Lucky Star (2007–2008) User Reviews (14)

The follow-up to Haruhi Suzumiya. Good or bad?

[AndTheRoo · 7/10 · 31 December 2007]

With a staggering amount of hype and fanbase circulating Kyoto Animation's next project, stress must have been huge for them. Especially when the voice actress for Suzumiya Haruhi is taking a role for Lucky Star. So it has come down to a simple question; Lucky Star - good or bad? Without a shadow of a doubt, Lucky Star is one of the anime that stood out in 2007. Heck, it's the Azumanga Daioh for 2007. What we have here, is a story focusing a group of 4 high-school students and their daily lives. Meeeh, sounds boring isn't it? Well, it's not.

Story - Just like i've said earlier, there isn't any, to be honest. The plot lean heavily towards japan otaku culture as there are many reference/parody with Kyoto Animation's earlier productions. It could also be viewed negatively since some with limited amount of understanding towards otaku culture wouldn't find it funny, to say the least.

Character - The series' main highlight, is the prime otaku Konata Izumi, which is also voiced by Aya Hirano who did Suzumiya Haruhi. With a considerable amount of nonsensical knowledge about anime, doujinshi and video games. It has certainly made up quite the irony for her to have an athletic body. Along with her satirical jokes towards her friends, the character has generated quite some commotion among anime fans.

Moe is definitely sky-high with the presence of Miyuki Takara, a polite, friendly glasses-wearing girl with almost complete knowledge just about anything. That's about it on her good side. I find the majority of scenes consisting her to be absurdly boring, since she's always explaining tedious facts to the dumbfounded aka Konata.

The other 2 characters consists of Kagami Hiiragi and Tsukasa Hiiragi; a fraternal twin. The elder one which is Kagami is your stereotype tsundere, while the younger Tsukasa is often described as an airhead who always can't keep up with the conversation and frequently hinted in the series as a naive person.

Music - I believe everyone's first impression towards the opening theme is Suzumiya Haruhi's ending theme. A catchy j-pop with some eurodance elements combined with a dance scene with the main characters. Both themes has been parodied more than a thousand times by media or fans. The BGM is fairly decent, one that stood-out for me is the one being played at Episode 22. I don't wanna give away too much for those who is still behind this series.

Animation - Can't give too many compliments for this area, as the animation is as simple as it gets. The main characters are drawn quite nicely and with detail, but the backgrounds are mainly consists of black/blue figures. Though i might say that this fits the anime perfectly.

Overall - It is definitely a great comeback by Kyoto Animation after their big hit. Although it has some really tedious, dragged out conversations; Lucky Star has its moments, and some which is undeniably funny. This is one anime that doesn't rely on exaggerated sword fights and epic mecha/robot battles for a big audience. However, if you're interested in the latter, look elsewhere.

A solid 7/10.

Cannival of Anime fans

[e-22722 · 8/10 · 18 July 2019]

You may need lots of knowledge about animes and games to enjoy this series, or it seems boring and unknowable to you. Maybe it doesn't have much art techniques or intention so I rate it 8, if I were yet 18, I would rate it 10.

I'm lucky to have discovered this little star.

[xamtaro · 8/10 · 8 August 2010]

Lucky Star is a curious little gem of an anime series. Curious in a way since it does not adhere to the usual tenants of popular anime series yet managed to achieve its own level of popularity. Its story can be summarized into a single sentence: Four close high school friends, Konata Izumi, Kagami Hiiragi, Tsukasa Hiiragi, and Miyuki Takara go about their daily lives.

That is it.

No grand adventure, no magical powers, nothing special, nothing complex, just plain and simple. The simplicity of the entire concept behind this production is clearly evident in the animation style. Clean lines, easy-to-draw character designs, basic color fills and plain backgrounds. Even the actual movements of the characters are un-sophisticated and the animation itself is far from what anyone would consider "dynamic". Nothing really stands out, making this series merely "a face in the crowd".

