The K-ONERS continue to study for the up-coming summer class, but Ritsu would rather spend her last day hanging out with Mio. Since Mio ditched her booty-call attempt, Ritsu and Mugi meet up by chance and decide to have a girls’ night day out. As expected, Mugi is excited by Ritsu’s daily life, including her arcade crane game skills and extremely cheap candy. At their final destination, Mugi confessed that she would rather get smacked across the face because she saw Tom and Jerry do it and decided this is how Americans express their love. Ritsu agreed, so Operation Get-Smacked commenced the next day.

Ritsu explains to Mugi that in order to get smacked the fast and easy way, she should do something annoying, like wearing an outfit that makes her look fat, use a thesaurus to impress editorial bloggers, and D-BLOCK Mio’s strawberry (not her cherry, though. That’s different). Long story short, Mugi compliments Ritsu’s boyish manner and thus gets whacked for it. Meanwhile, Yui starts feeling herself to remind everyone that she is the star of this show. The End.

Impressions:

Color me impressed with a Neopets’ Rainbow Paint Brush! KyoAni managed to hit another home run that would later hit a bunch of bowling pins, thus making a strike. A Home Run Strike! That’s like an oxymoron! *HIGH FIVES*. Back to more serious matters: After 13 (now 14) episodes of K-ON!!, there are no signs of low budget or intentionally cheap tricks. The K-ONERS continue to please the slice-of-lifers while adding the much needed comedy segments, which I must add are perfectly timed and even unexpected as well (didn’t know Yui would come back with that strawberry gag towards the end, haha!)

Now that the praise is over, let’s get something straight: Mugi did not want to hang out with Ritsu at all; She realized that if she hung out with Ristu, she was bound to receive more screen time, and it seems her plan worked perfectly. Mugi and Ritsu make a surprisingly good duo, even out-besting Mio this round, though I expect Mugi to warm the benches next episode. If she were active in every episode, she wouldn’t be the fat piggy we all know and love!

Speaking of piggies, Mugi definitely had the munchies in this episode. To be able to take a wiff of Mugi’s breath would be absolute Stank Beaver (in a good way)… It was also great seeing Mio put on her best Mel Gibson face. I never thought Mio would be the screaming, abusive type, but after that leaked audio tape, I guess it’s official… Hmm, what else? Oh yeah, Mio holding a giant Cheez-It in her hand. Best. Episode. Ever.

OP 2 Impressions:

Excellent OP! While GO GO Maniac was alright, it felt more like a rehash of the first season’s OP, especially with the sliding instruments and sliding still-framed characters (another oxymoron?). This time the animation felt fresh and original, not to mention very playful and cute. As always, I must mention some made-up inconsistencies: Does Yui have enough money to hire a stunt double? Perhaps her sister Ui decided to lend her a helping hand? Who knows (though, I’m pretty sure we’re all aware that Yui can most definitely hire a stunt double… what with all that money).

ED 2 Impressions:

Nitpick time! I’m still pissed at that “mic-conveniently-covering-the-mouth” section of the ED, but I can get over it since slow motion will always be cool in my book. There is also a segment where I did not like the contrast. Perhaps I’m just too picky, but dark hair on a black background is too disorienting for the viewer, especially when it occurs for a quick second. We later see Mio’s black hair against a white door, which of course is a more satisfying choice. Let’s ignore the possible themes/symbolism with that door and head to the most import part of all: Jay-Z. Here is Exhibit A and Exhibit B. Hey, I’ll even add Exhibit C! Is this a tribute or another case of swagger-jacking?

Despite my complaints, I’ve never been so pumped for an anime ED since “Don’t Say Lazy”. You gotta admit that most anime EDs are just still frames… Speaking of “DSL” (*BA DUM PSH*), I noticed an almost similar guitar tune/beat/tempo/whatever that plays in “No, Thank You!” and “DSL”. I’d make a youtube comparison of that tiny clip but I’m far too lazy.

Related posts:

1. K-ON!! 15
2. K-ON!! 07
3. The Twelve Days of Christmasu~ Day 9