5/23/2007

*huge shojo eyes* "I have become hooked on Lucky Star 7."

What is eternity doing tonight? has become Mega Megane Moé. For the latest posts, please change your links accordingly.

Pop quiz: find the common element between all of the following:
1) Video game addiction
2) Homework
3) Cell phones
4) Tsunderes
5) Grown men in pigtails
6) Keroro
7) Haruhi
8) Drifting hatchbacks (not pictured)

Answer: Lucky Star, of course. It's about as random and all-encompassing as can be, and still as crack as ever, both in content and in addictiveness.

Wonder what happened to all the LS hate by now though? I suppose everyone who disliked the series has dropped it by now, and those who have continued to watch it only find it to get better.

Episode 7 contains a 99% raise in dirty sounding yuri screencaps, a large drop in references I understand (unsuprisingly a large rise in ones I don't), and 1000% more Tsukasa awesomeness, bringing her kawaii quota up to approximately 6.0 x 10^23 fanboy squeals.


More great-out-of-context pictures, along with random references, notes, and Tsukasa stop-motion sequences after the jump.


One of the larger encompassing gags of this episode is Konata's addiction to "Marimite", some shojo series that I've never heard of that apparently is all flowery, and perhaps lacking in heterosexuality. She goes around acting very (relatively) strange whenever convenient, with her eyes changing amusingly -

along with her voice (some great voice work here for sure), making her sound like a strange upper-class rich girl. I vote 'Konata does an __ impression' as new gag of the week/episode.


Speaking of rich upper-class girls Miyuki actually genuinely speaks like how Konata does most of the time, except the pink-haired one is not half as scary and doubly cute. Also, Tsukasa.


Miyuki (now called Yuki most of the time) finally gets a little short scene when she converses with Tsukasa about depressing and painful trips to the dentist. Apparently she is not getting what she (er, her parents) paid for in quality. Also, Tsukasa.

Shiraishi (world's hardest to spell name for a white person) makes a bonus cameo in the school segment, becoming the first guy, as far as I know, from school to speak. Konata continues to go Marimite on him, labeling him Sebastian the butler, since all butlers are named Sebastian. Although, Konata's sadly mistaken in choosing butlers when she could have twin meidos. H&K FTW~ Also, Tsu- *shot*


The homework makes it's evil return, along with some more cameos - there's two figures on Konata's compy (not pictured). One looks remarkably like Michiru (AIR) with a golf club - I've heard that it's supposed to be Kooh (from Pangya, presumably), however, which is something recognizable and awesome as well. Also, great homework face from Konata, staring it down like an animal. Ha, thought I was going to say Tsu - *shot*


Konata pleads to awesome gamer meganekko Yui-neesan to help with her homework in another great out-of-context screenshot. Unsurprisingly, Yui figures out this time that she might not be of the best of help in this regard.


Also, disturbingly loli Konata. I can feel time warping backwards as we speak watch...


The next day we learn more about Kagami and her studies, in that she is in a secret relationship with Konata chose the same liberal arts studies as her friends to stay in the same class with them. This would explain her relative brightness to Tsukasa and Konata - although, personally I never can see tsundere and smart mixing.


More great Hiiragi twin poses.


And now for dramatic subplot as Miyuki sits on her glasses and snaps 'em. We also learn of KyoAni's secret tactic for improving Miyuki's status with the fans: Nagato clone time! Well, it's what I first think of now with "Yuki" + glasses.

Konata must not be a glasses guy girl, then. (who's Asakura then? Kagami?)


Hint: you have to open your eyes to see. Konata makes an increasingly rare reference to the mythical moe-factor of Miyuki. It seems a lot of Haruhi's Konata's insanity has been toned down recently, at least in regards to some references.


Miyuki borrows Konata's and Tsukasa's notes for the day, which both turn out to be spectacularly useless. She runs to Kagami, the actually kind of smart girl, for loving help, showing a bit of her moe overly kind side as well. Why is is that Kagami gets so many lines to hint at her getting set up with any other Lucky Star girl? o_O


Paradox time: the girls talk about anime vs. real life. In an anime. What would anime in an anime be like? Even more unrealistic than normal anime? Food for thought...the expensive kind of food. Like Miyuki's.


Speaking of food, Kagami proves to be terrifically bad with it, perhaps even Ayu-class. Dating sim traits plus plus, but still no win for you, Kagami.


Kagami and food take 2. Konata is very subtle as usual when noting that when girls go on diets that they lose weight from the places they don't want to first. If Konata can notice these things, I sure as hell can't, with the art style in Lucky Star. Probably glad I can't, too.


