First Impressions / K-ON!

「番外編 訪問！」 (Bangai-hen – Houmon!)
“Extra Chapter – Visit!”

The second bonus episode of K-ON takes place some time after the girls get accepted into the same university but before their graduation ceremony. Focusing on the yearbook photos and the vast majority’s discontent over their picture — particularly Yui — this final showing brought both sweet and funny moments to help tie-in the actual ending. Oh yeah, a surprise announcement about a K-ON movie was made at the very end too. Exactly what the movie will entail and when it will be released is anyone’s guess at the moment, but the official site has been already updated to indicate that one’s in production. As for the episode itself, the sweet moments came from Azusa reminiscing about a photo she took with her seniors upon joining the club, which had goofy-looking eyes thanks to our ever-so-reliable club leader but sentimental meaning nonetheless. The other one was during a house visit to Sawako’s apartment, where the photograph she envisioned for the light music club didn’t quite turn out the way she had hoped. Both were nice trips down memory lane and showed us a bit of the club’s past that we’ve never seen before, so that was nice touch for a bonus episode. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t strike any emotional chords with Azusa nor Sawako, since we all know that happened after the graduation ceremony.

As for the more lighthearted side of things, there was Yui’s floating oranges with her amateurish slight of hand, her dismay over seeing her grad photo and how it will be immortalized, Ritsu and Mugi faking out Azusa by making it sound like something happened to Sawako, everyone hiding from Sawako for no particular reason when they went to visit her, Mio suspecting that Sawako might have a secret boyfriend, Sawako shooting down Yui’s request to have her photograph retaken, and everybody freaking out at the mysterious hand on Yui’s shoulder in their class photo. Quite honestly, I can’t even remember the last time I laughed this much in a K-ON episode, with the last bit being one of the funniest moments since Ritsu even forgot that it was her doing. Sawako’s reaction in particular was absolutely priceless, but Mio coercing Ritsu to fess up on hands and knees was right up there. For whatever reason, I also got a good chuckle out of Sawako hoping and praying that Mugi would win rock-paper-scissors and be the one to cook dinner, likely because it showed how much little faith she had in the others’ cooking. Last I recall, Ritsu’s actually pretty good at it.

Given how this episode suggested that the light music club will live on with Azusa, Ui, and Jun trying to recruit one more member, I can see the justification behind leaving it off as a bonus episode at the very end. Having a bit of confirmation on that would’ve probably taken away from Azusa’s eventual emotional breakdown, especially when Yui and the others were aware that they were practicing for a live performance for new members. It was kind of cute how Azusa tried to keep it a secret, even though there was really no reason she had to. Somehow, it felt befitting that they ended off with the new club’s version of “Fuwa Fuwa Time” as Yui, Mio, Ritsu, and Mugi ran through the hallways and outside for a simultaneous jump, which Mio was overconfident about once before and was late when it counted. Things just had to end on Mio slip-up in one form or another, but at least this time she stayed on her feet! 🙂

 

Movie Announcement

Final Impressions:

It was the best of times, it was the cutest of times. K-ON was never be about the worst of times, as the high school days of the light music club simply don’t allow for it. All the time spent drinking tea and eating snacks in their clubroom was slice of life at its finest and had an almost inexplicable charm that extended well beyond the cute characters. At times it was the way Yui and the others lazed away without a care in the world, while at others it was Mio getting her uniform ruffled up and showing us some of her innocent yet-not-so-innocent neckline. More often than not it was the former case, where the extent of their problems involved career choices and entrance exams. None of them could ever be considered dire by any stretch of the imagination, but that’s the beauty of this genre and what K-ON took to ARIA-like levels with a comedic spin. Then there’s the actual music of Houkago Tea Time on top of the cast’s career-defining performances, which made me as entertained listening to it as it probably did Kyoto Animation, Pony Canyon, and TBS rich. It says a lot when an anime that airs 1:25am in the morning does as well as K-ON did in both Blu-ray and CD single sales, and even more so when they can sell out Yokohama Arena for a live concert event. More so than having a faithful following, the unsuspecting 4-koma manga by Kakifly has been transformed into a sort of cultural phenomenon among anime fans both in Japan and worldwide. People can call it “moe” and not like it for that reason, but the series’ popularity among all types of audiences both young and old is pretty undeniable.

