I initially dismissed K-ON! 2.0 because my gut always tells me to be cautious with KyoAni shows that involve music. But after the disappointment of Denpa Kyoushi, and the positive reviews of others, I gave it a shot and was pleasantly surprised to find that not only was it of sound (hue) production value, but it took me back to my band days in elementary school.
Once again, I forgot to save screenshots, so borrowing from RandomC. You know, full disclosure.
It’s a show about students in a high school band, but unlike the informality of K-ON! where you just play for fun, they’re AIMING FOR NATIONALS, which judging from the OP and endless number of characters on screen, means we’re going to get the Saki Experience, complete with an older sister who got her into playing. Not a bad thing, but there were so many characters to keep track of with Saki that it got to be overwhelming after awhile.
But the band experience is probably the highlight here. I was a baritone player in elementary school, and after that got too heavy to bother with I played trumpet for a year or two. We never got beyond playing at school functions and maybe the mall once, and I stopped after I ended up in a school that did not have a band and lost interest. I sort of wish I kept playing, because jazz is one of my favorite genres which lends well to the bass section.
The Oumae/Kousaka dynamic is probably the strongest suit so far, producing both serious moments, and Oumae faces that are amusing as anything to witness. But the discussion seems to come with Taki’s teaching methods. Frankly, I agree with them, because if you’re aiming for a competition, you should be doing your best, and sadly this even applies to project management as a whole. Leading people sucks, especially when many of them just don’t care. But anything worth doing is worth doing right.
After the last KyoAni show I was pleasantly surprised to enjoy, I think this one may pan out for the best.
But an Asuka is fine too.
