First Impressions / K-ON!

「部室がない！」 (Bushitsu ga Nai!)
“No Clubroom!”

No clubroom evidently means an informal school tour for us, as the K-ON club tries to find another place to practice. On some level, it was more like they were looking for a new place to have a tea party while repairs were being made to a leaky water pipe. However, with only a month left before the school festival, the girls were actually trying to practice for a change. I gather it’s pretty hard to slack off when they tried sharing space in their own classroom and the gymnasium though. The latter location did have me thinking about the prospect of Mio playing volleyball after seeing her entranced by the practice happening in front of her, which makes three different shows in the past week featuring something volleyball related. The marathon provided a good taste of an athletic-themed episode, but I’d be all for a sports festival one with lots of events, such as the tried and true cavalry fight (kibasen). Given how this series tends to avoid a lot of the overused themes seen in high school anime (e.g. a hot spring episode) and sticks to its own slice-of-life style for the most part, I wouldn’t be opposed to it delving into them every now and then. They sure seem to play the field trip card a hell of a lot and aren’t too far off with the bath scenes in them, so it doesn’t seem like it would be too much to ask for.

For this particular episode, the search for a room to use and resorting to the use of club funds to rent a studio was the focus, but was more of a happenstance to the real entertainment — trying to write lyrics for their new song. I did get a chuckle out of Sawa-chan exhausting all options in search of a room for them to use, but seeing Mio’s animal-themed lyrics get shot down by Ritsu was the start of the real fun. I was expecting the worst from Yui when Ritsu suggested that everyone take a stab at writing some lyrics, and she sure delivered with her “Rice as a Side Dish” song. To be fair, I found it much more amusing than Mio’s metaphor-filled ones and would’ve been all for another rice song. Of course, it was a lot funnier to see her lyrics shot down as well, especially when she thought she had something really good going. Mugi’s novel-like lyrics were just strange in comparison, while Azusa’s was clearly the best until everyone found out it was about Ton-chan. I figured revising what she had written so far would’ve easily made it an awesome love song like it was believed to be, but unfortunately that proposition never got off the ground. As for Ritsu, I love how she had nothing more than titles with quirky puns, but the best moment had to be when Yui having the audacity to think that Mio’s in a slump with all her animal songs. I guess her rice song would’ve been a good lighthearted one when they have “Curry Nochi Rice” already, but to think that of Mio when she’s written all the lyrics for their cutesy songs thus far was too funny.

Unsurprisingly, Ui writes three amazing songs in one night when she gives it a try and leaves everyone suspicious that Yui helped at all. As a result, she gets sick instead of Yui this time, who’s been eating oranges like crazy as some preventative measure, leading to the hilarious moment when Ui still tried to be hospitable. I don’t recall if they every explained why Yui and Ui’s parents aren’t around, but I can’t imagine Yui being able to live on her own if she freaks out this much when Ui gets sick. However, the way she made some congee with a sunny side up egg on top for Ui was really cute, which was only overshadowed by the touching lyrics she wrote for the song titled, “U & I” (an indirect play on Ui’s name). Mio may be disappointed that Ritsu decided to go with Yui’s lyrics for their new song, but I’m really looking forward to hearing it after getting an idea of what the lyrics are like. It looks like it has the makings of being HTT’s most heartfelt song ever. Your guess is as good as mine on when we’ll actually get to hear it though, since the next episode is about Mio being an actress it seems. That should be interesting to say the least, given how shy she is on stage already.

* Note: There was a cute eyecatch following the opening sequence this week.

 

Preview

32 Comments

  1. finally this episode is out waiting for a week!even though they have dun have a room for the music room, they try to find room for their music trainning for their upcoming performance

    AutoHost
    Reply

  2. The club was made homeless with Ton-chan put in a bucket and it was like they were on tour 🙂
    Playing in the classroom was hilarious, Nodoka looking up at ceiling LOL

    Thinking 2 new songs for the festival, maybe?

    kyonkun
    Reply

    2. After the deaths of the entire Gundam 00 team, Veda activates the other branches of Celetial Being and does a global database matching of suitable replacement pilots and support staff. With a few emails and manipulation of the school results database, Veda arranges the candidates to the same school, one set up by Schenberg decades ago.

