On the 9th day of Christmas my true love gave to me…

9 Lucky ☆ ladies

8 Misa-Misa’s
7 bure bures
6 zawa zawas
5 GIGA DRILLS!
4 metatags
3 rain charms
2 Guchuko’s
And a cruise on a nice boat for free!

Because I can’t make up my mind which Raki ☆ Suta girl is my favorite. So I’ll just take them all! Omochikaeri!

To borrow a line from Jason Miao, “…seven …eight …nine! Nine honeys! Ah-ah-ah!”

…for it to be funny you have to say it with a fake Transylvanian accent, a la The Count.

In our last poll (man, I really need to make a new one ), Kagami and Konata were the clear favorites, but each of the other girls have their unique charms. Misao has FANG POWER. Tamura has fangirlish enthusiasm. Patty-chan has her awesome voice and super otaku powers. And of course, Minami and Yutaka have each other. And Tsukasa is, well…Tsukasa.

Yeah, I give up…I can’t pick just one. OTL

Better just take ‘em all.

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First of all, omedetou Furude Rika on winning SaiMoe 2007!

A good showing for Higurashi arimasu desu~! Nipaa~!

Even though there are others I would’ve preferred to see come out on top, I don’t think it’s worth wasting time and energy complaining about it. SaiMoe has way too much emo drama as it is.

So instead, please accept this humble tribute to the fallen – those who fought valiantly but, in the end, were vanquished.

Click on the images for larger versions.

Raki Suta, I was sorry to see you go. The Rena vs. Kagami thing early on was a big disappointment, but nevertheless congrats to everybody for a strong showing, especially Tsukasa!

You are all made of of win and moe and delicious cake choco cornet.

A 49th Reason to add to the list of why Lucky Star is awesome!

L-O-V-E Love-ly Tsukasa!

Congratulations to all the Hidamari girls, especially Yuno, who exceeded my every expectation by making it all the way to the Octofinals. Hopefully this will help to bring this cute and hilarious show, which many people have still not seen, more into the limelight.

Speaking of which, if you haven’t watched Hidamari Sketch, you can stop reading right now and go download it.

Srsly. Go on. Go.

Yunocchi is love!

Ding dong the witch is dead!

Just kidding…as much as I didn’t want to see a Rozen Doll victory again this year, I was still sorry to see Suiseiseki go.

I guess I just have a soft spot for that deliciously wicked doll.

Shana, even though your 2nd season kinda sucks, you’re still the best in my book.

Why loli tsundere melonpantastic flaming-hair blazing-eyes hasn’t swept the tournament every year is a mystery to me de arimasu~.

Oh well. Here’s some more Shana images to make up for it.

Also, since this year’s SaiMoe didn’t show any love for my particular moe mode of choice, here’s a big shout out to all the green-haired cuties in the tournament!

To C.C., Asa-sempai, Yui-neesan, the Sonozaki twins, Youko, Yoshinoya-sensei, and the lovely Alice Caroll, you all did great!

Finally, props to Kurogane, for faithfully reporting the results every day over the last few months, and thanks to all guys who contributed to the Synchroom SaiMoe Wiki.

This year was kind of a disappointment for me, but nevertheless, I think focusing on the positive side of things is more true to the spirit of the tournament. So what do you guys think of this year’s SaiMoe? Who were your favorite picks?

Edit: For those who haven’t been following SaiMoe, check out this image to see the results from the Top 16 match-ups.

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4-koma by our very own guest artist, Jupeboxgal.

After hearing Motteke! Sailor Fuku over and over and over again, it’s certainly lost some of its charm, but nevertheless I still find it enjoyable. The song’s sugar-crack catchiness is much like the show itself – although I soon became accustomed to it, now that it’s gone I find myself missing that Sunday night Lucky Star fix.

* hands shake *

“C’mon man, just…just one more episode, I just need one more episode, man! I can stop any time I want, I swear! C’mon, just one more time…”

Even while working on this post, when I went through the older episodes to get screenshots, half the time I ended up getting distracted and watching the entire show. I’ve already watched through the series roughly three times, and yet it’s still fun. I think one of the strongest signs of a good anime series, much like a good video game, is in its replay value, and in my book Lucky Star certainly delivers.

Therefore, we are very proud to present our top 48 reasons why Lucky Star is an amazing show that almost anyone can enjoy.

(Warning: LONG POST IS LONG! Not recommended for small children, nursing mothers, and people still running on 9600 baud modems.)

#1. Choco Cornet

Even after all this time, the question still remains – which end of a choco cornet is the head? And does it resemble a shell or a caterpiller? Are you really supposed to break off the thin end and dip it in the chocolate?

Although the whole food discussion from episode 1 is one of the most maligned segments of the entire show, I still found it quite enjoyable. I’ve always felt that Lucky Star is at its strongest when its portraying those slice-of-life moments that make you go, “Hey, I do that too!” or, “Wow, I can totally relate!”

While many of the specific anime parodies won’t age so well, this kind of humor is more or less timeless, ensuring that Lucky Star will still be fun to watch even 10 years down the road.

#2.Konata > Guile

Although some of Lucky Star’s parodies definitely fell flat at times, others of them were pretty funny. This was one of the best and really served to set a good tone for the series.

