Lucky Star - My thoughts

Some people knew just how much I disliked the anime.

The most widely reported consequence of this is in the Washinomiya Shrine of Washimiya, where the Hiiragi sisters work as priestess in the anime. Various Japanese news media reported that the shrine became a place teeming with photographers trying to replicate scenes from the anime, cosplayers wandering around, and prayer plaques ridden with anime drawings and strange prayers like "Konata is my wife". - Wikipedia entry.

Now I look at this and astounded of just how popular this anime despite the total lack of purpose of the story. The phenomenon even led to "official" Lucky Star visit by the staff and voice actors of the show which attended by 3500 fans. Official Visit, in Japanese.

Needless to say old timers who frequenting the shrine are dismayed by the turn of events and actually asking if this is good idea.

I know it is old news but I will reproduce all the news article before it disappeared into dustbin of history.
-----------------

AROUND JAPAN/ WASHIMIYA, Saitama Prefecture: Fans flock to real-life home of anime hero

09/18/2007

Washinomiyajinja shrine here is seeing a rise in popularity due to an unlikely ally--an animation called "Lucky Star."

The surge in visitors started after a magazine reported that the home of one of the main characters in the animation is based on the shrine.

Young anime fans are not usual visitors at shrines, but locals say the youngsters are well-mannered.

One afternoon in late August, wooden plaques covered with illustrations of the animation character were found scattered among the normal ones adorned with prayers for household safety and academic success.

Two local women in their 20s looked at the illustrations and described them as "disgusting." Despite this reaction, about 10 anime fans visited the shrine over a period of about two hours.



"Lucky Star" is the creation of Kagami Yoshimizu, an anime artist from Saitama Prefecture. It started out as a four-panel cartoon in a gaming magazine.

The animation is about geeky high school girls always joking around. It depicts the ordinary lives of high school kids in a comical manner. Many of the topics covered in the anime are light-hearted ones familiar to students.

Each unique female character has a large legion of fans.

"I can relate to the characters a lot because they lead lives similar to mine," says a 20-year-old student who spent more than two hours traveling to the shrine from central Tokyo. The student decided to go to the shrine to visit one of the characters' supposed homes as well as Kasukabe Kyoei High School, the model for the school that the characters attend.

According to a leaflet issued by Washinomiyajinja shrine, the shrine is the oldest in all of the Kanto region.

It's known for a traditional Shinto dance form that has been designated as a significant cultural asset. Around 100,000 worshippers visit the shrine during the New Year season alone. The shrine is located on a plot of land measuring roughly 33,000 square meters and is surrounded by trees.

Youngsters started showing up en masse in May. The number of young visitors continued to increase when the shrine was introduced in an animation magazine published in July as one of the many places that formed the basis for locations in "Lucky Star."

According to a 50-year-old priest at the shrine, visitors seen as anime fans come early in the morning as well as late at night to take pictures of the torii gates and surrounding areas.

"They all worship in silence. We don't have any problems concerning their manners or behavior," he says.

One student, who traveled all the way from Ehime Prefecture in Shikoku, said: "I wouldn't have learned about this shrine if it weren't for the cartoon. The history of the shrine itself is really interesting."(IHT/Asahi: September 18,2007)

Original print



-------------

This is what other commentator said about the appeal of Lucky Star.Ask John's answer.

Personally I think the anime is overhyped and it is nothing more than a vehicle which narcissistic mirror of Kyoto Animation and Haruhi masturbator. I felt that this anime is one massive viral marketing for upcoming season 2 of Haruhi.

One thing I have to say though, the OP is addictive. That I have to concede, guilty of all charges.