Who wants a sticker?

I've been quite enthusiastic about K-ON!! lately. Every episode since 13 has been good, and I was especially hyped after last week's enjoyable offering. Sadly, this week I was in for a disappointment. While the latest episode wasn't necessarily bad, I didn't enjoy it all that much. Sure, it had some really cute moments in it, but I feel that the plot was far too repetitive. It relied all too much on the cuteness, eschewing any meaningful plot or character development.  The end result was an episode that was a bit disappointing. Don't get me wrong, it wasn't exactly bad... but it wasn't very good either.

Read more after the jump.

This won't end well.

This episode's plot mainly consists of Azusa repeatedly heading to the music room, where she encounters various other HTT members and tries to convince them to get serious and start practicing. First we see her find Mugi, who has fallen asleep behind the piano, and the two actually interact for once. This was definitely a rare sight, since these two have barely even acknowledged one another up until this point. Next Azusa finds Mio changing her guitar strings. These two girls then head over to Ritsu's home to eat. Finally, she encounters Yui, and helps her then clean out their turtle's aquarium. And with that, the episode ends. Not all that much in the way of plot, eh?

CUTENESS... OVERLOAD...

The episode was iffy. It wasn't at all bad, but it wasn't as good as I was hoping. My main problem was with how repetitive it is. It focuses mainly on Azusa's interaction with the other girls. She walks to the clubroom, determined to try and make the girls practice, then meets somebody and gets sidetracked. Rinse and repeat. They tried to break up the monotony by having Azusa visit Ritsu at home instead of the music room, but the difference was superficial. It would have been nice to see a bit more interaction between the girls, although it wasn't all bad. Seeing Mugi and Azusa together was enjoyable, since the two rarely speak at all. Similarly, the scenes with Ritsu were pretty funny. However, I had problems with the other two. Mio and Azusa barely speak to each other at all; instead we just watch Mio change her guitar strings. As for Yui and Azusa, they do nothing but clean out the aquarium. Couldn't they have added some dialogue to these scenes?

Are you happy yet, Azusa? Are you satisfied?!

But of course, this episode was still very entertaining. The jokes were hilarious, and they got the cute parts nailed. While I have some gripes with some of the more repetitive scenes, the episode as a whole still holds up pretty well. I liked seeing Azusa in the spotlight again, since we get to see her interact with the other major characters this time around. It feels a lot more enjoyable than just ogling her in a swimsuit.

Although this was a good episode, I think it could've been better. The repetition in the plot was the main flaw, and dragged the whole thing down. But, as usual, it was enjoyable to watch and won't leave you disappointed in the end. K-ON!! has been doing well these past few weeks, so lets hope that they can manage to keep this pace up for the future.

So thirsty... need milk tea...

After a rather awesome episode of K-ON!! last week, I honestly wasn't sure what to expect this time. Would I be bored out of my skull with some more eye candy filler similar to episode 13, or would this show manage to maintain it's wit and humor? Thankfully, this week's episode wasn't a disappointment; it was just as good--if not better--than last week's. The comedy was entertaining, the story solid and the characters as enjoyable as ever.

Read more after the jump!

It's all... jiggly...

We begin with the members of the HTT having returned from their summer vacation and starting the next semester. Before they can play in the annual student concert, they must run in a marathon that their school is holding. The entire episode basically shows the girls attempting to finish the marathon. However, what should be a relatively simple athletic event quickly spirals out of control, thanks to none other than our favorite klutz Yui. Just as the marathon is almost over, Yui suddenly vanishes, and the girls then have to backtrack in an attempt to find her. It turns out she tripped and hurt her leg, then wound up drinking tea at her elderly neighbor's house. After this odd detour, the girls finally finish the marathon in last place.

Sweet victory!

The best part of this episode is seeing the girls do something athletic, instead of lazing around like they usually do. This is a welcome change of pace, especially considering how monotonous the first season was. The great comedy also adds to the fun, as the jokes are just as funny and entertaining as those from the last episode. The ending was especially hilarous and had made me burst out laughing. There's really not much to complain about here; the characters' interactions are as funny as ever, there's barely any filler and the story moves at a pretty good pace throughout the entire episode. Of course, Azusa could have had a little more screentime... but aside from that minor flaw, this episode was great. I'm sure it will please all the K-ON!! fans immensely.

Don't look now, Ricchan, but there are overweight otaku watching us!

All in all, this was a superb episode, and in my opinion just as entertaining as last week's offering. The only thing I'm pondering now is whether the next episode will be as good, better, or just turn into a flop. Judging from the last two episodes, I doubt we're in for any major disappointments, but there's always the possibility of the next one turning into more pointless eye-candy.

