First Impressions / Lucky Star

Lucky Star 13 – “Delicious Day” (Savory Day, for you a.f.k. sticklers)

It’s another one of those talking episodes, and another good example of overtalking something to the point of exhaustion, but having it be interesting nonetheless. How do they keep doing it?

This week’s topics:

– Traditional Japanese New Year’s activities, like Japanese badminton, card drawing (the one with the proverbs on them), and kite flying
– Konata’s take on Kagami’s activities: miko food miko snack snack snack snack miko snack
– Konata’s take on the card drawing game. There she goes, living up to our expectations one otaku reference at a time.
– You knew this was coming back: more food talk – this time, on special foods served during New Year’s
– Some talk about a coming-of-age celebration and wearing a long-sleeved kimono (translation: Konata cosplay)
– Yui-neesan comes by for another punchline visit
– Kotatsu, heated bus seats

– The Valentine Chocolate talk – in Japan, the girls give the guys the chocolates on Valentine’s. So who were the lucky recipients?
Konata: e-chocolates to his/her husband/wife on his/her online game. Oh the confusion.
Tsukasa: huge handmade chocolate heart for… Konata!
Kagami: bag of chocolate stars for… a guy! Textbook tsuntsun deredere in full display! Oh, wait… that’s just Konata pulling her chain again.

– Konata’s future occupation? Sitting in front of her computer…

– Legendary Girl A visits again: this time, Sousuke storeowner has backup – his staff consisting of… Tamama! Giroro! Keroro! De arimasu! Sorry, Kururu, Dororo fans, maybe next time. Konata gets bait-and-switched into buying some manga…no! she’s here to buy a DVD! Dispatch roadblock at sector C junctions alpha and gamma!
Tama> Ah, so sorry, desu! Tamatamatamatama
Kero> AH, PARDON ME, de arimasu! Gerogerogerogerogero
Giro> yes…she’s reaching for the new Haruhi DVD… YES
Kona> hmm…naw
Giro> NO! IT WAS A FEINT
Sousuke> AGHHHHH

– Normally, it’d end there, but not this time. Konata heads for the bargain bin and picks up a The Third DVD
Sousuke> You’re not putting that down! *Turns on Geass * PEW…SCHWING!!!
Kona> Oohh…must head to cashier
Sousuke> That’ll be 1785 yen!
Kona> Whoops, short 3 yen. Sorry, can you put that back
Sousuke> D:

– Lucky Channel 13: Akira is back from her pneumonia/hangover/mono, and now sporting… twin drills? I thought drills referred to hair that was twisted up like a drill… not an actual set of drill bits on her head. No matter, she seems happy enough.
Results of the character poll?
1. Shiraishi Minoru
2. Kogami Akira
3. Hiiragi Kagami
4. Izumi Konata
5. Hiiragi Tsukasa
6. Minami Iwasaki
7. Kusakabe Misao
8. Takara Miyuki
9. Izumi Kanata
10. Kobayakawa Yutaka

Special ED

ED: 「俺の忘れ物」 (Ore no Wasuremono) by 白石稔 (Shiraishi Minoru)
Watch the ED!: Mirror 1, Mirror 2

– “The Ending”: Uhm…unexpected? You know how in some live action shows there might be times where they use an animated sequence…typically with stuff like an acid trip, or a really psychedelic dream? Well, what if the show is already animated? I guess the acid trip would be in live action, right? I guess it kinda makes sense, considering Shiraishi won the character poll – why not make him do a karaoke too, right? Right… Wa wa wa wa wasuremono…

Preview

Thoughts

Well, that was a pretty standard talking episode – plenty of personality from each girl injected into the conversations, which was nice. Kagami had an extraordinary amount of facial expressions this episode, including the epic tsuntsun-turned-megadere theres-no-special-meaning-behind-this-chocolate-face. This is why tsundere girls are the best – they put you through all the pain and suffering and rejection, but in the end, that just makes the payoff so much sweeter. Oh Kagamin.

Don’t know if anybody else thought this way, but it felt that the facial expressions and extra bits really added another dimension to this episode, something that might have been lacking from the previous talking eps. I like!

Then, the episode dropped the whole “cute and amusing” act in an instant and kicked it into turbo with Sousuke (I need a better nickname for him, anyone got any ideas?) and his rather familiar-sounding store attendants. Seeing Tama as a chick with the same -desu voice and Keroro as a tall blonde with a more girly voice, but still using -de arimasu at the end of every sentence… that just made my day. THEN, Sousuke busts out his self-voiced Geass. Insanity.

One thing I’ve noticed about Lucky Star is its ability to integrate different types of humor and have it feel completely natural. Kagami’s textbook tsundere chocolate delivery played on a character stereotype, Tsukasa had plenty of happy-moe while Miyuki provided her unique brand of classy yet helpless-cuteness, and Konata rounded it out with plenty of referential humor (Yugioh as the proverb card game, that just works on so many levels). Not to mention the Keroro girls – I thought it was pretty cool last week when Sousuke and Kyon duked it out, but now we got invading amphibian aliens in the mix too.

And that ending. What kind of humor would that be? Kinda like how you laugh a lot when you’re tripping on shrooms?

-jaalin

50 Comments

  10. And that ending. What kind of humor would that be? Kinda like how you laugh a lot when you’re tripping on shrooms?

    Damn I’ve been buyin the wrong shrooms then! Where do you get your’s?

