Spring in the first year of high school. Kumiko, a member of the brass band in junior high school,
visits the high school brass band club with classmates Hazuki and Sapphire. There, she comes across
Reina, her former classmate from junior high. Hazuki and Sapphire decide to join the club, but Kumiko
can’t make up her mind. She recollects her experience with Reina at a competition in junior high
school.
(Source: Pony Canyon USA)
_Sound! Euphonium_ is another series that caught me suprised. In essence, it's a show similar to _Free!_ and _K-On!_ in that it's a story about a high school club, produced by the famous KyoAni studio. However, compared to those two shows (which I didn't particularly enjoy), it takes some new and interesting directions which freshen up the stale formula, resulting in quite a unique series. ~~~img480(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/hibike-euphonium/images/7/7e/Ep6.jpg)~~~ The most important part of _Sound!_ are the characters. The series follows Kumiko Oumae, a high school freshman, who decided that she "wanted a new start" and therefore go somewhere where not many of her previous schoolmates went. Her two new friends and classmates are Midori and Katou, who are both very upbeat and friendly girls, but also the most generic moe characters in the show. However, Katou serves a certain purpose in the story and Midori is very over-the-top with her silliness and cuteness, which not only makes her a more enjoyable character, but also contrasts with how hardcore she is about playing contrabass (this is a recurring theme). Shuuichi is Kumiko’s childhood friend and a potential love interest. He's one of the few male characters and he's very bland, but his role is very minor, so it's not a big problem. The band advisor, mister Taki, is clearly passionate about the music, and is the type of person who will criticise you with a smile on his face. He has some unusual teaching methods and as a new member of the school staff he has an interesting relationship with the concert band. Furthermore, the section leaders are mostly nice and friendly, Kumiko's teacher is a strict but kind-hearted lady and various band members are mostly background characters. However, some of them get a small amount of screen time without main characters and small bits of personality, which is a nice touch that helps flesh out the world and slow down the tempo, giving the viewer breathing room without boring him. The three most interesting characters are bass section leader Asuka, Kumiko herself and her friend Reina. Asuka is also the vice-president of the concert band club, and initially seems like a very outgoing person. She's the one talking the most to freshmen, convincing them to join the band, and later her section. She seems friendly with everyone, but also very full of herself. However, as we learn later, she’s not very reliable. Everyone wanted her to be the the president, but she didn’t want to and only agreed to be the vice-president as compromise. And she doesn’t take sides on any issue, avoids answering questions she doesn’t want to and generally refuses to take responsibility. In fact the times she seems the most honest is when she says “I don’t care”, whatever the topic is. However, she’s smart, good looking and a very good euphonium player, which makes her popular despite those vices. In fact the only time we see her upset is when she’s losing practice time due to teenage drama in the section (note - a major change of the character when with the instrument in her hands). I think she’s quite an interesting character because the longer the series goes, the more mysterious she gets - it’s very unclear what is the natural behaviour for her, and what is just a facade she keeps for whatever reason. ~~~img480(http://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/hibike-euphonium/images/9/99/Ep3.jpg)~~~ Reina is a talented and hard-working trumpet player, who previously played with Kumiko in a junior high band. On the surface, she’s polite, well-mannered and dutiful, but also distant and hard to read. However, she’s a major example of a character that is much different with the instrument in her hands. Especially because she’s very confident in her abilities, and doesn’t shy away from claiming she’s better than her seniors However, more than for any other band member, the trumpet is a mean to express herself. When band practice stops due to attitude issues, she vents by playing a fragment of Dvorak’s 9th symphony on the school grounds. When the band is nervous before a performance, she changes the atmosphere by playing a loud note on the trumpet, despite the fact they were asked not to play while waiting for their turn. She’s also notorious for practicing more than her fellow band members. This contrast is later explained as she opens up to Kumiko and reveals her true nature - she wants to be special. She’s not interested in popularity or meeting expectations, but rather in standing out and living up to her own standard. This means not being afraid to compete against her seniors, not backing out due to peer pressure and practicing more than anyone. We also learn that she does in fact have feelings and empathy, it’s just that she holds them back from most people. And of course Kumiko becomes an exception, as it turns out she’s an opposite of Reina in certain aspects and they grow closer to each other. What I mean by that is that Reina appears distant on the outside, but is quite passionate and caring on the inside. Meanwhile Kumiko is a nice, friendly and polite girl on the outside, but inside she doesn’t seem to care about all that much. I think it’s very interesting in how that comes out in the series. In public, with her teachers, with her bandmates and even with her new friends, she’s a very bright and modest person. Only with Schuuichi, with her sister, to some extent with Asuka and while alone is when she allows herself to either become absent or hostile towards people. Another example of her naturally distant nature is the fact she tends to space out, and it happens the more often the more she is invested in something. This is evident especially