WanderingSage

K-On! is one of those shows that gets tossed around a lot as a great example of a slice of life comedy, being one of the more popular examples of one. It's also one of the most mentioned entry tier slice of life shows, pretty much one of those must watch shows due to sheer popularity factor and inertia on the internet. It was one of the first entries in the "cute girls doing cute things" genres that I sat down and watched, mostly on recommendations from folks and the sheer popularity of it. I was hoping to see what the slice of life genre was all about and this was obviously the place to start from what everyone was saying and my own limited experience in the genre. The first time that I watched K-On!, I didn't quite know what to expect from these types slice of life shows. I grew up watching things like Hokuto no Ken and Cowboy Bebop. I admit to a bit of a bias as to what I expected animated entertainment to be. This wasn't going to be shounen action, mecha, or deep science fiction/fantasy, this was going to be about high school girls working to put together their band, and they were going to be adorable and drink tea while doing it. With regards to the technical, the art fully commits to its style. Nothing spectacular, but familiar looking. Animation can feel a bit wonky at times. The sounds are done pretty well, the music that is performed does actually sound like J-pop, and the voice acting doesn’t give me any right to complain. The opening and closing credits are catchy, and the other songs that are performed work as well. I still occasionally find myself humming the tunes from the show when I think back on it. This is the high-water mark of the show in my opinion. K-On!’s major stumbles are story and character development. I wanted to give the show a full season of viewing to make sure that I was seeing what everyone else was seeing. Going in with high expectations was a bit of a mistake in this case. I struggled to figure out what everyone was seeing in this show, even after a full viewing, even if on balance, I found myself enjoying the show. I was hoping to see more about the struggles of putting together a musical performance and how a light music club would operate, but was a bit disappointed that each episode seemed to be more about tea and dessert time and screwing around than actual Light Music. This could be interesting if it was a couple episodes before the story got a bit more serious/urgent, but that was the story in just about every episode. To be fair, the story does have somewhat of a progression of time in it, with various activities happening more or less due to the needs of a light music club. Instruments are acquired, the girls work on the theory of practicing or song writing for a few minutes, and then they are back to doing pretty much what they were doing earlier, which is having a tea party and reacting to their situation in a clichéd way based on their character tropes. The characters in K-On! are not very deep or complex, and they pretty much have their one or two shticks that become a punchline repeatedly throughout the series. I watched the entire first season and past the first two or three episodes, I had figured out what the characters were going to do in most of the situations they were presented with. The lazy characters were going to be lazy, the timid, serious one was going to freak out about something when she tried to get things back to serious, the refined one was going to make tea to calm everyone down, and the adult in the room was going to try to get the club into cosplay. That’s basically each episode in total, with perhaps a school festival, beach, or holiday setting to break things up once every couple episodes or vary the weather a little. I understand that cute girls doing cute things is a part of anime these days, and in that, I suppose that the show delivers, as for the most part, they all play their cute reactions to the situations well, and things comfortably meander along, same as they ever were in each episode. This is what slice of life typically does, although the good slice of life does generally wander towards some character growth and resolution. However, outside of the opening and closing credits, the Light Music Club seems to do precious little actual music composition and practice, which left me thoroughly confused, somewhat frustrated, and wondering if I was totally missing the point as people seem to love this show and recommend it as a must watch. The big question that I’ve had a hard time answering after watching the first season is if the whole music club is really necessary to tell this high school story. I’m not sure it added much to be honest, and it could have been any club at all if we're being fair. One can sympathize with the poor kouhai of the show wondering why they're even in the club and despairing that no actual musical practice or anything is being done. One would think that there would be a bit more musical passion from the main cast if the show was going to be about a music club, and not just stumble towards the big concert or what have you. The music itself always seemed like a bit of a distraction from the next scene of the girls doing something that was exaggeratedly cute. To take example of another slice of life show about a high school club from the same year or so, Saki, the mahjong oriented high school anime, actually felt like a more compelling show to watch, even if it was technically weaker in art, animations, sound, etc. It was also full of somewhat unnecessary fan service, somewhat exaggerated mahjong super powers, and trope heavy characters. However, they went hard on the mahjong angle, and the story arc worked as the characters worked together to play and get better and the slice of life and character development occurred through the act of enjoying their club activities. While I don't think Saki was a masterpiece, I look back on K-On! and wonder why they didn't take a similar approach towards making the music the focus instead of the cute stuff. I think it would have worked for the better. All said, I didn’t get too much out of K-On!, as perhaps I was looking for something a little more substantial (I realize that may be misguided with a show like this). When a song is actually played by the group, it’s decent enough to watch. The problem is that this happens so rarely that it’s just not enough to really make up for the problem of it being the same thing over and over each episode. There are shows with characters that are interesting enough to make you want to see them interact in various situations and the comedy or drama involved will make it entertain you. I watched Azumanga Daioh some time after K-On! and discovered what slice of life really should be when trying to show high school girls life where nothing of grand import happens. There was a charm to Azumanga that K-On! was trying to replicate, but didn't quite get there in my opinion. In fairness to the show, I recently re-watched K-On!'s first season to see if I got anything else out of it after watching quite a few more slice of life shows. I would say that my opinion of K-On! has improved a bit from my initial reaction, but I still prefer other shows in the genre with a bit more character development and stronger personalities. I did find a reasonable amount of entertainment (or maybe relaxation is a better word) in the show after completely turning the mind off and just floating along with it, but this isn't something that I can do for more than a couple episodes at a time. I highly recommend that you avoid my mistakes in the slice of life genre and start with something like Azumanga Daioh to see what slice of life and cute girl shows do well. Then watch K-On! afterward. It helps to have some perspective to compare this one to. While this review probably comes across as a bit negative, I still enjoyed K-On! quite a bit. But, it's not as high on my list of favorite slice of comedies for the reasons mentioned. When the group of girls actually play music, it's done pretty well. I would have liked to have seen more of it, and consider the show a bit of a wasted opportunity. It's still worth a watch, it's had a large enough impact on anime culture that it is worth your time. It's also worth noting that sometimes, "fun things are fun" and you shouldn't take anything too seriously anyway. That is worth something in my book.

