K-On! [Archive] - Gotwoot Forums

Ryllharu

Fri, 04-03-2009, 07:33 PM

I really liked the first episode, I'll definitely be picking this up.

Yui is like a combination of Tsukasa from Lucky Star, but smashed together with Fuuko from Clannad. So you get all of Tsukasa's moe clumsiness, and Fuuko's general incompetence. At least she doesn't lie about her own failings.

Ritsu was that perky, sometimes annoying character, but with enough energy to keep things going. I can definitely see a comparison to Manabi Straight, but I was not a fan of that (maybe it was the hamster faces, maybe it was Yui Horie, I don't know). She reminds me more of a Hyakko influence perhaps.

Tsumugi is more of the "perfect" character. It sounds like she can cook very well, play keyboard, can sing since she wanted to join the chior, there's gotta be a flaw somewhere!

Mio rounds it out nicely as the more serious type. Plus she plays bass, and I'm not sure why but that just makes her better.

What I found more jarring coming off rewatching Nanoha and just finishing Maria+Holic was Asami Sanada playing the gentle and kind music teacher, who I presume will also be their advisor. It's just...really weird given what she usually plays.

Someone else mentioned it somewhere, but it is a nice effect to see that this time, the production company paid for the rights to use the actual brand names and images of the instruments.

My only complaint was how they seemed to underplay that nearly 6 weeks had passed since they started school and almost a month after the other three refounded the light music club. The others had a decent amount of time to practice what they had come up with so far.

narutosharingan

Fri, 04-03-2009, 11:39 PM

Enjoyable first episode. It certainly has a Lucky Star/Haruhi feel to it, which is always good.

RyougaZell

Fri, 04-03-2009, 11:54 PM

God damn it. Why is this on 4:3?? Any idea if there is going to be a 16:9 version?

Kraco

Sat, 04-04-2009, 02:07 AM

Someone else mentioned it somewhere, but it is a nice effect to see that this time, the production company paid for the rights to use the actual brand names and images of the instruments.

Paid for the rights? Considering this isn't an ecchi show or otherwise compromised, you'd think the companies would be happy to grant such a right for free. After all, if we were talking about a Hollywood movie (or perhaps even a series), the companies would be the ones paying to get their stuff shown so visibly.

David75

Sat, 04-04-2009, 02:47 AM

God damn it. Why is this on 4:3?? Any idea if there is going to be a 16:9 version?

Seems like an increasing plague.
I guess that's because they think they'll easier sell DVDs since they are 16:9.

But what a dumb way of doing things considering the number of 16:9 screens there are nowadays (even in Japan right, I mean out of the Tokyo area)

I wonder if Japanese people watching shows on TV aren't a bit mad at that, considering they have to suffer from the ads and a 4:3 image.

Or is it just because subbers only get raws from second rate TV stations that only air 4:3 (I do not see that point as valid)?

animus

Sat, 04-04-2009, 07:36 AM

KrayZ33

Sat, 04-04-2009, 09:35 AM

WoW, the ending is really cool, I'm sure Mio (hot! ^^) or Tsumugi are going to be my favorite characters (even though I like all 4 club members so far) and all in all it seems to be a really good series.

I like the animation and it's really fun to watch.

and once again, I like the ending.. just like a music-video would look like.

Buffalobiian

Sat, 04-04-2009, 10:01 AM

I don't know if these guys are any better than the aforementioned group, but here's Chihiro's release:

Chihiro-Fansubs K-ON! - 01 (http://www.anirena.com/viewtracker.php?action=download&id=21403)

Kraco

Sat, 04-04-2009, 10:17 AM

Chihiro isn't exactly a quality subbing group. I'd stick to Coalguys unless a real contender appears.

Sapphire

Sat, 04-04-2009, 10:28 AM

I liked the first ep, so I'll be watching! It's better than I expected and I like the animation.

animus

Sat, 04-04-2009, 12:12 PM

Same team that animated Kannagi I'd guess?

narutosharingan

Sat, 04-04-2009, 01:35 PM

And Asu no Yoichi, if you watched that. They're not bad, even with the 4:3.

Ryllharu

Sat, 04-04-2009, 02:00 PM

Same team that animated Kannagi I'd guess?

And Asu no Yoichi, if you watched that. They're not bad, even with the 4:3.
Kannagi was A-1 Pictures and Aniplex
Asu no Yoichi was AIC
K-ON is KyoAni (as with Lucky Star)

Kannagi and K-ON look similar, but the character design and art director for K-ON both worked on Lucky Star. Kannagi was meant to look like Lucky Star I suppose, mostly because the Kannagi director was still hurt about getting fired off Lucky Star.

Personally, I don't think the art design from Yoichi looks like like K-ON or Kannagi.

TheBladeChild

Sat, 04-04-2009, 03:42 PM

I gotta admit this anime surprises me, I havent found a reason to hate any of the characters.

narutosharingan

Sat, 04-04-2009, 03:50 PM

Kannagi was A-1 Pictures and Aniplex
Asu no Yoichi was AIC
K-ON is KyoAni (as with Lucky Star)

Kannagi and K-ON look similar, but the character design and art director for K-ON both worked on Lucky Star. Kannagi was meant to look like Lucky Star I suppose, mostly because the Kannagi director was still hurt about getting fired off Lucky Star.

Personally, I don't think the art design from Yoichi looks like like K-ON or Kannagi.

That's because I misread and thought which subbed it.... :o

I'll just go sit in the corner...

Nadouku

Sat, 04-04-2009, 07:38 PM

Weirdly compelling first episode. I'll keep on watching this series, I guess.

Marik

Sat, 04-04-2009, 11:44 PM

It was cute. I'll keep watching to see how Yui does with the guitar.

Board of Command

Sun, 04-05-2009, 01:12 PM

I really liked the first episode. I thought all four of the main girls were well designed and the screenplay is just to my liking.

Pandadice

Sun, 04-05-2009, 09:35 PM

well, it was a bit more childish than i was expecting. what with the initial falling down in the beginning and stuff.. but.. actually i really enjoyed this episode. I think that the sound effects and falling down at the beginning is like the only complaint i could give. this is pretty much exactly what i was expecting.. it's awesome.

TheBladeChild

Mon, 04-06-2009, 05:12 AM

Episode one subbed by Aasasubs:

http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=57432

Another subb by qq Fansubs(I dont know if these guys are part of gg):

http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=57616

For the qq fansubs you might have to reinstall vlc if your using that.

KrayZ33

Tue, 04-07-2009, 05:29 AM

Oh, btw the version from CoalGuys is a bit blurry... or more exactly the colour is a bit faint or pale
Is it because of the quality they use or are all the versions like this? (from qq and Asasubs for example?)

TheBladeChild

Tue, 04-07-2009, 06:09 AM

It seems that way to me, but so far im still liking the Coalguy translations better then qq, I have to check out asasubs before I decide who to stick to.

KrayZ33

Tue, 04-07-2009, 06:55 AM

hmmm the Asasubs-one is a bit less blurry but the subs are hard to read for me.. the font they use is so twirly..

I guess I'll stay with Coalguys for now.

Sapphire

Tue, 04-07-2009, 08:52 AM

Is it too early to say this could be series en fuego?

Buffalobiian

Tue, 04-07-2009, 11:11 PM

Moe!!?? I'm so onto this :D. I like the main cast, especially ...Moi? The black haired girl? Anyway, looking forward to the next light, enjoyable episode. This actually reminds me of Bamboo Blade but with different settings and characters.

Marik

Fri, 04-10-2009, 12:06 AM

[CoalGuys] K-ON! - 02 [25E5517B].mkv (http://tor.doctorx.eu/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON%21%20-%2002%20%5B25E5517B%5D.mkv.torrent)

Nadouku

Fri, 04-10-2009, 01:11 AM

$80 to watch cars pass by? I want that kind of job in my area, as boring as it seems! As for the episode, it was fun to watch. Each girl's special quality seems to empower each one of them, like Yui is Mio's source of determination.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 04-10-2009, 01:56 AM

Guys, this show is so..full...of...WIN!!!

Funny random moments, the abundance of moe moments, it just all works together to make one cute, heart-warming half hour. :3

K-On doesn't sacrifice plot for humour neither, and we're moving along just fine. It might not be the "best" show this season, but it's certainly my favourite. <3.

Current liking of characters:

Mio > Yui > Mugi > Ritsu.

Marik

Fri, 04-10-2009, 02:34 AM

$80 to watch cars pass by? I want that kind of job in my area, as boring as it seems!

Indeed, sign me up.

Haha. Mio was too cute when she was imagining what kind of job she would have. I can understand her feelings as I am nervous around people as well. I laughed when Ritsu started rocking out on the car counter thing. Things worked out well for Yui. I wasn't expecting her to get it that way. Good episode.

TheBladeChild

Fri, 04-10-2009, 02:44 AM

This show needs to go into series en Fuego :)

Kraco

Fri, 04-10-2009, 03:22 AM

Somehow I think Yui learned quite a lot in one evening of posing in front of a mirror, considering she barely knew what a guitar is before buying one, and especially considering what a hopeless case of a wreck she is...

I'm beginning to think this show will beat even Lucky Star in scarcity of male characters, though.

Ryllharu

Fri, 04-10-2009, 06:15 AM

Yeah, if Yui only had the guitar one night and was mostly taking pictures of it, she seems to be a pretty fast learner. Most people who never played an instrument in their life don't make that much progress in a single night.

While going into this episode, my preference was Mio > Mugi > Yui > Ritsu, leaving it was definitely Yui > Mio > Mugi > Ritsu.

Yui is just so damn cute, and falling in love with a Gibson Les Paul at first sight is totally awesome. The guitar by the way, definitely said Fender the first time she saw it. I thought I was hallucinating for a second. Returning the money also showed how much she seems to have grown since the beginning of the first episode. Having a younger sister that is taller than she is and who looks like Suzume from Munto is a plus too.

I liked all the rich girl scenes and comments (espeically from Yui) about Mugi, which climaxed when she used her huge eyebrows to get a 200,000 yen discount. We knew there was a reason for those.

But in the end, Mio's shyness is too overpowering. It's just too much of a contrast from her outspoken bursts at Ritsu in the first episode, and that she's the vocalist in the music video style ED.

Ritsu is last only because she really didn't have too much to do until the end of the episode, where she completely redeemed herself. I have done that exact thing with the ripping the protective plastic off where somebody left in on for months...on cell phones anyway.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 04-10-2009, 06:15 AM

This show needs to go into series en Fuego :)

I don't know...I've always liked discussing things linearly like now.

Meh, whatever the mods feel like. I'm seriously considering a change of avatar right now.

Regarding Mugi's bartering scene, I thought at first the assistant was going to fall for the "charm" trick, which would have been really out of place.

Sapphire

Fri, 04-10-2009, 09:54 AM

I'm starting to think these characters are TOO cute. D: To the point where the producers probably sit there for hours trying to think of millions of ways to make the characters look cute in each episode.. I wish the pace was just a tad bit faster.

ep 1 -> form club, eat cake
ep 2 -> buy guitar, eat cake
ep 3 -> something mundane, eat cake?

narutosharingan

Fri, 04-10-2009, 10:04 PM

Oh dear god.

Somehow, this feels like it's going to be better than Lucky Star. The characters are so awesome it's not funny. Mio is definitely funniest of them all. Her shyness is public was hilarious, with the scene with her imagining the potential jobs. All the characters fit well together, and Yui and her sister seem get along as well as our LS sisters. The similarities are right there, but I like the fact that this has a discernable plot with the guitars.

David75

Sat, 04-11-2009, 03:45 AM

Too bad we get the Older sister, Ui seemed more interresting to me, but we won't get much of her I guess.

I enjoyed that ep.

Marik

Fri, 04-17-2009, 01:25 AM

[CoalGuys] K-ON! - 03 [ADB7C123].mkv (http://tor.doctorx.eu/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON%21%20-%2003%20%5BADB7C123%5D.mkv.torrent) - Direct Download (http://demo.ovh.com/download/4118ee2c814a545e189310bde82bf5cd/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON!%20-%2003%20%5BADB7C123%5D.mkv)

TheBladeChild

Fri, 04-17-2009, 04:33 AM

Lol Ritsu was pure win this week, I love her facial expression right before she touched Yui's foot.

