K-ON !

K-On! (けいおん! Keion!?) is a Japanese four-panel comic strip manga written and illustrated by Kakifly. The manga was serialized in Houbunsha's seinen manga magazine Manga Time Kirara between the May 2007 and October 2010 issues. It was also serialized in Houbunsha's magazine Manga Time Kirara Carat. The manga relaunched in April 2011 with two separate storylines published in Manga Time Kirara and Manga Time Kirara Carat. A 13-episode anime adaptation produced by Kyoto Animation aired in Japan between April and June 2009. An additional original video animation (OVA) episode was released in January 2010. A 26-episode second season, titled K-On!! (with two exclamation marks), aired in Japan between April and September 2010, with an OVA episode released in March 2011. An anime film adaptation has been announced and will be released in Japan on December 3, 2011. The title of the series comes from the Japanese word for light music, keiongaku (軽音楽?), which in the Japanese context is similar to pop music.

Plot
K-On!'s story revolves around four Japanese high school girls who join Sakuragaoka Girl's High School's light music club to try to save it from being disbanded. However, they are the only members of the club, and at first Yui Hirasawa, the main character, has no experience playing musical instruments or reading sheet music. Eventually, she learns how to be an excellent guitar player. Since then, Yui, bassist Mio Akiyama, drummer Ritsu Tainaka, and keyboardist Tsumugi Kotobuki spend their school days practicing, performing, or just hanging out together. The club is overseen by music teacher Sawako Yamanaka, who eventually becomes their homeroom teacher as well during their final year of high school. In their second year of high school, the club welcomes another guitarist, an underclassman named Azusa Nakano. After Azusa joins, they gain more structure and begin to practice more.

After their third year, Yui, Ritsu, Mio, and Tsumugi graduate and enroll into a university. It is there they join its light music club alongside three other students: Akira Wada, Ayame Yoshida, and Sachi Hayashi. Meanwhile, Azusa continues to run the high school light music club alongside Yui's sister, Ui, their classmate, Jun Suzuki, and new members Sumire Saitō and Nao Okuda.

Characters
The five main characters are members of a band, Ho-kago Tea Time (放課後ティータイム Hōkago Tī Taimu?, After School Tea Time), which performs the theme songs in the anime. Toshimi Yotsumoto of ASCII Media Works pointed out that the characters of K-On! have surnames derived from members of the Japanese bands P-Model and The Pillows.[1]

[edit] Ho-kago Tea Time

 * Yui Hirasawa (平沢 唯 Hirasawa Yui?)
 * Voiced by: Aki Toyosaki (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)
 * Yui is the main character of K-On!. She is one of the members of the light music club and plays a Heritage Cherry Sunburst Gibson Les Paul Standard electric guitar[2] [3] [4] that she nicknames "Gīta" (ギー太?) .[5] She does not get good grades in school (though when properly coached, she can achieve astounding results) and is easily distracted by trivialities (mainly those deemed cute and adorable). Yui is clumsy and easily spaces out most of the time. Yui has shoulder-length, brown hair (a little longer than Ritsu's) which she accessorizes with two yellow hair clips, and brown eyes. She takes a huge liking for any kind of food (though she never gains weight, which is greatly envied by Mugi, Mio,[6] and Sawako[7] ). She has a younger sister named Ui, who is very mature and acts as the "older sister" of Yui, taking care of her and keeping her in line.[3] Yui works extremely hard to get better at playing guitar, which is shown in later chapters.[volume & issue needed] During performances, Yui plays with amazing energy and joy, which usually results in great response from the audience.[8] [9] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1ova_9-0">[10]
 * Yui is the band's main vocalist and lead guitarist and has absolute pitch—she can tune her guitar perfectly without a tuner, which greatly impresses Azusa, who has played the guitar much longer than Yui.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e10_6-1">[7] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter20_10-0">[11] She has a very easy-going nature, but has incredible focus and retention when she has a clear goal in sight; unfortunately this is limited to only one subject at a time, and her other skills deteriorate quickly (for example, Yui is at one point pressed to make up failing test scores, and she quickly brings her math skills up to par while allowing her guitar skills to deteriorate.)<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter4_11-0">[12] Despite all of this, Yui is still devoted to her band and will always practice hard enough for the club. At school, she has become quite admired for her great voice. However, she is known to forget her lyrics in mid-performance as well as overdoing things, making her unable to perform sometimes.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e08_7-1">[8] Mio was the lead vocalist at first, since Yui could not play the guitar and sing at the same time.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter7_12-0">[13] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e05_13-0">[14] Yui is also known to write childish lyrics as Ui has assisted her in creating them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter40_14-0">[15] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e17_15-0">[16]


