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I Figured Out Why The Lucky Star Anime Isn’t Funny…

lucky-star-1.jpg

It’s because the source material isn’t funny. I just read a translation of the few pages of the Lucky Star manga. The 4-koma did not inspire a laugh, chuckle, or even a grin from me.

It’s like the episode of Seinfeld (yeah, I know I already compared Lucky Star to Seinfeld) where Elaine goes to the New Yorker and tries to get them to explain their comics. She eventually finds out that the comics are in fact, not funny. The guy just likes the kitty. The same goes for Lucky Star, except that instead of a kitty, it’s that girl that sorta looks like Pleinair

This makes me especially sad, since those yuri-repurposed 4-koma that we saw in anticipation of the actual Lucky Star anime were comedy gold.

42 replies on “I Figured Out Why The Lucky Star Anime Isn’t Funny…”

LOL, the 4-komas are funnier if you’re a real otaku. It’s really a problem of wavelength, what constitutes as “funny” for the Japanese isn’t so for the English-speaking ones.

Frankly speaking, the 4-koma material are funny if you know the context, but not exactly that laugh out loud except for some like Kona-chan’s observations of Miyuki as a doji-chara.

Agreed, I just love Lucky☆Star.
The ‘jokes’ are ‘comedy gold’ to me, funny, relate-able, everyday good times, with some funfacts here and there.
I rate it a 9/10,
and to let you know ‘I dont do 10’s, so 9’s the top mark!

I think I could go as far as to say that the 4-koma could be amusing, but funny? That’s another thing entirely.

An amused semi-chuckle might arise from me. That is all.

I really do think this proves the old adage that humor is the most difficult thing to translate cross-culturally. Though that’s not completely true, or else Azumanga Daioh wouldn’t have been so hilarious to me either…that one is probably just as culturally steeped as Lucky Star.

Maybe it’s slapstick humor that helps make the difference? There’s a reason why American action movies and physical comedy tend to do well overseas.

I was wondering about it. Almost nobody found this funny, but it is popular enough to get its own CD drama, videogame and anime series by a famous studio. Is it that the humor is very japanese? Or very otaku? Judging by the overall reaction, i think it’s the second.

On the other hand, after two episodes, it doesn’t seem THAT bad. It’s just that the first reviews were really full of hate. Poor ability to be objective, I guess. And then, there are the haruhi haters…

There are certainly a lot more hit-and-miss comics in Lucky Star than in Azumanga, but the latter had some as well.

I want to see Konata calling her father a lolicon, though.

even though the jokes are so boring … it still appeals to quite a population out there. They must have inserted some subliminal priming messages inside or something.

As for me, I’d rather go watch something else than waste 10min watching girls discuss about food.

Pssh, everybody knows the food segment was 8 minutes. Or at least I remember pretty well, since I was really hungry when I was first watching the RAW.

I’m really in favor of the show but I’m hoping they start getting later into the manga. I figured they were going to introduce one of the other characters by Episode 2 but it didn’t happen. They still have 22 episodes to go anyway. But 4Koma series will always be like this no matter what you do. Some people will say they’re horrible and others will click with it in an instant.

gah! Lucky Star IS funny!

Maybe it is just my weird sense of humour talking (that doesn’t actually like most comedy), or maybe it is just my Britishness which transfers better to Japanese comedy (that’s not what I think, it’s just a wondering – our nation’s senes of humour is a bit different after all), but I did think Lucky Star was great fun. And food is a very important issue.

Ok so maybe some of the comics are a bit hit and miss. I’d say most comedy for me is more miss than hit anyway, and from what I’ve seen of Lucky Star, I can’t think of any scenes that have misssed my giggle buttons so far. Maybe it’s just that they picked the good bits for the first ep, or maybe it really is all in the delivery (which is cute – you’ve got to admit that!).

Anyways I really liked Lucky Star – and you know it might also be that scanlations aren’t the best medium for telling jokes given that it also tries to explain them (if you have to read golden time=prime time you really are losing all the delivery of the joke)

Sorry this now seems like a pretty long rant. You are allowed to not find it funny, but people who do find it funny are definitely justified in their views as much as anyone else >_

I don’t find Lucky Star funny, I smirk occasionally but thats about it. However I do like the show, for me it’s more of a slightly wacky slice of life drama. Konata is also really growing on me. It’s not gold or anything, but there’s enough to keep me watching for now.

Do not agree.
I found Lucky Star, well for the moment it’s less funny than Azumanga but just after 3 episodes, we can’t tell a lot.

I think Lucky Star is both funny and cute. Too cute. Sure it is a little hit and miss, I have to agree with some of you, but all together it’s funny and slightly cunning in a way. I guess, like some of you said, you have to know the context and be as close to otaku as you can get to have it be funny.

And frankly, how can dry British humor(I’m American) ever match up to the hilarity of an anime. Maybe it’s just becasue I’m used to both British and American humor and, more then that, Anime/Japanese humor.

