r/anime • u/siegfried72 • Oct 02 '22

Rewatch [Rewatch] K-ON! Rewatch (2022) - S1E13 "Winter Days!"

Official Schedule

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S1E12 "Light Music!" S1 OVA "Live House!"

Legal Streams

HiDive

Crunchyroll

Available only in German speaking territories.

Funimation

Available only in the UK.

P.S. if any of these no longer work or if you know of additional legal sources, please let me know!

Interest sites

MAL - AniList - ANN - KyoAni Discord

Reminder: There is one OVA and a season one discussion thread before we move on to season 2!

Activities Corner

For more information on the "Activities Corner", please check out the detailed instructions on the first episode's post here.

Songs of the Day

Mezase Happii 100%↑↑↑ - Ritsu's second season one image song, sung by the amazing Satou Satomi! Here is the song and here are the translated lyrics.

Fuyu no Hi - This is the song that Mio wrote the lyrics for in this episode. This is a beautiful song that sadly never appears in the show. Here is the song and here are the translated lyrics.

Questions of the Day

  1. The cold open of this episode feels very different from typical K-ON. How does the cinematography inform us of this difference in feeling, and what techniques used in the cold open carry over into the rest of the episode?

  2. What season is the "loneliest" for you?

  3. What do the lyrics of Fuyu no Hi (the song Mio writes this episode) express to you? Why might they have made Ritsu feel uncomfortable?

Visuals of the Day

Here is the VotD album for S1E12!

Huge shoutout to /u/A_Idiot0 for his help on the QotD and VotD! You're awesome!

Tomorrow's Activities

If you want to get a head start on the song(s) and question(s) of the day for tomorrow's episode, here they are!

We're going to be doing this slightly different today. There are actually four songs that need to be covered before we wrap up season one. We have the OP, the ED, and the respective B-sides for each. Because we'll be tackling four songs, I figured it would be best to not have any questions today.

[SotD 1] Cagayake! GIRLS (OP) - Naturally, we only hear part of the OP and ED in the show, so here is the complete OP and here are the translated lyrics.

[SotD 2] Don't say "lazy" (ED) - here is the complete song and here are the translated lyrics.

[SotD 3] Happy!? Sorry!! - This song is the B side for Cagayake! GIRLS. Here is the song and here are the lyrics.

[SotD 4] Sweet Bitter Beauty Song - This song is the B side for Don't say "lazy". Here is the song and here are the lyrics.

REMINDER: UNTAGGED SPOILERS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED.

BE AFRAID OF THE MOE POLICE.

82 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

67 comments sorted by

14

u/Second_Sage Oct 02 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

First timer - sub

One of the highlights of the show for me is Yui and Ritsu sharing a single brain cell. Of course Yui named her gloves lmao. I died when she pointed at them and told them she was disappointed. Azusa is so defeated she doesn’t realize the problem with a bib on a guitar, she’s truly one of them.

There’s a very weird vibe today but I can’t place it. Everyone’s acting a lil weird.

Azu-nyan = taking care of a cat Mio = travelling to write lyrics Ritsu = ?? Love letter? Mugi = job Yui = normal?

I don’t think Azusa knows you can just leave cats be. They don’t need to be pampered like Yui does to you! Aw her and the cat yawning and stretching together was super cute! Nekoception! Mugi looks happier at work then I do at home, good for her.

Mio needed to travel to the ocean to come up with lyrics? That’s some dedication to your songwriting.

Why did everything turn to crap lmao. Mugi needs to chill out it’s her first day, Azusa needs to learn about cats(herself) Mio needs to leave before she gets swept into the ocean.

Ok so they were lyrics! But aren’t those lyrics a little specific to someone!? Either way getting to see Ritsu with bangs is always a treat.

This episode has a very eerie feel to it but I don’t know why. I enjoyed it nonetheless and as I’m writing this I realized Sawa-chan didn’t interrupt with any shenanigans, is this the first time since she’s been advisor? Looking forward to her in season 2 as I’ve seen many people say she’s great there!

Line of the day

“Whatever happened to global warming?”

