Today marks the 10 year mark to
K-On! The Movie's home release, and I still remember how tangible excitement here was surrounding the the prospect of finally being able to watch the movie after an 8-month long wait. Ten years later, the
K-On! forum is retired, and many of this site's biggest
K-On! fans are inactive. This is unfortunate, because over the past ten years, after rewatching the film and series annually, I've come to find subtle cues and elements in both the TV anime and movie that show
K-On! as a whole is as deep, meaningful and insightful as philosophical "masterpieces" like Ergo Proxy or Legend of the Galactic Heroes. For instance, during the second season, an episode that portrays Azusa spending time with Ui and Jun comes across as being extraneous at first glance, but after careful analysis, it turns out this side story, seemingly throwaway filler, actually foreshadows the manga's events and becomes something the movie greatly expands on (
my blog post covers this much more thoroughly). Things like these are worth considering because they show
K-On! as being significantly more than what the community has made it out to be. It's a clever touch that speaks to how much thought and consideration went into
K-On!, showing just how deep friendships and music can be.