First Impressions / K-ON!

「放課後！」 (Houkago!)
“After School!”

Now that Yui and the others have finished their entrance exams and gotten into their school of choice together, there’s nothing left to do but wait around for their graduation ceremony. Hanging out in their clubroom one last time was on the itinerary, as was leaving behind a memento of all of Houkago Tea Time’s songs. While I would’ve been perfectly fine if they just filled the entire episode with their recording session, the real tease from not showing any of it are the two songs on their list that we’ve never heard before. The first one, “Ichigo Parfait ga Tomaranai”, was actually seen all the way back in episode one, whereas the second one, “Honey Sweet Tea Time”, sounds like it’s labeled to be a Mio-sung song. As such, all I could think about when this episode drew to a close was how much I’d like to get my hands on that cassette tape they left behind. Heck, I even have cassette players to play it and can dub it to another tape just to preserve the more ghetto feel. It’s Old School Tea Time! Mp3 what now?

Anyway, I’m wondering if Pony Canyon plans to release a complete Houkago Tea Time album once this series ends and include those two songs on it, because it seems a bit strange cruel to simply throw out song titles with no intention of writing an actual song for it. The other possibility is that they can save them as a huge surprise for the next K-ON Live Event and release them as another single afterward to milk it to death, assuming there’s going to be another live in the future. (Common (business) sense says there will be.) Whatever the case, it’s probably safe to assume the school festival performances of “Gohan wa Okazu” and “U & I” are the last songs we’ll hear in the series itself. Things are in a pure wind down stage now, where the girls are just trying lounging around killing time and trying to do some things in high school they haven’t yet, such as cleaning their clubroom (*gasp*). It’s quite a shock I know, just like how they’ve never eaten the highly sought after “Golden Chocolate Bread” when Azusa, Ui, and Jun all have already.

There was nothing on the Azusa front nor the future of the music club next year, which means it can either continue on if Ui, Jun, and one new member join, or go dormant again just like when this series started. The actual outcome isn’t important it would seem, as most of this episode was fairly laid back and unassuming in typical K-ON fashion. My personal highlights were Yui in Nodoka’s glasses and trying to look sophisticated, Nodoka without them, Azusa’s surprise over Yui’s usage of the word “musicianship” (just like in live event skit), and most of all, Mio and Azusa not liking the sound of their own voices when Mugi decided to record their useless chatter as well. Azusa takes the cake in the last one, after getting embarrassed over how she sounds yelling and even apologizing for getting on everyone’s case all this time. Laughing out loud to that almost came instinctively for me, because she finally realized how uptight she sounds. Aside from that, I would probably consider this a deceivingly peaceful episode. The reason being, the next one is the last.

However, that’s only story-wise, as TBS and all the other stations have two more bonus episodes scheduled to air in the following weeks, one of which I suspect will be a recap type of episode like Kyoto Animation did for CLANNAD. Whether or not the “finale” next time will be a tearful one remains to be seen, but I’m really not expecting it to be when episode twenty delivered in that department.

 

Preview

63 Comments

  2. This K-ON!! was almost too laid back, I got really excited they were going to play new song to close the episode “I was like this :), then I like this :(” with the big tease.

    I’m expecting a big Azusa meltdown, but then again who wants to see her cry 🙁

    I’ll get stabby if Kyoani wastes a episode for a recap with the Ritsu BF chapter still not not animated for the series

    kyonkun
    Reply

    1. Very unlikely that Ritsu chapter’s going to get animated, because this is not season 1 where 2 beach episodes are acceptable. We already have a someonesuspectssomeonehasaboyfriend/stalking/foundoutitsactuallyagirl episode around 3 months back. From here onwards it’s unlikely much, if any part of the manga will be animated at all.

      jam
      Reply

      1. Well.. They skipped a lot of parts in the manga…

        Specially Nodoka’s chapter. It’s like KyoAni shoved her to the sides. But anyway I hope they include that in the specials and not go for the Afterstory way of special episodes.

        I’d rage so hard if it’s just a recollection or recap episode. I mean c’mon don’t waste that time.

