I'd like to point out (quite possibly again) my intended audience. Anyone, of course, will get a good enough review just by reading this. But I really aim at those of you who either havn't watched anime, or aren't that big of a fan of it in general. I also make sure to cover content, so you know quite what your getting yourself into. I'd also like to add, if I say something, it's for sure. If I say you will like an anime, you will like it. You may not like some things about it, but if I say Gurren Lagann is a steaming pile of awesome, you will more than likely feel somewhat the same about it.
Okay, onto the review. I already planned on reviewing the series Lucky Star. But I also realized I hadn't reviewed anything past plot and emotional anime. The other end of the spectrum is comedy (sub-covering comedy and random). This series however, actually pushed a little to get out of my 4 stereotypes. But I've settled well with Comedy. It is also very well described as "Slice of Life".(I went a little pic crazy, but hey, they help a review a LOT. Enjoy!)
Being one of those rather famous series, I'd heard about it a lot. I decided for the heck of it to watch the intro on YouTube... which I found strangely appealing. And the fact that I liked it, made me question my manhood just a tiny bit. It was on (my ever loved) www.AnimeStash.info, so I said "What the hey" and downloaded it.
This series starts of rather dull., really. You watch 4 highscool anime girls (thus they look 12, not 17-ish) go about... highschool... and talk about some rather bland stuff, like how they eat certain kinds of food... for almost 10 minutes...
But I have never dropped a series, so my diligent self (lol) decided to press onward. "It has to be popular for a reason. There's lots of less famous series with anime girls like these." As it went on, each of the characters started revealing themselves.
Konata - The short anime/manga/video game/etc obsessed girl. I know what you're thinking... (NO, not that this character resembles anyone...) "Arn't all Japanese people like this?" Heh heh, no. Japanese are normal people too. They like video games and tv shows like you do. And a handful (just like us) are obsessed (or like it more than usual, at the least). She is also rather blunt, making jokes about her friends.
Kagami - She is the toughest of the group, easily frustrated by Konata's occasional joke about her. She gets back at Konata through references to her height.
Tsukasa - Kagami's twin sister. She is quite the opposite of Kagami, quiet and kind. She is also rather laid back and forgetful.
Miyuki - She's not actually around as much as the other three, though still considered a main character. She seems to be full of facts for when the others need information on any topic, but is nervous and sometimes absent minded.And it goes on from there. Everyone from the teacher (who plays an online game with Konata) to Konata's crazy family (her short cousin, her irresponsible police cousin, her 'interesting father') and everybody else, it is quite enjoyable. Lot's of school friends are added into the story also.
Most of the humor is character based. You learn (with time) each character's personality, and eventually see the hilarious irony in what happens to them. And... to my surprise, one part in this funny show made me quite sad... (not in an "I like this show less" way.)
And that's just the main story. Then they stick a few things in there that don't seem to fit... yet they do. There's the employees of a store commonly visited by Konata, who go into a fighting-anime sort of tribute with flames and power when trying to sell her things. There's also the segment at the end of each episode where Akira Kogami and Minoru Shiraishi attempt to provide commentary on the show (which I might add, doesn't work for long).
The endings in Lucky Star are something else. Most shows have some consistency, maybe 1-2 endings and openings per season, and maybe a special ending or opening on first, middle, or last episodes. Lucky Star takes a different turn by providing a different ending every episode. For the first part of the series, its a picture of a hotel room, with members of the group singing weird karaoke songs (some of them famous anime themes). Then... during the other half... it's live video featuring Minoru Shiraishi, which is coincidentally his name in real life. He sings very interesting songs that (I assume) he made all by himself. They are funny, though. (I've included a sample of a good Minoru song below.)
This series has a lot of little inserts related to other anime series. Though I havn't seen most of the ones referenced. You'll learn some interesting this about Japanese culture watching this. It's a calm, well rounded series.
Sub vs Dub = I watched the series in Japanese with subtitles. It was good, and Konata's voice is quite original (and famous because of this series). I then watched part of the first episode in English. Do not waste your life. English does not posess the ability to sound like the characters attitudes portray. (I'm not always die hard with subtitles, but sometimes it matters a lot.)
Content = Pretty clean. Well, there was some stuff. Most of it would go over a yougner person's head, since its mostly 'interesting' subjects. There's one bath scene that's completely decent. But Konata's dad likes to joke about all the girls around his home. There's also a friend of Konata's cousin (a very side character) that has a slightly perverted mind (though it is mostly hinted at). One character has problems with her... 'size'... though it is also very subtle what in the world she is hinting at. And at one part, Kagami and Tsukasa discuss a "girl related" topic, which almost went over my head, and isn't "bad" anyways, lol. That's all I can think off. (No profanity, of course.)
Sound = Below average amount of memorable songs. Of course the theme rocks, and so do all of Minoru's songs. Only about 3-5 soundtrack songs were really good. But they still were nice. I'll probably download the huge OST and find out I actually like more songs than that.
Specials = There's a single episode OVA about 45 minutes long. It's a bunch of little strange mini-stories. Good to watch after finishing the series.
Adaptions = The series is based off of a manga. There was also a bonus issue, a light novel, multiple games, and even some audio CDs.
Category: Comedy
Length: 24 Episodes - 1 OVA
Japanese Title: Raki☆Suta
Year: 2007
Studio: Kyoto Animation
Opening Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViEH57xQu1c
Sample Minoru Ending Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuY73qo9LfI&feature=related
Wikipedia Article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Star_(manga)
AnimeNewsNetwork: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=7222
Download (Jap/EngSub): http://animestash.info/anime/show/361 (RECOMENDED)
Stream (Jap/EngSub): (Can't find... check youtube)
Download OVA (Jap/EngSub): http://animestash.info/anime/show/1475
Download OST: (Still looking for this...)
In Summary - Great anime! Really liked it. I laughed a lot during it, the jokes are great. Content isn't too bad; it's subtle enough that it goes right over your head when it happens anyways. It may sound dull, but if you watch through the whole thing, I think you'll like it. Not really a starter anime; best for those of you who have seen a few starters. BYE BEE!!!
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