K-On anime review
K-on wasn't as good as I'd expected, but I did enjoy what I've seen of it. The first two episodes are kind of slow, but it picks up at episode 4, and the series has a kind of fun, light-hearted charm to it. It's what I'd call a 'feelgood' anime, and is something that I normally wouldn't watch, but is something that's a welcome break from the more darker, complex, mind-screwing mangas I read (XD).
The plot is nothing special, and neither are the characters to be honest. The main character, Yui, is about the most awful shojo 'heroine' stereotype you could hope for. Hopelessly ditzy, completely thick, and with the mentality of a 5 year old, she is bad even by normal 'ditz' standards. I, personally, find it impossible to find the 'ditz' in any way endearing. I really struggle to understand what the Japanese's association with 'stupidity and clumsyness' with 'cuteness' is. I know that her 'ditzyness' is meant to be a source of comedy in the series, but for some reason, the site of her staggering zig-zag along the corridor, apparently too thick to even walk in a straight line (LOL, so hilarious, how do they COME UP with this stuff? XD!), doesn't amuse me. Like the majority of shojo comedies, K-on is completely unfunny. If you are watching it for comedic value, then don't.
But I did grow to like the characters as the series went on, especially 'tomboy-ish' Ritsu (I always feel an affinity with 'tomboy-ish' characters ^^) and tall, beautiful, shy Mio, and the plot does pick up as the girls begin to put together their band and bond. The series follows a realistic pace, and Yui does not become a guitar hero overnight, like so many over animes may have been tempted to make her. This may feel slow to some people, but to me it has a refreshing sense of realism, that can atleast let me take the series fairly seriously.
And the animation is my main peice of praise; the animation for this series is gorgeous. I'm a sucker for visuals, and if a series is beautifully animated then it warrents checking out as far as I am concerned. The animation is pretty and fluid, and the ending sequence, which you can watch below, is brilliant, one of my favourite anime endings overall. It's just a pity they couldn't have injected the same style and creativity in to the anime itself.
Click to viewSo overall, it is not the most amazing anime ever made, and is somewhat over-rated, but it's a nice, fun, cheerful, light hearted break which I enjoyed, and look foward to seeing more of.
Overall rating: 7.5 out of 10.