      The dossier
      Hirasawa Yui – Unlimited untapped potential. Capable of picking up skills at superhuman rates. DNA matching to innovator transformation 100%

      Akiyama Mio – Phobias of public attention and supernatural events, however calm and even headed. Team player with extreme levels of intellect.

      Tainaka Ritsu – Outwardly rash and gungho, however excellent eye/hand coordination possibly from obsessive computer game playing and high levels of mental reflexes

      Kotobuki Tsumugi – Innovade child placed under care of the CEO of a Celestial Being shell company Kotobuki Corp. Was to be a bakcup to Tieria but as probabilities of actual activation was below threshold levels, was never briefed and awakened to full Innovade status

      Nakano Azusa – Half sister to Soma Peiris. DNA analysis indicated untapped super soldier potential. Personality exhibits high levels of discipline and determination similar to her half sister.

      Celetial Being staff online at school
      Yamanaka Sawako – New chief of operations. Initially rose to head of Celestial Being covert branch in the AEU after graduation from the same school. Assigned role as new teacher to oversee operation. Accomplished actress and musician

      Sokabe Megumi – Current head of operations, to be transferred to the HRL after “graduation”. Will stay for a year as operations transfer to Sawako. Current role as head of the student council.

      Manabe Nodoka – Innovade executing directive X-12A. Not aware of current operations as directive does not require knowledge of operation.

      As so begins episode 1 of Gundam!!

      Zaku Fan
      Reply

      1. LOL, now that’s promising to be quite an epic CB team it’ll make “My name is Gundam” Setsuna pee in his pants. 🙂

        Though I thought Sokabe’s no longer Student Council president, having passed the role to Nodoka?

        And what of Ui and Jun? Technical staff on board another CB space station?

        Kinny Riddle
        Reply

      2. Well Ui would probably start off as totally uninvolved and get dragged in due to Yui. As for Jun, probably pilot of the Ptolemy 3.

        Since this is an attempt to stick K-ON into Gundam, i thought it would be better to start from season 1 where sokabe was still president. Due to their great love for music (as per the first few episodes) they would then refuse to join Celestial Being if they could not continue in their club.

        Plotline would probably be standard mecha girls.
        Girls get involved (Yui: Oh we get to go to space? I always wanted to eat space food!)
        Girls are afriad (Mugi: They are all computer piloted? So we won’t be killing people right?) (this is KON after all)
        Girls get their first victory (Ritsu: Ha see that, thats the power of the club president!)
        Girls get trashed badly (Mio: This is really serious, should we continue like this?)
        Girls find reason to fight

        Ritsu: Dad gets injured by stray blasts (I’m going to stop people getting hurt!)

        Mio: Gets stuck in a bomb shelter when the sirens go off. Sees people frightened, children crying. (Someone has to help! even if its what little i can do)

        Yui: Mopes at home as she ponders whether she’s really an asset or liability to the team. Ui finds out about CB though Yui’s poor lying skills and talks to her (Sis, believe in yourself because i do!)

        Mugi: Thinks about innovade origins and “Am i still human?” questions. Reaches a conclusion after talking with an old ramen seller (Where i came from isn’t important, what’s important is the friends, family and life i have now!)

        Azu-nyan: Has sister issues after finding about Soma and reading all information she could on her. “Am i even half as good as her?”, “Did she know about me?”. Receives inspiration from seeing Ton-chan give birth. (My sis is her own person just like me, but we fight for the same things)

        Then we have the finale. After finding out Nodaka is being controlled through some innovade process (Which Mugi is immune as she awoke herself rather than through the standard process) and fleeing after unsuccessfully attacking the KON members, Sawako shows up in the Ptolemy 3 just in time and they chase after her. She tells the KON team that the big bad villan just finsihed taking control of a uber spacecraft and trashed the entire mobile suit armies of the 3 major powers and is heading for Earth.

