While Yui and company study for their admission exams, Azusa wants to give her beloved sempais Valentine chocolates, enlisting the help of Ui and Jun. However, she’s reluctant to give them the chocolate cake she made, but finally opens her heart to Ui: she has troubled feelings because they will graduate soon. She finally understands however that it will be better to spend the little time they have as happily as possible. One day in early spring, Ui and Azusa get a text message from their sempais: they’ve passed, and will go to university together!

Another very good episode, focusing on Azusa and the increasing distance between her and her sempais who are busy studying, with the K-ON club activities basically limited to Azusa providing the BGM for their study sessions. Azusa was pretty tsundere this episode, “it’s not like I’m thinking about Valentine!” says she when her friends guessed correctly she wanted to make some chocolates for her friends. So cute!

Poor lonely Azusa

If you’ve being reading my posts on K-ON, you’ll know I’ve been kind of expecting Azusa to cry whenever the graduation subject is brought up, but she’s been very strong. This episode she actually opened her heart and admitted she’s troubled because her friends will be graduating and she will be alone, and yet she was able to maintain a very positive attitude, finally praying that her friends pass the exams and that they are able to spend laughing the little time they have together — she had been reluctant to pray before, when she was with Ui, as she hadn’t sorted out her feelings. I really love Azusa, and her strength and positive attitude are really remarkable.  Of course, I can expect her to shed some tears before the end!

I found it heartwarming that, despite Azusa running away before giving Mio and co. the chocolates, they all realized what their cute kouhai wanted to do and decided to have a little party, with the chocolate cake being laid on by Azusa. The first time in a while they have a more HTT-ish moment at the club room, it was really beautiful how, as they were goofing around and seeing the snow, Azusa realized she must treasure these precious moments. Nostalgia is really intrinsic to this genre, isn’t it?

So well, in the meantime the girls have done very well in their exams. As Sawa-chan puts it, when it comes to the real thing they can do remarkably well, whether when performing or taking an exam. I have to try Yui’s method, to prevent what you have learned from spilling out of your head! It was so typical of our K-ON girls to check the results jumping like that. They are a great bunch! But they passed, and even Azusa is moved to tears.

Other than that, I have often said I love the change of seasons, and winter is my favorite season by the way. Thus, kudos to Kyoani for being able to portray, once again, so well the seasons in general, and winter in particular. Those slightly melancholic grey days, spent inside a classroom with the lights on, the overcast skies and bare trees, and something I really like for some reason, a train station in an early winter morning. I really loved the backgrounds today, and winter was a very fitting season to this episode’s atmosphere. Better of all was how, the day the results are announced, we have a very beautiful early spring morning, with clear skies. I love such details, more than I may be able to convey in words.

Don't ask me why, but I love train stations at night!

Overcast skies, wet ground, bare trees, some thawing snow. Very beautiful

I just loved this scene

Sunny, yet cold, March day! I love such days a lot

Some say that the girls going to the same university could mean we get a third season. I’m not so sure, and I said that in my opinion, finishing the show on a strong note is better than dragging it on forever, yet I’m liking this season so much that I think Kyoani could perfectly manage a third season.

Oh god, Jun's imagination is deadly. If I was given chocolates by Azusa I'd really die

And what kind of embittered sicko could hate cute, happy girls so much as to send them a package bomb?! Love Mugi and Yui's expressions. If we ever get a third season, we need more Jun!!