I don’t think I’ll ever be able to properly trace the steps that took the series to what it is today (nor would I want to try), but I can explain why I personally enjoyed it. As alluded to above, the music will always be one of the big K-ON things to me. Their cutesy songs are probably not the coolest thing to be listening to while one’s cruising around in their car, but whenever a song is performed for the first time in the actual show, it almost always becomes a memorable one due to the immediate association wth the series. The songs themselves aren’t bad by any means either, seeing as Pony Canyon specializes in composing music for anime and Toyosaki Aki and Hikasa Youko have proven themselves as capable seiyuu who can sing. Incidentally, I’ve been a fan of Youko’s singing ever since I heard “Don’t say ‘lazy'” back in season one, and have nothing but utmost respect for Aki’s seemingly limitless talent in everything whether it be singing, acting, or even hosting concerts. With those two, Houkago Tea Time’s live performance at the school festival was always one of the big highlights in both the first season and this sequel. As for the absolute best part of the music in K-ON? It’s not even the main focus of the series.

With all that going for it as merely “bonus”, the amiable cast of characters and all their various nuances are the real appeal of the series and make it really easy to get into. It didn’t really matter what they were up to as long as they were in it together, because their everyday interactions and fairly laid-back outlook on life were always relaxing to watch and would often put a smile on my face. It was never really about making the viewer laugh until they cry (even though it was close at times) since the innocent type of humor was usually played up more. However, that seemingly uneventful depiction quickly became the series’ defining aspect to me and what I loved watching. Even when an episode was about nothing more than looking for a place to practice, there were all the little things going on that made it much more than it appeared on the surface. I never really knew exactly what I was in store for each week, but I almost always chuckled my way through it. On top of the lighthearted laughs, there were also times when the unsuspecting story would go for the more sentimental side of things, which provided an unexpected yet much appreciated depth to the characters and the series as a whole.

Admittedly, I’m not as sad as some viewers probably are about this series ending, as its 26-episode long run already provided much more than I was expecting after the first season’s 13-episode one. It ended on a high note with the live performance at the school festival and provided closure with the girls graduating and getting into the same school together, so I didn’t feel like there was a need to drag it out. Production-wise, Kyoto Animation upped the bar this time around with all the funding they likely got, whereas TBS’s recent changeover to 16:9 widescreen broadcasts right from the get-go saved me from watching this in butchered 4:3. At this point, I wouldn’t mind seeing some sort of sequel down the stretch should Kakifly get enough money thrown his way to make one, whether it centers around Azusa and the new light music club with Ui and Jun in their senior year of high school, or Yui and the others in their first year of university and reforming the club there. To tide me over until that or the movie rolls around, I think a re-watch is in order in the near future. The six month period that this series aired over made the earlier episodes but a distant memory, so it’s going to be fun going through the first half again. Keion daisuki!

97 Comments

  1. I’m sure kakifly never expected the series to be so successful, let alone have a movie green-lit. But all in all, it’s been a fun ride watching the Light Music Club – drinking tea, eating cake, having fun and talking about random shit… I have no regrets.

    Thanks Divine, for keeping this series well-promoted on RC. K-ON! MOVIE, LET’S GO!

    Phocus
    Reply

    2. I liked how Yui was waving the yellow orange around while trying to convince Nodoka. overall the anime has been better tied together than the manga, with the reason for visiting Sawako very Yui-like.

      Placing this at the end now makes more sense than when watching the preview though if last episode was placed correctly at episode 22, this would have more impact coming after episode 24, giving the viewer the understanding of new beginnings after the endings of 24 and explaining why Yui and bunch were so calm with Azunyan since they knew she would have friends.

