This is a translation of a Toyosaki Aki and Taketatsu Ayana interview from Animedia Dec 2011. The dynamic duo behind YuiAzu really shine in the K-ON! Movie, and quite frankly, I can’t get enough! Get the latest scoop and some insight and impressions on the movie from Yui and Azunyan after the break!

Before the Group Reading, 5 People’s Worries…

In the K-ON! Movie, the 5 members of the Light Music Club travel to London. What was your reaction upon hearing “They’re going overseas”?

Toyosaki Aki: Like a parent, I first wondered, “Will they really be OK?”. For these light and fluffy girls, I was indeed worried about whether they’d be able to travel overseas by themselves.
Taketatsu Ayana: I was also surprised! “They’re gonna get flung across the border? Though they’re still high school students? www”  At the beginning I figured Sawako-sensei would go along with them, but then I learned that there would be only 5 of us at the group reading. I was a bit nervous about the danger of them going to such a faraway place.

Exactly what made you two so uneasy about it?

Aki: Yui seems pretty bad at English, so I wondered if she’d be able to communicate at all, or even get on an airplane properly. And as for Mio, who’s quite the scaredy-cat, if she were to encounter a foreigner, panic, and run away, what would happen? Stuff like that…
Ayana: I was also worried about their English. If, for example, someone got sick, how would they get to a hospital? Or if someone dropped their passport, a bag were stolen, or even if their plane crash-landed or something.

Mentally exhausting huh! How was it when actually doing the group reading?

Aki: Our fears quickly flew away! I’m just speaking on behalf of us, but our goal became to make the most interesting movie we could. And though it’s a movie, we really aimed to infuse it with the cute and relaxing feeling that defines K-ON!. We wanted to make something that even our long-standing fans could watch without hesitation, I’d say.
Ayana: Some of the planned developments really gave a “This is K-ON!, this is how it should be” vibe, while others were way beyond what I would have expected. But above all, it was with a flood of happiness for Yui and everyone else, that we got it all done.

A more dependable Yui.
An Azusa of many faces.

So what sort of things do Yui and gang do overseas?

Aki: Hmm… light and fluffy Yui becomes more dependable!
Ayana: Even though she’s overseas, Yui’s ability to stay so freewheeling is amazing. I respect that.
Aki: In reality, Yui takes it easy at her own pace, but this is her personality no matter where she is. It’s basically the same as when she’s in the clubroom.
Ayana: As for Azusa, since it’s not her own graduation trip, she really has her reservations at first. After her clubmates let her know “Without Azunyan, it’s just no good!”, she gives in a little, and allows herself to become more excited about the idea. Once the plans start falling into place, she really settles into her “responsible mode” and starts taking charge. In other words, not that different from usual right? www
Aki: But Azunyan really enjoys that, doesn’t she. If she were in K-ON! Season 1, Episode 4, “Training Camp”, where they go to the ocean, she’d want to take care of everything completely, like the way she gets suntanned to the max. I think that it’s actually Azunyan who enjoys the trip the most, wouldn’t you say?
Ayana: Definitely! www Azusa really shows off a ton of different facial expressions in the movie. It’s kinda like “Azusa can do this kind of face too!?” There’s even a scene where her face goes completely red, and she tries to run away- or more like, totally disappear. It must have been the first time she ever turns *that* red. There are also times when she’s spacing out, when she’s all smiles, even angry scenes… I think you’ll really enjoy the many faces of Azusa.

Do any other characters show another side of themselves like Azusa does?

Ayana: Mio definitely warms up to a more capable version of herself. She usually works diligently to watch over everyone, but this time she really steps up to the plate in a crisis, and saves the day. It’s really cool!

So how do the adventures of the “YuiAzu” team go?

Aki: Azunyan kinda gets the short end of the stick.
Ayana: What, why!?
Aki: Just kidding. Something terrible like that doesn’t happen. But, Yui truly loves and loves Azusa, and she’ll be stuck to her forever. If 5 girls go on a trip, they’ll have to split up seats on the plane and hotel rooms and such, but one can tell just from watching the airplane scene in the trailer that Yui is glued to Azusa’s side. Because it’s like that, and Azusa naturally has to go along with what Yui does, I think it’s a bit tough for her, isn’t it?
Ayana: There are times when you just can’t take your eyes off of Yui. Like a child, or rather, like a pet dog www. I have a dog at home, but if I’m not paying attention, my puppy will often just stir up some trouble. It’s kinda like that feeling maybe. But, there’s no way Azusa truly dislikes Yui’s behavior, I’d say.
Aki: Yes, yes, exactly. It always turns back into their usual back-and-forth banter. The scenes when they are together really do become smile-provoking and heartwarming. To watch the movie thinking that even this aspect of their relationship is really cute would certainly bring a smile to my face.

Now's a good time for a spot of tea :3

Highlights Include the Staff’s Love, and English Conversation!?

In the movie, Yui and friends go to school, the airport, and various places around London, but do you have a favorite scene?