My money’s on Konata. Now, if she was against Ryu, then it might prove a bit more challenging – shoryuken spamming!

#3. Good job!

Another mark of a good series is how many of those great quotable lines come from it. Although Lucky Star didn’t quite have any “Just as planned!” caliber meme-spawning catchphrases, it still served up a number of memorable one-liners. This happens to be one of our favorites.

Best Konata line EVAR. This series is so phenomenally voice acted, yet another reason why it was so enjoyable to watch.

#4. DFC

With Konata, Nagi from Hayate no Gotoku, Nia from Gurren Lagann, and now more Shana coming soon, it seems we’re entering a golden age of DFC (Delicious Flat Chest). Konata certainly seems to properly understand her position at the forefront of this new wave.

“Flat chest is of immeasurable value!”

Seriously with the way most of the SaiMoe votes go you can’t help but come to the conclusion that this is a very real and prominent demographic.

#5. Stop! Chikoku janai desu~!

Aya’s voice work is almost always top notch, but for some reason this line really stuck in my head and just makes me laugh every time.

#6. Konata in a Yukata

Yukatas = win in large quantities

Waku waku! Waku waku!

#7. Yui-neesan

Filling the role of the green-haired genki girl, Yui-neesan is naturally one of my favorite characters. Her carefree personality contrasts wonderfully with her maniacal road rage driving, and Nishihara Saori’s voice acting is wonderful to listen to.

I still can’t believe she’s a cop…

I loved her character and couldn’t help but chuckle every time she was on screen, especially when she was intoxicated. If only more police officers were this irresponsible, we’d probably see a sharp decline in traffic tickets.

#8. Cha-La Head-Cha-La

Seeing Hirano Aya sing the classic Dragonball Z theme song in her over the top Konata voice was awesome. Seeing her do it live at AX was even better!

Spaaaarking!

#9. Timotei~! Timotei~! Timoteiiiii~!

Konata’s impersonation of the oldschool Timotei commercials was awesome. Seeing Hirano Aya do it live at AX was even better! (Thanks beerman!)

#10. Tsukasa and the Seashell

Tsukasa at her very best.

#11. Marimite Mode Konata

Exhibiting yet another facet of Aya’s amazing seiyuu talents, Konata’s Marimite voice had me rolling on the floor.

#12. Fire-breathing Kagami

The Konata/Kagamin dynamic was one of the best elements of the show. The two of them trading verbal jabs, and almost always provoking Kagami’s tsundere side, never failed to bring a smile to my face.

Plus I crack up every time I look at Konata’s depiction of Kagami.

This picture reminded me of the Calvin & Hobbes comic in which Calvin draws a parody cartoon of his father, quite amusing.

#13. Episode 8

Arguably the best episode in the entire series. This episode had me laughing non-stop, from the opening where Konata’s dad is introduced for the first time, to the awesome Lucky Channel segment at the end.

More Marimite Mode.

Typical tsundere response.

And then she brings down the house! You go girl!

Soujirou + fatty cameras = win

Old school Track and Field reference = win

Tsukasa is serious business.

Oh yeah. That’s right.

This was probably Miyuki’s best scene. Rather than her usual reserved meganekko, dentist-fearing persona, she was able to show her cool side.

And cool it was.

The whole race scene was wonderfully animated, of course, and the cool techno music really got me into it.

And to top it off, she wins by melon pan.

Tsukasa’s recorder antics were pretty win as well.

And her runaway imagination wasn’t bad either.

Seeing how thrilled Konata was about her Newtype fanart submission, which as you may know actually appeared in the June ‘07 issue, was also quite entertaining.

And of course, to top it all off…

NEEEEEEE?!

Best. Lucky Channel. Ever.

The bipolar Akira/terrified Shiraishi dynamic at its very best.

“Don’t touch me!”

Agreed, Akira’s final “NEEE?” had me in absolute stitches. The interplay between her and Shiraishi was just priceless. As the series wore on I began to miss that element of Lucky Channel.

#14. Sushi Personality Test

I love Miyuki’s observation in regard to Konata coming up as “gari” (sliced ginger) – you can’t have sushi without it. I think that’s really fitting for Konata’s role in the story – she complements all the different members of the cast well, and serves as the catalyst for many of the zany antics and random discussions that make the show great.

#15. Konata’s Hat

I love the fact that the Hiiragi sisters didn’t even notice her standing next to them with the hat on. Why didn’t we see more of this thing later in the series? It’s an awesome look for Kona-chan.

#16. Fear of Eyedrops

Miyuki’s “terrified moe mode” didn’t do much for me, but I really empathized with this scene, partly because I have exactly the same problem. It is so hard for me to let an eyedrop in my eye without reflexively closing it, I pretty much have to do the same thing Konata did – hold it open forcibly.

Not quite the same as Mikuru costume raping, but still good for some lulz.

Augh! I hate eye-drops! Yet another moment I could definitely relate to.

#17. Tsukasa + Cellphone

Tsukasa’s cellphone craze was another high point in the series. She’s so excited she just goes nuts with the thing, and then you just feel so terrible for her when she shows up at school dejected and explains that she left the phone in her pocket when it went through the wash. ;_;

And anyway, “balsamic vinegar”? LOL, who’s she texting about that? And why?

