Watching K-On!! Episode 2 – “Clean-Up!”

While cleaning out their personal belongings from the club room, the members of the Light Music Club find an old guitar of Sawako’s – which turns out to be surprisingly valuable.

CD review: Watashi no Koi wa Hotchkiss – Hanauta Yui

Yes, I am really going to review this. As the new year approaches, so do the soon-to-be-broken New Year’s resolutions and I am reminded of the fact that I have yet to accomplish everything I set out to do with this blog. One of my main goals was to review every K-ON! CD out there, old releases as well as new. I finished the first season’s batch of CDs earlier this year, but never really got started on season 2 – so here I am, easing back into things with a short review of the shortest of all K-ON! CDs: Watashi no Koi wa Hotchkiss – Hanauta Yui.

Delivered in a clear slimline jewel case, this single was given away as the prize in a mail in contest in 2011 and was not sold in stores. Finding it on online auctions isn’t particularly hard, but unused copies will cost a tad more than one may usually want to pay for a CD – you’ll have to really want it. Personally, being the crazy completist that I am, I didn’t have too many misgivings about parting with a few thousand yen to acquire it – even with the rather limited runtime.

The CD features exactly one track: Watashi no Koi wa Hotchkiss: #1 “Kou san!” version. The song, of course, is the one first heard in the episode “School Festival!” and subsequently on the first season’s insert song album. The version heard here, as the track title indicates, is the one heard in the very first scene of the season 2 episode “Seniors!”, with Yui playing solo guitar while humming the melody.

Totaling 1 minute and 8 seconds – that is both the song and the CD – it’s pretty much the same as in the actual episode, but with a slightly different ending and with Yui’s voice more prominent in the mix. Hotchkiss is one of my favorite songs from the first season, so hearing it again – however briefly – is welcome, if expensive in this form.

Is it worth buying for the sake of the content? Probably not. Is it worth buying for collection purposes? Hell, I’m certainly not the person to say no to that.

New CD box set announced

Okay, I always kind of figured there’d probably be some sort of “best of K-ON!” album or something released at the end of the franchise’s run, but I never expected they’d release a 12 disc box set containing a whopping 258 tracks, which is what the official site announced today.

“K-ON! MUSIC HISTORY'S BOX” will be released on March 20^th, featuring the OST and opening/ending/insert songs from both TV seasons as well as the movie, plus character songs as well as – for the first time on CD – the versions from the “K-ON! Ho-kago Live!!” PSP/PS3 game.

Not included in the release are tracks from the Band Score CDs, the Radion! shows, or any of the instrumentals. Nevertheless, it seems this box set will cover the basics and then some, and at the relatively tolerable price tag of 19,800 yen it sounds like quite a good deal for any fan who has yet to break their wallet collecting every K-ON! CD in existence like a sucker (unlike me, who will of course happily throw money at this release regardless).

Thanks ultimatemegax for the heads-up.

More vinyl coming!

Still remember the 7inch Vinyl “Donuts” BOX, the box set of vinyl singles from K-ON!’s first season? Yeah, the official site has announced there’s another one coming, this time containing nine singles from season 2. The “K-ON!! 7inch Vinyl “Donuts” BOX” will be sold at Comiket 83, starting December 29^th and ending the 31^st, for the pretty price of 12000 yen. Singles included will be the second season’s opening and ending themes, as well as the character singles of the main five – minus all instrumental versions and “Come with Me!!” tracks.

Full track listing:

Disc 1:

Side A: GO! GO! MANIAC
Side B: Genius…?

Disc 2:
Side A: Listen!!
Side B: Our MAGIC

Disc 3:

Side A: Utayo!!MIRACLE
Side B: Kira Kira Days

Disc 4:

Side A: NO, Thank You!
Side B: Girls in Wonderland

Disc 5:

Side A: Oh My Giita!!
Side B: Shiawase Hiyori

Disc 6:

Side A: Seishun Vibration
Side B: Soukuu no Monologue

Disc 7:

Side A: Drumming Shining My Life
Side B: Yuuzora a la Carte

Disc 8:

Side A: Diary wa Fortessimo
Side B: Yasei no Jounetsu

Disc 9:

Side A: Over the Starlight
Side B: Joyful Todays

And this is where I’d complain that I’ll probably never be able to buy this etc., but in all honesty – who am I kidding?

