I started watching K-ON! with little or no expectations of it being anything special. However, to my surprise, it turned out wonderful and unique. At first, I was skeptical. The show looked extremely childish,and I thought: "How could this possibly be good?" I'm glad I was wrong.
I'd like to start this off by saying I'm not a big fan of the slice of life anime genre. This is probably the first time I've watched one from beginning to end (season 1 and season 2). In my opinion, this was done very well. It was simple, fun, and consistent throughout. Some of the antics and jokes used were repetitive, such as Yui's genuine laziness and Mio's overwhelming shyness. Nonetheless, I felt it fit just right with the show, so I wasn't bothered too much by it. I think what I loved most about K-ON! was that it had such a relaxing aura to it. I could simply watch without thinking and without any expectations of anything serious. It was just friends doing ordinary things and pursuing their love of music. I loved that.
I'll get to the actual scoring now, I guess. I loved K-ON! and I have a lot to say, but I'll do my best to keep this short.
Story: I felt that although there really was no plot, the show did it's own thing and it worked well. I felt it was smart how they passed the time in between each episode because hey, I mean it's a slice of life, you don't exactly do extremely fun things every single day. It felt real and I could relate to that aspect. Although it seemed to progress slowly, it felt exactly like how I had felt in high school. It seems slow while you start and progress, but when it nears the end, it makes you wish you had more time. Some parts of the show were extremely predictable, while other times, they weren't. For instance (SPOILER ALERT!!), a predictable scene was when Mio hadn't turned in her papers regarding college choices. I knew that she had been waiting to see what her friends would do, and to be honest I did the same thing with my friends when it came time to pick colleges. It was predictable, but nice. A time when it wasn't predictable was when they actually got into the same college. I was not expecting the show to take it that route! It was building up the sadness near the ending of the show and I thought they would have definitely split up. It was a nice surprise, though. It's definitely satisfying that they will probably be friends for the rest of their lives. Overall, I thought the progress of the show worked nicely. It was very enjoyable for me.
Art: I'm not a big stickler for art when it comes to anime. I thought it looked good overall. There were some times when things looked a bit off, but it wasn't a big deal. It was consistent enough. I must give praise to the detail they put into the instruments!!! When I saw how detailed they were about them, I was shocked! I didn't expect them to get the detail of the guitars that close. Job well done there.
Sound: I'm not particularly a fan of the songs they had in K-ON!, but they did fit in just fine with how goofy the girls were, especially since Yui did most of the vocals. The songs were childish, and I am more of a metal guy myself. You can see what I mean when I say it's not my type of music. The sound of the band was surprisingly nice, and I liked the fact that they came up with material just for the show. I could see it as an album, if it isn't already, that would appeal to quite a few people.
Character(s): I liked the simple, yet unique characters and how each character was personified with their specific instrument. This is what made me love the characters so much, I think. Let's start with Ritsu. Ritsu is energetic, loud, and pretty much a tomboy. The drums and the way she plays them really represents her well. Mio explained why she loved the bass so much in an episode and I felt it was spot on with her personality. I think I had a tear in my eye after listening to her explanation. Azusa, quite timid, but not as much as Mio, seemed just right as the supporting guitar player. Not being in the front, but being a skilled guitar player seemed like her. Mugi and her keyboard was a great fit. She is rich, refined, and innocent. I felt that the piano/keyboard fit right on. Last but not least, Yui. The most lazy person, and ironically the face of the band: lead guitar. Although she doesn't seem like it, she is quite dedicated to her guitar playing. She is the most energetic person of the group, although she may be lazy and naive, she fits well as the front person since she isn't shy at all and is generally a loving person. Even Sawako, their adviser, was a lovable character.
Enjoyment: After reading my past few categories, I obviously enjoyed K-ON! a lot. It was fun to watch. I'd like to mention the factor that greatly contributed to my enjoyment of the series: Nostalgia. When I watch this show, I remember my good ol' high school days. I remember the good times I had with all my friends, hanging out, us being kids and doing doing dumb stuff. I look back and I miss those times. It's sad to split up with friends, and this show really reminds you of that since the characters are so tightly woven together in their own little group. I'm glad that the ending turned out well for the original four, but I still felt sad for Azusa.Also, I thought it was nice they threw in some of Sawako's feelings as their teacher/adviser (who might as well have been a club member, lol). I'm a sucker for nostalgia, I felt it during Angel Beats as well. Those sad feelings get me every time.
Overall, I give the show a 10/10. There are only a handful of shows that can play at my heartstrings and remind me of good times. The show went from nonsense fun to bittersweet sadness, and I enjoyed every minute of it. There are only a handful of shows that can successfully bring out these feelings, and I love K-ON! for succeeding in doing so. Definitely watch this show. If you ever feel down, this show will remind you of the happiness in life and not to take things so seriously.
-A review that I posted on myanimelist, I thought I'd rate and share it here too
10/10.