Nadouku

Fri, 04-17-2009, 08:26 AM

Poor Yui. I can understand how hard it is to concentrate on tests. Good episode!

Buffalobiian

Fri, 04-17-2009, 10:29 AM

Lol Ritsu was pure win this week, I love her facial expression right before she touched Yui's foot.

Ritsu sure climbed up the popularity ladder this week, but now doubt Mio's still leading by far. These two episodes have actually focused a lot on Mio and fleshing out her strengths/cute attributes, so much that you can't help but like her. Sharing resemblances with Yomi (Ga-Rei Zero) already predispositions her in favourable light amongst the existing Yomi fanbase.

I wonder if she's one of the author's favourites, or if we'll get similar development on the other girls. (Not that I mind them spending time on my favourite Mio :D)

To finish off, I can't remember any other episode of anything that kept me smiling from start to finish.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 04-17-2009, 10:41 AM

Part of the Yomi fanbase >>> So that's why I've been oddly attracted to Mio's looks.

TheBladeChild

Fri, 04-17-2009, 11:26 AM

Wow new sig already Shinta?

shinta|hikari

Fri, 04-17-2009, 11:58 AM

Yup, and avatar too. The entire ED theme has me hooked, especially Mio on the vocals with the cool attire.

Ryllharu

Fri, 04-17-2009, 03:54 PM

I don't know, I find the difference between what things make Mio shy or nervous and the times when she gets assertive to be really jarring. While the revelation that Ritsu is not a dumb as bricks character given her character is a bit of a surprise, Mio's personality just seems very inconsistent, like they slapped on the shy parts just to make her more moe. Those parts of her personality just feel so out of place.

Aside from the physical resemblance, I'm not seeing any simiarlities with Yomi either. Mio is either serious or shy, where Yomi was playful/teasing or mature. In terms of personality, Ritsu is closer.

Yui is still my favorite. She's just really...really stupid. Not flat-out retarded like Yuna from Kage Kara Mamoru (the Banana song), but completely absent minded. I normally hate characters like her, but I suppose her energy and straight-forwardness to learn the guitar makes up for it.

Episode 3: Yui > Tsumugi > Ritsu = Mio
(Eps 2. Yui > Mio > Mugi > Ritsu)

Buffalobiian

Fri, 04-17-2009, 07:56 PM

Aside from the physical resemblance, I'm not seeing any simiarlities with Yomi either.

They only share a physical resemblance, but that's enough. It's like the cute, loli-Yomi that we never got.

As for her personality being inconsistent, while I can see where you're coming from, I see her shy/assertive personality as perfectly fine.

She's only shy when it comes to being in contact with people (and usually LOTS of people) who she doesn't know, like the the 7-Eleven counter and performing as lead guitarist on stage. Once you get into her "friends" circle, she's completely open to you, and won't hesitate to pay you out. That's been pretty consistent between her and Ritsu as they've known each other the longest, and this episode, we've seen her do that with Yui (and Ritsu too). I think we can attribute that to both circumstances (making Yui study) and Mio warming up.

I'm kind of like that myself, but replace shy/assertive with cool&quiet/talkative.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 04-17-2009, 08:28 PM

It is that contrast that makes me like Mio. It reminds me of myself, especially how she treats her close friends compared to people she is not familiar with (how she sees them, not how she acts, mind you).

Also, I like how she reminds me of Kagami and Yomi all at the same time.

Yui is just great fun. She reminds me of Kushieda minus all the weirdness (which was like 90 percent of Kushieda). I particularly loved how she is viewed by her bandmates, especially how they pictured her rolling around with her sister like a retard.

Ritsu reminds me of Miu from Ichigo Marshmallow. Playful and mischievous.

So mine would be:
Mio>Yui>Ritsu>>>>>>Who was it again? Oh, the eyebrows.

narutosharingan

Fri, 04-17-2009, 10:39 PM

What I enjoy about Yui is that she's not as stupid as she comes off to be, just incredibly unable to concentrate on anything at hand. I was surprised to see her get a perfect score, but it was hilarious afterwards to see her forget her chords and mix them as "x and y".

The entire scene at Yui's house was great, including the complete awe they had for Yui's sister. I laughed the most when Ritsu snuck up on Yui's foot, though the entire episode was wonderful.

I don't know if I could rank the 4 just yet; all 4 just seem to blend together real well.

TheBladeChild

Sat, 04-18-2009, 04:09 AM

currently im at:

Yui>Ritsu=Mio>Mugi(only because she didnt do much this week)

oyabun

Sun, 04-19-2009, 11:50 AM

Yui all the way, which explains for my new sig and avatar. Thanks again Shinta!

Pandadice

Sun, 04-19-2009, 03:41 PM

personally, I'd say Yui is top, with Mugi coming in a super close second. then Mio, followed by Ritsu.

Mugi is scarily similar to a chick I kinda know irl O_o

shinta|hikari

Sun, 04-19-2009, 08:14 PM

I just can't like a girl with such eyebrows, not to mention I have never been a fan of the Ojou-sama types, particularly the ones that make or bring food (like the girl with Mai in Kanon) just to make them seem useful. Still, it is my personal preference. I don't find anything wrong about her.

Buffalobiian

Sun, 04-19-2009, 10:21 PM

In general, I like Mugi's type, but this time she's just completely overshadowed :o

Her getup in the ED was also the least appealing.

Ranking based on ED fashion sense would be:

Mio=Ritsu>Yui>Mugi

Pandadice

Mon, 04-20-2009, 12:38 PM

lol, i only watched the ed in the first ep.. didn't pay much attention. i don't pay much attention to eds usually :\.

yeah, when i first saw pictures of all the chicks, Mugi was easily my least favorite just because her eyebrows are like overpowering.

but then i saw her eyes and hair and I was like "top! top girl!!" but I think that the eyebrows are what keeps her just below yui.

I'm not usually into the rich chicks either. like the pink haired girl in lucky star. she was my least favorite. but I guess mugi is different. to me anyways. maybe it's all just in the eyes O_o

Yukimura

Mon, 04-20-2009, 07:00 PM

K-ON EDSingle - Don't say "lazy" by Yoko Hikasa with Aki Toyosaki, Satomi Satou and Minako Kotobuki (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20K-ON!%20ED%20Single%20-%20Don%27t%20say%20%27lazy%27%20%5BVarious%5D.zip. torrent)
K-ON OP Single - Cageyake! Girls by Aki Toyosaki with Yoko Hikasa, Satomi Satou and Minako Kotobuki (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20K-ON!%20OP%20Single%20-%20Cagayake!%20GIRLS%20%5BVarious%5D.zip.torrent)

<3<3<3<3<3<3<3 Mio

Yui and Ritsu and Mugi are all cute as all hell and I like them more than enough but with Mio it's like a whole other level. Like, I want to take her home and dress in cute outfits and hug her.

Yui's ADD personality is cute from an observers standpoint but she'd get on my nerves if I had to rely on her for anything. Similarly Ritsu's genkiness is fun and infectious but if there was serious work to be done it would just distract. Mugi's delicious treats would cause a similar problem. But Mio, Mio is reliable as well as moe so she's my hands down favorite despite the fact that I think they're all fun characters.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 04-20-2009, 07:46 PM

But Mio, Mio is reliable as well as moe so she's my hands down favorite despite the fact that I think they're all fun characters.

Just wait till you're relying on her to make a public announcement ;)

shinta|hikari

Mon, 04-20-2009, 08:20 PM

OMFG. The songs are out... The songs are out..! The songs are out!!!

I have been waiting and waiting. I read it would get release April 22, but I guess it came out a day early. The only thing left now is the ED of Cross Game.

@Buff - That would be a satisfying sight in itself for me.

Pandadice

Tue, 04-21-2009, 02:04 AM

Just wait till you're relying on her to make a public announcement ;)

yeah, that's what I was thinking. that, or when you make a loud noise, or talk about something slightly scary or gross, or do any little thing and she freaks out O_O!! and she's way too high maintenance for me.. looking at it from a realistic perspective, Mugi would be the choice.. just because her overly politeness and high lifestyle standards would be the easiest to deal with. though I guess realistically Ritsu is probably the most normal.. but uh.. we are keeping looks in the equation...

shinta|hikari

Tue, 04-21-2009, 02:28 AM

But Mio is not high maintenance at all. If anything, it would be harder to hang around a rich girl that does not even know how to bargain, unless of course you are of the same social class yourself.

but uh.. we are keeping looks in the equation...

So... Mio's win right?

Judging just by looks, I would rank them Mio>Yui>Ritsu>>>>>>>>Mugi.

Wait, that is exactly the same as my previous ranking that includes personality.

Yeah, well, I would have had to come to terms with my shallowness sooner or later...

TheBladeChild

Tue, 04-21-2009, 02:55 AM

Like, I want to take her home and dress in cute outfits and hug her.

Your scaring me man.

Buffalobiian

Tue, 04-21-2009, 03:11 AM

So... Mio's win right?

YES!!

There is some kind of Mio (or at least K-ON) craze going on in gotwoot.

The Mio craze is on the level of the internet (sources 1-3) as well as Bill's head. :o

(Not in its entirety, but treat as adult material)
1.http://danbooru.donmai.us/post?page=1&searchDefault=Search&tags=K-on!
2.http://chan.sankakucomplex.com/?commit=Search&page=1&tags=k-on!
3.http://moe.imouto.org/post?page=1&tags=k-on!

Just check out the percentage of images dedicated to Mio.

Kraco

Tue, 04-21-2009, 08:46 AM

Buffalobiian

Tue, 04-21-2009, 08:51 AM

It took me three episodes to realise it's a girls high school. No wonder the cast contains no males...

Yui is certainly a strange character. She had no hobbies or club memberships before joining this light music one, yet had a habit of not studying before exams at all. Oh, well, I suppose one of them need to claim this manner of a slot.

Three episodes and we haven't yet seen them (all) play anything. Very entertaining nonetheless.

Wow, I actually didn't notice this. (the highschool setting).

As for her marks for her exam, I'm leaning towards the fact that she's legitamitely distracted by her new found musical hobby than a habit of not studying for exams. Reason is that her sister Ui, being the mature one with the "good genes", talks about getting into their high school like it's no easy task. Maybe not a hard task like some top-notch school at a national level, but not easy nevertheless. They teased that if Yui can get in, Ui can. Based on that, I'm guessing Yui wasn't a complete slacker. She's easily distracted though, and this time round there's always a distraction sitting <10m from her.

About the playing, I swear they MUST put the easy-going song they played at the end of episode 1 for their encore during the final episode. Not as their "best" song, nor replacing OP1 playing during the final credits like they usually do, but a tribute of sorts. Perhaps at the end of the concert, after their "best" song, Yui decides to play it as a tribute for her friends, to thank them for giving her meaning to high-school life. She starts playing a guitar solo of the song, and as each of the members cherish those memories, join in one by one, and the whole band plays the encore with fans cheering and stuff.

Man.....that BETTER happen.

shinta|hikari

Tue, 04-21-2009, 09:14 AM

Sounds too much like Beck for me.

Buffalobiian

Tue, 04-21-2009, 09:26 AM

Well if it happens, it'll still work on me who hasn't seen Beck. If not, I'll just sit back for a nice surprise.

KrayZ33

Tue, 04-21-2009, 02:19 PM

Sounds too much like Beck for me.

I started watching this show because I wanted to see something like Beck

music, concerts, bands n stuff
to be honest, at the moment there is too much comedy and too many slice of life stories but it's still okay
btw buffalo, you should watch Beck :P

Ryllharu

Tue, 04-21-2009, 03:12 PM

btw buffalo, you should read Beck :P
Fixed that for you. The anime cuts out the entire trip to America. Plus, the translator of the official English volumes (in NA anyway) was the same translator who did the first 15 or so volumes of the scanlations.

@Buffalobiian:
Ui is just one of those doesn't come off very confident, modest, "proper" Japanese students. She doesn't assume that she will make it into the school because that's just how a lot of Japanese act. This is not indicative of how difficult the school is to get into.

Yui didn't study for exams even before she joined a club because she's just a ditzy, space cadet kind of girl. They showed her flashbacks with her friend at the beginning of the episode, even playing in the sandbox Yui just sort of drifts off into a Clannad-Fuko kind of state.