TK8878

~~~img600(https://i.imgur.com/H9QoQgm.png)~~~ # ~~~__Spoiler-free review of season 1__~~~ # Review in brief: K-On!'s 1st season cemented much of what are now seen as the quintessential elements of the CGDCT subgenre. Rather than bring anything new to the table, K-On! distilled what had already been done into something that's easy to relate to without sacrificing much in the way of characterization, comedy, and plain old fun. # Review in full: K-On, like most of what is found in the CGDCT (Cute Girls Doing Cute Things) subgenre, isn't really about anything. Sure, there's themes that are lightly touched on, and sometimes they play music, but the story isn't the main point. K-On is far from the first CGDCT anime to come about and was hardly an innovator in its field. That distinction is generally given to Azumanga Daioh, whose blend of loose (often to the point of being surreal) comedy and iyashikei (healing) undertones set a precedent that has largely remained followed since it started as a manga 20 years ago. Aside from being much less surreal, K-On!'s style is fairly standard even for its time, much more so these days when it's been done multiple times per season for years. Yet K-On! is a much beloved anime and a worthwhile entry point into its subgenre to this day. This season may not stand out against many of its peers, but it provides a lighthearted, friendly experience and it does this especially consistently. K-On! not having much of a focal point actually plays to its benefit, as it allows the anime to take full advantage of its simplicity. Sure, it lacks the narrative depth you'd expect from something more focused on its plot, but K-On! isn't as shallow as it looks and goes as deep as it needs to for it to provide an all-around fun time.

img(https://i.imgur.com/sOEtOmq.gif) _What Yui imagines the Keion-bu is like before joining. Add some friends and replace the castanets with tea and it's not that far off._ Rather than try and compose anything poignant or grandiose, K-On! simply tries to bring about a smile through its calming normalcy and general goofiness. It does a splendid job of capturing the air of an after-school club with close friends, often subject to goofing off and enjoying each other's company rather than focus on just the club activity which, while a shared interest, is but a single facet in the relationships of its members. Virtually anyone who has been part of a close group of friends can relate to it, and those who haven't can easily get an understanding of what would make such an arrangement a fun and worthwhile venture. Since we've established that the "cute things" being done aren't the important part, it's the "cute girls" that are the main appeal. Of course they're visually cute, but this isn't an ecchi title and the resulting innocent nature of the anime is part of the charm. No, it's the selection of cute personalities playing off each other that's important. The quirky but rarely over-the-top bunch of goofballs in K-On! definitely get the job done. Sure they're initially defined by a handful of personality traits, but most of the cast supplement each other's quirks over the course of the season, allowing them to flesh out quite nicely and even lightly develop. For instance, Mio has stage fright and doesn't like costumes, but there's some costumes she dislikes more than others and the difference between performing for her friends versus the whole school is clear. From there, K-On! builds on those traits by having her become accustomed to the outfits that she dislikes less and find reasons to slowly embrace her creative side and worry less about sharing it. It's not a big development, and it's been done countless times, but the slight drama that brings it to light and the subtle shift in how the comedy plays off of these developed traits goes a long way in keeping the humor from getting stale and making the moeblobs the show starts with into a fairly convincing group of friends. img(https://i.imgur.com/mHjQSVX.gif) img(https://i.imgur.com/9fAdBSy.gif) _Sometimes season 1 looks really nice, but there were definitely some corners cut._ Speaking of moeblobs, they come up visually quite often in season 1. K-On! wasn't the KyoAni goldmine it's known as today until after the anime was airing. While KyoAni didn't give K-On!'s visuals the same effort as their more serious prior works (such as their Key adaptations) they still put more into it than the standard CGDCT usually receives even now. On those infrequent occasions the characters actually perform or otherwise take their club seriously, K-On! features some nice animation. These moments are rather smooth, lively, and feature enough intricate detail for nice touches like the music being played and the animation for the girls playing instruments lining up just about perfectly. On the other side of the coin, comedy moments often heavily simplify visual details and have much less animation, especially when it comes to the girls and their faces. At least the framing and background art are always of a high quality to make up for those scenes when they occur. Fortunately, the sound quality is more consistent than both the animation quality and the Keion-bu's focus on music. Sure, the performed music is mostly J-pop, but it's noticeably spirited and sounds like the sort of thing a bunch of high-school girls would come up with (save for the ED, which appears much more professional as if to show the club's potential). The background music is light, simple, and less poppy, but it fits the setting, contrasts the performances well, and is quite varied overall. However, the voicework (Japanese dub) is where K-On's audio truly shines. The girls all receive expressive, distinct, wide-ranging voices that fit them like gloves. It makes them feel so much more alive that K-On simply would not be the same without its voices. # Verdict: Like most CGDCT anime, K-On!'s 1st season is simple and largely uneventful. All it wants the viewer to do is have some fun, and enough of an effort is put into delivering relatable & organic fun for it to accomplish that consistently. It's that consistency that makes this season a good entry point into CGDCT, because you'll definitely know what it is by the last episode and can easily make a judgment as to whether it's for you or not from there. This season isn't particularly memorable, but for what it is there's little to fault it for, and consistent lighthearted fun has its value. # Related reviews: # [K-On!: Live House!](https://anilist.co/review/4372) -> # [K-On!! (Season 2)](https://anilist.co/review/5798) ->

JCooly

#

__Though this review comes under season one, please think of this as my thoughts and feelings on the entire series as a whole.__ I'm rather excited to talk about this series. img400(https://i.imgur.com/9KV7QUV.gif) #Introduction and context: ---------- I love K-ON!, and I don't think my analysis will be very in-depth, or that scrutinous. My goal here is more to simply express what I think makes the series special, and what I think a lot of people miss out on when they watch it. Not super detailed, but hopefully a coherent articulation of my thoughts. Of course this all comes from a place of subjectivity. I am in no way going to suggest that there are objective truths when it comes to our feelings on art. I want to make that stance abundantly clear. #The nature of K-ON!'s storytelling: ---------- The biggest criticism I have seen levelled at K-ON! , time and time again is that it supposedly lacks a narrative and/or theming. That "nothing happens." Or "it's just a moe show." Something to watch to switch your brain off. I find these sentiments to miss the point so thoroughly. Yes K-ON! is so ridiculously moe. It is sweet and saccharine to an extreme, and there is defintely fun to be had even just watching it as a comfy & cute show. It's just that I feel it has so much more to offer than this. My stance is that K-ON! is extremely deft in it's writting. Never forcing dramatism to make a point. Not falling back strained emotional cliché to create inner meaning for it's audience. Instead I find K-ON!'s emotional and thematic presentation to be extremely authentic, and the subject of it's themes to relate to the human experience in such an complete way. Though this natural approach to presenting itself seems to be both a blessing and a curse for the series. A blessing as this subtlety makes it's emotional plot points and themes feel all the more genuine and real. But a curse as I feel these points sometimes go unnoticed to an audience that is more accustomed to anime's more obvious, and jarring approach to story telling. Which to be honest is a major issue I have with anime as a medium. #The true emotional value of K-ON!: ---------- What I think is at the core of K-ON!, and what maks it a good series; is the way it depicts such amazingly relatable characters, that we consistently throughout the show get more and more emotional context for. The show effortlessly portrays the girls of K-ON! expressing themselves, figuring out what they want, how they feel, analysing their own feelings, and maybe most importantly. Them conveying how they feel for eachother, and thus experiencing healthy and beautiful relationships. All of these elements are important for us, and this makes them stunningly good role models. No matter where we are in our lives, we can all relate to the girls, desire what wonderful relationships they have, and learn a great deal from them. Additionally even though the true basis of what is on display in the series is basic. It's execution is so real and cohesive that it speaks wonders for the value of the show. Here I want to glance over some events of the show, and use them to support my feelings. I want to say so much, and could talk about the little details in every episode, but I would be here forever. So if you haven't watched it and do not wish to hear about any specifics please feel free to skip to the end. __Consider this a spoiler warning__ #A few little examples of what I love about K-ON! and some light character analysis. ------ __Contextual thoughts on Yui:__ Yui is many things. She is a honest and innocent girl. Silly and lazy. But for me her most important aspects are the ways she expresses herself completely & unashamedly. that and she is so extremely open about her love for her friends. Especially Azusa later in the series. Also despite her slow and lazy nature, she is capable of being a very determined and stalwart girl, who strives hard to achieve the things she needs to. __Events and narrative points of interest:__ K-ON! starts to show it's true colours pretty early on. Thinking back to the __second episode.__ Yui had only just joined the club, after getting to know eachother, and learning of Yui's lack of musical experience. Yui sets her sights on a rather expensive instrument at the music store. A very pretty Les Paul guitar. Seeing it's too expensive, Yui accepts she can't afford it. But the other girls band together and work a part time job to buy the guitar for her. Walking away after a day at work. Yui thinks about just how wonderful this experience was, and how nice it was of everyone to help her. She turns around and shouts to them that she can't thank them enough, and she promises to try her best at learning guitar. It's simply heart warming, but also shows off Yui's introspection in the most natural way. The __Season one Finale.__ It's the big performance, and right before the start Yui realises she has forgotten her guitar. The band must play on without her as she rushes home to get it. Upon returning Yui is quick to criticise her own nature. On Stage. In front of everyone. She expresses that she always does silly stuff like this, that even in a time like this, when it is most important, she let them down. Unable to control her tears. Again this is really shows Yui's emotional openess which I find so admirable. But the girls simply look at her and tell her they love her, all smiling with such sincerity. To me thats what life is about, maybe I'm being overly emotional, but thats how I feel. __Azusa and heart of season two's narrative:__ Azusa is far less in touch with her feelings. she is a more flawed person alongside a very idealistic friend. In this case Yui. Whilst Yui is extremely emotionally open, unashamed, and expressive. Azusa struggles with these things that are so important for us. Azusa has lots of admirable traits. She is tenacious, hard working, and thoughtful of others to name a few. But I'm going to focus on what is in my opinion, the most important element of the story, & her character. Throughout the series, and especially towards the end. We see Azusa dwell on her anxieties and sadness of seeing those she loves leave her. As she is a year younger than all the other girls, and they graduate before she does. But never is Azusa able to confront these feeling directly. Always pushing them to the back of her mind. Until it all comes out in an emotional outburst, where she shares these anxieties with her bandmates. But even then she expresses concern for letting these feelings get in the way, and ruin the mood. But of course her friends, and more specifically Yui, who cares for Azusa especially deeply, instantly make her feelings feel justified, support her, make sure that she understands just how much they love her, and that they will stay with her no matter what. In a fairly heavy parallel to the climax of season one I think this is handled so beautifully in K-ON! . Azusa is such a great conduit for teaching us the importance of expression and emotional openess her being one extreme, and Yui being the other. But even though these characters are two extremes in this way, they are presented in such a honest and genuine manner. I wish I could go on about the other girls in the same way as I have here. But I have already written so much, and to me the emotional core of K-ON! is based around Yui and Azusa. This is not to degrade the value of everyone else. The show is built on the relationships of the five main characters, and those they know. It's just I do not feel I could do everyone and everything justice, not without talking on and on forever. So I shall have to move on to some concluding thoughts. #Synopsis ---- To me K-ON! is really one of a kind. I hope I've been able to adequately communicate my feelings and why I feel them. To anyone who hasn't seen the series I couldn't recommend it enough and ask you to find you own meaning within. These are simply my thoughts and I've tried to express them as coherently as I could. ~~Hopefully without any psuedoanalytical clichés like "Good character development" or "Good pacing"~~ I wish you all a lovely time wherever you are.

CryingLad

# [~~~**If you want to experience the show blindly, don't read the review!**~~~]()
This series hooked me in instantly, to this very day I still can't get over how good it was. [**PREMISE:**]() This show focuses on a group of girls in the Light Music Club. They are very carefree, even when they have a perfomance soon they will just spend their time drinking tea and eating cake. They also form a really close friendship over the span of this season. The sheer amount of cuteness is enough to persuade one to cheer the girls on in their musical endevaour. The music that they produce is amazing to be honest, I think this is one of the biggest reason why people loved this. This and the moe factor is why people can't let go of the series just like I can't. I honestly listen to the songs on Spotify like everyday. ~~~img420(https://thumbs.gfycat.com/UntimelyImportantFurseal-size_restricted.gif)~~~
[**CHARACTERS:**]() The cast, oh my goodness is it perfect. **Yui** - The main guitarist, at first she doesn't know how to even play the guitar, let alone sing, but with enough practice she got it sorted. She is really cheerful and she spreads that happiness to other people, including the viewer. **Mio** - The bassist, she is much more shy and mature than the rest but she still does know how to make people happy. She has to be my favourite character, mostly cause I relate to her shyness quite well but also because. **Ritsu** - The drummer, she is just so wild. She is energetic just like Yui. She loves the drums cause of the way you play them, hitting stuff. She is more of a tomboy in behaviour but not fully, she does act like a girly girl at times. **Mugi** - The pianist, she is very calm. She is also quite posh, I suppose that word is good to use here. She wants her friends to have fun and it shows. She is much more mature than even Mio, but can let her fantasies run wild. **Azusa** - Although she is a new member of the club. She is much more serious about practice than the rest. Meanwhile everyone is having cake and tea she wants to practice for the perfomance. She really takes off in the next season but she is a good character here as well. ~~~img420(https://media1.giphy.com/media/DUzCmpUw0s6KA/giphy.gif)~~~
[**ART/ANIMATION:**]() KyoAni is honestly just amazing, I love pretty much all of the shows they've made. The animation is so fluid and smooth, the art style is amazing and super polished up, it adds to the cuteness factor as well. Just fantastic all around. ~~~img420(https://media3.giphy.com/media/kRfTBDVrnfpy8/giphy.gif)~~~
[**MUSIC:**]() Oh my godness, the main point of the show and it doesn't disappoint. Like I said previously, I listen to the songs from this show everyday on spotify, they are just so good. They have mostly rock songs (and J-pop). Which is honestly so good. The OPs and EDs are amazing just like the perfomance songs in the show. Don't Say "Lazy" is honestly perfection in this season. ~~~img420(https://steamuserimages-a.akamaihd.net/ugc/850470676235001048/174CB30512FB1E7B627A837ACBCEC7946EDAB786/)~~~
[**OVERALL OPINION:**]() K-ON! is the type of show that you **need** to give a shot to. Even if you don't like CGDCT or moe you will still surely enjoy this show. This is the pinnacle of moe and CGDCT, I can't let go of this show and the cast of characters, I didn't think I could get this attached to a show before.

PatricianBliss

As an ardent connoisseur of visual media, you inevitably develop a refined and intrinsic sense for _genre_, one which allows you to quickly identify any titular work with an abstraction of its parts. Just as an engineer might recognize a machine's function solely by the arrangement of cogs inside, a practiced aesthete will know what a picture in motion will look like long before arriving at the last frame. In my case, I could immediately tell that K-ON! ultimately exists to deceive and disenfranchise its own audience, preying on them as they try desperately to fill the hole left behind by the traumas of life and the onslaught of time. Within minutes I was dreadfully aware that this show is a one-way track to even deeper depths of sadness. K-ON! entices the dregs of society with the promise of carefree musical fun, so potent and enchanting that you'll forget we're all on a burning rock hurling towards Armageddon. But when really analyzed – when looked at as an actual work instead of a liquid injection of "kawaii" BULLSHIT – K-ON's strain of happiness is quickly seen as a disingenuous sort, only believable in the mind of someone who has never had a real human interaction and never plans to. Without going into detail about the barely-existent plot, K-ON! can be summarized as a comatose fever-dream in which literally nothing bad or troubling ever happens - except this concept is played straight and as though existence in such an intangible bubble is relatable. In fact, while K-ON! is technically about a group of musicians trying to hone their skills and make something of themselves, the plot is largely incidental to the real purpose of the show: Watching cute girls doing cute things in a perfectly controlled environment. K-ON! is painstakingly crafted to exude warmth and comfort down to the atomic level, positively reaming the viewer with a thunderous torrent of cutesy antics and adorable interactions. Our charming cast enjoys a delightful existence of care-free music-playing, snack-eating, and group hugs - all in the cozy alcove that is their club room, which is kept at a perfect temperature and insulated from the Mormons. I can't understate just how utopian this show is. Their world is so perfect that we can only assume the fossil fuel industry is nominally taxed and Elon Musk has finished the Hyperloop, ushering in an era of unprecedented prosperity for all. If it sounds like I'm pitching a good time right now, then congratulations, you've fallen into the same trap as the sorry souls before you. No matter how high your spirits are when watching this show, you're still going to be dragged kicking and screaming back to the real world each time the credits roll, no happier or more fulfilled than you were before. Where other shows can leave lasting positive effects, K-ON! will leave you listless and empty every time you finish an episode and remember the Hyperloop isn't real. All that has changed is that you have another unfillable craving on top of the preexisting ones: The craving to watch K-ON! so that you may forget the coldness in your own bones for another twenty or so minutes. The reason for this lack of a long-lasting payoff is that K-ON! is _too_ perfect. So peaceful and content that its highest peaks are still too low. No matter how well one can suspend their disbelief, it's always evident when something is too cheery to be real. Nothing in K-ON! resembles a world that can exist. No person depicted exemplifies a state of mind that can be fulfilled. The show is utterly devoid of genuine humanity, which principally requires that our happiness is scraped from the underbelly of a world that is always working against us. Happiness is granted in K-ON! - inherent and inalienable for all its characters. In truth, the entire series is an artifice built for the sole purpose of hooking lonely and vulnerable people in order to sell merchandise and a wealth of music that is not fully listenable in the show (which is an admirable fiscal pursuit worthy of respect, but we're talking solely in artistic terms at the moment). Indeed, I knew from the start that the most memorable part of this show would be seeing my own tired and miserable face staring back at me in the TV's reflection when an episode ends. Where in K-ON! the layman will find warmth and comfort, the dilettante will find a crushing, perennial emptiness not unlike the kind felt when Obama left office. Where the uninitiated will see cute girls drinking tea, eating sweets, and playing instruments, the critically inclined will see aliens masquerading as a malformed _idea_ of human beings – ones who are entirely unburdened by the cruelty of reality and the consequences of living. The nauseating barrage of platitudes on friendship will ring hollow because they are spoken by surrogate characters who have never felt pain and will therefore never feel love. However 'cute' Yui, Ritsu, Mugi, Mio, and Azusa may seem to you, they are ultimately an insidious trick. These nonliving things prattling about the club-room represent the zenith of lies fed to us by Kawaii culture and the Kremlin agents who invented it to keep us docile. As the complicated nature of the real world wears you down, you will be continually tempted to alienate yourself from reality and return to K-ON! so you can experience a synthetic and addictive brand of happiness that the real world lacks. As the minutiae of each nearly-identical episode recedes and coalesces into a single awful memory, you will stare vacantly out the window and think back to a distant time when there was more to life than _this_; painfully conscious of every solitary second you've spent watching K-ON! Ultimately, I'm still glad this property exists because it created a multitude of products to buy, thus stimulating the economy. But nevertheless, if you're even considering watching this show, then that probably means your spark has gone out. It would behoove you to try reigniting it elsewhere, because make no mistake: K-ON! is a show meant for the dead.

Vollerei

_”Fun things are fun.” - Yui Hirasawa_ What happens when you bring together tea, comedy, music, and a group of girls brought together by a similar interest? You get the Light Music Club! I never knew that a cute and innocent anime like K-On! had existed this whole time, and if you asked me whether I’d enjoy it or not, I’d definitely have my doubts. Coming from someone who’s lived and breathed shounen in my earlier days of anime, and now into the deep romance plots with some comedy incorporated, K-On! definitely took me out of my comfort zone. At first, I had to get used to the fact that there wasn’t going to be any deep drama or messy romance plot anywhere to be seen, which DEFINITELY felt odd. I soon realize though, that a show like this was meant to be simply enjoyed, and enjoy it I did! There wasn’t a single episode that left me without a laugh, and every episode managed to leave me with a smile on my face. From the upfront comedy to the colorful personalities of each character, K-On! excelled in bringing to the table an anime that someone could just sit back and enjoy. This is why this anime felt truly unique to me, because it felt like it’s sole purpose was to keep you smiling till the next episode. The Ho-kago Tea Time band succeeded in providing a whole season of fun and enjoyment that I won’t forget anytime soon. Without further ado, it’s Fuwha Fuwha Time!!! Art and Animation: 9.2/10 - This simple, yet beautiful art style is expected from a studio as well known as KyoAni, and they don’t disappoint this time either. The art style chosen for this anime fit perfectly with the humorous mood, often times resulting in hilariously drawn characters or fantasies. Each characters design had fit perfectly with their personalities, which gave all of them a unique look that set them apart as an individual character. Is it just me, or am I the only one that absolutely LOVED Mugi’s eyebrows?! When it came down to the quality of the background sets, nothing felt generic at all. The vibrant colors and attention to detail in animation had made this anime a joy to watch for every episode. Especially during performance shots, animation quality was detailed even to the very fingers of these characters. Storyline and Character Progression: 8.3/10 - There wasn’t really much to go off of when rating this, and I had some trouble because this anime doesn’t have a solid goal in mind when it comes to storyline. It was mainly composed of little events that the band faced as they were figuring out what they wanted to accomplish as a band. In regards to character progression, this too was hard to gauge since we were presented with wonderful characters that were already “complete”. There wasn’t anything fundamentally wrong with this, but it could be an instant turn-off for those who don’t like the somewhat “episodic” feel that K-On! presents. How do I feel about this? I say: Just enjoy the ride! There IS a storyline to this anime, albeit light, that I’m sure will grow in significance given proper time. Until then, just enjoy the little hilarious moments this band finds themselves in as they take life one day at a time. In doing so, you’ll be experiencing this anime for what it was meant for. Soundtrack and Audio: 9.1/10 - This anime delivered when it came to musicality, and it is expected when the overall environment focuses on a group of girls forming a band together. Each song felt very authentic, and reflected well the band that produced it! Nothing felt generic, and this is thanks to the great talent of the vocal cast. Every song in the soundtrack was unique enough to be memorable. Even both the OP and ED were ones that I really enjoyed listening to every time they played. The OP being one that no K-On! fan is soon to forget! The vocal cast for this anime was perfect for the fit. They definitely fit their characters in every way, and made watching them even more enjoyable as they expressed themselves. In the end, if you’re just looking for an anime that’ll make you laugh and smile with joy, there are few anime that do it as well as K-On! Don’t expect any serious or deep moments from this anime, because you’ll ruin the easygoing vibe of the band known as Ho-kago Tea Time! Just enjoy the many hilarious and cute moments that K-On! has in store, and you’ll come to appreciate this anime for what it was made for. You’ll be laughing and enjoying the amazing music this band produces together after many days of “practice”, haha. K-On! earns a final score of 8.8/10 for its amazing execution in delivering unbearably cute and innocent entertainment to a specific and targeted audience. I believe though, that everyone should give this simple and cute anime a shot so that they too can enjoy every moment that I experienced, in the hopes that it puts a smile on your face as it did countless times for me. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see y’all in the next one!

ABPAEAE

