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Hachiko's K-On! Tv Review

K-On!

K-On! tv Review

K-On!'s story revolves around four Japanese high school girls who join their school's light music club to try to save it from being abolished. However, they are the only members of the club, and at first Yui Hirasawa has no experience playing musical instruments or reading sheet music.

Story & Characters

If you are reading this review, I suggest you first grab a copy of a record from this band from Sydney called AC/DC. Pick a song, any song. All right, do you need me to recommend one for you? No problem. How about "For Those About To Rock, We Salute You?" Once you hear those opening chords, read on.

Kakifly's K-ON! is the story of four high school girls who decide to revive the school's light music club, and in the process, they form a rock band. Now these girls aren't too talented to begin with, but then again, every garage band has to start out somewhere.

And it just builds, and builds...and builds.

Let's take a quick look at the storyline for this show. Now this is how you do it: staying faithful to this 4-panel manga, while throwing in a little extra in the name of continuity. Full of light humor, never failing to put a smile on your face, there's never a dull moment when you follow the adventures of the stars of K-ON!.

You can turn off the AC/DC if you so wish at this point.

First, you have the lead guitarist, Yui Hirasawa. Well, she would end up becoming the band's guitarist by chance. Yui can be best described as clumsy, lazy, blessed with a penchant for all things cute and sweet, but also a quick learner when it comes to playing her six-string Les Paul.

You have the band's keyboardist, Tsumugi Kotobuki. She is your financial cash cow, the daughter of wealthy elites and procurer of pastries and tea during the club's meetings and jam sessions. A key vice to look out for from Mugi: where there is a yuri moment, she is there.

You have the drummer of this band, Ritsu Tainaka, who doubles as the club's president. True/False question: When you have someone like Ritsu with the light music club, it's guaranteed that meetings will be a drag.

Answer: FALSE. Ritsu's as bouncy and bubbly as they get. Detesting the other instruments on the grounds of frustration, her solid backbeat rhythm and hard work committing her heart and soul to the club is complemented by an addiction for video games and a wild imagination.

Then there is Mio Akiyama, the club's bass player and lead vocalist. Known for setting Ritsu straight and keeping the band's feet on the ground, Mio is also known as a shy, panicky introvert, tormented out of fear of being embarrassed. Whether it's the dark, a new change of wardrobe or a simple compliment, it's the little things that make Mio a major crowd pleaser with the fan base.

The supporting cast of K-ON! also has some noteworthy personalities, including club advisor, Sawako Yamanaka, a former member of the club armed with a heavy metal past; Yui's sister Ui, who is a complete opposite in terms of conducting herself; Nodoka Manabe, the school's student council president; and Azusa Nakano, a new first-year student whose talent for the guitar would send her to the most unexpected of places.

A plot that sticks to its guns, combined with memorable characters, equals a rock-solid combination worthy of a 9.

Rating: 9

Art

The art of K-ON! is the only down side of the show. It's comparable to that of the Lucky Star OVA. Then again, you'd expect this from the people also responsible for the art behind Clannad and Haruhi, Kyoto Animation.

The bar was already raised when these shows came out: K-ON! is only meeting the benchmark.

Coloring is a plus: the palette is put to good use in this show, with a blend of soft pastels and light dark tones mixed in. The way that the eyes are drawn in K-ON! (not including the comical ellipses and circles) strongly resemble the Lucky Star OVA, and the way the hair is drawn is pretty good.

The animation looks a little slow, and not fluid, but I would reckon that it would be to emphasize the emotions and visual features of each character, from the close-ups to the dream sequence of Ritsu in episode 4.

If there was one thing that I do like from this show in terms of the art, it's the background. The way that the greenery and roads and Sakura High are illustrated in K-ON! is why I give the art in K-ON! an 8.

It's not breakthrough-quality, but then again, with KyoAni calling the shots, no scene in this show is an eyesore.

Rating: 8

Sound

Ah yes. What would K-ON! be without the music? After all, this is the Light Music Club we're talking about here! Of course, one would expect a solid opening, ending and background soundtrack to this show. Let's take a listen at the audio candy, shall we?