------
The reason no one liked Miyuki (the rich girl) from Lucky Star is because she actually got the least screen time by an overwhelming margin. Even Konata's cousin got more screen time. It made me very disappointed at the end of the series when I realized this.

The focus in that series was to force most of the viewers to be drawn to at least one of the twins. It worked too, because the amounts of fan art for the two of them are the largest. They're doing the same thing here with Mio, and all of you fell for it. :p

Yukimura

Tue, 04-21-2009, 06:05 PM

I don't know if fan art proliferation is truly a fair indicator of overall affection for a given character. It ignores the feelings of all the people who watch the anime but have no artistic skills or motivation to procure or display art of the characters they like. It also presumes that the main reason to create/display fanart is to express affection for the character as a whole ignoring the purely visual appeal of the character.

On the matter of fan appreciation being directly and causally linked to character screen time (assuming we had a good indicator of said appreciation) I would question the validity of your claim based on the strength (or lack thereof) of your evidence. It certainly seems reasonable and plausible that the more time a character has to appeal to a viewer the more likely the viewer will find cause to like that character. However, just being reasonable is not sufficient cause to justify drawing a conclusion like 'the lack of screen time must be the cause of a given characters seemingly poor popularity' or 'the abundance of screen time must be the cause of a given characters high popularity'. There are plenty of examples of hated primary characters and lauded minor characters floating around to refute that.

Finally, as to your claims about the special place some of us have in our hearts for Mio it sounds like you're saying is we like Mio not because she appeals most well to our tastes in anime girls out of the main cast but because she gets more screen time than the main cast. First, the show gives pretty much equal time to the whole cast except for the ED which does feature Mio in a more prominent role. Second, I don't see how the screen time = affection logic holds up against any show with a high screen time character that plenty of people loved to hate e.g. Suzuka from Suzuka.

Ryllharu

Tue, 04-21-2009, 06:54 PM

As to your claims about the special place some of us have in our hearts for Mio it sounds like you're saying is we like Mio not because she appeals most well to our tastes in anime girls out of the main cast but because she gets more screen time than the main cast.
Don't twist my words around by combining two separate claims I made.

First off, I am saying Mio is tailored to be the most popular, as Kagami and Tsukasa were before her in their series. She is designed to appeal the best to the average viewers tastes better than the others. She, like Kagami, exhibits tsundere behavior. She's rough with Ritsu whom she knows well, but gets shy very quickly when her defenses fall apart in unfamiliar situations or when she is surprised. Given what we have seen the most of the past few years for heroines of series, that archetype is still excessively popular. In addition, like Tsukasa Mio also has the same cute clumsiness in those situations. Not as over the top as Yui, but she makes mistakes when she specifically gets flustered. Those two attributes appeal to a large quantity of fans of moe series. Instead of splitting them apart as the author of Lucky Star did, K-On's author fuses them into a single character. In terms of appearance, the case is the same. She has been designed with long-hair, perfectly straight and black, chosen to appeal the most to Japanese viewers in this way. Mio is the Yamato Nadesico type.

I said that Miyuki specifically had the least screen time, allowing less time for her to develop some appeal with anime viewers. I did not mention that the opposite works the same way. Screen time does indeed not necessarily correlate to popularity. I merely mentioned that the focus of the anime version was driven towards the twins. Given the way I wrote it, that might be a conclusion that the two topics were related, but they are in fact separate arguments.

So, why might the anime adaptation have such a focus then? Perhaps it is because both Lucky Star and K-On are both adaptations of 4koma series that were out for a significant period of time, allowing fan polls and other forms of media to be created in the interim. Knowing this valuable data, like who is the most popular, KyoAni would have a simple time planning out the anime adaptation with the idea in mind to give the fans what they want. More time can then be spent with a focus on fan-favorites. Characters already designed to appeal more than others, and with the popularity polls to back it up.

You are mixing up the cause and the effect.

In summary: My claims were separate in nature, Mio was designed for the source material to appeal more to viewers, and as a result of previously established popularity, screentime is more usefully allotted.

Yukimura

Tue, 04-21-2009, 09:31 PM

I wasn't trying to twist anything I just I interpreted it different than you intended, thanks for clarifying as I do prefer to understand what you meant not what I think you meant. I didn't pick up on a separation of the points when I read the last part of your post, it read like one paragraph. What I gleaned was that you disliked the way the studio blackballed Miyuki on Lucky Star in terms of screen time, that you felt the studio 'forced' Tsukasa and Kagamin into the role of 'stars' on purpose (to the detriment of Miyuki), that you felt this 'forcing' worked because there is a lot of Fanart of them, that you felt Mio was similarly being ''forced' into the 'star' role for K-On, and that you felt the 'forcing' was working again as evidenced by there being Mio fans in this thread. It all seemed like general anti-moe rhetoric with Lucky Star as a primary example of studio pandering and fandom acceptance and Mio as a secondary example.

Pandadice

Wed, 04-22-2009, 12:28 AM

whoa, forgive me, but I'm not taking the time to read y'alls entire conversation O_o.. only gonna comment on the last line of the first post, which I fully read...

They're doing the same thing here with Mio, and all of you fell for it. :p

no I didn't. Mio is down there with Ritsu, just above her, but nowhere near mugi or yui.

she reminds me far too much of Yomi from Ga-Rei: Zero, whom I didn't like.

personally I see her personality as too like.. overly drawn out. like, her character type of being the shy frail girl, seems well.. maybe not the most drawn out (Yui's character type is, easily.). but her's seems the most annoying to me, IMO. she's the only one who when her character personality type comes into play, I don't like laugh out loud.

after the fist episode she seemed like, cool and intelligent. she seemed like the normal type with common sense, and the brains that've gotten Ritsu through life. But like, then when they started playing off her overly frail shyness, I just got really turned away. and it probably didn't help her that at that time i noticed how awesome Mugi is.

i don't know if I see her being anymore forced than the other characters, but she's definitely picked up as the fan's favorite. I'm not into her though.

narutosharingan

Wed, 04-22-2009, 01:12 AM

Based on that, I'm guessing Yui wasn't a complete slacker. She's easily distracted though, and this time round there's always a distraction sitting <10m from her.

.

I don't think she's a slacker in the sense that she's lazy, but rather as you mention, she's just easily distracted. If they can find a way to get through, she has the intelligence to do well. Maybe that's how Yui got into the school, by having her sister help her out and making sure she actually gets her work done.

oyabun

Wed, 04-22-2009, 06:16 AM

I hope they trim some of Mugi's eyebrows. Its really wierd.

TheBladeChild

Wed, 04-22-2009, 09:12 AM

Honestly guys i hardly notice the eyebrows, I mean ya they are abnormally thick but I dont feel that they overpower her overall look. Maybe I'm thickskinned to such things.

Buffalobiian

Wed, 04-22-2009, 09:18 AM

NO ONE TOUCH DAZ DISCOUNT EYEBROWZ

Nadouku

Wed, 04-22-2009, 10:40 AM

I never noticed Mugi had such thick eyebrows before. Then again, I never look at those kind of details up close. Regardless, I like all of the K-On! characters equally, since they all have special properties that makes them "unique".

TheBladeChild

Thu, 04-23-2009, 04:06 AM

Lol didnt expect Dannychoo to do this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-DAcbYjyOE

Marik

Fri, 04-24-2009, 01:08 AM

[CoalGuys] K-ON! - 04 [4A65083F].mkv (http://torx.ath.cx/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON%21%20-%2004%20%5B4A65083F%5D.mkv.torrent)

oyabun

Fri, 04-24-2009, 05:14 AM

"Moe Moe Kyun" I understand why.

David75

Fri, 04-24-2009, 08:07 AM

That ep was so full of win again.
Incredible

Nadouku

Fri, 04-24-2009, 11:33 AM

Aw, Mio with an embarassed and scared look was full of win. I liked how Ritsu and Yui were arguing about Maid Cafe and Haunted Houses. I'm probably one that doesn't think Haunted House + Yui go together very well.

Kraco

Fri, 04-24-2009, 11:58 AM

I think the emphasis on Mio is starting to affect even me. Moe Moe Kyun!

I wasn't really giving her extra attention before this episode, but now I can't help but admire her character, with all the contradictions and traditional cuteness.

animus

Fri, 04-24-2009, 12:06 PM

The Maid transformation scene had Mio looking so clumsy, I love it.

Ryllharu

Fri, 04-24-2009, 06:47 PM

This episode had so much crammed into it, it felt 3 times longer than normal.

Mio's seriousness leading her to tears, getting scared, and Ritsu attacking her for her nice body was indeed a powerful force. However, Mugi finally got a little time, and by getting all embarrassed about how rich she is, and having a dream about jello on the train, she's made up for a little lost time. Ritsu's idiocy was in full force, and of course the maid cafe being her idea, she's getting the credit for that one. Then there is Yui. I'll admit I think I liked her swimsuit the best, it suited her perfectly. But then we discover that while she's fairly stupid when it comes to learning the actual chords and notes, she's a genius when it comes to playing-by-ear. Her little finger cramp and the noises she made when she did it were very cute too.

So for episode 4:
Yui = Mio = Mugi = Ritsu.

All of them entertained me equally. Even if I had wanted to pick one, I really don't think I could.

Xelbair

Fri, 04-24-2009, 07:00 PM

Damn i envy their gear:
Gibson guitar(looks like Les Paul, and humbuckers look a bit like white EMG ones, now i just want to know if its passive or active guitar), Korg keyboard, Marshall and Peavey amps, and Zildjian Crash, High-hat and Ride.

I just love watching K-on and practicing guitar at same time... its 1:57AM here and i just seen all 4 episodes while i was practicing.

And did anybody saw the reference to the Detroit Metal City?(SATSUGAI and Krauzer the Second)

But still i would prefer second season of DMC...

Ryllharu

Fri, 04-24-2009, 07:38 PM

I almost forgot. This was my favorite scene from the episode.

Discussing guitar techniques:
http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/4796/kon2020042020large2034.th.jpg (http://img441.imageshack.us/img441/4796/kon2020042020large2034.jpg)
[I totally stole this screenshot from RandomC, thanks Jaalin for capping this and continuing to blog K-ON]

Buffalobiian

Fri, 04-24-2009, 08:54 PM

OMG..............Mio overload :3

Great episode again. All Ryll said, all the characters got their share this episode, though Mio still took the spotlight. What I really liked about this episode was how subtle Mugi's character is turning out, in contrast to her eyebrows. So far, she's been fitting the easy-going nice girl type without a distinct character, but this episode really showed she's not as passive as she seems.

She's actually pretty smart, unwinding Mio in that scene to get her out to have fun, as well as reassuring how everything will be alright near the end. I don't think she knew of Yui's talent, but somehow she figured everything will be alright, and made everyone (mostly Mio) at ease. All them sweets being offered mightn't be as random as you though neither.

Her falling asleep was alluded to the fact that she was too excited to sleep, but it may have also indicated how much planning she did for the trip.

If Mio/Yui/Ritsu are actively motivating the club forward, then Mugi's the one in the shadows, silently keeping it all together.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 04-24-2009, 09:09 PM

OMG..............Mio overload :3

For some reason, I felt exactly that, but not in a positive way. I love Mio more than the next guy, but they way they crammed her in this episode kinda felt forced.

If Mio is actively motivating the club forward, and Yui/Ritsu are the mascots, then Mugi's the one in the shadows, silently keeping it all together.

Fixed that for you.

EinReB23

Fri, 04-24-2009, 10:06 PM

Damn i envy their gear:
Gibson guitar(looks like Les Paul, and humbuckers look a bit like white EMG ones, now i just want to know if its passive or active guitar), Korg keyboard, Marshall and Peavey amps, and Zildjian Crash, High-hat and Ride.

I think I even saw a VOX amp in there... for the keyboard perhaps? And carrying a Gibson guitar is indeed heavy for a girl...

Yukimura

Sun, 04-26-2009, 08:07 PM

Screw the ruels Yui has Moe. Loved this ep, I'm glad they acknowledged that Mio is a moe factory in universe as well as from our perspective. The impression I got from Mugi was less that she was the Shadow King but more that she just had infinite faith in her friends and their endeavors from having been lonely and sheltered for a long time before meeting them. But I think there could certainly be even more to her behind the scenes as she does seem to be an unnaturally good catalyst for positive things to happen to the band.

