I will not be biased. I will not be biased. I will not be biased.
tl;dr: K-On!, despite its flaws, was full of joy, hopes, dreams, and of course, moe and cuteness. K-On!! was too much cuteness, forgoing those very hopes and dreams portrayed in the first season.
Oh, for those close-minded biased K-On obsessives who has no appreciation for a good story - please don't read on. In other words, if you already think my tl;dr statement was total nonsense, please don't read on.
Seeing that I have almost caught up with the rest of the K-On fans, finally having to watch Episode 22 just the other day, and with the show coming to a concluding end (and seeing how I've been bitching about the show's bad points for the past few days), I feel that it's only justifying that I make a more quality sum-up of my feelings for the show... and what this show meant for me.
Let's face it - I couldn't have hated K-On entirely, or I wouldn't have watched it in the first place. I was just an amateur anime fan, only watching the best stuff out there (FMA:B, Code Geass, Clannad), so to accept the moe-blob that is K-On... that was something really challenging for me. Why did I first watch it? Because it was getting more popular, and I was trying to cram as many popular anime series as possible at the time. That's it. Not because I read the manga, or that I fell in love with the cutesy stuff in it. I remember the first time my friend introduced me to it. It was the performance scene from Episode 6 of Season One. I didn't remember Mio, or anyone from that band, for that matter. If anything, it reminded me of S-Club Seven and Lizzie McGuire. The song wasn't that memorable. Don't say "lazy" didn't mean that much for me, and Cagayake! GIRLS was even less remarkable.
And then one day, I watched Episode 1. Then Episode 2. There was a certain feeling of attraction that got me to continue watching. No, not Mio (yet). All of them - Mio, Ritsu, Yui, Tsumugi - they all looked like very fun characters to me (though still incomparable to Clannad characters). How they talked about music and the instruments was just lovely. I loved Yui's character development. Believe it or not, I was very passionate about her becoming smarter, more mature.
Camp. I love Episode 4. It was when I fell in love with Mio. No, not because of her squirming. I fell in love with her reminiscing about them writing on the board their dream to go to the Budokan, and how she then imagined them actually being there. And then I knew it. I was going to follow these four girls on this epic journey all the way through until they reach there, to Budokan. Of course, you know later on that Season Two emphasized nothing on that, so, moving on.
The beginning of Episode 6 was beautiful. "This Is It." The first performance they've been waiting for. It was epic for a coming-of-age journey like this. And just when Mio was finally gonna metamorphosed into the butterfly form nobody is recognizing her for today, they pulled the shameless plug of fanservice, reducing her to moe-blob #1. *pinches self* Moving on.
Christmas was cute. Yui was a good sister. Freshmen was good. Mio singing was win. Yet, you know, up till this point, between Episode 7 and 8, there wasn't anything as beautiful as Episode 6. I would probably have lost interest soon. Then came Episode 9. Before watching this episode, I heard a lot of stuff about Azusa taking up Mio's screentime. I thought it would happen in Season One, but when I saw how sweet Mio was to Azusa like a big sister... oh gawd, love, love, love. I think that was really the first time I
respected Mio as a character (I always felt she should be treated better as a woman in the show, but I digress). Then there was Azusa's dark decision. That music playing when Azusa was trying to decide between choosing the Keion Club and choosing a better band was hauntingly creepy. And when Mio became the one to tell Azusa why she had stayed with the band instead of joining a better band, the Mio love grew. Sure, it was kinda lame a reason in the realistic world, but it was sweet. I was hooked back on.
Pinch, Episode 11... Oh gawd, the first time the show has depth, the distortion to what the show is really about, the Pandora Box opened. Yeah. Lots of people hated this. But you know, for the first time, I got to see the edge in both Ritsu and Mio, how they became angry. How they became human. So, even though it might have ruined the consistency of the show... I really appreciated KyoAni for making this. Ritsu wasn't
technically 'bitchy' (she's a cute, innocent drummer, c'mon), and it made me respected Mio more.
Episode 12, the concluding episode. Very sweet second part. Felt like crying as Yui ran to Mio's singing. Mio taking charge of the situation, making the tough decision for the group - very cool. Yui summing up her life and finally developed her personality - couldn't have been done better. Lots of love for Yui from the bandmates, all of them distracted when Yui's not there (Mio's epic-face x3). Everything was perfect (or at least as good as this show could get).