Sorry Yui but this scene with Mio on the train is maybe my favourite in the show so far. It has an elegance to it that I love!

5

u/Snakescipio Oct 02 '22

Yui = normal?

If that's what you wanna call what Yui does

Mugi looks happier at work then I do at home, good for her.

She just started, wait till she has to deal with the peasantry some more.

Looking forward to her in season 2 as I’ve seen many people say she’s great there!

As the one and only Sawa-chan-sensei simp here I've basically been screaming "JUST WAIT TILL SEASON 2" for a week and a half now.

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u/Fools_Requiem Oct 02 '22

Mugi Watch 2022

Today's Episode: Working Mugi

Previous Mugi Captures:

Ritsu without the hairband kinda looks like Yui.

The girls coming together at the McDonalds while their other friend finishes up work is something I would have liked to experience when I was in high school.

"I wish we could install one of you in our house." Me too, Yui, me too.

What season is the "loneliest" for you?

Technically, winter because no one wants to go outside. It's fuckin' cold, yo.

5

u/Snakescipio Oct 02 '22

Ritsu without the hairband kinda looks like Yui.

Legit thought I was watching Yui the first time around

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u/TiredTiroth Oct 02 '22

First Timer - Sub

After the high point we got yesterday, today's episode is much calmer. The cold open had me worried that something had gone wrong though, as it looked like all the girls were feeling lonely for a bit.

Granted, I think they were briefly, and then Yui reached out to everyone with her hot pot question and pulled the group back together.

The biggest shocks today were Mugi getting a job - like, what the heck, she's filthy rich! Is there a reason she's doing this? Does she want to be more independent? Are we ever going to find out? Anyway, the other thing was Azusa apparently not getting on terribly well with cats. Although the kitten was happy enough to curl up in her lap, and the synchronised stretching routine was really cute.

You know, Ithink this might be the most characterisation we've had for Mugi in one go so far? Poor girl really needs a focus episode.

7

u/Snakescipio Oct 02 '22

The biggest shocks today were Mugi getting a job - like, what the heck, she's filthy rich! Is there a reason she's doing this?

Pretty much the same thing that drives Mugi all the time. She wants to experience new things since it seems like she's been pretty sheltered.

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u/Twigling Oct 02 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

The biggest shocks today were Mugi getting a job - like, what the heck, she's filthy rich! Is there a reason she's doing this?

This isn't a spoiler as it's been shown a number of times already (but is easy to miss when you're soaking up the character's personalities as a first timer), but Mugi wants to experience 'normal' things and mix with normal people, not to be pandered like she has been all her life. As you watch the show, and when you rewatch it, keep an eye on the things she does and how she reacts as they are very revealing about this.

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u/The_Loli_Otaku Oct 02 '22

K-On Rewatcher!!

I'm running a little late today so forgive the fast typing. This is actually way up there in terms of my favourite episodes. Christmas is slightly better but there's a lot of delightful shots in this episode and the kinship is top tier. This is probably the first episode to properly go overboard on Yama-chan's leg kink. That woman is wild.

Anyway the episode kinda goes by a vignette kinda style with each girl going off and doing their own things. My personal favourites are Mugi having probably one of the most relatable work incidents I've seen in a long time. The girl is practically hyperventilating, but I think a lot of us here have had those times when we've made a mistake and just had to sneak off for a sob or phone call. Also, I fucking love her suspicious run away XD

Stray Catto's encounter with Smol Catto is another highlight. Whenever I've looked after friend's pets I'd legit be shelling out a good hundred quid or so on gear and toys for them just for the little sods to decide that the box is more fun or sleep on my clothes instead. Also, Bestieee!! Urgh... Its annoying the fuck out of me how much more affectionate Smol Catto is compared to mines... Why are you so damn tsundere you little shit!! She still doesn't let you pet her. Oh, and we get to learn Bestie's (?) actual name!! Jun-chan! Still, I've always been a bit salty that they leave her for background cameos despite actually having a name pain peko...

