K-On! Volume 1 by Kakifly // Manga Review
K-On! is a playful story of four high school girls who form a band. It's filled with humor, goofy antics and the determination of youth, but also caters to some unfortunate stereotypes.
When their high school's pop-music club is about to be disbanded due to lack of interest, four girls step up to fill the membership quota. Unfortunately, lead guitarist Yui Hirasawa has never played an instrument in her life. Ever. And although she likes the idea of being in a band, standing in front of the mirror posing with her guitar is a lot easier than actually playing it. It's gonna be a while before this motley crew is rocking out, but with their spunk and determination cranked to 11, anything is possible!
—K-On! by Kakifly, 2010 edition, published in the US by Yen Press, 128 pages
Yep, I’m reviewing a manga from 2008! The first volume of K-On! was published in the US in 2010, and I’ve probably had this book since around then. I have held on to some of my comics for such a long time, I begin to wonder if they still hold up or not. I’m happy to say that this one (mostly) does, even with some of its stereotypical 2000’s/early 2010’s moe pitfalls. More on this later.
K-On! is a comedic slice of life story about four high school girls who join a music club at their school and start a band. It’s funny, silly, and truly does bring me back to times when I’d stick around after class to mess around with friends. Through the goofiness, K-On! also manages to showcase the dreaminess and determination of youth, presenting a well-rounded comedy that is worthy of its many volumes and adaptions.
What I loved
As much as this book is about cute high school girls messing around, it also really is about kids getting into music. I think its best moments are when the girls are just messing around, learning new things about their instruments, their music, and each other. The main character, Yui, knows absolutely nothing about music before joining the band. I loved this moment on page 29 where she accidentally unplugs the amp before turning down the volume—something I definitely might have done, knowing zilch about music myself. Nothing more embarrassing than making an incredibly loud sound totally on accident.
I think this book is genuinely funny, with most of my favorite bits coming from Yui and her ignorance. She plays the classic ditz, but I do feel that Kakifly’s timing with Yui’s foolishness is pretty good. I particularly liked this one moment where she’s discussing midterms with her childhood friend Nodoka…oh, how I could relate. Unfortunately a lot of the jokes, especially in the latter half of the book, involve poking fun at various characters’ reactions to being put in compromising situations—these moments really cater to those moe stereotypes. Again, more on this later.
Overall, these girls are charming. I want to root for them. The story is compelling because you want to see them succeed as a group. A band is the perfect setup for this. Each member brings something different. Yui has her bright-eyed enthusiasm for the newness of guitar, bassist Mio and drummer Ritsu are old friends with an opposites-attract teasing dynamic that’s pretty fun throughout, and pianist Mugi has a polite sweetness (and rich girl mystique) that ties everything together.
I’m curious about…
the issue of moe stereotypes. There are moments where these really bite, especially with Yui, the main character, being a total typical anime girl ditz. Kakifly’s use of occasional sexy costumes, a bikini beach scene, and one very unfortunate panty shot on page 74 are a bit more dubious. As a former high-school girl, I am inclined to say that these moments don’t feel too gratuitous especially compared to other anime and manga from the time, but the bar is low. I don’t love it. The most unfortunate thing is that I think the book could certainly hold up with these moments written out, or softened to be less male-gazey. But K-On! is pretty genre-defining when people think of moe, so it’s to be expected.
Kakifly is a man (he was twenty-something at the time of writing K-On!, I believe) who is drawing these high school girls in a sexual way intended for other adult men to view. In thinking of the intended audience as creepy adult men, I do hate these moments, but in thinking of my teenage self as the audience, I don’t mind them as much…though I also understand that reinforcing these stereotypes to teenage girls isn’t exactly good either. K-On! is certainly a product of its time. These moments are something to be aware of if you want to read this and you’re not used to stereotypical anime hijinks, or if you’re just averse to that sort of thing.
I wonder formative this manga was for me as a kid. I was 12 years old when this book was originally published in the US. I’m sure the stereotypes seen in these early 2010’s stories had a negative effect on my squishy child brain and my fragile tween self-esteem, but I also think the fun and brightness of the story provided joy for me in challenging times. I suppose that’s nostalgia talking, but I also did genuinely enjoy this book as an adult—something that can’t be said for all of the questionable things I read and watched in my youth.
On a totally different note, I’m also curious about the 4-koma format. It’s fun how the beats of a joke play out in only four panels, and the consistency of the format is a bit addicting. It’s fun and easy to read a ton of them at once. I specifically love the flow of K-On! and how each group of panels builds toward the next storyline, with some occasional bigger panels to set scenes throughout.
I do know that some people find 4-koma to be monotonous, however. It’s interesting to compare this specific format to American comic strips that vary in length and number of panels, which perhaps makes them more engaging, but slower to digest (not that any 3-6 panel story is particularly challenging to get through).
Final takeaways
I think K-On! does hold up. I was surprised at how many stereotypical sexualized jokes there were, but I am also able to see past those things and appreciate the story’s bright parts. I absolutely love the dynamic that the girls have when they’re actually doing music-related activities, being funny, sweet, silly kids. I wonder about the later books which I haven’t read, or even the follow-up series—will the musical fun continue to unfold, or will the moe pitfalls dig deeper? Either way, it was fun to revisit this story from another decade, and spend time with these amusing teens and their pop-music club hijinks.
Recommended for…
People who know nothing about guitar
Modern manga historians
Fans of cakes and teatime
Longtime anime fans who can look past fanservice
Pairs well with…
The anime, obviously: K-On! (and its accompanying albums)
4-koma high school hijinks: Lucky Star by Kagami Yoshimizu
Japanese all-girl rock bands from the 2010’s: Stereopony
Math rock: World Tour by 3nd
Kakifly’s works are listed here. He doesn’t appear to be on social media at the time of this review’s publishing.
If you’ve read this book, or if you have any thoughts about my review, leave a comment and let me know.