Yui’s birthday!

And now, it’s Yui’s birthday. So, for those who celebrate these things, what could be better than partying by means of K-ON!? For this occasion, I can think of several appropriate episodes, including “Cram Session!” and “Light Music!” from season 1, or possibly “No Club Room!” from season 2. Personally, I won’t be doing any partying as I forgot to take the day off this year.

Madman licenses K-ON! movie

So, Madman Entertainment has announced the license of the K-ON! movie for distribution in Australia, to my knowledge the first license of the movie to an English speaking market. According to the announcement, the film will screen at the Japan Film Festival this December in Sydney and Melbourne, with a home video release to follow in 2013.

The question remains, how much longer will it be before a similar announcement is made from a North American distributor?

Azunyan’s birthday!

Is it still November 11^th where you are? If so, good, because that means it’s Azusa’s birthday in your part of the world. Now, there are many ways of celebrating the occasion for you to choose from, of course – wearing cat ears to school/work, adding another red Fender Mustang to your collection or what have you – but if it was me, I’d do something simple like watching an Azusa-centric anime episode or two. Like, say, “New Club Member!” from season 1 or “Late Summer Postcard!” from season 2.

K-ON! 7inch Vinyl “Donuts” BOX gets general release

Remember K-ON! 7inch Vinyl “Donuts” BOX, the box set of vinyl singles from K-ON!’s first season? Originally a limited released sold only during the Canime Summer Festival back in August, the set has been going for nasty prices on auction sites since. That might come to an end, temporarily at least, as the TV anime’s official blog has announced the box set will be released and sold in stores on December 19^th!

 

It’s a limited edition, so it might be a good idea for those interested not to wait too long before ordering. The price tag, as before, is 10,000 yen.

K-ON! college & highschool manga licensed by Yen Press

As Anime News Network reports, Yen Press has announced they’ve licensed the two new K-ON! manga volumes, “K-ON! college” and “K-ON! highscool” for the North American market. They published the original four volumes last year so it’s not entirely unexpected, but it’s welcome news nonetheless.

“K-ON! college” was recently published in Japan, and “K-ON! highschool” is scheduled to follow later this month.

Upcoming releases

Updated list of upcoming English and/or Japanese language K-ON! releases. The most exciting home video releases of the summer – the movie, the NA release of season 2 – have come and gone, but the tankoubon publications of the final two manga volumes should be interesting.

September 5^th – “K-On! Season 1 Collection” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (AU)

September 5^th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 1” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (AU)

September 27^th – “K-On! College” manga (JP)

October 27^th – “K-On! High School” manga (JP)

November 28^th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 2” anime DVD/DVD LE/Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray LE (AU)

K-ON! (season 1) and other Bandai titles to go out of print

So, Robert’s Anime Corner Blog has got word from Bandai Entertainment that they’re going to cease home video distribution and publishing, with their last shipments going out in late November of this year.

 

In other words – if you have yet to buy the North American release of K-ON!’s first season on Blu-Ray/DVD and are looking to do so – or any other title from Bandai – now’s the time to do it, because it won’t be available much longer.

K-On!! Season 2 Blu-Ray US vs. JP review and comparison (vol 2)

Sentai Filmworks released the first half of K-ON!! (retitled “K-ON! Season 2” for the North American market) earlier this summer, and two months later, the second release featuring the remaining 14 episodes is here. In other words, one third of the overall TV anime is contained on these two Blu-Ray discs, and in my personal opinion the best part of the series, making it very important that Sentai have treated it right. So – have they?

K-ON! 7inch Vinyl “Donuts” BOX

So, that box set of vinyl singles from season 1? I bought it. I’m not going to do a full review of it or anything (here’s a short one: It’s very nice), but I will show off a bunch of photos.

