Slice-of-life comedy franchise about high school girl band peaks in popularity in Japan

In an article describing the widespread popularity of the K-ON! anime and manga franchise, the December issue of Nikkei Entertainment magazine is reporting on Thursday that K-ON! has sold over 15 billion yen (about US$192 million) in related goods so far. During the 2011 fiscal year alone, K-ON! t-shirts and tie-in goods sold 1.8 billion yen (about US$20 million). The slice-of-life comedy has become a social phenomenon in Japan, according to Nikkei Entertainment, and the franchise's popularity has spread internationally over the past three-and-a-half years.

The story follows four girls who try to rescue their high school's light music club. Kakifly's original four-panel manga serialized in Houbunsha's Manga Time Kirara from May 2007 to October 2010. Four compiled books were published, and Yen Press released them in English in 2010 and 2011.

A K-ON! television adaptation premiered in Japan in 2009, and its sequel aired in 2010. The series' Blu-ray Discs were among the top-selling anime titles in Japan in 2009 and 2010. Bandai Entertainment released the first anime on DVD and Blu-ray in North America this year. The K-ON! anime film will open in theaters across Japan on December 3.

CD releases of K-ON! anime's songs have also become top-selling titles. The franchise's albums and single CDs have been repeated chart toppers, and the K-ON! Live Event ~Let's Go!~ Blu-ray was the second top-selling music Blu-ray Disc in Japan from December 14, 2009 to December 12, 2010.

[Via Hachima Kikō]

Update: Corrected story description. Thanks, Darkonlore.