Lucky Star - Lucky Star - Detailed reviews and recommendations Overview "Lucky Star" is a TV anime series based on a four-panel manga by Kagami Yoshimizu that aired from April 9 to September 17, 2007. Created by Kyoto Animation and co-produced by Kadokawa Shoten, Kyoto Animation, Kadokawa Entertainment, and Klockworx, the series depicts everyday, mundane events in a humorous way and has been well-received by many viewers. Comprised of 24 episodes, each 30 minutes long, the anime is a must-see, especially for viewers who are familiar with otaku culture. ■ Story "Lucky Star" depicts the everyday lives of ordinary girls who could be found in any high school. The series centers around the main character, Konata Izumi, and depicts the casual conversations and happenings between her and her friends with a touch of humor. Konata's love of otaku culture, such as anime, games, and manga, is sure to evoke sympathy from viewers as she depicts their daily lives and provides laughter. Kyoto Animation's official website describes the series as "depicting the relaxed, easy-going daily lives of girls," and this is one of the show's charms. ■Explanation "Lucky Star" is based on a four-panel manga that depicts the easy-going daily life of high school girls, centering on the geeky girl "Izumi Konata" and the ordinary girl "Hiiragi Kagami" who always points out her jokes. The anime adaptation has kept the atmosphere of the original intact, while taking advantage of the expressive power that only anime can provide. In particular, Konata's geeky way of thinking and Kagami's retorts have resonated with viewers, and the series has been praised for its honest depiction of relatable events that make viewers think, "Oh, that happens all the time, doesn't it?" ■Cast The cast of "Lucky Star" is as follows: - Konata Izumi/Aya Hirano
- Kagami Hiiragi/Emiri Kato
- Tsukasa Hiiragi/Kaori Fukuhara
- Miyuki Takara/Aya Endo
- Akira Kogami/Hiromi Konno
- Minoru Shiraishi / Minoru Shiraishi
- Yutaka Kobayakawa/Shizuka Hasegawa
- Minami Iwasaki/Miri Chihara
- Patricia Martin/Nozomi Sasaki
- Hiyori Tamura/Kaori Shimizu
- Nanako Kuroi/Konomi Maeda
- Yui Narumi/Saori Nishihara
- Sojiro Izumi/Hirokazu Hiramatsu
- Miki Hiiragi/Kikuko Inoue
- Tadao Hiiragi/Toru Furusawa
- Yukari Takara/Mami Kosuge
- Misao Kusakabe/Kaoru Mizuhara
- Aya Minegishi/Mai Aizawa
- Voice of the drums / Nana Furuhara
- Father / Kenichi Ogata
- Anisawa Meito/Seki Tomokazu
- Ramika Hoshii/Miki Nagasawa
- Clerk Sugita / Tomokazu Sugita
- President Takahashi/Jurota Kosugi
- Minori Chihara / Minori Chihara
- Clerk 1/Jouji Nakata
- Clerk 2/Kumiko Watanabe
- Clerk 3/Etsuko Kozakura
- Hirano Aya / Hirano Aya
- Cosplay Cafe Customer / Tomokazu Sugita
- Nagato store clerk/Miri Chihara
- Ichiko/Kari Shimizu
- Haruhi Suzumiya/Aya Hirano
- Daisuke Ono/Daisuke Ono
- Gottusa-sama/Yuko Goto
■ Main staff The main staff of "Lucky Star" are as follows: - Original story, composition cooperation, character design by Kagami Yoshimizu
- Planning: Shinichiro Inoue
- Director: Hiroshi Yamamoto (episodes 1-4), Yasuhiro Takemoto (episodes 5-24)
- Series Composition: Doko Machida
- Character design and chief animation director: Yukiko Horiguchi
- Art Director: Seiki Tamura
- Director of photography: Kazuya Takao
- Setting: Hiroyuki Takahashi
- Color setting: Ayumi Shimoura
- Edited by Kengo Shigemura
- Sound Director: Yota Tsuruoka
- Music: Monaca
- Music producer: Shigeru Saito
- Music Production: Lantis
- Sound effects: Eiko Morikawa (Chura Sound)
- Planning Producers: Atsushi Ito, Hideaki Hatta
- Associate producers: Tomoko Suzuki, Tsuneo Takechi, Yoshimi Nakajima (Big Shot), Tsuyoshi Muroichi (Big Shot)
- Animation producer: Nagaharu Ohashi
- Executive producers: Takeshi Yasuda, Yoko Hatta, Masao Kawano, Nobuhiko Sako
- Animation Production: Kyoto Animation
- Produced by: Lucky Paradise (Kadokawa Shoten, Kyoto Animation, Kadokawa Entertainment, Clockworks)
■ Main Characters The main characters of "Lucky Star" are as follows: - Konata Izumi: A girl who loves manga, anime, and games. Because of this, her thinking patterns are influenced by the works she likes. She has high athletic ability, but is an indoor type who doesn't use her abilities to their full potential.
