K-On!

K-On!
K-On! manga volume 1 cover featuring Yui Hirasawa.
けいおん! (Keion!)
Genre	Comedy, Music
Manga
Written by	Kakifly
Published by	Houbunsha
Magazine	Manga Time Kirara Manga Time Kirara Carat
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	May 2007 – present
Volumes	2
Anime
Directed by	Shoko Yamada
Studio	Kyoto Animation
Released	April 3, 2009 – present

K-On! (けいおん!, Keion!) is a Japanese four-panel comic strip manga written and illustrated by Kakifly. The manga started serialization in Houbunsha's seinen manga magazine Manga Time Kirara since the May 2007 issue, and also started a bimonthly serialization in Houbunsha's magazine Manga Time Kirara Carat since the October 2008 issue. An anime adaptation produced by Kyoto Animation began airing in Japan on April 3, 2009. The title of the series comes from the Japanese word for light music, keiongaku (軽音楽). This is not to be confused with the western meaning of light music—a more accurate translation might be contemporary or pop music.

Plot

K-On!'s story revolves around four Japanese high school girls who join their school's light music club to try to save it from being abolished. However, they are the only members of the club, and at first Yui Hirasawa has no experience playing musical instruments or reading sheet music.

Characters

The characters of K-On! have surnames derived from members of the Japanese bands P-Model and The Pillows. Characters with names derived from P-Model have their respective positions as well.

Yui Hirasawa (平沢 唯, Hirasawa Yui)

Voiced by: Aki Toyosaki

Yui is the main character of K-On!. She is one of the members of the light music club, and plays a Heritage Cherry Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Classic electric guitar. She does not get good grades in school (though properly coached, she can achieve astounding results, as shown when she has to sit for a re-test and achieves full marks after some tutoring from Mio) and is easily distracted by trivialities. Yui has a very easy-going nature but when hyped, has incredible concentration, though this is only limited to one subject at a time. She will totally neglect any other things in the process, to the point of forgetting anything she has learned beforehand. Her surname is taken from P-Model guitarist Susumu Hirasawa.

Mio Akiyama (秋山 澪, Akiyama Mio)

Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa

Mio is a shy girl in the light music club who plays a left-handed, 3-Color Sunburst Fender Precision Bass, Fender Jazz Bass in the anime, with a tortoiseshell pickguard . She originally intended to join the literary club, but was forced into the light music club by her childhood friend Ritsu. She gets excellent grades in school, but is bad with listening to stories involving painful experiences, and will assume a fetal position whenever something gross is brought up. While she can be strict sometimes, she gets embarrassed easily, and cites that she chose bass since it is not in the center of attention like with guitar. She is the main vocalist in the group and also writes the songs, although they can feature some odd lyrics. Her surname is taken from former P-Model bassist and keyboardist Katsuhiko Akiyama.

Ritsu Tainaka (田井中 律, Tainaka Ritsu)

Voiced by: Satomi Sato

Ritsu is president of the light music club and plays a Yamaha Hipgig Drumset. She has an ambiguous personality, and often has trouble with forgetting about important club activities and announcements. She says she chose to play the drums because they are "cool", but she has trouble playing instruments which involve intricate finger movements. She is a childhood friend of Mio and will often tease her whenever she is cowering from something. Her surname is taken from former P-Model drummer Sadatoshi Tainaka.

Tsumugi Kotobuki (琴吹 紬, Kotobuki Tsumugi)

Voiced by: Minako Kotobuki

Tsumugi, often called Mugi by her friends, is a wealthy girl with a gentle personality who plays a Korg Triton Extreme 88 Key keyboard in the light music club. She has played piano since she was four-years-old, and has experience in winning piano contests. She is the daughter of a company president, and her family has several villas in various places around Japan. When Yui goes to buy her guitar, Tsumugi is successfully able to drive down the price. The reason she gives for her success is that her father's keiretsu just happens to own the store. She often brings confectionery to the club room, along with a tea set which is kept in the room. She is entranced by the sight of two girls together, and will sometimes imagine something more risqué in her head. She originally intends to join the choir club, but joins the light music club after receiving an invitation and encouragement from Mio and Ritsu. Her surname is taken from former P-Model keyboardist Hikaru Kotobuki.

Sawako Yamanaka (山中 さわ子, Yamanaka Sawako)

Voiced by: Asami Sanada

Sawako is the adviser for the wind instrument club at Yui's school. An alumni of the school and a former member in the light music club, she does not want people to know she wanted to be in a heavy metal band. She is forced to be the adviser of the light music club, as Ritsu blackmails her after the girls learn of her past, though it is unknown whether she stopped being the adviser for the wind instrument club as well. Though she has a mature and gentle image in the school, Sawako (affectionately addressed as "Sawa-chan" by Ritsu and Yui) displays a totally different, entirely authentic character when she is alone with the light music club. Otherwise, she is a rather lazy and irresponsible teacher who enjoys dressing up the light music club in cosplay costumes, much to the dislike of Mio. Her surname is taken from Sawao Yamanaka, the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for The Pillows.

Nodoka Manabe (真鍋 和, Manabe Nodoka)

Voiced by: Chie Tōdō

Nodoka is Yui's childhood friend and she is a member of the student council. She shares the same class as Mio in their second year, who appreciates her companionship tremendously. Her surname is taken from Yoshiaki Manabe, lead guitarist for The Pillows.

Ui Hirasawa (平沢 憂, Hirasawa Ui)

Voiced by: Madoka Yonezawa

Ui is Yui's younger sister who enters her high school. Unlike her sister, she is a more polite person and handles household chores easily. She has an extreme talent for playing the guitar, and became capable of playing with the rest of the light music club band after only a few days of practice. Like Yui, her surname is taken from Susumu Hirasawa.

Azusa Nakano (中野 梓, Nakano Azusa)

Azusa is a new student who joins the light music club, a self-proclaimed novice guitarist who has been playing the guitar since the fourth grade and whose parents are working in a jazz band. She often finds herself bewildered by the tea parties and cosplaying aspects of the club, when she would rather just practice, although she also has a weakness for cakes. She could be described in part as a tsundere. Her surname is taken from Teruo Nakano, formerly of P-Model.

Media

Manga

K-On! began as a four-panel comic-strip manga written and illustrated by Kakifly. The manga started serialization in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara manga magazine in the May 2007 issue sold on April 9, 2007. The manga has also appeared as a guest bimonthly serialization in Manga Time Kirara's sister magazine Manga Time Kirara Carat starting with the October 2008 issue sold on August 28, 2008. The first bound volume was released on April 26, 2008, and the second followed on February 26, 2009.

Anime

See also: List of K-On! episodes

An anime adaptation directed by Shoko Yamada and produced by Kyoto Animation began airing on April 3, 2009 on TBS and BS-i in Japan. The opening theme is "Cagayake! Girls" by Aki Toyosaki with Yōko Hikasa, Satomi Satō and Minako Kotobuki. The ending theme is "Don't say 'lazy'" by Hikasa with Toyosaki, Satō and Kotobuki.

External links

• Anime official website Template:Ja icon
• K-On! (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia