K-On! Movie

K-ON! was never a series with much direction but for many this wasn’t much of a problem. Thirty minutes of pleasant humour with a simple storyline to tie it together- a formula for success. However, when one attempts to stretch those thirty minutes of heaven into a two hour long movie, its weaknesses become apparent rather quickly. So the question is, will the K-ON! movie be able to overcome it?

On the face of it, it does seem like a possibility. The group are going to take a trip to London, creating ample opportunity for an adventurous storyline that will keep the audience interested throughout the ... running time. Indeed, it seems like an exciting prospect, and so we sit and wait. And we wait.

And after what feels like thirty minutes, we are still waiting for the promised trip to London. Instead we get a lot of dillydallying about what the cast are going to do for Azusa for their graduation; which was also the premise for much of the second series of the TV show, making it not just irritating but quite redundant. Furthermore it is obvious that any such gesture will take place during or at the climax of their trip, so it feels like stalling for time.
Eventually they do start making their trip to London, and things start to look promising again. They are in one of the greatest cities in the world, in another continent. Ample opportunity for cultural exchanges and clashes, you would expect. But rather than watching Yui munch on some fish and chips, instead they go to a sushi restaurant. They do see some of London’s many attractions, but these are only short sequences that feel more like token gestures included to make the setting seem relevant. In truth, the choice of London as a setting seems entirely pointless.

Before too long the girls are back in Tokyo, and we feel a sense of relief that the boredom will subside. Unfortunately this is not the case, and instead we return to the non-problem of what are we going to do for Azusa? No prizes for guessing what that might be. Finally there is a performance in the school, and everything works out hunky dory for everyone.

There are quite a few performances in the movie- one might even go so far as to say there are too many. Much criticism of the television series was that it didn’t feature much music, but frankly I feel this is for the better. After all each performance takes up a few minutes of running time and doesn’t do much to advance the storyline. If you are a fan of the music then it might not be so bad, but if you just want to listen to music then why not do just that?

The animation was pretty good, as you would expect of the Kyoto Animation machine; but unfortunately looks alone will not save a boring and meandering storyline or an abysmal plot from being a disappointing failure.

Review in brief:

KyoAni’s last hurrah with K-On! is both everything fans could have asked for and only what non-fans have already come to expect by now. The light plot serves as a backdrop to the Keion-bu goofing off and having snacks, except when it rehashes season 2’s ending. You probably already know what to expect if you’ve seen even a single episode of K-On! ~ the question is whether that is for better or for worse.

Review in full:

The K-On! Movie encapsulates the experience of the anime series in one big, gift-wrapped package. Every element ~ strengths, weaknesses, and miscellaneities, are brought out ... in full force. It touches upon the very few plot points in K-On!’s story, and does far more than that in regards to its ending. It looks and sounds better than its topic, story, and genre have ever demanded of it, something Kyoto Animation has done time and time again. Yet, more importantly than all else combined, it spends the vast majority of its time doing what it always has; following the Keion-bu as they eat cake, drink tea, and casually goof off all day, every day, no matter the time, place, or circumstance. It is indeed more of the same, but that could mean two very different things depending on your perspective of K-On! and the CGDCT subgenre as a whole.

For most, the production values in this movie are going to be the biggest standout property. This movie contains what could easily be the most intricate depiction of London from a tourist’s eyes the medium will ever see. The locations are so strikingly real that it’s like being there in person, and that’s just in the background art and subtly vibrant palettes. The detailed yet smooth visuals & animation and the masterful framing make some portions of the TV series (which itself was aesthetically well above average all-around) look like a discount studio’s cheap knock-off by comparison. Even details that no regular CGDCT watcher would consider paying attention to, like the accurate flights and times for planes based on their registration numbers or the slightly differing cranial structures of the various ethnic groups depicted, are given careful attention. On top of that, the scenes that take place back home in Japan are given the same amount of care. Only the slightest nitpicks, like the construction of the Shard not exactly lining up with the timeframe of the movie, can be reasonably leveled against this movie.

This movie’s soundwork is also at a pinnacle for the series. Everyone involved must have developed an intuitive sense for what K-On! sounds like, as even with the nuances that the movie and its new setting brings, everything lines up exceedingly well. The city ambience is markedly foreign yet far from uninviting. The locals speak English in an English accent while maintaining distinct voices. The returning cast’s voices flow so naturally at this point that they effortlessly transition from emotion to emotion, from song to speech to song again, and any inflection that may lie in between. Lastly, even if K-On! has always been less about music and more about merrymaking, both the background and insert songs maintain a colorful variance while still being entirely fitting to the antics of the Keion-bu. It’s poppy, whimsical, simple, and fresh all at once, just as this trip is to the girls.