        Reaching the ultra hax Celestial Being mothership, they are attacked by hundreds of Gaga mecha piloted by computers. Seeing this as their only shot of stopping the big villian, all 6 (including Ui in the 0 Raiser and Azu-nyan in the GN Archer) decide to charge through.

        Sawako seeing the situation agrees and to give them as much a chance of success, orders the Ptolemy to put all power to the forward GN field and charge through the Gaga’s. Other Ptolemy crew and the KON team argue for other methods but Jun takes it out of their hands as she accelerates. She radios Ui and thanks her for being her friend. Sawako radios the whole KON team to wish them luck and to express her honor of serving with them and the Ptolemy crew.

        Unable to stop them, the KON team follows behind as each Gaga impact weakens the GN field until the hull armor is the only protection left. Several explosions occur on the Ptolemy. Azu-nyan argues for going to help save them but surprisingly a resolute Yui is the one who disagrees as it would be wasting their sacrifice.

        As they head into the mothership, each KON member is taken out.
        Mio first as she attempts to cover the Cherudim who’s shield bits have been destroyed (Mio: *as Gagas physically right her wings off* Go! Ritsu take care of Yui!)

        Azu-nyan follows as she stands in front of the entrace to the inner areas of the mothership to block the incoming Gagas and her GN battery runs out (Azu-nyan: *as Gagas converge* I hope I didn’t let you down sis).

        Ritsu next as she physically blocks a potentially fatal blow to Yui from an ambushing mecha (Ritsu: *coughing blood and jokingly* Darn, if i knew it was this painful, i should have hid somewhere. Go on Yui, no need to wait for me, i’ll see you at the school festival)

        Mugi is next in line as she “hyper bursts” an opening for Yui but her resulting low energy level results in her being physically bulldozed into the walls (Mugi: *Seravee’s arm being crushed from the impact* Yui, do what you came here to do. We believe in you, all of us do)

        Yui+Ui then faces a controlled Nodaka in a uber mecha. Pleading ensues with Nodaka asking Yui to kill her and Yui telling her to fight the effects. In the resulting battle Ui is hit with a bleeding wound and passes out from blood loss.

        This being the last straw for an emotionally charged Yui, she spontaneously metamorphs into a pure Innovator activating a Trans-AM Burst. The 00 seems to self destruct as it becomes blindingly white. Nodoka thinking she’s going to die thanks her. We see the entire mothership being enveloped by the white light.

        Then the alarm clock rings and Ui’s voice telling Yui to wake up is heard. Time to go to school! Apparently, Yui’s Trans-Am burst converted everything within several miles into pure energy and her consciousness could manipulate the energy into rebuilding and healing everyone. As a side effect, everyone lost their memories of that event except Yui who has strange starry eyes if she gets emotionally excited

        End.

        Hey this is after al K-ON, can’t have people dying especially the main cast! And yes its a big hash of many many cliches.

        Zaku Fan
        Reply

    1. I think you could see the sister bond being already pretty strong between Yui and Ui from the first season. I think it will make the song emotionally stronger. Can’t wait to hear/watch it being performed by the girls.
      Honestly, Ui is absolutely amazing and I could see a S3 with the seniors (may they be in college or working) guiding Ui and “future club” onward. This episode gave me a flash back from first season when Yui was the one sick.

      Shinjiro
      Reply

  11. Divine, Yui explained last season that her parents are constantly travelling around the world. My folks do that as well, though they only start increasing their air miles exponentially once me and my siblings had all graduated from uni. Yui’s parents must be really well-off for them to afford doing that and leaving the house to their school-aged daughters alone.

