

Also, has anyone ever considered what exactly Lucky Channel is.

Lucky Channel has been around for quite a while now, long before the anime premiered. It's an online radio talk show and it's now on its 14th radio episode.

Source: http://lantis-net.com/rakisuta/

It's a kind of supplement to the Lucky Star web site ever since the site became live. It's a vehicle to promote anything related to Comptiq (video games), Lantis (music CDs) and sometimes Kyoto Animation.

For more info: http://www.lucky-ch.com/

By the way, if any of you would like to listen to previous radio episodes of Lucky Channel, here's the link: http://lantis-net.com/rakisuta/backnumber/radio.html

[Boukenxha]

Originally Posted by Vexx

Having heard the drama CD now ... meh... I don't see the inherent superiority of the CD group over the anime group or viceversa. The emphasis is a bit different depending on the character (like Kagami being brassier in the CD rather than plaintatively "why me?" in the anime while dealing with Kona's antics). Aya's reading of Kona just seems to fit the part nicely (brooding, long-winded, almost muttering) but then that kind of reminds me of my older son's geekgrrl friend when she's in the same modes.
ymmv, obviously. She's got some of the biggest rambling speech bubbles in the comic (outside of Miyuki, who sounds like a walking wikipedia most of the time because they always go to her for the "official explanation")

Cool you expressed it better than I did. Looks like we both thought to check out the drama cd at the same time.

[Kai1]

I actually liked the lucky channel part at the end. It's fresh and satirical.
I rather have that instead of an ED song I'm going to fast forward to the preview after I've heard it once.
And you guys picked up a lot of references. I didn't get the wowowow part until someone explained it.
This ep is great and this anime is one of the betters ones of this season.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Ffenix Rising

Lucky Channel has been around for quite a while now, long before the anime premiered. It's an online radio talk show and it's now on its 14th radio episode.

Source: http://lantis-net.com/rakisuta/

It's a kind of supplement to the Lucky Star web site ever since the site became live. It's a vehicle to promote anything related to Comptiq (video games), Lantis (music CDs) and sometimes Kyoto Animation.

For more info: http://www.lucky-ch.com/

By the way, if any of you would like to listen to previous radio episodes of Lucky Channel, here's the link: http://lantis-net.com/rakisuta/backnumber/radio.html

I'm glad you brought this to light. So people are head over heels for a hidden promotional scheme vehicle. I pretty well guessed as much, as it didn't seem to fit with the show and it seemed there was a commercial reason it was included. It's actually kind of worse than I imagined and I suppose its only a matter of time before it starts trying to subliminally advertise stuff to the viewer within the show as its website equivalent did. Since I'd never buy anything it advertised anyway I'm not too worried though.

[errorrrr]

dude... stop arguing about this... LUcky Star are not suppose to have any character developments... have you guys actually read about what the author's intention is at the back of the manga ?? ... it's just for a good giggle... i haven't even see any of those reference in the manga, it's just KyoAni's idea to put those reference... I read the manga just find and enjoyed it just as much without any of the references.

[Ffenix Rising]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin_Sama

I'm glad you brought this to light. So people are head over heels for a a hidden promotional scheme vehicle. I pretty well guessed as much, as it didn't seem to fit with the show and it seemed there was a commercial reason it was included. It's actually kind of worse than I imagined and I suppose its only a matter of time before it starts trying to subliminally advertise stuff to the viewer within the show as its website equivalent did. Since I'd never by anything it advertised anyway I'm not too worried though.

It's a commercial vehicle ONLY on the online radio show. So far, the anime version of Lucky Channel just exploits about anime and fandom itself.

I find it funny how you make everything about Lucky Star seems so evil and dangerous. "Promotional scheme," "subliminal advertising," jeez, it's not like it's the first time it's been done.

Have you forgot that Gundam, Transformers, G.I. Joe were commercial vehicles for toys?

Lighten up, is all I'm saying.

EDIT: By the way, thanks for the Rep, though I think you might take it back after this post. XD

[FatPianoBoy]

I honestly think people are blowing Lucky Channel out of proportion both ways.
(Covers avatar )
It's funny now, but for how long it will continue to be funny, I don't know. The idea a few pages back about Akira plotting to take over the show using Minoru was fun, and it'll have to start doing something different soon if it's going to remain entertaining. I could certainly roll with this turning into a weird Pinky and the Brain after a while.
It's value isn't depreciated just because it's spun off of a radio promotion. I could see them using it to advertise the DVD's and OST's when they drop (acceptable), but other than that I don't think we have to worry about being brainwashed by pink hair.

