Watching K-On! Episode 10 – “Training Camp Again!”

Azusa gets to know her seniors better as the Light Music club once again arranges a band training camp at Mugi's beach house.

Notes/Observations/Trivia:

• Yui’s shirt in Ui’s flashback reads “celebrity”. The one she is seen wearing later at home reads “ice” (as in ice cream), and the one she wears during band practice reads “paradise”.
• Yui and Ritsu on the boat in Azusa’s fantasy is a reference to James Cameron’s “Titanic” (painfully obvious, I know, but I can’t not point out these things).
• Ritsu doesn’t get hit in this episode, but Sawako does (for attempting to tell Mio and Azusa apart by their breast sizes).
• The guitar riff Yui is having trouble with when Azusa ends up helping her is from “Fudepen ~Ballpen~” (aka. “Brush Pen, Ballpoint Pen”), a song that as of this episode has yet to be heard in the anime but was listed among the songs the band performed in “Freshmen Reception!”. It may seem strange that Yui would need to learn to play a song they have already performed in a previous episode, but with Azusa having joined recently it seems logical to assume they wrote more complicated guitar parts for the song since the band now has two guitarists.
• And in the “I swear I did not notice this myself” category: A shot of Ritsu and Yui at the beach was altered between the original airing and the DVD/Blu-Ray release. I’ll refrain from commenting.

Broadcast version

Blu-Ray version

Manga comparison:

Pretty straightforward adaption of the second volume’s sixth regular 4-koma chapter. Ui and Azusa’s meetings at the burger place are taken from chapter seven. The scene where Azusa helps Yui with guitar practice at night is original to the anime.

OST tracks used:

• Juugo-sai no March - 0:00-1:07
• Nihiki no Koneko - 2:49-3:52
• Doki Doki Friday Night - 3:52-4:41
• Pinch Daisuki! - 5:08-5:32
• Ukkari Kimi no Tame ni - 5:54-6:32
• unknown track* - 7:31-9:48
• Kendama-kun - 10:54-10:58
• Have some tea? - 12:35-14:19
• Kawaii Inbou - 16:19-16:48
• Happy languidness - 16:59-17:52
• Genki! - 19:38-20:21
• Happy End - 21:00-22:09

* listed simply as “unknown track” because it is not included on any K-On! OST album.

My take:

I know there are those that criticize this episode for being a repeat of “Training Camp!”. I think that is missing the point of the episode. The beach setting is just that, the setting. What the episode actually does is to allow Azusa to have an opportunity to get to know her seniors better outside of school. It’s about characters bonding, plain and simple. It is a very necessary step in Azusa’s gradual integration into the Light Music Club, and as such, it serves its purpose very nicely.