Yet, while such praises are usually only a good sign, these amazing production values lead into a bizarre issue. Despite all of this painstaking detail put into making the settings as authentic and immersive as possible, the CGDCT antics this movie devotes itself to could hardly care less about all of it. This movie isn’t about a once-in-a-lifetime trip to London or the journey of a young, spirited band. This is K-On! ~ and that means it’s all so that five high-school girls can dork around together and maybe play a song or two. Aside from a pinch of quick music references, some language barrier scenes, and maybe a couple of culture shock moments, the fact that this movie takes place in a foreign city doesn’t even matter. For what it aspires to do, it could have very easily taken place in any other major city with no issue.

So, despite all of the build-up and production put towards a trip to London, this is just one big K-On! episode. The main cast and Sawa-chan-sensei still exhibit all the little nuances they've built up over the series, which combined with the natural character-driven humor would be palatable enough for an episode, but the usual K-On! antics are spread over the majority of this 110 minute movie and the resulting pace is tepid rather than soothing. The other characters present don’t display much character at all, though little time is spent with them so it’s not the biggest issue. Other than the trip and the prep for it, a remade take on season 2’s ending appears as the ending for the movie as well. As before, it’s plain to see coming and requires considerable nostalgia and love for the series plus its characters to achieve the impact it aims for, but the build-up to it is smoother than in the TV series and it doesn’t try to repeat itself, so an improvement is made.

All in all, this is a passable movie. One that puts a lot of effort into things it didn’t need to, but a passable slice-of-life that its expected audience is likely to enjoy. It’s slow and unambitious, but perhaps that’s okay. Life isn’t always a thrilling tale of tragedies & triumphs, often it’s a string of modest or even mundane events. The specific city or the trip as a whole are just about inconsequential to what actually plays out, but at the very least this movie possesses an exquisite backdrop for some simple, lighthearted fun without stagnating itself into self-repetition, even when events that have already been covered are returned to. In that way, it can be a break from the hectic and a refreshing take on the familiar. That’s what lies in the heart of the slice-of-life genre, and while I can see how someone might question this movie’s plot or even its intentions, I don’t see how, with all of the obvious care put into it, someone could question whether it has heart.

Verdict:

Pre-established fans will most likely love this movie; KyoAni knew well what they loved about the TV series. For that same reason, most non-fans don’t have many reasons to appreciate what this movie does; it’s just K-On! with make-up, after all. It’s strange to be in between these two camps, but if nothing else I hope this review helps show that both have had their reasons to exist.

I actually liked K-On! and K-On!!, and I like slice-of-life anime in general.

Perhaps 22 minutes of aimless antics seems charming, but you can't expand it to nearly two hours. The entire movie has about the level of "conflict" (like, say, Yui wants a guitar) as a perhaps two episode of the series spread across 2 hours or so. In my opinion, it just doesn't work. This is about 2 episodes worth of content (40 minutes) spread across 110 minutes, and it's really boring.

I say this as someone who views K-On! and K-On!! favorably, so don't be super surprised if you liked the series but ... the movie takes otherwise tolerable elements a bit too far for you.

K-On! Movie, ~Fuwa Fuwa time~ Fuwa Fuwa time~

K-On! the movie was surprisingly underwhelming, didn't had many expectations before going in and I certain to say I'm not disappointed but not impressed. I am going to take it that those who watch the movie watches the series as well if you don't then, what's wrong with you? So the movie is about our lovely Light Music Club on their adventures in London, one of the places where Rock and Roll were born from. Upon hearing this I was pretty excited because I am into Rock and would love to see the band react or listen to ... artists like The Clash and maybe even The Beatles. Even Mio said she was excited to hear about Jimi Hendrix and Jimmy Page, but what did we get? We didn't really get any forms of English music and it seemed like they just forgot about that. That to me was quite depressing. Apart from that the show just seems our group we all know and love of, just in London. That's about it. Well, they did play a gig in front of an audience, the audience wasn't too impressed anyways. I honestly felt that the studio could have done a much more interesting plot while they were in London, like come on, they are in one of the places where Rock and Roll were straight-up created and they did not utilize that aspect at all. Plus I was hoping there would be like a male band counterpart to at least give their experience a more memorable one. Whatever so they when back to Nippon and the rest just seems like a regular K-On! episode at this point. Moreover, what's left just feels like what will appear on K-On!! There seems to be no interesting take on this movie and I feel that this is just 3 episodes sowed together. I will give them credit for the art and details they put into the movie, from the infinite mirror scene in the elevator to the superfluid movement of all characters. That's just some high-quality Kyoto Animation shit right there.

-SCORES-

Character- 8/10: Not much to say at this point, we all know them, we all adore them, they are literally the same characters before and didn't change much after. It's the After-School Tea Time.

Art- 9/10: Holy smokes, that some good shit, everything is like candy to my eyes. Sad to say their writing just no up to par with the art.

Writing- 5/10: While it might just seem like normal K-On! standard, what I find truly disappointing is that this supposes to be a movie and not 3 episodes sowed together. I didn't get that movie vibe from it and I feel that there was a lot of potential wasted, especially in the London part.

Sound- 8/10: No new sounds or songs were presented but that's still fine.

Overall, slightly underwhelmed movie but still the lovely characters well all know from K-On!

Decent to Strong 6