K-On!
| ♥ | This article is dedicated to Kyoto Animation, who lost 36 employees in their arson attack on July 18, 2019. May all those employees rest in peace. |
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K-On! (Japanese: けいおん!, Hepburn: Keion!) is a Japanese anime television series based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Kakifly. Produced by Kyoto Animation, it aired in Japan between April and June 2009. An additional original video animation (OVA) episode was released in January 2010. A 26-episode second season, titled K-On!! (with two exclamation marks), aired in Japan between April and September 2010, with an OVA episode released in March 2011. An anime film adaptation was released in Japan in December 2011. Bandai Entertainment had licensed the first season until their closure in 2012. Sentai Filmworks has since re-licensed the first season, in addition to acquiring the rights to the second season and film and is currently streaming at first on Anime Network Online then later Hidive.
The main series focuses on four young Japanese high school girls who join their school's light music club to try to save it from being dissolved. However, they are the only four members of the club, one of which has little experience with guitar playing.
陰謀 (Plot)
In an unspecified part of Japan, four high school girls join the light music club of the all-girls private Sakuragaoka High School to try to save it from being disbanded. However, they are the only members of the club. At first, Yui Hirasawa has no experience playing musical instruments or reading sheet music, but she eventually becomes an excellent guitar player. From then on, Yui, along with bassist Mio Akiyama, drummer Ritsu Tainaka, and keyboardist Tsumugi Kotobuki spend their school days practicing, performing, and hanging out together. The club is overseen by music teacher Sawako Yamanaka who eventually becomes their homeroom teacher as well during their final year of high school. In their second year, the club welcomes another guitarist, underclassman Azusa Nakano. After Azusa joins, they gain more structure and begin to practice more.
生産 (Production)
Season 1
A 13-episode anime adaptation directed by Naoko Yamada, written by Reiko Yoshida, and produced by Kyoto Animation aired between April 3 and June 26, 2009, on TBS in Japan. The episodes began airing on subsequent networks at later dates which include BS-TBS, MBS, and CBC. The TBS airings are in 4:3 ratio, and the series began airing in widescreen on BS-TBS on April 25, 2009. Seven BD/DVD compilation volumes were released by Pony Canyon between July 29, 2009, and January 20, 2010. An additional original video animation (OVA) episode was released with the final BD/DVD volumes on January 20, 2010. The BD/DVD volumes contained extra short anime titled Ura-On!.
The series later began airing on Japan's Disney Channel from April 2011. Animax has aired the anime in Hong Kong, Thailand, and Taiwan. Both an English-subtitled and English-dubbed version by Red Angel Media began airing on March 16, 2010, on Animax Asia. At their industry panel at Anime Expo 2010, anime distributor Bandai Entertainment announced that they have acquired K-On! for a DVD and Blu-ray Disc release, with Bang Zoom! Entertainment producing an English dub for the show. The series was released over four volumes in standard and limited editions for each format starting on April 26, 2011. Bandai released the full first season on DVD under their "Anime Legends" line on February 7, 2012. Manga Entertainment, now known as Crunchyroll UK and Ireland, released the series in the UK in individual DVD volumes during 2011, and in a complete DVD of the first season on April 30, 2012. A planned BD box set release in 2012 was cancelled.
Sentai Filmworks has licensed the first season and re-released the series on DVD on September 23, 2014, and currently streams on its HIDIVE platform. Sentai also re-released the series on Blu-ray on September 1, 2015. Netflix aired the first season in the United States and Canada between November 2019 and November 2021. In Australia, the first season was broadcast on ABC Me in Australia, with episodes being hosted on ABC iview.
Season 2
At the Let's Go live concert in Yokohama, Japan held on December 30, 2009, a second season was announced for production. The second season, titled K-On!! (with two exclamation marks), aired with 26 episodes on TBS in Japan between April 7 and September 28, 2010. An additional OVA episode was released with the final BD/DVD volumes on March 16, 2011. As with the first season, the BD/DVD volumes contained extra short anime titled Ura-On!!. It also aired on Animax Asia starting October 20, 2010.
Sentai Filmworks licensed the second season and released the series on DVD and Blu-ray in two boxsets released on June 19, 2012, and August 28, 2012, respectively. The original English dub cast reprised their roles for this season. HIDIVE and Netflix (from November 2019 and November 2021) streamed the second season in the United States and Canada. In Australia, the second season was broadcast on ABC Me in Australia, with episodes being hosted on ABC iview.
Film
A film adaptation of K-On! was released in Japan on December 3, 2011. It follows the girls as they travel to London to celebrate their graduation. Developed as an original story, it was produced by Kyoto Animation with Naoko Yamada as the director. The film features the two songs "Ichiban Ippai" and "Unmei wa Endless" by Aki Toyosaki. The ending theme is "Singing" by Yōko Hikasa. The film opened at #2 with a gross of ¥317,287,427 (US$4,070,919) from 137 theaters and has earned a total of ¥1,639,685,078 (US$21,419,792) by the end of its run.
The film features a London Cafe inspired by the Troubadour Cafe in Earl's Court, and K-On! fans often visit the café.
