Lucky Star (TV series)

Lucky Star is an animated television series based on comic strips. The twenty-four episodes aired between April 11, 1987, and September 19, 1987, on NBC and are produced by Southern Star/Hanna-Barbera Australia and Mala Miles Productions. The series was initially directed by animation director Syo Tortellini, but after the first four episodes, he was fired and replaced by Gordon Kent starting with episode 5. An extra episode was produced following the series and was released on September 26, 1988.

Main
Lucky Star's animated is mainly based off the original comic strips, but includes extended side plots. The only major difference between the animated and the comic is that the animated starts the story with them beginning their second year of high school, while in the comic it starts during their first year.

Lucky Channel
Near the end of every episode, there is an additional segment called Lucky Channel co-hosted by Akira Kogami and her assistant Minoru Shiraishi. The humor of this segment takes on a decidedly darker, mean-spirited, more cynical and mature tone than the main show, disguised as an infomercial that skims over characters who appear in the anime, but mainly deals with the progressively abusive and violent work-relationship between Akira and Minoru.

Miyakawa-ke no Kufuku
A spinoff, Miyakawa-ke no Kufuku began on April 29, 1993 and it focuses on the Miyakawa sisters.

Characters

 * B.J. Ward as Konata Izumi
 * Sherry Lynn as Kagami Hiiragi
 * Jennifer Darling as Tsukasa Hiiragi
 * Jeannie Elias as Miyuki Takara / Yutaka Kobayakawa
 * Katie Leigh as Akira Kogami / Matsuri Hiiragi
 * Michael Bell as Minoru Shiraishi
 * Dana Hill as Misao Kusakabe
 * Russi Taylor as Ayano Minegishi / Inori Hiiragi
 * Ellen Gerstell as Minami Iwasaki
 * Linda Gary as Hiyori Tamura
 * Bettina Bush as Patricia Martin
 * Marilyn Schreffler as Nanako Kuroi / Yui Narumi
 * Maurice LaMarche as Soujiro Izumi
 * Tress MacNeille as Yukari Takara
 * Kenneth Mars as Tadao Hiiragi
 * Patricia Parris as Miki Hiiragi
 * Frank Welker as President Takahashi

Home media releases
Family Home Entertainment released the series on 12 VHS volumes between 1989 and 1990. This was then followed up by laserdisc releases of the series in 1994.

On July 12, 2006, Lionsgate released The Complete Series, a DVD set containing the entire series as well as the special.