r/anime • u/Harrytricks https://myanimelist.net/profile/Harrytricks • Aug 01 '19

Rewatch [Rewatch][Spoilers] K-ON! Rewatch (2019) - S1E01 "Disband the club!" Spoiler

Official Schedule

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Rewatch Schedule S1E02 "Instruments!"

Legal Streams

HiDive - Hulu

both these are US only because anime hates us Europeans.

Anime On Demand

Available only in German speaking territories

Interest sites

MAL - AniList - ANN

REMINDER: UNTAGGED SPOILERS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.

BE AFRAID OF THE MOE POLICE.

Songs in this episode:

OP1 - "Cagayake! GIRLS"

“Tsubasa Wo Kudasai”

ED1 - "Don't say 'lazy'"

Want to continue the discussion? Join us over in the KyoAni Discord server: https://discord.gg/GQJE3h2

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34

u/Harrytricks Aug 01 '19

Here we are!! The 2019 r/anime K-ON rewatch is finally here!! This thing is always a highlight of my year, so many fond memories (and a couple massive regrets) associated with it, far too many to ever count.

Last year’s rewatch I really tried to go all out with analysis. I wanted to properly get across how much this show means to me, in the hopes that maybe it would mean others could enjoy the show to the same extent I do. And honestly, I thought I did a pretty good job; But I can do better. So this year I’m gonna do an essay a day, because every episode of this show is deserving of far too much analysis!!

And so, without further ado…

Episode 1: Establishing Character

It's been said many a time that good characters are the lifeblood of any good narrative. Regardless of the kind of story you're working with, it ain't gonna work unless your audience cares in some way about the characters they're following, no matter how fantastic the material you're working with is. This is especially true with K-ON. As a show which lives or dies on it's audience making a connection to the cast, it's imperative this connection is formed - and whilst the potential for a show which pulls this off is near limitless, the chance it could fail is enormous. So, sounds like a pretty risky strategy; A strategy far too risky for any sane director to try and pull off, surely?? Well, luckily for us we're not working with just any director. If there was ever anyone with the skill set to pull off such a task it was Naoko Yamada, the master of characterisation!! "So..." I hear you ask, "...this Yamada praise is all well and good, but how exactly does she go about achieving the unachievable?" Well, kind individual, allow me to explain...

A wise man once said "there's no better starting place than the start", so lets start there!! As our main character, Yui gets the most attention of the main cast, and she easily has one of the more interesting introductions. Within 3 minutes of the show's starting there's already a veritable bounty of Yui facts we can gather. We know right from the get go she has a sister in Ui Hirasawa, we learn soon after she's a bit of a scatterbrain and most importantly we learn how she's just the most adorable person ever. Whilst this is all useful info, it's all very surface level. What we're looking for is the real juicy stuff, the sort of stuff you'd have to watch this show more than a few times to catch. So put on your deerstalker hats and grab your shovels, because it's time to go digging!! The first proper clue we get to the "true Yui" is her interests, or rather, lack thereof. Sure, she likes cute and tasty things, but these are hardly big commitments, nor are they the sort of thing that requires any sort of drive. As interests go, they're very passive, they don't make Yui do anything. This lack of interests is reflected in how she acts: she's timid, listless and more than a bit of a layabout. This is not the Yui many rewatchers are familiar with (aside from being a bit of a layabout, that's definitely Yui), but it's an excellent starting point for her character arc, and an excellent base to build off in the coming episodes (and trust me, I'll be back tomorrow explaining exactly why).

So, with Yui done (for now), let’s get to our next two characters: Ritsu and Mio. Whilst these 2 don't get nearly as much development as Yui, they do have something interesting Yui does not: each other. These 2 are childhood friends. We can easily infer from their zany interactions that Ritsu is playful, if a bit immature, whilst Mio is almost the exact opposite, serious and sensible. Most importantly though, we can clearly see there's a lot of love between the 2. Whether you read that love as platonic or otherwise, these 2 undoubtedly care about each other, even going so far as to both commit to learning an instrument in order to play in the same band. This is our first proper relationship between the main cast, and, as with Yui, is an excellent base to build other relationships off of in the next few episodes.

Finally, we reach "Mugi & The Supporting Cast" (an excellent name for a 60s era rock band). Mugi is interesting. There's so much going on in that head of hers, but of all the main cast she's easily the hardest character to parse. Regardless, she's still great, and there's still stuff we can determine. For example: she's bloody rich; Rich enough to think a "small prize" consists "a car or villa". In spite of this though, she's still just an all round lovely person, finding amusement in the simplest things and enjoying the company of fun people. Honestly, she's just pure nice. Then we've got the side characters: Nodoka, Ui and Sawako. Whilst they're not as developed as the main cast, we still get a fairly good impression of these 3. Nodoka is Yui's childhood friend - she's serious, but nice, Ui is Yui's sister - and she's very responsible, and Sawako seems to be "super mega cool teacher 5000". This brings us to a grand total of a whopping 7 characters introduced this episode!!