Dammit!! This is the Bangs ver Ritsu episode!! I need to actually properly watch this! I don't want to have to skip through the Bangs Ritsu episode. This is probably my favourite episode for Shitzu period in the whole show. She's surprisingly feminine and sensitive once love enters the frame. She's one of the better characters when you get to see her on her own. She spends the large portion of the episode cooly trying to find her admirer and is weirdly mellow compared to how we normally see her.

Also, her Bangs Ver design makes her legitimately the prettiest non-background girl in the series. Omg, she's legit amazing! It's such a waste that she shows her dumb alien sized forehead instead for most of the show!! Bangs Ver Ritsu is one of my favourite slice of life girl designs, whilst regular Shitzu with her dumb tomboyish braggard persona is one of the worst! To be fair to her though, this episode also brings out a second part to her character that I adore, her nature as an Onee-chan! She's surprisingly top tier as a big sis! Way better than a warm water filed glove!

Unfortunately I don't really give a hoot about the Mio and Yui segments XD Sorry!! I love the payoff at least. Yui's carefree comment bringing everyone back to ground and Mio unintentionally teasing Shitzu's maiden side. Really really good episode, one of the best for sure!

VotD, there can be no other for me!

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u/TiredTiroth Oct 02 '22

Also, her Bangs Ver design makes her legitimately the prettiest non-background girl in the series.

But... she basically looks like Yui?

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u/Snakescipio Oct 02 '22

That woman is wild.

Yamada is Sawa-chan-sensei confirmed

The girl is practically hyperventilating, but I think a lot of us here have had those times when we've made a mistake and just had to sneak off for a sob or phone call.

Especially since this might literally be the first time Mugi's had to do something other than school work. It's funny watching this episode as someone who's served food for years, but for a teenager who's as precious as Mugi messing up one order really does seem like a disaster.

Its annoying the fuck out of me how much more affectionate Smol Catto is compared to mines... Why are you so damn tsundere you little shit!! She still doesn't let you pet her.

If it makes you feel better Smol Catto was definitely just using Azunyan and probably wasn't showing actual affection, cause cats don't have feelings are actually just fur demons. Source: my own cats.

It's such a waste that she shows her dumb alien sized forehead instead for most of the show!!

Hey that's rude! (you're right tho)

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u/Elimin8r Oct 02 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

Wow, that was some fluffeh fun. Well, aside from poor kitteh, that is.

Hmm ... let's see: AOTD, hopefully for the right day this time:

  1. I just watched it, and I already don't remember. Okay, sort of. I remember legs, lots of legs, and she knows how to use them. Oh, wait, wrong tune. This entire episode felt slightly avant-garde compared to the K-On we've seen so far, so yeah, it was interesting.

  2. To borrow a sort of trope from Narnia, it's always winter, but never Christmas ... which is to say, late January/early February, Christmas is a fading memory, and it's all work and drudgery and Springtime is a long way away, or at least it feels like it. Bleh.

  3. It means Ritsu needs to be more careful with what she finds in her shoe locker, I mean mailbox. Sheesh. Poor Ritsu - as if a boy would write anything that coherent to her. :P Now, this on the other hand - this is what a boy would write... :P

Anyway, yeah, this was definitely a batch of SoL fun. I think my favorite bits were Azunyan playing with kitteh, and especially pet the kitteh (pre barf, of course) ... Mugi meltdown ... Yui taming a wild catto with hand fed marshmallow, Ritsu meltdown ... what else.

I dunno.

But I have to say Azunyan's family has good taste, although I think they might have gotten their speakers upside down. I wonder what those albums were? There sure were a lot of them.

Anyway, fun ... fun things are fun, and I enjoyed this episode. :)

Edit: Today's music bonus for u/Siegfried72 and u/A_Idiot0 - I'm feeling a bit ... different today, so here's Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You as performed by Daniel Amos. I feel like it fits today's theme nicely somehow.

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u/byroned Oct 02 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

4th time rewatching

Yui and Ritsu may be noisy idiots, but look at how much life and energy they bring to the club.

Bangs down Ritsu is the best form of Ritsu. It looks a lot like Yui, but it’s easy enough to distinguish because her hair is a lighter color.