Also guest starring in the lunch scene: the chocolate roll thing from Episode 1 infamy! And the above picture is so asking to be an internet meme. Or at least a witty comeback image post.


Tsukasa also launches into a discussion of how 'thin eyes make you look more mature'; which would mark off Konata, Kagami, and the entire Asian population as uber-mature. Scary. The entire group tries the 'thin eyes' idea complete with white border (implying brightness that would make you squint?). At best, they look like they're daydreaming. At worse, on drugs.


The three girls, excluding poor Yuki (who needs to go and read books for bonus Nagato factor) go out on a day trip. Konata arrives late and misses a vital Kanon reference, with Kagami sitting on a bench and all waiting for her to arrive. The two of them do have a very interesting conversation which smacks of mother-and-daughter dynamics.


They talk about something forgettable, mainly because the background is very active here, and I spent a lot of time screencapping the different types of cars going by. There's a BMW pictured, a Toyota Hiace (from Maximum Tune 2 fame) earlier, and something ugly that looks like a Pontiac Aztek but probably isn't.

Next up, Tsukasa gets a cell phone, for not being completely like her dense stereotype in testing for once. However, that cutely clueless part of her fires up again as Konata asks for her number (insert out-of-context here). Here's your "Also, Tsukasa." if you've been missing that crappy gag: (mildly out of order)


A futile, but damn adorable effort, as you may surmise. We get more of the same the next day, when Tsukasa's cell phone goes off in class (to the tune of Pachelbel's Canon in D), much to the delight of her (who's been waiting for any call), and the dismay of the rest of the class. Poses ensue.

She's sad now, but the story comes to a worse end when, true to clumsy character, she leaves it in her clothes. It doesn't survive the washing machine.


Tear. In between, however, we get amusing art-imitates-life moments of parents being obsessively protective over their children; the Hiiragi father calls first Kagami, who gives the OK signal, then Tsukasa (pictured above with huuuuuuge happy eyes)...who of course is right with Kagami. Konata's phone also rings, to the tune of Hare Hare Yukai, but it's mired on her desk at home. Probably on purpose.


Konata goes back on a bit of a gaming rant when she discusses her email, 'iluvgirlswithglasses' or it's Japenese equivalent, (which, strangely enough, is only the first half before the @, if only so that some poor guy doesn't get spammed by fanboys) and why she didn't pick maids or mikos - you can fill in the final half of her sentence. Note Konata's calm while Kagami flips and shuts her up. She just sits there!

Do we need more Tsukasa?

We need more Tsukasa.


There's an amusing scene where Kagami comes in on Tsukasa drunk crying tears over a sad manga Konata lent her.


Konata's opinion of it herself was quite the opposite, funnily enough, leading to more cute reactions. Wonder what the manga was - did the 'love strikes when you least expect it' manga from Kanon ever get a name? It would fit well (if not oddly) in this role.


To wrap up the school scenes, we get a picture of Konata's great artistic talent (well, it could be worse...) and creative depiction of Tsukasa (huge googly eyes), Miyuki (frilly hair and glasses), and Kagami (fire breathing dinosaur). What's better is the return of Marimite Konata and the animation of Kagami as said dinosaur in her fiery reaction.


The regular segment of the episode ends with an advertisement for FMP ("So another volume of FMP came out.") and another hint of yuri pairing conversation about manga - and Konata using Kagami for her shopping points. Why are you still shocked by now, Kagami?

RAKI CHANNNNNELLLLLUUUUU is extremely ace and hilarious today. The LC card drops without a sound this time, and we are left to see...

Shiraishi in pigtails and an extremely sullen and quiet Akira. Awkward silence ensues for a few seconds before Shiraishi launches into a hilarious Akira impersonation to 'start' the episode. Gutsy, he is, as that's a very dangerous move given his strangling last episode...


Akira snaps at Shiraishi a few times during the segment (>< onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_wffVHYrbC7s/RlS9DRD4odI/AAAAAAAABCA/Zlh4sWpJ9Uk/s1600-h/shot0151.png">
Also, WTF's with Lucky Star and drills? Like Shiraishi with drills (and scary eyes in the real life version) and the girls talking about drills at lunch. Akira mentions that 'drills are a man's romance' but I'm hoping it's something more than just a simple double entendre. Or something.

This episode must have run overtime or something, as there's no real preview for the next episode. It's a shame, given Tsukasa's narrating. It's literally "I'm Tsukasa! What? I'm out of time? [next episode title]". If Lucky Star had a coherent plot this would point to plot in the next episode, but Shuffle! this isn't. Unfortunately?

-CCY