This is a love letter to K-On, so if you're searching for a comprehensively and objectively driven review then this isnt for you. And also, this review is of K-On in general, not just the second season, it's just that the second season touched on a lot of the things I mentioned here so I thought it was the most suiting one.
There are few shows that can capture flawlessly what they’re trying to portray: sometimes some pieces go missing amidst the plot, sometimes the characters are not convincing enough, or maybe the story isn’t even one that you can fully relate to or immerse yourself
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in. There are few shows that hit all the spots right… and K-On did it in such a beautiful and raw way that I can’t even begin to describe it. In fact, I won’t really, because this is a love letter, and rationalizing your thoughts isn’t really what you do with those.
When I finished the first season of K-On I remember thinking “Oh I know where this is going”, but I really didn’t. Perhaps I actually had an idea, albeit a wrong one, of where the story and its message where heading; perhaps I never had an idea of such thing since the beginning because I was deceived by these cute, adorable girls with their cake and tea, and it only finally clicked when the emotions from episode 21 came flooding in. The point is that… it caught me by surprise, I certainly wasn’t ready for what K-On had in store for me when I stepped into the second season, and that’s probably why it works so well.
The most common and realistic problems you’ll come to face or have already faced in life will a lot of times be unexpected: not because you don’t acknowledge them but because you deny them. When faced with the possibility of growth, change, hardship, loss, when you finally understand that eventually, sooner or later, one of those horrible but necessary emotions will meet you down your path, you don’t think much of it. I’m sure that some of you when asked by your parents to sought out universities so you could choose what area you’d like to pursue, when asked not to forget that by age 18 you’ll start living in the adult world and have a lot more responsibilities and weight on your shoulders, you thought to yourself: “Of course. I’m not a baby anymore, I obviously wouldn’t forget probably the most important phase of my life. I haven’t forgotten about it, and yet… Even if it still feels so far away, why does it feel so scary?”
K-On isn’t about cute girls doing cute things… or better said, it isn’t just about cute girls doing cute things. It’s about change, it’s about growth. It’s about coming to terms with the inexorability of time and knowing how and when to let go. The way K-On achieves this is beyond comprehension to be completely honest; the setting in which K-On takes place feels so real, the characters, even if they’re still very much stylized, all behave in such a convincing way that relating to them is effortless. You don’t even need to think about it that much in order to connect with at least one of the five main girls. I’d love to explain this in an equally convincing way but as I said, love letters are not for thoughts.
I’ve turned 18 this year, which means that my last years of school will be over soon, and my college life will start shortly. Frankly, where are my last years? When did all of this become such a blurry memory? Why did everything have to go by so quickly? As these thoughts infiltrated my mind haphazardly at the beginning of my first class on a random day, I turned to my friend and hugged her. She’s not really a fan of hugs but the occasional one she lets it slide. I hugged her tight and I could feel she was hugging me back, I mustered up some courage and said “It’s our final year. After this, school’s over. We will all go to our own place.” and quietly, she said “Stop. I don’t like to talk about these things”. Was her voice trembling? I don’t really remember. I only remember what I said and her answer.
K-On helped me say this. K-On helped me see this. No, “see” isn’t the best word. It helped me accept this. Although I had already come to the conclusion that life isn’t full of rainbows and that people come and go, K-On helped me accept that life is like this, and that it will always be like this. K-On shows that eventually growth will confront you, and it shows what you must do to confront growth. Acceptance is the key. If you accept your position, even if pains you to do so, solutions to that problem might finally be on your way. Denying something inevitable will only bring misfortune to those who face it unexpectedly, and God knows how you’ll pull yourself out of that one. But by accepting it, maybe, just maybe, you can find a way to be happy… not to avoid it, but be happy. It doesn’t need to end then. Why do we have to go our own ways after school’s over? Why does it got to be like that? It doesn’t have to be like that. I mean, graduation is not the end now, is it?
I’m sorry if all the brainstorming of feelings ended up being a mess. Rationalizing your thoughts at 1 in the morning is not that easy. And even if it were, even if I could do it, that’s not the point. This isn’t supposed to be a thought-provoking essay. Emotions are the cornerstone of what I’m trying to convey. And if it all feels like I’m projecting myself too much, I apologize, but there isn’t really a better way of expressing how I feel towards this masterpiece.
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Jul 19, 2022
This is a love letter to K-On, so if you're searching for a comprehensively and objectively driven review then this isnt for you. And also, this review is of K-On in general, not just the second season, it's just that the second season touched on a lot of the things I mentioned here so I thought it was the most suiting one.
There are few shows that can capture flawlessly what they’re trying to portray: sometimes some pieces go missing amidst the plot, sometimes the characters are not convincing enough, or maybe the story isn’t even one that you can fully relate to or immerse yourself ... |