I can wholeheartedly say that K-on! is my favorite show of all time, anime or otherwise. If I could only watch one show for the rest of my life, this would be the one. K-on! truly allows viewers to get to know all of the wonderful characters in this series as friends, and you end up feeling like you're growing up and going through high school with all of them. As creepy as that sounds, it's really not creepy, it's just the only way I know how to word it. It's honestly just heart touching and really wholesome. There's really no story as is the case with most slice of life anime, and it's not a bad thing. There's a general foundation for why everyone is in the show and what they do, but after that, the show solely relies on characters to entertain the viewer. Looking back at it now, K-on! was one of the first slice of life anime I watched, and I think it's what really got me into the genre. Not all slice of life is great, but every episode of K-on! manages to be the genre perfected. If you haven't completely turned away from the genre yet and are interested to see the best of what it has to offer, look no further. The artstyle of K-on! became somewhat of a standard for its time. Many other shows tried to mimic the style and get on the bandwagon of its popularity. It's really quite a nice style that manages to be distinct, stylish, and cozy. I'm no artist so I can't tell you exactly what's responsible for this, but the overall quality is just really nice to me. The animation itself is fantastic as well, and all the characters manage to be very expressive and alive. K-on! doesn't try to be artsy or anything, it's just good quality. And for that, it's a favorite of mine. Sound is obviously going to be very important for an anime about a tight-knit band, and honestly, the music isn't really to my taste, but I still love every bit of it. The story leading up to the performance of the songs in-show make them so much more enjoyable, and a couple of them get the tears rolling just after hearing the first few beats. Aside from the actual performed songs, the background music is nice, but is repeated often. Even with the repetition, the music fits so well with the characters and their hijinks. As I mentioned when going over the story aspects, characters are what fuel the slice of life genre. There's not a single dislikable character in K-on! Everyone is just so wholesome and cute, it really makes you wish real life would be this perfect. However, each episode strives to immerse you in such a world for twenty minutes or so. There's some minor character progression from a couple characters, but at the end of the day, slice of life is meant to portray everyday life of a character or group of characters. There's epic fantasy tales where heroes and villains do complete 180s and I'm sure some of them do this well, but slice of life just wouldn't be slice of life if it did that. The synergy between any two or more given characters really is flawless and great fun to watch. I first watched K-on! earlier this year (late to the party, I know), and just finished rewatching it. I can very easily see myself rewatching this series every few months from now on. None of the enjoyment or emotional impact is lost through the second time around. That's a sign of a good show if I've ever seen one. IMPORTANT: If you're going to watch the show, PLEASE do yourself a favor and watch Keikaku! and the movie before watching episode 24 in the second season. The storyline will make much more sense and I honestly don't know why this isn't more common knowledge :(

SrRogue

____Visão geral____ É bom anime, com uma excelente direção, a história é muito simples, queria que tivesse algo ali mais profundo. Incrivelmente, notei agora pouco que tem na "overview" do anime a tag "filosofia", se tem isso no anime me passou completamente despercebido, talvez seja referente ao último episódio, onde Yui está falando a seu eu do passado enquanto toca uma música sobre cartas ao fundo, ou pode ser simplesmente algo em relação a convivência e relacionamento das personagens. ____Personagens____ As personagens são bem carismáticas, dependendo da sua personalidade, vai preferir umas e outras, comecei achando que gostaria mais da protagonista central, não tenho uma favorita entre as quatro, gosto de todas, porém, de uma mais e de outra menos. A Mio foi a que eu mais gostei, em primeiro momento ela me pareceu ser uma garota esperta e bem prudente do que sua melhor amiga, e é interessante notar que mesmo ela sendo alguém bem tímida ela vai de confronto a isso, quando suas amigas necessitam disso, ou quando a própria banda precisa, e mesmo sendo medrosa, se mostrou bem competitiva quando escutou a fita da antiga banda pelo episódio 4, e sentiu-se na obrigação de convidar a banda para se concentrar na evolução deste. O baixo que é seu instrumento, casa muito bem com sua personalidade, ambos são bem tímidos, o baixo caso nunca é muito destacado na música e nunca aparece muito nos holofotes, ambos tem papel importante na banda, alguém bem instruído em música sabe que mesmo quase não se notando a presença desse instrumento, ele é de suma importância na música, assim é Mio para o clube de música. Ritsu é um misterioso a parte para mim, não a consigo descrever direito, não notei nela um confronto em sua personalidade, onde uma coisa se contrapõe a outra, como por exemplo na Tsumugi, que é pura como um anjo, mas parece ser uma __entusiasta__ de Yuri. Ela é bem simples e reta, até um pouco fácil de ler, tem bastante apego a sua melhor amiga Mio, é divertida e parece estar sempre de bom humor, mas é desajeitada, preguiçosa, acho que é o típico estereótipo de um baterista de uma banda, é boa e atenciosa com os membros do clube e com as pessoas, ao menos parece. Seu instrumento, a bateria, me remete ao fato de que tanto a bateria quanto ela, são as duas barulhentas e ambas estão quase sempre a procura do foco, é são um dos alicerces para a música e a harmonia da banda, tanto a bateria como a própria Ritsu, que por sua impulsividade, foi a causa de existir o clube de música leve. Tsumugi Kotoboki, ironicamente, ela foi a que notei mais coisas a falar, ela é a típica "One-san" dos animes, alguém mais maduro e calmo, que parece ser como uma figura materna, e que algumas vezes, é levado até para lado da conotação sexual da coisa pelo tipo de personalidade dela, ela é pura como anjo, mas como disse antes, isso se contrapõe, interessante notar isso que é usado para dar complexidade para personagens como em um anime desses, não notei isso na Ritsu, Yui ou a Azusa, talvez tenha passado despercebido aos olhos, ela é bem educada e rica, mas não esbanja isso a suas colegas, na verdade, procura até a esconder, procura sempre deixar os membros da banda bem entre si e procura manter a harmonia no grupo. Acho que o piano combina mais com ela que o teclado, mas os dois são bem parecidos e semelhantes no final. A Tsumugi é de uma familia rica e nobre, educada, modesta, completamente alguém da nobreza, assim reflete o teclado/piano, esses dois tipos de objetos musicais quase nunca tem o seu destaque merecido, apesar de terem importância para o ritmo, seja ele leve e calmo, ou mais agitado e contagiante, acompanhando os outros objetos musicais ele os enriquece e deixa a música bem melhor, Tsumugi é assim também para as outras garotas, sempre as acompanhado e apesar de não estar e descarta os holofotes, tem sua importância. Quanto à Azusa, teve foco interessante em sua personalidade, sendo mais experiente em música entre todas do grupo, não conseguiu definir para si própria o porquê do clube de música leve a encantar tanto em comparação a grupos musicais mais maduros, o desfecho foi interessante, sua presença é notável, amadureceu as meninas como um grupo musical sério, ela tem seu papel na banda como guitarra de apoio, e que apoio, tanto para o relacionamento para um crescimento do elenco quanto em sentido de música. Hirasawa Yui - olha que peso, carrega o sobrenome Hirasawa, o mesmo de Susumu Hirasawa... aliás, ouçam as composições dele! - a guitarra e essa adolescente, não vejo uma maior e tão clara ligação com sua personalidade que isso, é incrível as comparações que se pode fazer entre as duas, a guitarra sempre tem os holofotes, e tem a maior responsabilidade quem a toca, dita o ritmo, as outras a acompanham, sempre é a descontraída e a mais alegre, isso é a Yui e a guitarra, absurdamente parecidas, só não coloco mais exemplos da suas semelhanças porquê se esgotaram para mim, as sei que se pode fazer paralelos bem interessantes. Legal ver que apesar da sua personalidade toda despreocupada, ela se preocupava em achar algo especial para ela fazer ao final de seus últimos anos como colegial, e que ela sempre irá se empenhar naquilo que ama, mostrando que mesmo um preguiçoso achando algo que ame, vai se empenhar de todo o coração naquilo. ____Direção____ Naoka Yamada, fiquem de olho em todo anime que ela é diretora, pois o anime certamente irá ser muito bom. A KyoAni sempre surpreende, mas não esperava tanto empenho em um anime desses, tem animação fluída para todo canto, desde a abertura até as coisas mais simples, como o andar e o centar das personagens, a fotografia e enquadramento disso aqui em algumas cenas é maravilhoso, a cena final da Yui correndo até o ginásio é a prova disso, lindo, lindo. Trilha sonora não deu por falta, teve presença constante, mas nada de destaque. Agora meus amigos...quero destacar duas cenas, a primeira é uma que acontece no primeiro episódio, tem a Akiyama e a Tainaka na sala que viria ser o local de encontro para as meninas, e lá apareceu a Kotoboki e conversavam sobre uma promessa, de repente, parecia um anime de drama, fiquei estupefato, tudo, tudo combinava, as vozes, a trilha sonora, o enquadramento a forma com que era contado a história em flaschback, nada soou forçado, nada! Parecia um drama muito real e com peso emocional para as personagens. Fabuloso! E a outra foi no episódio 3, uma cena onde a bateirista quer entrar no quarto de Hirasawa, e os enquadramentos mudavam, de forma muito agradável de se ver, e a animação continuava linda, não consigo descrever melhor, apenas olhando entenderiam. Só um adendo: a comédia é legalzinha. História: muito simples para se comentar apesar de ter momentos que mereciam uma certa atenção.

nflstreet

By any stretch of the imagination, _K-On!_ is the most well-known ‘Cute Girls Doing Cute Things’ anime. It’s the first anime most people who know anime think of when they think of ‘moe’ or ‘slice of life’. I was originally going to call it the GOAT CGDCT anime, but the GOAT status is so subjective that it would be unfair to other great CGDCT anime. However, _K-On!_ is the face of the moe/CGDGT/etc. anime, and is by most measures the most favored and well-known of all of anime of the like. Of course, _K-On!_ isn’t the best anime out there, and does have haters, although most of that stems from the hatred of the genre it's the face of (thankfully, that hate, and those type of anime watchers, seem to be a dying breed and antiquated now). What separates _K-On!_ from other anime of its type, and makes it memorable to this day, is how much effort Kyoto Animation put into it. From the well-developed characters, to the lively animation, and the great BGM/insert songs, _K-On!_ is a one of a kind anime, and is the product of something that was made from love and hard work, not from the sole pursuit of the almighty yen (although KyoAni did make a lot of money due to how much of a smash hit _K-On!_ was.) img1000(https://i.imgur.com/PUPI767.jpg) ~~~_Mugi's recruitment poster for the Light Music Club ('Light Music Club', 'Won't you join a band?', 'Looking for a guitarist')_~~~ While she isn’t the sole focal point of the series, _K-On!_ focuses on Yui Hirasawa’s goofs and gaffs, which she tends to have a lot of. One of them being that she thought that the ‘Keionbu’ (‘Light Music Club’) played easy instruments like the castanets. The Light Music Club, having zero members at the start of the anime, is re-established by Ritsu Tainaka and Mio Akiyama, who play drums and bass guitar, respectively. Sawako Yamanaka, a music teacher at their school, tells them that they need to find two more members in order to save the club from being disbanded. They find Tsumugi Kotobuki (‘Mugi’ for short) by chance after she walks into the music room looking for the Chorus Club. After some begging by Ritsu and arguing between her and Mio, Mugi decides that the Light Music Club sounds like fun and that she wants to join. Mugi is able to play the keyboards—all they need to find now is a fourth member, who is hopefully a guitarist. Despite the drawing of a guitar and the “Looking for a guitarist” caption on the recruitment poster (drawn by Mugi), Yui still mistakes the Light Music Club for the ‘Easy Music Club’. After Yui’s childhood friend, Nodoka Manabe, explains to her what the Light Music Club actually is, Yui becomes intimidated by the idea of joining. She doesn’t know anything about playing guitar, and she’s afraid that the members will kill her for attempting to get out of joining. Thankfully for Yui, the three members of the club don’t attempt to kill her—instead, they convince her to join after performing for her. On the promise to learn the instrument, Yui becomes the fourth member, and the lead guitarist, for the Light Music Club, securing the club’s existence for the next three years. img1000(https://i.imgur.com/0fMcsF4.png) ~~~_Mugi being entertained by Mio and Ritsu's spat_~~~ Azusa Nanako, introduced in episode eight, is the other character that is focused on in this season. She is the junior of everyone else in the Light Music Club, and also plays guitar. While she says that she’s a ‘novice’, she’s miles ahead of Yui when it comes to playing guitar. She plays the rhythm guitar due to Yui’s insistence that she be the lead guitarist. Azusa is a great foil to Yui, from how serious she takes the club to how they spend their time while in the clubroom. While Yui is fine with spending every day in the clubroom sipping tea and eating sweets, Azusa wants to spend the time after school practicing. This issue in particular causes a great divide within the club, with Azusa and Mio being on the ‘Let’s Practice’ side, while Ritsu and Yui are ‘Team Let’s Eat Cake’, and Mugi being there just to have fun. While Yui does practice, the times she does tend to be inconvenient (during the middle of the night or when she should be studying instead). Azusa’s knowledge of guitars is unparalleled compared to Yui. Azusa has to teach Yui what a ‘mute’ and ‘vibrato’ is, show her what a tuner is and what it does (Yui is somehow able to tune her guitar by feel), and has to explain to her that she should perform maintenance on her guitar often and take care of it. It’s only expected that Azusa knows more since she’s been playing since the fourth grade, while Yui only started playing last year, but it is still surprising how little Yui seems to know about guitars. While the laid-back nature of the club can sometimes piss off Azusa, she sticks around because the Light Music Club offers something that most bands that she could join can’t offer—genuine friendship. img1000(https://i.imgur.com/WNCQ7ZQ.png) ~~~_Yui 'taking care' of her precious guitar_~~~ To not leave them out, I’ll tell you a little bit about the three other girls as well. Mio, the bassist (due to not wanting to be the center of attention), is reserved, intelligent, and is the songwriter for the songs the Light Music Club performs. She is the most popular member of the club, popular to the point where she has to her own fan club. She’s easily frightened, a trait about her that Ritsu, her childhood friend, loves to exploit. Ritsu is the most ‘genki’ member of the group. While she tends to be on the lazy side, she is good at playing drums, although she tends to play a little fast. Her pranks on Mio often leave her getting hit by her—leaving Ritsu with a temporary bump on her head almost every episode. Mugi is the most mysterious girl in the group. She is from an extortionately wealthy family, which allows her to be able to provide the other girls with sweets and tea every day and be able to provide vacation homes for summer camps. While she is considered the most gentle girl, she sometimes likes to be ‘rebellious’, possibly due to her wanting to defy the roles that wealthy young women often have to fill. She also tends to get enthralled by things the others consider mundane, and is heavily hinted to be a little gay in the manga. img1000(https://i.imgur.com/R3VyyMQ.png) ~~~_Mugi's first trip to a fast-food establishment, where she dumps her fries onto Ritsu's plate after seeing her do the same thing_~~~ What separates _K-On!_ from almost every other anime of its kind is the fact that it was made by people that actually wanted to make it—made from love in other words. While anime is a highly commercialized (and cynical) industry, _K-On!_ is special since it has the feeling that it was made by people who weren’t worried if it would be a success or not. Of course, _K-On!_ was a huge commercial success—it still has merchandise being released, almost ten years after its last release. What made _K-On!_ such a success? Other than the reason I stated above, it was also made by one of the best anime studios in Kyoto Animation. _K-On!_ is such a success because it treats its characters with respect. The problem with most anime adaptations that are similar to _K-On!_ is that they treat their characters like products to be sold. They might be forced to do this due to the economics of being an anime studio since the studio relies on Blu-Rays being sold for the production to be a success. This ends up with anime being paint-by-colors with the same trite fanservice scenes, among other things. Unfortunately, that’s the path of least resistance if a studio wants to make a profit on an anime. While _K-On!_ isn’t the first anime to not use fanservice as a way to guarantee sales, it’s the prime example of how not reducing your characters to objects can also be successful. The most ‘fanservicey’ scene in the anime is when Mio trips and accidentally shows her panties—with the panties not actually being shown. Ritsu often brings that memory back up to tease the easily-embarrassed Mio, but does it in a way that is fully comedic and not objectifying Mio. There’s also a beach scene where Ritsu gets upset that Mio has bigger breasts than her and headshots Mio with a beach ball, but again, it’s brought up for the purpose of making you laugh (although breast jokes are dime-a-dozen and are generally not funny). As I stated earlier, it’s not like there isn’t any merchandise for _K-On!_—in fact, it’s probably one of the most commercialized anime out there. It has a ton of merch for a reason though. So many people, including myself, like the series enough to buy it to this day. For example, I own three Mio figures, one Mugi figure, a Nendoroid of Mio and Mugi, multiple singles, a large Mio tapestry, the entire manga, and all of the anime series on Blu-Ray. The reason why I own so much merch is because the series resonates with me on a deeper level than probably 97% of other anime. The _K-On!_ girls are so popular because their story resonates so much with people. They weren’t created to be marketed as products. While I wasn’t an anime watcher when it first aired in 2009, _K-On!’s_ influence on the western anime community was tremendous. KyoAni wasn’t inventing the moe wheel when it made _K-On!_, it made the best version of it, something that anime studios have been trying to reproduce for more than a decade now without success. img1000(https://i.imgur.com/uazzXcY.png) ~~~_Mio being surprised by one of Ritsu's presents_~~~ Another reason why _K-On!_ was such a success was because of the depth that KyoAni had to add to it. While _K-On!_ is originally a manga, the anime is what it is known for. Once you take the time to read the manga, you’ll understand why. While it isn’t bad per se, the manga is at average at best. The first problem with it is that it’s very spotty. The first volume covers the first year, and the second volume covers the second year, which leaves out a lot of potential plot. This is one of the reasons why this anime advances so fast (this season at least). Hindsight is twenty-twenty, but _K-On!_ deserves way more than seven episodes per school year (counting the OVA released along with the first season). The second season makes up more than enough, with the third year being set over twenty-seven episodes and a full-length movie. The point is that the anime took the plot of the manga and made it 110% better. The manga felt like it was a storyboard for the anime, instead of it being what the anime was adapted from. There are many other factors contributing to this, like the fact that the musical aspect of _K-On!_ wasn’t fully utilized until the anime was produced. It’s way harder to make and produce songs for something met for a magazine than it is for something met to be watched on television. There’s also the issue that 4-komas aren’t relatively deep in the first place (not that _K-On!_ needs to be deep), or that the manga is way lewder than the anime. The manga is a short read (it took me less than two hours to read the adapted parts of this season), but you’re not missing out on much if you decide to skip out on it. _K-On!_ is not without its faults, however. I’ve already talked about how this season is paced too fast. It’s not fair to criticize KyoAni for that, since the manga kind of forced them into that position. The parts about the anime production that I didn’t like were the points of tension around the end of the season. I know that the anime can’t be all ‘fuwa-fuwa’, but the way that the conflicts are brought up and resolved seems a bit hamfisted to me. The good thing about the conflicts being resolved quickly however is that it doesn’t waste too much screen time. I’m not the biggest fan of Sawako-sensei either. I find her character annoying, and her bits generally not that funny. I don’t think her character adds that much to the series, but I understand why she has to be there. img1000(https://i.imgur.com/ytNQE7A.png) ~~~_The droogs_~~~ At the end of the day, what makes _K-On!_ resonate so much with fans can’t be explained with one reason. Its plot is simple, yet moving. The animation quality is some of the best, as expected from the talented folks at KyoAni. The music in the anime is some of the best from any anime that I’ve seen. The benefit of _K-On!_ being about girls in a Light Music Club is that the music doesn’t have to be the bog-standard formulaic J-pop that tends to infect almost every anime. Seriously, the only genre of music that’s more formulaic than music made for anime is any country song that’s bad enough to get on the radio. While some of the songs can trend towards the formula, _K-On!_ does have some bangers—most of which are now on Spotify. While _K-On!_ isn’t conflict-free, the calm and grounded nature of the anime is comforting to most viewers. The girls do have a shared dream of one day playing at the Budokan, that dream is more tongue-in-cheek than an actual goal. It’s like when your friends ask you when ‘you’re joining FaZe’ after you make a good play in an FPS game, or a band with young people in America joking about playing at the Hollywood Bowl or at Madison Square Garden after they finish a session. The Light Music Club is as much about hanging out with your best friends as it is about playing music. This doesn’t mean that the girls slack off all the time in club—it means that they want to enjoy their time in high school while they can. The Light Music Club is more of a hangout than a club. The groundedness of _K-On!_ gives it an appeal that similar anime don’t have. It’s not about being the best, it’s about enjoying yourself and having a good time with your friends, a message that resonates with more people than one that would come from an anime where the girls actually became famous enough to play at the Budokan. The funny thing about _K-On!_ is that its insistence on being a light-hearted and easygoing show is the main reason why it became so popular in the first place. That, combined with the geniuses at KyoAni that had the secret formula when producing this, made _K-On!_ be the first anime that most anime watchers think of when they hear ‘moe’, ‘cute girls doing cute things’, and ‘slice of life’. Is it the best one of those anime out there? The metric for rating a ‘moe’ show is light-years more subjective than metrics for any other type of anime. With that being said, _K-On!_ is one of my favorite ‘moe’ anime, and would be the first one I would recommend to someone who wanted to watch one. It’s still popular a decade after airing for a reason. ----

Lili23

# Introduction I like slice of life (https://anilist.co/anime/21776/Kobayashisan-Chi-no-Maidragon/, https://anilist.co/anime/10495/Yuru-Yuri/, https://anilist.co/anime/21878/Gabriel-Dropout/ ). I like cuteness and don't mind if nothing happens in anime (https://anilist.co/anime/16732/Kiniro-Mosaic/, to some extent just mentioned titles). I like the director's works and artstyle (https://anilist.co/anime/16417/Tamako-Market/, https://anilist.co/anime/20519/Tamako-Love-Story/ ). I like music anime (https://anilist.co/anime/20912/Hibike-Euphonium/, https://anilist.co/anime/15051/Love-Live-School-idol-project/ ). I like KyoAni. But I can't stand K-ON! The title of this review is how my friend asked me to watch this important, for making a moe genre, show. My expectations were that I won't like this and it turns out I feel the same as her. I watched K-ON! 1.5 years before posting this review. Also, yes, I know many people think K-ON!! is better, but I got "angry" accidentally watching an out-of-context scene from the movie in one of the PewDiePie's videos, so I'll never know that for sure. # Music Let's start with something I liked and that was OST. OP is good, ED is straight-up a banger and I sometimes listen to it on YT. There was also a song during the concert in the last episode (why it's the last in the moment), it's not bad, but I heard it only during the show, so I don't remember much about it. I probably forgot about some other songs, but I can say none of them were irritating. # Plot I can't say the same about the scenario. I heard that's because the manga wasn't that great to begin with, but I haven't read it, so I can't tell that for certain. The events in show take place during 2 years of high school, which is quite a bit for a 13-episode SoL anime series. Despite this, the last episode actually feels like an OVA, taking place a few months after the main plot and being disconnected from such. That leaves us with 12 episodes and somehow, we had _two_ beach episodes… I mean, music practice sessions in Mugi's place that just happens to be next to the beach. Totally. That leaves us with 10 episodes in which absolutely nothing happens. Sure, they eat cake, they sometimes practice, Yui buys a guitar and, a year later, strings for them, but it's nothing really interesting. The only significant plot points are characters joining the club, the concert… and for me, teacher talking about her rock/punk group back when she was a student. I really wish I followed her teenage life, they seem to have some kind of a character. I checked my backlog from when I watched the show and apparently I completely forgot about Ritsu shenanigans regarding being at their concert, but I was totally uninterested in what will happen to the club. Sometimes I even thought "yes, I'd like this __bad__ thing to happen to them." # Characters Speaking of characters, that's where the show is the worst in my opinion. I'll cover only the main 5 here, I don't think there's much point in describing the others. All characters have one trait in common: they aren't cute for me. I started disliking Yui in the very first scene, when she's late for school and, in her clumsiness, drops on the floor in her house. It doesn't get better later, because she's absolutely clueless about anything surrounding her. As an example, I honestly cannot believe how she hadn't realized for an entire year that strings in a guitar are to be replaced after some time and nobody had ever told her that (Mio also has a guitar, had she never said she had been going to or had bought them?). I know, it's just one scene, but that's simply unrealistic connected with "maybe I'm stupid" vibe. Next up is Ritsu, which is the worst character in the entire show. I don't know, maybe that's because I'm an introvert, but she's so over-reactive that every time I see her online, I think "I want to punch her so badly." Tsumugi is very forgettable and if it wasn't for that one meme "Mugi strong" that I've seen thousands of times, I would probably not even remember her name. The remaining members of the club are Mio and Azusa. They feel out-of-place and in this case, it's actually a compliment. When I watched the show, I actually felt bad for them they need to be in that environment. Somehow, my friend only liked Mugi and no one else, but I'm not judging her. # Anything else Art style is okay, I had only one really minor complain about one of the backgrounds, but that's because I'm a perfectionist. I didn't have any complains about voice acting. I like that mid-break is changing a side of a cassette, pretty clever. # Conclusion K-ON! is an important show, which revolutionized the anime industry, and I don't regret watching it. However, that doesn't mean it's a good series. The main problem is that, while many people love the characters (and you'll probably see that in like ratio), I couldn't stand the majority of them and I actually wished them bad. Sure, I also said that nothing happens, but that could be ignored if it wasn't for Yui and Ritsu. It definitely had a potential, because, on paper, it could be a cute 13-ep anime, but it didn't click for me.

SallyOtak