 * Ritsu Tainaka (田井中 律 Tainaka Ritsu<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Voiced by: Satomi Satō (Japanese), Cassandra Lee (English) <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ritsumugidub_16-0">[17]
 * Ritsu (or Ricchan, as nicknamed by Yui) is the self-proclaimed president of the light music club and plays a yellow Rick Marotta Signature Yamaha Hipgig drum kit with an add-on floor tom (in the opening credits only) combined with a cymbal set from Avedis Zildjian,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e01_1-1">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e04_17-0">[18] though is shown playing a white Yamaha Absolute Series drumkit in the anime's closing credits.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e01_1-2">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e02_2-2">[3] She has an ambiguous yet upbeat personality, much like Yui, but often has trouble remembering important club activities and announcements and gets constantly rebuked by Mio and Nodoka for forgetting to send in important forms concerning the club.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e11_4-1">[5] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e05_13-1">[14] Ritsu is cheerful, often likes making jokes and is sarcastic most of the time. She is skilled at brainstorming ideas that earn money for the club. Ritsu has shoulder-length, brown hair, with her bangs pulled back with a yellow hairband, and gold-colored eyes. She wears her school jacket open. She says she chose to play the drums because they are "cool", but she then admits that she has trouble playing instruments which involve intricate finger movements, such as the bass, guitar and keyboard.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e02_2-3">[3] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter2_18-0">[19] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e03_19-0">[20]
 * She is a childhood friend of Mio and will often take the opportunity to tease her whenever Mio is cowering from something.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter6_20-0">[21] She is also known to become easily jealous of Mio's other high school friends, even going as far as spying on Mio when on outings with them. Ritsu is always on the go and will stop at nothing for the success of the light music club. Despite her rough mannerisms and speech, she gets cast as Juliet by the majority of her classmates in their class play rendition of Romeo and Juliet and, in the end, manages to act like a proper girl.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e18_21-0">[22] In the anime, she states her favorite drummer is Keith Moon of The Who.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e03_19-1">[20] She is skilled at cooking.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e16_22-0">[23] She has a younger brother named Satoshi (聡<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?, Voiced by: Mika Itō ) .<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e13_23-0">[24]


 * Mio Akiyama (秋山 澪 Akiyama Mio<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa (Japanese), Cristina Valenzuela (English)
 * Mio is a shy girl who is in the light music club. She plays a left-handed, 3-Color Sunburst Fender Jazz Bass with a tortoiseshell pickguard,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e01_1-3">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e02_2-4">[3] though is shown playing a Fender Precision Bass in the first manga volume.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter2_18-1">[19] She uses D'Addario EXL160M medium bass strings.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e016_24-0">[25] Her bass is given the name Elizabeth later in the anime. While she originally intended to join the literary club, she was forced into the light music club by her childhood friend and the club's president/drummer, Ritsu.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e01_1-4">[2] She gets excellent grades in school and is often mature and strict especially where Ritsu is involved; her weakness is the macabre and horrific, and she is often incapacitated with fear when stories involving ghosts, blood, injuries,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter6_20-1">[21] haunted houses,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e06_25-0">[26] barnacles<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e04_17-1">[18] or other disturbing topics come up. She also has a fear of being in the spotlight and gets embarrassed easily, and is often subject to teasing from Ritsu<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter6_20-2">[21] and Sawako, their club adviser and eventual third-year homeroom teacher. Mio has long, straight black hair and gray eyes (that are angled slightly more than the other characters). She cites that she chose bass since it is not the center of attention in the band, unlike the guitarist.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter2_18-2">[19] Mio is more technical when it comes to music, and Yui often comes to her when she is in need of more guitar tutorials.
 * Along with Yui, Mio is one of the band's main vocalists, though given her dislike of being center stage, she tries to avoid taking the lead vocal if possible, generally singing if Yui is unable to.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e08_7-2">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter7_12-1">[13] She writes most of the songs, although they usually feature some odd and overly girlish lyrics like "Light and Fluffy Time".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter7_12-2">[13] As she is left-handed, she becomes entranced whenever she sees left-handed instruments, because of their rarity.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e11_4-2">[5] After their first live performance, the attractive Mio gained a huge fan following (in no small part due to an unfortunate accident that occurred at the end of the show),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e06_25-1">[26] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter8_26-0">[27] led by an infatuated former student council president.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter29_27-0">[28] Also resulting from her sudden popularity, most of her classmates voted that she portray Romeo in their class play.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e18_21-1">[22] Mio comes to greatly enjoy her time at university as she encounters many new experiences.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter65_28-0">[29] She is also able to overcome some of her shyness and make new friends such as Sachi and Ayame.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter57_29-0">[30] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter65_28-1">[29]