Yet another of the great unsolved mysteries of Lucky Star.

Also, Kagami looks great in that last screenshot.

#18. Anime Store Tenchou

“It’s Legendary Girl A!”

I loved these bits in the series, it was such a perfect mockery of how over the top anime cinematography can be at times. Well played.

#19. Soujirou

What can I say? He just wins at life! And he has an awesome camera! And he’s Konata’s dad!

On a different note, Soujirou’s face in this scene really reminds me of Akari from ARIA. And that’s a really scary thought.

“Honestly, I thought my daughter was in this event!”

I love Soujirou’s character; he’s the classic old otaku armed with an arsenal of lenses. I don’t think I ever laughed as hard in the whole series as I did at his, “I win at life,” remark.

#20. Hairstyle Switch

Tsukasa looks surprisingly good in twintails. So does Konata with her ponytail. I approve of this. >:3

#21. Lost at Comiket

After going to the Sanja Matsuri in Tokyo I know how crowds can eat you…again, I sympathize. Never underestimate the power of Japanese senior citizens in large groups. Do not be fooled by their tiny size, in significant numbers they will crush you.

#22. Kagami + Doujinshi

Her face says it all.

#23. Mochi Goes Whee!

BEST TSUKASA LINE EVER.

#24. Shiraishi Minoru

Although his ED antics got a bit stale after a while, the first few Shiraishi songs were absolutely hilarious.

In addition, I really admire Shiraishi and KyoAni for trying out something really radical and different for the ED. It was wacky and off-the-cuff, and it didn’t always work – but it was always unique.

I think if ever meet Shiraishi in real life I’ll already feel like I know him somewhat. His personality really comes through, and he demonstrates a laidback and fun loving attitude that’s a pleasure to watch.

In my experience living in southern California, I’ve found that by and large voice actors are much more friendly and down-to-earth than their “appearing-on-the-big-screen” film counterparts. It’s a very different scene.

Every voice actor I’ve met here has been a very genuinely nice person, and usually very in touch with their fan base. I get the same kind of vibe from the Japanese seiyuu that I’ve met as well, and Shiraishi & crew really do a good job of that, showing that they’re not above getting in front of a camera and goofing off to please their fans.

#25. Suzumiya Haruhi no Gekisou

I thought Aya’s cameo in the show was just great, especially since I had just recently seen her in concert myself.

Lots of good memories.

#26. Da Capo OP Parody

One of the best parodies of the whole show. Plus, I’m always down for seeing more Konata cosplay.

#27. Akiba

Appearing pretty much exactly as it does in real life, the Akiba visit was nostalgic and entertaining.

If you’ve been to that Gamers store, you just have to relish how accurately the show depicted it, I mean right down to the posters on the wall…awesome.

#28. Haruhi Cosplay Cafe

While I thought the later Haruhi soda commercial was over the top, this whole segment was absolutely brilliant. Plus Patty-chan as Mikuru was just great.

#29. 24 Parody

Not limited to KyoAni in house references, the show also managed a great 24 parody. Scholars continue to debate to this day as to whether there’s any hidden significance to the flags Yutaka is holding up.

#30. Tsukasa and the Case of the Mystery Tupperware

Tsukasa just had so many of the greatest laugh out loud moments.

#31. Pissed Kagamin

The whole segment with the Hiiragi family and their little fight was kind of touching. I liked how Tsukasa stood by Kagami all the way. She definitely fits Konata’s description of her as a dog.

Which leads me to…

Kon! Kon!

#32. Usagi Kagamin!

(and to a lesser degree foxy Konata)

#33. Jiiiiiiiii!

Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~!

Did she seriously do that all in one breath, or did the sound engineers splice it together? o_0

#34. What’s Yaoi?

The mother of all awkward moments.

“Yaoi is a horrible monster that eats people’s spleens for sustenance, Yutaka, and if you mention his name more than once he will come devour you, so never speak of this again.”

That’s how I would’ve handled the situation, anyway.

#35. Mosquito Killing

“You are already dead.”

“You are already bitten!”

#36. Nanja Korya?!

2nd best Tsukasa line ever.

#37. Hiyorin

Fear the fangirls. Her character was so amusing, especially with her internal struggle over using her friends as “subject matter”.

#38. Lucky Channel Pwned

Shiraishi dominates all life. 2nd best Lucky Channel ever.

#39. Kyoto Field Trip

Since many people have been to Kyoto as tourists, it’s easy to recognize the landmark locations and reminisce along with the Lucky Star cast.

#40. Kanata

Touching while still humorous. Emotional but not sappy.

Episode 22, with its more serious tone, was one of the highlights of the series.

It made me laugh and it brought a tear to my eye.

This was such an excellent episode, so sincere and yet not overbearing, just all around touching. If anything speaks to the quality of the series, it is this episode.

#41. Minami & Yutaka

So awkward and yet so hilarious. Hiyori’s constant yuri fantasizing was rather entertaining, a guilty pleasure if you will.

#42. Gotouza-sama

What more fitting place could there be for Yuko Goto than at number 42?

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Gotouza-sama is serious business.