~~~__K-ON!__~~~ ~~~__I am French, I use a translator! Sorry if he has any mistakes with some weird words. This my first review I hope you will like it not to hesitate to leave me your opinion :) img50(https://acegif.com/wp-content/gifs/france-flag-18.gif) __review season 2 __: https://anilist.co/review/11109 img(https://i.imgur.com/j1VJryv.gif?noredirect) __Type : Comedy - Moe - School Life - Slice of Life__ ____ ~~~/7/10 ~~~ Story : We will follow __Hirasawa Yui__ in the first place for her entrance in high school, where she will have to choose a club for the continuation of her school year. Following various misunderstandings she will find herself to join __the music club __ which currently includes Tainaka Ritsu, Akiyama Mio, Kotobuki Tsumugi who will become her new friends! Afterwards, we will discover that music will take a very small place in the club, but will always be there to gather the group :) Several events will push the members to start seriously to the rehearsals and so to make us discover excellent music! img300(https://images6.fanpop.com/image/photos/38500000/Yui-Hirasawa-k-on-38512307-500-281.gif) ____ ~~~/8/10 ~~~ Art : K-ON! dates now from 2009, for the time the animation is just magnificent and still today the animation holds perfectly its time and remains very pleasant to look at and to look again! img300(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-t5k1Cyo0byA/UwnXbOmrfGI/AAAAAAAAGns/8Dv9seujYFs/s1600/k_on__movie__6__gif__by_kiirochi-d5rjlpd.gif) ____ ~~~/9.5/10 ~~~ Sound : The most important thing for the theme of the animation :) The opening : the sound is just excellent, to tell you since my discovery I had to replay it a hundred times or much more ! The Ost : Nice is very well chosen but do not mark me especially ! The music : It on the other hand as regards the music at the time of the concerts it is just sublime, I sometimes even danced in front of certain scenes which really give the peach :) youtube(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7_-RBl0lfY&t=5s&ab_channel=TOHOanimation%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%ABTOHOanimation%E3%83%81%E3%83%A3%E3%83%B3%E3%83%8D%E3%83%ABValid%C3%A9) ____ ~~~/10/10 ~~~ Characters : The characters have each their main role in the story. We will certainly follow __Yui__ but the other characters are all as main to the plot. This set is made to make a cute and endearing group as well as warm with a good dare of humor that will make you laugh :) We really get hooked on the whole group! ~~~https://anilist.co/anime/5680/KON/ ____ /10/10 Playfulness: I was twisting with laughter, dancing in front of my screen, I felt compelled to continue because it was so enjoyable and enjoyable that I couldn't hold back :) ____ /9/10 Overall: This anime is for me a masterpiece of humor, sensation and appeasement. I didn't see the time passing and I had such a great time with the group that I don't want it to stop Xd ____ I'm about to go and discover season 2 which I hope will be as great as the first one! ____ ~~~img(http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ooabX_8Lo1M/T8Q3RyhMo7I/AAAAAAAAEOY/3Ne6TpoQhhc/s1600/K-on+(40).gif)~~~