      Bringing in Sawako’s friends into the picture also created the image of 3 generations K-On with their own group of friends but still linked to each other indelibly. The past, the present and the future.

      The very different sound of Fuwa Fuwa time with Ui’s keyboard also brought into frame how it would be different from Yui’s time but still the spirit would be there with the same song.

      I think K-On to me is the current title holder for positive themed life anime

      Zaku Fan
      Reply

      2. yes! i didn’t expect the rest of DEATH DEVIL’s members to appear this time..JANICE is still my fave amongst them anyway..and yeah, for me, your last claim is FTW!! *nods* i’m just a little scared that KYOANI MIGHT screw things up and then, there’d go another E8..ugghh.what a horrible D0WNFALL that’d be..i don’t want that to happen,X(

        keiOnDaisuki
        Reply

    1. HELL YEAH! K-ON MOVIE FTW!! i just hope it’s gonna be BU-DO-KAN! BU-DO-KAN! XDD the whole announcement was a PLEASANT SHOCKER for me though..tears of sorrow and then BAM! it’s happy tears already! xDDD

      keiOnDaisuki
      Reply

      1. I expected a preview for next week after ‘No Thank You’ ended 😛
        The movie announcement also took me by surprise.
        As for Budoukan, I think it’s too early for them to realize that goal, thus, them performing in Budoukan in movie seem a bit far off to me.
        I think they’d need to extend the series for another season to make way for a Budoukan story arc.
        Hey, maybe the coming movie would be like a bridge to a third season 😀
        Like, when the movie ends, that’s when they’d announce there’s gonna be season three ^_^
        (man, do I sound like I really want K-On to have another season?
        haha! bet you guys do want that too :p)

        Mickey
        Reply

  4. ‘Accepted into university’?! Now i will be upfront and say i have never watched a single episode of kon, the whole premise puts me off, but i find it hard to believe these girls are of university age in the same way that break blades 12 year olds look like university age

    minarge
    Reply

    2. Anime and age depiction is hard to do. It’s either they’re kids, young adults, fully matured men and women, or REALLY old.

      Only anime that made be believe they matured gradually is FMA and Clannad After Story. Well those are the only ones I have encountered to be believable.

      megalith
      Reply

    4. I can honestly attest to this. When I met with College aged Western exchange students, I was stunned that we were the same age. They all appeared to be far older (seemingly 30 plus) according to our Asian standards. Likewise, my Highschool/University classmates would easy pass for a 13-14 year old in the US.

      This is mainly why many (below 18) foreign exchange students can easily cheat their way into buying Cigarettes and Alcohol here in Singapore. (^.^;)

      Actar
      Reply

  5. AWESOME!!! That announcement was so awesome!!

    I was literally speechless for a second.
    Also was interesting in /a/ yesterday. Tears of happiness(fans) and silence(haters) were an interesting mix.

    Anyway Densha Otoko gif really is the fitting description of every K-ON! fan that saw yesterdays announcement.

    Now looking at it, the series was ended pretty well. I loved the BD/DVD additions to this episode. First was obviously before Azusa was even close to Yui.

    Oh well time to wait for March 2011 for the final BD with the last episode!

    megalith
    Reply

    1. train man gif.LOL.btw, authentic story or not,the guy was lucky XDD

      MARCH 11 is SO FAR AWAY!! AND THE MOVIE IS FURTHER MORE!! AAHHH! NO K-ON TUESDAY’S!!! ahuhu..NO MONTHLY MANGA CHAPTER too!! ahuhu.. i wish for time to fastforward!

      keiOnDaisuki
      Reply

  6. this made me to have mixed feelings.it was hilarious and bittersweet at the same time.but i got to feel more of the sadness.it touched me to know how sawako treasured each girls whilst she held their photo dearly.seriously,i almost cried there.but i must say,them running along the hallway as the new ver. of fuwa fuwa time played,did the waterworks for me.it was really nice to see some official arts be explained tho.TBC after the subs arrives =3

    keiOnDaisuki
    Reply

  7. I’m not going to miss the girls. I’m not going to miss the girls. I’m not go…Ah damn it, who am I kidding?! I balled out at the end. I won’t repeat why Keion had such an impact for me (did it for ep 24) but D, you had pretty well complemented how I felt altogether in your post here.
    Keion Daisuki! Zutto zutto daisuki!