 * Tsumugi Kotobuki (琴吹 紬 Kotobuki Tsumugi<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Voiced by: Minako Kotobuki (Japanese), Shelby Lindley (English) <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-ritsumugidub_16-1">[17]
 * Tsumugi, often referred to as 'Mugi' by her friends, is a wealthy girl with a gentle and sweet personality who plays a Korg Triton Extreme 76-key keyboard, though she is also seen playing a Korg RK-100 keytar in the closing credits of the first season.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e01_1-5">[2] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e02_2-5">[3] She originally intended to join the choir club, but joins the light music club instead after receiving an invitation and encouragement from both Mio and Ritsu.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e01_1-6">[2] Tsumugi is considered a piano prodigy since she has been playing the piano since she was four and has experience in winning various piano contests.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter2_18-3">[19] Mugi has long, pale blonde hair, blue eyes, unusually large eyebrows, which apparently run in her family and a fair complexion that the other characters do not have, but she does not get sunburned. She is the daughter of a company president,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e02_2-6">[3] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter2_18-4">[19] and her family has several villas in various places around Japan<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter20_10-1">[11] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter5_30-0">[31] (and even one in Finland).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2ova_31-0">[32] Since her father also owns a maid café,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e18_21-2">[22] she often brings confectionery and an assortment of sweets and pastries to the club room, and she diligently makes tea with a tea set which is kept in their club room. Despite her wealth, she is fascinated by and finds joy in "normal" activities, such as ordering fast food, sharing french fries with her club mates,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e01_1-7">[2] holding down part-time jobs<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e13_23-1">[24] and haggling over prices.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e02_2-7">[3] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter2_18-5">[19] Tsumugi displays a rebellious streak occasionally, diverting from her normally well-behaved and mature demeanor to the surprise of the others. She also displays a childlike eagerness from time to time, and possesses unusually high strength, being able to effortlessly carry around her own keyboard, Ritsu's drums, amplifiers,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e06_25-2">[26] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter8_26-1">[27] and at one point beating an arm-wrestling game in an arcade.
 * Although she is a sweet and gentle girl, she is often weirdly entranced by the sight of two girls interacting closely together, sometimes imagining something more risqué in her head (both Mio and Ritsu find this awkward at times).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter7_12-3">[13] The series sometimes indicates that Mugi has a crush on their teacher, Sawako Yamanaka. While a lot of things do not bother her, she is fairly conscious about her weight (just like Mio),<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e07_5-1">[6] and she gets a bit anxious when her family's staff start spoiling her friends during villa visits.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e10_6-2">[7] She later begins learning how to play the guitar from Azusa.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e16_22-1">[23]