    Though constantly spoiled by Ui’s doting, Yui still has enough sense to understand Ui’s importance to her when Ui’s not available due to sickness, inspiring her to write the lyrics for the band’s new song. That was really touching of her. I hope this song rocks and is just as moving as how Yui felt when she wrote it.

    I’m amazed the band manages to spectacularly waste time even after going out to rent a studio for practice. lol

    The new songs are probably all going to come out in the School Festival episode, these would include:

    U & I
    Song written and sung by Mugi (heard in episode 3)
    One of the songs written by Ui (this could be the B-side to U&I)
    Song written by Mio (once she gets out of her creative slump)
    And maybe throw in Pure Pure Heart

    Pity Azu-nyan’s lyrics were rejected, if she could only modify the bit about Ton-chan and make the reference vague, then it just might get through.

    Kinny Riddle
    Reply

    1. Judging by this it looks like they’re building up a huge cue of songs. Mugi’s song isn’t even there. I’d rage mad if they didn’t add that.

      It really seems that kyoAni is gonna end this with a huge bang. Hopefully it is.
      Show Spoiler ▼

      megalith
      Reply

  12. Boy, complaining about late subs is becoming routine for me on this site, huh?!

    I am just as annoyed as you guys, but it appears that the subs are coming out even later… probably into tomorrow. Coalguys is on vacation, and I read on another streaming site that the subs will take “1 to 2 days”! How do they know that!? How many people are subbing this show?

    starss
    Reply

    1. For K-ON, it’s interesting to note that I don’t tend to get many readers/commentors until the sub comes out. I gather it’s because most people really don’t want to be spoiled by the quirky humor, so the above are fellow raw watchers.

      Divine
      Reply

    2. Coaldude has his vacation… So let him enjoy it…

      I also have myh vacation and to add to that it’s a rural area… No internet connection.

      Just when I was in the urban area to get some internet and download some stuff. I guess I’ll just deal with the RAWS for now. Hopefully later they will release it. Whether Coalguys’ or some other group as long as it isn’t pure troll sub I’ll dl it.

      megalith
      Reply

  13. Nice ep! I lol’d hard when they didn’t get to practice in the studio…

    Next ep is the Play episode. Show Spoiler ▼

    After that… Show Spoiler ▼

    So that’s ep 18. 8 episodes left still quite a lot. Judging by the manga material I’m quite clueless as to how long will they prolong since the material is pretty much repeating after that. Show Spoiler ▼

    On a side note…. I lol’d again at Yamakan’s subtle but golden trolling. Damn it.. This made me remember the hilarious trolling he did during the E8 fiasco. With his statement being denied by KyoAni immediately. Anything KyoAnixYamakan related since he got fired is all epic trolling. XD

    ohyou.jpg

    Also.. This ep is quite a d’aawwwww one….

    megalith
    Reply

  16. you know, its like kyoani is refusing to let us hear the songs so that they can sell it to us in the albums.. I have this feeling that we wont get to hear a single one of the new songs in the anime, only like the starting and ending.. So far Angel Beats still has more songs in it than Kon! and Kon!! both seasons combined =( Keeping my fingers crossed tho, I’m really in this for the songs so its been going downhill more or less since the new season started.

    babyphish
    Reply

  19. right now
    k-on OST 2 Releases in october
    no thank you/utauyo miracle releases in august
    mio/yui image song releases in september
    and more then likely the other six characters will get their own image cd release as well.
    (at least azusa,mugi,ritsu will) and with how good the cds been selling, they’d should even have ton-chan sing a song lol

    supera
    Reply

  20. The fact that Yui wrote the lyric about Ui and gave it the title U&I sound pretty touching for a light hearted show.

    Also.., am I the only one who found the drill haired kuudere girl in the gymnasium (she’s one of their classmates in Class 3-2 btw) extremely charming and cute..?

    MaidNiac
    Reply

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