#43. Patricia Martin

Out to convert the world to otaku-ism, it’s Patty-chan! Her voice acting work was without a doubt one of the best in the entire show, which is saying quite a lot considering the long list of heavyweights involved with this project.

Big props to Sasaki Nozomi, a relative newcomer on the seiyuu scene. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for her future projects.

I loved Patty’s character because not only was her voice quite memorable but her antics as the typical gaijin otaku were highly appreciated.

#44. Misao!

FANG POWER!!

What can I really say? The pictures speak for themselves.

If you don’t already understand the awesomeness that is Misao by now, you probably never will.

Obey the fang! Quake in its presence!

#45. That…Cat…Thing…

After 24 episodes I’m still not entirely sure what that thing is…but somehow it’s also highly awesome. One wonders what its primary method of locomotion is, though. Perhaps it just kind of rolls?

I think the cat is actually related to the amorphous cat-blob from FLCL. Perhaps its younger sister or something.

#46. Motteke! Sailor Fuku

The full dance sequence was tremendous, in typical KyoAni fashion. It will no doubt spawn a whole new wave of Youtube dances, including Gundam and Megaman parodies, I’m sure.

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I could never understand what on earth was being said, and still I relished in that song.

“Let’s get cherry pie!” I mean, c’mon, it’s cherry pie…you know you want some. I want some right now just talking about it.

#47. Everything

The whole cast was just great.

One thing I really enjoyed about Lucky Star was that, while all of the characters more or less fit into some stereotype, that wasn’t the extent of the character. The stereotype served as a hook, something to help you immediately understand and relate to the character.

Each character went beyond that stereotype, however, showing us their own personality and unique traits. Although there wasn’t very much character development over the course of the series, we definitely do come away feeling like we know the characters.

Watching the first few episodes again, after having already seen everyone go through so many different adventures, is a lot of fun and offers some interesting insights that I didn’t catch the first time around.

#48. Slice-of-Lifeness

Subtle, yet amazing, I’m sad to see it go. I really do hope they continue this series in some fashion, it’s just so enjoyable and so refreshing to watch.

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As I said at the beginning – Lucky Star is at its best when its portraying those everyday humorous moments that we can all relate to. Despite coming from a different culture and context, the show really managed to hit the mark in that regard.

It’s quite a testimony to the universality of the show’s humor when people from all different cultures can appreciate and sympathize with the trials and travails of a group of random high school girls in Japan.

Lucky Star is nothing grand or epic. It’s simply a collection of ordinary stories that somehow manages to transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries with something that everyone can appreciate. And that is epic win, indeed…if I do say so myself.

Whew! If you actually made it all the way to the end of this post, congratulations! Give yourself a cookie.

And then go watch some Lucky Star. It’s fun.

Bye-bee~!!

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It’s one last hurrah for choco cornets, Haruhi references, and everyday hilarity. The final episode of Lucky Star definitely delivers – not too sincere but not too irreverent. Just right.

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And for once, the answer to the question “is this a dancing animu?” is actually YES.

Amazing.

I think this right here is pretty much representative of the average otaku’s attitude toward Japan.

It’s also pretty representative of Patty-chan in general. :3

Man, where was all this great stuff way back at the beginning of the series?

Patty’s voice continues to be one of the most entertaining elements of the show. It’s really a shame that she wasn’t included earlier in the series.

Her discussion bribery with Konata was hilarious. Now admittedly, being able to see Aya Hirano is a tempting offer, but I don’t think I’d dance in a cheerleader outfit to obtain tickets.

…

I…don’t even have a funny comeback for that. Um, do not want?

Moving right along…

Wait, did we just enter some kind of space-time warp? Let me me see if I can get this straight…Konata, who is played by Hirano Aya, is thrilled about meeting herself in person…and that “self “is playing the role of Haruhi…who is also voiced by Hirano Aya.

Holy crap Doc…we should probably get the DeLorean up to 88 miles an hour, or something to that effect. Man. Wheels within wheels.

Anime sure is deep sometimes lol.

Kagami is no match for Konata’s crocodile tears! T_T

Muzukashii Nippongo wakaranai!

Ahaha, the classic gaijin cop-out once again! Unfortunately for Patty-chan, much like Hei she forgot that it doesn’t work if people already know you can speak the language.

Just look at the expression on Soujirou’s face! At the very mention of the word “cheerleader” he perks up like a jubilant child on Christmas morning. I would’ve loved to see him actually taking photos at the festival though, since that provided many a chuckle during the sports festival episode.

Also, notice how he had his camera instantly at the ready. Probably carries it with him everywhere he goes. :3

Misao FTW! Fang power at its best.

Well ok, maybe not quite the best, but still pretty dang good.

Konata’s costume was quite amusing. Yes I’m aware we have a KyoAni series character making reference to another KyoAni character – that’s what makes it funny.

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We all knew it was coming. KyoAni just couldn’t resist the urge to plug Haruhi that one last time.

Despite her earlier complaints about not being able to understand complicated Nippongo, Patty gives a quintessentially Japanese pep-talk – very humble, positive attitude, and with affirmation of everyone’s importance to the project.