 * Azusa Nakano (中野 梓 Nakano Azusa<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Voiced by: Ayana Taketatsu (Japanese), Christine Marie Cabanos (English)
 * Azusa is a student in the same year and class as Yui's sister Ui, who joins the light music club and becomes the rhythm guitarist, playing a Fender Mustang electric guitar. She eventually names her guitar Muttan, as it is a Mustang. She is a self-proclaimed novice guitarist who has been playing the guitar since she was in the fourth grade, and her parents are working in a jazz band.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter17_32-0">[33] She often finds herself bewildered by the tea parties and cosplaying aspects of the club, when she would rather just practice, and is curious about how the club is able to play so well despite their problems and lack of practice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter16_33-0">[34] However, she has a certain weakness for cakes and can be calmed down rather easily, sometimes by just being petted.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter16_33-1">[34] She is constantly a victim of Yui's skinship<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e10_6-3">[7] and is nicknamed Azu-nyan after trying on a pair of cat ears and meowing ("nyan" being the equivalent of "meow" in the Japanese vocabulary).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter17_32-1">[33] Despite this, Azusa is not too good with cats.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e13_23-2">[24] Azusa has long black hair, which she wears in pigtails, and brown eyes. While Azusa is talented in guitar, she has trouble singing while playing unlike Yui and Mio.
 * In the band, she looks up to Mio the most due to her maturity and the fact that she is an experienced bassist, even trying to give Mio chocolate on Valentine's Day.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter30_34-0">[35] However, she sometimes unintentionally makes remarks concerning Mio's weaknesses, such as her weight. She also finds Mugi very beautiful, and envies her hair and large eyes, and later starts teaching her how to play guitar when the two are alone in the club room.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e16_22-2">[23] Since joining, Yui comes to her for advice on playing guitar,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter18_35-0">[36] as well as maintenance. She gets a tan extremely easily, once during their time at the beach<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e10_6-4">[7] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter20_10-2">[11] and another during a music festival (even after applying sunscreen).<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e12_36-0">[37] As a result, she frequently gets sunburned as well. She gets lonely very easily, and often worries that everyone in the club will leave her, as they are one year older and eventually will graduate. Due to this, the rest of the girls buy her a turtle to look after, naming it Ton.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e02_37-0">[38] Outside of the band, she often hangs out with Ui and Jun whenever the other girls are busy.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e05_38-0">[39] When the others graduate, she becomes the new light music club president alongside Ui and Jun who decide to join her.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter52_39-0">[40] Together with new members, Sumire and Nao, they form a new band called "Wakaba Girls" (若葉ガールズ Wakaba Gāruzu<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?, lit. Fresh Leaf Girls).

[edit] Sakuragaoka Girl's High School

 * Sawako Yamanaka (山中 さわ子 Yamanaka Sawako<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Voiced by: Asami Sanada (Japanese), Karen Strassman (English)
 * Sawako is the adviser for the wind instrument club at the girls' school. An alumna of the school and a member of the light music club in her student days, she does not want people to find out that she was formerly a member of a death metal band called Death Devil (of which she was both lead guitar and vocalist and went by the stage name of "Catherine"<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1ova_9-1">[10] ), thus she covers up by being mild and gentle to her coworkers and especially to students. She is forced to be the adviser of the light music club, as Ritsu blackmails her after the girls learn of her past.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e05_13-2">[14] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter6_20-3">[21] However, she is able to juggle being the adviser for the wind instrument club as well, even as the story progresses. Though she has a mature and gentle demeanor in the school, Sawako (affectionately addressed as "Sawa-chan" by both Ritsu and Yui) displays a totally different, completely authentic character when she is alone with the light music club. In reality, she is rather wild, lazy, and is quite an irresponsible teacher who enjoys dressing up the light music club in (sometimes embarrassing) cosplay costumes (like French maid uniforms), much to the dismay of Mio.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter13_40-0">[41] She gets a thrill out of the rare moments where she is praised for her work.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter23_41-0">[42]
 * She names the club band "Ho-kago Tea Time" after the members take too long deciding on a name themselves.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter23_41-1">[42] In the anime, she once pitches in for Yui with her white Epiphone "1958" Korina Flying V electric guitar.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e12_8-1">[9] She becomes the girls' homeroom teacher in their third year, and puts Nodoka and all the band members (except Azusa, since she is a grade lower) in the same class, so she does not have to remember as many names.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e01_3-1">[4] An episode in the second anime season reveals that she owned one of the first Gibson SG models (from around 1960 with a custom stoptail bridge) which is later sold.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e02_37-1">[38] Due to her relation to the club members, the other students in her class start to call her Sawa-chan as well, ruining her image as a mild-mannered teacher. Her image is further ruined after Death Devil is temporarily reunited at a wedding reception for a high school alumnus. Regardless, her popularity with the students remains unchanged.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e10_42-0">[43] In spite of her laziness, she still proves herself to be an able mentor, as shown by her willingness to coach Yui as the lead singer<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter7_12-4">[13] and attending their performances.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e08_7-3">[8] Her music abilities apparently have not dulled over the years, as she is able to substitute for Yui at the school festival at almost no notice without the assistance of a music score, even without any prior practicing of the band's song.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e12_8-2">[9] Sawako is also very perceptive: she immediately sees through Ui's disguise when she impersonates her sister and on several occasions boasts to the club that there is nothing she cannot see.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e12_8-3">[9]