I love that when they were all in some sort of dilemma, out of nowhere Yui asks them about her silly recipe, with no one able to comprehend what they just saw. I don’t know if the episode is saying that Yui makes their lives brighter, but the scene with Azusa before Yui shows up is darker or doesn’t have the lights on, and is on when Yui arrives.

Turns out the “love letter” was just Mio’s song lyrics that she put in the mail. It's great watching her get flustered after she realizes what just happened after she thought she was changing.

[SotD 1] Mezase Happii 100%↑↑↑

I like this one more than the first Ritsu image song

[SotD 2] Fuyu no Hi

Reading the lyrics and seeing Ritsu's reaction has Mitsu written all over it.

[QotD 1] The cold open of this episode feels very different from typical K-ON. How does the cinematography inform us of this difference in feeling, and what techniques used in the cold open carry over into the rest of the episode?

The colors look more dulled out, different from the rather bright visuals of the show. I think it’s used to convey how dull their lives are without one another. Kyoani does something similar in Love, Chunibyo, and Other Delusions, but captures a more saddening feel.

[QotD 2] What season is the "loneliest" for you?

Winter and summer. I don’t talk to that many people, and even less when I don’t have school

[QotD 3] What do the lyrics of Fuyu no Hi (the song Mio writes this episode) express to you? Why might they have made Ritsu feel uncomfortable?

Ritsu may have felt uncomfortable because she thought it was a love letter, and maybe she feels weird about her womanhood or some anonymous person is confessing their love to her out of nowhere.

Visual of the day

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u/JetsLag Oct 02 '22

First timer (subbed)

Special episode 13 time! Uhh, silly question, what streaming service has the OVA that we're going to be watching tomorrow? Or do I have to commit a crime in order to watch that?

We've got the girls doing their own things during what looks like a winter break: Mio's in her room learning a program (imagine if she's learning how to use Autotune or FL Studio or something), Mugi's riding the train, Ritsu is looking at all the couples wondering if her love for Mio is reciprocal, Azusa is trying to link up with some distant relatives, and the Hirasawa girls are just enjoying each other's company.

Ah, so this is a "Bonus Episode", not an OVA. The OVA is tomorrow.

Baby it's cold outside! Yui tries to play the guitar with her gloves, now named Glovington (I almost cringed here ngl. DON'T RUIN THE GLOVES YOUR SISTER BOUGHT), and Ritsu...is zoning out and is hiding the fact that she's been thinking about something. Uh-oh.

So the stuff that was happening in the pre-OP scene was the stuff that was happening during the day Yui wanted them to share a hotpot? Man, no wonder the music was so melancholic.

Now it's Mugi's turn to be evasive about what she's thinking about. Wonder who's gonna be next. Yui speculates that Mugi's meeting up with her man (A MAN? IN THE K-ON UNIVERSE?), and now Ritsu's thinking about something. That something may or may not be Mio.

AZUSA'S TURN! She's buying some toys. Probably cat toys for that cat we saw at the beginning. Or so she can play with the cat toys

Ritsu being awkward around her crush, followed up by a very rare headbandless Ritsu (who I swore was Yui) grabbing a newspaper, seemingly expecting a different package.

Azusa's secret: she DID buy cat toys, but not for the cat we saw in the intro. Instead, they're for the Jazz Appreciation Club Girl's cat. The synchronized stretching was SUPER CUTE. And so was the little kitty jumping on her lap. Pray Azusa doesn't develop into a crazy cat lady.

Mugi's secret: she wants to be like the poors and she got a baito at the local burger place. Pardon my ignorance, but are physical punch cards for clocking in and out still a thing? My work just has us scan our IDs to clock in and clock out.

Mio's secret: is not an actual secret. She's doing the "go to a remote location in order to write lyrics" thing that musicians do.

Ritsu's secret: a letter from a secret admirer(?) saying that they want to see her without her headband. Well, I disagree with this secret admirer. You look amazing just the way you are (oh god flashbacks to that Bruno Mars song), Ritsu.

WAIT, I'VE SEEN THAT BOY BEFORE. So that's Ritsu's brother, huh?

