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Sep 19 2010

Categories: episodic review, k-on
Tagged: k-on

18 Comments »

“I didn’t want to cry… I wanted to send you guys off smiling…”

(Fuwa Fuwa Time 4 Ever!)

Let’s get the important thing out of the way first– sidetail! I’m convinced Kyoto Animation is at the forefront of hairstyles for anime characters. I think it’s because they don’t animate a lot of male characters, so they can spend their time daydreaming about how to draw their female characters. Good job Kyoto. I am both disappointed and glad you didn’t animate Maria+Holic, Marimite, Azumanga-nyan, Hidamari Sketch, and a host of other shows known for not having Johnnies around.

“That’s the K-On club for you… living life on the edge.”

Out along the edges /
Always where I burn to be /
The further on the edge /
The hotter the intensity /
Highway to the Danger Zone /
Gonna take you /
Right into the Danger Zone /
Highway to the Danger Zone

(And, yes, Mio’s tripping on stage is equivalent to Tom Cruise doing the “fly my F-14 upside down and take a picture” with their first Mugilicious beach house encounter being the epic volleyball scene with Tom vs. Val.)

Twintails? Who looks a lot like the recently retired Amagami heroine? No wonder Mugilicious looks so damn happy here. She’s going to show her a koi pond, if you know what I mean.

I guess that they’re saving the cute scene with Ui, Jun, and Azu-nyan from the final 4koma for the bonus episode. But I guess it’s not much of a spoiler to say that the K-On club will continue… with a new catgirl-like Steve Jobs-ish dictator.

“How can I erase this?”

Is Sawa-chan one of anime’s greatest teachers? She’s not up at Onizuka’s level (then again, who is), but she’s at least par with luminaries like Becky-sensei, Shikijou-sensei, and Kyou-sensei.

“Please don’t stop playing your music.”

Yet another reason why Kyoto Animation is so fearsome. They’re one of the few studios that will animate random stuff in the background to give a scene more life, like how the students were posing with Sawa-chan in the back here. This studio really does put a lot of effort into what they do, which is refreshing in an industry that seems content to do the least amount possible. Say what you want about K-On!, but source material is source material. It will never be Code Geass or Clannad, but I can’t imagine K-On! any other way than how Kyoto treated it. Don’t stop playing your music.

Another thing Kyoto does well? Tears. My gosh… Azu-nyan, welcome to the Fujibayashi All-Stars!

(So much more realistic and convincing than the tears from Kogame in the recent Katanagatari episode. And gotta love how both Kogame and HSotD‘s Rei react when they suspect that their man is cheating on them… let’s offer up our bodies even more! Not sure what it says about Togame’s tactician abilities when she has the same strategy as Rei…)

I liked the present the girls gave Sawa-chan. Very sweet. I was disappointed that Yui didn’t trip and fall with the present flying up in the air with Sawa-chan doing an amazing acrobatic move to save it.

I really hope they all share the same dorm room in college. And install live feed webcams. “Yui, that’s not fair. It’s my turn with the whip tonight~~”

Odds that Ui would cut off that girl’s hands for defiling her sister? Off the books at Vegas. I wish Kyoto would have cut away to show Ui fuming during this process… you just knew she wanted to pin Yui. Speaking of pinninng…

… Mugi had a nice wide smile while being pinned.

Still don’t understand the peace sign thing. And disappointed that sidetail girl didn’t take a picture with them. Also, leave it to Yui to not toss up the peace sign. Plus, if I were posing with the rock band club, wouldn’t I want to pose with them with Mugilicious feeding me grapes while Mio is rubbing my feet their instruments?

I liked the nice touch for the Azu-nyan song that Ritsu and Mugi actually sang. Maybe they could work on harmonizing in the future. Never really understood their arguments for not singing… did they just want to always force Mio into a corner to sing? (Deviously brilliant.) And, in the end, the one person who didn’t sing… Azu-nyan! Are they going to be become an acoustic group next year? Or will Jun (the horrible one) sing over Ui (the good one)?

(And don’t all three of them play the guitar? What kind of band will they make… I could see Ui sliding over to bass… Jun… ugh.)

(But nice touch going out on Fuwa Fuwa Time… I wouldn’t have had it any other way. Fuwa Fuwa Time indeed.)

“You guys weren’t very good!”

Loved Azu-nyan’s reaction at the end. Pure Azu-nyan.

It ends the way any series like this ends. Yes, there’s a definite beginning, middle, and end to K-On!, but not quite like typical shows. It’s pure slice-of-life… just following four good friends as they grow together during an important part of their lives. Sure, the conflicts weren’t great, but that’s what life is. A lot of little struggles that, when overcome, sure feel damn great… and that’s exactly what Mio, Mugilicious, Ritsu, and Yui accomplished. They got their band. They got their concert. They got their spotlight. They got their memories. They got each other. They got friendship. They got a sense that they belong. And maybe that’s what important in the end.

またね, けいおん!