Brief Description: It's Yui Hirasawa's first year in high school, and she's eagerly searching for a club to join. At the same time, Ritsu Tainaka, a drummer, and her friend Mio Akiyama, a bassist, are desperately trying to save the school's light music club, which is about to be disbanded due to lack of members. They manage to recruit Tsumugi Kotobuki to play the keyboard, meaning they only need one more member to get the club running again. Yui joins, thinking it will be an easy experience for her to play the castanets, the only instrument she knows. However, the other members think their new addition is actually a guitar prodigy...
(Source: ANN http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10562)
Release Date: 2009
US Distributor: Bandai Entertainment
Suitable for ages 10+
Episodes: 14
When I first picked up K-On!, I had no idea what I was getting into. It was a popular title on the board, so I figured I should watch it. Boy did I hit the jackpot on this one - it's far and away one of the best titles I've ever seen. The music is spectacular (Check out the Wikipedia entry - some of the music from this series topped the charts in Japan despite being "studio band" music), the dialogue is great, the characters are believable, and the plot is outstanding.
If you enjoy "slice of life" series of if you've ever played in a band, then there's no avoiding it; this is a MUST SEE series.
Ratings Details:
Violence:
I gave this series a "2" in violence only because one of the characters bops the others from time to time for being stupid. It's not actually violent, but some parents may want to be aware, if their kids imitate that kind of thing.
Nudity:
I gave this series a "2" only because one of the characters sometimes gets starry-eyed whenever she sees two girls in close proximity - however...
Violence: It's all slapstick. Basically, some of the characters bop one another on the head from time to time. Though, it's only when they do something stupid.
Sex and Nudity: The girls are shown in an open bath, though everything is completely blocked by water and steam. There was also a joke about chest size from what I recall.
Theological Themes: I think they prayed at a shrine once or twice. At one point, two of the girls think one of their club members has a crush on a female teacher, though it turns out not to be the case.
Problematic Themes: There were maybe two or three instances of minor, mild swearing. It was just the d-word and the h-word.
Overall: While, it might have lost its appeal for me now, K-On! was my first anime show not specifically targeted at children. It's not something I would rewatch, though I was obsessed with it back in middle school.
The characters are all charming and fun, and it's a laid back kind of show in general. We have the air-headed Yui who is full of silliness, the more serious and anxious Mio, Ritsu, the mischievous self-proclaimed club president, and Tsumugi a sheltered rich girl. They were all distinct, though Tsumugi fell a bit flat for me. The side characters are fun, particularly their overly enthusiastic teacher with a love for costuming and hard rock.
I was obsessed with the music when I saw this when I was younger. The first opening and ending were my favorites. Fuwa Fuwa Time, their main song is absolutely adorable. The art is cute and typical KyoAni.
This is one of the most influential shows in the "cute girls doing cute things" subsection of slice of life. I would easily recommend it to fans of the genre, even if it isn't my cup of tea anymore.
It's very cute and silly. I recommend this to preteens and up.
