The Light Music Club’s debut performance was an
astounding success. Even better, the girls have gained their first new member
in the aftermath, a cute little freshman named Azusa Nanako. Though she’s excited to join, Azusa isn’t
quite getting the hang of the gangs vibe.
She’s not the only one adjusting to some strange changes. New friendships begin to take their toll on
old ones, testing the bonds of a tightly knit crew. But there’s an even greater challenge ahead,
on Yui, Mio, Ritsu, Mugi and Azusa must complete before their next performance
together…coming up with an official band name.
The penultimate week of K-ON didn’t feel as busy as
previous weeks, not just because I’m reviewing three episodes instead of
four. This week, the club properly
welcomed Azusa, enjoyed a return trip to the beach and even had a small quarrel
between besties.
Azusa could basically be seen as a stand in for anyone
coming into K-ON this late in the game.
After spending some time with the Light Music Club it was easy to see
why she’d be frustrated that practicing is the very last thing these girls do. I understand the frustration but it also kind
of reminded me of Filia from Slayers Try, a new uptight member of the cast who
took forever to get over the fact that Lina Inverse and the Slayers are far
from orthodox. And while the second
beach outing did feel like retreading old ground, with Azusa basically filling
in Mio’s role from the first time around, Azusa slowly got brought out of her
shell by the time she got back home. I
liked her little analysis of the girls: Yui, kind hearted but clingy; Mio,
mature but scared to easily; Ritsu easily distracted but a master of the drums;
and Mugi humble but possessing a childlike naivete. Best part was seeing Azusa become a new
mentor to Yui and helping her learn guitar and practice in private at the
beach. Unlike Filia from Slayers Try,
Azusa became a full fledged member of the Light Music Club faster and is far
more cute and likeable (Good call on the cat ears Ms. Yamanaka).
The other big mini arc for the week involved a small rift
forming between best friends Mio and Ritsu.
I get that this happens in real life often, friends becoming distant
especially when new faces come into their lives. Last week saw Mio parted from the group
during the day because she’s in a different classroom. However, she met Nadoka and was forever
grateful. Now Mio is really keen to hang
out with her and Ritsu is trying to go all out to keep her best friend. For the most part, the mini bit of drama
wasn’t bad and I loved how Mio came to aid an ailing Ritsu in the end, reminding
her that no matter who else they meet in their lives, Mio and Ritsu will always
be the best of friends. My problem is
that I would have liked to have seen more of Mio and Nadoka together outside of
the club to show off that growing branch of friendship. There were times where this plot felt forced
but dammit if that conclusion wasn’t full of heart and K-ON magic.
Hmmm. I guess there’s not a lot more to say about this
set of episodes. New team member
confirmed (and Azusa’s getting along with Ui too, nice); a band name has been
chosen (After School Tea Time…makes sense); and Yui’s got a cold after sleeping
next to a sick Ritsu (right before the school festival). Man life is never boring around this
crew. Kind of sucks in that regard that
next week is the last batch of episodes in this season of K-ON. I might have to find a way to add in the
second season to the review cue down the line.
But let’s keep our fingers crossed that After School Tea Time can close
out its first season on a strong note (they’ve got this, no doubt). See ya next week for the conclusion of Season
One of K-ON!.
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