Michael is Low on Hit Points
Slice of Life is the genre that can't seem to go wrong for me, and K-ON! and Hyakko are no exceptions
- Posted April 15th, 2009 at 11:10 PM ET
- Subjects K-ON!, Hyakko
- Tags impressions, first look
- Image sources
1- K-ON! [unknown]
2- Akiyama Mio [unknown] - Video searches
none
I love K-On!, but I knew I'd love the series even before it began. Not because it's an adaptation by Kyoto Animation... though that certainly helps. I knew I'd be hooked from day one simply because it falls under the category of slice of life. The same reasoning lies behind why I can't get enough of a flawed show such as Hyakko.
Call it simply getting older. In the so-called "real world," life is a bitch. OK, it isn't really that bad. But after 8 hours of soul crushing work everyday, I tend to want something relaxing. I'd like to escape to a world of fun and games, of silly everyday moments removed from the daily grind of a working life.
I have yet to meet a slice of life show I didn't like; even the ones I knew to have issues. Someday's Dreamers (season 1) had a great concept unfortunately paired with shoddy execution. And yet I just felt good watching it. Same with Lucky Star, where a horde of issues didn't stop me from missing it once it was gone. God bless that OVA.
That brings me first to Hyakko, which I just recently picked up. After a lackluster first episode, the show levels off somewhere around acceptable. For me -- in this genre -- that means I love it far more than I should. It will never hold a candle to the greats of the genre, but that doesn't matter to me at all. I'm enjoying the group's cute little antics all the same.
On the other hand, K-On! doesn't need that crutch to stand on; the show is good on its own merits. I've seen bloggers knock it for "moe overload." No shit, geniuses. What did you expect? Atlas Shrugged!?
You want something potentially deeper: stick to Eden of the East, which looks great already after only one episode. Though the Eden OP catch-phrase "noblese oblige" is the polar opposite of Ayn Rand... I've digressed.
Back on topic, K-On! is exactly what you expect it to be. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less. If it's not your cup of tea, then maybe this isn't your genre. That's too harsh. Let's just say K-On! is slice of life goodness, and if the thought of having a clumsy lead isn't heresy to you, then you're sure to enjoy it too.
Worst case scenario, you'll at least fall for Mio. I mean, you've seen that awesome ED, right?
1 ghostlightning
>>On the other hand, K-On! doesn't need that crutch to stand on; the show is good on its own merits. I've seen bloggers knock it for "moe overload." No shit, geniuses. What did you expect? Atlas Shrugged!?
LOL YEAH. The first ep did very little for me, but the second ep I was able to calibrate my expectations and I got my cute moe fluff fix just fine.
2 Baka-Raptor
I bet I could write a really crappy slice-of-life anime.
Re Michael is LoHP
@ ghostlightning
I find that slice of life shows usually get better the further you get into them. Once you warm up to the characters, the show has you. Sometimes that happens in the first episode; sometimes it takes longer.
@ Baka-Raptor
And I bet I'd eat it up, too. Though, your blog is usually hilarious, so you'd probably screw up and write a good slice of life anime!
3 super rats
I like these fantasy mundane shows for reasons similar to paragraph 2.
4 Glo the Legend
That ED is awesome. This show is awesome. I also like slice of life, although unlike you, I don't know why, because I'll always start a show and think, "This is a boring piece of crap." But then somewhere along the line I end up loving each series.
5 Seantaku
Nice blog. I saw one of your posts on another site I decided to visit.
I'm really digging K-ON so far. Mio is definitely my favorite as of now so I enjoyed the pictures.
Glad this was the first post I read because I just wrote something similar last night after finishing Toradora. Slice of Life is definitely my favorite genre.
>>>But after 8 hours of soul crushing work everyday, I tend to want something relaxing. I'd like to escape to a world of fun and games, of silly everyday moments removed from the daily grind of a working life.
Exactly!! I couldn't agree more.
Keep up the good work! I'll definitely be visiting from now on.
Re Michael is LoHP
@ super rats
I figured someone would back me up on that point or some similar line of reasoning. When people use the word "escapism," I feel that's a bit too negative. Sometimes I just need to relax after a rough day. Either that or wind down right before going to sleep.
@ Glo the Legend
I think that might be you warming up to the characters and environment as the show progresses?
These shows tend to grow on me, to the point that no matter what I originally thought of them, I don't want them to go away once they're over. I would imagine that they slowly grow on other people too... well, maybe not to the point that they couldn't give it up. That's my own oddity, I would guess.
@ Seantaku
For pictures of Mio, danbooru is full of good ones. Of course, that's an anything goes imageboard, so you'll have to weed through a whole crap load of smut to get to the good, clean art. Obviously, people's mileage will vary on that one.
Hopefully, I can write good posts to keep you and everyone else interested! And of course, thank you for the kind words.
6 Omisyth
Sorry for expecting something fresh and exciting from K-ON! Ha, I'm kidding I knew the show was going to be MOE but that didn't stop me from watching it and (kind of) liking it. Each season needs more Eden of the East though.
7 ETERNAL
Well said. I'm not the least bit ashamed about liking K-ON, and while the slice-of-life genre is really hit or miss for me, this one's definitely a hit.
Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go improve my Mio picture collection...
Re Michael is LoHP
@ Omisyth
I can see people going in with a desire for something a bit different. That's understandable. But when people end up getting moe, I think that should be the obvious result not warranting such blow-back. Funny enough, I bet 9 out of 10 people who complained are still watching it.
And yes, every season needs more anime like Eden of the East. They don't all have to be that way, but at least one a season would be nice.
@ ETERNAL
Damn straight! K-On! is moe goodness and I sure as hell am not ashamed to love every cute, moe, silly, clumsy, goofy, fanservice-of-the-non-pervy-kind thing they do.