@IKnight: For me the breaking of the fourth wall is something that can be overdone - the novelty is in danger of wearing off after a while. In the context of the Lucky Channel though it seems to work fine for some reason. As for the whole moe thing, for a term that’s bandied around so much, it’s very open to interpretation: ask five fans for a definition and you’ll get five different answers! I find it to be detrimental when it’s the main ’selling point’ of a show (in the same way as excessive violence, fan service and so on are, as you rightly pointed out). In the case of LS it’s a superficial aspect which is easier to overlook when there’s so much else going on underneath. I’ll return to that issue in more detail on my final review though so thanks for your comments so far! (:

I did like Lucky Star, but I always feel that breaking the Fourth Wall is a bit of a cheap shot. Surely, from the point of view of a ’serious’/'pretentious’ person, it’s better for a series to engage in a complex piece of subversion which requires a manual in semiotics to be untangled - thus demonstrating the skill of the untangler - rather than a moment of ‘This series knows it’s an anime series . . . ha ha.’

If the Fourth Wall is going to be broken, I like to see it done wholeheartedly and regularly throughout the series (Hayate the Combat Butler does this, I think).

The ‘when more worthwhile attributes are absent / so no other redeeming features are needed’ clause of your moe definition seems out of place - it relates to whether or not the moe content is carrying the show rather than what the moe content is. A similar clause might be inserted into definitions of fanservice, excessive violence, or for that matter even compelling writing and superb dialogue. But then as you say your definition is geared to the idea that moe is inherently bad.

I criticise, but to be honest this was mostly a very good appraisal of Lucky Star which I enjoyed reading.

My credentials as a ‘serious’ fan were beginning to crumble; that’s how it felt, anyway.

What credentials? lol.

It’s always good to hear someone overcoming their preconceptions, in all seriousness. I wouldn’t let what people think of an anime affect how you perceive it either — those who are swayed by fan reaction are just as bad as those who are swayed by public opinion. It’s achievable through a large and unhealthy dose of narcissism, but it works.