|
I'll re-iterate and expand on what I've said previously in recent episode discussion threads.
The ball is squarely in Kakifly's court here. Whatever he/she (I honestly don't know, does anyone?) decides is their business. From an artist's standpoint, most mangaka don't want to draw the same characters all the time now and forever. Azuma Kiyohiko ended Azumanga Daioh, Watsuki Nobuhiro ended Rurouni Kenshin and Arakawa Hiromu ended Fullmetal Alchemist, all of which were ridiculously popular series in both manga and anime forms. Countless other popular series have also ended with their artists going on to different projects that they wanted to undertake because they have other characters and stories they want to present. Kakifly is likely no different. If this is really the end of K-ON then let's appreciate it as a complete work and leave further exploration of the story to the doujin circles and fanfic writers.
On the other hand, these days there is something to be said for sticking with what works in order to pay the bills. Just ask Takahashi Rumiko or Akamatsu Ken, after all. I wouldn't fault Kakifly in the slightest for perpetuating the series given its rampant popularity and guaranteed market. It might make Kakifly out to be a bit of a one-trick pony, but as have been suggested there are other avenues that could be taken to keep things fresh (ie. focusing on a new set of girls and thus a totally different keionbu, or shifting the focal point to Azusa, Jun and Ui as opposed to the core girls of HTT).
Whatever comes next, though, all we can do as fans is wait until Kakifly tells us themselves what's next. That we're seeing such vigorous demands for continuation and even, stupidly enough, threats of suicide from fans over the ending simply reinforces one of the worst stigmas that is still heavily associated with anime & manga fandom: A maturity level that is normally associated with spoiled children. We've got a pretty well-packed Fall season ahead with a lot of interesting series coming out. Stop obsessing with what's over and move on already.
On a personal note, I'd love to see the story of the girls continue into college and perhaps into the realm of professional music, but that's nothing more than my own wishful thinking. I do hope Kakifly lets everyone know what's next, but I've got other series ahead I'm looking forward to and I have no desire to dwell on what may or may not be in this realm.
tl;dr version - It's Kakifly's series, it's up to them to continue it or not. Wish for more all you want, but if wishes were fishes we'd all cast nets.
|