Lucky Star (manga)
A slice-of-life manga following four high school girls.
Lucky Star is a Japanese four-panel comic strip manga series by Kagami Yoshimizu, serialized in Kadokawa Shoten's Comptiq magazine since December 2003. The slice-of-life series, focusing on the daily lives of four high school girls, spawned a 24-episode anime adaptation by Kyoto Animation in 2007 and multiple video games. Its popularity led to a broad following in anime fandom and inspired real-life pilgrimages to its settings in Saitama Prefecture.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy, slice of life
Facts from the source article.
Synopsis
The story mainly portrays the lives of four girls attending a Japanese high school, with the setting based on the city of Kuki in Saitama Prefecture. The main character is Konata Izumi, a lazy girl who shirks schoolwork to watch anime, play video games, and read manga, despite being intelligent and athletic. The serialization began with the four main characters in their first year: Konata Izumi, Kagami Hiiragi, Tsukasa Hiiragi, and Miyuki Takara. The anime starts with them in their second year. The storyline includes numerous references to popular past and present manga, anime, and tokusatsu series. The spin-off Miyakawa-ke no Kūfuku focuses on two sisters living an impoverished life due to wasteful habits.
Media
The four-panel comic strip manga began serialization in Kadokawa Shoten's Comptiq's January 2004 issue sold on December 10, 2003. The first tankōbon volume was published on January 8, 2005, and ten volumes had been released as of October 26, 2013. The manga also appeared in other Kadokawa magazines including Shōnen Ace, Newtype, Comp Ace, Dragon Magazine, Mobile Newtype, and Kadokawa Hotline. After a lengthy hiatus beginning in 2014, it returned to regular serialization in Kadokawa's Mitaina! magazine on November 10, 2022. Bandai Entertainment licensed the manga for English release in North America, producing the first eight volumes before its closure; Viz Media later acquired the rights. A spin-off titled Lucky Star Pocket Travelers, featuring the main characters shrunken to doll size, was serialized in Comp Ace between January and August 2008, with a single volume released on October 10, 2008. Another spin-off, Miyakawa-ke no Kūfuku, began serialization in Comp H's in January 2008 and later moved to Comp Ace. An official parody manga, Boo Boo Kagaboo by Eretto, ran in Comp Ace from July 2008 to December 2009. A further spin-off, Miyakawa-ke ga Mampuku!?, was serialized in Comp Ace from November 2013 to May 2014. In November 2022, a new spin-off tentatively titled Konata 30, set 15 years after the original series, was announced.
Reception
Before the anime, author Kagami Yoshimizu stated in a Newtype USA interview that his personality was well suited to four-panel comic strips and that he enjoyed creating the series. The first manga volume sold out quickly, requiring a rush reprint. By April 2008, the first five volumes had collectively sold over 1.8 million copies. Lucky Star became an immediate hit in Japan, gaining a broad following in anime fandom. Analyst John Oppliger of AnimeNation suggested its success was partly due to similarity to Kyoto Animation's earlier work The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and partly to its unique composition pandering to otaku tastes with good humor and sly wit, calling it the ultimate in fan service. The Special First Edition of the first DVD volume, released on June 22, 2007, sold quickly, with Amazon Japan selling out its supply and most Akihabara stores with special displays running out. Anime News Network noted the anime as extremely otaku-centric. The series' popularity brought many fans to real-life settings in Saitama Prefecture starting in April 2007, with Newtype magazine's August issue featuring locales such as Konata's home in Satte, Kagami and Tsukasa's home in Washimiya, and the school in Kasukabe, including directions from Akihabara, leading to massive pilgrimages.
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