First Impressions / Lucky Star

The maidens who assemble in the Virgin Mary’s garden pass through the tall gate, as always, with angelic smiles on their faces. Their pure bodies and minds are wrapped in…

kyaran~

Eh? Oh, it’s just Konata. Looks like she’s been watching too much Marimite, much to my enjoyment. She even goes as far as to fix Tsukasa’s bow, one of the “legendary scenes” in the first episode of the greatest yuri sexual tension anime of all time. She says she does the act quite a lot at her cosplay café job – but Tsukasa and Kagami know better. As the name of this episode suggests, “image” only gets you so far!

Other happenings in this week’s installment:

– Miyuki laments her trip to the dentist…and is immediately interrupted by Sachikonata-sama. Gokigenyou~
– Horny Konata rides an unsuspecting Kagami from the back
– Yui-neesan shows up, and immediately leaves when Konata asks for help on her homework
– Konata procrastinates and watches Strawberry Panic (they’re really going for the yuri theme this episode…only a matter of time before the Loveless and Kyou Kara Maou references start…)
– Miyuki forgets her glasses for no reason other than to make us happy
– Choco-coronet makes its dazzling return. Why does Konata still eat it from the skinny end? Cuz the fat end looks like an ass… complete with chocolate filling
– The girls (sans Miyuki again) hang out at a burger joint and talk about the upcoming sports festival and culture festival…those are gonna be some good eps, I can feel it!!
– Konata fails at making curry
– The girls compare bentos…there’s a good reason for everything…
– Tsukasa gets a new phone! Complete with Keroro strap. But she doesn’t know how to use it _|–|o !i! oh well, plenty of fresh Tsukasa faces! Kinda like when Shiori said Tabasco was the enemy of mankind
– Konata dad sighting! All I can say is… LOL
– Tsukasa loses her new phone…in the washing machine
– The girls read some manga and have completely different reactions. You know, like how some people watch Nanoha for the story (rofl) and others watch it for those thirty-second strip shows
– Konata shows off her drawing talent. While she probably won’t be quitting her day job anytime soon…at least her drawings capture the personality of her subjects quite well…heh
– Lucky Channel 7: Remember when that postcard asked to see what Akira would look like with the twin-tail hairstyle? Poor Shiraishi. Akira is pissssssedddd offfff

Thoughts:
More of the same high level of quality from the previous episode – nice! The Marimite stuff had me riled up for a while…Hirano Aya is a GODDESS. Watching the Konata x Kagami dynamic take on a new risqué edge was pretty awesome too. You know, it seemed like this episode was just made up of a lot of stuff you’d call “win,” and was just thrown together in one ep.

Which brings about an interesting point. Lucky Star, for the most part, is what I’d like to call an “attention whore.” The different elements that go into the show are there for the sole purpose of getting people to go “MOEEEEE” and the like. I’m gonna say it started with Haruhi – but even then, most of the humor was self-contained and more as a result of the eccentricities of the characters rather than the things they do. I’ll skip Kanon for various unspoken reasons and go right on to Lucky Star – where a lot of times, the punchline from each scene is usually some “oooh look its Keroro…lolol” or “omginitialdhahahpwn!” No, it doesn’t happen all the time, but it’s a large part of the humor. The other side of it is stuff like Lucky Channel or Konata’s hobo dad… those entirely self-contained original bits of humor. It’s confusing to me, really, as if the show didn’t know which way it was going. Lucky Star is definitely capable of original humor and yet seems to settle back into the referencing as a sort of “instant gratification” type deal, because the producers know that it’ll get a response. You know, whoring.

I believe the skeptics of this show will agree with me up to this point. But that’s where the similarities end – call it a difference in perception of what the “image” of the show. I like to use the Paris Hilton example – some people hate her for all her uselessness and frivolous activities…whoring, if you will…but I think she’s totally awesome. She’s got everything – and what does she do with it? Flaunts it for MY enjoyment. Every time she gets a DUI, calls Nicole a bitch, or releases another sex tape, it’s as if she’s doing just to give me and the rest of my pedestrian pals something to talk about. It’s great. And that’s sort of what I see KyoAni doing. I’ve made the mistake of believing that because of their talented animation staff that KyoAni should be in some elevated realm of moral standards (sort of like the Ghibli of TV anime), but that’s not what they are at all. KyoAni isn’t there to tell me what I should like; they make stuff that I already like and can enjoy immediately. Call it whoring, cheap marketing, or just understanding its audience, but this down-to-earth in-your-face approach is just the thing I like.

And Lucky Star is just the type of show where this approach can work. As for the whoring of sad girls in snow, well, you already know how I feel about that ^^.

-jaalin

45 Comments

  8. Actually, more like Marimite since she refers to them later.

    Tsukasa’s mobile ring tone is Pachabel’s Kanon, while Konata’s is Hare Hare Yukai, the end song of Haruhi. Also, was that a Higurashi no Naku Koro Ni reference there with the dead cricket and ants?

    Fat Cat Lim
    Reply

  9. @Mutio
    Actually, it’s not an Ouran reference. They even state in the episode that she’s referencing Marimite (Maria-san ga Miteru)

    This reference even goes on by mentioning another series of its type by showing a music clip from the Strawberry Panic 2nd OP, Kuchibiru Daydream.

    piffleprincess
    Reply

  14. “Call it whoring, cheap marketing, or just understanding its audience, but this down-to-earth in-your-face approach is just the thing I like.

    And Lucky Star is just the type of show where this approach can work. As for the whoring of sad girls in snow, well, you already know how I feel about that ^^.”

