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Sawako's material is an unfortunate step down from the rest.

In all honesty, I liked her more and more over time (especially in the second season) as more of her Death Devil past gets dragged up. It feels like foreshadowing of some kind in the first episode when Yui imagines the light music club as DMC, since Sawako does have a Soichi/Krauser vibe.

Sahmbahdeh wrote:

Actar wrote:

Again, Slice-of-Life isn't for everyone. It is a genre that requires it's own form of appreciation. Like how you get laughs from comedies and scares from horror flicks, Slice-of-Life is about having fun with the characters - growing, learning and experiencing life with them.

People complain that they aren't complex, or deep, or go though any drama, or develop. That's a fair complaint. But ask yourself this: Do you need to know all about your friend's childhood traumas in order to spend a fun time with him?

The problem with this logic is that when one spends time with friends, you're physically there, talking to them, interacting with them, having them talk to you. Watching SoL anime is like standing on the sidelines, watching other people have fun. You're not part of the group. They're completely incomparable experiences.

Alas, the problem with your point of view is that it presupposes that one has friends. That is not true of everyone.

Eigengrau wrote:

It feels like foreshadowing of some kind in the first episode when Yui imagines the light music club as DMC, since Sawako does have a Soichi/Krauser vibe.

Now THAT was epic!

K-On is amazing I never seem to get tired of it and I've watched it in it's entirety 5 times now.

To the people quoting boredom or lack of character arcs as reasons for not "getting" the show or the shows popularity. I feel valid western analogues to K-On would be something like The Simpsons or even Seinfeld. Fans of these shows are fans of the characters themselves. The way they interact with each other, the trouble they get into. There is no need for grand plots and drama for fans to be entertained and find enjoyment from watching it. Different stokes and all of that. Wink

The second season is in the top ten all-time best sellers for anime disk sales so it obviously found its audience in Japan.

A B+? I would have given this an A, but then again I am biased, as K-On! is one of my top 3 favorite anime of all time. Its cute, funny, beautifully animated, and just the perfect show to relax and unwind with. Although some of Sawa-chan's antics where a bit out of place for a generally clean show (though really Sentai, TV14? this is one of the cleanest series out there) she was an entertaining character, and her wild behavior and laziness was an interesting contrast with her graceful and mild mannered appearance. Season 2 is better but this season is really good as well. Alas, I already have the Anime Legends set and the first Bandai blu-ray, so I probably won't double dip (though it would match with my season 2 and movie blu-rays).

Is the audio lossless? Bandai's singles only had Dolby Digital.

Edit: Yes, it is. DTS-MA.

Nice that this series finally has a BD option over here again, but I'm fine with the Bandai DVDs; more extras, and imo the extra expense for extra wood grain details on BD isn't worth it.

Obviously, the overall pacing would've been far better if the series could've been one ~39 episode show with each 13-14 episodes covering ~1 year of school, or split into 3 1-cour seasons with the same distribution. A lot of the stuff involving all 5 girls in the presently-existing 2nd season could've been moved to the girls' second year, minus the stuff relating to graduation, entrance exams, and other 3rd-year concerns.

Though in both seasons, I wish we could've seen and heard more actual music, but I guess even when you're the vaunted Kyoto Animation, coming up with songs and accurately animating musical performances burns through the budget. So, more snack-eating and scaring Mio into a corner it is.

Tenchi wrote:

Anime about "Cute girls doing cute things" without much conflict or any significant male presence date back to at least Azumanga Daioh in 2002 although I still think 2005's Strawberry Marshmallow is the CGDCT standard-bearer.

I would also go with Strawberry Marshmallow for that category; Azumanga was more of "average girls doing wacky things in ordinary setting," and did have some male presence in the form of random guys in class and everyone's favorite predatory educator. And it did have an overall plot progression towards the girls' graduations, as well.

RANGIT wrote:

My only issue with the dub is the use of dollars for currency.

Which is not unique to the dub, as the official subtitles do the same thing. Even stranger, one of the more popular fansub versions of K-On! also did currency conversions. I've never agreed with doing yen -> dollars in translation simply because exchange rates fluctuate over time, and what was intended to be shown as expensive at the time of production may seem cheap to future viewers, or vice versa. And overall, I felt it managed to hit the target of being highly faithful to the Japanese without lapsing too much into a straight subtitle script readthrough. I know I've heard criticism of the 2nd season's dub as contracted by Sentai for being over-literal, but I didn't see it as significantly worse than the first season.

Sahmbahdeh wrote:

Watching SoL anime is like standing on the sidelines, watching other people have fun. You're not part of the group. They're completely incomparable experiences.

Well I think you just accurately described the experience of watching A-Channel. But K-ON is... well let's just say it's a bit better than that.

