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.