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Originally Posted by bayoab
It is basically badminton. It also goes by the name of Japanese Badminton. Wikipedia Link |
I won't call it that; the game was around before badminton. Such a gaijin-centric term.
It is true that almost no one plays it anymore, since it's usually for girls and they usually have to dress formally in New Years. It's quite difficult to be very sporty in a formal kimono, and if you loose you get your face painted. there's no room in Japanese street anymore for these games. Only in the country side will you still find these traditions.
Now that English sub is out I can post some impressions... as usual I'd like to comment on the cultural stuff, rather than the otaku references most people here will eventually get.
That Husky must have some back story. I searched and searched and I can't find a site telling me the story on the dawg. Is it a seiyuu's pet or a KyoAni mascot? It's already a strange episode...
About Nana-sensei's comments... Japanese schools are only mandatory for 9 years; there's no rule where you must goto High School. Thus a school can and will kick you out based on grades, and you just won't have to school to go anymore unless you goto a crappy school or wait and take the transfer exam to another good school. Usually your life is basically ruined if you get kicked out of a good school like theirs. It's not a funny joke to most high schoolers. 3 more month refer to the Japanese school year, which ends in March/April time frame.
L*S really went hard core into Japanese culture.... mentioning things like HyakuNinIsshu, a card game based on 100 famous poems traced back to the Kamakura Era. It was being pushed as a New Year game back in Edo times to push literacy to the masses. Poems were written in short forms on cards and you have to pick it out as you hear someone recite the first part. A very high brow game for girls. A trivia... You all should thank HyakuNinIssu when you play your DS... because Nintendo got their start selling HyakuNinsshu cards.
It seemed that Miyuki has done everything under the sun. I'm thinking her family is part of the biggest Yakuza family in Japan (I guess that would be the Yamaguchi-gomi) and she's groomed to take over Japan's underworld. That's why she knows everything. That's why we have "Sailor fuku and Machine Gun" as an ED. She's the Yakuza!!!
Kagami asks - What is "腹笑い" (Hukuwarai), I believe it's a New Years game where you take a face and you scatter its features and then put them back on the face with your eyes covered to result in a silly face. Then all the kids laugh... something like that. It's funny she said "she's more Japanese than I am!?" She say that because she's a friggin miko. There are not a lot of people more Japanese than a Shinto Family.
The Card Battle was fun, but there's even deeper reference that I just have to dig up. "Semimaru" card Kona played was a real person. He's a famous biwa (Japanese lute) teacher back in the 800A.D. In the Fujiwara Era. He's also a Buddhist Master, that's why he's bald, and Kona uses his "shining attack" due to his baling head. He does have a poem (#10) in the HyakuNinsshu card collection. Talk about obscure cultural reference. No idea what the "pretty girl labu labu attack" was about though.
Omochi is good... it's okay Kagami, I forgive you. No one can resist New Year Mochi... The fresh Japanese mochi is usually made New Year's day by pounding on sticky rice in your back yard... but that's in the old days. Kona is talking about a fresh pasta making machine. They are quite popular in the US as well, and if you watch the Food Network you have seen a lot of them. And yes, if you don't clean them you get yucky pasta. Yes I did own one. I have a foody wife... but it's so beyond SAD to eat Western food during New Years... poor Kona...
I think Tsukasa is more of a MoeYouso than Miyuki. Kona has bad taste. Miyuki is more creepy than moe. Her first dream shows that she's a power-hungry YaShinKa with evil ambition! Yakuza I tell ya!
First Dream... soooo many Japanese believe in the first dream. This very Japanese tradition... it's not found anywhere else in Asia. Azumanga just touched upon it, but L*S seemed very determined to educate otaku on the Japanese tradition they've forsaken (and to each a thing or two to fansub-watching gajins!)