 * Ui Hirasawa (平沢 憂 Hirasawa Ui<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Voiced by: Madoka Yonezawa (Japanese), Xanthe Huynh (English)
 * Ui is Yui's younger sister, who begins the story as a third-year junior high school student, but later enters Yui's high school the following year in the same class as Azusa.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e08_7-4">[8] Unlike her older sister, Ui is mature, responsible, and handles household chores well, though she still shares a strong relationship with Yui and has a great deal of love and respect for her older sister.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e07_5-2">[6] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e03_43-0">[44] Despite being a year younger than Yui, she is nearly identical to her with her hair down and is even once able to fool the club.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e12_8-4">[9] She plays the organ,<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e05_38-1">[39] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e26_44-0">[45] and is also a fast learner, able to learn playing the guitar after a few days' practice.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e12_8-5">[9] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter24_45-0">[46] She takes particularly good care of Yui and strives to look after her even at the risk of her own health.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter40_14-1">[15] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e17_15-1">[16] Ui is actually considered as the ultimate groupie for her sister's band and supports them with all her heart and occasionally provides a narrative to the story.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e05_38-2">[39] She eventually joins the light music club along with Jun at the end of the series, becoming a guitarist like her sister.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter52_39-1">[40]


 * Nodoka Manabe (真鍋 和 Manabe Nodoka<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Voiced by: Chika Fujitō (Japanese), Laura Bailey (English)
 * Nodoka is Yui's childhood friend and confidant who is a member of the school's student council. As a normal, well-mannered and intelligent girl, she is generally taken aback by the light music club's odd behavior, and easily gets annoyed with Ritsu whenever she forgets to fill in the club's application forms.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e11_4-3">[5] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e05_13-3">[14] She shares the same class as Mio in their second year, who appreciates her companionship tremendously, she being the only person Mio knows in her class.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter15_46-0">[47] In her third year, she becomes the student council president and is also in the same class as the other third year club members. She gradually becomes the president of Mio's fan club through unknown circumstances (possibly out of her control), even when she originally turned down the position. Nodoka chooses to go to a national university as opposed to the same college as Yui and the others.


 * Jun Suzuki (鈴木 純 Suzuki Jun<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Voiced by: Yoriko Nagata (Japanese), Michelle Ann Dunphy (English)
 * Jun is Azusa's and Ui's classmate who often hangs out with the latter. Ui tries to get her to join the light music club but ultimately fails due to a strange visit to the club room.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e08_7-5">[8] <sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter13_40-1">[41] She instead plays a Yamaha Sbv500 bass in the jazz club<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s2e05_38-3">[39] and is one of Mio's admirers. However, she starts to regret not joining the light music club when she hears about all the activities they do and eventually joins the light music club at the end of the series.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter52_39-2">[40] It is revealed that she can also play guitar as well as bass.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter54_47-0">[48] She has an older brother named Atsushi.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter62_48-0">[49] Jun owns a pet cat in the anime series.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-s1e13_23-3">[24]


