Love and Joy by the Hiiragi Twins

It's not just vocaloid models that can be used in programs such as MikuMikuDance (MMD), as this charming dance by the much simpler models of the Hiiragi twins from Lucky Star illustrates.

I think it's nice, even though adorable but air-headed Tsukasa finds it a bit heavy going toward the end; but big sis Kagami is there for her when needed. There is no sound for the characters' voices, so don't think something is wrong before the song starts: leave your sound settings alone to avoid deafening yourself a moment later(!)

I Have A Dream

In this case, it's Lucky Star's Kagami who has the dream – and a weird one it is too. This video is in Japanese with English subtitles, as I couldn't find an English dubbed copy of it. I did try!

Now, I have a soft spot for Miss Angry Eyes, as I think of her; and this Cinderella-like story is an excellent vehicle for Kagami's very specific character, including some reluctant cosplaying as a number of characters from Mikuru (from the Haruhi Suzumiya series) to Miku, complete with leek. It has Konata as a Yuki Nagato lookalike (from The Sigh Of...) doing the 'Fairy Godmother' magic. Well, at least until the star falls off the end of her wand...

With a moving house, and a Haruhi-like 'reset incantation' (think: The Disappearance Of...), and poor Kagami ending up having to say – even shout – something acutely embarrassing (or so I have read is what that is), it's yet another of those surprisingly original and humour-packed segments from the show, crammed into a mere seven minutes...

Lucky Star – It Begins

All right, it's about time I got my visitors introduced properly to this wacky show called Lucky Star. You'll either love it or you'll hate it, or perhaps simply wonder what on earth it's all about.

I resisted it for a long time, because of the underlying nature that originally made me a little uncomfortable; but it's actually okay after all, or a good 98% of it is, with even the more 'adult' themes very tame (I think: I'm no expert on this).

Here is the first episode of the 24 anime shows, dubbed into English and in full High Definition if desired. It's surprisingly addictive. It draws you in with its exploration of the trivial, and with its sharply-written dialogue and its well-defined main characters. It's mostly a metaphor for explaining everyday life, with no particular overarching storyline, but does it so well that you (probably) won't be able to help sticking with it.

You don't have to go into the Lucky Channel bit at the end: although it is amusing in its own way, this regular segment won't appeal to everyone, nor the oddball song at the very end, different for each episode.

If you decide to continue with the series, the next episode is always listed at YouTube so it is easy to follow for as long as you wish.

Give it a go, and see what I mean about this surprisingly compelling series...

The Real Lucky Star?

This live-action parody of the Lucky Star introduction is so well done that it's actually brilliant! Indeed, it appears here side by side with the original, so you can do a side-by-side comparison.

Very, very good, and great fun too!

Konata-ism

All right, I'll give the young lady this one! Although it isn't quite a hundred percent correct (but very close), Konata's version of the Hare Hare Yukai (Sunny Sunny Happiness) dance from her very favourite anime series is actually very good and suits her quite well, even solo as here – which is something I hadn't expected to find, to be completely frank, and wasn't even looking for it (I was searching under just the song title, with hundreds of results).

I have been going through a couple of dozen versions of the dance, and even a full orchestral rendition of the tune (which I might post one day, though not yet awhile), looking for something good enough to post. There were also many others I didn't need to go through, as they were obviously just a still image throughout.

There are, predictably, several Vocaloid versions (though none good enough by my standards) and a number of – very mixed – live action attempts, a few of which aren't bad; but Konata's seems to me to be the one of choice overall from the current selection...

Lucky Star does Haruhi Suzumiya Intro

Yup, in addition to all those other Haruhi Suzumiya references from the Lucky Star anime (about which I know very little indeed, but perhaps in the New Year...) here's Konata Izumi from that series re-creating the Bouken Desho Desho? opening sequence.

It's a brilliant tribute, and quite amusing to see how it has been slightly changed here and there to work for Izumi & Co. For example, note Konata's regular schoolday lunch (the chocolate cornet) sneaked into the background imagery...

Gangnam Culture

This at The Commentator poses a question that, I suppose, hasn't really been looked at all that much in the mainstream media – probably because economic, political and military matters dominate those sources for obvious enough reasons.

It is true, though, that cultural influences spreading through the (nowadays much more open, thanks to the Internet) international scene are making their mark just as much.

I have highlighted in recent weeks a fair range of far-eastern cultural examples that have gained great popularity in other parts of the world, including my own country (though you might need to check out a selection of newsgroups and other types of forum to discover just how big this really has become), and it goes a long way beyond Gangnam Style that is quite rightly being held up as the big example of the present day.

Personally, I think that as we find through their culture that the peoples of these other nations are really just like us at heart – with cultural differences, yes, but they still live lives that are not significantly different from our own (apart from in the Communist-run States, of course, but that's only because of impositions and restrictions) – barriers will continue to be dismantled and we shall more naturally become more of a one-world species than could ever be done by those whose agenda is to impose their New World Order upon us.

We'd also be a more natural and thriving race, rather than a self-appointed elite with the rest of us no more than slaves, as is the intention by those with that agenda.

Thus I welcome and – as has been evident for a long time now – embrace this trend, and shall continue to showcase examples I discover, though not as frequently as I have during these past few weeks. Indeed, this now gives me the excuse to post that slightly cheeky Lucky Star version of Gangnam Style after all, which is a it of a turn-up that I couldn't have predicted(!)

St Trinians, Japanese Style

I have been having a brief look or two at the Lucky Star series, and the characters are somewhat like those notorious young ladies of British film fame from several decades ago, at least in some respects.

Apart from Miyuki who is smart, helpful and polite – though also somewhat clumsy – they are a dodgy-looking bunch!

For all that, the series is actually quite entertaining as a 'slice of life' type of scenario. Konata, the blue-haired one with an attitude, is lazy and prefers manga/anime and gaming to doing homework (but then, I suppose most schoolkids would) which is the excuse for introducing all those references from other series, such as the Haruhi Suzumiya references compilation video I posted here recently. There are plenty more, including Pokémon (which of course pleases me).

It's not something I intend to spend too much time on myself, though I expect to dip in on almost a random basis from time to time, as it is comparatively harmless. For example, the first episode is largely concerned with a discussion on how best to prepare and eat various foods. It's a lot more entertaining than any description I can give, so I'd suggest is worth pursuing if it sounds like it's your kind of thing.

Oh, there's a well done video of these ten doing 'Gangnam Style'  – but I don't think I have the courage to embed it here(!)