Lucky Star is one of those comedies that are insanely popular and when you boil it down…it’s about nothing. Think along the lines of Azumanga Daioh and Seinfeld if you need references. With shows like that you either “get them” and think they are absolutely precious or are lost in a haze and are confused as to why people would ever like it. There really is no middle ground. It doesn’t help that Lucky Star tries to put off people from watching it with its first episode. At least The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi’s pilot, while confusing as all get out, left you intrigued enough to want to give the second episode a try, but Lucky Star’s really does have you fidgeting in your seat and wondering “what the heck IS this?!” The main characters spend the whole 30 minutes arguing about the correct way to eat bread. It might be some horribly moe thing I just am not capable of getting, but I was left feeling I had wasted my half hour and wondering why the writers thought it was good idea to start their series like that. Sorry if this spoiled anything for first time watchers, but I thought I should warn people, because the show IS worth sticking around for ep number two. In fact, just skip right to it, you aren’t missing ANYTHING!

Lucky Star is like a slightly more nerdy version of Azumanga Daioh. It focuses on a group of high school girls and takes bits and slices out of their daily lives. The main girl is as otaku as they come and often introduces her “normal” friends to her strange strange world. The series spoofs a lot of common anime stereotypes and scenarios as well as geek culture. If you are part of that world you will totally get this series and find it hilarious. It’s one of those shows where you go “OMG, I had that EXACT conversation the other day!” and then feel slightly dirty for it. My moment was the explanation behind buying three of each trading card… I should probably own up to over identifying with the teacher who spent her summer vacation playing a WoW-esque game while I am at it as well.

Fans of Azumanga Daioh, The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi and Zetsubou Sensei (Goodbye Mr. Despair) will like this show. It’s a great comedy series, but like I mentioned before, you need to either be a part of or “get” the culture to find the show interesting. Anime addicts, gamers and Japanese culture aficionados should have no difficulties at all.