Why are they girls talking about Adult Ceremony at 17? It's 3 years away for them. Furisoude? Okay "Furisoude" is a special kind of kimono reserved for unmarried women. It has very long sleeves which you can wave, which is what furisoude mean, "waving sleeve". There are 3 types of furisoude, the long one you can only wear during wedding, the medium one for very important occasions such as Adult Ceremony, and short one you wear to parties. Married woman can't wear these, so a furisoude for your wedding and adult ceremony is VERY important to a Japanese woman. I think this is another "things male otaku don't have a slightest clue about" Lucky Star so love to discuss.
Then we have
kotatsu talk... it's so sweet Kona and Kona-dad felt asleep playing PS2 together... Kotatsu is not that great.. your hands and feet are warm but your BACK IS FRIGGING COLD!
In-Game marriage is very popular in Asian MMORPGs. Many games are famous for their weddings, and use it to attract players. And the sex of the people getting married is often irrelevant.
I thought Kona hates gaijin... she attacked one without a good reason neh... now she wants to come to gaijin-land... with a erroneous view on valentine's day in the USA. Kona-chan, Miyuki is wrong. Guys may give you chocolate if they want to date you, but you look like jail-bait to the gaijinese so not a single guy will give you candy, save maybe your ESL teacher. And girls don't give candy to everyone like they do in Japan... Japanese girls are way more generous on giving candy to loved ones than the girls here. And what's with this strange notion of small-chested girls' popularity in the West? What kind of American porn has she been watching? Flat chested girls are WAY WAY WAY WAY more popular in Japan. Kona, if you're raised here, they'll probably send you to medical treatment due to your size.
Reference: I think "Abunai Hatsugen Kinshi" is kind of a reference to ARIA's AIKA who love to say "Hazugashii Serifu Kinshi!"? Well, it's kinda close. And I love ARIA, so I hope it is.
I think Kagami and Kona are really a Yuri couple. Kagami was blushing... oh my.... chou kawai... I love me some of that, eh, hmm. nevermind. After that scene where Kagami-sama gave the choco to the faceless boy, I thought the next scene should be Kona going all Hotoko no Ken on that boy's ass.... wuwuwuwu... I want Kagamin's chocolate...
Coffee talk about "test"... Japanese college entrance exams are college specific. Meaning, if you want to goto a certain U like Todai, you have to take a Todai test, and only to a certain major of your choice. So basically every HS senior has to know exact what he or she want for a career WHEN they're a junior so they can prepare. Many opt just go start working instead.
I love Animate Tenchou... he's so bad-ass. Densetsu no Shoujo A.... hahaha... BTW, Shoujo A was the nickname for Akina Nakamori, a famous 80's pop idol. An obscure reference? The seiyuu for the female animate employee are seiyuu for Keroro Gunso I'm sure. I LOVE the "Emperial March"-like music during the Shoujo A operation. One single Star War reference.... is that the first? The Tencho's eye thing... it's from an old anime.. but I don't remember which one... the Tencho just reminded me of Gatchaman though. Dunno why. I'm sure the otaku-sama here and around the web would know. I know you'll be back, Tencho-sama. You will be a winner one day!
The way Akira-sama touches her "drill" is just tooooooooooooooooo eroero...
How did the voting get to be so that Konata is both 3rd and 9th? Write-in vote? But Happy Happy Joy! Shiraishi won! My vote counted! Yay! Y^_^
And the ED... WAWWAwasuremono... ore no wasuremono.... I have tears in my eyes... He's really milking that Haruhi cameo isn't he. But he's the only seiyuu with his own anime character. He owns now.
Boy that was long... but I must say one more thing.. I am SO HAPPY THIS IS NOT THE LAST EPISODE. I really thought L*S is 13 ep deal... but there's more! More obscure Japanese references for me to dig in! More Koshien Baseball to keep track! Yay!
Graphic Designer
, and if you were a casual fan it's like 
, but if you were never a fan it'll probably be like 
or even 
. So enjoyment is probably arranged across a spectrum and by it's very nature it is going to split the viewership on their perception of it, hopefully without much blooshed....hahahahaha
