First Impressions / Lucky Star

There’s a huge line snaking out from the anime store – and our four girls (Miyuki included!) are somewhere near the end. While it’s not yet clear what they’re in line for, it’s indeed odd that Konata would be near the back of the line for anything anime-related. A possible explanation stems from Miyuki being with them – maybe they had to make allowances for time so she could go with them? Maybe Tsukasa was cleaning her room? Why exactly are they in line, anyways?

Apparently, they’re there to draw lots, which lets them buy tickets for some concert. No luck for Konata and Kagami, but Tsukasa and Miyuki score. Isn’t it uncanny how that always happens – the ones who have no emotional investment and are just there for the atmosphere are the ones who always win. Each lot probably lets you buy two tickets (can someone confirm this?) so all 4 girls are off to the concert!

Concert indeed – it’s none other than Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou, that Haruhi live featuring all the SOS-Dan girls. See that fourth picture – that’s the Lucky Star version of Hirano Aya! We saw Chihara Minori at ComiKet, so I guess Goto Yuko is the only one left. Konata is so moved by the performance that she’s completely frozen.

Have you ever experienced that? It’s happened to me once, when I came within two feet of Michael Jordan at one of his basketball camps. While everyone around me was cheering and yelling, I was completely nailed to the floor, my jaw placid with awe – I was in the presence of greatness! At any rate, I thought this scene did a good job of capturing that spirit. Konata the rabid fan was devoid of all words when in the presence of the one she admired the most. Of course, there’s a sick kind of irony considering Hirano Aya is voicing a character that idolizes… Hirano Aya, but that’s all in good fun.

Next, the four girls head off to do some sakura viewing, where there’s typically a lot of those same stalls we saw back in the festival episode (the one with Yui-neesan). By the way, Konata asks Kagami, what happened with that goldfish you caught back then? Well… it looks like Kagami fed Kyoppi-chan too much food, at it became rather huge. “Are you gonna eat it?”

Back in the Izumi household, Konadad has some hay fever, so decides to undergo his henshin sequence and don a mask and glasses. Which makes him look exactly like a mugger or a stalker. Strangely appropriate.

The next morning is April 1st – and Americans aren’t the only ones with a bad sense of humor on this day. Konata calls up Kagami and tells her she’s finished all her homework… what what what!! Oh, April Fool’s. Then, Kuroi-sensei calls up Konata and tells her she accidentally erased the save file in that game she borrowed. WHAT?! Oh, April Fool’s. Don’t you just HATE that?

Elsewhere, Kagami asks Tsukasa if she fooled anyone. “Yea…” “Say what? Who? How?” “Just now… that was a lie, I haven’t fooled anyone…” Oh Tsukasa.

One last one – that night at the Izumi house, Konadad sits down and asks Konata what she would think if he were to get remarried. “No biggie.” Wait, what? Don’t you want to know what your new mother is like? “Well, what kind of person is she?” Izumi Konata, will never be had twice on April Fool’s Day.

While I’m on the subject, I gotta say that many fansubbers have a terrible sense of humor on April 1st.

Other happenings this episode:

  • The Hiiragis crowd around the TV for another game show. Looks fun. Lucky dad.
  • The girls discuss heading over to Miyuki’s house for a visit. They’ve never been there, so they speculate on what it’s like. Pool? A white ferret? A big white dog?
  • The new school year has started and the class rosters are posted. Yutaka and her quiet friend are in the same class; Konata, Tsukasa, and Miyuki are once again together. And Kagami is once again left out. Lonliness… despair… futility…
  • Yutaka’s self-introduction. Let’s just say it had less impact then Haruhi’s did.

    • And we all know how impressionable Konata is after her encounter with Marimite. So how does a new school year amidst the sakura petals feel like to her? Ever since that whore Nemu took Kotori’s rightful place as the alpha female I’ve harbored ill feelings for the series, but leave it to Konata to win me back over. A new school year… new encounters… new romance… Konata Da Capo is a fearsome thing indeed.