Everyone’s entitled to their opinion and I’ve made most of mine.

On a last note: Tsukasa DOES look like Pleinair!

I don’t know what you people are talking about. Lucky Star is amusing and adorable. I can understand why people wouldn’t understand it completely because of the Japanse-Otaku Humour, but it doesn’t make sense if you just bash it senselessly without waiting for more. I’ve watched episode 1-7, and I have to say its amusing.
But, I also think the only purpose for Lucky Star is so that Haruhi fans have something to watch while waiting for the next season.

I watch this anime because it teaches me about otaku “culture.” And no, it isn’t funny. That’s just a fact. If you laugh at this, you deserve to be burned by cigarette butts. However, watching the **** you otaku scum laugh at is the only way I can learn about your “culture.”

I personally really enjoy Lucky Star. I must admit the first episode threw me off; I thought it might be a little too weird and dry after watching the OP and the food discussion scene, but it has really grown on me. Especially Kona-chan! She’s definitely joined the ranks of my all-time favorite characters. And there’s Akira-sama, whom I also adore.

I mean, I love Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, but never really got attached to any of the characters.

The element of Lucky Star for me that really clicked were the things I could relate to – I guess that means I’m an otaku, heh.

I was literally LMAO in episode 5 when Kona-chan was playing/talking about MMO, and like what Akira said at the end, only half the audience would probably get it(seriously, how many people could relate to having party members fall asleep or something as simple as Kona-chan saying “I’ll pull one.”?). The MMO they’re parodying is most likely Final Fantasy XI, which I currently play so there was definitely a warm and fuzzy sensation as I was watching. I was even laughing when I read on wiki that Kona-chan plays a male character and is married in-game to a guy playing a female character(like me, haha).

In a way, I’m glad and not surprised that everyone isn’t eating Lucky Star up, as it really appeals for a narrow audience. With that said, I’d probably get along with members of that narrow audience very well.

This ended up a little longer than I expected, but I wanted to say that there certainly ARE people who adore this series. It’s definitely become one of my all-time favorites. Now excuse me while I make a mule named konakona and shout Timotei~ in Jeuno. In case anyone ever wonders, I play on Fairy and handle is Mamlml.

And to the poster above me(オタク・ごろし), you need a life more than I do if you spend time watching something you don’t like.

I always do enjoy the hypocrisy of depressing losers who claim they detest a certain thing and how uninterested they are of it, yet can’t seem to resist wasting their “precious” time talking and commenting about it every chance they get. I guess some people require a daily dose of E-go to satisfy their superiority complex.

lol.. Lucky star’s one crazy anime! i love it and IMO, it’s a funny show
that’s just my opinion not to mention my friends like it too..

I was sold on that trailer alone – the single best trailer for anything in the history of life on earth, really. Lucky Star night is takeaway night here, they spend that long discussing food. Azumanga comparisons are quite appropriate by my reckoning; gentle, fun, strangely addictive. My favourite aspect is playing spot the parody/reference, be that MMOs or other anime (love that Initial D beach episode!) or just random stuff (Timotei!).

I like Lucky Star, and I find it very funny… I’ll admit I’m a “anime/manga otaku”, so I guess I get it… or maybe I’m just weird…but it appeals to only a small population, because not really that many people understand the humor, and translation is kinda “off”… (but I can’t speak japanese and rely on subs… why is it I still find it funny???) I feel half the fun of watching it is finding all the parodies, anime references, and whatnot… 🙂 call me weird but I think Lucky STar is definitely a great and funny anime, one of my top favorites. And somehow I find myself laughing for like 10 minutes sometimes about certain random things in the anime. I feel it hasn’t really “missed” all that much…

I tried watching Lucky Star at first and dropped it the 1st episode. Then after a few months I saw a clip about the Haruhi cosplay. Haruhism! After that I tried Lucky Star again, and have been enjoying the anime ever since. ^^

~Game4Fans Robo

Actually I just finished watching this anime.. and looking forward to watching it again…

as for the manga.. well.. its a lil too much reading for me.. haha..I guess im too much of a visual reader (even tho there are pictures in mangas)

but.. what i really enjoyed about this anime.. is that it makes the audience.. in every episode relate to their conversation… its so kool how they are talkin about your other hand not doing anything while your on the phone.. cuz here i was thinking im weird for it…

and for the comedy… its not the funniest thing in the world… but.. it does make you smile.. and make you think.. “Oh my Goodness.. did they really just say/do that?”