Can’t forget that one last product placement opportunity! Next up the cast enjoys a Stuft Crust XL Supreme Pizza with a side of Spicy Asian flavored WingStreet® Wings from Pizza Hut to relax after their performance!

All right, who on God’s green earth would ever have a recording of themselves singing an anime theme song as their ring tone? Wait…on second thought, you know this probably applies to a lot of people actually…

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Hey, I thought it was kind of cool! Of course, only Shiraishi could pull off a stunt like that.

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I loved the dance sequence, not because I’m an immense fan of “dancing animu”, but simply because the animation is so crisp and the cinematography is so top notch. The same goes for the God Knows performance in Haruhi; it’s just a well-animated, innovative, and entertaining sequence.

The moment when Kagami and the rest of the gang realize that they are leaving the school forever was well played. Touching, but not overly patronizing, like I said before – just right.

I was a bit dismayed we didn’t get one last row between Shiraishi and Akira on Lucky Channel, but oh well. Overall the episode was very lighthearted and offered a good closure to what I believe was an immensely enjoyable series.

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I must admit, it was with a little sadness that I watched the ending credits for episode 24 roll, with no “Jikai no Raki Suta!” episode preview to follow them.

On the other hand, KyoAni did a great job of making sure that the series went out with a bang. I predict hundreds of new Lucky Star fan videos to hit Youtube within a week or two, now that “full official” dance routine has been revealed.

It was also great to see Akira-sama finally get some screen time in the actual show, and watching her fight with Shiraishi was a nice change of pace. If only he had learned how to grow a pair earlier in the series, the Lucky Channel segment could have been so much more fun.

All in all, it was a great end to a great series. Here’s a big “kampai!” to KyoAni. Next time I’m in Kyoto, I’ll make a pilgrimage to their headquarters one of the top items on my to-do list.

Our usual full episode coverage will be up once subs come out and Guff can get off his lazy butt and watch it in “a language he understands” or some crap like that, with a rundown of our thoughts on the entire series forthcoming shortly thereafter.

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It’s a return to the whimsical side of things in the second to last episode of Lucky Star.

As touched as I was by the previous episode, it was refreshing and quite cathartic to see the gang back to their typical everyday humorous antics.

Haha, Kagami got totally pwned by Konata’s kanji intellisense. Konata’s probably never typed a school paper or a respectable e-mail on that thing in her whole life.

Whoa, double :3 :3

I hadn’t really thought about this until recently…but somehow I have a really hard time accepting the fact that Yui-neesan is supposed to be a cop. She really doesn’t fit the stereotype at all.

They don’t understand us!

Ahh yes, and the otaku band together!

Ahh, this has happened to me on many, many occasions. Sometimes in conversations you just can’t suppress the urge to make some TV or anime reference. Suffice to say, I’ve received many a perplexed stare from people by randomly saying, “Just as planned!” or something like that in the middle of an otherwise coherent conversation.

Sore da!

On the other hand, in the right company those references can come in really handy to quickly and succinctly sum something up that would have otherwise required a lengthy explanation.

I am totally guilty of this. While I do listen to a pretty wide variety of j-pop artists, a disproportional amount of my music library is composed of anisongs. Of course, I also have a lot of stuff by artists who almost exclusively write anime music, mostly Masuda Toshio, Kajiura Yuki, and Katsutoshi Kitagawa.

Poor Miyuki! I never tried xylitol gum while in Japan; I am however, an immense fan of hi-chew candy, though I don’t believe they bestow any nutritional benefits other than being tasty. I’m also a huge fan of the various sports drinks like Pocari Sweat and Aquarius.

Hiyori’s mortified expression here was pretty hilarious. Though if I had created yuri-themed doujinshi concerning my friends, I don’t think I’d exactly be swelling up with pride. That’s a whole new kind of awkward right there.

I love that they gave Misao and Patty more airtime with this episode; it just saddens me that the series is coming to a close, because it feels like there’s so much potential with developing some of the side characters.

Patty’s comments concerning the otaku being the pride of Japan’s culture had me in stitches. I do have to wonder what “moe” smells like. After spending some time in Akihabara I imagine it smells something like a combination between plastic wrap, maid cafes, and cigarette smoke.

Wouldn’t we all, Patty, wouldn’t we all.

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Seriously. Who wouldn’t want a maid, regardless of their housekeeping abilities, or lack thereof?

I don’t even need to say anything here; the pictures speak for themselves. This segment was definitely the highlight of the episode for me.

This is so true! It’s one of the classic polite brush-offs used by Japanese people when they aren’t really interested, along with “Kangaete okimasu” (literally the polite form for “I’ll think about it.”, also happens to be the polite form for “No.”).

My preferred line in this type of situation is, “It’s written down in my day planner.” The brilliance in this deft ploy is that I don’t actually own a day planner. I’m not even precisely sure what one looks like. However, it sounds sincere enough and fools the ignorant; sometimes I even pretend to write things down but in all reality I’m just scribbling with a pensive expression on my face…oh yeah, I take my laziness seriously.

A genki Kona-chan is definitely fine too.

Haha, twintails…so hard…to resist…the temptation…

Wow, they brought in a twist on the old “kusai” joke for the end of the series! Just when I was worried that it was starting to get old. Sasuga KyoAni!

