K-ON was a mighty fine show. I enjoyed each episode and will inevitably watch season two and the accompanying movies when given a chance. I thought a lot of things were great about the show, but I have noticed that they all kind of relate to one central theme. The healthy and positive portrayal of female friendships in adolescence.

If you haven't noticed, I mean, maybe you've never been, or never remember being a teenage girl. Perhaps you weren't very perceptive in high school and can't recall what the girls you knew were going through, or maybe it's something else. Whatever the reason may be, if you don't know a whole lot about teenage girls, listen up because I've learned a few in my life and have picked up some intel.

Teen girls, their lives are all a bit shit, and their relationships with their friends often contribute to making it shitter. Even the girls who look like they have got it all together, are ALSO going through some TOUGH shit. I've only taken 1 sociology class and exactly zero philanthropy classes, so this is all speculation. Still, I imagine the shit that teen girls go through is a mix of biological (hormones, puberty) and social (friends, family, school) factors. Boys go through something similar, but there is one significant difference.

Coming of age stories/shows that depict the lives and challenges of young men but, in the end, show that they can overcome those adversities and achieve their goals with their friends by their side are a dime a dozen.

We really don't see that with teen girls. Stories and shows that depict the lives of teen girls are almost always dramatic or at least confronting/confrontational. Many great shows deal with themes of trauma, abuse, violence, toxic relationships, envy & jealousy, depression, suicide, sexual assault and rape, love and hate, etc. That being said, though, when it is every fucking show, the cracks begin to show. Can girls get one show in which the main female cast are all loyal to each other? There are no stupid fights? Where everyone genuinely loves and cares about each other without having a character that betrays the group? Just one show? Well yes! And it's called K-ON.

Although there is nothing wrong with stories of teen girls who have tragic pasts and have to overcome confronting obstacles, it is SO REFRESHING to see a show about non-toxic female friendship. From a female perspective, I can imagine after watching so many shows about girls with complex lives that are made even more difficult by their brutal friends, they may begin to lose hope in their own relationships. I imagine that a show like K-ON might have the ability to reignite the spark. It shows teen girls the joy possible in female friendship, in femininity and in female ambition. High school years are tough, so I think it is essential to have some shows in which female friends work together and have fun in a high-school setting.

After all of that, you may be thinking. Holden, is there any conflict in this show? And that is an excellent question. When I say that the girls all stay loyal to each other, don't get jealous, work together and genuinely love each other, it is easy to assume the show is without conflict because that is the conflict we are USED to in shows with all-female teen casts. As hard as it may be to believe, teen girls can face challenges in narratives without them being victimised!

The girls deal with many conflicts such as anxiety, financial stress, sickness, meeting strict deadlines, academic struggles and the difficulty of learning new skills, just to name a few. The girls always stick by each other as the characters go through their own personal struggles, and the girls all overcome the conflicts as a team. The girls are also very empathetic to each other's strengths and weaknesses, so even when one girl brings the group down (which happens every now and then), the girls don't point fingers and instead try to resolve the problem together. Truth be told, this group of fifteen-year-olds is more mature than most adults in how they resolve the conflict they encounter. Like, there are plenty of situations in which I would have been fucking pissed if I was in the band. Still, the girls can always pull themselves together and figure out a solution to their problems. Now, THAT is what I call girlboss.

Speaking of the band, the girls are in a band, and their music is actually quite catchy. I enjoyed the soundtrack and the musical elements, even as someone who knows very little about the subject. If you liked the girl-band dynamic and vibe in Angel Beats, I found this is quite similar, just a bit more kawaii. I don't have much to talk about on the music front since the show is much more character-driven. Still, I would like to see some more musical centred conflict in the second season, but we will have to wait and see.

I think that is everything I can think of saying right now. If the show sounds like something you'd enjoy, you should give it a whirl; why the hell not!