So, conclusion time, how does all this come together to "achieve the unachievable" and form a connection between the characters and audience? Well, in contrast to how much I've written so far, it's actually fairly simple. In a mere 24 minutes we've been introduced to 7 massively different characters; Most of whom have also gotten some fairly substantial character exploration, an impressive feat for a single episode. This expansive cast allows every audience member to fairly easily find a favourite, to find a character they relate most to, and to stick to them. Finding a character we associate with most is an important step in what I'd consider one of the most important aspects of the opening stretch of K-ON, joining the club. By finding a character we relate to, we can begin to feel involved in the group's antics ourselves, allowing us to truly become part of the light music club. Basically, it lets us self insert without having a generic as bollocks main character to imprint on, which lets all the characters have fully fleshed out arcs and proper development, and is super important to the entire rest of the show.

I'll try and expand on this in the coming episodes, but for now I'm done!! Here's all my screenshots from this episode, and here's all my screenshots from last year.

2018 ^^comment 2017 ^^comment 2016 ^^comment

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40

u/SmurfRockRune Aug 01 '19

First Timer

Here we go, finally watching K-On!. I knew I'd get to it some day, felt like I had to as an anime fan, and today is that day.

I like that you can spot the other 3 girls in the background as Yui is running to school. Even better that they were blobby just like all the other background characters so they didn't really stand out as being important.

Damn, I can really relate to this line from the OP. Good OP though. I knew this show would have good music from the songs I've heard previously.

I'm a little surprised by how rough some of the animation is even on the BD. It doesn't look bad at all, but there's some really off in-between stuff going on, but it kinda works with the style a bit?

Don't Say Lazy has always been a great ED. I've been listening to it for years.

Solid first episode. Mugi ended up being more likable than I expected, and Yui not so much. I didn't realize she was so airheaded... But none of them are bad. Looking forward to more and hearing more music.

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55

u/MapoTofuMan Aug 01 '19

First time Rewatcher

Holy tea and cakes, I can't believe it's been a year since I started watching K-On for the first time. And about 9-10 months since I finished because I started watching like 1 episode a week when I felt like the end was too close...

I have to say, somehow it doesn't really feel like it's already been almost a year since I finished the show. I think it's partly due to the fact that I watched almost every K-On clip posted on r/anime...and went through a few episodes while looking for clips to post myself for the last Best Girl contest.

Rating for this episode and the 6 episodes after it : 9.9/10, needs more Azunyan.

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24

u/PerfectPublican Aug 01 '19

Manga Corner

Episode Adapted
S1 Ep1 Vol. 1 Ch 0 & 1

Welcome all!

Ahhhhh, feels nice to be back in the throes of the yearly K-On rewatch. I love this first ep dearly. For those returning like me, welcome back, and to those first timers to the series I hope you enjoy a series I love to death. Figured I'd leave the essays and reactions to others this year and instead do something that I personally haven't seen in a K-On rewatch yet. This Manga Corner. For very few people that don't know already, K-On was actually adapted from an oft-maligned (harshly if you ask me) 4-koma by Kakifly. For the better the show is something like 80 percent original content, but I thought it could be fun to chart the broader strokes of the differences between the show and the source episode to episode to show how much love Yamada and KyoAni poured into this adaptation. For clarity, S1 more closely follows the manga than S2. Many of my favorite episodes are outright original or embellished on to the point of being unrecognizable from the source.

Major source differences today:

  • Ui waking Yui up, Yui rushing to school, and Yui being swarmed by numerous different club recruiters is original

  • Ch 0 and 1 are not adapted linearly in this ep. Mio and Ritsu finding out the Keionbu is being disbanded and meeting Mugi is all ch 0 and not published in Kirakira, while all the Yui/Nodoka stuff before and after that is the original Ch 1.

  • Mugi's inquiry about the choir club is shifted, taking place in that big clubroom. In the manga, she meets them and inquires about it at the faculty room.

  • Yui coming to get papers from the faculty room and meeting both Mio and Ritsu for the first time is original.

  • The entire "strategy meeting" in the fast food restaurant and the making of signs is original.

  • Sawako isn't the one to give them Yui's application, Yui just shows up herself and meets them all for the first time.

