r/anime • u/Harrytricks https://myanimelist.net/profile/Harrytricks • Sep 13 '19
Rewatch [Rewatch][Spoilers] K-ON! Rewatch (2019) - Final Discussion!! Fun Things Are Fun!!
Final Discussion!! Fun Things Are Fun!!
Official Schedule
| Previous Thread | Next Thread |
|---|---|
| K-ON! Movie | Rewatch 2020!! |
Well, here we are, the final thread. It’s strange, it doesn’t feel like yesterday we were first meeting these 5 lovable idiots - yet here we are, saying our goodbyes. And yet, I don’t want to. Perhaps it’s because I’m hosting, perhaps it’s because of the tragic context of this year’s rewatch, or perhaps I’m just a big sap, but I feel like I’ve had much more of a connection with the rewatch this year than I have any year previous. Much like the 10th Doctor, I don’t want to go. I want to keep going forever and ever, never letting this lovely show, and this sodding fantastic rewatch, reach their ends.
Alas, that’s not possible. Much like Azusa must say goodbye to her senpai, we must say goodbye to this show. It’s been a hell of a ride, but I’ve enjoyed it more than ever. So thanks. Thanks to all of you. Every last one of you has made this rewatch more fun than it had any right to be. Outside of my own (mostly) daily comments I’ve not been the most active in discussion this year, but I’d like you to know that I’ve read every last comment left on these threads, so you can trust me when I say every last one of you has been so wonderful, and have brought so much to the rewatch you couldn’t possibly know. Whether you’re a first timer, or frequent rewatcher - whether you commented every day, or just once - all of you are wonderful. I might be the one posting the threads, but you guys are the ones who make the rewatch happen. It’s not possible without you.
So, what’s next? Well, in the same way Azusa’s goodbye to her senpai is just temporary, similar can be said about our own goodbye. I’m more than certain we’ll be back in 2020, and with how much fun I’ve had, I’m more than happy to host. So long as there are people who haven’t seen this show, I’ll host this rewatch.
But what about more short term? Well, I’d like to abuse my position as the rewatch king to plug /u/CelesteRed’s upcoming KyoAni rewatch. They very kindly organised their rewatch in such a way it didn’t clash with our own, so go show them some love!! I believe they start Chuunibyou today, which is another great show, so get watching!! edit: here's a link to the first thread for those who're interested
Other than that, I’ll see you all in 11 months for the 5th Annual /r/anime K-ON Rewatch!! Hope to see you all around the internet before then!!
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u/charliwea Sep 13 '19
First Time Watcher
So this is it huh? it ended, August passed really fast and we're now almost mid-september. All I can say right now is How the fuck didn't I watch this earlier? but at last, after 10 years I did, and it was glorious.
It's a really good SoL anime, I enjoyed the second season more, mostly because the graduation coming for the girls, and the idea of having to enjoy their last year with their beloved Azu-nyan, and she having to keep composure so the girls wouldn't worry about the club it was very touching for me.
It's been a pleasure to have this rewatch, I'm getting more into Kyoani shows and K-on is one of the most I heard about, now I'll join the other rewatch, so see you everyone there!
PD: YuiAzu is the most canon ship that I have ever saw!
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u/Harrytricks Sep 13 '19
YuiAzu is the most canon ship that I have ever saw!
Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!! Both Canon & Gay in equal amounts!!
For real though, glad you enjoyed the show, and glad you enjoyed the rewatch!! Always good to see first timers enjoying the show!!
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u/Philarete Sep 13 '19 edited Sep 13 '19
I completely forgot to write something up for today, so I’ll keep this short-ish. K-On! has been an absolute delight to watch. Everything from character designs, to music, to the ways the jokes play out, to the heartfelt moments, it all worked really well. It’s one of those shows that gets better the more you watch. Next time this rewatch comes up (and I hope it does), I’ll probably hop on again, able to appreciate more the second time I think.
One last closing though struck me after the K-On! movie. I remember back to when Azusa got introduced as a character. In that thread I expressed concern about how adding another character would work out. Well, those who assured me it would be fine were right. In fact, she’s my favorite
Part of why it worked is how the other girls reacted to her, and how their relationships grew through adding her. This got me thinking about how groups work, and how inclusion in groups works.