I loved the rush to protect Yukata’s innocence; it’s like a similar experience I had while making a Pulp Fiction reference in a room full of kindergarteners. Yeah, I probably need therapy…

And you can’t help but chuckle at the D< expressions on Konata and Yui-neesan’s faces. Interestingly, for some reason Patty sure looks like she’s having fun.

Oh no! Remember kids, always back up those posts before you hit the publish button! You never know when the server gremlins will capriciously decide to eat your article instead of posting it.

;_;

Poor Kuroi-sensei. They really know how to hit her where it hurts. What’s next, her hard drive catches fire at the end of episode 24?

Lucky channel was such utter win! The furious wrath of Gotouza-sama brings the show back together. Brilliant.

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Finally Gotouza-sama makes her big Lucky Star debut, and what a debut it was. As the last major Haruhi cast member who hadn’t gotten a cameo, I was beginning to wonder where they were planning to squeeze her in.

By the way, I can’t help but admire this shot. The raked angle, the lighting, and the awesome low perspective are all just great.

After smacking some sense into Shiraishi and Akira, she gloriously rides off into the sunset.

I remember how at Anime Expo Gotou talked about her love for motorcycle riding, and a number of American fans who only knew her as “Mikuru’s voice actress” laughed because they thought she was joking.

Now they know better. Yuko Goto is serious business.

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Well, the results from the secondary cast poll are in, and while it was somewhat predictable, I was surprised at what a close race it was.

As you’ll see if you check the Poll Archives page, Patricia Martin managed a narrow win over Tamura Hiyori in second and the inimitable Shiraishi Minoru in third. I expected both Patricia and Hiyori to do well, but I didn’t think Minorun-run would have so much popular support. After his episode 21 outburst, however, I suppose it’s only to be expected. For that matter, he was even getting fan mail as early as episode 8.

Also, quite fittingly, Minami and Yutaka were tied with each other at 5 votes apiece, and Kanata and Soujirou tied with 7 each. Kinda funny how that worked out.

Until next time…bye-bee~!

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That I did always love
I bring thee Proof
That till I loved
I never lived – - Enough – -

~Emily Dickinson

“There was one thing that I was always confident about…”

“That I was the man who loved Kanata more than anyone else in the entire world.”

I cried manly tears, and felt absolutely no shame about it. Episode 22 brings us a more serious moment, and in typical KyoAni fashion, it’s executed so flawlessly that you can’t help but be drawn into the emotion of the characters.

Epic Win. There are just no other words to describe it.

OK, OK, enough of the maudlin stuff; let’s talk about the funny parts!

At long last the reason behind Yui-neesan’s maniacal Initial D-like driving is revealed! It was, in fact, Initial D!

Oh, thank all that is fluffy and delicious for this comment. The U.S. has won the World Series every time it has been held. If not for the misnomer that’d be quite the impressive record.

Now, I have no pretensions of having knowledge about sports, but damn it, don’t call something “The World Series” when only Canadian and American teams are in the competition. Sheesh…

The source of the mysterious stench is one of the great unsolved mysteries of anime, right up there with the contents of Soujirou’s D:/ drive and Akiko’s jam.

A reference to Quiz Magic Academy, a popular Japanese arcade game by Konami. It’s kind of like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, except instead of competing for money, you’re competing against all the other players in Japan for rankings.

My Japanese reading ability is embarrassingly slow, so the few times I was brave enough to give the game a try, I failed pretty quickly.

Yukata singing to herself made me feel a bit less sheepish about doing this myself…unfortunately it doesn’t make others feel less apt to mock me.

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It’s always fun to watch people listening to music on their mp3 player. It’s partly because they tend to do entertaining things in response to the music, which of course nobody else can hear, but also just because they tend to be oblivious to the world around them.

Some people really can’t converse without some kind of hand gestures (0rion: Jewish!). I myself have a bad habit of not making eye contact or doing something else while talking to people, whether I’m on the phone or not. And yeah, sometimes I do kind of look for something to busy myself while on the phone, otherwise you just feel…awkward.

Gesturing while on the phone is something almost everyone does unconsciously, since it’s just a natural part of human communication.

Almost every foreigner who’s lived in Japan for a while, however, distinctly recalls the first time they caught themselves bowing on the phone. You do it so much throughout daily life in Japan that it eventually just becomes automatic.

It’s actually really funny to watch people do this, especially if they’re talking to their boss or client, as they repeatedly bob up and down like one of those drinking bird toys.

After a while, you might also catch yourself bowing back to the TV when the newscasters bow at the beginning and end of the broadcast. Even now that I’m back in the U.S., I still find myself bowing on occasion, usually either when apologizing or to store clerks after buying something.

Also, I found Kagami’s phone conversation highly interesting. It sounded quite business-like, like she was talking to one of her father’s business associates or something. Perhaps she’s secretly the brains behind the family business? I certainly wouldn’t be surprised.

This happens to me all the freaking time! I constantly call people with requests about things that are quite pertinent but have forgetten about it once I finally reach them. Though nothing quite compares to forgetting who you dialed in mid-call. Sadly, I’ve done this quite often; the quintessence of humility is asking the person you just called who they are.

