Type: Television Show
Episodes: 13, 1 OVA, 6 Shorts
Rating: Any Age
Runtime Per Episode: 24 min
Director: Yamada Naoko
Produced By Pony Canon, Kyoto Animation, MOVIC
Year Produced: 2009
A must-watch for anyone who's a fan of J-Pop or weird song titles K-ON! is another one of my all time favorites, and as such, must be reviewed on this blog.
Adapted from a 4-koma manga created by Kakifly, this anime is cleared for a second season beginning sometime this year (that's to say 2010)!
Yui is just entering high school. She's uncoordinated, direction less, and a klutz, but she's excited about entering a new high school none the less.
Mad Skillz? Yes, yes they are.
Upon her arrival, Yui is bombarded with club applications and posters for dozens of various clubs and groups. Now I don't know if clubs are a required part of Japanese high school life, but there you go.
Unable to decide on her own, Yui is left in a quandary, and her childhood friend Nodoka's only advice to her is to find a club fast, or she'll become a NEET.
NEET is a United Kingdom (though it has obviously spread out to Asian countries like China and Japan) term for someone who stays at home and lives off their parents through their twenties. What it actually means is Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET).
Supported and motivated almost entirely by her younger sister; Ui, Yui is probably already half-way there.
That's Ui. She bears a striking resemblance to Yui.
Yui's not the only person who's having trouble finding a club, or should I say that Yui's not the only person who's having trouble settling for a club.
Ritsu is also a freshman new to this school, and she's got a plan. Since the graduation of the seniors last year, the Light Music Club (the "Keion" (K-ON) Club (roughly phonetically)) is going under.
Since clubs require a minimum of four members to continue being clubs (maybe it's a credit thing), the Light Music Club (with zero), is doomed unless someone can save it, and that someone is Ritsu... and her childhood friend Mio!
Too bad Mio's already found a club for herself; the Literature Club.
Rejected.
They are close friends, with a lot of history and... somewhat of a physically violent relationship.
Ritsu convinces Mio to abandon her original plans of joining another club, and gets her into the Light Music Club. Now all they have to do is wait for at least two more members, one or which shows up after only a day of waiting!
Mugi was on her way to join the Chorus Club, but was (like Mio) abducted into the Light Music Club by Ritsu... well, more like Ritsu's stupidity and Mio's reaction, which Mugi thought looked fun. One more!
In an act of Club Spirit, they decide to go home and create fliers, bringing them back the next day. Ritsu's is chosen from among the batch and hung up.
As Yui is walking through the courtyard, a poster catches her attention, the poster for the Light Music Club.
When she tells her Nodoka about her plans to join the club because the word "Light" implies easy, Nodoka isn't exactly sure what's in store for Yui. And so Yui submits her application, and the Light Music Club prepares for her arrival.
When Yui arrives at the LMC, she's made up her mind to tell them that she can't join after all... mainly because she can't play guitar... she actually can't play anything, but after a lot of sweets, they convince Yui to stay to watch them preform.
Burn.
Despite her opinion of their performance, Yui decides to stay because they looked like they were having fun.
And thus the Light Music Club is saved... for now, or at least until Ritsu forgets to turn in another vital piece of paperwork.
An upbeat anime with a funny story, it's from an area that I don't usually take interest in, namely, one that focuses around girls and girls alone. I like girls, don't get me wrong, but I'm a great fan of low humor; among those being physical humor... and sexual tension humor.
I also strangely like a little romance in animes and mangas. I may be a man, but that doesn't mean that I can't be sensitive too... I think I'll go and cry a little... too much? Okay, but I do like romance, since I'm girlie that way, and men should never underestimate the power a romantic movie has on a girl.
There are a few "Girl's Love" situations in there, but then again, I could probably be considered somewhat of a deviant, and am probably hyper sensitive.
The art style was cool. It's got the right amount of chibi to make me like all of the characters, not to mention a bunch of cool faces.
... now it may be a bit of a cliche, but I am a super Mio fan. I like long hair, and the fact that she's easily scared and embarrassed is super cute. Like in Episode 6, when she and Ritsu were kids, and Ritsu announced to the class that Mio was left handed. I nearly died of a moe attack.
Moe, moe, HYNGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!
That alone was enough to make me love this anime.
The music, was the best out of all the animes that I've reviewed, or probably ever will review. Even if you're not a huge fan of anything like J-Pop (a term that I don't quite understand, it's pretty much just rock and roll in Japanese), song titles like "My Love is a Stapler", and "Fuwa Fuwa Time" will make your day. Just think about it. Don't Say Lazy is also a pretty cool song, actually, all of them are.
K-ON! Anime Media (1-13, Shorts)
K-ON! Anime Take (14 (OVA))
I'm sorry that I broke it up, but I couldn't find it all together in one place, in the time that I was willing to spend looking, so here you go.
The Shorts (from what I can gather) are the shorts that are included after the anime show. Some shows have a preview of the next episode, and Slice of Life animes usually have these.
Elfen Lied!
