K-On! Volume 2   Starring (voice): Aki Toyosaki, Satomi Sato and Yoko Hikasa Manga Entertainment RRP: £17.99 MANG5241 Certificate: PG Available 14 November 2011

Yui Hirasawa has just started high school, with its confusing number of extracurricular clubs, but which one to join? She joins the Light Music Club, a club with so few members that it is in danger of being disbanded. There is nothing light about the club, being essentially the start of a girl band...

K-On! (2010) features the next four episodes of this thirteen episode series. The show was created by Naoko Yamada from a Reiko Yoshida script.

Over the following episodes the girls face such dilemmas as not having the Light Music Club recognised as the girls had failed to file the right form; the girls get to play at their school festival, but only after limited rehearsal time. Christmas comes and goes and the girls find themselves back at school with another year ahead of them.

The show is all good, clean, fluffy anime nonsense and none the worst for that. The character designs are distinctive and if the overall plots are a little less than taxing, at least the girls are pleasant enough company.

Audio is a passable English or Japanese DD 2.0, with a sharp picture. Extras are the Fuwa Fuwa Time Music Video (1 min 18 sec), basically shots of the show set to the theme tune, so less exciting than it sounds and an Interview with Christina Vee, ‘Mio’ (7 min, 18 sec) which features the vocal artist talking about her time on the show.

It could not be considered ground-breaking, but there is a big heart at the centre of the show. It will probably not be considered a classic, but it remains above average for a show aimed at young girls.

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Charles Packer