Series Synopsis
After enrolling at Sakuragoaka Girl’s High School, first years Ritsu Tainaka (voiced by Satomi Sato), Mio Akiyama (voiced by Yoko Hikasa), and Tsumugi “Mugi” Kotobuki (voiced by Minako Kotobuki) have revived the Light Music Club. However for the program to continue it must consist of at least four active members.
After all attempts at recruitment failed, the group fears that they might have to abandon their short lived endeavor. Then at the last moment, fellow first year Yui Hirasawa (voiced by Aki Toyosaki) finds her way to the trio’s meeting room. Yui is convinced to join, thus saving the Light Music Club and the formation of the band After School Tea Time. In their second year, the gang gains a fifth member, Azusa Nakano (voiced by Ayana Taketatsu).
Yui is After School Tea Time’s lead guitarist and main vocalist. Despite being quite capable with the guitar, prior to joining she had no previous experience with the instrument and is unable to read sheet music. Although very kind and cheerful, Yui can be easily distracted and extremely forgetful; normally only able to retain one subject at a time. That being said, when focused on a particular goal, she can excel in nearly anything. While not having a musical background, Yui is shown to have perfect pitch and an outstanding singing voice.
Ritsu is the band’s drummer, as well as the president of the Light Music Club. Highly energetic, sarcastic, and with a tomboyish personality, she is dedicated to the success of the both the band and the club; though she is often unmotivated and has a tendency to overlook her duties as club president. She is childhood friends with fellow band mate Mio, with the two having a strong relationship; often causing Ritsu to grow jealous of Mio’s other high school friends. |
| Yui |
Mio is the group’s bassist and main songwriter. While Yui and Ritsu are loud and outgoing, Mio is shy and can be embarrassed easily. Along with that, she is terrified by anything remotely scary, disturbing, or painful; which will usually be amplified by some teasing from Ritsu. She is a good student and one of the most mature members of After School Tea Time. Contrary to her shyness, Mio was initially the lead singer and will take up the role whenever Yui is unable too. Because of this (and a rather embarrassing accident during their first performance), Mio develops a strong fan base amongst the student body.
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| Ritsu |
Tsumugi, better known as Mugi, plays the keyboard. She is from a rich family and finds great enjoyment from even the most mundane activities. Do not let this fool you; Mugi has a gentle and loving personality. Because of her family’s wealth, she serves high-end sweets and tea at club meetings on a daily basis and is able to take the group to one of her family’s many villas around Japan for summer training. Although she is arguably the most level headed and easy going member, she is also a true wild card. There will be times where she is the voice of reason alongside Mio and Azusa or a contributing player in Yui and Ritsu’s antics.
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| Mio |
Azusa is the band’s rhythm guitarist and its youngest member. Having played the guitar since the fourth grade, Azusa is leagues better than Yui. At first put off by the group’s preference towards tea time and fooling around rather than practicing, Azusa has grown to accept this. While easily frustrated and strict with her band mates, she can be quickly pacified by sweets and/or compliments. Although a year younger than the rest of her friends, Azusa often couches Yui with the guitar.
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| Mugi |
Series Positives
This show is tons of fun. There is just so much to like about it.
The Characters
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| Azusa |
The series is great when it comes to showing how the band mates interact with each other; with personalities ranging from ditsy, wild, and spastic, as represented by Yui and Ritsu, to calm, serious, and mature, portrayed by Mio and Azusa. These characteristics play off each other incredibly, creating many funny and charming scenes, as well as plenty of heartwarming and touching moments.
Many anime comedies are able to draw their humor from misunderstandings, over the top expressions, and love development or a combination of the above. K-On doesn't do any of that.
The show gets its humor from the daily high school life of a student and their responses to the kind of situations one may experience; such as stressing out over an upcoming test, public speaking, preparing for school events, etc. But overall the series is fun because the girls are having fun just being with each other.
Never once does it feel like any of the main characters are not welcomed or unneeded at any given time. In fact when one of the girls is not around it feels as though something is missing; displaying the incredible job the series does in developing its characters.
The Music
It is the strong bond that After School Tea Time has for one another that really illustrates the show's second strength, the music.
I do not claim to be a music expert. For all I know the music in the show could actually be horrible. I just like what I like and I like this.
Though the songs are extremely cutesy, they sound really good. Let me rephrase that. The Japanese version sounds amazing, the English dubbing…no.
Series Negatives
The show is not perfect. There are some glaring issues that bring the series down.
How the Story is Told
There is a very rinse and repeat style of storytelling. Everything takes place within the span of three years, but it becomes so repetitive to the point where there is no real distinction from one year to the next. You know what is coming after watching the first half of the first season, so it becomes hard to get invested into something you have already seen.
The biggest culprits of this are the “concerts” the band plays. Now by the concert I mean either the school’s cultural festival or the new student orientation for each year. You know that their performance is going to be amazing and well received. Despite that, the series tries to build it up, but there is no payoff, making it come off as sloppy.
At the beginning of the show, Ritsu says that After School Team Time is going to play at the Budokan before they graduate. Now was I expecting them to end up there, no; and spoilers, they don’t. However, it would have been great to see the band play at some non-school venue. Nothing major, nothing that would result in them hitting it big, but just some amateur night somewhere would have been interesting to see.
The Missing Middle
The most frustrating part of K-On is highlighted by one of the shows greatest aspects, the music. It sounds good, the girls click as a group, and it’s outstanding to see the final product they produce. But the final product is all you see. You never see the effort they needed to put, in order to get there.
You know they work hard, the girls talk about it all the time, but you never see it for yourself. Mio, Ritsu, Azusa, and Mugi can get away with this because they knew how to play their respective instruments before the events of the show, but Yui is a complete amateur.
She had never picked up a guitar before, but by the time the band played their first concert, it’s as though she had been playing for years. You never see the process of her getting better. Making it all the more aggravating is the fact that Yui is confirmed to have perfect pitch and you only know that because of one or two small comments in the entire series. This alone could have made a really good segment, but for the most part, it’s completely ignored.
Final Thoughts
I in fact really do like this anime. More often than not I caught myself with a smile on my face. It’s funny, the characters are memorable, and the music is great fun.
I might be a little hard on it, but only because there are just a few too many missteps that really should not be here.
At the end of it all, I found myself satisfied, but I would love to see more. Should this series every get a third season, I will be right there enjoying it in all its glory.
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