 * Sumire Saitō (斉藤 菫 Saitō Sumire<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Sumire is a shy blonde girl who meets Azusa, Ui and Jun after Yui and the others graduate. She is a freshmen, two years below the other light music club members.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter54_47-1">[48] She is currently working in the Kotobuki household as a maid and originally came to the light music room to try and retrieve Tsumugi's teaset that was left behind after she graduated. After being scared off a few times by Sawako, she eventually agrees to join the light music club and eventually becomes its drummer. Similar to Tsumugi, she is quite talented at preparing tea, but feels inclined to keep her role as a maid a secret from the others due to the fear of being punished by Tsumugi.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter56_49-0">[50]


 * Nao Okuda (奥田 直 Okuda Nao<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Another freshman in the same class as Sumire. Generally poor at physical activities, she goes through several trial runs through various clubs before deciding to join the light music club as she feels it is where she can try her best.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter56_49-1">[50] Like the kanji in her name, she is overly honest about her shortcomings. After reading up on music theory, she ends up having an advanced knowledge of music but lacks the ability to physically play it. However when she is introduced to music creation software, she decides to become the band's producer. She is the oldest among the five siblings in her family.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter_60_50-0">[51]

[edit] J. Women's University

 * Akira Wada (和田 晶 Wada Akira<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * A new character introduced in the restarted manga who is in a band called OnNaGumi (女組<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?, "Gang of Girls") with her friends Ayame and Sachi. Akira joins the university's light music club alongside Yui and her friends. She has short black hair and often looks intimidating whenever her hair is messy. She studies in the Education department along with Yui. She is easily irritated to a degree but finds herself in a similar position to Azusa from high school as Yui seems to enjoy hugging her. She originally had longer hair in high school, but when a boy she admired accused her band of only being popular because of their cuteness, she decided to cut off her hair and vowed to become popular through talent.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter61_51-0">[52] She plays an ebony Gibson Les Paul Custom electric guitar which she nicknames "Rosalie".<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter55_52-0">[53]


 * Sachi Hayashi (林 幸 Hayashi Sachi<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * One of Akira's friends, who has long hair. She is OnNaGumi's bassist and is in the same department as Mio.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter55_52-1">[53] She is taller than Mio, and easily becomes embarrassed about her height if anyone mentions it.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter65_28-2">[29]


 * Ayame Yoshida (吉田 菖 Yoshida Ayame<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Another one of Akira's friends, who has short blonde hair. She is OnNaGumi's drummer and is in the same department as Ritsu.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter55_52-2">[53] Due to their similarities, Ayame and Ritsu become friends very quickly.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter57_29-1">[30] Ayame tends to follow the latest fashion trends, and has done so since high school.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter65_28-3">[29]


 * Kana
 * The president of J. Women's University's light music club who has a sweet appearance, but is generally obsessed over things such as money and looking youthful and can put out a threatening aura when she gets passionate about either one. She was once in a popular band with Hirose though retired upon entering university since wearing school uniforms would be considered silly at their age. However, Kana is still obsessed with school uniforms.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter67_53-0">[54]


 * Chiyo Hirose
 * An upperclassman in the light music club who was once in a band with Kana.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter67_53-1">[54]


 * Megumi Sokabe (曽我部 恵 Sokabe Megumi<span class="t_nihongo_icon" style="color: #00e; font: bold 80% sans-serif; text-decoration: none; padding: 0 .1em;">?)
 * Voiced by: Asumi Kodama (Japanese), Amanda C. Miller (English)
 * Megumi is the former student council president and founder of the Mio Fan Club. Nodoka later succeeds Megumi in both positions. She stalks Mio during her last few days in high school because she wanted to see Mio one more time. The band offers her a song as a graduation gift.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter29_27-1">[28] Megumi becomes a good friend of Ritsu through unspecified circumstances much to Mio’s surprise. She also helps Ritsu and Yui with the university entrance exams by giving them her old exam workbooks.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter47_54-0">[55] She goes to the same woman's university in which Yui and her friends later enroll and lives in the same dorm as them.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-chapter53_55-0">[56]