Ritsu’s birthday

Today is Ritsu’s birthday. Ritsu Tainaka, everyone’s favorite drummer and club president. I’m not really one to celebrate fictional birthdays, personally, but if you are and are looking to do something fun in honor of the Great Forehead, why not watch a couple of K-On! episodes that focus on Ritsu?

“Crisis!?” from season 1 and “Drummer!” from season 2 should fit the bill. Both are fun episodes, and both are Ritsu-centric to an extent we don’t really see very often.

Watching K-On!! Episode 1 – “Seniors!”

A new school year starts, and the older four members of the Light Music Club are now in their senior year. With Azusa the only underclassman in the club, might this be the time to finally get serious about recruiting new members?

Watching K-On!! Season 2

With my “Watching K-On!” series of posts, which is something like part episode guide, part episode reviews, having been finished for a few months now – and with the second season being released in the US and elsewhere these days, two years after the original airing in Japan – I think this is as good a time as any to get started on “Watching K-On!!”. There’s a lot to get through, with almost twice the amount of episodes compared to season 1, and first episode out is of course episode 1 – “Seniors!”.

Note: I’ll be referring to season 2 by its original name – “K-On!!” with the double “!!” – because calling it “K-On! Season 2” every time would get old fast.

Update + Upcoming releases

Well, I didn’t plan to, but I ended up taking the last month off from blogging. That’s not to say I haven’t done anything worthwhile with my time – with the release of the K-On! movie on Blu-Ray two weeks ago, I’ve finally seen it. I won’t be reviewing that just yet, but I will say it was glorious.

I’ve also been participating in ultimatemegax’ Haruhi Suzumiya re-viewing – currently, we’re going through those fan favorite episodes, Endless Eight.

Anyway, here’s the updated list of upcoming English and Japanese language K-On! releases. One item from last month’s list taken out, one new item added.

August 28^th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 2” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (US)

September 5^th – “K-On! Season 1 Collection” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (AU)

September 5^th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 1” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (AU)

September 27^th – “K-On! College” manga (JP)

Upcoming releases

Updated list of upcoming English and/or Japanese language K-On! releases. The BD/DVD release of the movie is approaching fast, that’ll be exciting. Australia is getting season 2 in September (with the double “!!” in the title intact, it seems) as well as a release of the complete first season on Blu-Ray – the first such release anywhere, I believe. That’s good news for region B people who have been waiting to pick up the first season.

July 18^th – “K-On!” Movie DVD/DVD Limited Edition/Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray Limited Edition (JP)

August 28^th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 2” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (US)

September 5^th – “K-On! Season 1 Collection” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (AU)

September 5^th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 1” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (AU)

Happy Birthday Mugi!!

Yes, it’s the birthday of who else but Tsumugi Kotobuki, Ho-kago Tea Time’s beloved keyboard player and supplier of beach house training camps. She turns [fictional number of] years old, and though she’s fictional and thus unable to celebrate her own birthday that doesn’t mean her fans can’t. Don’t get too drunk, my friends, it’s a weekday after all.

K-On! vinyl singles

So, you’re a K-On! fan and a vinyl collector? You might be happy to learn that Pony Canyon will release an exclusive box set of 7 vinyl singles (7 inch) from the first season. The catch? Aside from the 10,000 yen price tag, the set will be a limited pressing and won’t see a general release – if you want it, you’ll have to attend the Canime Summer Festival 2012 in Akihabara, which takes place on August 11^th and 12^th.

The seven lucky singles to chosen for inclusion in this “7inch Vinyl “Donuts” Box” are Cagayake!GIRLS, Don’t Say “Lazy”, and the character singles of Yui, Mio, Ritsu, Tsumugi and Azusa. Contents will be the same as their respective CD equivalents, minus instrumental tracks and the song “Let’s Go” from the character series.

