K-ON!! 14

Busy studying for summer classes, Mio brushes Ritsu off when the drummer calls her up asking to hang out together. Disappointed, Ritsu soon spots Tsumugi down the street and decides to surprise the keyboard player.

Losing sight of Tsumugi, it’s Ritsu who actually gets startled by the blond girl who had already noticed her pursuer. Asking Tsumugi if she’d be interested in hanging out together, Ritsu is surprised by her friend’s enthusiasm.

Curious to visit places she wouldn’t usually go to, Tsumugi accompanies Ritsu to an arcade, in awe at the many games. Ritsu wins her a stuffed animal and the girls enjoy taking silly pictures at a photo booth.

Worried she spent most of her remaining money, Ritsu suggests they head to a candy store for some cheap sweets. Dazzled by the endless varieties of candy, Tsumugi has a terrific time sampling the many sweets they bought.

Relaxing over a refreshing drink at a burger restaurant, Ritsu tells Tsumugi how she ran out of money last month and started acting silly when Mio agreed to lend her some, prompting the bass player to hit her. Enthralled by the story, Tsumugi pleas with Ritsu to hit her as well.

Unsure what to think of this odd request, Ritsu hears her friend explain that she feels envious of the closeness Ritsu and Mio share, also expressed in how Mio hits Ritsu when she does something stupid.

Having fallen fast asleep while studying with Nodoka, Yui awakens after a psychedelic dream, wondering why her friend didn’t wake her.
Enjoying dessert together, Yui offers Nodoka a bite of her strawberry shortcake but is devastated when the bespectacled girl promptly eats the strawberry.

Shocked at this abnormal and unacceptable behavior, Yui even calls up Azusa to complain about what she sees as an earth shattering event, the twin tailed guitar player however is unsure what to think of it all.

Gathering for summer classes the next day, Mio feels uncomfortable for she’s the odd one out having worn her school uniform. Noticing Tsumugi wore socks unfitting for her dress and forgot to remove the tag, Mio makes a normal remark about, much to Tsumugi’s despair.

Wondering what’s up with Tsumugi, Ritsu realizes the keyboard player is trying to act silly in the hopes of getting a comeback much like Ritsu usually receives. Desperately trying to act silly to solicit such a comeback from Mio, Tsumugi grows desperate when her attempts fail.

After class the next day, the girls play a quick game to decide who will have the extra slice of strawberry cake but regardless of her efforts to loose, Tsumugi wins. Remembering Mio’s story, the blond girl quickly snatches away the bass player’s strawberry but instead of getting hit in retaliation by Mio, she sees her dear friend burst into tears.

Heading home, Ritsu apologizes for having been unable to help. When Tsumugi tells Ritsu that she’d be really popular if she were male due to her thoughtfulness and care, the embarrassed drummer hits her friend in retaliation and Tsumugi sees her dream fulfilled.

Thoughts on this episode~

After last week’s episode centered on Azusa, this week the focus is on Tsumugi and Ritsu, a welcome change as these two characters usually see most of their character exploration indirectly through interaction with the other girls.

It also illustrates that Tsumugi and Ritsu definitely could use more screentime in regular episodes as they are both not only adorably cute, but rather whole characters. Especially Ritsu who often seems underrated is by far one of the most complete and realistic characters in the series.

This halfway mark also introduces a new opening and ending to the show, the new opening song “Utauyo!! Miracle” is akin to “Go! Go! Maniac” but is a more catchy upbeat and happy song. It features scenes of the light music club girls goofing off together or performing in front of their class. Striking to see that in this new opening, Kyoto Animation includes the girls’ classmates more prominently than before.

Loved the new ending animation sequence and its accompanying song “No, Thank You!”, while both visually and musically different from the previous closing theme “Listen!!”, the alternative visual style was a real feast for the eyes and showcased the girls in lovely fashionable outfits. From the first time I heard it, instantly liked it more than the also excellent “Don’t say Lazy” and “Listen!!”.

Is it because the series is currently airing and we’re used to hearing the typical “K-ON!!” pop melodies or simply because these new songs may just be better, but when hearing the new opening and ending tunes, they felt familiar and caught on with me right away, not unlike “Go! Go! Maniac” which took some getting used to.

Looking forward to next week!