resolvemachine

I'm going to preface this review by saying that I don't really enjoy slice of life a lot of the time. I find it to be rather tedious and boring knowing that what happens in each episode will not progress the "plot" forward in any meaningful way and is instead focusing on characters interacting with each other for the sake of what the viewers want. I hate this type of storytelling unless it's implemented really well within a plot AND has meaning aside from catering to supposed needs. K-On is an exception to this rule. Through the use of several elements, K-On manages to captivate a plot-focused viewer such as myself and deliver what I find to be really enjoyable storytelling. While it may not be my first choice of anime due to some elements of the genre that still prevail here, K-On is my first pick for a nice, easy slice-of-life to watch. Plot: For a comedy slice-of-life show, K-On's plot is in the upper echelon for the genre. Unlike other shows, K-On's episodes don't feel like one-offs that are meant to solely be funny and wholesome, though the certainly are. I feel like each episode contributes to an overall story that is going on. For example, when we see Yui come into the club for the first time, she doesn't know a castanet from a maraca. However, as the series goes on, we see her slowly but surely learn how to play the guitar, how to read music, and how to sing. By the time Episode 12 rolls around, you see her preform on stage with such confidence and vigor that you may ask yourself if it's the same Yui as episode 1. This example, and many others, captivate a sense of progression and time that not many other slice-of-life shows manage to do, or even try. For me as a viewer, this is why K-On is so good: it doesn't make me feel that I'm wasting my time watching cute girls being cute, but that I'm seeing all of these characters grow into something better than they once were. Characters: The characters in K-On are really strong, the main quartet (later quintet) of Yui, Ritsu, Mio, Tsumugi, and Azusa provide a really strong dynamic in the comedy and wholesomeness the show offers. I also like the sub-dynamics the group has, like Ristu and Mio antagonizing each other, Yui and Ritsu being energetic and optimistic, and Azusa and Mio being kind of the straight men for Yui and Ritsu. Of course aside from jokes, these characters are very friendly towards each other and care deep down. In Episode 11 we see Ritsu and Mio get into the most serious fight of the show, and they are not happy with each other. Mio believes she's at fault due to Ritsu not coming to practice for a few days, so Mio goes to Ritsu's house to check on her. Inside, we see that Ritsu was actually sick with a cold and Mio makes it clear that she's not upset with Ritsu for not coming to practice. It's a very wholesome make-up scene that shows a bit of depth to the relationship these two have with each other. I like it a lot and it's leagues ahead of other relationships in comedy shows I've seen. Art: I'm not much of an artist so I won't say a lot here, but the art for K-On is pretty appealing to me as a viewer. I like how characters can go from serious to light-hearted in the beat of an eye and how the change in artstlye reflects that shift well. Music: Perhaps K-On's strongest asset is the OST. This is a show about music and K-On delivers on the OST. Many of the tracks reflect the mood and tone for the scenes well, and are just really pleasant to listen to. I like the use of different styles of music within the OST as well, such as jazz and rock music. Overall Thoughts: K-On is a Slice-Of-Life comedy show that has cute girls doing cute things. However, if that's all K-On was I wouldn't be taking the time to sing praises about it. K-On has a lot of depth for a show of this genre that I've yet to see anything remotely close to matching from the herd. It has dynamic character relationships with depth, a killer OST, and most importantly a plot with continuity that matters. I think K-On is an excellent show for this genre and would recommend to anyone looking to get into the genre or for something nice and soothing to watch.