        🙁

        megalith
        Reply

  4. Poor Azusa… I hope they can provide some closure for the finale and not leave it at a point where she ends up miserable and alone without HTT.

    Also, I wonder what Kyoto Animation is animating next. I wish they could go back to their roots and adapt Key titles (namely Little Busters), or continue on with FMP.

    Phocus
    Reply

  5. Two things… The bell and the cassette tape..

    Feels bad man… When they were sitting down and the bell rings. They all tune in to that sound.

    Second that cassette tape brought a neat but another sad speculation. Those who speculated said that we were watching a flashback. ;___;

    Anyway.. Since next last week is the final official episode the manga also ended recently. Well.. Let’s see how KyoAni does that.

    megalith
    Reply

    1. Kyoani better end K-ON!! with a bang because I’ll be disappointed if Episode 20 was the emotional peak of this series

      The flashback was discussed on Twitter and I’ve been wondering how this will end because they built the tension up and this episode was like nothing was happening, it’s like a setup for the ending

      I wonder if Azusa will run up the stairs and find a empty room? or someone waiting there? in the final hmmm…..

      kyonkun
      Reply

      1. It’b nice if Azusa gets members to go with her.

        In the manga i’m not sure but:
        Show Spoiler ▼

        Also I don’t think KyoAni will let Azusa be alone… Or so I think… D:

        megalith
        Reply

  7. They say Azusa fans might want to refrain from watching (or reading) the K-ON! finale. And yes, kyonkun, it will be a massive Azusa meltdown. Whether what I’m saying is based on a troll or not, my guess is Azusa will cry. I mean, after two years of being with HTT and the seniors leaving for JWU, who wouldn’t?

    Razgriz
    Reply

    2. I guess it’s inevitable, huh? The images from Sankaku seem pretty genuine regarding the last chapter. I was wondering myself if Jun and Ui will take the club members’ roles as bassist and pianist respectively, seeing at how they jammed in the music room back in episode 5. Then again, it’s back to square one since it’s going to be only the three of them. And the K=ON! dilemma will come full circle once more.

      Razgriz
      Reply

  11. *chokes tears*

    gods.. i’m already crying in advance for the next episode..
    i’m pretty expecting it to be really an emotional one..

    and about that bf chapter i’ve been whining about:

    PULEEZZZ KYOANI!! HEAR MY PRAYERS!!

    *prays sincerely for the nth time*

    keiOnDaisuki
    Reply

  13. I’m really dun wish K-ON to end it now T.T but everything must come to an end rite..i hope tht Kyoto animation will make more anime something like K-ON last but nt least cheers to K-ON! =D

    AutoHost
    Reply

  14. THE END IS NIGH! And what’s amazing is the whole episode, while lacking any climax, the fact that all this normalcy will end today merely emphasizes that sense of bittersweetness about the coming finale.

    You’d be surprised many people dislike listening to their voice on record, since it sounds completely different to the sound which they’re always used to hearing (mainly due to us not having to hear our voice transmit through the air as the sound is transmitted within our bodies). I count myself as one of those.

    Though I’ve taken a peek at the manga ending, I cannot comment on it properly without spoiling it, so I’ll wait till next week. Though most of us probably know or guess what it’s all about anyway.

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

  18. Well in one of the earlier episodes (Can’t remember which) Jun proposed about joining the club with Ui after the the seniors leave so that Azusa wouldn’t be lonely. Though that could’ve just been some random chit chat that they did.

    Either way it just seems natural for Jun and Ui to join (for me). Seeing the tape recording, I have a feeling there will be a short little time skip segment to the new academic year with freshmen joining Azusa+co and listening to the tape.

    Azuma
    Reply

  19. I’m expecting Azusa to bawl her eyes out in the final episode. We’ve seen several times that she fears finding the clubroom empty, and seeing that fear finally come true would probably break her for real.