The OP is Cagayake! Girls, sung by the band. Armed with a bouncy feel, it's best listened to when you are so tired from whatever you needed to do the night before, and you want that perfect wake-up call to begin a new day. None of that repetitive alarm clock beeping that some of you people on MT are all too accustomed to. Give it a good defenestration and replace it with this. Go ahead, do it.

The ending, "Don't Say Lazy," has sparked a meme not unlike Lucky Star’s “Motteke! Sailor Fuku" or "Hare Hare Yukai" from our good friends at the SOS Brigade. Here, you can not only hear but feel the intention from Yoko Hikasa, emitting shades of Nana Kitade as she goes along. You can envision the cast belting this out in the outfits (and face paint) their respective characters don. Another song to watch out for is the band's big hit first played at the school festival, "Fuwafuwa (Light & Fluffy) Time."

The original soundtrack, as composed by Hajime Hyakkoku (who also composed the soundtrack to Ichigo 100%), is a complete mix of silly and serious, reflective and inquisitive, melancholy mixed with light and fluffy. Hyakkoku's work meshes well with the show.

The voice acting features new faces breaking out into the limelight: Hikasa (Mio), Satomi Satou (Ritsu), Minako Kotobuki (Tsumugi) and Aki Toyosaki (Yui). The seiyuu for Sawako should be a familiar face for many of you: it's Asami Sanada (the voice of Di Gi Charat, Vita of Nanoha fame, and Jun Sakarada of Rozen Maiden).

The sound can arguably be what drives K-ON!. It's a foundation that is music to your ears, no matter how you hear it. Matches and fits. 9 for this one.

Rating: 9

Presentation

K-On! should not be approached as a Lucky Star clone, nor should its characters be seen to be the protégés of a fab four that has already carved its niche.

Rather, K-On! should be enjoyed as a series in its own right, a show worth enjoying in its own right, whose band members aren't obligated to walk in the shadows of anybody but to rather go their own way with its fans, eliciting a "YOU ROCK, YOU GIRLS!" on their own terms, by their own merit.

It's unique. It's fresh. It has a stick-to-your-guns, make-you-feel-good storyline mixed with great make-you-wanna-cut-loose music and great characters to follow.

And if you can sense that the people at Budokan are making plans for a sold out date as you read this review...well, that leaves me no choice but to salute you. For you are about to rock with Japan's new sound straight out of Sakuragaoka High: K-ON!

Recommended.

Rating: 9

Final Verdict

8.8333 (very good)

Reviewed by Hachiko, May 18, 2009

Comments

  1. AngelOfChaos01 May 18, 2009

    Very nice review, I really can't wait to see it now.

  2. fanzilla07 May 19, 2009

    wow! your review is awesome XD !
    k-on must be your 1st anime watchlist in this year, minna XD !

  3. Hachiko May 20, 2009

    Glad you liked it, both of you.

  4. fritz79 May 20, 2009

    Moe Moe Quyng~~ Mio~

  5. beryl0402 May 27, 2009

    Thanks for the review!

  6. SebastianvonKane May 27, 2009

    This is one of those rare times I almos entirely agree with the review. Yet, much is yet to be seen as the anime still airing at this point.

    And yes. Anyone comparing K-on! with Lucky Star, obviously has not seen it yet, or cannot differentiate it. This relese includes a new way and has become some serious competition for Haruhi in popularity.
    Good review.
    ^_^!

  7. Hachiko May 29, 2009

    Glad you liked my review; be sure to check out the others.

  8. pigmypuff Jun 03, 2009

    if in here can get it..but,it hopeless

  9. yuyuppi Jun 07, 2009

    it nice review.wanna watch that

  10. pappo1 Jun 09, 2009

    very good review, thanks

  11. Northy Jun 14, 2009

    I'm going to be the disagreeing stick-in-the-mud here, but to me, K-On failed to live up to just about any of the shows I've seen from Kyoto Animation so far (which is AIR, Kanon, Clannad and Haruhi Suzumiya, in case you were curious.)

    For one thing, the music -- which SHOULD have been the draw of the show, like it is with Beck -- is middling at best, and goddamned awful at worst. The middling parts are the songs made by the girls, but I'm willing to be understandable about that. The girls are, as noted, beginners, so that falls within the scope of realism. I really, really HATE the opening and ending themes, though, for the simplistic V Kei trash that it is. The fact that you go and include AC DC -- one of the biggest and best rock acts in the history of forever -- is just downright laughable.