The thing about such a criticism is that you could make it for basically any series. 'Watching One Piece is like standing on the sidelines, watching other people go on a grand adventure. You're not part of the group. They're completely incomparable experiences'. But if we go by that logic, then what the hell is the point of entertainment? If it's such a waste of time, why are we inside watching them when we could be playing in a rock band, exploring the world or trying to find a brothel that'll let us replicate the cuh-razy scenarios we see in harem shows?

A good series should immerse you in the world that the characters are in. That doesn't just go for Slice of Life anime, it goes for any series really. A-Channel is a show that failed to do that for me because the characters weren't the least bit relateable and the show itself was mind numbingly boring. On the other hand, I found a lot about the girls in K-ON I could relate to and to this day it's probably one of the single most enjoyable experiences I've had watching an anime series. And my countless re-watches have done nothing to change that.

K-ON! Was, Is, and Will Forever Be Awesome!! I just love the show, I'm watching it for the second time, and I can't stop marvelling by it.
Mio remains as one of my favorite characters ever, and I'm a guy whose favorite character is Vegeta Razz

Plus, the interaction between the characters makes the show worthy. Simply, a great slice-of-life show!

The funny thing about K-ON! is that I own several imported albums but I could never bring myself to watch the series. I love the music and the animation/character designs, but the show itself just doesn't grab me. I'm a musician, so I wish that the show was centered more around gags that related to the band. For example, I LOVED howspoiler[ Yui continued to sing "Fuwa Fuwa Time" despite her sore throat. I loved how Azusa was standing on her tip-toes to see the show.]

I currently own the first 2 volumes that Bandai released. Are there more music related gags throughout the series, or are they few and far between?

Zalis116 wrote:

Which is not unique to the dub, as the official subtitles do the same thing. Even stranger, one of the more popular fansub versions of K-On! also did currency conversions. I've never agreed with doing yen -> dollars in translation simply because exchange rates fluctuate over time, and what was intended to be shown as expensive at the time of production may seem cheap to future viewers, or vice versa.

Very interesting. It never even crossed my mind that they would use dollars in the subtitles as well since it's clearly shown as yen on-screen, which is what makes it weird. And like you said, the exchange rates change over time. I've seen a little of K-ON! back when it was airing, but only this year did I manage to watch all of it and so I witnessed first-hand how the approximate conversions make it dated somehow, even though it was never accurate to begin with.

Zalis116 wrote:

And overall, I felt it managed to hit the target of being highly faithful to the Japanese without lapsing too much into a straight subtitle script readthrough. I know I've heard criticism of the 2nd season's dub as contracted by Sentai for being over-literal, but I didn't see it as significantly worse than the first season.

Yes, I agree with this. I didn't feel much of a difference with the dub script going from the first season to the second season (probably because it's still done by Tony Oliver for the most part.) I doubt having Sentai involved changed things. It was still done by Bang Zoom with pretty much the same staff. Time constraints may or may not have been different, though.

RANGIT wrote:

My only issue with the dub is the use of dollars for currency.

It does that? I find idioms involving words like dime jarring enough at the best of times, but that's just indefensible. That's as awful as "translating" kilo into pounds.

Brian_FTP wrote:

I currently own the first 2 volumes that Bandai released. Are there more music related gags throughout the series, or are they few and far between?

Music is really the vehicle that brings the girls together - it isn't so much the point of the show itself. What you've gotten in the first 8 episodes is pretty similar to what you'll get for the rest of the series and season 2: A few episodes with performances, a handful of episodes that have some music-related gags or where a music-related issue provides the catalyst for the story, and some episodes that have little or nothing to do with music at all.

If it's really the most music-focused episodes that you want, then here's what you should watch: the climax arc of season 1 (episodes 11 and 12 - there isn't a ton of music in 11 but it's a two part story with 12), the Live House OVA, and from season 2 watch episodes 3, 7, 9, 10, 12, 17, and 20. And then watch The Movie. You'll still miss a lot of really good stuff, but you'll at least be able to enjoy most of the musical high points. And K-On is episodic enough that as long as you know the characters you can jump into almost any story or arc without needing any extra backstory.

jymmy wrote:

RANGIT wrote:

My only issue with the dub is the use of dollars for currency.

It does that? I find idioms involving words like dime jarring enough at the best of times, but that's just indefensible. That's as awful as "translating" kilo into pounds.

...wait what? They kept the "This is Japan, English is useless!" joke but localized Yen into Dollars?

Actar wrote:

They kept the "This is Japan, English is useless!" joke but localized Yen into Dollars?

They converted a price to the currency of the intended audience, which is what I would expect them to do.
I like it, but I guess that it is just a matter of personal preference.

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