Yui's mad skillz came as a mild surprise to me. I knew she'd have to have them for there to be a chance that the band would realistically be a success but I wasn't fully convinced until this ep that the show wasn't going to treat musical success as something to be sought after for the sake of binding the cast together instead of an end result that would eventually be reached or at least meaningfully approached.

And just a random observation I really liked the scene where Mio came and helped Yui as she was shadow chording (is there a legitimate term for practicing chords on an air guitar?) in the pool. I thought it was a nice scene showing in a simple way that it will all be all right since they are there to support one another.

Ryllharu

Sun, 04-26-2009, 08:35 PM

I knew she'd have to have them for there to be a chance that the band would realistically be a success but I wasn't fully convinced until this ep that the show wasn't going to treat musical success as something to be sought after for the sake of binding the cast together instead of an end result that would eventually be reached or at least meaningfully approached.Maybe I'm just tired, but I read this sentence at least seven times and I'm not clear on what you are trying to say. A little help, Yuki?

David75

Sun, 04-26-2009, 11:50 PM

Regarding Mugi, for some reason I think she's the one who prepared -alone- the house so that it's tidy and ready for the music camp.

shinta|hikari

Mon, 04-27-2009, 12:51 AM

narutosharingan

Mon, 04-27-2009, 12:59 AM

I'm glad Mugi got a little more screen time. I know she may not be as popular as the others, but I think her character is interesting enough for there to be more dialogue for her.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 04-27-2009, 02:49 AM

No way. That would completely go against her "dream." She even explicitly said that she asked the housekeepers (or something equivalent) to just do things normally (as if owning a beach front property can be considered normal), but they clearly prepared some things knowing that their Ojou-sama will be coming with her friends.

Hmm, I'm not sure, since David does have a point. Mugi wants to appear as "normal" as possible since she doesn't want to appear "different", "special" or "a world apart", but at the same time, she wants to make this first-time experience most memorable. I can't say whether she prepared anything else, but wouldn't expect a villa to have a full set of band equipment. Especially not one that produced an award-winning piano player.

Maybe I'm just tired, but I read this sentence at least seven times and I'm not clear on what you are trying to say. A little help, Yuki?

Haha, you're not the only one Ryll. I don't think this rewording does much good, but it's a little less confusing:

1) She has to have talent for the band to succeed realistically.

2) Yuki is now convinced that the show portrays musical success as an end result that is reached/approached meaningfully, ........ instead of ........(portraying musical success as) something sought after for the sake of binding the cast together.

--------------------------------
1) Pretty self explanatory.

2) I think Yuki's saying that he was originally expecting the show to use "musical success" as a medium/theme to simply bind the girls together with something in common and make a show from there instead of making "musical success" an actual goal that they'll actually strive towards.

In short, musical success is something they'll be seriously working towards instead " ~X episodes of Moe later ~ oh, we're a kickass band now."

David75

Mon, 04-27-2009, 03:03 AM

Ryllharu

Mon, 04-27-2009, 03:40 AM

Wouldn't it be more reasonable to assume that she stayed up the entire night excited about her first overnight stay with some friends, just like the reason Yui gave for oversleeping? Mugi has said before that she's had been somewhat isolated from others by her apparent extreme wealth.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 04-27-2009, 03:40 AM

She was too tired.
She really insisted on how the housekeepers have been overboard in the preparations as opposed to what she had asked. But we've seen no one, those girls were totally left to themselves.
So I'm just wondering. Of course there's absolutely no other details to further prove my point.

Indeed that seems to be the case, at least up to when they opened up the fridge.

Mugi did seem overly tired, as if she was up the whole night preparing the entire event, but they were also pushing it towards her not sleeping well due to excitement like Yui.

Looking back, her apology for having prepared the fruit basket could well have been one of humbleness when she responded to their shock/surprise. That lump of meat had her crying however, while Ritsu and Yui were simply delighted. In that regard, it seems she wasn't apologising as a response, but apologising because she thought it was a bad move, something she wouldn't have done in the first place had she organised it.

Meh, it's like impossible to figure out if we're overcomplicating Mugi's personality or not.

An interesting point that came to my attention when I rewatched those scenes was that when Mio asked Mugi about the villa, she actually said the word "villa" (別荘, besou), to which Mugi answered "I have" with funny eyes. (In Japanese, the syntax is reversed sort of, so the "villa" part comes first in the unfinished question). Not a big deal, but interesting nevertheless. It answered my question as to why Mugi guessed Mio was asking about a villa (according to the subs).

shinta|hikari

Mon, 04-27-2009, 03:47 AM

She was too tired.

She didn't sleep because she was excited. It was her first "normal" trip with her friends after all. Of course she looked tired.

She really insisted on how the housekeepers have been overboard in the preparations as opposed to what she had asked. But we've seen no one, those girls were totally left to themselves.

Did it not occur to you that Mugi could have told the servants to leave or get out of the way? It would hardly seem like a "normal" trip if there were maids there (not that I would mind, personally).

Having a "normal" trip is her dream, much like how "normal" haggling etc were. Why in the world would she go out of her way to make it feel unnatural? Putting flower petals on the bed? Preparing special meat? She also looked the most surprised and disappointed (in a weird way) the moment they saw those things, and she was also the first to ask for forgiveness. Why do it in the first place if you will just apologize immediately even when no one else sees it as a negative thing (except Mugi herself)?

Yukimura

Mon, 04-27-2009, 04:11 AM

Maybe I'm just tired, but I read this sentence at least seven times and I'm not clear on what you are trying to say. A little help, Yuki?

Yeah that was quite a rough attempt to make a sentence out of a paragraph (or two) of my thought process....sorry ;( Buff seems to have gotten the gist of it but I'll try to go into more detail.

I knew she'd have to have them for there to be a chance that the band would realistically be a success but I wasn't fully convinced until this ep that the show wasn't going to treat musical success as something to be sought after for the sake of binding the cast together instead of an end result that would eventually be reached or at least meaningfully approached.

Translation via outline

Prior to watching episode 4 I had come up with two different scenarios which I thought highly plausible directions for the show to take. I was lacking evidence to lean towards either as my primary expectation but episode 4 provided some.

Scenario 1: The plot would primarily milk the moe and high school camaraderie angles for the entire run of the show culminating with a finale that highlighted the bond between the band members and glanced over the struggles they'd faced as musicians. this finale would probably end right as they were about to go on stage for their first big live performance. In this scenario the music would represent more an excuse for the club members to interact with each other than an integral part of the stories development. I would liken it to the way the S.O.S Brigade in Haruhi only really did one thing in the pursuit of supernatural phenomena but was otherwise just an excuse for the cast members to interact as a group. I think this scenario could be fun because in interacting with one another we would learn about the cast members and the trials and tribulations they face in life and get to see them overcome through friendship and teamwork.

Possible character issues to be dealt with: Mugi's closeted nature, Mio's fearfulness, Yui's inexperience and shaky attention span, Ritsu's deep dark secret which is responsible for her genki personality (It's a total guess that she has one but it would fit I think).

Scenario 2: Scenario 2 is basically Scenario 1 but with the development of both the band members as musicians and the 'sound' of the band as a whole incorporated as a major part of the story. The finale would probably show either their first live performance or their first successful live performance. The ups and downs of each characters musical development would get a prominent role in the story along with the developments in their interpersonal relationships and back stories. For this scenario I postulated that Yui would need to be a prodigy of some sort otherwise her idiot moe persona would get in the way of her being able to learn and develop as a musician the normal way (determination, hard work, and practice).

Now all that said, when I watched episode 4 and learned that Yui has the Mystic Fingers of Guitar Perception and the band has a mountain to climb (be better than the previous club) I started leaning further towards Scenario 2 as my expectation. Ultimately I don't mind where the show goes as long as the cast members have fun and create humor but I am interested in seeing their musical development and I think it would be cool if my expectation was in line with the path the show will actually take.

Kraco

Mon, 04-27-2009, 04:19 AM

What we saw might be abnormally little preparation from the point of view of their underlings. Who knows what the place looks like when Mugi normally goes there with her family. Besides, the maids might be well treated and paid and thus happy employees, and despite Mugi's (no doubt very mellow) commands thought surely the place would need a little something for Mugi and her friends to have a nice training camp. Their perception might be just as skewed as Mugi's in any case, because they are experienced in thinking in Mugi's family's terms.

David75

Fri, 05-01-2009, 04:07 AM

[CoalGuys] K-ON! - 05 [E278D326].mkv 200.75 MiB torrent from TokyoTosho (http://torx.ath.cx/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON!%20-%2005%20%5BE278D326%5D.mkv.torrent)

Downloaded that one and the first minute showed subtitles that seemed ok

Edit: Some Moe moments and a bit of animation.

Loved the AKG K701 on Mio's head. I own Very Old K280 Parabolic and I still love them. The 701 with it's light grey/white fits perfectly.
Incredible how this show displays such magnificent material (you could argue there's better, but prices aren't for mere mortal beings...)

Kraco

Fri, 05-01-2009, 10:39 AM

This was a jolly good episode. Very nicely ensnared teacher.

I'm loving Mio's contradictions more and more.

KrayZ33

Fri, 05-01-2009, 11:38 AM

So, Mugi likes lesbian-love ^^? haha

but man, she really got me whe she said "yes" in english, such a gentle voice :)
and the other girls were awesome again, too

animus

Fri, 05-01-2009, 12:59 PM

So Mugi is open about her yuri-love. Quite contradictory to her Ojou-sama background. Was kinda random.

Anyways, really good and funny episode. Been a while since I genuinely laughed in any anime series.

Nadouku

Fri, 05-01-2009, 02:03 PM

Another interesting aspect of Mugi has been revealed. An excellent episode, I must say.

TheBladeChild

Fri, 05-01-2009, 03:03 PM

The teacher was awesome, teething the guitar haha.

David75

Fri, 05-01-2009, 03:10 PM

The teacher was awesome, teething the guitar haha.
I thought we'd have Yui reacting over it afterwards, when playing it. Sadly she didn't.

Yuri-Mugi wasn't that expected, I've been suspecting Yui before with the "Mio callous fingers" scene. But since Yui has got such an idiotic behavior, you can't be so sure.
But for Mugi, well I guess we didn't see much of her to analyse anything.
I'd have to rewatch the bath scene.
Edit: nothing really suspicious Mugi-wise, more like Yui/Mio

Ryllharu

Fri, 05-01-2009, 04:12 PM

I guess now I perfectly understand why Asami Sanada (Kanako from Maria+Holic and Vita from Nanoha) was cast as the "delicate" and "refined" Sawako-sensei. Her freakouts and overreactions balanced by her awkward/failing attempts to improve her image were the best part of the episode for me. I don't think anyone else would really be as suited for the role, except maybe Haruka Tomatsu (Nagi from Kannagi). The race up to the music room in a desperate attempt to destroy her past was the icing on the cake.

Her character kinda reminds me of Ohno from Genshiken now that I think about it, only a much more closeted version, and metal rather than otaku. I guess she's a lot like Krauser II.

I don't think it's really worth ranking them anymore. The four main girls are always even now, and even Sawako reached the same level in only one episode.

Yukimura

Fri, 05-01-2009, 05:17 PM

I fully second the Krauser II vibes streaming off Sawa-chan as well as her all around awesomeness. When she started tooth picking I was fully ready for her to just burst into Sataugai. I really enjoy how the calm collected persona totally clashes with the metal monster persona but you can tell there's a part of her strongly pulling her in each direction.

Mugi's shoujo-ai-ai puts some things in a different perspective. I initially had her pegged as a maternal figure since she always seemed to want to smooth things over between the band members and have harmony, now I'm suspecting she had an alterior motive of wanting to witness more of the delicious shoujo-ai vibes the group occasionally throws off while interacting with one another in a positive manner. Can't say I blame her at all.