    But then, K-On's not really as much about music rather than a bunch of girls goofing around when they should be practicing. K-On is really more a comedy at heart, which is kind of logical, since it's based on a series of comic strips. And K-On does at least succeed a little more at that, although its main failure is recycling the comedy again and again and again ad nauseum. (Most of the gags centered around Mio's moeish fraidy-cat-ness and Sayako's penchant for taking out her costume fetishes out on the girls.) Which is fine if you're into that sort of thing. But as a huge fan of music, K-On is a gigantic bag of missed opportunities and huge disappointments. If that's your sort of thing, go watch Beck instead. At least it got the music part right.

    K-On could have been saved, though. It didn't HAVE to feature music as its main draw, but rather have been more about the girls individually. Or rather, seeing as it already is; they should have just trimmed away most of the ridiculously tedious (and overtly repeated) attempts at comedy and actually tried to develop their characters a little more instead.

  12. SebastianvonKane Jun 14, 2009

    @Northy

    This reply you're expressing can be only valid if you're a music teacher or guru. Music is the element that draw the girls together. It's just a motif. The series is strongly focused on the girls' personalities. And the ending theme is one of the best I just heard around. In fact, the other shows you just mentioned were mostly based onto drama games and sci-fi books. In this case you're missing most of the other points in exchange for a cultural expression regarding musical interaction between characters. They have to develop as well, otherwise we would be witnessing a documental series based on a fictitious band, which would ultimately kill the fantasy.

  13. Northy Jun 15, 2009

    My reply can only be valid if I'm a music teacher and a guru? I'd thank you not to dictate my music tastes for me if it's all the same to you, nor my right to judge whether I like something or not, since that falls within the same area as the reviewer here, as well as yourself.

    You're certainly right that the show is centered around the personalities of the characters, which is as it should be. But in case I didn't make myself clear enough: I did not find the show funny. I did not find it cute either. And the music is severely underutilized in this show as a focal point for the girls to gather around, part of which is their own fault and again partially through the efforts of the scriptwriters who would rather play up the tiresome gags of a selected few of them instead of... oh, having them develop. I might not have liked the music in Beck, but they sure as hell did a much better job portraying the trials and tribulations of a garage band. And yes, if a show is centered around people starting a music group -- rock or whatever -- then I expect it to be about music. Beck was never a documentary, but I still enjoyed it, pretentious as it was. Neither would K-On have to be if it didn't treat its subject matter as so much window dressing.

    But for the sake of the show, I will say this: I would have loved seeing the girls develop as musicians and/or teenagers becoming adults in the same vein as shows that has already done this stuff better, like Azumanga Daioh (also based on a four-panel comic) or, on a more personal level, Haibane Renmei. Yui taking an interest in the music is a nice start -- her convenient "musical mimic" talents notwithstanding -- but I certainly don't see how this show "builds and builds" as it goes along. In fact, it kind of degenerates as it progresses, because it becomes less about the characters and more about squeezing out more comedy from Mio's eccentricity and Yui's laziness, never mind the antics of their "advisor"; personality traits we've already learned about and doesn't need to get beaten over the head with again and again. This is why I think the show fails as a music show, a drama show or as a comedy act. And I still think that ending theme is fucking horrible and the opening theme only slightly less so. If you want to disregard my opinions because I'm not a teacher or a guru, feel free to do so. It stands all the same.

    Cute signature, by the way.

  14. Hachiko Jun 16, 2009

    Well Northy, you are entitled to your own opinion, and I respect it. I'm not here to agree or disagree with you, because I believe that stirring up discussion with posts like yours will only be a good thing.

    As far as the scriptwriting is concerned, it would be something like, "Okay, we are either going to use what Kakifly gave us and create something from that, or we go non-canon and take a huge risk in going outside of the manga and focus on the development of the characters as musicians (like Full Moon wo Sagashite)." They chose the former, and I think that given what they had to work with, they made the most of it.

    If the crew had a bigger budget to work with, this scriptwriters would have gone with the latter, and the result would be a show which would also include the band's adventures post-Sakuragaoka, i.e. recording studios, tours, and all the other challenges that our departed friend Bon Scott alluded to in "It's A Long Way To The Top." It would be something that would impress even its toughest critics like our resident MiniTokyoite Northy.

