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. A thirteen-episode anime adaptation produced by Kyoto Animation aired in Japan between April and June 2009. An additional original video animation episode was released in January 2010. A second season, titled K-On!! (with two exclamation marks), began airing in Japan from April 7, 2010 . The title of the series comes from the Japanese word for light music, keiongaku (軽音楽?), but in the Japanese context is similar to 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, the main character, has no experience playing musical instruments or reading sheet music. Eventually, she learns how to be an excellent guitar player. The rest of the club helps her to buy a guitar, and they perform successfully at the school festival.
Music
The first season anime's 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. The opening and ending theme singles were released on April 22, 2009 by Pony Canyon. A single containing the insert song "Fuwa Fuwa Time" (ふわふわ時間, Light and Fluffy Time?) used in episode six was released on May 20, 2009. A series of five character song singles have been released containing songs sung by the voice actresses of the five main characters. The singles for Yui (by Toyosaki) and Mio (by Hikasa) were released on June 17, 2009, and the singles for Ritsu (by Satō) and Tsumugi (by Kotobuki) were delayed and released together with the single for Azusa (by Ayana Taketatsu) on August 26, 2009. The singles for Ui Hirasawa (by Madoka Yonezawa) and Nodoka Manabe (by Chika Fujitō) were released on October 21, 2009. The anime's original soundtrack, largely composed by Hajime Hyakkoku, was released on June 3, 2009. The four songs highlighted in episode eight of the anime were released on the mini album Hōkago Tea Time (放課後ティータイム, After School Tea Time?) on July 22, 2009. The single by Sawako's band Death Devil was released on August 12, 2009.
The second season anime's opening theme is "Go! Go! Maniac" and the ending theme is "Listen!!"; both songs are sung by Toyosaki, Hikasa, Satō, Kotobuki, and Taketatsu. The singles containing the songs were released on April 28, 2010 by Pony Canyon.
Source: Wikipedia
