K-On, by Kakifly

K-On is a slice-of-life comedy series set in modern Japan, about four girls who join the pop music club at their school to keep it from being disbanded. Like Azumanga Daioh or Hidamari Sketch, it’s in a four panel comic format.

Ritsu, drummer and club president, is the one who sets everything in motion to ensure the club won’t be disbanded before she can join: she literally rips up her friend Mio’s application to the choir club and drags her into joining the pop music club as a bassist instead. Tsumugi, keyboardist and super-rich girl, joins them at the same time; but that leaves one space still blank. Enter Yui, who kind of gets sucked into the club. Yui doesn’t know how to play an instrument (other than the cymbals), so part of the club’s activities involve teaching her how to play the guitar.

The club continues to be plagued by troubles, however. The president isn’t really on the ball about things like turning in the official application, or engaging in visible activities; and they acquire a faculty sponsor by blackmailing a teacher into doing it: Sawako was a former member of the pop music club, back when it was a death metal band. Because she now presents herself as a mild-mannered woman, she doesn’t want her past to get out (plus, she likes having a place in the school where she can drop the act and show off her ability to thresh and play the guitar with her teeth. Seriously, she really does that). Plus, Yui has a bad habit of slacking off when studying for tests, so she’s often teetering on the edge of being kicked out of the club.

K-On is translated by Yen Press. It ran from 2007 to 2010 and wrapped up with 4 volumes, only 2 of which are currently translated. There’s also an anime series that ran for 13 episodes in 2009, which will be brought over in April by Bandai in with subtitles and a dub (maybe; the product details for the DVD are conflicting).