    Very well put! I definitely laughed when I read that.

    I’m looking forward to watching this episode too! ^_^

    cbhl
    Reply

  15. Can’t most cellphone survive a trip through the washing machines today? Oh well.

    I get the feeling that we are going to see a yuri kiss at some point in this series! :-)”” *drool*

    BTW Paris Hilton is a total dumbass. She has not talent what-so-ever. So comparing her to KyoAni is actually a misnomer….

    Hudson
    Reply

  17. A lot of this stuff actually does come from the manga … but I’m find the “Kyo-Ani” added inside jokes and specific product placement a distraction (yes, attention-whoring) unless they’re the sorts of things these girls would actually do (e.g. Tsukasa as a modern girl would probably *have* a certain frog for a cellphone dangle, Kona *would* refer to Comptiq, and so on).

    I guess I’m saying I love the comic… and I find the deviations problematic at times.
    I’m really done with Lucky Channel segment — very funny the first 4 episodes, but now joke driven into ground, no more funny. There’s *plenty* of material for more Lucky*Star main segment content, eh?

    Kona-dad is pretty funny in the comic as well (he works in his home and remains unshaven and yukata-wearing most of the time) … I hope they don’t minimize him and Kona’s family situation.

    Vexx
    Reply

  18. lol, Marimite ftw~

    jaalin’s completely right about Paris Hilton and KyoAni being experts at drawing attention to themselves. It’s just that KyoAni does it in more of a “respectable” way… sorta. ^^;; *would like to see more “respectable” scenes of Konota hopping on Kagami*

    Neo Horizon
    Reply

  23. i ll try to mention stuff jaalin did not mention yet ^^;

    -konata complains more about baseball coverage that ruins the evening/midnight anime line-up
    -when the girls of lucky star takes class notes, miyuki notices that:
    -konata has messy writing
    -tsukasa takes notes that are incomplete (she tries too hard to write every single word
    the teacher says)
    -the lunch conversation moves from choco-coronet to weight/dieting
    -konata makes a rather *lame* (according to kagami) pun about “gorone” (couch potato) and “coronet”
    -konata is too lazy to take serious interest in the sports festival
    -miyuki has such lavish dinner that well-prepared unagi becomes leftovers the next day
    -kuroi-sensei lectures the class on the war of the roses
    -to deter junk mail, konata’s email address (for her cell phone) consists of the words “serious love for girls with glasses!” since too many ppl use maid or miko (priestess)

    -VERY awkward lucky channel segment
    -VERY hard-to-identify cultural reference
    -minoru’s “drills” are not in reference to gurren (D:) but a japanese mech series called
    gettar, or ゲッターロボ (confirmed by akira uttering the show’s catchphrase, “dont
    underestimate the speed of a gettar…)

    -quite shocked at the “choujyo no hoshi” inclusion. it is actually quite famous in japan, actually…ahahaha…even I know that song D: (it was in the oricon top 100 for more than a year a few years back)

    mewmew
    Reply

  27. On Whoring:

    Well as long as you’ve realized that they tend to do this (Kyoto Animation that is) and can still enjoy it, that’s the battle right there (Not to many people seem to be able to admit the faults of the series they watch, and Kyoto Animation fans seem to be the champions at the “It’s Perfect” approach). It’s when you deny it and try to pretend that they are being creative or make excuses that it will naw at you in the back of your mind.

    One Must Not Deny, Denial Is The Mind Killer, Denial Is The Little-Death That Bring Total Obliteration. One Must Face Ones Fanboyism And When The Flaws Have Gone Past One Will Turn The Inner Eye To See There Nature. Where The Denial Is Gone There Will Be Nothing. Only A True Fan Will Remain.

    Kaioshin_Sama
    Reply

  34. Marimite references? I can hardly wait, although Cromartie High School did t the best parody I’ve seen.

    I suspect (looking at the screenshots) Minoru’s hairstyles are also a Marimite reference – the drill bits referencing Touko (hiss!).

    Dop
    Reply

  35. @Kaioshin_sama and others: Generally, the most entertaining anything (be it “reality” television show, anime series, or book) will require a level of Suspension of disbelief (or reality). I think the key is that people who scream “perfect” forget to turn off their suspension of disbelief when critiquing the show. *shrugs* On the flip side, it’s important to know how to enjoy stuff that is only so-so.

    cbhl
    Reply

  38. I really want to see the Lucky Channel segment now.. so bad, but I must wait for subs.

    BTW, even though I can barely understand it, I’ve been listening to the Lucky Channel radio thinger from ‘lantis-net.com/rakisuta/’ and MAN Akira-sama reveals a different range of her personality just from how varied her speaking inflections are. I suggest listening to hearing Akira-sama in the occasional “holy crap she almost sounded kind of normal and sexy” voice.

    Ipsod
    Reply

  39. @cbhl: See that’s what I do when doing my reviews on Animesuki. I do one post that is my basic instincts “Oh My God Look At The Yuri Tension, They Are Teh Neked Loli, This Is Incredible!” for fun, and then I do one that is a serious breakdown of the episode and that’s the one I go with for my final rating.

    Kaioshin_Sama
    Reply

  43. This could just be reading too much into this but doesn’t Konata’s Hare Hare Yukai ringtone sound like the game music used in the Megaman Hare Hare Yukai video.

    I know it could just be that the cell phone ring sounded like it because it was meant to be a midi file, but you never know with KyoAni

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkpVj_7Y2xw
    Here’s the video to compare. Maybe I am just insane and overreading this…

    yashaboy
    Reply

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