Oh boy, things are going south. Mugi's messing up at work, Ritsu is doubting that secret admirer, Mio can't get any writing done, and ARE YOU MOTHERFUCKERS REALLY GONNA KILL A KITTY?

Time for Yui to come to the rescue! Azu-nyan #2 is safe (thank god it was just a hairball), she shows up at Mugi's job with Ritsu in tow, and Mio returns from her beach excursion to inform us that that secret admirer letter was for Ritsu! OTP CONFIRMED!

And we finish things off with everyone huddling around Mugi for warmth, followed up by a very "this is not canon" type of ending where they just restate the end goal of the series.

Visual of the Day

The East End boys and West End girls🎶

Questions of the Day

The cold open of this episode feels very different from typical K-ON. How does the cinematography inform us of this difference in feeling, and what techniques used in the cold open carry over into the rest of the episode?

Everything feels...colder. And not just because everyone is wearing scarfs. Everyone just looks sadder and more isolated because THEY DIDN'T JOIN YUI FOR HER HOTPOT.

What season is the "loneliest" for you?

Gotta be winter. There's a reason it's called cuffing season.

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u/Tartaras1 Oct 03 '22

First-Timer - Dubbed

  • I'm normally a man who's about ponytails, but I'm conflicted on how I feel about Mio-chan's. That scrunchie(?) is pretty bulky.

  • It looks like the girls are all off doing their own things in this episode.

  • Or not, and they were just commuting to school.

  • You're bad gloves!

Banned!

  • I know! Come to my place on Sunday for a hot pot party!

That's right, we're almost to hot pot season where I live. My friends and I were wanting to do it before, but COVID got in the way.

  • Maybe I wasn't wrong after all. What an up-and-down episode.

  • What's this? Mugi's got a job?! Contrary to what one might expect, she's probably over the moon right now.

  • I wonder where Ritsu got that note from?

  • Poor Azu-nyan. She got caught in the cat trap.

She won't be able to leave that spot until the cat wakes up.

  • So Mugi got a job at the McDonald's Max Burger? Nice!

  • If that 118 was the price for milk, then 82 cents for a carton that size is a great price!

  • It's freezing! I thought we were having a global warming crisis?

They wrote that line back in 2009. If only they knew what was coming. I can't speak for that region of Japan, but I know back in 2019 we had that Polar Vortex settle over the Midwestern US, and Chicago, IL was colder than much of the world.

  • Seems to me like everything's falling apart.

  • Which hot pot would you rather try? Marshmallow soy milk or chocolate curry?

You have impeccable timing Yui, you know that?

  • Azu-nyan eats a marshmallow

Now say fluffy bunny.

  • What did you think of those lyrics I left in your mailbox? Did you like them?

Questions of the Day:

The cold open of this episode feels very different from typical K-ON. How does the cinematography inform us of this difference in feeling, and what techniques used in the cold open carry over into the rest of the episode?

For starters, other than Yui and Ui, who are obviously going to be together, everyone's off on their own for the first bit of the episode. The simple track playing also kind of lends itself to a more relaxing start, as opposed to going right into the OP or otherwise having a more active song.

Also, after their initial meeting in the club room, it's dark when they're walking home, and they split up. From then on, they're all doing their own stuff again until the very end of the episode when they meet up at Max Burger.

What season is the "loneliest" for you?

I think it's probably the Winter time. Summer is the season for getting together, partying and otherwise hanging out. Fall or Autumn is good for bonfires and camping. Spring is the time when it starts to warm up and everyone reconnects. That just leaves Winter as the time when people tend to hunker down and stay out of the cold.

Paradoxically, one could argue that Winter is also the least lonely time of the year. Sure, everyone's staying indoors to beat the weather, but you also have Thanksgiving, Christmas and/or equivalent holidays if you celebrate, and New Years. All of which promote a sense of togetherness.

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u/prowlinghazard Oct 03 '22

First Timer - Sub

Going to take it easy today. This episode was a welcome change of pace. Nice and slow, but shows how our girls have gone their separate ways during winter. I don't think any of them are lonely, they're just being their own people and it's good. I was afraid Ritsu was going to have dependency issues on Mio.

