K-ON!! - Episode 24

I'm not sure whether I've been looking forward to this moment for the past few weeks or dreading it utterly - probably a mixture of the two - but finally here we are at the day of graduation for four out of five members of the light music club. This might not quite be the end of K-ON!! as a series, but it's certainly the end of an era.

Of course, whether you're beginning or ending an era you can pretty much guarantee Yui to be late for it, and so naturally she ends up causing the other girls to almost show up late for their own graduation, before a hole in her tights causes further chaos. Not that she's the only accident prone person on the day, with a preoccupied Azusa walking into a wall....

As if showing up late wasn't enough, Yui also causes all sorts of worries for Sawako during the graduation ceremony itself as she hides (unbeknown to Sawako) a gift for their form teacher under her jacket throughout - cue a hilarious bit of Chinese whispers, as Mio tries to warn Yui that she's acting suspiciously.


With the grauduation ceremony itself out of the way and Sawako's gift handed out, we get to the moment we've all being waiting for and simultaneously dreading... the big goodbye. After building up to it all episode we end up with poor Azusa in tears and in desperate need of a hug, although you could argue that what she gets is even better as the other girls unveil and perform a song that they'd written just for her (and for KyoAni to make money from another insert single, but let's not ruin the mood). Awwww.....

After the incredibly moving final live performance which was episode twenty, this instalment actually proved to be a little less emotionally charged for me, perhaps because I knew what was coming and had already mentally prepared for it (although I have to confess my eyes were just a little damp once Azusa's waterworks started). While this second season of K-ON has almost transcended its simple slice of life comedy roots towards something deeper and more emotionally attached to its viewers, it was actually really nice to see that it hadn't entirely forgotten its comic roots, slipping in a few funny moments before getting in to all the sentimental stuff. Thankfully, and perhaps also easing the emotional charge of this episode, we aren't done quite yet as there are still a couple of episodes to go before K-ON!! really does end entirely, with at least one of these instalments looking set to focus on what Azusa does next. I guess that means I don't have to worry about getting withdrawal symptoms from this shows disappearance just yet then.