Aki: I’d say my favorite scenes are the ones in England, where the 5 of them try to communicate in English. Watching them talk with the locals and wondering if anything they said was understood, or worse yet, misunderstood, is something I’d like you to look forward to. As a little hint, let me just say that the thing Yui needs the most is not exactly a larger vocabulary www.
Ayana: It’s hard to pick a favorite… I’ll leave it to you to find out at the theater.
Aki: The movie takes place just before the events in the last episode of the TV series, but there are definitely a lot of anchor lines to tie it all together!
Ayana: There are plenty of scenes in the movie that provide backstory to events that couldn’t be explored fully in the TV series. Additionally it fills in some gaps, like what a character was thinking about at a certain time.
Aki: Whether you refresh your memory by re-watching the series prior to watching the movie, or revisit the series after seeing it, I think you’ll definitely discover something new.

The trailer uses the movie’s opening song “Ichiban Ippai”, doesn’t it?

Aki: Yui has been tasked with the lead vocals for this song, but unlike the fast-paced, energetic songs she’s had up until now, this one captures that exciting feeling that builds up before a trip. The lyrics are very cute, and I sing the song in a super relaxed, Yui-esque way.
Ayana: It’s a song that overflows with happiness and dreams, and listening to it, I really start to feel like how Yui does. It’s like Yui is sitting there, and all around her are the Light Music Club members, snacks, Ui, Giita – basically tons of things that she likes. And in the midst of it all, she’s spinning around and dancing – that’s the sort of image that I get. Just listening to the song, it’s like you’re transported back into the world of K-ON!

Once and for all, what are the highlights of the movie?

Aki: All of it, of course! www
Ayana: The movie is wrapped in the love and effort of the staff. The art is beautiful, and you’ll see sad moments, angry moments, happy moments… You’ll really get to see the different sides and expressions of all club members. All those things are highlights!

Please give the readers a final message!

Aki: I’d like to strongly express my heartfelt feelings of thanks to all the fans who have supported us to this day. If you could accept even just a bit of this warmth, this feeling, I would be extremely happy.
Ayana: If you watch the movie, you’ll get a good idea of what K-ON! is about. So, of course to those who’ve been following K-ON! since S1 or S2, and also to those who are even just the tiniest bit interested in the movie, definitely go and see it. You’ll be able to watch it with pure feelings as if you were back in high school, and really become a member of the Light Music Club, so get those feet to the theater!

This is a translation and gallery post of part of a thread from 2ch that was summarized here (via Houkago Anime Time). There were a ton of comments, so I just translated the main ones.

People posted (somewhat poorly taken) pictures of bonus filmstrips that they got from seeing the K-ON! Movie 3 times or more. Naturally these strips are all raw cuts of movie film, so there are plenty of shots from the movie! In theory, if enough people gather their pieces together and arrange them accordingly, they’ll be able to recreate a silent film! :D

I’d recommend just waiting for the BDs though.

K-ON! Movie SPOILERS after the break–>

※フィルムネタバレ注意

Spoilers beyond this point~※フィルムネタバレ注意

;

;

;

;

;

;

;

;

;

;

;

;

;

;

Sorry mates. This teacher’s mine.

Goin’ on a trip.

“Your first shot looks like that?? Live on, bro.”

“Ouch, poor you.”

“That one’s unfortunate.”

“Horigome-sensei wwwwwwwwwwwwwwww”

“Sawako’s high school thighs!”

Crap.

“Man, you got those mob (side) characters, so it’s a victory isn’t it?”

“Mob characters filmstrip!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Ohh! I’m too jealous!”

“Wait, it’s possible to get scenes with no characters in them!?!?”

The 3rd one with the legs is pretty terrible.
I opened my friend’s too.
I accidentally got a fingerprint on it.

“The 2nd one is pretty much a winner, right?”

“Man, I’d say you really lucked out www”

“Ohh, not bad.”

“Basically pretty sweet, ain’t it?”

“I definitely don’t want to be your friend.”

“You’ll get a nice gut-punch from your pal.”

Let me get straight to the point.

YuiAzu, sleeping on the plane.
When I get home, I’ll scan it for ya.

“Congrats!”

“Man I’m sooo jealous.”

“Whoa.”

This one’s at least bright enough, so like…

The other ones were too dark so it was impossible.

“Ohh! Nice nice nice nice!”

“To get a scene change one is definitely wonderful.”

“2 scenes! Great!”

All from the same classroom concert scene.
Well, no complaints here.

Yesssssss!

AzuYui! YES!

Well, here we go. Plus 4 more after this.

I should probably trade these off.

Got this one, but I’m not sure what to make of it.

 Smartphone pic, sorry.

Nodoka and so on.

I only looked at the top-half, and it was meh.

But when I got home, seems I lucked out.

Classroom concert.

Great success. At this rate the filmstrips are gonna run out soon.
We’ll be left with ton-chan strips at the end.

Nodoka’s precious scene! YES!

Ehhh…

Got this just before lunch in Nishimiya. What shall we make of this.

Got a filmstrip! Taking pictures is too hard lol

I’m glad I got one with everyone.

This has Azunyan written on it, so it’s ok right?

YuiAzu.
London concert.

