K-ON!! 19

Walking through the school grounds bustling with visitors and students that enjoy the many stands and activities, Azusa and Jun head back to their class from a quick trip to the convenience store.

With the entire class an eclectic buzz of girls frantically working to finish last minute tasks before the play starts, a visibly nervous Mio is distraught when she forgets some of her lines.

Trying to calm Mio down, Yui and Ritsu too get swept up in the tension too, while Chika runs off to check on the costumes that Sawako was making and Tsumugi rushing in missing props. Observing the hectic scene from the open door, Azusa decides not to bother her upperclassmen.

Taking a break, Azusa, Ui and Jun overhear other students speak of all the cute costumes designed by Sawako, wondering what the teacher has gotten herself into. Nodoka seems to think the same when an exhausted Sawako drops off the costumes for the play.

Enthusiastic about finally bringing their play before an audience, the entire class psyche themselves up, though Ritsu needs to straighten out Mio, whose nerves are a wreck. Heading to the last few empty seats Sawako held for them, Azusa, Ui and Jun are amazed at the gathered crowd and as the play starts are soon impressed by their upperclassmen’s good performance.

Bringing a convincing portrayal of Romeo and Juliet, Mio and Ritsu seem to woo the crowd.
As the play progresses well on stage, panic erupts backstage when the tombstone prop for the final climactic scene is missing!

Remembering the occult club has a similar prop, Shizuka heads out with Tsumugi, making it back just in time with a borrowed tombstone like prop. Thanks to this, the final scene of the play goes off without a hitch and the class receives loud applause.

Glad her upperclassmen had success with their play, Azusa nonetheless laments the fact they didn’t come to the music room to practice, fearing they do not care about the club’s live performance. Reassuring the cute guitar player that their hearts are still set on the light music club, the girls propose to stay at school overnight and pull an all-nighter.

Rehearsing for many hours, the girls enjoy some onigiri prepared by Ui followed by a late night walk through the school grounds before they tuck in, dead tired from the long, eventful day.

Thoughts on this episode~

O Azunyan, Azunyan! Wherefore art thou Azunyan? See, how she leans her cheek upon Yui’s hand! This bud of love, by school festival’s ripening breath, may prove a beauteous flower when next episode we see.
ごめんなさいシェイクスピアさん、でも梓と唯は本当にかわいいですからね。

After the previous episode did prey on those viewers with a penchant for yuri with its shoujo-ai undertones by emphasizing on the tight bond between Mio and Ritsu, this week’s episode not only continued to showcase the closeness between the two childhood friends but it also showed us Yui’s tight bond with Azusa.

Where the first part of this season often emphasized how Azusa’s mood is overshadowed by the fear of being left behind alone after her upperclassmen graduate, this has changed somewhat. Azusa has grown closer to the others, no longer mere fellow club members but friends, which is often shown in small details.

Although Yui’s closeness to Azusa through skinship and teasing the twin tailed girl may often seem to meet with Azusa’s cold response of dryly brushing it off, the fact the twin tailed girl lies awake looking at Yui’s sleeping face, no doubt relishing in the joyous days she’s experiencing at the music club, do show she’s come to care for them all and the antics they go through togethe.

While the play was featured in a large part of the episode, it was much like music in “K-ON!!”, a significant part but not the defining factor. What all happened involving the play, the rehearsals, prop and costuming, the whole class enjoying their hard work on it together, played an equally if not more important role.

A shame we didn’t see that much of Nodoka, though did like that Tachibana Himeko had a short scene with lines, want to see more of these two girls in the show!