    Considering she’s good friends with Ui (as well as in the same class), I’d like it if she somehow stayed in touch with the other four girls, despite not being able to play with them anymore (at least, not as part of the Light Music Club). It’d be even better if they somehow kept HTT in its current form intact and that all five would come together to practice from time to time. But, that’s probably just idle hope…

    Firelord
    Reply

  20. Yes it will be sad for Azusa and is only emphasized more because in the series she is displayed to always be hanging out with her upperclassmen. So when they leave we are focused on her having no one left. But in reality, it would be the case that Azusa would have friends in her own year that would be just as close to her as the K-on group. Whats my point? I don’t know I was just being a realist when I checked up on RC and made a random post.

    crazystudyguy
    Reply

  21. I guess that’s what they meant when they said that the end of K-ON!! will coincide with the final chapter of the manga.

    The next episode will be the “final” and then the last two are just bonuses.

    Umaro
    Reply

  23. if it ends, we’ll just assuming that azusa, ui and jun succeeds k-on-bu and find another member somewhere, just like how k-on started. although this is a fantasy world, and what happens happens, think too much about it, you’ll later realize your becoming crazy.

    superanu
    Reply

    1. Keyword: supposedly

      Our last hope in hearing Honey Sweet Tea Time is IF they decide to add it to a new set of character songs for Mugi. Yui will be getting a new character song album which will be released on 9/21. There’s also the K-On!! OST Vol.2 which will be released on 10/06.

      But, hey, this is KyoAni. They could be just trolling us with Mugi’s song. *shrugs*

      Lurker
      Reply

  29. No, no, no, no…
    If there’s going to be a Season 3,
    Yui, Mugi, Mio & Ritsu should be there.

    No “Ui-Jun-Azusa”

    You guys remember how Jun told Azusa that she really belongs to Keion-bu?
    Being a Keion-bu member, you have to be sort of a slacker who loves goofing around & drinking & serving tea.

    Ui & Jun aren’t Keion-bu material, see?
    They’re too serious *slash responsible.
    Ui is lovable & can play, but, being a Keion-bu member isn’t just about that.
    Jun maybe wacky, and maybe a more suitable member of Keion-bu than Azusa but her wackiness belongs to the Jazz club as with Azusa’s seriousness belongs to Keion-bu
    [to balance things up]

    Mickey
    Reply

      1. Yeah, Azusa wasn’t very much of a slacker, but hanging out with the girls
        brought the slacker inside her to surface 😛
        But the girls won’t be there anymore to bring the slacker out of Jun.
        Oh and, I think Jun’s a bit of a slacker already 😀
        Remember when they were cooking, they ran out or ingredient and Jun picked to stay in than go out to buy what they needed? ~_~;

        Mickey
        Reply

  32. I can’t bring myself to feel sad that this would be the second to last episode. Part of me is a little sad though I have this other part of me saying yay the cause of the Moe Era is finally gone. And yes K-ON was the birth of all things MOE so I’m kind of happy that its finally over.

    exia
    Reply

  36. 1.いちごパフェが止まらない – Strawberry Parfrait
    2.ぴゅあぴゅあはーと – pure pure heart
    3.Honey sweet tea time – Honey sweet tea time
    4.ごはんはおかず – Rice is snack
    5.五月雨20ラブ – may rain 20 love
    6.U&I – U&I
    7.ときめきシュガーsugar crush
    8.冬の日- Winter day
    9.天使にふれたよ！ – tenshi ni furetayo
    【Bonus Track】
    10.放課後ティータイム – Houkago tea time

    1.ふわふわ時間 – Fuwa Fuwa Time
    2.カレーのちライス – Carry and Rice
    3.わたしの恋はホッチキス – My love is stapler
    4.ふでペン　～ボールペン～ – Fude pen Borupen
    5.ぴゅあぴゅあはーと – pure pure heart
    6.いちごパフェが止まらない – Strawberry parfrait
    7.Honey sweet tea time – Honey sweet tea time
    8.ときめきシュガー sugar crush
    9.冬の日 – Winter day
    10.五月雨20ラブ – May 20 rain love
    11.ごはんはおかず – Goan is snack
    12.U&I – U&I

    superanu
    Reply

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