    Shinjiro
    Reply

  12. So THAT’S what that fanart of Azusa was all about! I was wondering how the artist could’ve known about the doll in the blanket if it was never featured in the anime yet.

    K-On!! aired at 1:25am in the morning?!?!!? Are they trying to give everyone sleepy eyes??!?!?

    This show was thoroughly enjoyable. The second season was not monotonous or boring like I predicted.

    starss
    Reply

    1. *cries with you*

      i know, the fansubbers don’t get paid,.but man, waiting for how many days for the subs is a torture an―*gets killed by moe moe kyun beam*

      gods, im so inconsiderate..gomen ne..DX

      keiOnDaisuki
      Reply

  15. Considering that the ISML’s final battle for the 2010 crown is gonna be over once the subs for this episode are out, might as well say this now:

    *cue “Fire and Fury” as the K-onsonance flag flies in the background*

    The big match for the International Saimoe League’s 2010 Heavenly Tiara is coming up this September 30, and Mio’s already made it this far. The recent upsurge of support from K-On! fans may be the key to stopping Biribiri, but it’s our votes that will make it happen. After the two seasons we’ve been through — new fans and old — past the haters and setbacks from worthy contenders, the one thing I know is that we can count on each other to get Mio the 2010 Heavenly Tiara. Or die trying, if that’s what it takes.

    I say we quit weeping for K-On’s end and give After School Tea Time the best send-off gift they deserve. Because some things are just worth fighting for.

    Incognito
    Reply

    1. *applause* pls. vote incognito for president! LOL

      kidding aside,i thoroughly agree about what you said..except quit weeping,.damn,i just can’t stop my tears from falling..btw, yEAH! WE MUST SUPPORT MIO, LET’S JOIN OUR FORCES SO FOR HER TO TAKE THE CROWN! LET’S VOLT IN―*killed*

      i hope mio wins..pls,. God,make her win. don’t let those haters prevail on getting rid of her by voting for the other party..*prays sincerely*

      keiOnDaisuki
      Reply

  16. WooT! K-ON movie! WHOOOOOO! (Please pardon the overreaction. After my local Animax announced it will soon be airing this second season just months after the first, and now this. )

    Last week I mistakenly thought episode 26 was the DVD-only extra, with 26 now aired, wonder if we’ll still get a DVD-only episode 27? Or will Kyo-Ani now be focusing on the movie instead now?

    kakifly and Kyo-Ani could collaborate for a story that goes beyond the manga ending just for the movie.

    So until then, K-ON has come to a most satisfying and successful end, with its characters immortalized in moe-dom. It was a fun one and a half-year watching them grow on me.

    PS Is it me or does Yui’s potential future granddaughter look a lot like Himeko? Yui herself still retains some grace even in that age (based on her own imaginations, at least XD )
    https://randomc.net/image/K-ON/K-ON!!%20-%2026%20-%20Large%2010.jpg

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

    1. “After my local Animax announced it will soon be airing this second season just months after the first, and now this.”

      HOLY CRAP… After the butchering they did with S1… Not sure I can stand the voices ruining the best of this series…

      Poor viewers..

      megalith
      Reply

      1. I dunno about you guys, my local Animax is aired with the choice of either Japanese or local language. I would always go for Japanese audio where possible. So dub-butchering was never really my concern.

        Kinny Riddle
        Reply

      2. “my local Animax is aired with the choice of either Japanese or local language.”