One night. One place. 300 people, some of whom WILL be cross dressers. Sound exciting? Yes, our favorite brigade leader will be in Los Angeles on the 24th of June, starring on the big screen for one night only. The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya, the recent feature length film from Kyoto-animation and Kadokawa, will be making a short and un-dubbed debut in the Laemmel Sunset 5 cinema in L.A.

Thats fantastic for the people in L.A, but what about the rest of us? Sure there some of us are closer to the west coast then others (*glares* @ Ritsu), but I am in a completely different country, let alone hemisphere. Where is that DVD release, Kadokawa? Hmm?

For those of you who are lucky enough to grab some tickets, be sure to drop us a line or something. It would be interesting to hear what sitting through a movie will be like whilst in the seat next to you there is a 6'5" man dressed as a Japanese school girl.

--Via ANN

Hey, guess what's back! Ritsu, Shamisen and I finally got enough free time to put together another Bakacast. And...uh...this one is a bit of a doozy.

As always, you can download the episode directly, subscribe to the RSS feed or follow us on iTunes.

We start out easy with a short discussion on the possibility of J-Rock bands making their way to Rock Band before launching into a much more involved (and tangential) look at some recent poll results about Cool Japan. Oh, and I guess there's something about a new Kyoto Animation series.

For the reviews segment, we wonder what the hell is up with Project A-Ko; and if you've read Ritsu's post on the subject, you'll have a good idea of where that conversation goes (he totally stole my Commando comparison). Also, we weigh in on the merits of K-ON!

Cover of Nichijou volume 1

Yeah, I've never heard of it either. Apparently it's something of a mix between Azumanga Diaoh and Cromartie High School, featuring moeblob characters, slapstick comedy and random bouts of deer wrestling. Sounds like this series is right up Kyoani's alley.

The announcement in Shonen Ace.

Could this be the next Lucky Star?

[Via ANN]

Is there any anime studio more polarizing than Kyoto Animation? Ever since their meteoric rise to fame with the 2006 hit series The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,  KyoAni has been both adored and reviled by the fandom. Now we want to know what you, dear readers, think about their work. Do you have a favorite KyoAni series, or do you loathe everything they've done? Perhaps you simply don't care?

Let us know by voting in the poll below, then head over to our forums for more detailed discussion!

Crunchyroll, the subscription-based anime streaming site, just announced that they've acquired the online streaming and digital distribution rights to all of the Haruhi series. This includes The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya seasons 1 and 2, as well as the webseries Melancholy of Haruhi-chan Suzumiya and Nyoron Churuya-san. It does NOT, however, include the Disappearance film. These shows will soon be available for free to everybody in America, the British Isles, Scandanavia and the Middle East (but not Australia). However, in order to see the ad-free HD-quality streams, you have to subscribe to their Anime Membership service for $6.95 a month. Personally, I don't think subscribing is worth it. Although I admire what Crunchyroll is trying to do, I'm also frustrated by the crappy quality of their video streams. For example, when I tried to watch Heroman, the HD stream looked so bad that the show was nigh-unwatchable. I think I'll stick with my trusty Haruhi DVDs for the time being.

GO! GO! MANIAC

Listen!!

The singles of these songs will be released on April 28th by Pony Canyon.

I initially didn't like the "Go! Go! Maniac" very much, but I think it's starting to grow on me. It has a very infectious beat, like that damned Love Hina theme that always gets stuck in your head. As for "Listen!!", I feel it's kinda generic; definitely not as good as "Don't Say Lazy", but not all that bad either. Let's hope the rest of K-ON!!'s music is a bit more memorable.

Anyhoo, the buzz on Twitter seems to indicate the K-ON!! premier was a huge success. This will no doubt come as a relief to many otaku who have been nervous about Kyoani since last year's Endless Eight debacle. Fortunately, it seems disaster has been averted... at least for now...

We've got a new poll! Let us know which K-ON! girl is your favorite by voting below or on our polls page. You can also head to our forums to discuss the series in more detail. Be warned, however... I can't guarantee any of your safety if Ritsu doesn't win.

Heh heh heh, I'm just kidding.... OR AM I!?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

HOORAY!
The second season of everybody's favorite moeblob slice-of-life anime premiers this week.  Since about half of our staff loves K-ON!! and half utterly loath it, I'd say this is going to be an interesting spring season here on Project Haruhi. Personally, I'm looking forward to this show; the first season was a lighthearted and enjoyable (if shallow) offering, and there's no reason to suspect the second season will be any different. How about you, dear readers? Are you excited... or are you planning on hiding in your moe-proof bunkers until this storm blows over?

Incidentally, if you're so inclined, you can follow the REAL Ritsu on Twitter. She'll be keeping us up-to-date on the latest K-ON!! news, merchandise and fanart... provided she remembers tweet regularly. I'll remind Mio to crack the whip on poor Ricchan. Also, a more in-depth discussion of K-ON!! can be found on our forums.