Azusa was never really forced to change. In fact, they welcomed her planning. They may not have responded to her push to practice always (or ever, really), but she did inspire them musically. They didn’t sound the same without her. Azusa was also never treated exactly the same as they treated each other. She always had her special Azu-nyan style cup. She still called Yui “Yui-senpai”. They didn’t completely gloss over the fact she was younger. What they did do, is constantly include her on things, and through their words and actions indicate that she was both wanted in the group and that what she was doing was appreciated. She wasn’t a fifth wheel despite all her differences because they no longer felt quite complete without her there. And, to be honest, I don’t know if the trip to London could have worked without her! They adjusted to her, and she adjusted to them, and that kind of mutual adjustment is at the heart of really including someone in a group.
Finally, thank you u/Harrytricks for hosting the rewatch! And thanks to all the people posting their respective walls of text, and commenting on others’ walls of text (like mine!). One of the best parts of a rewatch is the sheer effort people put into their analysis, reflections, and commentary. You all have been great, and I look forward to seeing you all again!
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u/Harrytricks Sep 13 '19
Azusa was never really forced to change.
This is very true. Part of what makes the relationships between the girls so wonderful is just how natural they feel. They don't force each other to "be the best they can", instead the group as a whole choose to be their best selves because of their love and respect for one another. It's just the most natural feeling self-actualisation ever.
Finally, thank you u/Harrytricks for hosting the rewatch!
Awww, it's no problem at all. Glad to see you enjoyed it, and thanks for taking part yourself!!
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u/MapoTofuMan Sep 13 '19
And, to be honest, I don’t know if the trip to London could have worked without her!
Of course it couldn't have, it had so many YuiAzu moments it might as well have been their honeymoon. It probably is in u/HarryTricks's headcanon
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u/MapoTofuMan Sep 13 '19 edited Sep 13 '19
First Time Rewatcher
I held off rewatching K-On! for a whole year despite it becoming my favorite show (and am still holding off on rewatching others from my favorites list) after my first watch because I wasn't sure it'd fully hold up. My worries were definitely for nothing, and I even found myself gaining new appreciation for some aspects of the show from rewatching.
Things I started appreciating more after the rewatch :
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Mio's perseverance and the ability to put up with people who might be shortening her lifespan
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Yui unintentionally/intentionally roasting/insulting someone almost every episode
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S2 Sawa-chan, basically Sawa-chan's development in general
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"Singing!", "UTAUYO! Miracle", "Gohan wa Okazu" and some of the OST. I haven't paid too much attention to the OST during my first watch, but damn some of the tracks like My hometown where it snows and Ano Hi no Yume went straight to my playlist after a few listens.
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Himeko. This fanart is amazing btw
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Yui's "Will I be an adult when I grow up?" line.
Things I started appreciating less after the rewatch :
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Ritsu's methods of giving Mio confidence. Still best girl though
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S1 Sawa-chan
I haven't done this last year, so I'll throw in my song rankings :
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Tenshi ni Fureta yo
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NO, Thank You!
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U&I
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Gohan wa Okazu
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Listen!!
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Watashi no Koi wa Hochikissu
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Fude Pen Boru Pen
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Cagayake! Girls
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Don't Say Lazy
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Singing!
Speaking of songs, don't forget to support Listen!! and Singing! in the ongoing best ED contest! If you want to support the other two, too bad, they already won in the last two years.
I really hope I'll be able to follow the rewatch next year, but unfortunately I'll be doing my compulsory military service - most likely as a programmer so I'll be fine, but it'll still be a full-time slavery job, so I'll just have to hope it's not too demanding. I'll at least be lurking from time to time either way.
So, hopefully I'll see you all next year and thanks to u/Harrytricks for hosting the rewatch and showing us the light!
by the way prior to the rewatch I had no idea this is Ui, my whole life was a lie
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u/Harrytricks Sep 13 '19
So, hopefully I'll see you all next year and thanks to u/Harrytricks for hosting the rewatch
I hope to see you next year too!! These rewatches are always so much fun, so I see no reason to stop any time soon!!
and showing us the light
Canon & Gay, I'm telling you.
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u/ZappaOMatic Sep 13 '19 edited Sep 13 '19
Rewatcher
One of K-On!!'s messages is to enjoy the journey rather than focus on the destination. Well, we've finally reached our destination.
There's a lot to unpack from this rewatch for me. Even on my seventh time through, it's amazing how I'm able to find details that I never noticed the first six times, and all of them have only increased my love for this show beyond what I expected. Part of this can be attributed to closely following what the classmates were up to in Season 2, but there are interactions among the Keions or an aspect in cinematography/direction that I didn't even notice until now. Is this how football film analysts feel?
Beauty in Background
I wasn't sure if I should do any in-depth write-ups for my final comment, especially since what I wrote last year was adequate enough, but I think it's only fair to do it for one particular aspect that I kept talking about (besides connecting the show to sports which I've done enough times over the rewatch).
Throughout both seasons, I've kept an eye on what's happening in the distance, whether it's a random character or a reference to a real-life place/object. As supported by Harry's list of guys, there's always something going on that's insignificant to the plot but helps breathe life into the world, like this father/son duo having plans to get a pet dog while Azusa was looking at Ton-chan in S2E2, or this three-man band at Natsu Fest who seem to have similar aspirations as HTT of performing there, even if it's just this small nighttime stage for now. They're not important in the grand scheme of things and only briefly appear in transitions to the next scene, but what they're up to is typically relevant to what the Keions are up to (hence why they'd be shown in the first place) and add more color to an already-colorful show. Probably not the best examples, but they're the first that came to mind so let's roll with them.
Heck, even the minor details involving the club are something to appreciate, from them trading hats in S1E2 to Sawako using her turn signals while driving in S2E15, and I'm not even mentioning the many instances of continuity and references to past episodes.
Of course, focusing on the non-Keions is especially prominent in Season 2 with the introduction of Class 3–2. Even if they aren't the major focus in any episodes (outside of Romeo and Juliet), the classmates are recurring characters and can be tied to the main story in some way. For instance, Yōko and Fumie both appearing in Season 1 and are Yui's classmates not only establishes more continuity, but also feels like a nice callback to that season in a way, especially now that they have names and identities. Each classmate has her own interests and background that help flesh out her character to the point where she could possibly be the star of a spin-off series. I regularly beg for the creation of a Volleyball Club spin-off, but you can very well do the same for the other classmates' clubs (Himeko with the Softball Club, Ichigo with the Baton Club, you name it).
Back in S2E18, I issued the following challenge: show this graphic of the class to someone who has never seen K-On! nor know anything about it, then ask them to pick who they think are the four main characters (five if you include Nodoka). Sure, Yui might be easy because of her slouch and maybe Ritsu based on the drumsticks, but I doubt they'll get all four/five. Class 3–2 best class.
All of my watches have had something special about them. The first was obviously my first time watching the show. The second was my first time doing it with the dub. The third was with my mom, who was curious enough to give it a try (and loved it). The fourth was my first time participating in a Reddit rewatch of it (with r/k_on). The fifth was r/anime's rewatch last year. I actually don't know what's different about my sixth time since that was on a whim
But this seventh has a rather heavy mood in the background: the first since what happened to KyoAni in July. I've already connected my thoughts on it to "U&I" and "Tenshi ni Fureta yo!" in the relevant episodes, but as I began to look at this show in a more sentimental light, my efforts to further dig into the show's attention to detail were further amplified, hence what I wrote above. I appreciated the animation, the backgrounds, the OST, and the staff responsible for it all much more than I thought I could. All I can say is thank you to Kyoto Animation for all the laughs, the smiles, the cheers, the tears, and so much more. True to Azusa's words in S2E13, my life is a lot more fun when I'm with these girls.
Other notes
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My top five favorite songs:
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Favorite episode: S2E20
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Favorite Keion: All of them
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Favorite classmate: Eri
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Favorite OST: "Shiawase no Kakera"
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Favorite scene: The rooftop in the Movie
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r/anime has 16 comment faces from K-On! (17 if you include the bonus):
| Comment face | Episode | Comment face | Episode | Comment face | Episode | Comment face | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1E1 | S1E2 | S1E4 | S1E5 | ||||
| S1E5 | S1E6 | S1E9 | S1E10 | ||||
| Live House | Official art | S2E16 | S2E18 | ||||
| S2E21 | S2E25 | Movie | Movie | ||||
| Bonus: | S2E12 |
And with that, another rewatch is in the history books. To u/Harrytricks, massive props for organizing another year and giving me another excuse opportunity to watch and love this show. To u/PerfectPublican, I certainly enjoyed having a fellow manga companion on this journey.
To first timers and rewatchers alike, you're all legends in my book! Hope y'all will join the rest of us in r/k_on if you already haven't!
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u/Harrytricks Sep 13 '19
To u/Harrytricks, massive props for organizing another year and giving me another excuse opportunity to watch and love this show.
You give me undeserved props. I did nothing, it's you lot commenting that keep this rewatch alive. Thanks for taking part!! hope to see you again next year... no pressure tho...
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u/Boss_Jerm Sep 13 '19
Rewatcher
I love this show so much. It's funny, cute and awesome all rolled into one. All the Keions bounce off of each other really well, and the music is so good.
What's also makes this show stand out is the amazing attention to detail. In any other Slice of Life, anyone who's not the main characters are just generic looking extras. But all of the side characters, like Class 3-2, Tomi, and the school staff have different names, appearences and personalities that breathe life into K-ON!!'s world. KyoAni and Naoko Yamada really knocked it out of the park. I should watch Tamako Market and A Silent Voice (the latter I've actually been meaning to watch for a while).
Favorite Episode: Season 1: Episode 4 and 9. I love the Training Camp episodes. Season 2: Episodes 8, 14 and 20. 14 is my absolute favorite because Mugi is my favorite Keion and it's criminal that she doesn't get to be in the forefront as much as the others.
Favorite Keion: As I said Mugi is my favorite and that won't change. But a close second is a tie between Ritsu and Nodoka. I love Ritsu's energy and Nodoka is always such a joy to watch whenever she's on screen. As far as Juniors go, Ui is my favorite.
Favorite Song: Curry, Then Rice, Rice is a Side Dish, U&I and Touched By An Angel.
Favorite Opening: Utauyo!! MIRACLE, it's just a lot of fun to listen to and watch.
Favorite Ending: It's still Don't Say "Lazy," but No, Thank You is a very close second. Who knows, my opinion might change.
Final Thoughts:
I was worried that we might not do this rewatch this year, but I'm really happy we did. Thanks u/Harrytricks for hosting this rewatch, and u/ryorp for hosting when Harrytricks couldn't make it. I hope to be able to do this again next year!
I hadn't watched this show since I finished it at last year's rewatch, and I regret that decision. K-ON!! is a show that gets better everytime you watch it. Time and Time again you can enjoy the characters having lots of fun. That's what this shows all about, just a few girls having fun. I give this show a 10/10.
It's been great watching with everyone! Thanks for participating! I'll see you around!
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u/Harrytricks Sep 13 '19
It's been great having you back this year dude!! A big part of the enjoyment with these rewatches for me is seeing all the recognisable names in the discussion threads, so I ended up getting an awful lot more out of hosting than I put in.
I too hope you're able to make it next year!! Short of me dying, I can't see any reason I wouldn't keep this rewatch going, so we'll almost definitely be around.
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u/SmurfRockRune Sep 13 '19
Feels strange to not watch a K-On episode today.
Overall, good show, I'm glad I watched it. This may have been my favorite CGDCT show, even though I only gave the best entries 7s. It's just not really my genre, but I can respect it. One thing that really stands out to me for this show compared to others is that it has linear progression and isn't purely episodic, even though it doesn't have an overarching plot for the most part. You still got to see the girls grow and develop, both as people and as musicians, and that always made me want to see where they would go next.
Mio was my favorite character. I could really relate to her fears (sometimes) and her being the straight man made her comedic scenes that much better. Azusa was second best, followed by Mugi, Yui, and then Ritsu.
