Reviews Manga / K On

Simple, concise and amusing.

K-On! centres around a high school's light music band, and their experiences together; contrary to the title, it is more about how individuals can create memories of their times together rather than the music itself. The first season is the shorter half, focussing on how a band forms and how the characters grow as time progresses. The second season is a full-fledged series and concerns the matters of separation as high school ends and everyone begins to find their own purpose in the world.

One of the most noticeable aspects of K-On! that is perhaps an unexpected factor was the degree of character development each of these individuals received. Each character begins with the classic archetypes, but as the series progresses, each gradually acquires uniquely-defining traits. When coupled with the series' depiction of friendship, the subtle and dynamic nature means that the particularly emotional scenes are far more effective without relying on excessive drama.

In general, the art in the series adds an additional degree of depth to the series, and while the cinematography is at times limited (i.e. animating the more intricate details of the girls playing their instruments), the methods nonetheless give rise to a sense of creativity when we consider how camera angles are used to depict the various moments.

Despite being a well-done anime series, there exist many individuals who dislike this series owing to its premise. I full well understand that K-On! is a moé series, which simply means that particular emphasis is paid to making the characters appear more endearing to the audiences. While K-On! does take this to new heights, this factor alone is simply a style of storytelling and insufficient to make the series unwatchable. K-On! stands exceedingly well on its own merits, although not every individual out there shares this perspective; it is for this reason I will not be providing a numeric score to rate K-On!. Ultimately, K-On! is successful because it is simple: with no complex themes or inspiring/motivating details to follow, K-On! is the type of show that one watches to recover their spirits in trying times.