And, just to keep track of these things; season 1 singles that do not get the vinyl treatment are Fuwa Fuwa Time, Maddy Candy and the Ui and Nodoka character singles.

K-On!! Season 2 Blu-Ray US vs. JP review and comparison (vol 1)

With Bandai Entertainment having packed up and left the North American home video market, for a while K-On! fans feared the second season of the TV anime would not see an English language release. So naturally, when Sentai Filmworks announced their plans to release said TV anime on DVD and Blu-Ray as early as this very summer, there was much rejoicing. But Bandai’s release of the first season left a lot to be desired for a lot of fans – would Sentai’s season 2 fare better? With the release of the first volume now upon us, it is time to have a look and see if it lives up to expectations – whatever those expectations may be.

CD review: Radion! Special!

The last two CD releases of K-On!’s first season that I’ll review, and the last ones released aside from the second Band Score volume which came out between them, are ones that aren’t particularly music oriented. Released in February and March of 2010, respectively, the two “Radion! Special” volumes feature more chatter than music, as one might expect from a seiyuu web radio show.

The cover designs feature chibified versions of the HTT five handling their instruments against a pattern background which carries over to the labels on the discs themselves. Volume 1 has a red and orange theme, and volume 2 has a blue and green variation.

The cover insert for the first volume is an 8 page booklet, and the volume 2 equivalent ups the page count to 12. Oddly, Ayana Taketatsu is credited as a “guest” rather than a regular cast member like the other four.

Truthfully, there’s little reason to get these two CD’s (especially if you don’t know Japanese) unless you’re either a die hard completist or a major seiyuu otaku. Listening to the five cast members goofing around for roughly an hour per CD is fun and all, but 2940 yen (about $37 US) for each volume is probably a bit much for that kind of content as far as your average fan is concerned.

There is, however, some content that might make it worthwhile even if you’re not particularly interested in hearing the voice cast play “name that tune”. Volume 1 contains the “Yui Mio Ritsu Tsumugi Azusa mix” of “Let’s Go”, the song from the character singles, but this time with all five HTT girls taking turns doing the lead vocals.

Volume 2 contains something that, in my opinion, is a little bit more interesting: Live in-studio performances of “Fuwa Fuwa Time” and “Watashi no Koi wa Hotchkiss”, with the seiyuu doing the actual playing. It’s basically the same versions as performed during the “Let’s Go!” live event, but done in studio this time. The live event has since been released on CD, possibly making these versions redundant in some people’s eyes, but hey – if you’re a completist, having an “alternate take” to listen to every once in a while for variety might be a nice bonus.

All in all, if you’re building a K-On! CD collection but aren’t necessarily looking to acquire each and every CD that was released, I’d say these two are prime candidates for skipping. If you’re a big fan of the voice talent involved, however, and don’t mind the price tag, I suppose there’s little reason not to expand your collection with these two items.

Watching K-On! Episode 14 (Bonus Episode) – “Live House!”

 

Ho-kago Tea Time is invited to perform at a live house on New Year's Eve.

Upcoming releases

Not a hugely different list than last month, but date for season 2 part 2 has been added.

June 19th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 1” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (US)

June 21st – “K-On! Ho-kago Live!! HD” PS3 game (JP)

July 18th – “K-On!” Movie DVD/DVD Limited Edition/Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray Limited Edition (JP)

August 28th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 2” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (US)

K-On! Manga ends

So, recently news have come with the publication of the latest issue of Manga Time Kirara Carat that the High School portion of the K-On! manga will come to an end next month, just as with the College chapters. In other words, Kakifly’s K-On! manga is ending altogether. This, of course, means previous information suggesting the High School chapters would continue was incorrect. On one hand this comes as a relief to me, personally, as that means my fears for the future of the series were unfounded. But on the other hand – it’s the end of K-On!. And I for one have a hard time seeing how it can be wrapped up in a satisfactory manner at this point in the story. Which begs the question; why now? Why restart the series in a big way only to pull the plug a year later, while it still feels like it’s taking off rather than winding down? None of this makes any sense. Could we be looking at a temporary “ending” like when it ended in the fall of 2010? Or is there something going on behind the scenes that is forcing the manga to conclude prematurely? Is this really the end point Kakifly had in mind?