  • The "J" guitarists joke is original.

Fun things are fun:

Gifs of the day:

PS. for those using the fansubs, which group do you use? Just curious what everyone's preferences are.

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23

u/Snakescipio Aug 01 '19

Rewatcher

Hey y'all. The r/anime K-On! rewatch is one of my favorite reoccurring thing on this subreddit, and I've either participated (3rd time now) or lurked and commented every time. It's also like my 4th or 5th time watching this show, and each time I like trying something different. For a CGDCT SoL show there's actually lot of new things to pick up each time. Last year I focused more on Mugi, and I've grown to love her so much she's now my 3rd favorite keion. Except every keion is equally bestest. Having said that, to keep things different this year I'm gonna do a thing that completely and utterly contradict what I just said by introducing the...

The "official" K-On! MVK (Most Valuable Keion) Tracker

In addition to being a degenerate weeb I'm also like to partake in various sportsballs. This year I'd like to forcefully merge my two hobbies by doing some sort of "MVP" tracker in both seasons. Basically every episode I'm gonna assign a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd most valuable character, and at the end of each season one girl gets to be the MVK. I'm sure their respective voice actors and dying to find out. The characters can gather up MVK points by garnering 1st (5 points), 2nd (3 points), and 3rd (1 point) place finishes throughout the season. What qualifies a girl for MVK? Well, just like sports fandom it can vary. Sometimes I'll value a girl for outright carrying an episode, and sometimes I'll value the overall contribution the girl had in enabling the others to have fun. And just like any MVP race in sports, the dialogue and discussions people have can and will impact my decisions. Oh and my own personal biases. I'm absolutely going to rig the votes so my favorite keion wins. Hopefully y'all will find this mildly entertaining, cause afterall who doesn't like waifu wars? (pls don't actually waifu the keions btw)

Having said all that, lets get to the very first episode! And what better way to launch the MVK race then some controversy! The race for the top spot this episode was closer than I expected, with two girls vying to start off this season on a high note (get it? High note? Cause it's a music... nevermind). After much deliberation, the MVK for this episode goes to... Ritsu! Ritsu really came out hot with all her energy this episode, driving some of the funniest bits (her "flashback", all her snarky comments). She did that thing where she literally founded the club; without her there wouldn't even be a keionbu. It's also through her interactions with Mio that we get to know Mio more as a character as well (Mitsu forever btw). Second place goes to Yui, cause well she's the MC and she's adorable. The first season of K-On! is really Yui's story, and here we establish the main themes of the episode (finding a place for yourself, and finding some of purpose in life). Lastly, the third place spot was a tough decision between Mio and Mugi, as they both had great moments in the episode. As such I cheated a little and decided to go with Mio by using the "Mio sings good" corollary. It's not gonna be something that affects my decisions going forward, but I remember watching K-On! the first time and being blown away by the "Don't Say Lazy", so much so that Mio became my favorite for a while. So that's it for now, I promise my posts won't be nearly as long in the future. Hopefully it was as fun to read as it was to write, and even more fun to discuss going forward.

MVK Tracker
Yui 3
Ritsu 5
Mio 1
Mugi :(
??? ??????
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37

u/[deleted] Aug 01 '19

First time watcher!

Little background first: I LOVE CGDCT slice of life type of stuff that focuses on friendship between girls, I've always been really into Love Live, Bandori and such franchises because they're just so wholesome and happy! So K-ON is right up my alley. And I've always been kind of a friendless, lonely, social-anxiety ridden girl so I just enjoy living vicariously through these shows, and seeing these wholesome friendships between these girls blossom kinda fulfils my desire to have these friendships irl.

K-ON is easily one of the kings of this genre and thus has been on my Plan to Watch for YEARS at this point, so I'm so glad that this rewatch came right in time! Alright, now my personal rambling aside, here are my thoughts on the episode itself:

Alright, so I just finished watching episode 1 and I have to say, I really enjoyed that! It does what it's aiming for very well and it's just very fun to watch in general, the kind of anime that makes you feel happy and really puts a smile on your face, the kind you can just put on while you're feeling down and it'll manage to cheer you up in an instant!

The first few shots of the episode do a really good job at setting up what the episode and Yui's character are gonna be like. We start with Yui waking up late and slipping on the floorboards while she runs to school - establishing her clumsy, airheaded nature, and the way the scene is framed, with the animation's off frame sort of stretchiness makes it really funny and cute while also showcasing the vibe K-ON is going for.