holdenreklaw

K-ON was a mighty fine show. I enjoyed each episode and will inevitably watch season two and the accompanying movies when given a chance. I thought a lot of things were great about the show, but I have noticed that they all kind of relate to one central theme. The healthy and positive portrayal of female friendships in adolescence. If you haven't noticed, I mean, maybe you've never been, or never remember being a teenage girl. Perhaps you weren't very perceptive in high school and can't recall what the girls you knew were going through, or maybe it's something else. Whatever the reason may be, if you don't know a whole lot about teenage girls, listen up because I've learned a few in my life and have picked up some intel. Teen girls, their lives are all a bit shit, and their relationships with their friends often contribute to making it shitter. Even the girls who look like they have got it all together, are ALSO going through some TOUGH shit. I've only taken 1 sociology class and exactly zero philanthropy classes, so this is all speculation. Still, I imagine the shit that teen girls go through is a mix of biological (hormones, puberty) and social (friends, family, school) factors. Boys go through something similar, but there is one significant difference. Coming of age stories/shows that depict the lives and challenges of young men but, in the end, show that they can overcome those adversities and achieve their goals with their friends by their side are a dime a dozen. We really don't see that with teen girls. Stories and shows that depict the lives of teen girls are almost always dramatic or at least confronting/confrontational. Many great shows deal with themes of trauma, abuse, violence, toxic relationships, envy & jealousy, depression, suicide, sexual assault and rape, love and hate, etc. That being said, though, when it is every fucking show, the cracks begin to show. Can girls get one show in which the main female cast are all loyal to each other? There are no stupid fights? Where everyone genuinely loves and cares about each other without having a character that betrays the group? Just one show? Well yes! And it's called K-ON. Although there is nothing wrong with stories of teen girls who have tragic pasts and have to overcome confronting obstacles, it is SO REFRESHING to see a show about non-toxic female friendship. From a female perspective, I can imagine after watching so many shows about girls with complex lives that are made even more difficult by their brutal friends, they may begin to lose hope in their own relationships. I imagine that a show like K-ON might have the ability to reignite the spark. It shows teen girls the joy possible in female friendship, in femininity and in female ambition. High school years are tough, so I think it is essential to have some shows in which female friends work together and have fun in a high-school setting. After all of that, you may be thinking. Holden, is there any conflict in this show? And that is an excellent question. When I say that the girls all stay loyal to each other, don't get jealous, work together and genuinely love each other, it is easy to assume the show is without conflict because that is the conflict we are USED to in shows with all-female teen casts. As hard as it may be to believe, teen girls can face challenges in narratives without them being victimised! The girls deal with many conflicts such as anxiety, financial stress, sickness, meeting strict deadlines, academic struggles and the difficulty of learning new skills, just to name a few. The girls always stick by each other as the characters go through their own personal struggles, and the girls all overcome the conflicts as a team. The girls are also very empathetic to each other's strengths and weaknesses, so even when one girl brings the group down (which happens every now and then), the girls don't point fingers and instead try to resolve the problem together. Truth be told, this group of fifteen-year-olds is more mature than most adults in how they resolve the conflict they encounter. Like, there are plenty of situations in which I would have been fucking pissed if I was in the band. Still, the girls can always pull themselves together and figure out a solution to their problems. Now, THAT is what I call girlboss. ~!Like I might just mention, there is a scene where the girls go backstage at the show and see all the other girl-bands. As the viewer, you expect the other girls to be mean and competitive to the band, but they're not; they are friendly and super helpful. And it really made me reflect on "why is it that I expected the other girls to be bitches." I think it likely has something to do with how female relationships are usually written in such a negative and jealous way. This scene kind of sells it that the positive portrayal of female friendship is very much intentional and a direct reaction to all the negative shit I touched on earlier in the review.!~ Speaking of the band, the girls are in a band, and their music is actually quite catchy. I enjoyed the soundtrack and the musical elements, even as someone who knows very little about the subject. If you liked the girl-band dynamic and vibe in Angel Beats, I found this is quite similar, just a bit more kawaii. I don't have much to talk about on the music front since the show is much more character-driven. Still, I would like to see some more musical centred conflict in the second season, but we will have to wait and see. I think that is everything I can think of saying right now. If the show sounds like something you'd enjoy, you should give it a whirl; why the hell not!

aqua90

First thing first, this is my first review and I'm almost done with the second season. This will not be too in depth review but I would point out the strong points of the series and some flaws. I will try to not include any spoilers. In general K-On most important positive things will be the character design, both the bodies and the personalities. The character designs are in my top 5 of all the series that I've watched so far, the bodies are refined, the faces are cute, the eyes are beautiful too. Each character is realistic and relatable, maybe Yui is not so much but for comedy's sake she does deliver from time to time although sometimes her personality is a little bit cringe. Ritsu is my favorite character, although I am a guitarist, I like her hairstyle, she is very japan-esque and I love the fact that she is so positive and upbeat ,and that she is not too feminine nor too masculine, she is very balanced and cute her friendship with Mio is really nice to watch. Mugi is ok, she is nice, kind and just goes with the flow, she is very innocent and helps others despite being super rich. Mio is a smart but shy girl that is terrified of spooky things, her strong points is her beautiful voice but It is not the kind of style that I like but she's okay too. Azusa looks like a generic anime character and it doesn't stand out too much, sometimes she being leaved behind by the original members, except for Yui who is always looking up for her, she is supposed to be one of the most talented and she always wants to practice, there were some episodes were she didn't let the band relax and it took off some comfiness. Now the music was alright nothing special, other series like love live outperform in the musical area and they were not so many concert scenes. I would have love to see how they became famous or something, they are only popular in their school. Now the scenarios were not that great, pretty avarage and the colors weren't the best but the were decent I guess. One point that really standed out was Mugi's ugly eyebros, It was such a turn off and it took half a point from my rating just because of that. The stories were alright although they could have been much better with these great characters. Overall the K-on verse has a very nice atmosphere and setting, this series is in my top 5 slice of life for sure. I was hesitant to watch it at first because I am not into band music so much but seeing all the love that it had I decided to give it a try and I'm glad that I did. To finish off this review I would like you to recommend some other good music anime. I would like to note that I haven't finished the second season but I just have 5 more episodes to watch and I thought that I would be a good time for my first review. I'm trying to start on writing on topis that I like, let me know what you thought of my opinion.

Trooper64

__K-On! (2009)__ [SPOILERS] _K-On!_, a show about The Light Music Club’s lighthearted adventures, packs a surprising amount of emotional depth into an overarching feeling of genuine fun. On the surface, it’s just enjoyable to share in the bonds of the friend group, but the more you unpack, the more life lessons begin to show. After recently watching it for the first time, I was shocked to discover it debuted 13 years ago. The detailed effort put into each character, each frame of animation, each unique song, and even the humor, all hold up to the point where it feels like it came out yesterday. Experiencing the wholesome nature of these high school girls reminds you that life is not always meant to be taken too seriously. Traditional moe archetypes still feel refreshing as each character embodies their personality to the fullest. The main character, Yui, a spacey klutz, becomes so much more as she puts all of her effort into the things she is passionate about. Her aimless attitude early on develops as she discovers purpose in music and the friends she makes it with. This level of growth is apparent in all of the characters and is even mirrored by their respective instruments. The bassist, Mio, keeps the often unmotivated band members in rhythm while never wanting to be the center of attention. However, she still has to face her fear of the spotlight as she begins to do more vocals for the club. But even on a much more simple level, the characters break tropes in their day-to-day interactions. The dynamics between them feel so realistic. Expressed in not just their dialogue, but in the immense personality of their quirks and movements. Their different temperaments balance each other out without ever losing sight of the playful nature of the show. It is difficult to express why the conversations and antics are so creative because they feel universally relatable. It’s the fact that they are so specific that you don’t often see them in similar stories. Simple things like jokes that are only funny when you’re exhausted at a sleepover or debating the ethics of sharing your food with someone, but them taking the best part. Even if these are not conversations you’ve personally had, there’s still a nostalgic sense that feels like you could have. They subtlety captures youth by highlighting the little things young adults focus on. This extends further into the music. Although much of their time is spent drinking tea and eating cake, the music club is still a band after all. Their carefree nature comes across as they initially write catchy J-Pop tunes about cute animals and eating rice. As their bonds grow closer though, the music becomes more sentimental. Whether serious or not, the members never lose sight of the reason they are together in the first place – they love to make music together. This is magnified when the band performs, captivating the audience with their chemistry. You have a good time when you can tell the girls are having a good time. But the music itself stands on its own. Catchy choruses, shredding solos, and playful banter make for songs that I actually love listening to outside of the show. Even the score is exceptional with synthy jazz tracks that are reminiscent of old PS1 era games. The overall sound design also shines through detailed foley. Practice sessions come to life with sounds of repeating scales or playing chords on unplugged guitars. It’s a noticeable effort, involving the actual musicians recording stripped down portions of the songs, which elevates the believability. Animation is obviously a key part to any anime, but all of the praise is usually reserved for high-octane action scenes. The animation of a slow-paced story shines in how believably natural it is. In the smoothness of flowing hair and strumming guitars, to the nuance of character expressions, there is a level of quality that can easily be overlooked. But even with basic plot premises, there is a surprising amount of action that keeps things interesting. Characters speak with their whole bodies and are exaggerated with great emphasis. The way hair swiftly waves and gracefully falls is particularly exceptional. What stands out beyond this, is the extra effort put into the secondary action of each shot. Everyone’s personality is on display not only when they’re the focus, but by their distinct behavior while in the background. This not only elevates the realism, but the situational humor through body language and expressions. The detail and realism extend beyond the animation. Minor touches that still go a long way for me are things like having new outfits for each day that passes. Most animation does not go through the extra effort to design, color, and animate new clothes for each character, but here it allows them to express their personalities even further. As someone who has always really appreciated rock music specifically, it also adds a surprising amount of realism when all of the musical instruments are actually branded. Even the cymbals and amps are name brands that cover a variety of different tastes. Plus, when it comes to discussing their influences, the students rattle off real musicians like Jimmy Page and Keith Moon. Not only do these real references create tangibility, but so do the detailed illustrations of real places. Slice of life anime often excels in this regard, but it’s the inclusion of tiny things, like the tortoise and the hare figures ascending the school staircase, that feel uniquely realistic. It’s something you can imagine in a school while also serving as a constant metaphor for the overall theme of taking life slow. All of the key components of the show, the realistic animation, the vibrant personality, the creative yet relatable attention to detail, are highlighted in a minor scene that still remains explicitly memorable to me. In episode 10 of season 2, the girls are out standing in the hall after getting caught passing notes in class. Mugi is expressing how excited she is to be getting punished because her gentle disposition never let her experience it before. Mio and Ritsu are discussing the more serious topic of how to help their teacher while Yui is seen in the background reaching on her tippy toes, trying to touch the room sign. Once she finally bumps it, Yui exclaims her excitement to the others, while completely missing everything they were talking about. It was in this moment that I realized how special this show is. In just an uneventful, 30 second scene, how does it still feel so creative and genuine? Each of the characters’ unique personalities are shown in not only what they are saying, but their actions. You may not have even notice Yui until she bursts with joy for achieving something so small, yet relatably childlike. I immediately found myself wondering how they came up with this interaction. Each shot is infused with so much character that reiterates how charming each girl is, in their own, unique way. Unfortunately, at some point all of the good times have to come to an end. As the series approaches the finale, the looming realization that the characters will have to graduate and move on becomes more and more clear. It is most apparent with the one underclassman of the group, Azusa, who will be left behind as her friends go off to college. They assist her in recruiting new members for the club, but ultimately realize that their time is best spent enjoying it together while they still can. This is where the more sincere life lessons begin to reveal themselves. You start to see that the girls finding the fun in everything is more than just a lighthearted premise for a show, but a deeper message. It reminds you through realistic depictions of youth, fundamental notions that we tend to forget with age – like, life is for living, to value your downtime, and to enjoy the people and things you care about while you can. The show captures the feeling, that I’m sure a lot of people experienced in high school, that you don’t realize it’s coming to an end until it’s over. This is presented beautifully as the friends allow themselves to break down together after their final high school performance. After giving their full effort, it hits them all at once and here I find myself more emotional for these characters’ graduation than any of my own. While a seemingly typical coming of age story, _K-On!_ is packed with so much character and charm that it amplifies it to a truly standout journey. The personality shines through every aspect, from the eccentric yet genuinely authentic club members, to the meticulously fluid animation, to the colorful music. A low-steaks narrative manages to capture universal experiences of childlike joy, passionate friendships, and the uncertainty of growing up. It allows for a reflection on what you value in your own life, your passions, the people you care about, while reminding you what it feels like to be a kid.

