@Actar_Raikit

1 year ago

There's a reason I still use a Konata avatar after all these years. Lucky Star is more than just my favorite anime series, it's the series that changed the course of my life all those years ago. From the very first episode, I was instantly captivated by the show's charm, wit, and humor. Finally, there was a series that actually got me and seemed to deal with issues that no other show at that time did. Not issues about saving the world, battling your inner demons, struggling with one's morality, or trying to rationalize the human condition, but "real" issues. Issues that mattered to me. Finding friends, going to school, cramming for tests, having fun, and living life. These characters were more real than any other characters I've ever seen anywhere else. You're not going to know the favorite foods of the characters in most other anime series unless it serves a purpose to the story. The brilliant thing about Lucky Star is... there is no story! Just like life itself! But more importantly, there were two things that Lucky Star did for me that I will always be thankful for. Firstly, it opened my eyes to the fact that there was a whole new world out there for me to explore. I didn't get any of the references, but it made me want to learn. What's this SOS Dan thing Konata keeps talking about? It made me feel like I was losing out by not watching these shows, and boy was I. From Haruhi to Code Geass, my anime repertoire grew from there. I found that anime was my "true calling," and I will always thank this series for leading me down the rabbit hole (in a good way). In addition to anime, it also introduced me to otaku culture. Lucky Star can be seen as a celebration of otaku culture (while still acknowledging and poking fun at its dark side from time to time). While I have gained a much deeper understanding and fuller picture of otaku culture over the next decade with shows (like NHK, Genshiken, Otaku no Video, etc...), books, and journals, Lucky Star is one of the few shows that truly has fun with it and makes it its own. Comiket? That was the first time I heard of it, and I was fascinated by the concept. Imagine my surprise when it was exactly the same as how it was portrayed in the anime when I finally managed to attend Comiket years later. I was living the anime. Lucky Star also introduced me to Japanese culture in general. School trips, New Year's festivities, festivals, customs, school system, etc... Again, I'm not going to claim that it was a totally accurate portrayal of Japanese culture or anything, but it was just as fascinating all the same and spurred me on to learn more by myself. From reflecting my life, it became a slice of my life. I made anime my life's passion. I picked up Japanese, dabbled in freelance translation, and through my intensive course of study in college, made a ton of friends with similar interests who I can say will be with me for life. Now, I have a postgrad degree in Japanese studies and have just passed my JLPT N1. I literally wouldn't be where I am today without this show. While the references in Lucky Star are dated, the characters, anecdotes, and vignettes are just as sincere, timeless, and relevant as they were back then. In our quest to be elitist, intellectual, and analytical, perhaps somewhere along the way, the characters cease being human. Even if Lucky Star is not your cup of tea (watch K-On! for that), if any genre is going to teach us about being human, I think this is the one to do it.

244 |