Wait, it's the end? Oh, there's a second season. Yeah, it was
initially good news for me. A sequel to this perfect ending? I couldn't wait. I wanted to tear open the present and hug on it like Mio's bolster.
Then, after four episodes, I was left asking, "What happened? Where's the head-whacking, fear-fighting Akiyama Mio that grew up?" Aside from that, I felt that Azusa's worries about being left alone in the club was introduced way too soon (in a season containing 24 episodes compared to the much shorter span of 14 in Season One). Moreover, it wasn't done as well as Episode 22 (the not-wanting-to-give-them-the-chocolate storyline was much more emotional), but since it's Episode 1, I couldn't criticize (like I said, introduced way too early). And Yui seems to have matured a little bit more, too, as a senior… even though still as soft and fluffy. She began to think more about her friends, what is right and what is wrong. Really nice stuff there, and it pains me to say she develops much better in the long run than Mio.
Episode 3, I had to admit, was silly for Ritsu. But it was thanks to this episode that I got to see Ritsu's practical and realistic side - the major difference between her and Yui (note how Ritsu reacts to Yui's antics in this episode). Otherwise, It was just her being confused about her hopes and dreams. But for Mio... oh gawd, it makes the bass so much more beautiful as an instrument for me. Also, notice how there were moments when the bandmates would give love for Ritsu ("No one can replace Ritsu!" in Pinch) and Yui (the love for Yui was more than apparent in Episode 12/S1), but no one would really stop and say something like, "That is wonderful," "Bass is perfect for Mio," or "I love Mio's bass-playing" until Episode 3/S2?
And then Episode 4 began the end to the remaining aspect of Mio's maturity. I didn't know what to feel about her after that. My world was turned upside down. But slowly, I tried and accept Mio being in-touch with the fluffy side of her (after all, she is still a girl, even if mature). But when it is all said at the end of the day, I still felt her moeness could've been written much better.
Take Episode 7 for example. Though Yui and Tsumugi did try and care, you could feel a lack of concern about such a creepy crime like stalking happening to Mio. Moving on. Then it has Mio doing a tea party for her own fan club, but they never really served to explain what it meant for Mio to have people cheering for her (you're really glad Megumi likes you - why? because you were insecure? because no one liked you?), what it meant for Megumi to have Mio doing this for her (both club presidents merely reflected how they were glad to see the fanclub members having fun - no mention of Mio whatsoever), what it meant for the members of the fanclub (are they obsessed stalkers? why do they like Mio in the first place?). All there was to this episode was that there is a fan club, Mio is destined to be moe forever, and that the fanclub members have fun playing tea party. That's it.
Perhaps I'm looking too deep into this. It's just a show not to be taken seriously, right? Like Michael Bay's Transformers, or Roland Emmerich's 2012, right? Alright, fine. There were a few subtle depth in regards to Mio appreciating her years with her friends (when she was eating her Mio bread, and after she watched the slideshow with the fan club). Not emphasized very well, but fine, whatever.
But what about Ritsu? And Tsumugi? Most of the screentime and developments were given to Azusa and Yui,
entirely forgoing the development for the rest of the cast. I might be tripping, but I believe Tsumugi was made for the sole purpose of having Yuri in the show (ever since the start of S1) like how Mio was turned into a moe-blob in S2. Otherwise, she would at least have some development going on for her. Or maybe the writers had something planned for her initially, what with the setup of her rich background and her eccentricity, but then like with Mio, they realized that they would earn more money just focusing on Tsumugi's yuriness, Mio's moeness, Ritsu's tomboyishness, Ui's good-girl-ness, and Jun's spoiled-girl-ness (that's the closest thing I could come up for Jun…). Just a thought thrown out there.
Speaking of them, Jun is, to be honest, a really pointless character to be added on. Out of all the characters, she is even less developed in S2 than Mio (with Tsumugi sadly being even less developed than Jun throughout the entire show). As for Ui, nothing about her sisterhood with Yui was emphasized (I miss the Christmas episode with her putting that star on top with Yui already). She and Jun were just there to get Azusa to think about her relationship with HTT ("Hey, Azusa, are you going to make chocolates for your seniors?" "Hey, Azusa, the Keion Club must be really fun, huh?") Two characters added to accompany Azusa so that she wouldn't be alone in the end, creating a sort of virtual happiness (or an excuse) for Azusa when the other members of HTT leave Sakura High. Maybe I'm still tripping.