Xelbair

Fri, 05-01-2009, 06:57 PM

I want DMC second season now...
After seeing Krauzer II trademark - tooth-guitar i was excepting satsugai too.
Interesting anime up till now - we shall see what comes next
oh and on the other side - OP is annoying me deeply, and their music sounds like improvised punk rock(G, A, b/H(depends where you live this sound has other letter set to it),C and D powerchords mixed up with palm mutes and dead notes) on guitar

Ryllharu

Fri, 05-01-2009, 07:15 PM

I want DMC second season now...
After seeing Krauzer II trademark - tooth-guitar i was excepting satsugai too.

oh and on the other side - OP is annoying me deeply
Playing a guitar with your teeth comes from blues musicians, but it was really popularized by Hendrix, along with most of the other crazy play-styles. I thought Krauser II's trademark playing styles involved certain...other body parts.

The OP is indeed a deeply annoying song...but I can't stop listening to it for some reason.

Xelbair

Sat, 05-02-2009, 05:20 AM

Tooth-guitar epic solo in blues? Hendrix dosen't count - he is too awesome to be compared to anything(except Van Halen in skills) :]

narutosharingan

Sat, 05-02-2009, 03:24 PM

That was hilarious.

And it was good to see Mugi get more face time.

KrayZ33

Sun, 05-03-2009, 04:34 PM

The OP is indeed a deeply annoying song...but I can't stop listening to it for some reason.

whats wrong with the OP song?

I like it, not as good as the ED but still ok. The refrain and the part before they sing something about their skirts sound pretty good. The only annoying thing I could think of in this song is the keyboard which makes sounds similiar to my old Amiga or C64 :/

Ryllharu

Sun, 05-03-2009, 05:24 PM

whats wrong with the OP song?

The refrain and the part before they sing something about their skirts sound pretty good. The only annoying thing I could think of in this song is the keyboard which makes sounds similiar to my old Amiga or C64 :/
It's one of those annoying candy-rock songs that I've never really liked the style of. Like, it would be Top 40 music back in the late 60s or 1998. Bubblegum pop (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubblegum_pop) almost. The intro alone would probably keep it in rock rather than bubblegum pop. The intro, refrain and the "Octavu, tataku!(?)" parts are what makes me keep listening to it.

It's an annoying song because of the lyrics and the way that Aki Toyosaki sings the lead. That doesn't mean I can help myself from listening to it twice a day, especially at work with my good headphones.

Mio's lyrics, by the way are absolutely Bubblegum Pop.

Kraco

Mon, 05-04-2009, 12:29 AM

Mio's lyrics, by the way are absolutely Bubblegum Pop.

They were exactly the kind of lyrics some girl who has never before written any lyrics would come up with. I "liked" them (not the lyrics themselves but the fact he wrote them), because it's so funny and fitting the most serious and solid looking of the four would write something... bubbly like that.

Kraco

Fri, 05-08-2009, 01:48 AM

The next epoch in Mio's life:

Episode 6 - CoalGuys (http://torx.ath.cx/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON!%20-%2006%20%5B8BA42FB0%5D.mkv.torrent)

KrayZ33

Fri, 05-08-2009, 07:10 AM

"All your sweets are belong to me!"

oh lawl...but I wish Yui would've stayed quiet during the song :/

Kraco

Fri, 05-08-2009, 08:10 AM

I wish Yui would've stayed quiet during the song :/

Yeah. Her croaking ruined the song somewhat. A very good episode, nonetheless. And again centered around Mio, more or less.

I was wondering, by the time the song ended, that it all went strange well and smoothly, and thus I can't say I'd have been overly surprised when Mio tripped. It's much better this way, of course, that the music part of the performance was fine (except for Yui's croaks), even if the acting onstage otherwise left room for development.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 05-08-2009, 10:36 AM

I was hoping for an actual live scene rather than the dusty desert rampage they used. I'd much rather watch the K-on girls actually performing instead of some random scene that kind of rips away the reality of the show.

A lot of people seem to be dissatisfied with the panchira scene (not here, thankfully). They don't seem to remember that it is a Kyo-Ani rule to have no-pantsu (no not that kind) in their anime. I personally think it was more interesting and funny than being shown a pair of panties again (even if they are shimapan) like practically any other anime does.

EDIT: Best scene of the episode - LOLI MIO

Buffalobiian

Fri, 05-08-2009, 10:40 AM

shinta|hikari

Fri, 05-08-2009, 10:49 AM

I can't be the only one who enjoyed Yui's bit of involvement now can I?

You might be, actually. I hated it.

I'm interested in knowing if Mio's VA also did the singing though.

She probably did, like when she sang the ED song.

Nadouku

Fri, 05-08-2009, 02:19 PM

Woo, lots of good thing happened in this episode. Mio being scared in the haunted house, Yui and Ritsu imitating sumo wrestlers, and a nice video that went with the singing cast. I didn't mind Yui's involvement either, but Mio really shined this episode.

Ryllharu

Fri, 05-08-2009, 03:51 PM

I can't be the only one who enjoyed Yui's bit of involvement now can I? First time through, I thought it was hilarious, making me lol all the way through. The second time was equally as funny, but by the third play I could easily think of it as some general Vocal II and listen to the song seriously. It wasn't so bad.
Make that two who enjoyed Yui's croaking back-up. (Three with Nado)

The music video aspect ruined it for rather than Yui's croaks. I probably wouldn't have minded the music video if Yui was singing normally, but then it would have made the cut from the reality of the show even harsher. Yui's croaks were in fact the only thing that rooted the viewers to the fact that the girls aren't perfect yet. The music video even switched up the instrument tracks, polishing them as if they were recorded on a proper sound system by considerably more practiced musicians. The song even started with their less impressive playing, on their modestly priced amps. It sounds a little tinny, and the drums sound kind of weak.

Thinking back to the other famous live band in an anime God Knows.../Lost My Music by Aya Hirano as Haruhi, that clip sounded nothing like the recording released on disc. Aya Hirano sounds rougher around the edges, doesn't hit the notes as well, and the music has it's own inconsistencies that make it believable as a live performance (except Yuki, which is intentionally flawless). I noticed this about that Haruhi episode because I watched it earlier this week on a random whim (probably in anticipation for this episode).

Here, Mio's singing is perfect, the band gets improved after they switch to the music video, and only the existence of Yui's croaks keep us settled in continuity. That mismatch made it feel wrong, and I much would have preferred if they were all only...so-so. The perfect version can wait for a character album, soundtrack, or another single.

I did like the haunted house scene (especially funny after the training camp episode where Yui was the one pushing the haunted house, and now Ritsu is the one running one in sharp contrast to her insistence they run a maid cafe).

The flashbacks were great too.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 05-08-2009, 09:02 PM

I would have preferred a perfect version now rather than a comedic attempt at a mediocre one. They went all the way to making a music video theme (to my dismay), but then decided to ruin the song by inserting a jarring sound after almost every Mio line. Just when I feel like I can get into the music, I get jolted back by Yui's voice. If she wasn't croaking and sang properly, it would have been awesome, but her performance really did drag everyone down.

Being perfect at this point isn't unbelievable at all, considering they only practised one song. Even amateurs with a lot of practise can manage to do that. That is worlds away from doing a whole set consistently.

About the Haruhi comment, the inconsistencies don't really add any reality to the performance, considering she practised the 2 songs for only a day (or something like that). She still did awesome despite that.

Ryllharu

Fri, 05-08-2009, 09:15 PM

About the Haruhi comment, the inconsistencies don't really add any reality to the performance, considering she practised the 2 songs for only a day (or something like that). She still did awesome despite that.
To counter, none of these four girls are what Haruhi is. Even if she is one with just enough self-doubt inside that she wants the performance to be the best it could be and wondering whether or not she could pull it off (Haruhi's feelings expressed to Kyon at the end of that episode). Haruhi was deeply afraid of letting the other girls down. Given her abilities, if she wanted to be damn near perfect in a few hours, she would be. She was worried whether or not she could, so those tiny slivers of reality creeped into her performance. I could write a lot more in detail, but I'm already toeing the spoiler line, albeit of a well-watched and old series. PM me if you want more details.

These girls needed to practice often, and one couldn't even play an instrument a few months ago. She just happens to be extraordinary in her own right to make up the lack of time. I expected them to play mediocre, and other than Yui's croaks, it disappointed greatly in that way.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 05-08-2009, 09:26 PM

I have no qualms about you wanting them to play mediocre (other than the fact that they didn't need to, since if they had talent and practised hard, one song is not difficult to do well).

What I find odd is why you think the croaking is a positive thing in that aspect. The only reason I find for it be acceptable is the comedy that can be gleaned from the sheer contrast. Liking it since it adds realism because the music video detached the song from reality too much? It is a bit too much of a complication for me.

TheBladeChild

Sat, 05-09-2009, 03:16 AM

Lol Mio was so cute changing her chopsticks to her right hand just because Ritsu was making a big deal about her being lefty when they were little.

narutosharingan

Sun, 05-10-2009, 01:28 AM

I can't be the only one who enjoyed Yui's bit of involvement now can I?

I thought it was hilarious. It makes the song sound better and funnier, which is the way it should be.

Marik

Fri, 05-15-2009, 01:48 AM

[CoalGuys] K-ON! - 07 [DE7F71E1].mkv (http://torx.ath.cx/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON%21%20-%2007%20%5BDE7F71E1%5D.mkv.torrent)

TheBladeChild

Fri, 05-15-2009, 06:07 AM

Wow, if only they could harness the energy from the first 2 minutes of this episode. The shear amount of moe energy would power our planet for years to come.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 05-15-2009, 10:22 AM

Cute. Very cute. Perhaps even a bit TOO cute. I still liked this a lot, but the overload of moe leaves me feeling that it'd be better if it was used more sparingly and precisely. It's like they're plastering MOE on every frame.

But it's Christmas, what can you do. Ui is pretty freaking awesome. Yui's hopeless (in a funny way). Really, who makes their sibling peel oranges for them?!

Still, her making a "White Christmas" out of cushion fluff more than redeemed her.

I just hope this was a one-off episode of mucking around, because I don't want to see them just end up at Budokan. I want to see how they actually get there.

KrayZ33

Fri, 05-15-2009, 12:13 PM

Mio in a kimono <3

btw Ui-chan and Sawako-sensei are really cool side-characters..

Nadouku

Fri, 05-15-2009, 01:16 PM

Sawako going crazy at their Christmas Party was really fun to have around and Ritsu giving Mio that skeleton pop-up was funny as well. As usual, good episode.

Kraco

Fri, 05-15-2009, 01:39 PM

It was a good episode with some nice scenes, like those Mio frightening ones, but all in all I think this was less funny than the previous ones. Maybe because this relied on moe alone more, like Bill already said. It can get old ultimately unless they come up with new tricks.

narutosharingan

Fri, 05-15-2009, 11:33 PM

That was moe overload. Still funny, and Ui is just unbelievable when it comes to defending her sister.

I did find it funny that Mugi got upset over the weight gain

Buffalobiian

Sat, 05-16-2009, 12:30 AM

I did find it funny that Mugi got upset over the weight gain

Yeah, that was pretty funny. It feels like they're not putting enough effort in to make Mugi "special" as they're doing with the other girls. I say this because all of Mugi's "traits", if you will, have been a bit out-of-the-left-field, kind of just thrown in there.

Mio's shyness works well, Yui's a born-airhead, while Ritsu's playfulness and outspoken self feels completely natural. Mugi always feels a bit off.

Kraco

Sat, 05-16-2009, 01:57 AM

Mio's shyness works well, Yui's a born-airhead, while Ritsu's playfulness and outspoken self feels completely natural. Mugi always feels a bit off.

It could be partly intentional as she's from a super rich family and so they likely have tried to build her character so that she doesn't quite fit in, no matter how much she tries, and her attitude can be somewhat off a lot of time, like when switching a trip to Hawaii to a cheap board game.

Ryllharu

Sat, 05-16-2009, 06:02 AM

I agree with Kraco, her lack of fitting in, or struggling so hard to do so is her charm. A trip to Hawaii is nothing to her, so she goes for what she believes is a greater prize, a board game she can play with everyone. It the same reason she brings in all the food for the club and easily offers up her assistance to club members. It's would come off as pathetic if she wasn't so genuine about it. Mugi is trying really hard to fit in, and sometimes so hard that it makes her stick out even more.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 05-18-2009, 08:27 AM

David75

Mon, 05-18-2009, 08:43 AM

The croaky song.

