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Title:
 K-On! vol 2

UK Distributor:  Manga Entertainment

BBFC Certificate:  PG

Suggested Retail Price (SRP):  £17.99

Episodes:  5-8 (of 13)

Audio Options:  English, Japanese

Subtitles:  English

Release Date:  14th November 2011

Reviewer:  Rich (Webmaster)
 

The first volume of K-ON! was one of the most enjoyable anime DVDs I have seen this year.  It easily blended light hearted fun with a real feel-good vibe whilst avoiding any real setbacks for its characters.  However, with the band gearing up for their first live performance, is this something that's going to change in this volume?

Yes, the four members of the Light Music Club all have instruments, they've written some music and they're ready for their performance at the school festival.  Or are they?  For some reason the festival co-ordinators don't recognise their club, and further investigation reveals that Ritsu forgot to submit the Club Activities form which makes them official.  It seems easily rectified but in order to complete the form the club needs to appoint a teacher to act as an advisor, so they decide to ask the demure music teacher Miss Sawako to take the job.  Unfortunately for them Miss Sawako is already advising the choir club and doesn't think she can take on another, but the girls find something in the Light Music Club archive that may make her change her mind.  There is another pressing issue though.  The girls have been concentrating so much on writing music (and having tea and cake) that they have neglected to write any lyrics or choose a singer.  With the school festival fast approaching Mio is given the songwriting task, but they still need someone to sing.  Ritsu's physical role on drums rules her out and Mugi can't sing while playing the keyboard, so the job falls to either Yui or Mio.  With Mio's crippling shyness a major obstacle it looks like the enthusiastic Yui will get the nod, but first she will need to learn to sing whilst playing the guitar.  Having only just got the hang of playing the guitar can she add singing without losing her way?
 

Yes, K-ON! returns with a new set of minor stumbling blocks for the Light Music Club to overcome, and once again the series is pitched firmly in the cheerful and light hearted camp.  As with the first volume this one is character-led, with some minor characters from the first few episodes given more prominent roles this time round.  Yui's sensible younger sister Ui and their music teacher Miss Sawako are pretty much elevated to main character status, something that will no doubt continue now Ui has joined Yui's school as a first year.  Their

increased role in the story also provides a boost for the comedy side of the series.  Ui acts as a straight man for the group, allowing them more flights of absurdity - something that Miss Sawako is happy to help provide.  The pretty and kindly teacher may seem like a model of perfection, but under the surface she hides a wild child past which only the members of the Light Music Club know about.  When she's with them she drops her veneer, persuading them to wear a variety of odd costumes for they performances and driving them on with maniacal zeal.  Her reinvention draws more parallels with the similarly light hearted school comedy Azumanga Daioh!, and fans of that series' somewhat crazy Miss Yukari will find plenty to like in K-ON!'s Miss Sawako.

With the first volume largely focusing on getting the Light Music Club set up, this one really hits its stride as the focus shifts to performing and attracting interest.  Finally we get to hear the group perform some songs, and they are pretty good too.  I like the fact that the songs are the kinds of things schoolgirls might write, the lyrics are quite cheesy and the music and vocals thankfully aren't completely flawless.  A special mention must also be made for the song titles, with her songs given names like 'My Love is a Stapler' Mio really should stick to playing bass!  The series has been building up to the band playing a song and when they do it shows some interesting stylistic touches by flipping into an imaginary music video.  The band starts their song on the school stage and then the action cuts to them playing in a desert and going on the run from the police.  It's an intriguing idea which may sound out of kilter with the series as a whole, but in practice it works perfectly.  Despite its light hearted style the series manages to create a palpable tension in the lead up to the band's performance, leaving you on the edge of your seat even though you can't imagine them failing.  The fact it's able to do this is a testament to the characterisation, the series has introduced a cheerful set of characters who you want to see succeed. 
 

The only real issue some may have with the series so far is that is still has yet to really test any of its characters with any real drama.  At the moment the obstacles that the Light Music Club and its members have had to face have been easily overcome through teamwork or posited as little more than minor inconveniences.  The friendship between the characters is sweet, occasionally a little too sweet, and to be fair the characters all conform to standard anime archetypes which you have seen a hundred times before.  Miss Sawako's

increased role also leads to a more madcap style, with her character somewhat in the Haruhi Suzumiya mould as she pushes harebrained schemes and bizarre costumes on the girls.  Whilst I found it made the series more entertaining it may put off some people who liked the mild realism of the earlier episodes.  However, despite the added comedy and oddness the heart of the series remains the same, and the feel-good, cheerful air the first volume effortlessly generated remains undiminished.

Once again I thoroughly enjoyed watching K-ON!, it's not deep, it's not meaningful but it is pure unashamed feel-good entertainment.  The characters are likeable, even if they aren't that original, and each episode will leave you with a smile on your face.  It's great to see them finally play music and it even looks like their group may expand when  new first-year student shows interest in the club.  All the elements that made the first volume of K-ON! so enjoyable are here once again, but this time the added comedy Miss Sawako brings to proceedings injects fresh energy into the series and creates some truly memorable comedy sequences - not least her mad dash to the music room to hide evidence of her past!  There may be some grumblings about the series coming out in individual volumes rather than a box set, a release strategy imposed on Manga by the Japanese licensor, but despite this I can't help but recommend K-ON! vol 2 every bit as much as the first volume.  It's perfect, cheerful fun.

Extras

Only a couple of extras this time, still no clean opening and closing sequence but we are treated to a music video for Fuwa Fuwa Time, the song the group sing at the school festival.  Strangely the video is just made up of clips from the series, and isn't as good as the corresponding sequence in the anime itself.  The other extra on offer is an interview with Christina Vee, the US voice actress who plays Mio in the series.  As with the interview on the first volume it's quite interesting, and makes up for the disappointment of the music video.

Ratings

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