Goldiizz

img(https://i.imgur.com/T804PLC.gif) After all this time, I think it was about time I finally wrote a review for this anime… As the representative of K-ON on Anilist, it was a duty for me. So this review will encompass all of K-ON (both seasons, both OVA and the movie) as I only consider it in its all and this will be in S1 due to it being obviously where people will start the anime. img(https://i.imgur.com/hHd5jq5.gif) ‍ This review is quite challenging and important for me, because no matter how much I love it, I can't recommend it to anyone as it is really not an anime for everyone (and I honestly would rather people not watching it than not liking it), but I'll do my best to explain the appeal. Be warned, it’s gonna be pretty long. img500(https://i.imgur.com/BepElm2.jpg) ‍ So to do so, I'll try to go through different parts that make this anime what it is. First of all, I'll talk about the story itself, then the visuals followed by the characters and I’ll finish with the audio aspects (music and VA). This review will be __spoiler free__ until one final part where I will use some moments to illustrate the points I mentioned throughout all the review (this technically won’t really spoil, but as I will speak about moments that are happening in the story, I prefer to give a warning just in case).

~STORY~

It's a very slow and calm anime with nothing big happening, so a lot of people might find it boring.There aren’t really big psychological dilemmas or huge dramas as the show focuses more on the interactions between the characters and the development of their relationship. img(https://i.imgur.com/gAquHjc.gif) ‍ A really popular misconception about K-ON is that it lacks a narrative, which is an opinion that is completely wrong. If you look randomly at the show, on a moment to moment basis, it may feel like a comedy show about five girls having fun, slacking off, making jokes and drinking tea while eating some cakes. But then you would have missed the point of the entire series and tons of growth of each character, which is all stuff that you can only appreciate by watching the series all the way through (that’s the reason why I don’t want to make a review for each part). While it may seem like K-ON is an episodic series, it’s not quite right. Indeed a lot of events could seem to be discontinued one to another, it is in fact a sequence of events with a logical progression which reaches the conclusion at the end of the show, the same way a film would. img(https://i.imgur.com/8Tqsc9P.gif) Another really big misconception about the show is that it's just a Cute Girl Doing Cute Things. It is indeed a CGDCT anime, I’m not denying that. But it's not _just_ a CGDCT. It goes further than that and has a really good message about enjoying little things in life while they last, about friendship, relations with others and stuff like that. The thing is, as the show doesn't say it directly, that the characters won’t say “I learned something today!” and continue with a monologue explaining their growth, the viewer has to understand it by looking at the characters' reactions, feelings and dialogues, therefore some people might miss it (it’s a big part of why there is the misunderstanding I mentioned earlier). img(https://i.imgur.com/KfI2bK9.gif) Regarding purely the comedy aspect, I have to say that, for me, this is a peak example of what a good comedy is. The jokes themselves are amazing and the timing is executed perfectly. It’s really hard for me to choose one moment in particular as basically everything is perfectly made. But I don’t think I’ll talk too much about it, because even if the joke is well made, the appreciation is purely subjective.

~VISUALS~

First of all, the animations and art style, as made by Kyoto Animation, are amazing (even if the animation might be a little bit weird sometimes in S1, I still love it). But I have to admit, that was kind of a given from KyoAni, which is a studio that always puts a lot of effort in their animation, the art style and the backgrounds. img(https://i.imgur.com/5GJop2A.gif) The anime is made in a way that everything you see seems real, may it be the backgrounds (the school is a copy of an existing school in Japan, and the same goes for a lot of places), the characters' clothes or some aspect of their design. Below is a non-exhaustive list of a few places. I selected a few random ones, but the list can go on and on as basically every shot is based on a real place. img(https://i.imgur.com/Ot6l8nW.png) To continue, Naoko Yamada (K-ON’s director) even went directly to London with some staff members to get inspiration for the movie. youtube(https://youtu.be/zDgR1G3sx14) The realism in the visual doesn’t stop there. All of their instruments aren’t some random ones. All are real models that actually exist (you can find the exact model on the [wiki](https://k-on.fandom.com/wiki/K-ON!_Wiki) in the trivia page of each character). img400(https://i.imgur.com/gtBHY9O.png) ‍

~CHARACTERS~

This show has probably, for me, the best characters there are. Even if there are like one or two characters from other anime that I slightly prefer, overall, this anime has the best, as the worst characters in it are just ok. So let’s talk about them! (I’ll use the order in which they joined the club and after that, it will be random). I won’t say that I like the characters because they are cute, due to the fact that, first of all, it’s obvious that they are, and secondly, as every single one of them is, it would be a bit redundant and not very helpful. Ritsu Tainaka img(https://i.imgur.com/PAPRrg0.gif) Ritsu is an energetic yet lazy tomboy who loves goofing around and to tease others. She became the president of the club because she found it cool, but ended up not being suited for the job. For me, Ricchan is good due to her energy and funny moments (may it be with Mio or Yui, with whom she shares the best ones). I could say that, as a drummer, she has a bonus for me, but I decided to start playing an instrument and became a drummer after watching K-ON so back then, this wasn’t a relevant point. I personally love tomboys and her upbeat and carefree personality really makes her amazing. img(https://i.imgur.com/1Wexnq9.gif) ‍ Mio Akiyama img(https://i.imgur.com/SvgDZgX.gif) Mio is a timid and shy person. She is Ritsu's childhood friend. Mio is really reliable and the most mature of the group, but still has a few childish sides. For me, Mio is lovable due to the way she’s serious yet learns when to play around. And her shyness adds an extra level of cuteness and funniness (also as mentioned for Ritsu, their duo is amazing) img(https://i.imgur.com/52NNHNQ.gif) ‍ Tsumugi Kotobuki img(https://i.imgur.com/SaqlwXO.gif) Mugi is a rich girl who didn’t get to experience much of an “ordinary girl” life and therefore is excited to try any things that seem common. For me, Mugi is one of the cutest of the group due to how excited to do anything. She’s always so cheerful, not only to try “commoners” stuff, but to be able to relate to others. How she loves to take care of others and how important friends are to her makes her just so heartwarming. img(https://i.imgur.com/S61J7BT.gif) ‍ Yui Hirasawa img(https://i.imgur.com/aVJolCj.gif) Yui is an airhead girl that didn’t do anything but lazing around before joining the club, due to a misunderstanding. She’s extremely talented at only one thing at the time. For me, Yui is extremely funny due to her really easy-going, laid back attitude and her quickly going to both extremes when it comes to what she’s capable of doing. She’s also extremely sweet and caring about others. img(https://i.imgur.com/N1prbMr.gif) ‍ Azusa Nakano img(https://i.imgur.com/BxmKIMt.gif) Azusa is the youngest of the band. She joined the group one year later than the others after thinking they played amazingly well during a concert they did. She’s very hardworking and tries to motivate the others to practice, but generally ends up following them in their procrastination. For me, Azunyan is absolutely charming as she’s always trying her best. She’s very humble and doesn’t have a very high self esteem, but she will always do what she can to help others, no matter how hard it is (like teaching Yui how to improve with the guitar). Also, bonus for being an adorable cat. img(https://i.imgur.com/1h1I9ML.gif) ‍ Jun Suzuki img(https://i.imgur.com/oqAwCWP.gif) Jun is Asuza and Ui’s classmate. She’s a bassist in the Jazz club and admires Mio as a bassist. She’s playful and easygoing. For me, Jun is probably the less good character of the show. She’s far from bad but I find her less interesting than the others (maybe due to her having way less screen time). She’s still pretty funny and has great interactions with both of her classmates and senpais. img(https://i.imgur.com/rdgLtLL.gif) ‍ Ui Hirasawa img(https://i.imgur.com/wIbU16Y.gif) Yui’s reliable and helpful little sister, Ui is way more mature, responsible and capable than the latter but deeply loves and cares for her. For me, Ui is an amazing character due to her devotion to her sister and how she takes care of her friends and family. She’s the perfect younger sister that everyone wants. img(https://i.imgur.com/66gkWWp.gif) ‍ Nodoka Manabe img(https://i.imgur.com/SkunF3K.gif) Nodoka is Yui’s childhood friend. She's a really serious, mature, reliable and structured person. For me, Nodoka is incredible due to her sweetness and how she is willing to help the others (especially Ritsu with her club president work and Yui with basically everything). img(https://i.imgur.com/gQZ8Hl8.gif) ‍ Sawako Yamanaka img(https://i.imgur.com/LmfE9lr.gif) Sawako is the music teacher and advisor of the club. She will be not only a support for the five girls, but also a helpful critic. She’s very sweet and cautious of her image. For me, Sawa-chan is charming with her relaxed and nonchalant nature, she will still do what she has to do. Just like Ui is the sister everybody would want, Sawako is the teacher everybody wants. img(https://i.imgur.com/Xxy4e8A.gif) ‍ Classmates img(https://i.imgur.com/DYSZjbL.gif) This is a continuation of the “feels real” that I was talking about in the visual section (it could have been written there, but I think as I’m talking about characters, it fits here better). Actually, all of their classmates in S2 have a given name and a last name (even nicknames for some of them) and a personality trait. Unlike a lot of anime, they aren’t just some random characters that will only be shown once (some of them are even visible in season one). They are all different. If you don’t know this, you might not notice them, but if you pay attention to them, you should be able to like them. Some of them actually have some “mini fandom” ([Himiko](https://anilist.co/character/68163/Himeko-Tachibana) and [Ichigo](https://anilist.co/character/67937/Ichigo-Wakaouji) are probably the most popular ones) img350(https://i.imgur.com/I8m5n4n.gif) img350(https://i.imgur.com/AgAHMN0.gif) I could have continued with other characters like Norimi or Sokabe, but they are less relevant, and my review is already too long as it is, so let’s move on.

~AUDIO~

[The songs](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL62M2qr3IDBLOrYJPSZJ4canzg49yM4N3) are amazing and I could basically listen to nothing but that. For the OP/ED. I prefer the ED than the OP of the anime (to be honest, in my top 5 best ED, 3 of them are from K-ON), but I also love all 4 openings. img(https://i.imgur.com/a2vcmfh.gif) The background OSTs are also really good. They are not too intrusive (which could make them less memorable than a lot of other anime). They still feel right, know how to hit correctly and help the viewers go with the flow. img(https://i.imgur.com/17WFnAI.gif) Regarding the voice acting, I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t listen much to the English dub, but from what I heard, I don’t really like it. I won’t speak about the voices themselves because I probably don’t like them due to the fact that I’m used to the original ones. But I can speak a little bit about the translations. A lot of jokes can’t be translated (especially in the movie as it’s very japanglish oriented) so the translators did their best, but sadly a lot of things are missing. Of course, if you prefer English versions over Japanese ones, go for it, the translations aren’t the thing that will make you dislike the anime. webm(https://i.imgur.com/Abl6Lod.mp4) Now, regarding the Japanese voice acting. Every voice actor did an amazing job (especially as they still were pretty new in the industry). They managed not only to give the correct emotions in the dialogue, but the way they speak fit perfectly (this isn’t only the job of the VA obviously, the direction has a lot of implications in it, but still). On a side note, It’s really cute and heartwarming how the five of them really became close to each other and became just like the characters they play (which can be seen in some interviews of their live concert). img(https://i.imgur.com/YxpC4ZP.gif) ‍

~EXAMPLE~

Regarding the character development part, I will mainly take three examples and quickly mentions two others (I could undeniably talk about a lot more, but that will be enough for now) The first one is when Yui wants to buy her guitar. The one she wishes for is way too expensive, so her and the other girls need to take part time jobs to earn money. But at the moment they all give Yui their share, she understands that she’s just being selfish and decides to give them back and take a cheaper guitar (even though she will still get the one she wants). img(https://i.imgur.com/a8WWm60.gif) The next one is about Ritsu and Mio's relationship (mainly in ep 11 of the first season and ep 18 of the second one). During ep 11, Ritsu, who isn’t used to Mio being far from her, gets pretty jealous of Nodoka and angry at Mio who wants to spend time with the only person she knows in her new class (and the fact that Ritsu is sick and Mio scared about the upcoming live doesn’t help them to get some perspective on the situation). But in the end, they both realised what the other needs, that their dispute was meaningless and their bond only grew stronger. img(https://i.imgur.com/hbgJw2V.gif) When they are both selected to play Romeo and Juliet. As they are both playing the character that would have fit the other the best, they help each other and find ways to improve together to make the play a success. img(https://i.imgur.com/NCSkoLX.gif) Now a focus on Mio. During the anime she will learn to have more confidence and to be less scared. Of course she will still be shy and won’t completely change, but during some “trials” like being forced to sing on their first concert due to being the only one who can, needing to sing when Yui forgot the lyrics and could damage the live or action as Romeo in their class play, she will gain strength and confidence and grow as a person (which can be seen in her expression and overall attitude when she’s on stage). img(https://i.imgur.com/ST9JRzq.gif) Some others development that I won’t speak too much about (due to them being clearer than the others) are Yui who finds a goal in her life that can be easily seen at the end of season 1 where she run to school similarly to the first episode, but this time without tripping or getting distracted on the way (the monologue she has makes it pretty clear) and Azusa who learns that relaxing and not only focusing on practice is also important and helps to forge deeper relationships with a group and at the end, the things she wanted to change became what she wished to keep. But once again, it’s shown pretty obviously so I won’t elaborate much further. img(https://i.imgur.com/GyeGBMp.gif) In regards to the messages of the anime, I will only quickly mention the importance of the turtle in the anime, which illustrate the fact to take the time to enjoy things and that you don’t have to rush. May it be Ton-chan, the turtle in the stairs of the school or a few others, the turtles serves as an illustration of this message img(https://i.imgur.com/K6vpCla.gif) The other big point of this message is through the development of Azusa, but as I already mentioned it just a moment ago, I don’t think I need to elaborate on this side of the message.