[Nipponsei] K-ON! Insert Song Single - Fuwa Fuwa Time [Various].zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20K-ON!%20Insert%20Song%20Single%20-%20Fuwa%20Fuwa%20Time%20%5BVarious%5D.zip.torrent)

If I had to guess, I'd think it contains both "clean" and "croaky" versions.

No, only the clean one and 5 times an instrumental version (small differences in intros)
Another title and its instrumental version.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 05-18-2009, 09:18 AM

Damn. I'll miss the croak, even if it's just for lulz. :o

David75

Mon, 05-18-2009, 09:33 AM

Damn. I'll miss the croak, even if it's just for lulz. :o
Yup, even more strange it isn't there considering we get 5 instrumental versions for the same title...
The clean version isn't even near the anime one. It's really, really too clean. I don't know what they had in mind when creating that CD, full of useless versions and lacking one that could appeal to a part of the fanbase.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 05-18-2009, 07:46 PM

Even though, I can't complain about this :o
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3583/booklet01hwv.jpg

Good cover.

I don't know what they had in mind when creating that CD, full of useless versions

I only just played those other versions, and the Instrumental MINUS ones aren't worth listening to at all. Ideal if you want to play to the music though.

Marik

Fri, 05-22-2009, 02:48 AM

[CoalGuys] K-ON! - 08 [585E898F].mkv (http://torx.ath.cx/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON%21%20-%2008%20%5B585E898F%5D.mkv.torrent)

Buffalobiian

Fri, 05-22-2009, 10:56 AM

Keep the music coming! I liked this song better than the last, clean or not. I think it's the the overall feel. The covering up for each other, as well as noticing each others' improvement satisfies my "showing how they improve" well enough. Given the length of this series, I'd rather they do this actually. Then we keep getting different good (but still imperfect as for performance) songs.

Wonder what the new girl will play though. There's not much left in a traditional band, is there?

Nadouku

Fri, 05-22-2009, 02:56 PM

Finally, the mystery girl on shinta|hikari's signature has been revealed: Azusa! I wonder what she'll contribute to the club. ;)

Great episode, with a catchy song to listen to. Mio being lonely was funny to look at because her expression was so blank. Oh, and the maid uniform.

Yukimura

Fri, 05-22-2009, 05:54 PM

'My Love is a Stapler'? How do they come up with these song titles... Anyway, the Mioism reached new lofty heights of deliciousness this week. As much as I enjoy watching her I feel like she crowds out the others quirks to some extent which is kind of sad. Ritsu and Mugi only seemed to stand out with their unique charms in a couple of instances such as Mugi trying to 'fit in' by trying ot demonstrate she was inconvenienced by the uniforms and Ritsu getting scolded for forgetting to fill out paperwork again. Fortunately for Yui's much of her charm is tied up in her utter retardation and domestic clumsiness so it's easier for it to come out just by having her in any scene. I suppose I could make the say the same about Mio's Mioism since that seems to express itself somehow no matter what stimulus is applied to her.

All in all this ep felt great, last weeks just didn't do as much for me, it felt more serious than the previous eps and thus less silly/fun. I felt like this ep was back around the serioes/fun mixture of eps 5-6ish and all that jazz.

P.S. Meido Uniform Band = Win. Logistical issues be damned.

Ryllharu

Fri, 05-22-2009, 07:06 PM

As much as I enjoy watching her I feel like she crowds out the others quirks to some extent which is kind of sad. Ritsu and Mugi only seemed to stand out with their unique charms in a couple of instances such as Mugi trying to 'fit in' by trying ot demonstrate she was inconvenienced by the uniforms and Ritsu getting scolded for forgetting to fill out paperwork again.
I'm glad I wasn't the only one to notice Mugi's failure of an attempt to fit in with the others. It touched on the issue we brought up from last episode, where Mugi feels so out of place compared to the others, despite her privileged upbringing.

Ritsu may be the president of the club, and certainly the most motivated (procedures be damned!) but Mio is very much the 'leader' in terms of fandom and screentime. It's not bad...but Mugi and Ritsu need more development, especially now that there is a new character who will steal screentime.

Fortunately for Yui's much of her charm is tied up in her utter retardation and domestic clumsiness so it's easier for it to come out just by having her in any scene.Yui is still my undisputed favorite. Rolling around on the floor moaning about ice cream in flashback, and then muttering in the present about it when Ui wouldn't give it to her was probably my favorite part, along with the funny noises of worry and then joy she was making when Ui was accepted into the school.

Speaking of her, I was also kind of glad that Ui doesn't look like she really wants to join the Light Music Club. She is definitely more of a student council type of personality, and I hope that's where she ends up.

Lastly, Azusa is so much like Mana from White Album it is a little disturbing. She knows a lot about music by the looks of things, is critical of other's style (calling the jazz club not really "jazz"), and is a dead-ringer in appearance. Even some of her cowering demeanor and embarrassed curiosity mirrors Mana.

Wonder what the new girl will play though. There's not much left in a traditional band, is there?My guess? Rhythm guitar. Yui is obviously enough of a idiot-savant that she can handle playing a more difficult Lead Guitar track with relative ease. She plays by ear anyway.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 05-22-2009, 08:28 PM

While I love Mio to death, I have also noticed that she is getting way too much screen time. Mugi is my least favorite character, yet I have begun to want to see more of her just because I feel she and Ritsu have become the underdogs of the show. This is probably a case of having too much of a good thing. Carefully planning out the dosage of moe is critical, much like how C.C. was an awesome hit despite her relatively minuscule screen time.

Still, Mio owns Yui when it comes to singing. Yui didn't need to sing in the last song, but I guess we had to hear her sing at least once in the show by now.

I wonder what extreme distinct character trait Azusa has.

animus

Fri, 05-22-2009, 08:58 PM

For some reason I was thinking Azusa was going to be revealed as Nodoka's sister. I guess not.

narutosharingan

Fri, 05-22-2009, 11:27 PM

I definitely agree that Mugi and Ritsu need more time. As said, Mio/Yui are awesome, and they should keep that coming, but Mugi and Ritsu are sort of afterthoughts. Hopefully they have more lines later

But otherwise, great episode as usual

Kraco

Sat, 05-23-2009, 07:41 AM

Azusa could be an interesting character. I expect a good performance from her, even though she has yet to do anything remarkable. But I like her looks and even just the name.

Anyway, like Ryll, I hope Ui doesn't join the club (like it seems). If she did, Yui would likely rely on her more than she relies on the "strangers" now in the club. And Yui is a person, who would benefit from some independence training.

Kraco

Fri, 05-29-2009, 03:07 AM

Let's see what Azusa is capable of (other than being as cute as everybody in this series):

Episode 9 - CoalGuys (http://torx.ath.cx/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON!%20-%2009%20%5B2CC3C3B0%5D.mkv.torrent)

Dark Dragon

Fri, 05-29-2009, 05:21 AM

This episode is win.

Yui's "good girl" hug.

The evil tea time temptation.

Azusa is almost like a Mio 2.0.

TheBladeChild

Fri, 05-29-2009, 05:56 AM

This episode is win.

Yui's "good girl" hug.

The evil tea time temptation.

Azusa is almost like a Mio 2.0.

Yes all of those are win, and she is certainly turning out to be a mini-me Mio.

You forgot to put Mio's jealousy, which was EPIC win. Oh the contradictions :)

KrayZ33

Fri, 05-29-2009, 08:18 AM

Oh man I had a few moe overloads in the last 2 eps but their cake-eating and care free attitude is really annoying.

They should really stop that.
I'm fully on Azusa's side.

I like that Yui has absolutely no problems with learning new stuff
We've seen that during the trip to the beach already but it's still cool ^^

Kraco

Fri, 05-29-2009, 09:40 AM

Azusa was too cute with the nekomimi. I'm very pleased with her personality as well. She's certainly mini-Mio, but somehow she was even more serious - no doubt because she hasn't had Ritsu constantly dulling the edges. It's kind of sad how the club is so unfocused and so if you want to actually play and learn new stuff in music, it's largely wasted time. But at least it's good wasted time like Mio had to concede.

It was nice to finally get an ep where Mio didn't steal all the attention.

But damn they really should play more and fool around less. I hope Azusa will accept achieving that as her holy mission, despite being a junior.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 05-29-2009, 10:18 AM

Azu-nyan > Mio > Yui > Ritsu > Yuri eyebrows.

Yes, I am a lolicon, but that is not the point.

Azu-nyan is such an awesome cute character even if she is the most normal out of the bunch. She balances them out.

Azu-nyan: "Even though these bands are better than the K-ON band... why?"
Answer: It's because unlike those other bands, K-ON is made up of moe characters, which you will augment soon enough.

Mio: "She has managed to play like this for a year."
Translation: "She has only been playing for a year."
+
Mio: "She is the type that plays games without reading the manuals."
Translation: "She does this through instinct, not theory and practice"
=
SHE IS A FUCKING GENIUS.
Translation: Yui is a fucking genius.

David75

Fri, 05-29-2009, 10:24 AM

Oh my God, I had an incredibly enoyable experience with that episode.

I won't even try to explain, loved it.

oyabun

Fri, 05-29-2009, 10:52 AM

Azu-nyan > Mio > Yui > Ritsu > Yuri eyebrows.

Yui >Azu-nyan > Mio > Ritsu > club's advisor>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Yuri eyebrows

Yes, I am a lolicon, but that is not the point.

This is a shocker :eek: As if...

"She has only been playing for a year."[/I]
+
Mio: "She is the type that plays games without reading the manuals."
Translation: "She does this through instinct, not theory and practice"
=
SHE IS A FUCKING GENIUS.
Translation: Yui is a fucking genius.

Her wierd atitude balance out this awesome trait. nobody's perfect eh?

Buffalobiian

Fri, 05-29-2009, 11:34 AM

Man, I felt sad now that someone's stolen Mio's focus. :(, even if she's Mio 2.0

I was hoping they'd break out with a different song this time, so I was slightly disappointed when it was still the Stapler song. Interestingly, she noticed Mio is skilled, something which wasn't really elaborated on in earlier episodes, while the fact that Mugi's an excellent pianist has been largely ignored.

Finally, if Ritsu's drumming's rushed, it makes her the weakest link, according to Azusa's evaluation. Only reason she's club leader is because she thought of the idea first.

It was funny how one character's addition can completely trod on all the others. If she kept to herself, she'd take Lead Guitarist from Yui at least for a while, unless Yui takes sessons. She's already the primary costume model, and trashing tea time would just make Mugi feel rejected. Perhaps I like the original four too much, so this had a slight negative effect on me. If negative is too strong a word, then I at least cannot fully appreciate Azusa's awesomeness. Maybe I'm just sharing Mio's jealousy.

Still, a very enjoyable ep like all the others. I can't say I really want to see another beach camp. I'd really rather they move on to something more constructive, assuming this series really will end at episode 13.

PS: I noticed before that the girls in shinta's sig are ordered by height. I notice now that the girls in shinta's sig are similarly ordered by cup size.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 05-29-2009, 11:50 AM

It was never about height.

Azu-nyan, while I freaking love her, will only be able to take lead for 1 performance, since Yui and her magic ears and mystical fingers will steal her skillz once she hears it.

Nadouku

Fri, 05-29-2009, 02:27 PM

Funny episode this was with loads of cuteness around the corner, especially when Sawako brought along a whole barrage of cosplaying clothes with cat and bunny ears.

Ryllharu

Fri, 05-29-2009, 05:03 PM

Azu-nyan > Mio > Yui > Ritsu > Yuri eyebrows.

Mio: "She has managed to play like this for a year."
Translation: "She has only been playing for a year."
+
Mio: "She is the type that plays games without reading the manuals."
Translation: "She does this through instinct, not theory and practice"
=
SHE IS A FUCKING GENIUS.
Translation: Yui is a fucking genius.

Couldn't have put the latter part better myself. I like how Azusa and Yui seemed to really hit it off the first half of the episode, and even by the end, while Azusa likes Mio's serious attitude, Yui still seems to be making to most headway weaning Azu-nyan onto their evil ways.