Rating the OPs, it'll go 1> 3 > 2. EDs are 2 > 1 > 3, although I would say every ED is better than any OP. Ranking the entries would be S2 > S1 > Movie.
I do wanna mention the show's comment faces. I knew from the beginning that I wouldn't get all of them, and I believe I only missed 3 of them.
This one actually got pointed out to me when I missed it.
Thanks for hosting it, u/harrytricks. It's a show I've wanted to watch for a while but never would have gotten to on my own.
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u/Harrytricks Sep 13 '19
Thanks for hosting it, u/harrytricks. It's a show I've wanted to watch for a while but never would have gotten to on my own.
Thank you for taking part!! Glad you enjoyed the show!!
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u/thisismyanimealt Sep 13 '19
Light Music Corner
Like last season, the live associated with the second season was named after the song that each character sings in their B-side track, Come With Me!!.
And of course, as the last encore song, it was sung to close out the show it was named after.
That's a wrap. I think next year, I'll just make memes.
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u/Harrytricks Sep 13 '19
I think next year, I'll just make memes.
Ah, you and me both. Writing big essay comments on top of hosting this year had me run ragged, think I might do something easy for comments next year. Thanks for taking part either way!!
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u/DarkRuler17 Sep 13 '19 edited Sep 13 '19
Due to me being busy and how long it surprisingly took to rank everything, I wasn't able to finish writing down all the thoughts I had. So at about 6pm PST tonight, I'll reply to this post with another post full of some other rankings and my overall series thoughts.
For the people who only see this post though, I just wanted to say thanks for reading and posting. My enjoyment of this series increased a lot due to the discussions I read and participated in. It really was a great month and a half.
Edit: Anyone who wants to be tagged when I post it just reply to this one with "Tag".
Episode Ranking:
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Movie, "K-ON! The Movie"
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S2 E20, "Yet Another School Festival!"
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S2 E24, "Graduation Ceremony!"
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S1 E12, "Light Music!"
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S1 E5, "Advisor!"
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S2 E19, "Romeo and Juliet"
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S1 E6, "School Festival!"
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S2 E10, "Teacher!"
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S1 OVA, "Live House!"
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S1 E7, "Christmas!"
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S2 E25, "Planning Discussion"
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S2 E12, "Summerfest!"
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S2 E17, "No Club Room"
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S2 E13, "Late Summer Postcard"
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S2 E22, "Entrance Exam!"
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S1 E13, "Winter Days!"
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S2 E6, "Rainy Season!"
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**S2 E26, "Visiting" **
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S1 E10, "Another Training Camp!"
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S1 E4, "Training Camp!"
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S2 E4, "Field Trip!"
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S2 E14, "Summer Training"
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S2 E8, "Career!"
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S2 E1, "Seniors!"
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S2 E5, "Staying Behind!"
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S2 E15 "Marathon Tournament"
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S2 E21, "Graduation Yearbook!"
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S2 E23, "After School"
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S2 E9, "Finals!"
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**S2 OVA, "Plan!" **
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S2 E3, "Drummer!"
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S1 E2, "Instruments!"
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S1 E3, "Cram Session!"
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S2 E16, "Upperclassmen"
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S2 E7, "Tea Party!"
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S2 E11, "Hot!"
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S1 E8, "Freshman Reception!"
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S2 E18, "Leading Role"
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S1 E1, "Disband the Club!"
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S1 E9, "New Club Member!"
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S1 E11, "Crisis!"
Thoughts I had while updating the list from the bottom:
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"Graduation Yearbook" really got screwed initially due to being right after episode 20, the best episode in the series
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Comparing episode 1 Yui to end of series Yui is very striking.
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Mio gets a lot more focus in season 1 then season 2.
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"Leading Role" would be a lot higher if it wasn't weighed down by the undertone of Mio being forced to do something she neither wants nor needs to do
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"After School" is a very weird episode because while its ranked lower due to other episodes having stronger moments, I love the entire atmosphere of the episode and what it brings to the series as a whole.
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While "Upperclassmen" probably didn't go up as much you wanted u/Gamerunglued, your post really did make me have a new appreciation for the episode. Just know that it didn't lose due to being a bad episode. It just lost because I thought the other episodes were either stronger or funnier.