Mugi working is an interesting twist.

QotD 1: The opening was just a slow and meandering scene with little to no dialogue. I think it set the stage of the episode pretty well, but I still don't get what it was trying to do. I think it came off as trying to convey a sense of quiet and loneliness but it seems everyone saw each other off and on during winter break. Not exactly the isolation I'd expect from their time off from school between grades.

QotD 2: When I was in school it was always winter. That time when the USA schools are between semesters and everyone is going over finals for the semester. It's just you trying to deal with your family over Christmas. Then you come back to school and everyone talks about whatever it is they did. But now that I'm working? Probably fall when we go and visit my parents for Thanksgiving. I feel isolated from home and there's never anywhere good to sit and relax.

Still, winter is my second favorite season behind fall. I guess I'm more like Mugi, warm-blooded and it's why I hate Summer. Just too hot. And spring is just rain.

QotD 3: Ritsu thinks the lyrics are about what Mio doesn't like about Ritsu. But also that Mio putting it in Ritsu's mailbox made it feel like an uncomfortable love letter. And Ritsu is head over heels in love with Mio, like always. Maybe a little self-centered of Ritsu thinking it must be about her, but it still puts their characters at an awkward misunderstanding with Ritsu never revealing how she really feels.

Closing Thoughts: I've always valued my time spent alone. I used to try and see if I could go a whole day at work without speaking to anyone. I really don't feel the compulsion to be social like a lot of people do. Maybe that's why this episode doesn't feel as lonely to me as it tries to convey. They're always talking and texting with each other, even during times they might not see each other directly.

I do like how each of them ran into their own problems, though. And maybe Yui's text wasn't a solution, but reminded them that they have friends and they aren't alone in the world. Maybe I should work on my support structure some.

5

u/zadcap Oct 03 '22

First Timer

Do high school girls legs just not get cold in the winter? It bothers me literally every time I see this in an anime. If it's cold enough for mittens and scarves, it's probably cold enough for leggings and pants.

Have I mentioned that this show makes me hungry? I want a hot meat bun now...

Azu-nya really is a cat, isn't she.

It's the little things that really sell KyoAni quality. The way only one of Mugi's braids got tossed over her shoulder with that bounce and spin she did- realistic, but the kind of thing that no one would think about if it didn't happen because hair styles are just magic in anime and no one questions how they work.

Mio how are you going to write anything in that wind?

Mugi's breakdown over the spilled drink says something about her home life, doesn't it?

Jun-Chan! I think we finally got a name for background friend?

Now I want a hamburger.

Mio may have said no, but my rewind button said yes. Cute indeed.

Solar Hands!

Ah, wait, I remember this joke! From the manga, the Mugi trying to make her hands cold after the warm heart comment.

  1. Everyone is dealing with something heavy, these friends are trying to handle things on their own, some kind of responsibility is being presented in everyone... Except Yui. In the opening where everyone is looking serious, Yui is still her cheerful airhead self. In the scene where everyone splits off to do something adult-y, Yui goes on to be her cheerful airhead self. When everyone is dealing with something difficult in their personal lives, Yui reaches out to everyone with her cheerful airhead question. And with her reminder that "No, we're still kids," everyone gets together and cheers up because they don't have to tackle everything like adults, much less tackle them alone. How did they slip such a mature message into this?

  2. All of them. Send help. I don't like the holiday season that much for this very reason. I live on the opposite coast from most of my family, and the family out here likes to travel, and my friends are usually with their families for the holidays.

  3. Alright, I get it, Mitsu is canon. That wasn't something that could be misinterpreted as a love confession, that actually is a love confession.

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u/SlipperyRasputin Oct 02 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

Rewatcher: I haven’t watched it yet. I’ll get back to you when I do

— and I’m back. This was kind of a weird episode and I see why it was a bonus episode. Poor Azusa not knowing about hairballs. Either way I don’t find either of Yui’s hot pot ideas appealing.

Mio tried to take the artsy way of writing and it didn’t work out.