- Kagami Hiiragi: Tsukasa's twin sister and Konata's best friend. She thinks normally, so she often points fingers at Konata. She may be the most sensible person. Once you get to know her, she becomes a very affectionate tsundere type.
- Tsukasa Hiiragi: Kagami's twin sister and Konata's best friend. She has a generous heart and is able to ignore Konata's jokes. Maybe she's just going with the flow. A typical kind-hearted, soothing character.
- Takara Miyuki: Konata's classmate. An honor student, but an airheaded girl. She became close with Kagami through their connection as class representatives, and the two of them became good friends. A perfect superhuman and a walking moe element.
- Akira Kogami: Navigator of "Lucky Channel." An idol appearing on TV and radio, she is a strict and well-mannered veteran talent with 11 years of experience in the entertainment industry, despite being only 14 years old.
- Minoru Shiraishi: He is Akira Kogami's assistant on "Lucky Channel". He works hard for Akira, but is a pitiful character who doesn't seem to understand that.
- Yutaka Kobayakawa: Konata's cousin, she has had a weak constitution since she was a child. She enrolled in Ryozakura High School and is currently living with Konata. She is loved for her honest personality and expressive face, and is a bit of a forgetful person.
- Minami Iwasaki: Yutaka's classmate, a quiet, caring honor student. Because she is silent, people mistake her for a scary person. She is good at sports and studying, but she has a complex about her small chest.
- Patricia Martin: A nerdy exchange student from the United States. Her nickname is Patty. She is a classmate of Yutaka and Minami, and is very fluent in Japanese. She is especially knowledgeable about nerd terminology.
- Tamura Hiyori: A classmate of Yutaka and Minami, she is an otaku just like Konata. Her hobby is writing doujinshi, and she draws pictures of Yutaka and Minami as models.
- Nanako Kuroi: The homeroom teacher of Konata's class. A teacher who is like a friend to any school. She has a carefree and rather careless personality. She and Konata are friends because they borrow and lend each other games. Her subject is world history.
- Yui Narumi: Konata's cousin and Yutaka's older sister. A policewoman who belongs to the Traffic Safety Division. Her specialty is jumping to conclusions and her catchphrase is "I'm shocked." She's a newlywed who just got married recently.
- Izumi Soujirou: Konata's father.
- Miki Hiiragi: Mother of four sisters, Kagami and Tsukasa.
- Tadao Hiiragi: Father of four sisters, Kagami and Tsukasa.
- Takara Yukari: Miyuki's mother.
■Subtitle The subtitles for each episode of "Lucky Star" are as follows: - Episode 1: The Stubborn Woman (2007/04/08)
- Episode 2: Effort and Results (2007/04/15)
- Episode 3: Various People (2007/04/22)
- Episode 4: Motivation Issues (2007/04/29)
- Episode 5/Master Archer (2007/05/06)
- Episode 6: Summer Classics (2007/05/13)
- Episode 7/Image (2007/05/20)
- Episode 8: It's not me who's going strong (2007/05/27)
- Episode 9: That Feeling (2007/06/03)
- Episode 10: Wish (2007/06/10)
- Episode 11: Various ways to spend Christmas Eve (2007/06/17)
- Episode 12: Let's go to the festival (2007/06/24)
- Episode 13: Delicious Day (2007/07/01)
- Episode 14: Under the Same Roof (2007/07/08)
- Episode 15: You Can't Change Suddenly (2007/07/15)
- Episode 16: Ring (2007/07/22)
- Episode 17: Under the Sun (2007/07/29)
- Episode 18 / Ten people and colors (2007/08/05)
- Episode 19: The essence is in the secondary world (2007/08/12)
- Episode 20: How to spend the summer (2007/08/19)
- Episode 21: Pandora's Box (2007/08/26)
- Episode 22: Here and There (2007/09/02)
- Episode 23: Fine Line (2007/09/09)
- Episode 24 / TBA (2007/09/16)
■ Related works "Lucky Star" has the following related works: - Lucky Star OVA (original visuals and animation)
- Lucky☆Channel
■ Theme songs and music The theme songs and music for "Lucky Star" are as follows: - OP1
- Period: 1-24
- Take it! Sailor uniform
- Lyricist: Aki Hata
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Arrangement: Akira Kamisaki
- Sung by: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano), Kagami Hiiragi (Emiri Kato), Tsukasa Hiiragi (Kaori Fukuhara), Miyuki Takara (Aya Endo)
- ED1
- Period/1
- Space Ironmen Kyodyne
- Lyricist: Shotaro Ishinomori
- Composer: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Vocals: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano)
- ED2