As such:
Yui > Azu-nyan > Mio > Mugi > Ritsu > Sawa-chan (costumes are good, but she needs a new gimmick)

Buffalobiian

Thu, 06-04-2009, 07:37 PM

[Nipponsei] K-ON! Original Soundtrack.zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20K-ON!%20Original%20Soundtrack.zip.torrent)

Marik

Fri, 06-05-2009, 01:27 AM

[CoalGuys] K-ON! - 10 [A159E969] (http://torx.ath.cx/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON%21%20-%2010%20%5BA159E969%5D.mkv.torrent)

250mb because they batched something with it.

OK THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT ONE OUT OF ALL: PLEASE TAKE 10 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME AND WATCH THE NEW SERIES WE’RE PRODUCING. IT WILL BE BATCHED WITH K-ON FROM NOW ON. The name is 黒人の王 (Kokujin no Ou). It’s highly entertaining and fun to watch! If you enjoy K-ON, you’ll enjoy that too! We put a lot of effort into producing this video, so please watch it with your utter most sincerity. Thanks!

Don't bother with the vid that comes with it, unless you want to hear some dude ramble on and on. I'm hoping that they don't batch that in every week..

shinta|hikari

Fri, 06-05-2009, 08:17 AM

Kraco

Fri, 06-05-2009, 09:41 AM

The batched in video was certainly worthless. I kept waiting and waiting for something interesting to actually happen, clicking the slider to jump forward, but it was indeed nothing more than just some whoever dude blathering endlessly.

Azusa has for sure overshadowed Mio these past couple of episodes. Maybe that's a good thing and I certainly have nothing to complain about with Azusa. She could be Mio's little sister but still she's significantly different. It's also funny how she keeps thinking the seniors must be amazing musicians yet at the same time is disgusted with their lack of enthusiasm for practicing.

Lastly I have to approve Mugi's family's choice of a travel destination...

Buffalobiian

Fri, 06-05-2009, 11:01 AM

Well the whole training camp idea certainly isn't new, but I don't feel it was recycled. Rather, it was a good to see how everyone's getting along after 1 year. Certainly, things haven't changed a lot, with Yui and Ritsu strangely in tune again and all, but we did learn little bits and pieces.

Mugi skyrocketted for me this episode. From her reaction, she most certainly did not place those items there last time after all (her reaction towards her servants was great, much different from her usual well-mannered self).

Classy black onepiece was hot, but the white was cute too :o

Besides Mugi, Yui was the other person who got significant character development here. I have to say, I never imagined her to be the one practicing. It would have been Mio, if anything. Gifted, but still practicing like she's not (to a limited capacity) just makes her all the more likable.

Azu-nyan is certain shadowing Mio. The two seem to alternate in the spotlight I think. In particular, she's taken over Mio's position as the "one who has the most fun" at camp.

I didn't expect Ui to be a bit of a sis-con herself either.

As for why we never see any practice, I think we've come to an answer. They're saving all the songs for actual performances, to my slight disappointment.

David75

Fri, 06-05-2009, 11:04 AM

Lastly I have to approve Mugi's family's choice of a travel destination...

I had an image with Kraco waiting at the airport shouting
"Mugi-chan! Mugi-chan! Mugi-chan!" :D

Somehow that ep was a rehash done too soon.
Ok Mugi has that one, bigger than last year's, and not even the one she wanted... stressing even more the fact they'll have to cope with it.

The Boat scene was to be...

the "I was the one who enjoeyd herself the most" with Ui was cute.

It wasn't as entertaining as it has been up to now.

Kraco

Fri, 06-05-2009, 11:47 AM

Besides Mugi, Yui was the other person who got significant character development here. I have to say, I never imagined her to be the one practicing. It would have been Mio, if anything. Gifted, but still practicing like she's not (to a limited capacity) just makes her all the more likable.

Actually I think it made sense. Not only does it suit Yui's personality to go to practice at odd hours but also when she has got nobody else around distracting her. It's just like her to be unable to practice when they should be practicing and then suddenly want to practice when people normally sleep after a full day.

I had an image with Kraco waiting at the airport shouting
"Mugi-chan! Mugi-chan! Mugi-chan!"

You bet! It would be a small price for a piece of cake.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 06-05-2009, 11:57 AM

You bet! It would be a small price for a piece of cake.

Unfortunately, I see Mugi coming on a private plane to be picked up by a limousine straight to a newly purchased resort :(

David75

Fri, 06-05-2009, 01:32 PM

Unfortunately, I see Mugi coming on a private plane to be picked up by a limousine straight to a newly purchased resort :(

Tss Tss Tss, an uber trained fanboy would be on the Tarmac at the right time to be seen and heard when she goes down the stairs and before she enters the limousine ;)

Ui not recognizing tanned Azusa got a grin from me.

Nadouku

Fri, 06-05-2009, 02:56 PM

Yay for tanned Azusa. Yes to Yui! Great episode and a relaxing one to boot.

Ryllharu

Fri, 06-05-2009, 04:02 PM

So Yui has perfect pitch.

Genius indeed.

No amount of practice can get you what she already has. She just needs some common sense (like practicing with a slow tempo until you get the hang of it) and someone patient to teach her (thank god for Azu-nyan who also plays the G). She will most likely surpass Azu-nyan's skills before the year ends, mainly because she can leech off of Azu-nyan now.
I was starting to suspect Yui had it (it would have explained her ability to play anything back when she hears it), but there wasn't any definitive evidence until now. This outright confirmed it.

I liked the stranded skit between Ritsu and Yui better this time around.

I guess the parts with Mugi tearfully calling her parents (or butler) to take all of the boats and loungechairs away was one of my favorite parts. I also note she once again mentioned her love for jello in her sleep.

But the prize goes to Yui's cartoon-version of the infamous KyoAni Tears(tm) when she was cutting the onion. I couldn't help but immediately think of Ushio (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5841), Nagisa (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=5101), Mai (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=4404), and Misuzu (http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=2002) with those blubbery tears spilling out of their eyes. Given the situation though, I laughed thoroughly this time. They even fall off of her hamster cheeks in the exact same spots they do in the various drama series.

Archangel

Mon, 06-08-2009, 01:47 PM

Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe Moe

I like this :D

Azu-nyan's Mio 2 factor came to a climax in the bathtub scene. Looked like a before and after comercial.

Btw what's with all the Anti-Muginess on this thread? She's adorable!

This episode was perfect except for the lack of some more boobs ( or lack of ) jokes, especially since Mio's giant rack is filled with infinite possibilities for more of those

KrayZ33

Mon, 06-08-2009, 03:20 PM

the moe-factor is really great in this series

I can't help it, but I always have to smile when I watch K-on.. I want to pet them all like Mio did with Azu-nyan!
all the characters are so adorable.. I really can't decide which character I like the most anymore, it was Mio at first but when Azu-nyan came in it became a little difficult but by now its simply impossible for me to decide!

Buffalobiian

Tue, 06-09-2009, 01:36 AM

It has always been a battle between Mio and Mugi for me. It still is. Azu-nyan's appearance didn't have much impact.

TheBladeChild

Tue, 06-09-2009, 04:58 AM

Lastly I have to approve Mugi's family's choice of a travel destination...

I have to approve of Mugi's hairstyle on the beach.

Ryllharu

Tue, 06-09-2009, 07:03 PM

Mugi's hairstyle was excellent.

Two things I caught rewatching the episode:

- It might have been in there previous episode, but the OP added a second (and more skilled) guitar part that we assume Azusa plays.

- In the scene where Ui and Azusa are in the burger joint, Ritsu asks about herself (before she attacks Azusa for insulting her) in a surprisingly good imitation of Ui's tone of voice. I'm usually pretty good about catching these, but I had thought it was Ui. Should've been paying more attention.

Archangel

Tue, 06-09-2009, 08:06 PM

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/paulosergio96/25603-SL98ND9.gif

Strangely arousing ...

Buffalobiian

Tue, 06-09-2009, 08:10 PM

Must....
have...
summer camp.....
doujin......

NOW!

shinta|hikari

Tue, 06-09-2009, 08:39 PM

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/paulosergio96/25603-SL98ND9.gif

Strangely arousing ...

Nothing strange about it.

Archangel

Tue, 06-09-2009, 09:07 PM

Nothing strange about it.

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/4526/26040xb4rmz6.gif

What about now?

It doesn't bother me personally, but I'm not anybody's boss at work.
-Kraco

shinta|hikari

Tue, 06-09-2009, 09:33 PM

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b232/paulosergio96/26040-XB4RMZ6.gif

What about now?

Still can't find what you are referring to. Looks even better to me. ;)

Archangel

Thu, 06-11-2009, 05:46 PM

Lol, photobucket deleted it. Reposting it

Ryllharu

Thu, 06-11-2009, 05:48 PM

Rule #5 (http://forums.gotwoot.net/showthread.php?t=12375) Archie. Put it behind a link.

I'm starting to wonder if things like this are why Websense blocks Gotwoot at work.

Archangel

Thu, 06-11-2009, 05:52 PM

Lol cmon dude that isn't hentai, it's just hilarious

It's harmless especially since i posted the original above

Ryllharu

Thu, 06-11-2009, 06:01 PM

I'm not denying that it's funny. It's in the rules so that gotwoot can be mostly SFW.

Your boss or a sectretary pops in to ask you to do something and sees that. Guess how fast you are going to HR (or right out the door)?

Archangel

Thu, 06-11-2009, 06:04 PM

I'll PM a mod about it to see if it's cool or not

Kraco

Fri, 06-12-2009, 12:38 AM

Things like Websense blocking Gotwoot might be more due to the fact words like "hentai" and "torrent" appear here than individual pictures, but nevertheless let's keep in mind that while great many pics are totally okay for us, they aren't that necessarily for some 55 years old boss, whose only concern is how productively and properly their underlings use their working time. So, if Ryll has to fear for his job while taking a breather by having a glance at Gotwoot, I'd say the pic is not okay.

Archangel

Fri, 06-12-2009, 10:15 AM

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1860/konmiobeam736400.th.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/konmiobeam736400.jpg/)

http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/1720/39133468xkonbikiniharem.th.jpg (http://img13.imageshack.us/i/39133468xkonbikiniharem.jpg/)

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/9893/konmio41.jpg

Then i'll post these instead :)

Marik

Fri, 06-12-2009, 01:17 PM

[CoalGuys] K-ON! - 11 [15F9BB4C].mkv (http://torx.ath.cx/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON%21%20-%2011%20%5B15F9BB4C%5D.mkv.torrent)

animus

Fri, 06-12-2009, 08:48 PM

I guess we learned that Mugi is really loyal.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 06-12-2009, 08:57 PM

I guess we learned that Mugi is really loyal.

Most certainly. In the beginning we're told Mugi's a top class pianist, and they wondered why she would join such a club. To Mugi, K-ON Bu "After School Tea Time" isn't made up of musicians. It's made up of her friends, completely irreplaceable.

The Ritsu/Mio jealousy didn't turn out to be quite as bad. That guitar scene from the last preview, however, was completely misleading. It didn't even take a day.

What I really liked was the way Mio's hair was messed up on Ritsu's bed in an uncaring manner. It really brought out that these two are right at home together, and completely open. A very nice touch.

Knowing next ep is last makes me sad :(

Nadouku

Sat, 06-13-2009, 08:16 AM

GITAH! GITAH! I'm also sad that the next episode is the last one. :(

Marik

Sun, 06-14-2009, 05:18 PM

[Nipponsei] K-ON! Character Image Song Series - Akiyama Mio [Hisaka Youko].zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20K-ON%21%20Character%20Image%20Song%20Series%20-%20Akiyama%20Mio%20%5BHisaka%20Youko%5D.zip.torren t)

KrayZ33

Mon, 06-15-2009, 04:07 AM

ah btw what ist the song called which was played during the time where they realized that they have no band name? It sounds a bit like Popcorn

Marik

Mon, 06-15-2009, 07:17 AM

Sounded like track 33 on the Original Soundtrack to me. It's called Pinch Daisuki!.

Marik

Wed, 06-17-2009, 05:14 AM

[/URL][URL="http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20K-ON%21%20Character%20Image%20Song%20Series%20-%20Hirasawa%20Yui%20%5BToyosaki%20Aki%5D.zip.torre nt"][Nipponsei] K-ON! Character Image Song Series - Hirasawa Yui [Toyosaki Aki].zip (http://tracker.minglong.org/torrents/%5BNipponsei%5D%20K-ON%21%20Character%20Image%20Song%20Series%20-%20Hirasawa%20Yui%20%5BToyosaki%20Aki%5D.zip.torre nt)

Archangel

Wed, 06-17-2009, 09:53 PM

Wait... after school tea time?? O_o

Thats so lame xD

shinta|hikari

Wed, 06-17-2009, 11:20 PM

Not as lame as their lyrics, though.