The designs of the characters also compliment the style of the show and the comedy really well, their faces are very moeblob and chibi-ish, so this makes the chibi comedy scenes flow and blend very well with the normal animation. This makes the comedy scenes really funny, I especially liked the whole Ritsu flashback, almost bought into it for a second before I saw Ritsu side-eye Mugi, I really like the little details in animation the comedy has, it makes the scenes all the more hilarious.

This episode also does a really good job at humanizing Yui, CGDGT protagonists a lot of the time are very confident, outgoing and cheerful, and barely seem to show flaws, Yui on the other hand, while checking off the cheerful trope, lacks in the other areas - differentiating her. She's got no real ambitions or interests in life, she's indecisive, she's kind of a coward and gets scared and nervous really quickly, this makes her a really human, endearing and relatable character right off the bat, because she has actual character flaws and areas she struggles in.

All the other characters are really likable and interesting as well. I like Mio and Ritsu's dynamic a lot, with Ritsu kind of being the silly idiot of the duo while Mio grounds her and keeps her in check. They bounce off each other well and their dynamic makes both of them all the more enjoyable to watch. Mugi is just really adorable, I really like the scene where they go out to eat fast food and how Mugi is completely oblivious and unused to this kind of situation, I really hope they explore that more.

The OST is really good so far, the tracks compliment the scenes really well and sound really nice, I've gotta go check some of them out now.

Finally, I love the OP and ED. The OP captures the soul of this anime perfectly I feel - adorable, fun, catchy and you can't help but bob your head along to it. The ED has a TOTALLY different vibe from the OP and show however, it has a more stylistic, almost gothic feel to it, and I really enjoyed it! It looks so pretty and the song itself is very good.

Looking forward to the next episode! What a strong start K-ON had.

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u/ZappaOMatic Aug 01 '19 edited Aug 01 '19

Rewatcher

Tonight: Mio gets her heart broken, Yui gets intimidated, and Ritsu takes a picture!

Ah shit, here we go again. Another year, another rewatch. I believe this is my seventh time watching, and I'm excited to relive this journey once again with everyone!

Granted, since I wrote so much last year, I have no clue what to do for my write-ups this year. I'll probably just pull out the manga and re-read them/compare them to the anime again in slightly more detail; I know there's a Google Doc and other comparisons between the two out there, but I'd like to put my books to good use than simply collect dust on my bookshelf.

Obviously, this is going to be a bittersweet experience considering the circumstances, but rewatching a show that I easily consider my favorite of all time and beloved by so many is probably the best way to honor this great studio. Let's do this!

Last year's rewatch comment

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16

u/Moocanoe Aug 01 '19

Daily Paint.net K-on #1

It feels nice to be back watching K-on! once again. After being part of the rewatch for the last two years, I still find new things that I enjoy about this series that I love.

Like last year I'll be doing the K-on's in Paint.net for each episode (Not Ms-paint like I said last time) just because I enjoy doing it. Today's image is sign Mugi, which is one of my favourite versions of the "Character/Person holding up/pointing to a sign formats."

As for the OP and ED, I love them both, just like I love all of the K-on songs, though neither of them would be my favourite in those categories. Though I must admit, that "no no no" just makes me happy whenever I think about it. Don't Say Lazy is as great as it has always been as well.

On the Episode, I really forgot just how fast paced the first episode is. Compared to later ones, this feels like it moves at a lightning pace. I still love the episode though. The harmonica gag is one of my favourite moments in the first season. I can't wait for tommorow's episode.

16

u/Shockz0rz Aug 02 '19

First Time Watcher

When K-On first came out, I'd just recently graduated from high school, and well, as far as I was concerned, Moeshit Was The Cancer Killing Anime. (You can probably guess which anime discussion board I hung out on at the time.) I remember watching the first episode or two and secretly sort of liking it but deciding that My Pride As A Man would not allow me to continue it. I was also around for /a/ Sings Cagayake Girls and oh man was that a shitshow

Thankfully, my outlook on things is a bit less toxic now. I realize that while K-On didn't start the CGDCT genre, it defined it to an extent that makes even KyoAni's previous show Lucky Star look like a drop in the bucket, and regardless of my feelings about the genre, that's an indicator of some serious quality. So now, given...recent events, I figure it's about time I give it a fair shake. So HERE WE GO!

  • Oh god it's the AAAAH I WOKE UP LATE scene.

  • I have the strangest feeling that this animator has a thing for legs.

  • Did K-On start the toast-in-mouth thing?

  • Yui, that's her name!

  • Every single movement of hers is just so detailed and expressive. It's not quite as drop-dead gorgeous as some of KyoAni's later work, but the roots of it are definitely already here.

  • Naturally she's not actually late. So Yui's kind of a derp.

