Post by madhair60 on Aug 8, 2010 14:03:53 GMT
Heads up.
Don't gush about anime you like in this thread, 'cos it will invariably be entirely uninteresting unless it's one of the shows I'm about to cover anyway. Make your own thread, chump.
And with that pleasant note I present to you a thread I put far too much time and effort into, in which I talk about anime I like and why I like it. This won't be a long list, because I really don't like that much anime. I have a very limited interest, with most genres putting me off entirely. I'm open to recommendations that bear in mind what I'm about to list - for example, if I write about Azumanga Daioh and you say stuff to the effect of "HEY IF YOU LIKE AZUMANGA LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT EVANGELION", like has actually happened in the past, then you're an idiot.
With that in mind, let's start with an absolute belter.
Lucky Star has been compared to Seinfeld, but it's far funnier and has more of relevance to say than Jerry and his crew could ever muster. It's not the leanest of series on my list, with 24 episodes and an OVA to its name, but it's all excellent.
The show covers the lives of Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa and Miyuki as well as a host of other, smaller characters. Together they discuss burning issues such as which end of a chocolate cornet is considered the head, and how to improve a visit to the dentist. This is a character-driven series, with very little in the way of action or even significant events. That it's so consistently engaging and laugh-out-loud funny despite this is a testament to the quality of the writing, so little does it resort to gimmickry and cheap laughs. The girls don't break character for an instant, and they're all utterly believable.
Adorable Konata and her equally likeable pals set themselves up for hefty doses of anime cliché, then subvert the heck out of them with a relish so intoxicating you can't help but admire the audacity of it all, the glee with which it was so clearly written and drawn, and the palpable affection behind the excellent voice acting. Nobody breaks character for an instant, and everything everyone does is so right, so absolutely what they would do. Many of the laughs arise from the inevitable consequences of their interaction; what could be dismissed as formulaic is in fact transcendent, the sheer banality of some of the girls' conversations going past the mundane into the sublimely pointless, the recognisable trivialities of life presented in a manner so realistic it's almost jarring, but triggers a laugh response because you just don't see this stuff in Western entertainment. Even the requisite furo (bath) scene is brilliantly askew; this is a show almost completely free of sexual fanservice, yet completely swimming in the other kind.
Yes, anime/manga/game parodies are all over the place in Lucky Star, rewarding enthusiasts with a stream of both subtle and very much in-your-face spoofs and acknowledgements of the show's contemporaries. Sister show The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is referred to frequently, my personal favourite moment of this being when Konata watches final episode "Someday in the Rain" then immediately logs onto 2chan to observe the flame wars. Also featured are Keroro Gunsou (Sgt. Frog), Getter Robo, Full Metal Panic, Pani Poni Dash, To Heart, Pokémon and an unforgettable parody of Initial D. The show is perfectly enjoyable without any knowledge of anime, which is a testament to how well implemented these little nods are.
Now, here's a little bio for each character.
Otaku to the extreme, yet an excellent athlete, Konata's twin obessions areher plot to rule the world and her employee's health anime and manga, with a hefty slice of love for dating sims, MMOs, card battles and, of course, teasing Kagami. She laments her short stature, and the fact baseball games constantly go over schedule (so she can't watch her primetime anime).
Almost-tsundere and target of many a jab regarding weight and bust size, Kagami's straight-laced attitude walks her into a fair few traps, but she is kind-hearted and focused on her studies. Her disapproval of pretty much everything Konata enjoys makes one wonder how they can stand each other, but sometimes opposites attract.
Most of my Lucky Star screencaps are of Tsukasa, such is the severity of her cuteness. Twin sister of Kagami, she's a ditzy girl, academically unskilled, bad at sports, and generally of poor equilibrium. She's also a condensed blob of moe, with seemingly every action, expression and turn of phrase she utilises being committee-tailored into generating a "squee" reaction from the viewer.
Incidentally, if the idea of a team pooling ideas to create the most marketably adorable character in some ways offends/disgusts you, stop reading this thread now, because coming up in this thread soon is K-On! and the moe dreadnought that is Hirasawa Yui will send you into paroxysms of violent rage.
Miyuki is cast as, essentially, the perfect woman. She has the best figure of all the girls and - as Konata notes with both glee and resignation to her inferior status - a large number of character traits that are common turn-ons among anime fandom - her glasses and her clumsiness, to name two. Never any less than composed, Miyuki goes about her days far more laid back than her colleagues, offering friendly advice when asked, never outstaying her welcome or forcing her will, always trying her hardest to please everyone and usually succeeding. She really, really dislikes putting in eye-drops, though. Which is frankly just another thing that adds to her appeal.
Lucky Star is probably the best anime ever, ignoring dull-as-dishwater giant mecha, head-twisting nonsensical plots and wangst in order to bring a collection of 24 perfectly-pitched, hilarious, heartwarming episodes that an Empire magazine hack would probably describe as "life-affirming".
It's the kind of show that loses a lot in translation, so the dub is not recommended. Fansub group a.f.k's efforts are excellent and generally clutter-free, but they seem to have trouble deciding what exactly the words to the opening song ("Motteke! Sailor Fuku", which is a grower if ever there was one) are. The show's available on Region 1 DVD, but I've no idea of the quality of the subtitles.