I thought it was interesting and cute. I don’t know about funny. Was it meant to be a comedy? I guess it would fit, but I think it’s more of a every-day-life inside jokes that occur in school. My friends and I had some in our school (not nearly as silly) but I could see how they would be funny. It appeals to me because I remember those days when we were very silly and naive.
Still, the show really speaks for the culture. Innocent girls talking about the proper way to eat food/cook, wanting to look cute (not attractive, I mean thinking their school uniforms are darling. :/ silly.) International “otakus” don’t seem to be helping with that stereotype. lol I laugh at how boring the men look, but I suppose that’s so with a lot of female audience geared anime. I wonder if girls in Japan think their guys look boring xD

I think ..this Lucky Star anime is just for the curious guys..
You might wonder why the girls in your class are talking too much….you might think like”What are they talking about??”.. This anime provides full details about the school girls’ favourite hobbies and stuffs..I THINK..hehehe

Lucky Star isn’t really funny… it’s more calming with a few outright laughs every now and then. As the series progresses, especially the later episodes, with more characters, it actually gets really funny. (I hope everyone knows I’m refering to the fansubs out there..) I’m not sure if it’s because American humor tends to be more candid and outright, or the fact that you won’t get some Lucky Star jokes unless you’ve had decent anime exposure, but it’s not that bad of a series when filed under comedy.

Another ‘viewing tip’? If you’re turning it off before Lucky Channel, you’re missing out! And the karaoke (courtesy of Shiraishi’s seiyu) at the end of later episodes is really funny!

Just a hint.. one of the later eps’ characters really likes the yuri stuff (like your panel =/) You guys ought to keep watching!

Hmm, I guess it’s all about peoples tastes of humour, I myself, found it very amusing and watched the anime (currently trying to find the manga). The title of this shouldn’t probably be ‘I figured out why the lucky star anime isn’t funny’ it should include ‘to me’ at the end, or something else to suggest it’s solely your own opinion.
Like I said, I enjoyed it very much, the simple material of humour just happened to tickle my fancy. Plus when you hear how things are said it can make it even funnier, something could be said as if it were obvious.
It’s all about opinion in the end, but the girl who seems to look like Pleniair, her name is Kotana just to make it sound a bit better instead of it sounding like you don’t know the name. (Not in an offensive way, please don’t take it wrong as if I’m trying to be mean)

well, im sorry to burst your bubble, but it gets waaaaaay better. the first 4 or 5 episodes are by a different director, and even i agree arent that fuinny. but if you keep watching, you will fal over your chair from laughter. and with the manga, of course it develops because the author’s skills get better. get it? give it some more time…

Lucky Star is more like Monty Python. You watch it and you might not laugh at all, but when you talk about it later with your friends you can’t stop laughing. I assume that you don’t understand the humor because you don’t have friends.

I just came across this site on google. While obviously many of the posters here disagree, I, an anime, manga, video game, and in general fan of Japanese culture, understood most of the jokes made in Lucky Star and found it entirely hilarious. As has already been mentioned, many of the jokes might not be funny if you don’t know the source material of animes, games, and such which are often discussed. Like an early episode which had a hilarious scene (for me) which would not be understood at all for anyone who has never watched or in fact, played, Kanon. It’s no different then watching Family Guy and Robot Chicken, if the joke is referencing something you simply don’t know anything about, or in fact don’t even know where it is referencing it from, then the humor is completely missed.

i think that in any manga it would be much more funnier if it is made as anime, cuz when its made in anime…its made with much more effects, changes some storyline, with animation u get more the meanings etc

hey maybe to other it is you guy shouldn;t say that, people have difference intreste. Oh and to me the plot of the story its great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lucky Star is more based around the underlying message humor. it takes more of someone to be like hey that happened to me and i can relate to that. it is mostly otaku humor that if you dont know what they’re talking about then you are confused and the humor is no longer funny.

I thought Lucky Star was amazing.
My boyfriend and I are a little more interested in anime and otaku culture than your average person around here, and we both laughed out loud quite a bit while watching this. My favorite parts were when Konata is amazed at Miyuki’s perfection according to otaku standards, the parodies of my favorite shows (G Gundam and Galaxy Express – Konata turning into Maetel was priceless) and that awesome shopkeeper guy, lol.

Looking back, it probably wouldn’t have been nearly as enjoyable if I’d have just watched it alone, but that’s because it’s one of those things that you want to share with someone who also understands the humor.

@ オタク・ごろし If you want to learn about otaku culture, Read Genshiken. It’s about the harsh reality of the otaku lifestyle. Most of the characters are made out to be geeky failures with weird fetishes, so that should play to your interests. By the way, what does goroshi mean anyway? Hater? And why have you spelled otaku in katakana? Is it meant to be like that?

As a failure myself, I loved lucky star.

Oh and I reccomend Genshiken to anybody who enjoyed lucky star but want something a little closer to reality.

It got funny with Hiyori and her disturbing thoughts though, the 1st episode, they just talk about food for 8 minutes, it’s quite entertaining though, I just like to watch it. in the anime series, the Lucky Channel segment is pretty funny with Akira and Minoru. Are they going to make a 2nd season?

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