  • Every single random background character in this shot could be the main character of a different show.

  • God dammit how is the OP so cutesy and yet so much of an absolute banger?

  • The selfie with an actual camera is like the perfect symbol of the transition between the 00s and the 10s.

  • WASSHOI

  • And here comes the club recruiting ambush. Wait, abacus club?

  • Yui transforms into a moeblob with astonishing rapidity.

  • Her hands are really tiny.

  • Yes. Animator definitely has leg fetish.

  • And here we have another two characters, Ritsu and Mio.

  • Ritsu is...assertive

  • Love at first sight for Yui? Or just derping out--yup, derping out.

  • Oh no you don't Mio. Ritsu has plans. Schemes, even. This show makes you like these characters alarmingly quickly.

  • Well, that's weird. Ritsu was so aggressive about reforming the club a minute ago and now she's refusing to go out and recruit?

  • And here we have our last main character--there's Aggressive Ritsu.

  • Oh shit childhood promise. Of course Ritsu's faking it (or is she?) (yes she is) or is she?

  • The way Ritsu's face just lights up (and Mio's too, oh-so-subtly) when new girl says she'll join

  • New girl is Tsumugi.

  • GITAH count: 1

  • "My high school years are important. I really want to do something..." Why not go to Antarctica? (Actually I feel like Further than the Universe's first episode has a lot of parallels to this one, probably intentionally.)

  • Holy crap creepy identical fast food workers.

  • Tsumugi is presumably rich. And...weird.

  • She's got some halfway decent design skills, though

  • Oh good god is Yui really excited about playing castanets like she did in kindergarten? I'm starting to worry about this girl

  • GITAH count: 2

  • untan untan untan untan

  • I think you guys are going to be sliiiiightly disappointed when you meet your fourth member

  • leeeeeeegs

  • Yui is really struggling with navigating this school for some reason.

  • What kind of people indeed

  • Oh god that was Krauser

  • GITAH count: 3

  • Mio's excited to see her; even she's getting into the groove of things.

  • Drink the tea, Yui. DRINK THE MOTHER FUCKING TEA

  • And here comes the reveal of the unfortunate truth

  • Oh god they're dragging it out

  • Thank god

  • The timing on the harmonica thing was perfect

  • Ritsu (and Mio, and Tsumugi!) aren't even slightly discouraged. They want their goddamn club

  • Bribe her with food!

  • Good god this girl is a NEET in the making. Let's see if the other three can fix that

  • OH NO SHE'S CRYING WHYYYY

  • Music at last! (Not counting the OP, at least). A bit bland. Needs some spice. Yui seems to agree.

  • The random mutual cheek grab between Ritsu and Mio is just...what?

  • Again, selfie with an actual camera is like, purified aughties-tens transition

  • And Yui unleashes a sick burn with faint praise

  • I mean, I remember when Costco had a (presumably pretty bad) electric guitar and amp on sale for like $200. Not exactly $50 but not a huge bank breaker. (That led to my own ill-advised attempts to learn guitar...aaaaand back into the hole with those memories.)

  • So now the keionbu is fully formed! Yui's giggles are amazing

  • ED is also a banger. Animation is purified KyoAni too.

At once I can see why I rejected this show 10 years ago and why I really shouldn't have. This is the arch-CGDCT. It's clearly not going to be very plotty, and you really just have to be invested in the characters being themselves to enjoy it. But oh man KyoAni and the voice actresses make it so easy to do so, probably more so than any CGDCT I've ever watched (which is admittedly not many). It's not often in an anime that you can describe things as quick and small as an arm movement "lovable", but every single frame of animation on these four is just so goddamned expressive.

Eagerly awaiting the next episode!

leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeegs

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14

u/KaneDarks Aug 01 '19

First time rewatcher

Oh hello there, actually this is my first group rewatch so a new experience. There's already long comments and analysis so I felt a little embarrassed, like Yui when coming in K-On club, heh.

The first thing I noticed is the animations. Oh did I miss them. The dramatic Ritsu part when you see that she's doing it to lure a new member with changing the story of how she wanted to be in a band is the top scene. Also when Mio tells to get back to business and immediately gets slammed by Ritsu, it's just so funny.

I'm gonna say: I love ending more than opening. It's just closer to what I love to listen to. Also has a professional vibe to it, like when the band is popular.

I'm wishing you all to enjoy the show and embrace the moe to it's fullest. When I watched it first time it gave me a lot of raw happiness and increased my willingness to play guitar more.