Haha, it totally does look like a Pocky stick. Good or bad thing that I went and tried this after watching the episode?

A crane kung-fu Konata is fine too.

I was secretly hoping that the bag would suddenly explode, showering them both with potato chips.

Or shrimp chips, or whatever they are.

Pickle jars have betrayed me in this fashion for years…I still look upon them with considerable resentment. It is virtually impossible to straighten the lid once you open them, and they sit inside the jar, jeering at your ineptitude.

Wha-? They? Wait, are you talking about the pickles??

…are you sure you’ve been getting enough sleep?

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Yeah, I pretty much fail at life.

But it’s ok, because evidently, so does Konata’s dad! I chuckled quite merrily at this point in the episode. I love how honest her Dad is; he’s easily my favorite side character.

Guerrand’s choice of translation is somewhat questionable, but given the target audience of this show, I imagine it’s also somewhat fitting. :3

OK, I really have to wonder…after seeing Soujirou with this kind of gear earlier in the show, I find it hard to believe he would use a cheap little point-n-shoot camera for taking family photos.

I fully expected him to have his beefy SLR up on a tripod with a nice portrait lens and a remote shutter release hidden in his hand to take the pictures. And at the very least choose a better background to frame the photos, good gracious!

The scene between Konata and her father was really touching. At first I was almost shocked to see the show take such a sincere turn, but in all honesty I thought it was great. It really makes you feel for Soujirou and the fact that his wife is gone. And although it’s a common thematic element, I must concur that it’s true – your quirks and oddities really are inconsequential compared to how much you care for someone.

Loved this whole flashback sequence. Absolutely brilliant.

By the way, the backdrop in this shot is from another one of the most photographed spots in Japan. It’s the famous Kotoji-tōrō stone lantern at Kenroku-en, the largest and best traditional garden in all of Japan.

Here’s the real thing.

It’s an amazing place, and I highly recommend visiting it if you ever get the chance.

I really like Konata’s expression in this picture. Despite their earlier squabbling, and Konata’s reluctace to pose in the photo, in this shot you can really see that she actually loves her dad very much.

And not to keep things too sorrowful – Lucky Star ends, fittingly, on a light note. Personally, I’d keep the picture; it would make for an interesting portrait.

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Yet another winner of an episode, one that gives you a few laughs, but also makes you stop and think. It’s a rare show that can do both of those at the same time so convincingly, and a testament to KyoAni’s versatility.

Hopefully the remaining two episodes of Lucky Star will continue this trend and bring the series to a strong close.

Kanata Izumi, In Loving Memory

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OK, new poll is up. This time I’m curious who your favorite characters from Lucky Star are. Don’t forget you can vote for two!

Polls about the main four have already been covered quite a bit, but now that the other girls have gotten some actual airtime, I thought it would be interesting to see which of the rest of the cast is popular.

In regard to the previous poll, it seems pretty clear that CLANNAD and Shakugan no Shana are the big favorites. I know I didn’t include that many of the shows starting up this season; I hadn’t checked Moonphase to see what all was airing yet, so the list was made mostly just from memory. If you chose the “Other” option, I’m curious to know which show you would’ve voted for if the option had been available.

Pretty soon Guff and I will be going over what looks interesting in the fall and what we’re planning to watch/blog, so keep an eye out for that.

Edit: A bit late, but I added Kanata to the poll, now that she’s actually appeared in the show as more than just a photograph.

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Shiraishi Minoru just gained like 100 GAR points for his jaw-dropping performance in this episode’s Lucky Channel.

And it’s not just Shiraishi that’s back in top form. Lucky Star 21 more than makes up for all the slow episodes recently with humor that nearly had me literally rolling on the floor laughing.

Furthermore, we get some great field trips and summertime glee this week on Lucky Star. If you’ve ever been to Kyoto then you’ll surely appreciate this episode.

The gang visits Kiyomizu-dera and Kinkaku-ji this time around. When I last visited Japan, both those places were utterly swarmed with school kids. In fact, in early summer before the school summer break starts, at most of the historical sites all you can see is a vast sea of yellow hat wearing grade schoolers, followed by the inevitable flash photography and jubilant peace signs of junior high and high school students.

I still cannot decide whether this was incredibly funny or really disturbing.

Given his interests, one wonders just what manner of embarrassing material he’s got on that computer. Then again…probably better off not asking…

A psychologically traumatized Tsukasa is fine too.

Mr. Izumi: “I still win at life.”

Yet another inexplicably neglected hottie. Why the heck is her husband never around?

“lolwut?”

Ugh, how many times has this happened to me? Like Tsukasa I’ve tried to just go to bed and arise early…that is just wanton foolishness. Why would you ever leave the land of slumber to do something tedious and bothersome like homework? The seduction of REM is too immense!

I’ll also completely forget that I actively responded to someone’s question while I was supposedly “awake.” But then, many people have this problem. I have a friend who once threw his alarm clock violently against the wall and then went back to sleep, only to wake up later and wonder why it was in a million pieces all over the floor.

Sleep gets what sleep wants.

Hey, I have a great idea for a blog post!

Err…what was it again? Oh well, I’ll just get one of my flunkies to write something for me instead.