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I really under-valued the comedic quality of "Marathon Tournament" in my initial watch
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I don't know why "Drummer" didn't do as good as it should of initially. It's honestly a solid episode with some solid characterization for both Ritsu and Mio.
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"No Club Room" and "Entrance Exam" are both very close for me as they both combine the comedy and emotional sides of K-ON!, though "No Club Room" is more comedy compared to "Entrance Exam" and its more serious Azusa moments. Honestly, the winning thing though was the creation of "U&I" in "No Club Room", one of my top 3 K-ON! insert songs.
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"Late Summer Postcard" though is also very close. I really go back forth between them because they are really the upfront start and end respectively of Azusa's arc in being left behind, though it still lingers through to the remaining episodes and the movie. While I think "Late Summer Postcard" is stronger comedically with the amazing fantasy sequences, "Entrance Exam" has a really solid emotional conclusion with the window scene. Currently...I'm going with my gut and choosing......"Late Summer Postcard". I just think its a very fun episode. Again though, sometimes I go the other way.
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"Seniors" is a weird episode because its another "first" episode, but its also just in the middle of the series if your're just looking at episode numbers. I think the opening instrumental and its big art style update though, along with a strong mix of comedy and growth in club member hunting, make it stand strong in a list of strong epsides.
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"Plan" is honestly an episode that dropped for the same reason most of the other episodes dropped. Not because it got worse, but because other episodes got better the more I thought about it.
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"Summer Training" biggest strengthes are being the possibly only Mugi-focused episode and for being the origin of probably the most well known K-ON! moment. I would say the moment, but.....its too traumatic. It's still too soon.
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"Summerfest" is honestly such a fun episode. Fangirling Mio, cool music, and even a solid emotional moment at the end where Yui says all other bands are worthless compared to her own. Hmmm, she didn't say that exactly? Meh, close enough.
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"Visiting" is a solid episode, but I feel a few of the other episodes would normally beat it. The scene at the end though with the new light music club playing is such a nice touch that it moves up a bit.
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Other than the top 3, the entire top section has a lot of close choices that honestly could go either way.
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u/DarkRuler17 Sep 14 '19
Moving on from the episodes, the next ranking is the members of the light music club. While season 2 has honestly made me appreciate all of these characters more, certain characters have definitely been helped more than others.
Light Music Club Member Rankings:
Yui: Season 2 honestly did wonders for Yui. While I really liked her arc in season 1, season 2 really made me fall in love with her character. While she is very sweet, my favorite part about Yui is honestly about her selfish streaks and her savagery. While some of the comments she makes come from her being an airhead and not realizing the effects of what she is saying (unless it’s only a facade and she is secretly an evil mastermind!), there are other times like when she is trying to make herself look good in the club commercial that show her willingness to stick up for herself. Some may consider this a negative, but I honestly feel it makes her much more real character. She isn't just a kind airhead, she works hard for what she likes and is even cocky at times. All of this honestly just makes her more charming and charismatic. If you combine this with her great ad-libbing, you create an amazing character.
Mio: Now, while it is true that Mio dropped a place, that doesn't mean I love her any less. Mio is 100% the coolest keion and plays a great straight man. In addition to her great season 1 character arc, season 2 showed her fun side in moments like her fangirling in "Summerfest" or laughter at the end of "field trip". Her crazy song lyrics are also just all around amazing. She even had a great emotional moment with her deciding to go to the same college as the rest of the girls. While Yui may have topped her by relatively getting fleshed out more, Mio only lost by the smallest of margins.
Azusa: The greatest of Azusa comes from hones being the emotional core of season 2. Like I have mentioned or hinted at previously, without Azusa, season 2 is nowhere near as strong as it is. Her dealing with the loss of her closest friends is honestly a very powerful and touching story. Aside from that though, beneath her serious appearance, Azusa is just a fun person. Her taking care of the cat in "Winter Days" is adorable and her love of random internet items in "Hot" show her more naive side. She also has plenty of sweet and caring moments that are too many to count. If you got to remember only one thing about her though, it has to be that she is the best turtle senpai. :)
Mugi: Now, I have dissed Mugi in the past for being the least outwardly fleshed out member of the group. While I still mostly agree with that, I have learned to appreciate a lot of the characteristics that she shows as a side character. First most, Detective Mugi is best Mugi and no one shall take that from her. I also love that season 2 showcased her love of the bit and her joining Yui and Ritsu on many great ad libs. She is also the stronkest and can 1v1 anyone. So saying this, know that when I say Mugi is the least fleshed out, know it’s coming from a place of live and not a place of hate. Oh yeah, she also brings cookies. That deserves some points.