Sounds better in japanese "Houkago Tea Time".

TheBladeChild

Fri, 06-19-2009, 01:10 AM

hope this ends well:

episode 12 by Koharubi:

http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=70636

Nadouku

Fri, 06-19-2009, 01:48 AM

For those waiting for the CoalGuys version, here it is:

[CoalGuys] K-On! - Episode 12: HD (http://btx.ath.cx/torrents/[CoalGuys]%20K-ON!%20-%2012%20[39E6F067].mkv.torrent)

TheBladeChild

Fri, 06-19-2009, 02:10 AM

Weird to see Yui sing that song in the end, though i would have preferred to see a new song, id say the ending wasnt so bad. Gotta laugh and Ui in this episode.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 06-19-2009, 03:21 AM

That was quite an enjoyable not-so-final ep. I can't say that K-ON! ended as high as where it started, or that it finished at its peak. They went for more serious stuff this ep without overdoing moe scenes, but as you'd expect, there isn't terribly much stuff left minus the fluff.

What I really liked about this episode was that it had closure. I'm a sucker for flashback-monologue-finishes because they tie everything up from start to finish so well. Same with Yui announcing that the school performance will be their current Budokan. The song meanwhile, though used, still felt pretty good with them pulling off a previously imperfect performance. (even if it wasn't because of skill).

A very enjoyable series that I'd certainly welcome another season.

Nadouku

Fri, 06-19-2009, 10:00 AM

I really like how Ui looks so much like Yui with that hair style. Had me fooled as well. :p

shinta|hikari

Fri, 06-19-2009, 10:19 AM

I think it was stupid to make Ui play better than Yui despite having barely touched a guitar. Yui's musical talent was her redeeming factor, something that makes a person admire her despite her many shortcomings. Then we have her perfect sister suddenly come in and play better than her despite having put practically no effort into it. Stupid.

I wish they played Don't say lazy at least once in the series, and I feel very sad that their lead vocalist can't even sing properly (sorry Yui, but it's mainly your seiyuu's fault). I really feel that this final episode is underwhelming.

Ryllharu

Fri, 06-19-2009, 05:06 PM

I wish they played Don't say lazy at least once in the series, and I feel very sad that their lead vocalist can't even sing properly (sorry Yui, but it's mainly your seiyuu's fault).
I'll bite.

After listening to the tracks on the Character Image Album - Akiyama Mio [Hisaka Yoko], I realized something that had at least been in the back of my mind over the course of the series, but there wasn't any proof to use as a comparison until then.

There is a good reason that Aki Toyosaki (Yui's seiyuu) can't sing properly in the series, and Hisaka Yoko is a much better singer on Don't Say Lazy, Sweet Bitter Beauty Song, and FuwaFuwa Time. On those three tracks, she doesn't sing in character at all. Aki Toyosaki always sings in character when she's the lead singer. Aki Toyosaki sings in character on the FuwaFuwa Time single, but she does not on the Don't Say Lazy single. Yui's seiyuu is the backup singer on those tracks, and she's much better, because it is a purely out-of-character album.

If you listen to Heart Goes Boom!, Hello Little Girl, and 'Let's Go', of Mio's Character Image Album, Hisaka Yoko sings in character during the verses (but not the refrains). They are much weaker songs, Heart Goes Boom! in particular . You can definitely notice when she breaks character and belts out a good line or two. She sings very timid, as one would expect the shy Mio to sing like.

They showed it in the show when she first began to sing FuwaFuwa Time before they went into Perfect Music Video Mode, and at the end when they came out of it and the unpolished version returned. There is an enormous difference when she is singing in character and when she is not.

---------------------------

As for the episode, it was a very Yui heavy episode, so of course I was pleased. The Ui thing didn't really surprise me so much (if there's one genius from that family, there's bound to be another), but for her to play better and that perfectly was a bit much.

I really liked the crayfish flashback scene though. I kept thinking, "WTF does this have to do with Nodoka's point?" and it really only made any sense at all until she explained it. Maybe Yui's influence is spreading.

Buffalobiian

Fri, 06-19-2009, 07:20 PM

They showed it in the show when she first began to sing FuwaFuwa Time before they went into Perfect Music Video Mode, and at the end when they came out of it and the unpolished version returned. There is an enormous difference when she is singing in character and when she is not.

I agree with you about the Mio singing out of character, thought I can't hear a difference at the end of FuwaFuwa Time since the song actually ends before it gets out of MV mode. The beginning was a easy to make out enough if you pay attention.

The biggest difference was "My Love is a Stapler". It sounded much more authentic, whether it was Mio's voice or the whole performance in general. Did they play with the sound so it sounded like a "live in a hall"? I don't know, but that's still my favourite performance.

At the beginning of "My Love is a Stapler", Mio comments that Yui's playing an exceptionally hard riff perfectly. Perfectly = in rhythm. From that, and all the other scenes we've seen, Yui is definitely playing her parts well. If she hears something and can play it back perfectly (quite a few examples of this), then there's no way Ui can beat that, or would there be much audible difference if she was just marginally "more" perfect.

They could have easily made Ui play a bit worse, and ask if she's sick.. The producers were going for a "wow" factor, and it just rebounded for me.

shinta|hikari

Fri, 06-19-2009, 08:50 PM

@Ryll - In that case, I feel very sad that their lead vocalist can't even sing properly (sorry Aki Toyosaki, but it's mainly your character's fault).

I think that even if they went out of character and sang superbly, no one (or very few) would really complain if it is the final episode.

Yukimura

Sat, 06-20-2009, 04:01 AM

I think you all (apparently everyone who posts on this show who's not me) pay far more attention to the minute details of the music than I ever dreamed anyone could or would.

In any case, I thought it was a nice ending, Ui's disguise scene was a pleasant surprise. I certainly didnt' expect her to have the Mystic Fingers of Guitar Perception even stronger than Yui but I think it played into her 'perfect imouto' image. I wonder if we can dare to hope for a season 2...

David75

Sat, 06-20-2009, 04:37 AM

I was also underwhelmed by this last episode, but I can forgive them since many of the other eps were so much pure win and I don't even care that last one was not that good.

I'd watch it again, even knowing last ep would be not as good as the other ones ;)

Buffalobiian

Sat, 06-20-2009, 06:28 AM

I wonder if we can dare to hope for a season 2...

We can hope, but it'll be a while away if it does come. The special winter episode next week looks like it'll be based off chapter 26, which is the latest scanlated chap available from onemanga.

That concert finale was based on Chap 25.

Archangel

Wed, 06-24-2009, 03:40 AM

Being an Otaku: Serious business!

http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/692/1242315145121.th.jpg (http://img7.imageshack.us/i/1242315145121.jpg/)

Marik

Thu, 06-25-2009, 06:56 PM

[CoalGuys] K-ON! - 13 (End) [EEAB90C2].mkv (http://t.bt.is-ingenio.us/t/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON%21%20-%2013%20%28End%29%20%5BEEAB90C2%5D.mkv.torrent) - Direct Download (http://demo.ovh.com/download/45fb6d290a2227b832e8e11fb980381b/%5BCoalGuys%5D%20K-ON%21%20-%2013%20%28End%29%20%5BEEAB90C2%5D.mkv)

Archangel

Thu, 06-25-2009, 07:55 PM

That END makes me sad :(

Buffalobiian

Thu, 06-25-2009, 10:06 PM

This is one of the better post-ending "extra" episodes I've seen. Most just go on a random trip, or continue on the story. This one felt like those "moving on" episodes where everybody starts to go their separate ways.

I know it wasn't, but it certainly felt that way.That I liked.

Nadouku

Fri, 06-26-2009, 02:14 AM

I liked how the cat moved synchronically with Azusa. Such a warming last episode.

Archangel

Thu, 07-02-2009, 12:10 AM

http://img1.ak.crunchyroll.com/i/spire3/56df80153fcc28f8919cd4ee2a7fd63a1246439641_full.jp g

Azu-tan anyone?

Pandadice

Thu, 07-02-2009, 11:33 AM

ahh that was a great series. i really enjoyed the 13th episode.

Marik

Mon, 07-20-2009, 11:26 AM

[Nipponsei] K-ON! Gekichuka Mini Album Houkago Tea Time.zip (http://www.nyaatorrents.org/?page=download&tid=75680)

Archangel

Mon, 07-20-2009, 11:32 AM

Bah disappointing >_>

I thought you were updating with news of a second season or something

Marik

Mon, 07-20-2009, 11:37 AM

Sorry.

Listening to the live version of Nochi Rice isn't so bad though.

Archangel

Mon, 07-20-2009, 12:21 PM

Btw, is there any particular reason why coal guys aren't releasing widescreen k-on beyond ep 4?

Pandadice

Mon, 07-20-2009, 01:08 PM

there's a batch of their 720p releases out

[Animus][CoalGuys] K-On! 1-13 (BS-TBS 1280x720 x264) (http://www.anirena.com/viewtracker.php?action=download&id=25813)

Marik

Mon, 07-20-2009, 01:09 PM

Btw, is there any particular reason why coal guys aren't releasing widescreen k-on beyond ep 4?
They dropped it and said they'll probably do the Blu-ray version.

How good is the video quality of that Animus version, Panda?

Pandadice

Mon, 07-20-2009, 01:18 PM

i dunno. i didn't download it. can't imagine it'd be that bad.

Buffalobiian

Mon, 07-20-2009, 11:33 PM

Bah disappointing >_>

I thought you were updating with news of a second season or something

Don't expect any such news for some years. The anime caught up to exactly where the manga was when it ended.

And the manga is what, a bi-monthly release?

Archangel

Mon, 07-20-2009, 11:42 PM

Don't expect any such news for some years. The anime caught up to exactly where the manga was when it ended.

And the manga is what, a bi-monthly release?

Is destroying my hopes and dreams fun for you? -_-

Pandadice

Tue, 07-21-2009, 12:12 PM

Bah disappointing >_>

I thought you were updating with news of a second season or something

not a second season, but here's news (http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-07-21/k-on-extra-episode-green-lit-for-7th-bd/dvd-volume) of an OVA with the dvds.

says it won't be out until January 20th though :\

Marik

Mon, 08-17-2009, 04:19 PM

hrmm. no one posted this here.

Hi guys.

So uh K-ON! came out on Blu-ray. We’re bored so we encoded it and put our widescreen scripts (which went through extra editing and QC’ing) on it, and made it available. There’s like two episodes released per month or something, so expect them at that pace. These look far better than the original raws, obviously. That said, we don’t think it is actually 1080p. It’s probably somewhere below that, but it still looks good.

The audio is 384kbps AC3 and the video is approx. 4400kbps for the 1080p version and 2200kbps for the 720p version.

It’s fully softsubbed and chaptered and no hardsubs were used.

[Shinji-CoalGuys] K-ON! - 01 - Blu-ray - 1080p (http://t.bt.is-ingenio.us/t/%5BShinji-CoalGuys%5D_K-ON%21_-_01_%5BBD-1080p%5D%5B59A83354%5D.mkv.torrent) | 720p (http://t.bt.is-ingenio.us/t/%5BShinji-CoalGuys%5D_K-ON%21_-_01_%5BBD-720p%5D%5B5C266A7F%5D.mkv.torrent)
[Shinji-CoalGuys] K-ON! - 02 - Blu-ray - 1080p (http://t.bt.is-ingenio.us/t/%5BShinji-CoalGuys%5D_K-ON%21_-_02_%5BBD-1080p%5D%5B27EF9EC6%5D.mkv.torrent) | 720p (http://t.bt.is-ingenio.us/t/%5BShinji-CoalGuys%5D_K-ON%21_-_02_%5BBD-720p%5D%5B485B7FE3%5D.mkv.torrent)

and Chihiro did the Blu-ray Special

[Chihiro] K-ON! - Special 01 - 1080p (http://www.anirena.com/viewtracker.php?action=download&id=26711) | 720p (http://www.anirena.com/viewtracker.php?action=download&id=26710)