- Period/2
- Victory! Akumaizer 3
- Lyricist: Shotaro Ishinomori
- Composer: Chumei Watanabe
- Arrangement: Chumei Watanabe
- Vocals: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano)
- ED3
- Period/3
- That must be love
- Lyrics by Shimokawa Mikuni
- Composition: SIN
- Arrangement: SIN
- Vocals: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano)
- ED4
- Period/4
- Sailor suit and machine gun
- Lyrics by Etsuko Kisugi
- Composer: Takao Kisugi
- Arrangement: Hoshi Masaru
- Sung by Kagami Hiiragi (Emiri Kato)
- ED5
- Period/5
- CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA
- Lyricist: Yukinojo Mori
- Composer: Chiho Kiyooka
- Arrangement: Kenji Yamamoto
- Vocals: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano)
- ED6
- Period/6
- Valentine Kiss
- Lyricist: Yasushi Akimoto
- Composer: Hiroaki Sei
- Arrangement: Jun Sato
- Sung by: Hiiragi Tsukasa (Fukuhara Kaori)
- ED7
- Period/7
- Star on Earth
- Lyrics by Nakajima Miyuki
- Composed by Nakajima Miyuki
- Arrangement: Kazuzo Seo
- Sung by Miyuki Takara (Aya Endo)
- ED8
- Period/8
- MONKEY MAGIC
- Lyrics by Yoko Narahashi
- Composer: Yukihide Takekawa
- Arrangement: Mickie Yoshino
- Vocals: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano)
- ED9
- Period/9
- Embracing the Wind
- Lyricist: Toshihiko Takamizawa
- Composer: Toshihiko Takamizawa
- Arrangement: Akira Inoue
- Vocals: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano)
- ED10
- Period/10
- I'm proud
- Lyricist: Tetsuya Komuro
- Composer: Tetsuya Komuro
- Arrangement: Tetsuya Komuro
- Sung by Kagami Hiiragi (Emiri Kato)
- ED11
- Period/11
- Doraemon's Song
- Lyricist: Takumi Kusube
- Additional lyrics by Baba Susumu
- Composer: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Arrangement: Shunsuke Kikuchi
- Sung by: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano), Kagami Hiiragi (Emiri Kato), Tsukasa Hiiragi (Kaori Fukuhara), Miyuki Takara (Aya Endo)
- ED12
- Period/12
- Go! Godman
- Lyricist: Kounosuke Fuji
- Composer: Takeo Yamashita
- Arrangement: Masakazu Hirose
- Vocals: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano)
- ED13
- Period/13
- My Lost Things
- Lyricist: Minoru Shiraishi
- Composer: Minoru Shiraishi
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- ED14
- Period/14
- Hare hare yukai
- Lyricist: Aki Hata
- Composer: Tomokazu Tashiro
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- ED15
- Period/15
- The Legend of Minoru
- Lyricist: Minoru Shiraishi
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- ED16
- Period/16
- Misato Misato
- Lyricist: Aki Hata
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Arrangement: Akira Kamisaki
- Sung by Akira Kogami (Hiromi Konno)
- ED17
- Period/17
- Take it! Sailor uniform (Ambiguous Sunshine ver.)
- Lyricist: Minoru Shiraishi
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- ED18
- Period/18
- Kaorin's Theme
- Lyricist: Minoru Shiraishi
- Composer: Minoru Shiraishi
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- ED19
- Period/19
- A man's life
- Lyricist: Minoru Shiraishi
- Composer: Minoru Shiraishi
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- ED20
- Period/20
- Groom's Roomba
- Lyricist: Minoru Shiraishi
- Composer: Minoru Shiraishi
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- ED21
- Period/21
- Shikaider's Song
- Lyricist: Minoru Shiraishi
- Composer: Minoru Shiraishi
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- ED22
- Period/22
- Shiraishi Medley
- Lyricist: Minoru Shiraishi
- Composer: Minoru Shiraishi
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- ED23
- Period/23
- Mikuru transforms and fights!
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- ED24
- Period: 24
- Love is a boomerang
- Lyricist: Tokuko Miura
- Composer: Ryo Matsuda
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
- IN1
- Period: 2, 4, 16
- Hare hare yukai
- Lyricist: Aki Hata
- Composer: Tomokazu Tashiro
- Arrangement: Tomokazu Tashiro
- Sung by: Haruhi Suzumiya (Hirano Aya), Yuki Nagato (Chihara Minori), Mikuru Asahina (Goto Yuko)
- IN2
- Period/6
- Gravity
- Lyricist: Akira Kamisaki
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Song: moev
- IN3
- Period/7
- Lip Daydream
- Lyricist: Aki Hata
- Composer: Hiroyuki Maezawa
- Arrangement: Hiroyuki Maezawa
- Vocals: Aki Misato
- IN4
- Period/10
- Two Moji Pittan
- Lyricist: Hiroyuki Goto
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Sung by Nana Furuhara
- IN5
- Period/15
- God knows...