But that is exactly what the series is. It never tries to be more than what it is, never gives in to the whims and fancies of a viewer-ship that extols mainly the action and drama genre. It stays true to its own identity despite running the risk of ending up as an "outcast" of sorts among the more popular kids on the block. In a way, the very attitude that this series adopts toward other mainstream anime and its audience is personified in the main character, Konata Izumi.

Affectionately called "Kona-chan", Konata is the ultimate embodiment of one of Lucky Star's main target audience: otakus. She is everything and otaku is as well as wishes to be. A die hard anime fan, a video game addict and a slacker, Konata is quick to incorporate references to obscure anime culture in her conversation, has a habit of copying homework and doing last minute revision before exams, lines up for hours at manga conventions and works in a comic shop. However, she is also extremely athletic, miraculously aces her every test, and most importantly, she is accepted by her friends despite possessing attributes that would easily render one an unpopular social outcast. A very clever parallel to the nature of the show itself.

That being said, it is the characters, and the fresh new perspectives they give on the otherwise mundane happenings of life, that is the main attraction of the show. Through the eyes of the quirky Konata, the hot headed but innately emotional Kagami, the adorably innocent dim-bulb Tsukasa and the polite and beautiful "walking wikipedia" Miyuki, the audience is treated to different facets of every day Japanese life presented in new lights from varying points of view. For non-Japanese fans, it is a light hearted immersion into aspects of the Japanese culture without the show becoming a sort of "Discovery Travel and living" documentary. Comedy is well placed and well written, extending even into the laugh-out-loud "Lucky channel" segments at the end of each episode.

Believe it or not, it is this simplicity, this sense of "normalcy" and the presentation of the mundane everyday going-ons through new anime-styled eyes, that is the ultimate form of escapism. In a world fret with overly sexualized portrayals of the female figure, Lucky star presents a feeling of carefree innocence barring the occasional allusion to Miyuki's near perfect "curves". In a life of fluctuation, surrounded by tragedy reported in the daily news, Lucky Star's predictability and optimism is more than welcome. Things and people around us, people that we know, constantly change and sometimes for the worse. Lucky Star's characters never change from the first episode right up to the last. Some might say that is just an indication of a lack of character development, but it works to establish the identity of the core characters, in a way making them feel more "real". A closer look into the style of interaction among the characters shows how realistically each conversation plays out, augmented by some top notch voice acting.

As it stands, adapting a 4 panel comic into an anime series is no easy task. The source material itself has more in common with the newspaper comic "Peanuts" than your standard manga. Yet despite the scant amount of story details, the anime series managed to remain faithful to the spirit of the source while expanding on its core aspects. This resulted in the anime even replicating the general lack of coherent story from the manga. Each episode seems to have a running theme yet there is never a sense of focus in the episode's narrative. The second half of the series sees the introduction of more characters but none seem to be as interesting as the core four.

For being just "another face in the crowd" among other more popular anime, Lucky Star has managed to earn a dedicated fandom based on the very fact that it is something different. It embraces the culture and attitude of its main target audience, parodying it yet glamorizing it at the same time. When you watch Lucky Star, you do not just watch a show, you pay a visit to some extremely lovable characters, more human than you might imagine, and just hang out with them.

This one deserves more love

[Reckno64 · 9/10 · 29 February 2020]

I suppose a 10-star rating is excessive, but I really like this anime. It's very funny, very self-aware, and I love the references to other anime and anime cliches (the one they reference the most? Haruhi Suzimiya obviously....XD). The characters are quite likable too, at least to me.

In the midst of all the funny, there is one episode (Ep. 22) that is more heartfelt and brought tears to my eyes. And I always give bonus points to shows that can make me laugh and cry at the same time, so I really appreciate that about this anime!

All things considered, this anime is approaching 13 years old now which is unbelievable. The sad moments in all of Kyoto Animations work are all the more sad since July 18 2019, when the arson attack happened. The final death toll was 36, and I'm still very upset by it even after 7 months. If there's any silver lining, it's caused me to appreciate this anime studio's work more and more lately, so hence why I began watching more of KyoAni's works. I will continue to support them until the day I die!!!