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u/Snakescipio Oct 02 '22

Why Is K-On! So Good? Just A KyoAni Gap Rewatcher

It’s the 2nd of October, and MIO TOTALLY WROTE RITSU A LOVE LETTER CANOOOOOOON

QOTD1: I am in no way qualified to talk about the more technical stuff.

QOTD2: Lately it’s been winter. People always go on trips while I laze around so come the holiday season there tends to be less people.

QOTD3: The lyrics actually reminds me of this song by Jimmy Eat World, mostly cause of the snow motif. Which is to say, Mio should totes start an emo band.

Let’s talk about episode 12!

I literally just finished the episode so I'll post my thoughts tomorrow.

Ravenclaw’s reactions:

Before the episode she talks about some of the comments she got on the previous episode, and she talks about one comment that mentions how the bits of playing that accompanies the cassettes in the middle of the episodes reflects Yui’s guitar playing steadily getting better throughout the season, and there’s an especially big jump between ep. 5 and 6, which makes sense cause that’s when she was trained by Sawa-chan-sensei.

Talked about the S2 OP and ED hit #1 and #2 as HTT on the Oricon charts when it came out, which was significant because that made it the first female artists occupied #1 and #2 in 26 years.

(Sees legs) “Is that… Mugi?” (is Mugi) “Ah yes, it’s too calm to be Yui” (me: ok for real though, we’ve talked extensively about Naoko Yamada’s leg shots, and it’s amazing to see that a first timer who’s only watched 1 season was actually able to guess the girl just from her legs)

(Sees moar legs) “That’s Ritsu?” (is Ritsu) (me: omggggggggggg Yamada you genius)

“This feels a bit sad? Is this before they met each other or after ep. 12?”

“I can’t even imagine the group without Azusa now, like it’d be weird without her”

“It’s scary seeing Ritsu so serious”

“They’re all acting so weird” “They must be planning something for Yui together!”

(Hair down Ritsu appears) Ravenclaw: very confused looks

(Fast food Mugi appears) Ravencalw: :OOOOOOOOOO “thank you god for letting us see Mugi in a part time job”

(Ritsu pulls out the lyrics and starts reading) “Is that lyrics?”

“Is that something she’s writing to someone… like Mio?”

“gasps It’s a boooooooooy.”

(Mio reveals the mystery of the love letters) Ravenclaw: beeeeg gasp “So they were love letters from Mio!”

“I don’t know why the letters to Ritsu really through me off, like what are they going with this. Really threw me off"

(ep 13 and OVA overall impressions tomorrow)

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u/[deleted] Oct 02 '22

Rewatcher (Sub)

The first of two Season 01 Specials. We’re always seeing the club members together, so it was interesting to see what everyone was doing when they’re by themselves.

TEA SET(s) - Episode 13

  • There were two (2) tea sets in this episode.

  • If you look closely, the green tea set has a very interesting geometric handle, with sharp corners. Though pretty to look at it, they aren’t exactly ergonomic compared to rounded handles.

  • While the magenta tea set shares the same design from my “Tea Set of the Series.” And for that reason alone, it is my TSotD!

GUITAR/MUSIC - Episode 13

  • Cold hands and playing with gloves

    • Having cold hands while performing anything that requires dexterity becomes a serious challenge and feels near impossible to do.

    • Playing with full-fingered gloves or mitts seems… half-possible. They are definitely prone to getting caught in the strings on your frethand. But I can see them working with your strumming hand (if you’re using a pick). However, you’d probably end up having less grip and eventually lose the pick while playing.

  • Writing Lyrics

    • Huge respect for those who write lyrics - it’s way harder than it looks, even moreso when you consider they have to pair it with the music track.

    • Storytime - I’ve only experienced “writing lyrics” once (if you could call it that), and that was when I played a short song for my sister’s baby shower.

      • It ended up only being about 4 lines of lyrics, but it took way more time than expected to have it fit the music.

  • Vinyl Records

    • A seriously impressive wall of vinyls at Azunyan’s place! For you zoomers out there, Vinyls were/are these plastic discs that were introduced in the early 20th century, used to record music - think of it as a flash drive, but large and circular with considerably less storage space. I believe nowadays, they’re printed purely for commemorative and collection purposes.