Got a filmstrip.
I’m glad it wasn’t a background scene-
Hey wait, there are background strips too?

I suck at taking photos, sorry orz
YuiAzu, not bad eh?

Bleh…

Hey all, just dropping by.
Love Crisis huh …a rare mob?

Well, it’s got all the members…at least.

There’s not much of a point but I’ll u/l this anyways.
Eizan Electric Railway’s Dekimachiyanagi (Station)

I got these during the daytime.
Dunno how good these are but here you go.

The K-ON! Movie has finally opened in Japan! I’m a big Azunyan fan and adore K-ON!, so, armed with great expectations and a bottle of Mugi endorsed 午後の紅茶 (Afternoon Tea), I set off for the local cinema with a friend! Sadly the limited edition tickets were all gone, but we snagged tickets for the late-night show at 1200 JPY a piece (about $15 USD).

Spoiler-free impressions and review after the break!

Afternoon Tea is always... After Noon?

Japanese theaters have reserved seating, so we showed up about 10 minutes prior and were greeted by this:

Man, these cardboard cutouts are popping up everyone! I want to take one home.

In line with the royal treatment for opening weekend, K-ON! was on the biggest screen in the house! There were also some goods for sale, but most of them were sold out (unsurprisingly…) [K-ON! Movie Goods (TBS Website)] The special Ritsu postcards being offered by the theater were also long gone. What was a bit surprising was that the theater was only about half full. I guess it being a late-night showing on Sunday night was to blame.

The movie ran 116 minutes and was chock full of juicy K-ON goodness. Here’s the rundown:

Production: 4.5/5

First off, the production values were very high. It definitely has a solid coat of polish that puts it a cut above the TV series. Kyoto Animation usually does a bang-up job, and they’ve done really well with the K-ON! Movie. Ample use of dynamic framing, smooth character animation and their trademark background art style all come into play. The art may not be as breathtaking as a Makoto Shinkai work, but it’s certainly top-notch. I’ve been to many of the places (in Japan) that appear in the movie (like the area around the school!) and they were all easily recognizable and rendered beautifully. I’m sure the places they visit in London are just as accurately represented! Actually, thanks to that I’ve become a bit interested in doing a London 聖地巡礼 (tour of the places that appear in the film!)…

Story: 4/5

As for the story, it was good. Nothing earth-shattering, but it delivers what it promises. They paced it out pretty nicely, and it was generally well written. It definitely incorporates the elements that made the original such a huge success- those who enjoyed the original series won’t be disappointed here. There was one thing that I wish had been done *just* a little differently, but that’s basically nitpicking on my part. There are more than enough “K-ON! quality” conversations to enjoy, and I spent half the movie bursting at the seams trying to maintain my composure. (Cultural Note: Audiences in Japanese movie theaters basically stay as quiet as possible- but even the guy next to me could barely keep it in!)

Audio: 5/5

Well, it’s K-ON! after all, so the music had better be good! Song-wise, old favorites make their appearance with a bit of a twist, and Tom H@ck’s presence is felt everywhere. The remixed BGMs are also nice. I will NEVER get tired of hearing Toyosaki Aki and Taketatsu Ayana’s banter as Yui and Azunyan :D「あずにゃ～ん!」「もう、唯先輩ってば！」ハァハァ…*ahem*. I’d love to talk about the finer points of HTT’s gut-wrenchingly hilarious English proficiency, but in the interests of staying spoiler-free, suffice to say that it’s something to look forward to- meme-worthy stuff! However, the English voice-actors that were chosen for certain roles performed admirably, and certainly at a level of professionalism far above the *cough* travesty that was the “Sounds like a Guy off the Street” that can be heard in the opening throes of “Evangelion: 01 You Are (Not) Alone”.

Overall: 9/10

I had a really good time watching the film. It’s not perfect, but K-ON! fans will enjoy it, and it might just have enough mass-market appeal to be interesting as a family movie for people who have never seen the series.  Maybe the worst thing about it was best stated by Taketatsu Ayana herself, on her blog (Thanks to Avvenire for the translation!):

“I feel a little sad and it’s been in the corner of my mind for a long while now. That this movie might just be the last thing we ever do with a K-ON anime.” Read the rest at Seiyuu Blog Snippets.

Although I think they’ll eventually crank out an S3 once the new manga gets a few volumes out, that probably won’t be for a good while yet. In short, it’s a fun movie, go watch it as soon as you can! (It’s not to late to book a plane ticket for the Christmas season hehe…)

Omake:

It’s been floating around the net for a little while now, but there’s a point system for repeat viewers of the movie. If you collect 3 ticket stubs, you get some sort of random piece of “Memorial Film” (probably a cut of film from the movie). There are 24 spaces to fill on the card, so you’d have to spend over 30,000 yen to get 8 random pieces of film. I’d rather just buy the rest of the Im@s BDs than 24 movie tickets to the same movie, but there’s otaku out there who’ve already filled their cards, and then some- (via yaraon):

144 ticket stubs, worth 170,000 JPY, or about the cost of a trip to London!

[PDF] [MID]