k-on!! 14
Categories: episodic review, k-on
Tagged: k-on
26 Comments »
“I’m always left out of the skinship. I love skinship!”
OH MY MUGINESS!!!
Mio broke my heart. *sniff sniff* I thought I would never be the same. I would never be whole. Then I found… Mugi-chan.
(This is nothing like the Chicago Bulls losing out on LeBron James and consummating a deal with Carlos Boozer instead. That’s just a letdown of the highest order. This is more like going to visit this blog, finding out it’s been hacked, but there’s a nifty new Twitter feed waiting for you.)
Just a great hilarious episode all around. When K-On!! works, it’s almost unstoppable. When it doesn’t… it doesn’t. But, hey, the only way that could have make this episode better would be getting Mio into a Mugi-class sundress and a random concert in the park. But I’d settle for Yui’s epic “Nodoka ate my strawberry” call to Azu-nyan. I loved how Yui called Azu-nyan of all people. Loved how Azu-nyan had that “Wait, why are you wasting my airtime?” look. Loved how Yui just wanted Azu-nyan to come over so she could hug El Gato Azu-nyan (did we ever figure this bad, bad Spanish out?) and feel better. Loved how Ui has a very concerned, “If Nodoka dicked around my with sister, she’s a dead woman” look. And I’m hoping for a BD outtake where Nodoka finds a horse’s head on her bed.
The strawberry theft subplot? Awesome. Loved how Mio broke down… she was a notch below Kyou and Ryou after Nagisa got walloped by the tennis ball but above Otonashishi begging Kanade to stay with him. Needless to say, Kyoto Animation is the Mozart of crying haremettes.
(Loved how Mugi stuffed that strawberry into her mouth as a pig. Delightful. If you haven’t been smitten by Mugi-chan yet, you’re not fit to be human.)
Speaking of stealing strawberries… leave it to Kyoto to change their ED from the strawberry cake-frosted Listen!! to the strawberry cake-less No, Thank You. Good job. You couldn’t leave the strawberry cake ED for the episode featuring the strawberry ka-kii?
(First time Kyoto has changed both OP/ED songs during a season. I’m surprised they don’t do it more often with K-On!! since these CDs mint money for them.)
Best part of No, Thank You? Azu-nyan’s ponytail. On a scale from 1 to Mio’s mini-top hat, I give it a solid 8.5.
(Hoodie Mio ain’t bad either… I feel like we need to have Mio be Sigyn’s slave for Broken Blade. I feel like that series is either going to be killer or a letdown, i.e. Chicago Bulls, mainly because Chiwa Saito is voicing Sigyn, an all-star character, with Marina Inoue voicing Broken Blade‘s version of Azu-nyan.)
Utauyo!! Miracle… we know what we’re going to get. Chipmunk Yui is Chipmunk Yui. Though if they ever do a Japanese remake of Alvin and the Chipmunks and Aki Toyosaki isn’t involved, I’d be devastated.
(Notice how Yui and Ritsu had crappy handwriting… and Mugi breaks out the fancy calligraphy version of her name? Mugi’s the best. We need her more involved… and why hasn’t Mugi sung yet?)
Mugi was just awesome on her day-to with Ritsu. A solid performance. I would love to go around South Africa with Mugi as we attend Vuvuzela World Cup games. “What’s that?! Is this a ‘vuvuzela’?!” Okay, maybe not that great. But vacationing with Mugi to places other than Finland must be awesome. Mio would probably just act tsundere towards the vuvuzela.
(Damn, both NBA free agency and the Vuvuzela World Cup are coming to a close. I don’t have anything to follow! Might be forced to blog Occult Academy… that’s how things have fallen. From the Vuvuzela World Cup to Occult Academy. *shudders* And, yes, it would be two years before I care about soccer again.)
(And a street vendor was selling vuvuzelas in San Fran for $5 over We Beat the British Weekend. Business was brisk. Damn, this infection runs deeper and wider than I thought.)
“What color are your panties?”
Come on, don’t tease us Kyoto. You won’t show. Kyoto’s like the old guy’s guy who would drink as if he’s coaching Argentina soccer, hit on anything in a sun dress, and make inappropriate comments about the teenage girls at the local Coldstone’s. This would be Kyoto’s Fumoffu stage. They had the greatest hot springs episode plus an episode about how Sagara melted the clothing of every girl in school. (He saves Chidori… but not the hawt vice-student council president.) Now? Kyoto’s the whipped married guy with a huge jumbo loan and two crying babies. That’s K-On!! and most likely Nichijou.