Man, I do this all the time! I cannot count the number of times I’ve had some great idea for a program I’m working on, or more recently, for something on the blog, and by the time I get somewhere where I can write it down it’s gone. The worst is when you’re driving and you think of something, but you just know you’re going to forget by the time you get to wherever you’re going.

Ugh! This happens to me constantly, too. I do it with things that are arguably more important such as assignment due dates, rent notices, phone numbers, medical allergies, etc. But those don’t frustrate me nearly as much as when I think of something hilarious and then forget to write it down.

Why it’s Kyoto Station! One of the coolest buildings in Kyoto, and considering the thousands of famous temples and shrines in Kyoto that’s really saying something. The architecture in this city is just amazing, and the station is no exception. Gargantuan staircases, massive skylights, even a garden at the top floor. It’s really an interesting place. They have some good restaurants on the upper floors as well.

deer liek loli

Oh man, this is exactly what I talking about when I wrote about how aggressive the deer at Miyajima were!

I’ve never hung around the petting zoo park at Nara, but I hear that the deer there are much the same.

Never leave home without it.

DS Lite…Konata wins so much.

OK, I admit it. I laughed at these terrible jokes. Especially the “zannen-zaka” one.

But then, I’m a sucker for oyaji gyagu (literally, “old man jokes”, mainly consisting of awful puns). When you study another language, you’re aware of the silimarities between different words and phrases even more so than native speakers, since you’re trying to remember everything and keep track of which word means what. I like learning puns like this because it helps mentally clarify similar sound but different meaning words.

Puns are also handy because they’re easy jokes to remember, yet as a gaijin you can get tremedous mileage out of them. If a Japanese person told a joke like that, the reaction would much like the screenshot above. If a gaijin tells the same joke, however, people crack up because they don’t expect that kind of thing from a non-native speaker.

One of my favorites, because I often get asked the classic “Hey can you eat nattou?” question, is to respond, “Nattou no aji wa chotto…nattoku shinai ne.” (I can’t deal with the flavor of nattou.)

There’s almost always a moment of stunned silence, and then usually everyone gets a good laugh out of it. It’s a nice way to break the ice in an awkward situation.

As expected of KyoAni, their representation of Kiyomizu looks pretty much exactly as it does in real life. Of course, since this is their home turf it would be more surprising if it wasn’t accurate.

One of the most incredible things about Kiyomizu-dera is the fact that throughout the whole structure there isn’t a single nail! Everything is pieced together through an intricate interlacing tapestry of wood. Quite impressive.

“Sasuga ni kore wa wakannai na.”

So can Konata actually tell the omikuji apart or did she just get lucky?

Also, how come we never get to see Tsukasa’s love fortune? What does this mean? OH SHI-!

“Kagami! Wasuremono! Wasuremono!”

Oh man, yet another subject I just blogged about. I was in Kyoto a couple months ago and didn’t see any Lucky Star stuff on the ema, but then, I wouldn’t put it past the otaku who don’t want to make a pilgrimmage all the way to Washinomiya to to try something like that.

What’s this? Somebody left Kagami a note?

OH SHI-!!!

And millions of otaku across the world hold their collective breaths and hope that it’s not what it looks like.

LOL @ Tsukasa actually saying “Kasha!” out loud, as well as her 0_0 expression.

I’ve heard that scholars still debate over whether Yoshimasa just ran out of money, or whether he just never intended to coat it with silver to begin with.

Sadly, I asked myself the exact same thing the first time I visited Kyoto.

I certainly wouldn’t mind checking out the Temple of the Ruby Pavilion, if there was one.

Yet another Washinomiya reference.

And the moment of truth! Millions of otaku across the world clutch their dakimakura to their chests and cross their fingers!

Never mind, false alarm…

Millions of otaku across the world take a huge collective sigh of relief, the force of which will probably spawn another huge hurricane off the Gulf of Mexico, and then try to decide whether they want to celebrate or hunt down that guy and punch him in the nose.

A pissed Kagamin is fine too.

This caption sponsored by Kurogane.

Forget the Haruhi adverts! KyoAni decides to cut out the middleman and just pimp themselves directly.

Once again I have to ask…why the hell is she still single?

Server maintenance? OH SHI-!

NOO! I hate when this happens too! I haven’t played any MMOs in a couple years, but back when I was into FFXI there was nothing more aggravating than updates and server downtime.

;_;

Poor Kuroi-sensei…that extra sniffle just got me, you really do feel awful for her.

All right, and now for the part you’ve all been waiting for…

BAN-KAI!!

Forget show biz, Shiraishi should become the new CEO of Microsoft. He’d fit right in.

See? He’s even got Ballmer’s monkey dance down.

Holy Moses on a flaming stick, this week’s Lucky Channel had me in absolute stitches. Just when I was getting bored with endless Shiraishi mock show tunes, he returns from his journey in the wilderness and completely dominates everyone and everything. Even Akira-sama is terrified!

Oh yes, Lucky Channel is definitely back.

The Shiraishi EDs have been getting pretty tired lately. Fortunately, this one was salvaged pretty well by the bluescreen footage, and of course by Kaorin.

Best moment – Kaori hammering him right him the teeth.

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