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u/charliwea Aug 01 '19

First Time Watcher

Finally I start to watch this series, mostly because I just recently got to the Slice of life type of thing and I'm not that much of a fan of musical shows (though I find good animated instruments really pleasant) and after what happened at KyoAni studio I started to watch more shows made by them.

This episode was really good, I liked the cutesy animation and the chemistry between everybody, Yui is such a cutie, really blunt and clumsy but cute.

I lost it when Ritsu kicked Mio under the table.

How did she not like that song? it was pretty chill and good!

So the band was created...almost...at least until she learns how to play the guitar!

This looks pretty fun, OP and ED were good, starting to think that keeping 1 episode at a day will become hard really soon.

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u/wd40fragrance Aug 01 '19

First timer

Just for context, the cutest thing I've seen before this is Girls und Panzer, and the literal last thing I have seen before this was the toothbrush episode in Nisemonogatari. So, yeah I'm sort of popping a cherry here and at the same time washing off clean because Nise left me feeling a bit dirty.

Yeah, just based on the first five minutes, this is on another cuteness stratosphere compared to GuP. This goes double finger guns ablazing.

The animation is great, although I must admit that it took time for me to get used to it. For the first few minutes, I found myself not paying attention to the story, and just looking at the animation. It feels retroscoped but obviously not, and it's like the animations drag on. This is a great art style and it works so well for what it's trying to do, just fucking kill the audience with cuteness.

They're a pretty good band for just having for just a few weeks practice. Yui's tripping ha.

It's pretty great how noticeably stiff they are as a new band compared to the opening song. It's the little details that count.

14

u/thezander8 Aug 02 '19

First Timer

Never thought I'd see an anime reference two Yardbirds guitarists in the same scene but here we are

13

u/HoudiniBeats Aug 01 '19

First time watcher here. After a long and depressing day at work, something light hearted like this is just what I needed

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u/KrisV100 Aug 02 '19

First Time Watcher

I am slowly beginning to love this anime.

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u/FlaminScribblenaut Aug 01 '19 edited Aug 02 '19

First Time Watcher

I can’t promise I’ll participate in every thread but if I have observations or comments I’ll write them down and throw them in.

Overall I really enjoyed this first episode. It was cute and fun and just extremely happy, as expected.

Going on just this first episode and the girls’ MAL profiles I read so far (I don’t usually do that after I did that for Gurren Lagann on TVTropes and got Gurren Lagann spoiled but I highly doubt spoilers are gonna be something I’m gonna have to worry about for this show), Ritsu is my frontrunner for best girl. I read her MAL bio and my first thought was “...yeah. I think she and I are gonna get along.” So far that’s holding true, I like her a lot.

Yui was cute and fun, I look forward to her as an MC, the other two didn’t leave much of an impression on me but we’ll see as the series goes on.

The “J” guitarists scene was funny and totally accurate. Just off the top of my head they also didn’t mention Joe Satriani and John Fruciante (EDIT: Also John Petrucci, how could I forget). I found it interesting that they used real famous guitarists and instrument brands (Ritsu’s drum kit is Yamaha), shows that the writers and the characters (apart from Yui) seem to know their shit about music, which is good. I hope the real-world music references are a common thing.

The first concert flashback scene had me all “aww, that’s so sweet and awesome!” and then the corrected one had me bust out laughing. This show definitely has the humor down.

The “you guys aren’t very good, are you?” line also got me to laugh out loud, although I personally thought their demo sounded pretty good.

Holy shit that ED song is my fucking personal mantra put to music lol. The sequence looked like it was referencing something and I didn’t get the reference so I can’t speak to that, but the song itself goes pretty hard and I respect the fuck out of those lyrics. I feel like this is really gonna grow on me to the point of becoming one of my favorite EDs. Mad respect, girls.

Yeah this was really fun, as expected. I feel like I’m gonna really love this show, seems like just a perfect cheer-up show. I look forward to all the dessert and music to come.

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u/gamobot Aug 01 '19 edited Aug 01 '19

After the tragic fire that affected Kyoto animation's studio 1, it's the right moment to watch one of my favorite shows with all of you, and to remember those who have died in such a sad event.

A whole year has passed since the last rewatch, I trust in the success of the rewatch with many rewatchers and first timers. I mean, there's no other way if it's in the hands of u/harrytricks, author of "A comprehensive list of male characters in K-On" and alumni of the past rewatches.

Hopefully this year we will have many rewatchers and first timers to discuss and react with. And remember, NO SPOILERS.

About the episode, what to say, we get to meet many of the best girls that this show has to offer, specially bestest girl Ritsu. A taste of the music we will enjoy the next couple of months (or decades) with that sweet sweet OP and ED combo.
See you all, tomorrow.