  • Yutaka bumps into Konata on the way to see where the nurse’s office is. Sure, I’ll introduce you… where is the nurse’s office, anyways…
  • The art quality is bumped up several notches as the girls realize they’re in their final year of high school together…
  • Trying to read your lecture notes when you took them while half-dozing off? Impossible, but funny as hell to do.
  • Two more Haruhi figures spotted in Konata’s room, as well as a rundown of her awful sleep schedule.

    • Lucky Channel 15: Kogami Akira Live announced for next episode! Akira is pumped off and finishes the segment off with some unparalleled synchronization~

    Special ED

    ED: 「恋のミノル伝説」 (Koi no Minoru Densetsu) by 白石稔 (Shiraishi Minoru)

    Mi-mi-miracle Minorun-run. Oh man.

    Thoughts

    A totally unexpected start – and yet not totally unsurprising. Hirano Aya looks cute regardless if she’s animated or real life! The rest of the episode was pretty standard antics from the girls, and the April Fool’s segment was fun to watch. Like most of the other episodes, so much of what they do and what they say really hits home because they’re all things we’ve experienced in our own lives and never really thought about – but to see it in this animated form really brings out the comedy in our own lives. And maybe, to those who wish they lived in an anime, brought them closer to realizing their dream.

    Konata Da Capo was out of this world. Not only does she play all the main characters, but also the male lead as well. Did you guys notice that Utamaru was replaced by the bodyless Lucky Star cat? Speaking of which, does that thing have a name?

    One thing I failed to point out in last week’s Lucky Channel was that the “FINAL ANSWER?” line during the Millionaire segment was voiced by Akira, in her first speaking role during the actual show. Seems like the producer gave the thumbs up for her to make an actual appearance next week? Well, I’m obviously skeptical.

    Is Shiraishi going to do the rest of the ending songs? Man… this week’s was pretty freakin funny, but I don’t know how much more I can take lol.

    -jaalin

    53 Comments

    22. good job jaalin. you basically got most of the stuff down~ 🙂

      *some other (mostly minor) stuff*
      -the OP chant starts out differently instead of the “saa, hajimaru zamasuyo.” instead, it starts out as “3 nen B-gumi, kuroi sensei!” (a nod to 3 nen B-gumi, kinpachi sensei)
      -kagami calls her…BIG goldfish…”gyoppi!”
      -konata’s final April fool’s joke to kuroi sensei “Miyuki-san said that teaching must be an easy/lax occupation, since even you can do it!”
      -konata prepares for her first day of her final high school year by playing mmo’s 3days in a row
      -MSN messenger sighting!

      -akira’s april fool’s joke for minoru: “You won’t appear in next episode’s segment!”
      -minoru says “maggare” (source: “maggare spectacle” from koizumi itsuki’s character song cd?”)

      im not too surprised at the numerous inclusion of haruhi material in LS tho…for one thing, it’s easier to do than franchises kyoani isn’t affiliated with (and LS actually asks for permission to reproduce copyrighted material…the karaoke ED’s for example).

      mewmew
      Reply

    24. yea i didn’t get that part… i dont really get the whole thing with lots anyways – why not just line up to buy tickets? oh well, what’s important is that they got in lol

      jaalin
      Reply

    27. “Konata is so moved by the performance that she’s completely frozen.
      Have you ever experienced that?”

      @jaalin: Yes, when I was getting their autographs at AX.

      random passerby
      Reply

    29. Since this episode has Da Capo parodies (coughing petals very funny), maybe it’s a good idea that Kyo-Ani would take Da Capo II( Da Capo Season 3)next year. I guess a lot of group now want their manga to be animated by Kyo-Ani.

      Prediction Release of animes created by Kyo-Ani
      Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya S2 Oct. 2007 – Jan 2008
      Clannad March 2008 – June 2008
      Full Metal Panic S4 July 2008 – Oct. 2008

      Back to the topic, Aya Hirano animated version kawai. I hope Akira would appear irl in the ending next episode. Shiraishi should take a break.

      arigatou
      Reply

    31. What was up with Yutaka’s self introduction?
      My Japanese is non-existence so I can’t figure out what she said or deal behind her classmate’s reaction… were they all guys murmering?