        Wow… Well this finally nailed the coffin that our country sucks.. Well at least the cable provider.

        Really I had to put up with their crap of ruining seemingly enjoyable anime. They reuse the same irritating voice for each show.

        Glory days of Animax in my country was when I was in 2nd year High School which was about 7 years ago….

        I remember enjoying much of the anime they aired. Some in the likes of GTO, Getbackers, and Haibane Renmei and probably many more.

        When they started the dub fiasco everything went down the drain day by the day. Now I don’t really understand our animax. They slap in Korean drama into it and I’m really thinking there is no way this doomed channel.

        Ah whatever, I quit watching anime on TV long time ago. It’s all torrents now and streaming!

        megalith
        Reply

    2. don’t worry, kinny, you’ll get the 27th ep. on MARCH,and that’s for sure.=3

      and your PS, so it wasn’t just me then?! i even thought the kid was MY HIMEKO herself..LOL..anyway, i also ship YUIxHIMEKO―*gets bludgeoned by yuiazu fans* but HIMEKO is WAY HOTTER than aZUS―*gets hit by a bullet train*

      keiOnDaisuki
      Reply

  17. I wouldn’t mind an Azusa spinoff/sequal because she’s my favorite charater, and it would be unfortunate for her to be kicked to the curve. In the mean time though, we still have the movie to look forward to.

    Siege
    Reply

  20. Honestly, i’m both surprised and not surprised that this got a movie. But too bad they didn’t go with the Hollywood movie trailer from last episode…

    Overall 2nd season wasn’t as funny or memorable for me compared to first season, but I still enjoyed watching every episode. Hands down, this and ARIA are my all time favorite slice of lifes.

    fall3nbs
    Reply

  21. I’m going to miss K-ON so much. almost as much as Lucky Star.

    But all in all this was a GREAT series and i loved watching every minute of it. Yui’s airheadedness, Mio’s shyness, Azusa’s straightforwardness, Ritsu’s perkiness, and Mugi’s politness are all things i will dearly miss in my life, but hey i can always rewatch the series again and again, but not having anything new coming out (besides the movie of course) is a bit disappointing. It was always looking forward to something new that kept me coming back to this series time and time again. But still i can’t WAIT for the movie! IT’S GONNA BE EPIC!!!!

    Goodbye K-ON. You’ll be missed dearly, but you will always continue on in our hearts as one of the greatest animes ever. SEE YAH!

    Mad_Dog
    Reply

  22. it’s just now that i noticed, the past,present,and future members of the keionbu were all here in a single episode..w/c is pretty telling..and it’s good to have them all for this last ep..x)

    MARCH,pls. come faster..i can’t wait..

    keiOnDaisuki
    Reply

      1. Speaking of harem, I think Mio was pretty ballistic in learning that Ritsu was cheating on her and getting cosy with Yui by placing her hand on Yui’s shoulder in the class photo. 🙂

        Kinny Riddle
        Reply

  26. has anyone noticed how suggestive that opening scene was? LOL. seriously, i thought mio and ritsu were doing something..ahemm.. nevermind xDD (but i was praying that they actually were) BWAHAHA–*knifed*

    keiOnDaisuki
    Reply

    1. yes, most likely.. and it’s highly possible as well that kakifly is gonna have a HUGE participation in it..man, i hope they’d go less w/ moe this time and have a cool plot that’s apt to finally end the story..BUDOKAN!!! XDD

      keiOnDaisuki
      Reply

    2. After the graduation episode, I didn’t know what to expect from the extra 2 episodes.
      Truth be told, as much as I love K-On, I thought the extras would end up being drag.
      But they didn’t. I actually enjoy watching ’em.
      The movie might end up like that. We have no idea what they have in store for the fans.