    And just how the hell did Tsukasa wind up in 5th!? she needs to be at LEAST in the top 3!

    Hudson
    Reply

  12. OMFH.
    Watched the Ending for the first time: WTF?
    Second time: WTF?!?!
    Third time: WT*giggle**roflmao*

    “And just how the hell did Tsukasa wind up in 5th!? she needs to be at LEAST in the top 3!”

    Well, actually, I guess either 1. they staged it, or 2., 2ch did it.

    Else Konachan would be 1.

    Gloranor
    Reply

  21. Dororo was forgotten… again.

    I can’t wait till a.f.k. gets this one – it looks… well, weirdly interesting, although with more ‘talky’ than I tend to prefer in my comedies, unless the jokes cross cultural boundaries.

    Haesslich
    Reply

  23. wow EPIC…

    btw, just curious, that poll/results mentioned in the show is FAKE, right? I know LC is based off of a real radio show but I’m guessing it was all pre-scripted? Or not?

    ShinSenshi
    Reply

  30. I’m just waiting for the day Akira whips out a chainsaw and pulls a Leatherface on Shiraishi. I really feel sorry for the guy, having to work with somebody that BATSHIT INSANE every episode. >_

    Anonymooo
    Reply

  32. epic.

    i actually see 2ch. as a definite possibility as to why minoru was 1st… he has a cult following there, especially after voicing taniguchi in haruhi (even if it was a minor role at best).

    did anyone else notice in the episode how it *looks* like minoru gave a red-frizzy haired GUY a valentine’s chocolate…? (later on when the 4 girls talk about valentine’s the two of them were blushing…)

    mewmew
    Reply

  33. yea mew, i noticed that too… typical kyoani background storytelling lol

    for those wondering…
    13:27 – shiraishi “proposes”
    14:39 – the two walking together, embarrassed
    14:47 – two sitting in classroom together, blushing

    oh sebastian, you minx

    jaalin
    Reply

  34. >> oh what a weird ending. guess we cant hear konata butcher songs anymore…i was actually hoping to hear something from suzumiya but guess not

    The ending WAS from SHnY. Check back at episode 10 of SHnY, after Yuki’s battle, when Taniguchi enters the room. That’s the same song Shiraishi was singing at the end of this episode. The reference was fairly obvious, considering that Shiraishi also voiced Taniguchi in SHnY, and his random “wa-wa-wa-wasuremono” has become a meme on it’s own.

    Mirrinus
    Reply

  35. I can see how Minoru is 1st, he is my favarite character by far. But i can’t see how can Akira get 2nd… she even beat the main girls. Those girls are definitely more awesome than Akira..

    There are alot of Minoru reference in the main arc this time:
    He was playing Yugi card with Konata, answering sensei questions and some other background scene. I lol’ed for him.

    The ED is.. really out there.. bad beyond compare..

    Quina
    Reply

  37. I think I am in love with Kagamin now… sorryyyy, Kona-chan! But a tsundere who is a red shirt away from being Tohsaka… shrine maiden outfit…bakes chocolates and blushes… *nosebleeds*

    KK
    Reply

  39. The ending… lol…. another Haruhi reference. It’s the song that Shiraishi sang in Haruhi eps 10, when Taniguchi walked in on Kyon and Nagato, after the battle with Asakura XD

    Shiki
    Reply

  42. @Tokki: “Dude, what happen to D.Gray-man?”

    D.Gray-man was dropped in favor of Claymore, because DGM was perenially in filler hell, Claymore comes on the same night, and Claymore > DGM anyway.

    Back on topic, I can’t wait for a.f.k. to sub this…

    quigonkenny
    Reply

  43. Apparently I’m one of the few that thinks it is unfortunate this show keeps upping the “no, this isn’t the Lucky*Star you were looking for” with the ‘anime-only’ commercial references. Does this mean we’re going to have to bear with this sort of thing in every episode?
    I’m fine with Kona’s “getto” antics – that’s part of the manga. But browse as one might through the four volumes out so far and you won’t find Sousuke and his cohorts anywhere.
    Its not that I hate it, so much as every second ticked off that way translates to less source material making it onscreen and fewer of the other characters ever getting screentime.

    Vexx
    Reply

  44. Hmmm, I should follow up that the L*S-specific parts were absolutely stellar… some of the best animation (watch the details), lovely little skits, and the long-awaited Kagami ‘tsundere’ fantasy. Hell, even L*C and the ED were a riot… they should just end the L*C segments right there because Akira will be so batshit insane she added peyote to the mix.

    Vexx
    Reply

  46. Sousuke is from the spin off of rumbling hearts (couldn’t remember the actual Japanese name) I think it called arkane maniaxe. Something like that. The Sousuke dude was freaking hilarious.

    lonerwolf
    Reply

  49. I think the “twin drills” has something to do with her (non-existent) boobs…but that’s just me (i LOL’d when shiraishi commented on them xD because of it) anyways, I think that Konata’s little cousin is going to come in soon! (about freakin time, one new character…) she’s shorter than Konata and not going to get any bigger…(it’s a good thing for Konata’s dad :])

    xxx
    Reply

  50. haha in my thinking, the drills are either symbolizing, or promoting their old DS game Moe Drill

    and the DVD konata was planning on buying is titled “The Third”

    and lmao at shiraishi confessing to some red afro dude and konata also parodies that girl from Kanon where she says “Ugu~” after kagami is yelling at her

    Choji
    Reply

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