600https://i.ur.com/H9QoQgm.png Spoilerfree review of season 1 Review in brief: KOns 1st season cemented much of what are now seen as the quintessential elements of the CGDCT subgenre. Rather than bring anything new to the table KOn distilled what had already been done into something thats easy to relate to without sacrificing much in the way of characterization comedy and plain old fun. Review in full: KOn like most of what is found in the CGDCT Cute Girls Doing Cute Things subgenre isnt really about anything. Sure theres themes that are lightly touched on and sometimes they play music but the story isnt the main point. KOn is far from the first CGDCT anime to come about and was hardly an innovator in its field. That distinction is generally given to Azumanga Daioh whose blend of loose often to the point of being surreal comedy and iyashikei healing undertones set a precedent that has largely remained followed since it started as a manga 20 years ago. Aside from being much less surreal KOns style is fairly standard even for its time much more so these days when its been done multiple times per season for years. Yet KOn is a much beloved anime and a worthwhile entry point into its subgenre to this day. This season may not stand out against many of its peers but it provides a lighthearted friendly experience and it does this especially consistently. KOn not having much of a focal point actually plays to its benefit as it allows the anime to take full advantage of its simplicity. Sure it lacks the narrative depth youd expect from something more focused on its plot but KOn isnt as shallow as it looks and goes as deep as it needs to for it to provide an allaround fun time. https://i.ur.com/sOEtOmq.gif What Yui imagines the Keionbu is like before joining. Add some friends and replace the castanets with tea and its not that far off. Rather than try and compose anything poignant or grandiose KOn simply tries to bring about a smile through its calming normalcy and general goofiness. It does a splendid job of capturing the air of an afterschool club with close friends often subject to goofing off and enjoying each others company rather than focus on just the club activity which while a shared interest is but a single facet in the relationships of its members. Virtually anyone who has been part of a close group of friends can relate to it and those who havent can easily get an understanding of what would make such an arrangement a fun and worthwhile venture. Since weve established that the cute things being done arent the important part its the cute girls that are the main appeal. Of course theyre visually cute but this isnt an ecchi title and the resulting innocent nature of the anime is part of the charm. No its the selection of cute personalities playing off each other thats important. The quirky but rarely overthetop bunch of goofballs in KOn definitely get the job done. Sure theyre initially defined by a handful of personality traits but most of the cast supplement each others quirks over the course of the season allowing them to flesh out quite nicely and even lightly develop. For instance Mio has stage fright and doesnt like costumes but theres some costumes she dislikes more than others and the difference between performing for her friends versus the whole school is clear. From there KOn builds on those traits by having her become accustomed to the outfits that she dislikes less and find reasons to slowly embrace her creative side and worry less about sharing it. Its not a big development and its been done countless times but the slight drama that brings it to light and the subtle shift in how the comedy plays off of these developed traits goes a long way in keeping the humor from getting stale and making the moeblobs the show starts with into a fairly convincing group of friends. https://i.ur.com/mHjQSVX.gif https://i.ur.com/9fAdBSy.gif Sometimes season 1 looks really nice but there were definitely some corners cut. Speaking of moeblobs they come up visually quite often in season 1. KOn wasnt the KyoAni goldmine its known as today until after the anime was airing. While KyoAni didnt give KOns visuals the same effort as their more serious prior works such as their Key adaptations they still put more into it than the standard CGDCT usually receives even now. On those infrequent occasions the characters actually perform or otherwise take their club seriously KOn features some nice animation. These moments are rather smooth lively and feature enough intricate detail for nice touches like the music being played and the animation for the girls playing instruments lining up just about perfectly. On the other side of the coin comedy moments often heavily simplify visual details and have much less animation especially when it comes to the girls and their faces. At least the framing and background art are always of a high quality to make up for those scenes when they occur. Fortunately the sound quality is more consistent than both the animation quality and the Keionbus focus on music. Sure the performed music is mostly Jpop but its noticeably spirited and sounds like the sort of thing a bunch of highschool girls would come up with save for the ED which appears much more professional as if to show the clubs potential. The background music is light simple and less poppy but it fits the setting contrasts the performances well and is quite varied overall. However the voicework Japanese dub is where KOns audio truly shines. The girls all receive expressive distinct wideranging voices that fit them like gloves. It makes them feel so much more alive that KOn simply would not be the same without its voices. Verdict: Like most CGDCT anime KOns 1st season is simple and largely uneventful. All it wants the viewer to do is have some fun and enough of an effort is put into delivering relatable organic fun for it to accomplish that consistently. Its that consistency that makes this season a good entry point into CGDCT because youll definitely know what it is by the last episode and can easily make a judgment as to whether its for you or not from there. This season isnt particularly memorable but for what it is theres little to fault it for and consistent lighthearted fun has its value. Related reviews: KOn: Live Househttps://anilist.co/review/4372 KOn Season 2https://anilist.co/review/5798