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 each other. 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 anime to list when comparing so we always look for the main players and most popular points of reference. It's with that in mind that we look at Lucky Star; a show that draws direct comparisons to Azumanga Daioh.

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.

While I personally have never read the manga or knew much about the program prior to watching the first volume, I will say that seeing the preview on a volume of Haruhi was enough for me. The show appeared to have a wild sense of humor and I'm always in the mood for a good laugh. That anticipation grew as I saw the treatment Bandai was giving the release and I kept hearing good things about it. After sitting down with the first four episodes, I have to say that my bubble was deflated somewhat.

Lucky Star is a very low-key show despite its perky characters, attractive art style, and four panel origins. I almost felt like I was watching an anime about teenage girls set to the theme of Seinfeld. It's a show about nothing! Not that that's a bad thing.

Lucky Star follows the exploits of a core group of friends who all attend the same school. For the most part each of these characters fits one stereotypical mold or another within the four-panel genre. First of all you have Konata who is essentially the leader of the group and is good at just about everything she does. She's also a full-fledged otaku, gamer, and all around lover of "geek" material. The fact that Konata is so good at everything infuriates Kagami to the point that there's something of a rivalry between them. She often plays the straight man and winds up setting the stage for the joke to come through.

Kagami's sister, Tsukasa, is the useless character who is lazy and generally blunders through life. It's her cuteness and naiveté that adds to some of the charm in these episodes. And finally you have Miyuki who is the a-typical smart girl with glasses who is excessively polite to everyone including her friends. With this cast of characters in place the rest of the show just kind of falls into place around them.

Each of the four episodes here is broken up like most other four-panel shows and these mini-episodes sometimes have something to do with the other, but in most cases that's not so. For instance the opening half of the first episode features three of the girls sitting around talking about their favorite snacks and the best way to eat them while the second has the girls discussing the difference between a cold and flu. The comedic payoff isn't quite what you'd expect and each of the storylines winds up feeling stretched out beyond the point where it's relevant.

Fortunately the material does get better as the volume progresses and we get to know each of the characters. In the second episode the contrast between Konata and Kagami is put on display as the two study for a big time exam and Konata is forced to get a part time job in order to support her geeky habits. Other bits from these episodes include some funny moments with summer around the corner and the twins celebrate their birthday.

After watching the first volume I can't help but feel that aforementioned sense of disappointment. Somehow I was hoping for more than what I got, though that's not saying this is a bad show by any stretch of the imagination; it just doesn't "pop" quite as much as hype would have you believe. The characters are all very endearing and throughout the four episodes here there are many hilarious moments. With that being said there are also plenty of dry runs that simply don't carry over very well. If you loved Azumanga Daioh then Lucky Star is easily recommended but if you're picky about comedy shows this one should be regarded as a rental until we see more.

Lucky Star hits 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. Even if you're bored with a conversation about chocolate cornet you can at least marvel at the technical merits of the program.

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 first DVD of Lucky Star lands with a few bonus features that are worth taking a few minutes to look through. For starters there are trailers, a textless opening, and promotional clip for the show. In addition to those offerings there is a pair of videos called Key Scenes Gallery which take stills and explain some things in more detail. Also somewhat in line with Haruhi there is a live action feature which is entitled "The Adventures of Minoru Shiraishi" and it features the voice actor and production crew being funny.

Lucky Star is a very appealing show in terms of design, characters, and potential. There is an extremely strong Azumanga vibe going on with this program and it can be quite funny in parts. Unfortunately the material in these four episodes keeps it from being a true success and it's not as sharp as it could be. Hopefully we'll see that change in the coming episodes because there is so much promise with this content. This title is recommended for lovers of four-panel comedies but until we see more, consider this a rental if you're selective with comedies.

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