Definitely give Lucky Star a watch if you like the moe/slice-of-life genre!

A great high school anime

[Tweekums · 10/10 · 21 June 2011]

Lucky Star is a really fun series although if you aren't familiar with certain other series and anime terminology you might be left rather confused at many points during the show. Konata is obsessed with anime and manga and often talks about it; the most frequently mentioned series is 'The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'; she even dresses up as characters from that series more than once so if you can I'd recommend watched at least a few episodes so you'll get the references! The series follows the lives of Konata and her friends Kagami, Tsukasa and Miyuki; four high school girls doing the sort of things people that age might be expected to do; school work, playing computer games and going to the shops; this might sound rather boring but the way it is done is hilarious. There is little in the way of ongoing story; we see them talking about a subject for a few minutes then we see them doing something else; this isn't surprising given that it is based on a four panel manga. At the end of each episode there is an amusing segment called 'Lucky Channel' where two presenters start talking about the show but soon end up bickering.

The animation style might lead the viewer to think that the characters are much younger than they are meant to be; they are all much shorter than one would expect the characters to be... it doesn't take any time to get used to the style though; I thought it was rather cute. The four central characters were a lot of fun as were the secondary characters whose roles increased in later episodes. While the series has a '15' certificate here in the UK there is little to offend in the vast majority of episodes although it is suggested that Konata's father has a Lolita complex and the girls briefly discuss breast size once or twice; these things are done in an amusing rather than sleazy way though. I'm not sure that I'd recommend this as an introduction to the world of anime but if you've seen a few series and like shows such as 'Haruhi Suzumiya' and 'Azumanga Daioh' then this is a must see.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.

This anime will make you feel at ease when you watch it!

[conradcarlo_venzon-1 · 10/10 · 15 February 2008]

First of all, I'm the type of guy who doesn't watch silly, girly, annoying, no-plot-at-all-type of animes or movies... But this is somewhat different...

I have to say that "Lucky Star" is one of those animez that really packed a punch in my taste. A friend of mine recommended this anime a month ago and gave me his original dvds. At first, I wasn't really interested because its just a story of 4 highschool students and their daily lives...

What the hell? Yeah, I mean... That's it?... Their daily lives? I'm like, so what? What the hell is wrong with this anime? No other plots? That's it? Then, a few weeks ago, I gave it a chance. I watched the first episode... then the next one... then the next one... then so on and so forth...

Then I realized that this anime has potential... I mean I has a spark on it. This anime doesn't have any plots at all but I was really beginning to like it... A lot!!!

The story, well, just like I've said earlier, there isn't any, nothing at all.

There are 4 main characters:

Konata Izumi: a spunky girl who loves to chat with her friends, read loads of mangas and stay late at night doing nothing else but to play... play.... and play online games!... she doesn't study at all.. Well, that's her!

Miyuki Takara: (ehem... my fave) the girl who's already got a pair of big boobs for her age. She's the nicest girl in their highschool (I think)... She's got a pair of eye glasses. Sometimes, she's clumsy but that's what I love about her.... She does it in a hot way... huuuuuuuraaaaahhh!

Kagami Hiiragi: She's the twin sister of Tsukasa Hiiragi. She's the most responsible one in the group. Needless to say... She's the goody little two shoes and she's also hot as hell.... That's all I have to say about her. Booyaaaaahhhhhhhhh!

Tsukasa Hiiragi: She's the twin sister of Kagami Hiiragi. She's got the shortest hair in the group. She's kindda lazy just like Konata Izumi and also hot by the way... Oh and she's also kinda clumsy like Miyuki Takara. Well, that's it(",)

OK, let me tell you about the Music: One word.. Cute!!! Most likely the cutest one I've seen in ages!!! I love it!

Overall: Oh, do I have to say it? You've seen how many stars I've given it...

A complete 10!!!

Just watch Nichijou

[isabelleaweber · 7/10 · 3 July 2020]

Nothing really to say here, but if your looking for a funny, feel-good show, just watch Nichijou.