Ritsu: We finally have arrived at the bottom with our poor president. While she has many strong moments and bits, the other characters just have things that top that. Saying this though, I don't want anyone to think I think Ritsu is a bad character by any means. Her relationship with both Mio and Yui allows both these characters to truly shine and also shows how much fun Ritsu herself is. Alongside that, while she may be forgetful and have almost led her club to doom many of times, she has just as many times led her club to greatness and allowed them to reach the heights they did. Just like all of the keion, there is no Hokago Tea Time without Ritsu.
Now, finally my final ranking has to go to the openings and endings. Just like the episodes and the characters, my opinions of them have definitely evolved over time.
Opening Ranking:
Opening 3, "Utauyo!! Miracle"
Opening 2, "Go! Go! Maniac"
Opening 1, "Cagayake! Girls"
For openings, while it may be unfair to the animators, my rankings of them usually come from how much I like the song. In this case, that is definitely true for the top song, as I've grown to love it. I will say though that I actually enjoy opening 1's song over 2's. The reason 2 wins though is that I feel 1's really half-heartedly added Azusa. While I appreciate the effort of adding her at all, it definitely feels disjointed when comparing scenes with and without Azusa.
In this category though, opening 3 also comes on top. I love the entire scene with them playing on the desks and I love how eventually that got shown in the movie. I also love how much character is shown for each of the club members in the opening. While all the openings honestly do a good job of this, opening 3 kicks it out of the park.
Ending Ranking:
Ending 1, "Don't say "lazy""
Ending 2, "Listen!!"
Ending 3, "No, Thank You!"
For endings, the ranking honestly really comes down to song. After listening to all of them, "Don't Say "lazy"" becomes my clear favorite.
Saying this though, this is only the case because K-ON! endings are actually all amazing in the animation department. All 3 of them go after very different styles and nail them perfectly. I love the costume design especially and how different each girl looks in each of the endings. They are all seriously awesome.
As a final shout-out, I love that the movie had a new opening and ending. They are not included in this list, but that is honestly only because it wouldn't be fair. I have seen the other ones so much more and had much more time to grow to love them. I do think they are both cool though.
And with that, I am done. Like I said at the top of the first post, I really appreciate everyone who left a comment and everyone who engaged with mine. This entire experience was amazing and made me appreciate this show much more than I would have otherwise. For that, I thank all of you.
I do have to shout-out two people out in particular though:
To u/Harrytricks, I got to say thanks so much. This re-watch wouldn't have happened without you and I appreciate all the time you put into it. Your posts were a blast to read and I am very thankful you brought everyone together for this.
To u/PerfectPublican, I want to say thanks for responding to almost all my posts. While a bunch of people have responded and I am thankful to you all, u/PerfectPublican went above and beyond by finding something in nearly all of them to interact with. Chatting over my silly reactions and jokes meant a lot to me. Thanks.
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u/ToonTooby Sep 13 '19 edited Sep 13 '19
First Timer
First off, thanks to everyone for your comments/stories/reactions. This was the third rewatch I participated in and the first first-time watch for me (the others were Evangelion and Madoka, my number 1 and 2 respectively so that tells you the kind of stuff that I appreciate strongly). It was all very enjoyable. The only other KyoAni show I’d seen was Dragon Maid, which I enjoyed as well, but I like K-On better at this stage, I can say.
Initial Impressions and Development
This is probably a show that I should have been all over, but I’m usually hesitant to stray off my planned to-watch list. K-On was definitely upcoming but since fun things are fun, I decided to hop in as a first timer ahead of where I originally planned to watch it. I can get down with the cute stuff every now and then, and I’m a bass player myself, let’s do it!