[Nemo_N]

Originally Posted by Kaioshin_Sama

I'm glad you brought this to light. So people are head over heels for a hidden promotional scheme vehicle. I pretty well guessed as much, as it didn't seem to fit with the show and it seemed there was a commercial reason it was included. It's actually kind of worse than I imagined and I suppose its only a matter of time before it starts trying to subliminally advertise stuff to the viewer within the show as its website equivalent did. Since I'd never buy anything it advertised anyway I'm not too worried though.

Oh God. You're right. We are such a bunch of idiots. Thank God we have people like you (so level-headed) to make us realize our foolish ways.

[Ffenix Rising]

So uh yeah, anyone want to buy a shirt?

I really want to buy this Lucky Star shirt:

Spoiler for Shirt image:

Will fix the image later, for now here's the link: http://www.hlj.com/images/csp/csp20262.jpg
Just hit refresh, if it doesn't load. KTHXBYE.

But dang it, it's discontinued!

[rooboy]

Originally Posted by Ffenix Rising

Lucky Channel has been around for quite a while now, long before the anime premiered. It's an online radio talk show and it's now on its 14th radio episode.

Is it anything like the one they animate? This has me seriously intrigued now.

[Risaa]

As pointed out earlier, Lucky Channel will get old very quickly if it continues to go the "Akira-sama genki -- Akira-sama crazy -- Akira-sama genki" route. Maybe I'm giving them too much credit, but I doubt KyoAni will let their viewers become bored with the same sequence over and over. I can just see Akira-sama going on a rampage and getting dragged off the show, Lucky Channel getting cancelled, and Akira-sama trying to get revenge and draw attention to herself during the regular Lucky Star show.

[Vexx]

As Ffenix-rising will notice.. other sites often do not like having their bandwidth pixied by image lifting. Copy it over to a site like Imageshack (specially set up for cross-site linkage).

I'm going to have to agree you're going overboard a tad, Kaoshin -- to some extent, by definition, anime and cartoons exist to sell merchandise. Lucky*Channel, so far, skewers the online radio show more than it sells it (though people are apt to go check the show out after seeing the anime).

And I still contend there are far fewer "references" to other shows in the anime and manga than people are seeing. What they're seeing are culture-wide memes (most of which are reflected in the manga). The author is operating in the same vein as Yotsuba& -- as in its a story about "small stuff". The clothing, games, foods, day-to-day activities are what make up most people's lives. Good grief, those hats and jumpers that people attribute to Ayu-refs are just common everyday clothing. "Oh look, she's wearing jeans!!!! That's just like Fubar from GaoGaoGaoWai!!!!" <ahem> My wife has one of those jumper things .... she'd never heard of Ayu til recently.

[Ffenix Rising]

Originally Posted by rooboy

Is it anything like the one they animate? This has me seriously intrigued now.

Close, unfortunately, you don't get to hear Akira-sama's melancholy, pissed-off side. It's only a regular radio show, but with the cute sounding Akira.

Aside from obvious blurbs about Comptiq's products, they do talk about the pop-culture business (mostly anime, manga and video games). Very normal stuff.

Originally Posted by Vexx

As Ffenix-rising will notice.. other sites often do not like having their bandwidth pixied by image lifting. Copy it over to a site like Imageshack (specially set up for cross-site linkage).

Ahahaha, the browser's internal cache fooled me, I thought the image would work. Will fix later... I'm going to lunch.

[Kyuusai]

Originally Posted by Ffenix Rising

Close, unfortunately, you don't get to hear Akira-sama's melancholy, pissed-off side. It's only a regular radio show, but with the cute sounding Akira.

Well, you don't get to hear it constantly, but the true-Akira does pop up.

I think one reason I like Akira is that her actions pretty much mimic my experience with most Japanese women in my family and circle of family friends.

[Kaioshin Sama]

Originally Posted by Vexx

As Ffenix-rising will notice.. other sites often do not like having their bandwidth pixied by image lifting. Copy it over to a site like Imageshack (specially set up for cross-site linkage).

I'm going to have to agree you're going overboard a tad, Kaoshin -- to some extent, by definition, anime and cartoons exist to sell merchandise. Lucky*Channel, so far, skewers the online radio show more than it sells it (though people are apt to go check the show out after seeing the anime).

