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.