K-On!: The Movie was released on BD and DVD on July 18, 2012. Sentai Filmworks released the film on BD/DVD in North America on May 21, 2013. Madman Entertainment, which its anime unit is now branded as Crunchyroll Store Australia, released the film in Australia on BD/DVD. HIDIVE and Netflix (from November 2019 and November 2021) also streamed the film in the United States and Canada.
Future
Although a third season of the series was speculated to be produced, Yamada and Yoshida went on to produce Tamako Market instead. Much of the production staff of the K-On! anime returned for the series.
良い資質 (Good Qualities)
- It's a slice of life anime with a plot that's really enjoyable and heartwarming, the characters feel real as well.
- It manages to be better than the manga, where the manga mostly focused on comedy.
- Amazing and catchy songs like "Cagayake! Girls", "Don't Say Lazy", "Fuwa Fuwa Time", "Pure Pure Heart", "No Thank You", "U & I" etc.
- The main cast is extremely likable and as mentioned in GQ#1 feel like real life people. Said characters being Yui Hirasawa, Ritsu Tainaka, Mio Akiyama, Tsumugi Kotobuki, and Azusa Nakano who was introduced later in Season 1.
- The side characters are also fun and enjoyable such as Ui, Jun and Nodoka.
- Outstanding animation and art styles that aged well from 2009.
- It won anime of the decade in the 2010s decade, proving it had an everlasting effect on its popularity.
- It broke CD records with its songs, proving how popular the show truly is and a success for Kyoto Animation.
- It spawned a movie, "Eiga K-On!", which was a perfect way to send off the series. It also spawned "Ura-On!" which were shorts that were decent.
- There is even a video game called K-On Houkago Live for the PSP and PS3. Sadly, it was released only in Japan.
- Amazing song sequences and fun interactions for a show about girls who goof off and drink tea rather than practice their instruments in a light music club.
- This scene.
- Cute character designs especially for Yui.
- Even the side characters for the show are memorable and fun to watch like Yui's sister Ui, Yui's childhood friend Nodoka, and the lazy club advisor Ms. Yamanaka to name a few.
- Unlike many characters that are added later on for ratings like Sparky and Chloe from The Fairly OddParents, Azusa, a character added later on in Season 1 as mentioned in GQ#4, is extremely likable and does not feel out of place.
- The voice acting is good for both the English dub and the original Japanese version, with the voices matching their characters perfectly.
- Many funny moments you are sure to laugh at during the show.
- The scene where Azusa cries because her friends are graduating without her is truly emotional and heartbreaking to watch, both in the final episode and the movie.
- The success of the franchise inspired other anime such as Girls und Panzer, Love Live!, BanG Dream!, and so forth.
悪い資質 (Bad Qualities)
- Season 1, while not bad, wasn't as well received as Season 2.
- Despite being PG, it has some swear words and adult jokes kids really shouldn't hear.
- Ms. Yamanaka can be a bit unlikable at times, especially in Season 2.
- The Animax Dub isn’t that good and makes most of the characters sound too mature.
- The video game was sadly only releases in Japan. But you can play this game if only the game has English fan-translation (if you're not understand the japanese language).
レセプション (Reception
クリティカルレスポンス (Critical response)
The first Japanese DVD volume of the anime series sold around 8,000 copies to debut seventh in the ranking on the Oricon charts for the week of July 29, 2009. The Blu-ray Disc release of the first volume sold about 33,000 copies in the same week, to top the Oricon BD charts. In August 2009, the first volume of K-On! was the top-selling anime television Blu-ray Disc in Japan, having surpassed the previous record holder Macross Frontier, which sold approximately 22,000 copies of its first volume. It was the second best-selling Blu-ray Disc in Japan, trailing only Evangelion: 1.0 You Are (Not) Alone, with around 49,000 copies. However, in October 2009, the first volume of Bakemonogatari surpassed K-On!'s previous record, having sold 37,000 copies at that time. Later, with the release of K-On!! volume 3, total BD sales for the series have outsold Bakemonogatari. Both series have sold a combined total of over 520,000 BD copies by February 20, 2011. At the beginning of September 2010, the Kyoto prefectural government began using K-On!! to promote the census and encourage people to be counted. In 2011, Sharp and Bandai announced plans to jointly launch a calculator with designs of the characters from K-On!. K-On! has influenced a string of tourism for the rural town of Toyosato, related to the phenomenon of the anime pilgrimage, home to the elementary school that was used as a model for the high school in the anime. The school has opened portions of itself to the public as an exhibit for the series. Matthew Li of Anime Tourist described the exhibit as, "A place that genuinely understands its fanbase and carries all the sentimental props one can remember from the show and more; housing items seen in the school, like a museum." The anime has also inspired real-life musicians. Hiroto, the bassist of The Sixth Lie, joined a band that was influenced by K-On! when he was in junior high school.
受賞・ノミネート (Awards and nominations)
K-On! received a Best TV Animation Award at the 2010 Tokyo Anime Awards, with K-On!! receiving the same award in 2011. K-On!! also won the Best Television award at the 2010 (15th) Animation Kobe Awards. In 2012, the film was nominated for the 35th Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year award and won the Best Film award in the 2nd Newtype Anime Awards. The film also won the Theatrical Film Award at the 17th Animation Kobe Awards.