My only complaint is that they aren;t doing much music related stuff. After all, the studio has been shown to put in massive amount of effort in things such as the accuracy of the instruments. Some fans will point out that music isn't exactly the main focus and that it's more about the girls enjoying themselves. I agree, however, it was a bit of a wasted potential to not see them have actual, proper practice sessions despite being graced with such expensive instruments. Besides, wouldn't them practicing together also help in the portrayal of their bonds? Still, the things like the concerts are great.
[Characters: 7.5] Season 1 was just decent because the series was more about displaying as much as possible of the various gimmicks like the moe factor and such. The sequel moves away from it considerably, choosing to go for the more slice-of-life approach. Furthermore, although the characters aren't exactly the most original, there is nonetheless evident characterization beyond their initial basic archetypes. For example, there's Azusa growing attached to the club, and later realizes the impending loneliness that will occur after the other girls graduate. In short, it's not just about the girls being cutesy, it had some heartwarming moments as well, with the series exploring their friendship and relationship with several other people like their teacher and so on. On that note, I mentioned in my review for season 1 how Sawako exists mainly as a plot device to get the girls to cosplay. In this season, the series chose to focus on her position as someone who, beneath the childish and easy-going nature, is a teacher who genuinely cares for her students. The events and ideas in K-ON may be common and predictable, but the directing style and pacing prevents it from becoming a bore.
Lastly, I like how KyoAni took the effort to include the other classmates into the interactions (creating new materials that wasn't originally available in the 4koma). Yes, the main girls are the protagonists, but the world certainly doesn't revolve around them just because they are the lead characters.
[Art: 9.0] Cute girls to KyoAni is what robots are to Sunrise; it's their trademark. And in the current cute girl trend, saying that KyoAni is successful is a mere understatement. Also, they seem to have stepped up the art quality in this season. As with the previous season, the animations for the ending themes are appealing.
[Music: 9.0] The OP didn't really appeal to me. The EDs, No, Thank You! and Listen! on the other hand, are absolutely fantastic and so are the various inserts. The bgms are simplistic but fits the series just fine. Again, it would be nice if they actually had more practice sessions.
[Summary] On a final note, we often make fun of studios when the adaptations are not as good as the source material (lol DEEN), but seldom do we do the reverse. For contrast, look at Minami-ke. The manga is also another simple slice-of-life title. While season 1 by studio Doumu was popular, the second season by studio Asread was less so. Kyoto Animation is thus commendable in how it managed to take a simple 4koma and expand it to obtain such levels of achievements. Again, I don't see myself as a huge fan of K-ON and I think that it is rather overrated, but then it's not the first time the fandom has taken to exaggerated extols. Nevertheless, as far as a slice-of-life series go, I don't mind admitting that this second season is pleasant to watch.
Personal Overall Rating: 8.0