K-On! College manga to end (Update)

So, with the recent news that the College chapters of K-On! are about to come to an end, fans have been speculating on the future of the High School side published in Manga Time Kirara Carat. The Anime News Network article which brought this to light stated the Carat chapters will continue – however, now that the announcement is official, it turns out there is no such confirmation. At present, it seems like the K-On! manga could very well be ending altogether within the next couple of months.

K-On! College manga to end

As reported in an Anime News Network article earlier today, the issue of Manga Time Kirara that’s published this week will announce the end of the ongoing K-On! manga – at least partially. Spoiler warning: If you haven’t kept up with the K-On! franchise beyond what’s been released in English, read no further.

Watching K-On! Episode 13 (Bonus Episode) – “Winter Days!”

Each member of the Light Music Club faces their own everyday struggle on this cold winter day.

Upcoming releases

Updated list of upcoming K-On! media. As always, only Japanese and English language releases listed.

June 19^th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 1” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (US)

June 21^st – “K-On! Ho-kago Live!! HD” PS3 game (JP)

July 18^th – “K-On!” Movie DVD/DVD Limited Edition/Blu-Ray/Blu-Ray Limited Edition (JP)

Not a long list by any means, but certainly interesting.

Movie DVD/Blu-Ray specs revealed

So, broadcaster TBS revealed today on the official K-On! website the details of the upcoming home video release of the K-On! movie. The release date, as we already know, is July 18^th, and there will be four different editions: Regular DVD (priced at 3990 yen), Limited Edition DVD (7560 yen), regular Blu-Ray (7665 yen) and awesomest of all, the Limited Edition Blu-Ray (9240 yen).

Regular edition

Limited Edition

The Limited Edition will come in a box full of various K-On! goodies, and will include a second disc filled to the brim with bonus features. The full list can be seen at the official site, though be warned that the extras listing contains an indirect movie spoiler.

Translated bonus feature details, courtesy of ultimatemegax:

The LEs will come with a small booklet of the storyboards (450 pg), a small version of the booklet sold in theatres (40 pg), a mini production booklet (24 pg), cords for a song played in the movie, a 5-piece bromide set, a small version of the appreciation tickets (5 kinds), and a 3-sided box. They also come with a bonus disc (BD will get a BD, DVD will get a DVD).

On the bonus disc are the following features: Yamada Naoko in London (location/scenario scouting), Tanaka Minami's dubbing report (additional feature of the recording sessions), a backstage feature of Houkago Tea Time in Universal Studios Japan, a Houkago Tea Time in TBS press conference, a special program K-On! the movie navigational program, music recording, stage greetings on opening day, non-text OP/ED, pre-movie bit about manners, and TV CMs/previews/trailers.

Included on the feature disc are commentaries by staff, cast, and producers.

And there you have it. The price tag may seem steep – as is usual for anime in Japan – but seeing how packed with extras the LE is (149 minutes worth of video extras, three audio commentaries, a box and lots of physical goods), it should definitely be worth it. For anyone wondering, the discs will include Japanese subtitles but no English translation of any kind. All editions will offer 5.1 and 2.0 audio mixes, encoded in Linear PCM for the Blu-Ray versions and Dolby Digital for DVD.

Two and a half months to go…

Complete first series released in the UK

No real news today, just a reminder that Manga UK’s complete series DVD set is out today. K-On! fans in the UK who didn’t pick up the individual volumes can now get them all at once at an affordable price.

I won’t be picking up or reviewing this set myself (believe it or not, I don’t really feel like I need a fourth copy of season 1 in my collection) but expect it to be pretty much the same as the Region 1 Anime Legends version.

