K-On!

K-On! (Season 1): B+

K-On! (with one exclamation point, if it had two I would be referring to the second season) is a thirteen-episode slice of life series about the Light Music (meaning "pop music" really, and pronounced in Japanese keion) Club at Sakura All Girl's High School.

Being a slice of life series, there's not much in the way of plot, the series, like most slice of life series, is entirely character-driven, following the band throughout their high school life.  There's very little way to describe in words what makes it such a solid example of its genre, as it shares most of its strong points with the other well-known and popular examples: Azumanga Daioh, Lucky Star and Hidamari Sketch.

The first season (13 episodes) suffers from a relatively poor animation budget, especially visible in the animation of hands, though the second season (26 episodes) is greatly improved in that area.

Aside from the animation problems, the only reason K-On only gets a high B and not an A is that it lacks broad-strokes appeal.  While it is something of a comedy, the main joy of the show is simply in enjoying the girls being high school girls, which isn't exactly the sort of thing every viewer is going to be interested in; K-On is very thoroughly Seinen in its demographic appeal, and it shows.  That said, K-On will make you wish you were in a band with a bunch of your friends, or had been in high school.

Don't watch K-On if you're looking for action, special effects or plot.  Do watch K-On if the idea of just watching a bunch of girls go through high school appeals to you (especially if you can handle that the girls are all that we're here for).