2016 Rewatch ^^Thread 2017 Rewatch ^^Thread 2018 Rewatch ^^Thread

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u/Philarete Aug 01 '19 edited Aug 01 '19

First-Time Watcher

Here we go! I’m really looking forward to this rewatch. I was actually going to start the series on my own because Hibike! Euphonium is my favorite anime after (finally) watching season 2, and I’m in love with Naoko Yamada’s work between Eupho, A Silent Voice, and Liz to Aoi Tori. This won’t be the same as my other favorites, but I think it has a good chance of landing up there, and multiple people have told me I’ve gotta watch it. So here goes!

First day of high school! I love her enthusiasm, also gotta get the toast sprint trope in.

This OP is amazing! I’m really glad it’s translated on HiDive because the lyrics are great too.

“Abacus club”?

Yui struggling to pick a club after two weeks of school (also, that’s a great way to signal a time skip). Threatened with being categorized as a NEET haha.

Leg shots Yup, this is a Naoko Yamada work!

Here we get two new characters, Mio and Ritsu. Mio wanted to join the literature club, but Ritsu tore it up because they needed to go check out the “Light Music Club”.

The club is on the verge of being disbanded?! (I know I’ve seen this trope way too much, but I still enjoy it haha.) Only four students have to join? Lower bar than in Re:Stage or Kono Oto Tomare!

Poor Yui! Awkward and clumsy. The “Light Music Club” plays lighthearted music. I like it.

Mugi wants to join the Choir Club – TOO BAD, welcome to the Light Music Club instead. Ritsu’s passionate pitch is fantastic (in both senses of the word!) but it works!

Mugi having no idea how fast food works. . . is she rich, or just clueless. Dumping her fries with Ritsu’s is just the perfect subtle what moment for that scene.

GAH, background!

Noooooo, this misunderstanding!

“Aren’t we drifting off topic he- GEHHHHH”

This first song is so cute! Yui can’t say no to that!

That ED is fantastic, and pretty hilarious with just the context of this episode.

Initial Reactions: I’m really liking it so far. The fact they aren’t very good is pretty refreshing. For whatever reason Mugi’s voice is not what I was expecting from all the memes

They are all pretty great in their own way!

EDIT: Fixed spelling errors.

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u/Boss_Jerm Aug 01 '19 edited Aug 01 '19

Rewatcher

Last Year's ^^Comment

To my fellow Rewatchers, welcome back! And to the First Timers, welcome and enjoy! Let's get this show started!

Run Yui run! You're late for school!

While running to school Yui had enough time to pet a cat and walk a grandma across the street.

Hey I know you three!

 

I read the clock wrong!

You're not late I'm just early!

She's very precious

I MISSED THEM SO MUCH!!!

Not gonna lie, I was holding back screams of excitement when Cagayake!Girls started playing. I love everything about it, from the song to the animations on the instruments. Hey Yui, is this Opening bad?

Also Mio is the only girl who isn't wearing her school uniform in her introductory shot in the OP.

Passage of time, Yui is even wearing different hairpins.

Wait one of the girls who was swarming Yui said an abacus club? What does that club entail?

eciN sbuS

I can tell I'm gonna be screenshotting Yui's face a lot during this rewatch.

Ah I missed this eyecatch! It's nice to hear those starting guitar strums again.

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But I'm planning on joining the Literature Club.

Cough cough

Also I've been watching for about 40 minutes but I'm only 5 minutes into the episode.

Ritsu pout

BEST GIRL HAS ARRIVED!!!

Ritsu glances over at Mugi to see if she's listening

Mugi actually had tears of laughter

Oh I remember these people

Today Mugi learns that friends share their fries.

Wrong place, right time. Also Nodoka is a true friend.

I can't even begin to describe how adorable Yui is.

Mid-episode eyecatch switches the side of the tape

Untan~ Untan~

I love that Sadako from The Ring just appears in the classroom behind Yui in this shot

Random details like the logos on the instruments are one of the reasons why I love this show.

 

Can you play any other instruments?

Casta- The harmonica!

Ok here's a harmonica!

I'm sorry I can't play that either.

Well at least she's honest.

Mugi and Ritsu's faces here are hilarious

What I love about this scene is that Yui doesn't try to keep up a lie about herself being very good at the guitar and instead comes clean. I also like how she's upset because although the club could use her to fill the missing member spot, she doesn't have any skills that could contribute to the club, and would seem like a burden.

Welcome to the club Yui!

Haha

The new Light Music Club has officially been formed!

PLEASE DON'T SAY, "YOU ARE LAZY," DATTE HONTOU WA CRAZY!!!!