And I still contend there are far fewer "references" to other shows in the anime and manga than people are seeing. What they're seeing are culture-wide memes (most of which are reflected in the manga). The author is operating in the same vein as Yotsuba& -- as in its a story about "small stuff". The clothing, games, foods, day-to-day activities are what make up most people's lives. Good grief, those hats and jumpers that people attribute to Ayu-refs are just common everyday clothing. "Oh look, she's wearing jeans!!!! That's just like Fubar from GaoGaoGaoWai!!!!" <ahem> My wife has one of those jumper things .... she'd never heard of Ayu til recently.

After reading the below post about never seeing the other side of Akira on the real radio show, I think you are right about the skewering. Oh well, that's good then as I don't like being advertised to directly during a show.

Change Getter was a clear reference to Getter Robo, while the others such as Keroro and Hare Hare Yukai were just kind of there. Like you said though, everything else takes a larger scope regarding the world we the viewers live in, which is a bit rare, but certainly welcome from a Kyoto Animation production. I was just as confused as you are about the jumper's being referred to as Ayu's, same goes with somebody mentioning that the school clothes look like those in Haruhi, when they in fact look nothing remotely like them in design and are just your common sailor fuku.

I'm wondering if ignorance is bliss in regard to Kyoto Animation poking fun at Otaku meme's they helped foster, and to make up for this people are going looking for comparison's to other Kyoto Animation productions that they can point to as examples of the show continuing to promote Otakuism, rather than parody it. There were a lot of times when I seemed to notice Haruhi doing the same thing, but other posters were so adamant that Haruhi was the right one and not the normal people, that I believed them.

Maybe that series is worth another look. I also noted the idea that rejecting the current world in that show was presented in the end as taking an easy, cowards way out like some Hikkikomori would, and that by not doing so Haruhi was saved and began to integrate better with the group afterward and the trouble stopped. I have other theories about that show being symbolic of a daydream of escapism somebody would have and that Haruhi has created a world within her own mind that the characters inhabit from time to time, but I'll save that for another time.

[Vexx]

Ahhhhhh, Kyuusai gets the high-pitched glee with spasms of growly scariness as well, ne? <peals of laughter>

And yes, there are a few *clear* references to other shows or otaku memes in L*S ... but they're in context with the sort of things Kona-chan would connect the dots to. If she weren't a geekgrrl, then I'd be labeling them as intrusive.

I'm going to avoid discussing other Kyo-Ani shows from this point unless they relate directly to L*S but one channel of the Haruhi series multi-channel adventure is the idea of what if someone *could* remake their reality on a whim and without realizing it (a descending notion from a couple of Twilight Zone and Outer Limit shows as well as tumbling about in science fiction stories). Nothing in Haruhi is really original as far as story notions be it the physics, metaphysics, philosophy, archetype subversion, or whatever -- it was just the integration, packaging, and execution of those motifs that made it entertaining for me.

[eupseudes]

I've watch the episode twice (once with the L-C subs and second time with the a.f.k subs) and I realized that I did not fully "get" the Lucky Channel segment the first time I watched it: I figured it was just bipolar Akira ranting about voice-acting: funny, but a little stale. Seeing from a few of the other comments in the thread, my sentiments appear to be shared.

So, let me see if my new interpretation is correct: Akira is mad at the Lucky Star cast because she's been relegated to the last portion of the show and doesn't actually have any substantial lines in the show. The script their holding is the actual Lucky Star script (I wonder if the scene numbers actually line up), and indeed Minoru shows up during the anime (one of the two male voices in this week's show, the other being the twin's dad). Minoru also shows up 15:21 [a.f.k. time] "stiff as a board" (completely missed it first time around because I was paying attention to the dialogue). That combined with the Haruhi reference (had to dig out the old ep and check the scene because it didn't immediately click) made that portion hilarious.

Besides these subtle easter eggs and a nice dosage of introspection into the anime, I don't think Akira will seriously disrupt the main segment: that would be too Excel-esque for Lucky Star's style of humor (Excel Saga was absolutely off-the-wall, although the guy with the afro in the arcade scene may have been a subtle nod... or maybe not). We might see her in the background, though, causing havoc. ^_^

[pomps]

Miyuki without her glass, still a walking moe element .