Japanese are able to do everything

[galaxia6 · 10/10 · 7 March 2009]

well it breaks all the laws of anime actually this title is a spoof of every titles you could hear of ! Its not an normal anime title it has nothing of such its just a story of Schoolgirls ......talking about sometimes awkward things its a society review made by the Japanese animators it tends to be a bit naive but overall very funny and lovable it deserves the highest ranking ! and thats basically it !

So whats the story who are the characters were they're almost normal teenager's that go to normal school and are tought by almost normal teacher !

And there's a lot of talking in the series !

Just watch Nichijou

[isabelleaweber · 7/10 · 30 June 2020]

Even though I did enjoy this series, I did find it to not hold my attention. If your looking for a slice-of-life comedy, just watch Nichijou, which in my opinion is like a better verison of Lucky Star.

Like the catchy opening song but I think it's made for kids/tweens

[Irishchatter · 5/10 · 1 September 2018]

Everyone talks about the opening song and of course, curiosity is always involved when it comes to anime I've never seen before so why not watch this? The opening song is good but I personally think this show is best suited to kids because of the way they talk and its deemed innocent. I mean, I'm not telling the over 20 year olds that they are too old to watch this but I feel myself that its rather too childish and just over the top of being overly cutesy.

If I do have kids of my own, I'll make them watch this definately since it does look fun and happy dappy!

Awesome

[pinkyashlee · 10/10 · 5 September 2015]

Lucky Star is possibly the best anime I've watched so far, apart from other anime.

Entertaining and funny, it's always best to watch everywhere, and is appropriate for kids older than 10. I haven't watched all the episodes, I'm currently at episode 5. But Lucky Star is too awesome to wait until the end.

If you are planning on watching Lucky Star, you should! It's amazing. I best recommend for anyone who loves funny anime and is older than 10. Since it does contain some things that younger children shouldn't yet know, or probably hear about.

Reviews/question

[shawnboyce-27089 · 6/10 · 18 March 2021]

The show is great but Until the last episode There's no plot point Achieved at the end. I don't understand why there Wasn't a second season with the Blue hair girl sister and her friend takes over the second season of lucky star's or why the JK ep is not in English dubbed???

its quite arorable and cute

[RJXAnime2003 · 10/10 · 27 April 2022]

Its a funny pradory anime Rant: im not saying people over 13 can't watch cartoons anymore tho I can't deny on the english dub I would watch and pefer the japanese dub with english subtitles on, anyways its a cute fun silly colorful show for all ages to enjoy so please check it out today! :)

My first anime, probably not a good one to start out with.

[emma529 · 6/10 · 29 December 2014]

I love Lucky Star, even to this day.

However, I wished I wouldn't have chose to watch it as my first.

Let's just say it has a LOT of anime references. Everywhere you look "Oh look it's Haruhi Suzumiya", "Hey that guy in the background is cosplaying as Alphonse Elric," "KEREO GUNSO!!!"

So by all means, if you're thinking of watching your first anime outside Pokémon and others like it, do not watch Lucky Star.

Despite the references I still enjoyed it though and I watched it a couple of years back and it was 10x more enjoyable.

But it has absolutely no plot what so ever. It's like all of the filler ever, the characters have no goals it's just pretty much being themselves.

I would give this show a higher ranting but it isn't worth a higher rating. A 6 is average and that's what Lucky Star is.

It's cute but I kind of recommend skipping the first episode, they talk about food for the first 20 minutes and it's funny, well until 5 minutes turn into 10 then 15 then you've already stopped watching.

So start with episode two, please it will do you so much good. It's a light hearted comedy and vey nice. If you have otaku friends (female would be better) it's a good anime to watch at a sleepover. I'm even thinking of doing that myself, but I don't have a lot of otaku friends so, I probably can't.

But hey, it's a great watch anyway, Also, if you're super sensitive to English dubs don't think about listening to it. I don't care about dub vs. sub really and I will admit, the English dub is really bad.