Yui’s strawberry-related tantrum… I think this is what LeBron James does whenever someone tells him, “No.” I loved Wojnarowski’s evisceration of The King. Would Jordan, Kobe, Magic, Isiah, Bird, or Duncan have an infomercial on ESPN announcing where he was going to sign? Ridiculous. I kinda knew this would happen– LeBron is turning from a babyface to a heel right in front of our eyes. His (eventual new) team might love him, but everyone else will love to hate him. It’s the same thing with Kobe, except Kobe needed rape accusations to get the ball rolling. (More importantly, Kobe’s won five rings.) LeBron? He did this to himself with his own ego and greed. I will enjoy rooting against him, Wade, and Bosh.
(On the bright side, with an ego that big, he can start his own anime blog!)
(And, yes, I believe no one deserves a max contract in the NBA unless they won at least one Finals MVP.)
(A good star? Durant. Likeable guy. Didn’t make a fuss about a new contract. Understood he hasn’t won anything yet.)
“If you were a boy, you’d be really popular!”
OH MY MUGINESS! Mugi suggesting that Ritsu should genderswap? I’m beginning to come around to the fact that Mugi, not Mio, is the catch. She’s Mugilicious. Unfortunately, if Ritsu did have a penis, Mugi wouldn’t be this friendly to Ritsu. So that’s a problem. But a good problem. A Mugilicious problem.
Mugi is awesome. Just awesome. Enjoyed her “I got a plan!” look. Enjoyed her hibiscus. Enjoyed her attempts to become more intimate with Mio. Enjoyed her updated hair style. Enjoyed how she wants to follow dad in attending an all-girls university. I hope she eventually meets Mariya and Kanako there.
(Said this before, but Mugi needs to be considered as the future host of No Reservations after Anthony Bourdain retires. That’s the right thing to do.)
Kyoto’s animation… still top notch. Why? It’s difficult, time consuming, and costly to keep changing character models, and they do it with great joy. “Hey, I have another great outfit idea for Mugi!” It’s even funnier when you picture a bunch of middle-aged men arguing over, “I think Ritsu should go for a double-color Polo shirt!” “No, she should wear a single color!” No other animation house save Production IG puts this type of thought into their animation. As someone who grew up watching Marge’s green dress forever on Los Simpsones, I can appreciate the changes in character model.
(Love the bloggers calling Occult Academy a work of art. Really? That’s like calling Chris Bosh a “superstar.” Dude’s the power forward version of Tracy McGrady. Get out of the first round by yourself, and maybe you can start calling yourself a “superstar.” How is Maya running around in that slutty white dress for 13 episodes anything but lazy in this day and age? #vuvuzela #worldcup)
(Why does Pedro on the Spanish team just goes by “Pedro”? Is he the same Pedro from Excel Saga? Why does David Villa have “David Villa”… why do some players have full names, some have last names, and some only have one name? I was disappointed that the Japanese players didn’t write their names in kanji… or feature Hello Kitty stickers on their cleats.)
Stationary as body parts? Senjougahara swiftly approved.
(Can’t believe Shaft took out the part when Hitagi accuses Araragi of not taking her seriously because he’s checking out her bust. Unfortunately, he had a stapler in his mouth at the time. SHAAAAAFT!)
So the episode boiled down to Mugi wanting to be hit for pleasure? I knew she swung that way. She probably also owns a horse whip. Oh my Muginess indeed.
26 Responses to “k-on!! 14”
Leave a Reply
One of the better adaptations of a K-On chapter so far, especially since it focuses on Mugi. She’s really been under-represented, when compared to the rest of HTT. She’s just… there. Good job, KyoAni.
So they didn’t Endless Eight this one. Cool. Needs more Mio, though.
Haess: Hmm, is this a new Studio-related Law? In as much as how (modern) Sunrise seems to equate to Fast-and-Loose Plots, whenever KyoAni is mentioned it’s inevitable that Endless Eight will be mentioned? I mean, it’s one of the more damning decisions the studio had made, for sure (outside of Munto), but it’s like… Godwin’s Law? Except instead of nazis, its “Any discussion about a KyoAni-produced show that goes long enough will inevitably merit a mention of Endless Eight!”
I’d hit Mugi soooooooo hard….
“Enjoyed how she wants to follow dad in attending an all-girls university”
Wait…who did you decide what Mugi’s father agian?
.
Mugi was really cute this episode (I liked the glasses), she is really excitable about common things, and kept asking if she could hug people.
Mugi is great, and I enjoyed the new opening. It was cute, funny -the girls joining in jumping was adorable- and fun. I was surprised it passed 14 episodes. MORE MUGI!
As per usual, I love the ED and hate the OP…
Mugi episodes are always surprisingly funny. In fact, the show is drastically better whenever it isn’t focused on Yui (or Azusa, who seemingly only gets episodes that focus on her being left alone and thinking about things too hard)
I’d also like to stuff Mio’s strawberries in my mouth…..
Liked Mugi’s reaction to her twirling classmates in the OP.
errr what, mugi dad attend an all girls-university?