      Mickey
      Reply

  32. Post, post, post POST!!!
    K-On the Movie!!! CONFIRMED!!! Woo-hoo!!!
    I wish, I wish, I wish, the next confirmation would be a third season 😀
    I know I maybe asking for more, but that’s exactly what I want! “more”
    More K-On!!!
    Ok, so, we know that Ui & Jun are on board for a K-On live performance, right?
    The idea of them continuing the series doesn’t sound so bad at all ^_^
    Of course you guys caught Sawa-chan’s hint about K-on “living on”, ne?
    That’s so clear to me as the Summer Sun that episode 26 won’t be the end of our beloved series.
    Well, that’s it for now.
    Think I’ll go watch it again later ^__^
    Jya ne!!!

    Mickey
    Reply

  35. Post some tweets I got from @raito_kun who I follow on Twitter who went through Hideaki Hatta’s speech at Kyoto CMEX.

    (Besides KyoAni’s company president Hatta, director Yamada (K-ON!) made also an appearance at Kyoto CMEX.)

    – She reportedly said that they put much importance on depicting the characters in a way they feel alive and life-like.
    – One of the reasons for her appointment as K-ON!s director was the fact that her female high school student days had been not so long ago.
    – First K-ON! OP should make an impression of being amateur-ish (as if the girls made it on their own). ED is a wild idea of their pro debut.
    – Yamada was apparently quite Yui-like in her appearance with a fashion sense resembling the K-ON EDs (of which she designed the clothes).
    – Director Yamada also stressed that there’s a difference between anime- and manga-like expression. She felt that former had decreased.
    (Her explanation reminds me of what Osamu Kobayashi once said, how a too manga-like approach in anime limits ways of expression.)

    kyonkun
    Reply

  37. I actually like listening to “No Thank You!!” when my brother is driving the car. Sometimes, I get a few honks shouting out ‘Mio!’ or something of the sort.

    What’s really amazing is that K-ON gave birth to some good seiyuus like Aki, Ayana, Yoko, etc. as they were given more roles and thus started a more emotional tie with the audience. I mean, I absolutely love the K-ON seiyuus not just because of K-ON, but because of the vast roles they play in and their adaptability.

    Daniel
    Reply

  38. Time for doujinshi!
    I found an interesting one about the girls live after high school where Yui gets a huge record-label but dies at age 25 from drugs and where Azusa and Mio try to reach the top the hard way and Azusa ends up doing Vocaloid Cosplay street-performances.

    Oh yeah and Ui turns out to be a huge pervert :p

    Nyte
    Reply

  40. lol I loved this episode, seriously.
    The eye thing at the beggining xDD then the yearbook, haha ritsu’s hand XDD it was fun to whatch them scream cuz I already knew about ritsu’s hand xD haha

    awww Azu Azunyan with Ui and Jun that version of fuwa fuwa time was absolutely cute, sooo cuteee, and the girls running, aah that was just so sweet ;-;

    BUT HELL YEAH A MOVIEEEE, haha Im really looking forward to that ^^

    lol
    Reply

  41. so yeah, i finally finished the last ep..T_____T

    i still had some good laugh though..

    -mio slapping ritsu’s forehead right off the bat was SO FUNNY..LOL..

    -the FAMILY PICTURE was ROFLMAO-worthy..man, it was the silliest thing i’ve seen them do..XDDD

    -THE CLASS PHOTO killed me..AHAHA.. how could ritsu forget about such thing??!! AHAHA..and it’s hilarious seeing their expressions…LOL. especially yui’s!!! ROFL.

    and then ritsu’s reaction when she realized it was her doing…AHAHAHA! PURE WIN!

    -yui suddenly popping out from nowhere before showing the album to sawako..LOL.

    ….i’ve mentioned the touching scenes that i liked at my earlier post..so..that’s it..

    DAMN IT!!! i miss my k-on..*runs off crying*

    PS: you’ll be blogging the ova and movie, right??!! LOL. I CAN’T WAIT!!
    P.s. 2: THANKS FOR EVERYTHING, DIVINE! you’re D’best!!!

    keiOnDaisuki
    Reply

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