~CONCLUSION~

I don’t know how many people will fully read my review as it’s extremely long, but thank you if you did. It could have been longer as there are many things I would have wanted to talk about (like character development of all the ones that I mention in the “characters” parts, a lot of details of the anime, some analysis of specific episodes and so on), but I really should stop there… img300(https://i.imgur.com/snxhTCO.png) So in the end, if you don't mind this kind of slow paced anime, I definitely recommend it to you! I don't think you'll like it as much as I do (I know... I have a problem, you don’t have to remind me of it) but you should like it (once again, if you like this kind of show) and you'll get one of the best anime there is.. There’s no quick answer as to why this show is good and why I like it so much, because so much of the appeal has to do with the personal relationship which the viewer forms with the show along its run, so sadly, I can’t really make a little TL:DR. K-ON is a show that gets better and better the more of it you watch, not only because the second season is better than the first one, but in that season one is more enjoyable if you’ve already seen the show in its entirety. You will definitely be able to relate to some parts. May it be some characters or some moments and experiences such as sleepovers with friends where instead of sleeping, you’re just making jokes and laughing or going to big events with your friends and so on. This anime will speak to you and probably make you feel nostalgic for some moments of your life. This anime is really rich in detail (I end up noticing more stuff every time I rewatch it) and really strong emotionally. It’s no exaggeration when I say that this anime changed my life. A lot of anime had a strong influence on me, but K-ON is the only one that made me change stuff in my life (for the better of course). If you already watched K-ON and my review made you understand things or maybe like the anime more, I’m really happy about it. If you haven’t watched it yet, but my review made you want to start it, I hope you’ll enjoy this anime which is really dear to me and I’ll be happy to like your activities!

R2R

https://anilist.co/anime/5680/KON/

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**K-On!** is a Moe SoL Anime that came out in 2009 by studio "Kyoto Animation", and it's believed to be the one that revolutionized the modern saturated (or overly saturated) "Cute Girls Doing Cute Things (CGDCT)" aka the "**Moe**" genre. This actually should've been my first in the genre but it ended up as the 20th one. And while it is the Grand mommy of Moe genre, it certainly isn't the best.

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#**The appeal of "Moe" Anime** In Moe anime, the characters are mostly cutesy, with personalities that gives off massive feel good vibes, and the plot is always seems to be simple to digest without many complications so that your brain can just chill out by watching a harmless show about these cute characters living their daily life in the most childish & cute way possible, which as you can tell doesn't sound all exciting or interesting. The strength for these kinda shows, mostly boils down to the appeal of the show to the targetted audience. And that **appeal should be maintained both in terms of characters and plot. Because if it doesn't, it becomes boring & uninteresting** and might loose it's appeal. Now with that said, let's talk about how well K-On! balanced it's appeal in characters and plot. #Appeal of Characters Mio, Ritsu, Yui, Azusa & Mugi are the main leads, and they get a **100/100** in terms of character appeal. They all have cute & varied personalities and the series gives enough screentime to show off their appeal and it pays off really well. Yui is a very lazy bum but has a surprising talent when it comes to guitar, Mio is a well-behaved but shy character that plays bass and is mostly the main highlight among everyone, Ritsu is your energetic tomboy-ish character that plays drums, Azusa is twin-tailed guitarist who's more dedicated to her guitar but always falls in hands of the gang who numbs her dedication with sweets & tea, and Mugi is your blonde & rich character who plays keyboard. Remaining characters like Sawako the teacher, Nodaka the childhood friend and **"Ui" the Best Girl**, I mean the little sister; all does their job well. #Appeal of Plot The plot centers around the "Light Music Club" and their journey to perform at a much bigger stage, and the starting point for that is their school festival. And I give a **55/100** for this. The plot only exists to make these characters blend in a different setting which looses it's appeal half way through. While it highlights the moments for comedic & sometimes heartfelt moments, it doesn't look fun anymore. It deviated a lot from it's initial premise; like there are two (beach) episodes that pretty much follow the same exacts events. The focus on the music side of things gradually decreased and shifted more on the 'cute' things that doesn't have much relation to plot and just happens, even if those cute moments were slightly fun to watch. If it focussed more on the music side; like more concerts or other music related stuff, it might've been more fun & interesting to watch. In conclusion; **The characters will constantly spark but the plot gradually looses it's charm it initially had.** On technical side of things, the art style and animation were good, as you expect from "Kyoto Animation". Character designs have a fluffy feel to them and the backgrounds are well drawn. OST & songs are very good too.

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#**Summary** K-On! is a very sweet show. That sweetness might not appeal some but for the ones it does, it's definitely, worth a watch. It might not be the greatest in the genre but it certainly has it's charm and worth the time.

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But PLEASE!! ~! img(https://i.imgur.com/6cQORU4.jpeg) !~

SpiritChaser

youtube(https://youtu.be/zXESsMP2_vY) To me, it would be alien to watch K'On! Regardless, I decided to watch it all in one day at a whim. That's because despite that I know nothing about it or it's genre, many of my favorite anime analysis content creators, such as the menace from MAL and the former human content machine, always hold it to high regard. Considering my favorites and how they are the likes of Legend of the Galactic Heroes, Texhnolyze, several Gundam series, and Ashita no Joe, it would seem as something that wouldn't quite fit in with my preferences. Regardless of that, I try to be open minded to a good series of any genre as long as it isn't something degenerate I wouldn't want to get near. I gave K'On! a chance and it managed to mean something to me as a turning point towards new genres I never knew before. I know that the Legend of the Galactic Heroes viewers fight with the K'On! viewers over what is better. Still, I found I can enjoy both. This series is more than what I had heard that it's just cute girls doing cute things. It's an intensively uplifting story overflowing with positive energy. It brings out the best of the cast and the viewers. 5 characters rich in character and with a dynamic as fun as the duo from Dirty Pair. It represents the purest of friendships where no one should be left behind. They find a passion they grow to love and try in an effort to help each other make it happen regardless of the set backs. Where can I stop the praise of this series? There is great music in every scene as well as well done band performances from the cast. I thought maybe this series would be too positive but it has a balance of drama. Kyoto Animation brings a passion project behind lots of staff members that helped write every episode strong. For a 13 episode series, there is a lot of character development and events that take place that never made me feel as if the story got stuck and went nowhere. It continues to build the bonds and ever-growing musical skills of the cast consistently. The animation, though I had to get used to some faces in the first episode, was wonderful throughout with detail of how characters should express and move, when it's not being goofy, of course. And yet, that's fine too, since it can be really goofy with comedic scenes that constantly made me burst out laughing. Speaking of animation, the background art and setting are extraordinary in how detailed and realistic they look. If I remember correctly, the setting is based several times on real life settings. I don't really need to talk about the cast because the series goes out of its way to really dig their personalities into you where I wouldn't be saying anything new. As for a standout character, Yui's progression felt inspiring to me partly because I also grew up with music and struggling in a band as a guitarist and vocalist. Me and her share this struggle and I was really able to connect with her as a result. Though clumsy and sometimes out of focus, she gets credit in that she'll go forward and still try to when she can't. And yet, that's what their friendships are there for: to help balance each other out even if there are disagreements and differences. As the series progressed and continued to get better, it featured a climax at the end that brought a tear to my eye and moved me unlike anything else because of how unique the experience was for me. I've seen lots of great character development, and with episode 12, Yui shows some of the best in the medium because it's a strong resolve coming from the most unlikely of characters. Her voice from the future talks about finding the love someone finds for a passion that brings them a sense of meaning and belonging. It may not be the political theory I am used to in anime but I can't deny it inspired me and made me think about why I do anime analysis. Maybe I am an amateur starting out like she is. I know I still have a long way to go. Regardless, I try to put a part of me on here that no one else can and even if it is bad and has mistakes it means something to me. K'On! made me realize that it's more about being sincere than the best; Not about trying to worry so much about the flaws but that you love what you do and tried to bring something new with meaning to someone. And even if you think this spoils anything about the first season, it doesn't, because K'On! isn't about any specific scene but the whole journey. For these reasons, Yui became a quick favorite character of mine. Honestly, I had been disappointed by previous slice of lice anime because it didn't come close. This is it. This is the golden standard of its genre as a 10/10 for me, and it may have ruined the rest for me as it isn't easy to invest as much as was for this, though there are fortunately more entries to watch for K'On! as this is only the beginning of the journey.

Rinko

After squeezing 50 hours of stuff into two months and watching a 27-hour-long show in just under seven weeks, I'm not surprised I lost motivation to watch anything more...~ That lack of motivation seems to have impacted my enjoyment of what I've watched and read since, too... even with a mediocre show giving a bit back, it's still lacking... Let's see if the show that might as well be heralded as the 'queen of cute girls doing cute things anime' (yes I just made that up) can return my motivation~ **Music:** As a music anime, I look to the quality and quantity of the inserts as an important aspect. But before that, before watching, my favourite song was actually the ending~ Because, well... I prefer proper rock to pop-rock~ Did my thoughts towards the ending change? No, it didn't~ The insert quantity is... very low. And with romantic lyrics and a soft-rock sound... they aren't particularly to my tastes, either. As for the opening? Catchy and fun, but still not quite to my tastes...~ **Characters:** Going into this, I prayed for not another generic, always bubbly, cheery and extroverted music protagonist. Though something told me Yui would be just like the others... this feeling from everything I knew about the show beforehand... She quickly proved to have the 'immediately calling people by their first names' common to that archetype, but little else. Yet she still was a bit annoying. Maybe it's her voice? I don't know I'm not risking a music anime dub even if the protagonist's voice is annoying...~ Anyways, the next character I want to talk about is Tsumugi, the polite rich girl. She became my first favourite character, because of a scene where she was very cute and not at all slightly spookily deadpan cute~ Then Mio, a scaredy-cat, yet also quick to anger, especially when it comes to her childhood friend, Ritsu's, antics. She is another favourite of mine~ Her shy/embarrassed side is just so cute~ I personally find Ritsu a bit annoying, like Yui, but they're both still fun~ And I probably have a similarly low attention span...~ Then their supervisor Sawako... oh gosh she's silly~ A little weird, but like everyone she's funny~ And with a dark past, similar to many former Chuunibyous, revealed with such drama it adds to the comedy? Yeah, that gives her bonus points from me~ And introduced about half-way through, in episode 8, is the fifth member of the club, Azusa. Serious, yet because of the show naturally she's still funny~ She's also a pseudo-cat-girl because... why not I guess? **Fun:** It is fun~ When the girls deflate, moreso when from pressure, the sound effects and animation make it so funny~ No matter if I've been frustrated day-long at my computer being slow or if the *episode itself* buffers every 5 seconds, I still end the episode smiling, having enjoyed it lots~ Even the beach episodes. I decided to read the manga alongside it and... the anime expanded on a lot of it. The manga was mostly just the jokes, while the anime adds more character building and makes it more slice-of-life than just comedy. Of course, bits that feel like shipbait do affect my enjoyment, but that is really subjective. **Overall:** While I feel like it's not the main reason I regained my motivation, it definitely helped. Everyone's just always cute and/or funny and it's just so fun~ I am still giving it a serious, semi-thought-through score, though. Most of the lost points are for missing out on the opportunity to show a lot more cuteness, because it covers two years in only 13 episodes. Granted there wasn't much cut from the manga – off the top of my head, just the group's friend on the student council ~~who I forgot to bring up earlier sorry Nodoka~~ prompting their performance at the start of their second year. But still, the rating I give it makes it my second highest-rated, seriously-rated music anime~ I fully recommend it to relax after watching something heavy or to regain lost motivation~