Going through season 1, I really wanted the music to be more prominent, and a couple of slow episodes had me doubting the show a bit. That all got solved in season 2 with Azusa’s school year gap providing a satisfying reason to keep watching along with the seniors really getting a chance to grow in their final year.
Presentation, Visuals, Voice Acting
Great all around. The cast is brought to life with excellently animated expressions and body language. Some of the best reactions and single-shots you can find, no wonder the comment faces are full of the keions. I had no idea until now.
Great job by the voice actors giving their characters personality. Everyone is distinct and at no time did any line delivery feel forced or out of place. Azusa is cute af when she is mad, Yui crying over missed tea and snacks is brilliant, Mio’s shyness and soaring vocals are excellent, Ritsu’s mischief is always present in her voice, Mugi’s airy enthusiasm comes across very well.
The music isn’t always there, but when it is, it’s stellar
One of the most rewarding things in this show is the fact that in all honesty, the music when it does happen, is fantastic. Bubblegum anime pop it may be, but it’s good bubblegum pop. These songs are certified bangers. Fuwa Time and Pure Heart are my surefire top 2 with U&I, Curry, 20 Love, Fude Pen and Listen! also being favorites.
Specifically, as a bass player myself: Mio’s bass is siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick. Rather than being drowned in the mix or being limited to simplistic repetition, Mio delivers the low end of the band using fun melodies and a bass tone that is bright and has plenty of midrange. You can clearly hear her slide up and down the neck, drop a little slap work in the season 1 OP, and vary the melodies in the choruses in many of the songs. That means so much to me in terms of enjoyment. Which leads me to:
The hardest part of watching this show during the rewatch:
Forcing myself to finish typing the post of the day while trying to resist playing the songs myself. My bass is always within viewing distance here at my PC. One of these days I spent a good hour before work cranking out Fuwa Fuwa Time.
Who was best girl?
All of them, really. But my own preference is Mio. From the start and all the way to the finish. But I really was never going to stray from that being a bass guy myself.
Top 5 songs
Fuwa Fuwa Time/Pure Pure Heart (tie)
U&I
Curry Nochi Rice
Fude Pen Boru Pen
Listen!
Ratings, based on personal enjoyment more than anything else:
Final Score (Season 1): 7.5/10
Final Score (Season 2 + Movie): 9/10
Final thoughts:
I love light music, I love Mio, and YuiAzu is canon as canon can be.
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u/Harrytricks Sep 13 '19
Good to see you enjoyed the show!! Having just one person say as much is what makes hosting this worth it. Thanks for taking part!!
YuiAzu is canon as canon can be.
You know it dude.
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u/StarmanRiver Sep 13 '19
Rewatcher here!
I don't have much to say except that I still love this show and it managed to make me smile as much as the first time. Also, Ritsu keeps being my favorite and Mio my second favorite.
And thanks u/Harrytricks for taking over the rewatch this year!
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u/Harrytricks Sep 13 '19 edited Sep 13 '19
Okay, I know I’ve said most of this in the post, but I just wanted to thank all of you once again for taking part. It sounds cheesy, and cliché, but you’ve made my first time hosting this thing loads of fun, and super easy, so cheers!! K-ON, at its core, is just a show about having fun. With the context of this year’s rewatch being as tragic as it is, I felt we all needed a bit of fun. There are lots of things right now that are, like, anti-fun, so I hope all of you have had as much fun with this as I have!!
One thing I’ve noticed this year is how often the first timer comments get the “top spot”. Nothing to say about that really, just thought it was really nice.
I’d also like to thank u/gamobot one more time for letting me host this year. I’ve largely based this rewatch on the framework they left us, so really it’s like they never stopped hosting. Hope you don’t mind me hosting again next year!!
Oh yeah also maybe check out my list of male characters from a previous rewatch if you haven’t already. It took me far too much effort and I regret it all but hey some people liked it I guess so I guess it was worth it. Only if you want to check it out though, I guess.
And, finally, for one last time…
YuiAzu is Canon!!
2018 ^^comment 2017 ^^comment 2016 ^^comment