      Luminisk
      Reply

    33. @arigatou: studio deen already nabbed rights for da capo II some time ago. just not sure when it’ll be released.

      why did the ED have to be shiraishi…doing a parody of Koi no Minoru Densetsu? i think my eyes have been reduced to sausages…

      takamachi
      Reply

    37. Before Konata Dad crack his April fools Joke, here’s a scene that i’ve feel fimiliar with;

      Konata Dad sit down & notice konata reading
      Konata dad: Is it good?
      Konata : Unique
      Konata Dad: I see…..

      It’s like seeing how Kyon ask Nagato during their first conversation
      (Just my rumbling thoughts^_^)

      Davwon
      Reply

    41. An episode consisting of Haruhi and Aya Hirano being crammed down my throat….how original and not overdone in the slightest. I salute the originality of Lucky Star and it’s style of humour totally not based on playing the Haruhi/Aya Hirano card over and over to starry eyed fans of said show. Note to Kyoto Animation, Haruhi Material for the sake of Haruhi material/=Auto-Funny. Why not try you know writing funny material. God the show was funnier and more interesting pre-director change. At least then it had it’s own style and didn’t leech off of another show’s popularity to keep itself afloat. At this point I continue to blog this to watch the trainwreck in motion. Screw Gundam Seed Destiny or Whatever Sunrise series Jason Miao is complaining about. Lucky Star is the place to be if you want to watch a studio botch an adaptation and barely hold things together by playing it’s trump card. The patchwork can only last so long though for all but the most obsessive Haruhi Fanboy who can’t get enough of that show. Though since there are so many of those types I guess that’s what KyoAni is going for. KyoAni sure loves it’s not so hardcore fans. (sarcasm)

      Kaioshin_Sama
      Reply

    42. Ah! I would have never known if you guys hadn’t said it was a Da Capo spoof (having never seen show/played the game/played the spinoff games). I also never caught that Akira did “FINAL ANSWER!” last week either. Man, sometimes this show is too hardcore.

      Shiraishi doing the endings makes my skin crawl.

      kadian1364
      Reply

    43. lol kaioshin!! well, i don’t totally agree but i’ll definitely concede that your complaint is very legitimate.

      the thing with lucky star is that it’s able to juggle all these different kinds of humor, whether it be pulled directly from the manga, as a result of the references, or just plain honest to goodness kyoani writing. in that sense, it should appeal to a broader range of audiences – however, it seems that the critics of the show have some problem with the references and put all the source of “humor” completely in that boat. that’s completely untrue, as some of the best episodes have had almost no references at all, and was just good fun.

      really, the references don’t make the show, but merely give it another angle of appeal.

      jaalin
      Reply

    45. @Kaioshin
      While your complaints are legitimate, and I don’t know if you read the actual manga (source) or not, and if you actually did read the source you would know that 4kona lucky star has a very subtle humor and style; You would read through it and probably won’t catch half of the jokes.

      That being said episode 1 was in my opinion the only episode the stayed “true” to the source, and looking back most of you guys weren’t exactly ecstatic over that episode. Now I’m not saying the LS 4kona is boring and dry, I am saying that the style and humor is just simply too subtle for most audience to catch on, even natives would have trouble finding the humors, and quite frankly if they had continue to stay true a lot of the audiences would probably bored and drop the series before the half mark.

      Now in Kyoani’s defense they did adapt the 4kona, not to the letter but very close, and the other stuff (Haruhi, self-promotion, product-placement) were just fluff that kyoani had fun adding in to expand an otherwise limited source, add-ons, while trying to appeal to wider audience; while “purist” might call foul I’d say I’d rather enjoy the add-ons along with the original materials. As Haruhi reference and self-promotion goes relatively it is not a lot compared to all the other’s work that Kyoani puts in look from this episode theres Millionaire, theres Da Capo, theres… Kamen Rider; albeit, the Haruhi stuff does stand out a bit but in my opinion it is not THAT bad or intrusive.

      Chani
      Reply

    49. I think Konata saying the book is “unique” is a nod to Yuki’s reaction to Kyon when he asked her about the book in the 2nd ep of Suzumiya Haruhi.

      Kyon: Omoshiroi?
      Yuki: Yuniikku

      It was really sweet of Kagami to let Kona-chan get a full view~ Aaa I’m getting goosebumps thinking about their relationship >_

      ahbonk
      Reply

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