Movie Blu-Ray/DVD release set for July

As indicated on a solicitation listing, the K-On! movie will be released on Blu-Ray and DVD in Japan on July 18^th. It will have been seven and a half agonizing months since the film’s theatrical premiere, a long time for a movie to move from cinemas to home video by anyone’s standard. Even so, it’s a significantly shorter waiting period than what fans of Kyoto Animation’s previous feature film, The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, had to endure.

More information should be available this coming week.

All five HTT members cast in “Hyouka”

Okay, this isn’t K-On! news, exactly, but it’s definitely kind of related. Kyoto Animation announced today that Ayana Taketatsu (K-On!’s Azusa) and Minako Kotobuki (Tsumugi) have been added to the cast of their currently ongoing (the first episode aired as recently as five days ago) TV anime series “Hyouka”.

As Anime News Network points out, K-On!’s other three main cast members – Aki Toyosaki, Yoko Hikasa and, in the most significant role among them, Satomi Sato – were already part of Hyouka’s cast, meaning all members of the voice talent behind Ho-Kago Tea Time are now represented in the series.

Pretty cool, huh?

Watching K-On! Episode 12 (Final Episode) – “Light Music!”

The other club members worry as Yui falls sick shortly before their live show at the school festival.

Upcoming releases

Sooo… Here’s this month’s updated list of upcoming K-On! releases. Some interesting stuff is coming out in the next few months, that’s for sure.

April 30^th – “K-On! The Complete Series” anime DVD (UK)

June 19^th – “K-On!! Season 2 Collection vol. 1” anime DVD/Blu-Ray (US)

June 21^st – “K-On! Ho-kago Live!! HD” PS3 game (JP)

CD review: “Band Yarou Yo!! PART 2” Band Score CD/DVD

Of course, just one band score release is not enough for a franchise like K-On! – even though that first volume contained every song from the first anime season, and more – so a second book focusing primarily on songs from the character singles saw a release before not too long.

Watching K-On! Episode 11 – “Crisis!?”

As the band's second school festival draws closer, tension within the club runs high when Ritsu grows jealous over Mio's newfound friendship with Nodoka. Meanwhile, a decision needs to be made regarding the name of the band.

CD review: “K-On! Character Image Song Series” part 3: Ui & Nodoka

Five character singles each featuring one of the five main characters clearly wasn’t enough. The third and final wave of the character image song series (for the first season, anyway) came about in October of 2009, and featured the “major” supporting cast members; Ui and Nodoka (Sawako didn’t get a character single, but then, the “Maddy Candy” single pretty much served that purpose).

Season 2 US release date announced

US anime distributor Section23 Films have announced their June schedule, revealing that the second season of the K-On! TV anime (originally titled “K-On!!” with two exclamation marks, but simply titled “K-On! Season 2” for the American market) will see a release as early as a mere three months from now.

The first volume arrives on Blu-Ray and DVD on June 19^th, with an SRP of $59.98 for the DVD edition and $69.98 for the Blu-Ray (with certain stores sure to offer them at far lower prices). Note that the release will contain the first 13 episodes, roughly half the season, unlike last year’s Bandai release of season 1 which contained three to four episodes per volume.

Is this great news? I think so. 

Out with the old, in with the relatively recent

Yep, it’s time for a couple of changes around here. Most importantly, the name of the blog – hence forth, this blog shall be named KEION!GEEK. It’s high time I gave it a proper name rather than the generic “a K-On! fan blog”, and I think the new name fairly accurately describes the nature of the blog and its writer (ahem).



Goodbye, old header. You have served
us well, but it is time to move on.

Secondly, a new name means I have to update the header, which is something I’ve been meaning to do anyway. The old one featured a sweet picture of the Light Music Club members relaxing in the club room – except, there was no Azusa in it. I deliberately chose a picture without her when I first started this blog, because at the time I wrote primarily about early K-On! material in which she did not feature. Now that I’m done with that and write more about later episodes/CD’s/etc that Azusa is actually in, it doesn’t seem fair to not have her represented alongside the other girls, now does it?

So – that’s about it. The nature of the blog will not change, but as of now, the name has.