Lucky Star. You might not like it, but for the love of God try it.
Don't gush about anime you like in this thread, 'cos it will invariably be entirely uninteresting unless it's one of the shows I'm about to cover anyway. Make your own thread, chump.
And with that pleasant note I present to you a thread I put far too much time and effort into, in which I talk about anime I like and why I like it. This won't be a long list, because I really don't like that much anime. I have a very limited interest, with most genres putting me off entirely. I'm open to recommendations that bear in mind what I'm about to list - for example, if I write about Azumanga Daioh and you say stuff to the effect of "HEY IF YOU LIKE AZUMANGA LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT EVANGELION", like has actually happened in the past, then you're an idiot.
With that in mind, let's start with an absolute belter.
LUCKY STAR
Lucky Star has been compared to Seinfeld, but it's far funnier and has more of relevance to say than Jerry and his crew could ever muster. It's not the leanest of series on my list, with 24 episodes and an OVA to its name, but it's all excellent.
The show covers the lives of Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa and Miyuki as well as a host of other, smaller characters. Together they discuss burning issues such as which end of a chocolate cornet is considered the head, and how to improve a visit to the dentist. This is a character-driven series, with very little in the way of action or even significant events. That it's so consistently engaging and laugh-out-loud funny despite this is a testament to the quality of the writing, so little does it resort to gimmickry and cheap laughs. The girls don't break character for an instant, and they're all utterly believable.
Adorable Konata and her equally likeable pals set themselves up for hefty doses of anime cliché, then subvert the heck out of them with a relish so intoxicating you can't help but admire the audacity of it all, the glee with which it was so clearly written and drawn, and the palpable affection behind the excellent voice acting. Nobody breaks character for an instant, and everything everyone does is so right, so absolutely what they would do. Many of the laughs arise from the inevitable consequences of their interaction; what could be dismissed as formulaic is in fact transcendent, the sheer banality of some of the girls' conversations going past the mundane into the sublimely pointless, the recognisable trivialities of life presented in a manner so realistic it's almost jarring, but triggers a laugh response because you just don't see this stuff in Western entertainment. Even the requisite furo (bath) scene is brilliantly askew; this is a show almost completely free of sexual fanservice, yet completely swimming in the other kind.
Yes, anime/manga/game parodies are all over the place in Lucky Star, rewarding enthusiasts with a stream of both subtle and very much in-your-face spoofs and acknowledgements of the show's contemporaries. Sister show The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya is referred to frequently, my personal favourite moment of this being when Konata watches final episode "Someday in the Rain" then immediately logs onto 2chan to observe the flame wars. Also featured are Keroro Gunsou (Sgt. Frog), Getter Robo, Full Metal Panic, Pani Poni Dash, To Heart, Pokémon and an unforgettable parody of Initial D. The show is perfectly enjoyable without any knowledge of anime, which is a testament to how well implemented these little nods are.
Now, here's a little bio for each character.
KONATA
Otaku to the extreme, yet an excellent athlete, Konata's twin obessions are
KAGAMI
Almost-tsundere and target of many a jab regarding weight and bust size, Kagami's straight-laced attitude walks her into a fair few traps, but she is kind-hearted and focused on her studies. Her disapproval of pretty much everything Konata enjoys makes one wonder how they can stand each other, but sometimes opposites attract.
TSUKASA
Most of my Lucky Star screencaps are of Tsukasa, such is the severity of her cuteness. Twin sister of Kagami, she's a ditzy girl, academically unskilled, bad at sports, and generally of poor equilibrium. She's also a condensed blob of moe, with seemingly every action, expression and turn of phrase she utilises being committee-tailored into generating a "squee" reaction from the viewer.
Incidentally, if the idea of a team pooling ideas to create the most marketably adorable character in some ways offends/disgusts you, stop reading this thread now, because coming up in this thread soon is K-On! and the moe dreadnought that is Hirasawa Yui will send you into paroxysms of violent rage.
MIYUKI
Miyuki is cast as, essentially, the perfect woman. She has the best figure of all the girls and - as Konata notes with both glee and resignation to her inferior status - a large number of character traits that are common turn-ons among anime fandom - her glasses and her clumsiness, to name two. Never any less than composed, Miyuki goes about her days far more laid back than her colleagues, offering friendly advice when asked, never outstaying her welcome or forcing her will, always trying her hardest to please everyone and usually succeeding. She really, really dislikes putting in eye-drops, though. Which is frankly just another thing that adds to her appeal.
Lucky Star is probably the best anime ever, ignoring dull-as-dishwater giant mecha, head-twisting nonsensical plots and wangst in order to bring a collection of 24 perfectly-pitched, hilarious, heartwarming episodes that an Empire magazine hack would probably describe as "life-affirming".
It's the kind of show that loses a lot in translation, so the dub is not recommended. Fansub group a.f.k's efforts are excellent and generally clutter-free, but they seem to have trouble deciding what exactly the words to the opening song ("Motteke! Sailor Fuku", which is a grower if ever there was one) are. The show's available on Region 1 DVD, but I've no idea of the quality of the subtitles.
Lucky Star. You might not like it, but for the love of God try it.