- Lyricist: Aki Hata
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Arrangement: Akira Kamisaki
- Sung by Haruhi Suzumiya (Hirano Aya)
- IN6
- Period/15
- Sakura Saku Mirai Koi Yume
- Lyrics by tororo
- Composer: tororo
- Arrangement: Angel Note
- Sung by: yozuca*
- IN7
- Period/15
- A myth reborn
- Composer: KATE
- IN8
- Period/15
- Lorelei
- Composer: Philipp Friedrich Silcher
- IN9
- Period/16
- The Legend of Mikuru Love
- Lyricist: Hiroshi Yamamoto
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Arrangement: Akira Kamisaki
- Sung by: Asahina Mikuru (Goto Yuko)
- IN10
- Period/22
- Two Moji Pittan
- Lyricist: Hiroyuki Goto
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Sung by Yutaka Kobayakawa (Shizuka Hasegawa)
- IN11
- Period/23
- United Force
- Lyricist: Minami Kuribayashi
- Composer: Minami Kuribayashi
- Arrangement: Masaaki Iizuka
- Vocals: Minami Kuribayashi
- IN12
- Period: 24
- Take it! Sailor uniform
- Lyricist: Aki Hata
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Arrangement: Akira Kamisaki
- Sung by: Konata Izumi (Aya Hirano), Kagami Hiiragi (Emiri Kato), Tsukasa Hiiragi (Kaori Fukuhara), Miyuki Takara (Aya Endo)
- IN13
- Period: 24
- Misato Misato
- Lyricist: Aki Hata
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Arrangement: Akira Kamisaki
- Sung by Akira Kogami (Hiromi Konno)
- IN14
- Period: 24
- The Legend of Minoru
- Lyricist: Minoru Shiraishi
- Composer: Satoru Kamisaki
- Vocals: Minoru Shiraishi
■Detailed evaluation "Lucky Star" is a monumental work in slice-of-life anime. It faithfully reproduces the original four-panel comic strip while taking advantage of the expressive power of anime. In particular, the otaku-like thoughts of the main character, Konata Izumi, and her humorous interactions with her friends resonate with viewers and provide laughs. The anime was produced by Kyoto Animation and has been praised for its high quality. Top-notch technology is used in all aspects, including character design, background art, and color settings. The soundtrack also stands out thanks to the careful work of sound director Yota Tsuruoka, enhancing the viewer's immersive experience. The music, which includes original songs by Satoru Kanzaki and covers of classic songs, adds to the atmosphere of the work. The story doesn't have any big plot developments, but that's also the charm of this work. By depicting the everyday happenings of everyday life in a humorous way, viewers can look back on their own lives and feel empathy. In addition, each character's personality is well-drawn, so viewers can enjoy watching them grow and change. The cast is also very impressive, with Hirano Aya's performance as Izumi Konata receiving rave reviews. Her talent as a voice actress is fully displayed, and she plays the character of Konata perfectly. The other cast members, including Kato Emiri as Hiiragi Kagami, Fukuhara Kaori as Hiiragi Tsukasa, and Endo Aya as Takara Miyuki, also give charming performances to their respective characters. "Lucky Star" is a must-see for viewers who love otaku culture. Love for otaku culture such as anime, games, and manga is scattered throughout the show, allowing viewers to empathize and laugh. It is also an excellent slice-of-life anime, and its humorous portrayal of everyday events provides viewers with healing and laughter. ■Recommendation "Lucky Star" is a series that I would especially recommend to anyone interested in slice-of-life anime and otaku culture. The humorous story, unique characters, and high-quality production by Kyoto Animation combine to provide viewers with laughter and healing. Music fans will also enjoy the covers of classic songs and original songs. Furthermore, "Lucky Star" has related works such as OVAs and "Lucky Channel", allowing viewers to enjoy this world even more. In particular, "Lucky Channel" is a comedy variety show starring Akira Kogami and Minoru Shiraishi, providing viewers with new ways to laugh. This work offers viewers empathy and laughter by depicting everyday, ordinary events in a humorous way. Love for otaku culture is scattered throughout the work, allowing viewers to empathize and laugh. Another attraction is Kyoto Animation's high-quality production and luxurious cast. "Lucky Star" is a work that I would especially recommend to those who are interested in slice-of-life anime and otaku culture. |
