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Seriously, who could hate something so adorable?

The day has finally arrived. After years of wondering “When’s K-ON! gonna get licensed?”, “Who would license it?”, and “Will it ever get licensed?”, Bandai has finally saved our minds from perpetually pondering these questions. At Anime Expo, they announced that they have licensed K-ON!, and there was much rejoicing (and hating too, of course).

Is this a good move for Bandai? Many are skeptical that this show won’t sell since it appeals to the “otaku” crowd, many of which have already seen the show fansubbed and have no intention of buying it.

I think the key is in the marketing. If Bandai pulls off a decent viral marketing stunt, I have a feeling that will move more sales. At least it seemed to work with Haruhi and Kannagi (which sold fairly well, so I’m told). The extras (assuming there are extras) will also be key. Haruhi had some excellent extras – pencil boards, CDs, and tons of other free stuff. On the other hand, Lucky Star‘s extras, which consisted of shirts with pictures of sailor uniforms printed on them (to this date I still wonder whose brilliant idea that was), didn’t do so hot.

Will K-ON! help Bandai get back on their feet? Or will this be a repeat of Lucky Star, thus dooming Bandai into the fiery pits of US anime company hell? Only time will tell, but post your thoughts if you have ‘em.