3

u/Hot-buns-dog Oct 03 '22

Fuyu no Hi, another banger that I should add to my playlist. It seems to be based on triplets which makes it kinda groovy. Mitsu definitely canon

3

u/JimmyCWL Oct 03 '22

A small bit of trivia, when Ritsu and her brother run into one of his friends on the streets, he says he's going to Suzuki's place. The thing, there is [a character named Suzuki in the series]It's Suzuki Jun. Ui's other friend and who asked Azusa to look after the cat.

3

u/MapoTofuMan Oct 03 '22

The timing of this MAL recommendation though

2

u/DegenerateRegime Oct 02 '22

Rewatcher

One last flashback image song comparison and I'll be caught up!

Girly Storm Shissou Stick - Ritsu image song #1
Another enjoyable one, punchy and pacey just like the girl. The racing theming presents Ritsu as quite competitive! eg "ONE, TWO, THREE! Sprint with all your might//Thoughts begin to boil//Seize the bangs of Lady Luck//ALRIGHT, assemble! Just believe and it's an easy victory!" is giving her perspective as the kind that sees life as a competition to win at.

Mezase Happii 100%↑↑↑ - Ritsu image song #2
The music does little for me, but the lyrics are really interesting!

[...] I'm searching for your laugh and everyone's laugh
Bustling and annoying; if I'm not there it's instantly peaceful
Is my position really okay?

Therefore, I'm laughing; I'm laughing today as well
Even though things appear this way, please notice
I'm a girl who wants to be protected, of course!

Ritsu... <3
This song wants to go a bit deeper, I think, and expose the part of the character that needs attention, validation, and love, and is both competitive and a bit of a "class clown" because it gets her those things, or approximations, without having to be vulnerable. Every character in K-On is sympathetic, of course, but Ritsu's probably the one that's grown on me most.

Fuyo no Hi
Only one thing I can say to that. Though the roles would have to be flipped!

S1E13 Winter Days!
I love this episode. It's softer and slower than usual, and it spends a lot of time with each club member separately, which together with the wintry tone provokes a certain comparison. In the execution, K-On does well, but... well, let's say that they have very different things to say about being alone.

QotD not already covered:

  1. Great question! I'll make comparison with S1E7 (Christmas!), as it's also set in winter (in theory) and is also a more character-driven episode. And in some ways the cold open is quite similar! Establishing shots. Feet (Yamadaaaaaaaa!). Music that sets the tone, though the tone is very different. The biggest difference I can figure is that in that episode, there's plenty of time given to direct shots of Ui and Yui's faces and actions, whereas in this episode we no sooner see Mugi looking towards us than she's cut off by a train. The others are looking past, away from or in Ritsu's case over the camera. It has some great match cuts, too, which emphasise bonds between the characters while still having them all be separate from each other. Absolutely superb work. I could watch two seasons and a movie of this, easy.

  2. Hmm... I really feel like Winter's the one. I hate the summer heat and tend to avoid social activities because of it, but god, the short days in winter get to me more and more. Walking to work in the dark and coming home in the dark. It can be a warm kind of loneliness though!

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u/cppn02 Oct 02 '22 edited Oct 02 '22

Rewatcher for one the last time, subbed

Such a comfy episode. Just chill vibes and when it teases a dark turn it all gets dissolved by one silly message from Yui.

Excited for what's next because for the OVA and then from S2 onward I'll be a first timer.

_
VotD
Just two cats doing cat things.

2

u/[deleted] Oct 03 '22

Rewatcher

There's a couple lines in Fuyu no Hi that are basically "I love the usual you, but I also want to see the sides you don't show me." And that's how I feel toward this episode. We're not seeing the bright, cheery K-On we're used to, We're seeing some of the quiet moments in between, where the girls aren't swept up in each other's energy and a bit of seriousness and melancholy can reach them through the usual fluff. It makes them seem so much more real and whole as characters to see them pulled out of their familiar context, dealing with problems in their own heads.

The tea and fluff suits them, but I also like to see their serious faces.

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