Episode 8. Why couldn't the rest of the Mio episodes be like this non-Mio episode that ironically gives more depth to Mio (or at least, her friendship with Ritsu) than any other episode, ever? For the first time since E12/S1, I felt like crying watching the show, when listening to the BGM played during Mio's flashback. This is the kind of feeling I should be feeling, at the most, in between every three episodes, irregardless of whom being under the spotlight. Why is it that whenever after I watched an episode from Season One, I'd feel so pumped up I'd brag about it, when most episode of Season Two feels like a filler?
Nevertheless, on Yui's part, it was very well-developed again, how she had grown a lot since kindergarten, how she fought to make the best choice for her future (something quite admirable, to be honest, if you consider her airheadedness). And she was even more developed in Episode 9, with her kindheartedly helping out that old lady down her street. It was a really sweet episode (and would really make the show better if it becomes the formula for every episode). And of course, she magically passes her exam with her god-given skills. Moving on.
Ritsu not sending another request again in Episode 11? Yay for development for Ritsu. And when some development for her finally came three episodes later in Episode 14, it was in the form of Futa, with Tsumugi complimenting Ritsu's homosexuality… Yeah… Was I suppose to take this show seriously again, or is homosexuality a joke now?
And the list goes on and on. It's either generally always about Azusa selfishly worrying about her future or Yui becoming smarter or kinder (and in Episode 17's case, more responsible). U&I, regardless of my bitterness for Mio not being able to write a new song (lol), is a fantastic song, and it is probably the most heartfelt thing you could find in this season. This is the reason why the tears of Episode 20, due to a lack of a proper build-up, meant nothing to me. It was like watching Transformers 2 all over again, when Optimus' death was plain ol' boring because of poor scripting and character development.
Why am I comparing K-On to those things? Because, in its essence, no matter how cutesy it gets, it is still a story. Cheetah Girls, S-Club Seven, Transformers, Power Rangers - no matter how lame they get, Season/Movie One (the animated series in Transformers' case) always connects with the human emotions in our hearts (be it extreme happiness, warmness, or sadness), along with the themes and ideas the writers tried and connect with the rest of humanity. I'm not saying that K-On should be as deep as Code Geass. On the contrary, it should be kept light and fluffy, but as you could see from above, the first season has a more purposeful nature to each episode than the second.
It is one thing to be fluffy while reminding you the reason for the fluffiness - it's another thing to be pointlessly light and fluffy. Whether be it to express the love for the club and your friends, or to overcome a stage fright (E6/S1, IMO, did this with more charm compared to E19/S2, what with Mio's own little special moment as she took in the experience of having people applauding for her for the first time), or to find the essential meaning of what the Keion Club stands for, Season One does it a whole lot better than Two.
I'd especially compare K-On to The Cheetah Girls because the first movie of TCGs and the first season of K-On mostly revolved round the girls' hopes and dreams, where as the sequel just have them doing pointless things from there, for both cases, which is something not supposed to happen (because sequels are meant to overpower their predecessors). I assume this is due to the length of Season Two. Because the story is more widespread across 24 episodes, the resulting character development is exponentially shrunk when placed above an enlarged surface.
Overall, Season Two has its moments - but it's not the cute little girl with dreams of becoming a pop star when she grows up. S2 is more like a little girl dreaming of living in a castle with a prince someday, something obviously impractical and having a lesser meaning when compared to a pop-star career.
I'll just make adjustment to two of my rankings:
Animation Quality:
7
Voice Actors:
6
Script:
7
Soundtrack:
8
Enjoyment:
7.5 (I really enjoyed S1 a lot. Wouldn't have kept on watching if it wasn't as heartwarming as it is. Didn't enjoy myself that much from S2 onwards. The cutesy stuff was aimless in this season.)
Emotional Involvement:
6 (To be honest, K-On never became a musical inspiration for me. In terms of whether it was emotionally in-touch with me, whether it filled me with joy, tears, and whatever the heart is capable of interacting with, S1 gets points from me for effort. S2 has a much lesser emotional involvement, being cute with ignorance, hence making the full score a 6.)
Average:
7.5, mostly because of K-On S1, of course.
Edit:
Seems like Episode 23 is finally subbed by Frostii. Will it change my mind, giving me a feeling closer to those I felt watching Season One? Will I shed a tear for HTT's departure? We shall find out.
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