    That being said, my score will stay as it is. I will note that K-ON! is going to only go 12 episodes this time around, so you do have a point with the fact that it could have been saved if the series went longer like AzuDai.

    But I do appreciate your comments, as well as yours Sebastian, so thanks for that.

  15. Northy Jun 16, 2009

    It's ok. I didn't write my posts to make you change anything. (Besides, you weren't the one who told me I didn't have the right to open my mouth on the subject.) I just wanted to show that not everyone liked this show. If it'll make you feel better, there was some small touches I rather liked, like Mio stepping in when Yui forgot her vocals, or basically the whole of the first couple of episodes. (Which were fairly entertaining, if not necessarily funny.) My point is that I felt the show ran out of steam fairly quickly and it didn't have enough material or talent to lean on with the music.

    When I saw the promo image for K-On, I hoped it would be good, maybe even great. I really did. I was a little wary since Japan and I rarely agree when it comes to rock music (they make some fantastic folksy stuff, though, not to mention stuff with jazzy elements), but I held out some hope nonetheless since Kyoto Animation had yet to disappoint me. I guess the letdown was worse for me than the overall quality of the show, hence why I might've sound a bit angry in my earlier replies. Which I really wasn't. I just tend to be very direct at times.

    I understand your "worked with what they had" argument, although I think -- or thought -- that a popular animation studio like Kyoto Animation could have gone that extra mile if they wanted to, unless, of course, they weren't allowed to do so. (I'm uncertain about how the whole "rights to change around anime versions" thing works in Japan. I guess it's a case-by-case basis.) It might sound like an unreasonable demand, but that way, those who are in it for the eye candy would be pleased regardless and those who wanted a little more from the show would also be satisfied with it. I haven't really read the comic save a few strips, not because I outright dislike it, but more because I can't really get used to the whole four-panel style after having watched the show itself. I've got the same problem with Sketchbook and Azumanga Daioh. (Loved the anime, couldn't get into the manga.)

    If I may make a suggestion, despite all the ruckus I made; I would like for you to point out what kind of music one might expect, and if you're seriously going to keep the AC DC reference in there, at least point out that while it's all rock (technically), AC DC is more straight (heavy) rock compared to the Punk Pop of the OP and ED themes and the soft rock/pop rock that the girls play. I'm not saying AC DC fans will hate the music in K-On, but there's no guarantee that they'll like it either. (As you can see above. ^^;; )

  16. Hachiko Jun 16, 2009

    In response to what one would expect, just as the series name implies, it would be nice light pop/rock from the band and a hodgepodge from the Hyakkoku 's OST. As a matter of fact, the beginning of my section, which says, "I mean, this is the Light Music Club we're talking about here!" is a dead give-away (albeit a bit vague).

    The reason why I put the AC/DC reference there is because of the song name that I suggested. I take it as a salute to the efforts of these four individuals who decide to start up a band in spite of not having much to begin with.

  17. okiwangko Jun 17, 2009

    i can feel your inner soul just by reading your review. quite good review and highlights aspects of k-on strong and weak points.

    keep up the good work

  18. Hachiko Jun 18, 2009

    Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.

  19. Nancygl Jun 18, 2009

    nice review

  20. frenchfly Jun 19, 2009

    LOve your review, i can almost feel the enthusiasm bubbling out XD I say K-On!'s a must-watch anime if you're looking for sth to cheer you up; i really like the comedy:D

  21. Hachiko Jun 21, 2009

    Actually, I want to note that they are going 13, instead of 12. The Hachiko apologizes for the typo in one of my comments.

  22. raikouryu Jun 22, 2009

    I really suprised for the finale episode of the series..(not including the special)
    where, they turn back to 1st episode just showing the main idea of the series.
    As "Fudepen and ballpen" play as the Background song, they exploit how Light Music Club change Yui. The best moment is when Yui regain her composure after flip, you can say that her determination at Light Music Club make her can stand more firmly than her back at episode 1..

    As For Music, I love all the music in this series. I never expecting the music will be this fit.

  23. yuyuppi Jun 23, 2009

    i like the art

  24. pmgbapm Jun 23, 2009

    It is detailed, That's great!

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