When it comes to the comedy genre for anime, it's kind of a funny thing (pun intended). There are so many different shows out there with concepts and styles that are completely unalike, and yet they invariably are compared with one another. How many times have you seen Excel Saga brought up in a conversation? Or even Azumanga Daioh for that matter? In all honesty, there are way too many comedy animes to list when comparing, so we always look for the main players as the most popular points of reference. With that in mind you've undoubtedly heard of a show called Lucky Star at some point before.

One of the biggest trends in the comedy genre of anime over the past decade or so has been the emergence of four panel manga to anime transitions. So many shows got their start in this fashion and Lucky Star is only the latest example of that practice. Created by Kagami Yoshimizu, Lucky Star got its start in 2004 and garnered an instant fan base. A few years later an animated version was released with 24 episodes and Bandai was quick to pick up the license for an American release.

Considering this is a review for the fourth volume of the series I assume you probably have some idea regarding what it's all about. If you don't then all you really need to know is that this is an anime version of Seinfeld with young school girls, meaning that nothing happens. The show follows the exploits of Konata, Kagami, Tsukasa, and Miyuki as they go through their daily lives, school work, and play time. It's definitely a slice of life kind of show and it's much lower key than we typically see from comedy series. Thankfully after the rocky start with the first installment the second and third iterations proved enjoyable enough. How does the fourth stack up? For all intents and purposes this volume is more or less exactly what we've come to expect. It's just as funny as the previous volume, the situations are every bit as "every day" as they were, and throughout it all it's the characters that make the show entertaining.

Four episodes appear on this disc and the first episode kicks things off with the girls all going back to school after their winter break. They swap stories about what they did during their time apart from each other, but that's put on the backburner as Valentine's Day is just around the corner. The girls all try to figure out who they want to send chocolates to and a big deal is made about Konata's sending of chocolates to someone online. If you know the character then you know that fits her personality, but it seems strange to the other girls which leads to some rather amusing moments. Probably the most amusing bit from this episode is Konata's attempt to stop by a local anime store and escape without buying anything. It's hilarious the lengths these guys go to in an effort to entice her, but she's strong enough to resist.

As the show progresses Konata's cousin, Yutaka, comes to town and winds up moving in with her. It changes the dynamic of the series a little bit by introducing the new character, but for what its worth it doesn't change "that" much. The characters are all still themselves and their group is more or less unaffected, but the difference here is that Konata has to deal with someone else at home now. I found this episode was interesting though it wasn't exactly the highlight of the volume.

The real shining moment for me this time around was the implementation of Haruhi Suzumiya into the show. The girls go to a Haruhi concert and have a great time, but the treat comes in the final episode here when everyone goes to see Konata at work. She works in a cosplay café and everyone is dressing as characters from Haruhi. I love when anime breaks down the walls and explores material like this and because of that I found the final two episodes here to be the best that the show has had to offer.

The fourth volume of Lucky Star gave us four more episodes of the charming comedy series. If you haven't seen it and are looking for a laugh you'll most likely enjoy the off-the-wall brand of humor, but you'll appreciate it more if you enjoyed Azumanga Daioh. This installment has some great moments mixed in with some boring ones, but all around it's entertaining and comes recommended.

Lucky Star is presented on DVD with a 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer and the video quality is definitely a feather in this disc's cap. This show absolutely shines thanks to its fantastic design and presentation values. There is no grain, compression, aliasing, or cross-coloration anywhere in these episodes and the bright art style allows for a very vivid display. This is definitely a series that stands out on a quality television and though its very minimalist there's plenty to appreciate.

Considering this isn't an action packed show with explosions, robots, and ninjas it doesn't need a boisterous audio presentation. With that fact in mind the 2.0 Dolby Digital presentation for both English and Japanese is decidedly appropriate for the material. While the lack of a sense of immersion is disappointing this show's dialogue driven content simply doesn't need it to be effective. The dubbing quality is decent all around as well though I personally felt that the Japanese track matched the content better.

The fourth installment of Lucky Star comes with liner notes, some more episodes from "The Adventures of Minoru Shiraishi", and Key Scene Galleries. None of these are very outstanding, but the Minoru Shiraishi feature is certainly the most unique.

Thankfully Lucky Star has outlasted its growing pains and has become a rather enjoyable comedy series. Cute characters, daily life themes, and how everything is perceived comes together to make an endearing program that may almost be too cute for its own good sometimes. Even so, this volume keeps the show moving forward and is good enough to warrant adding into your collection.

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