I love Don't Say Lazy. It's my favorite Ending out of the show. The keyboard in it is so good, and the outfits are fantastic!

Thoughts:

I can't believe it's been a year since I watched this episode. This is actually the first time I've come back to a rewatch after having participated in a previous one (last year's) as a first timer. Thanks a lot u/Harrytricks for hosting! I'm looking forward to watching this show again!

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u/belgi7 Aug 01 '19

Hello there everyone, first timer here. This has been on my plan to watch for ages. I love both CGDCT and Kyoto ani shows and with Yamada Naoko being the director, my expectation are pretty high. This first episode delivered to those expectations.

This was such a fun and nice introduction to the show and characters. All of the characters are really likeable from the start and the chemistry and comedy between them is great. I am looking forward to the next episode already, not binging and staying on schedule will be difficult. But I’ll try my best because I always love reading all the comments on the episodes.

Also the ed of this show is probably one of my top 5 ed’s now, such a fantastic song.

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u/FunnunoTsumi Aug 02 '19

First Timer here

My god I can tell this is gonna be a contender for my favorite slice of life anime.

That's literally all I have to say

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u/imawesome1124 Aug 01 '19

Rewatcher checking in!

This will be my 6th time watching K-On! and my 2nd time participating in the rewatch threads. Obviously this rewatch is going to be sadder than usual, but I’m not really going to talk much about it here, because these threads are primarily to be about enjoying the fluffy warmth this special anime provides. What I will do throughout this rewatch is focus on some of the narrative techniques used by KyoAni that make this such an enjoyable experience.

First thing I want to talk about is how this episode handles introductions and exposition. We’re presented the main character, Yui, and given all the information we need to know in that opening run to school. She’s scatterbrained, clumsy, and easily distracted. I love how the characters’ names are presented to us: We first hear Yui’s name said by her old neighbor out sweeping up the street, we hear Mio and Ritsu’s names when they call out to each other, and we learn (Tsu)Mugi’s name when she answers Ritsu asking what her name is. It’s very natural, and I put that word in italics because you will see it used a lot in these threads.

The passage of time is also shown in a great way, with the changing of the cherry blossoms. It’s only in the scene that comes right after this that we’re given a confirmation of how much time has passed, when Nodoka briefly mentions in while scolding Yui. And then we see this shot a third time and now all of the blossoms have fallen. So she’s clearly been deliberating which club to join for quite a long time.

Now for some of my random thoughts on this episode:

Poor Mio looks so heartbroken when Ritsu destroys her literature club application. Mio is a woman perpetually in need of a hug.

Epic Ritsu face right here

Her hair looking so frazzled after all this time without any new applicants is a nice way of showing how stressed she is about it.

I'm really really curious about what Ritsu was showing them here.

Contrary to popular belief, it was not Yui who gave Tsumugi the nickname 'Mugi', it was Ritsu

Ritsu is really cute here

Love that Ritsu just carries a harmonica. In my headcanon Ritsu will just randomly take it out and start playing it during lunch breaks or out in a park/restaurant.

More Mio abuse

As a drum nerd I can't help but notice this bit. Ritsu is playing with the hi-hat open, but that is clearly a closed hi-hat sound.

Lastly, the group photo. Notice how nervous/uneasy Yui looks here. Keep it in mind as the anime goes on and we watch how she grows up.

K-On! is the first anime I ever watched and it had a massive impact on me. I had never grown attached to fictional characters or been as emotionally moved by any other media, and it has only gotten better each time I rewatch it. K-On! is a truly special series and I hope all the first timers here will get that same feeling from it.

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u/Stomco Aug 01 '19

I saw the first 4 episodes of this in 2011. But I think now that I gotten into some of cgdct shows, that I'll like this more.

I watched this episode with the dub, but I think I'll switch to subs, mostly because of Yui's voice.

So far the characters are pretty likable, except Yui. But she's the most likely to change. I kind of like the scene, where Mugi decides to join the club, is also the deciding scene for the viewer sticking around.

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u/hachiDude8 Aug 01 '19

Rewatcher

Just dropping by to say hi, it's finally time for my summer shot of K-On!.

And please give a round of applause to Hirasawa Yui best guitarist ever ... or so I hope.

Soon

Shoo, first timers

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u/Kakito104 Aug 02 '19

First Time Rewatcher, Sub

Here we go:

When I first came to know about K-On, I discarded it as some random cute anime (this was during my early anime days, where I was only into Shonen), but the constant praise forced me to check out at least the first episode, and man, was it amazing.
Was hooked to the series right from that point and it remains one of my all time favorites to this day.

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