Myssa: it was worse than Dance in the Vampire Bund; at least the mangaka was either paid or crazy to say he liked the anime. E8 had EVERYONE disavowing any knowledge of it. But it should be a law of anime studios, yes.
All that time she has been like a supportive mother right next to Mio and now we know Mugi has been wanting to jump her. Still doesn’t make up for lack of Mugivision or the cafe meido training episode, but it’s a start.
I was so hopeing Mio was going to go stabby when Mugi stole her strawberry (good job they weren’t cherries on that cake or the innudeno would get really bad!)
‘So the episode boiled down to Mugi wanting to be hit for pleasure?’ We really need to get Mugi as the next Capitalist pig in DMC (that’s it, the current one is her father!)
Finally, I made the connection today- Mugi really reminds me of the girl in Pulp’ song common people
!
I agree it’s one of the better adaptations of a K-On chapter so far, especially since it focuses on Mugi. I like the story
Speaking of chipmunks, the bit near the end of the OP with the cast swaying to the beat reminded me of chipmunks or prarie dogs. It sent me into an inexplicable rage- maybe because it looked cheap or just because I really despise Alvin and the Chipmunks. I don’t think there’s a split-second animation (that doesn’t involve johnnies) that could piss me off more.
Endless Eight is fair game forever- it was a deliberate decision so it shouldn’t be forgotten so easily. Personally, I think people have a bad habit of forgetting stuff too quickly (subprime mortage bonds?), so they get surprised over and over.
“Dear My Keys” on Mugi’s character CD is my second favorite song from the character set. She should totally be singing more. My favorite is “Hello Little Girl” by Mio, which was obiously a collaborative effort between Mugi and Mio.
.
And this may be my favorite episode of S2, although the Home Depot/money slapping episode was also excellent.
.
A small gripe: why do the ED’s have Mio gripping the mic stand and NOT PLAYING HER BASS? Makes no sense that they would animate every freakin’ thing and then do something so lame. Have they never watch a RUSH concert?
“Mugilicious.”
Awesome, now I just have to work out how to drop that into a real conversation.
After the Lebron debacle, for the first time, I feel envious of people on Twitter. But not envious enough to register instead of replying here. So K-ON is the anti-King James? I dunno, Azusa was close to dumping the light music club in her initial appearance (for failing to get it in gear, kinda like the Cavs?). Imagine if she did and joined a super band that performed at the high school repeatedly. Sure, she didn’t have a history with the band, but anime is about instant history- your method of introduction determines if you’re a heroine, love interest, or good friend. Plus, the K-ON bu has people who are easily spooked and whose feelings are easily hurt… sorta like a certain crushed fanbase.
So, will this moment have a “Cleveland name”? The Show, perhaps?
This is easily my favorite episode. I’ve never before re-watched an episode of K-ON, but I watched this twice within a 24-hour period. Mugi really is the best.
I think one of the best things about Mugi is that although she’s usually in the background, she’s DOING things there. I always thought that KyoAni was overkill for K-ON, but Mugi convinces me otherwise.
That were tears of real sadness, not the Lindsay Lohan tears.
Jason, you don’t have to blog about Occult academy because there is Seitokai Yakuindomo. You even recommended another manga of the same mangaka.
Mugi’s single “Dear My Keys” is surprisingly great !
And is somehow similar to one of the best anime openings ever, the italian version of Miyazaki’s Mirai Shounen Conan.
Gosh, she really does say “skinship”. I thought that was just Jason putting words in her mouth.
When he strummed the third chord, I heard the third groupie cry out, “Go to HTT!” I looked, and there was a black keyboard, and its player held a lily in her hand. I heard what seemed to be a voice from the sound system that said, “A ration of cake costs a vision’s trigger, and three rations of tea cost a vision’s trigger. But do not damage the cosplay or the skinship.”
—Excerpt from The Book of Tea Times as Revealed to Azusa the Feline
If you’re running out of shows to blog about, you should do the live action Moyashimon. You already know what’s coming. You know you want to. As an added bonus, you can just rehash your old posts. Win-win all around!
This episode, along with the new OP and ED (to be honest, I like both – Don’t Say Lazy>ED2>OP2>ED1>S1OP>OP1) was really good. Typical KyoAni – they’ve moulded themselves into this moe machine – away from the FMP and Haruhi-style, and into the Lucky Star and K-On.
Which I don’t mind. They’re doing it right, as Ichigo Mashimaro was.
Needing more Mio though. I get that they haven’t really developed Mugi and this was a prime example to do so, and I really don’t have any complaints about the episode (aside from that weird time-skip – they’re going to summer school, suddenly they’re at school with Azusa?) but I want my Mio episode.
I think I’m more of a Ritsu kind of guy. I love tomboy girls.