towards the end of the series as she focuses on practicing the concert piece and even her new friends start noticing that she’s becoming distant. But whenever something is bothering her, she pays very little attention to the conversations and her surroundings in general. She also has a habit of speaking her thoughts out loud, as if she forgot that there are people around her. Furthermore, her fellow section members point out that it seems like Asuka is acting a little different towards Kumiko, as if she had more respect for her than for other performers. Which is quite interesting considering that Asuka herself seems like a very distant person, and very strict in how close she lets people near herself. But then again you can’t ignore how stressed she gets in more than few situations. At the beginning of the series she is very uncomfortable around Reina, as Kumiko is afraid that she is mad at her for a comment she made back in junior high. However, she is able to comfortably talk about the situation with others - going as far as pointing out that she doesn’t think her comment was out of line, even though it upset Reina. Later she becomes very anxious about having to compete for a spot in the main band with an older, but less experienced euphonium player (as traditionally the players were chosen by seniority), which almost makes her withdraw from the auditions. She also has hard time dealing with her childhood friend quitting the band when the practice time gets too long and starts interfering with her studies. However, in my opinion those emotions don’t necessarily contradict with her distant nature, as in all those cases it’s the fear of being pulled out of her comfort zone and drawn into a conflict that make her uneasy. If her nature is to be distant then it’s only natural that she panics when there’s a risk of being forced to deal with people. ~~~img480(http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/hibike-euphonium/images/5/5a/Ep9.jpg)~~~ Kumiko also has a very different relationship with her instrument compared to other characters. For starters, at the beginning of the show she doesn’t even want to play euphonium and would rather try something new. The only reason she played it for so long is because it’s an unpopular instrument and her previous bands needed someone to play it, which happens again in high school as well. But as Kumiko matures, so does her relation with the instrument. First she starts to notice the urge to improve, as she pours more and more of herself into practice, even admitting that just like Reina, she also wants to be special. However, it’s only a setback that makes her realise how much she likes the instrument and how important it is to her to become good at playing it (and also how important is it in life to have something you enjoy doing). Once that happens, it seems like she is much more comfortable with showing her true character, which admittedly doesn’t result in a huge change on the outside, but subtly shows the culmination of her growth and maturing throughout the series. Something else interesting about KyoAni productions is that they take a very holistic approach to the topics of their shows. In this case, that means showing all parts of life in a concert band - instrument maintenance, transport to the location of performance, tuning instruments, individual practice, group practice, lots of different exercises that musicians do… Overall - trying to show being a part of concert band for what it really is, instead of ignoring the “ugly” parts to make it cooler. And that approach works really well for this show, as it helps set up the nice, slow tempo and generally helps with the immersion. Simultaneously they don’t put too much attention into other parts of characters’ lives, such as their pastimes or studying, only briefly mentioning them when they are somewhat related to the band. On that note, I must also mention that I really liked that romance was a very small part of the series, and whatever we got was very vague - perhaps that’s my personal preference, but I like that the show took a fairly unique approach on that front. ~~~img480(http://vignette4.wikia.nocookie.net/hibike-euphonium/images/0/04/Ep13.jpg)~~~ Overall I think the tempo of the show was fantastic. It tackled issues one at a time, only giving hints of what might be a next problem before the previous is resolved. It distributed information very slowly, not afraid of keeping secrets from the viewer when his focus should be on a different thread. The production (backgrounds, animation, voice acting) was flawless and while I’m not a classical music aficionado, I liked the choice of compositions performed in the show. In my opinion _Sound!_ is a coming of age story, more than any other KyoAni show I’ve watched. It deals with themes such as finding your identity, deciding what you want to do in life, maturing, and changing. It shows people’s paths joining, separating and crossing. Its messages are few, simple and told gracefully. Most of all, the series focuses on creating interesting characters and meaningful interactions, and I believe it succeeds at that. I’m not the best person to judge how it fairs in the endless stream of high school slice of life/drama series. But as far as the coming of age stories go, this one is fresh and unique enough to be worth recommending.
~~~__The Sounds of Youth__~~~ ~~~img420(https://imgur.com/i5LbNcA.jpg)~~~ ~~~__Introduction__~~~ Hibike! Euphonium was the obligatory KyoAni show I picked up during Spring 2015. I had finished exam season so I needed to watch something relaxing. I was reluctant at first since I'm not really a fan of bands (I'm more of an orchestra person) but I was pleasantly surprised. Hibike! Euphonium combines stunning animation with my favorite genre, music. ~~~__Story__~~~ ~~~img520(https://imgur.com/Vvh9VXv.jpg)~~~ The story starts off with the main character, Kumiko, transferring to a new school. She used to play euphonium and ends up joining the school band. Once she does, the focus of the story switches to the band aiming for the national competition. Along the way, we get to know more characters and their reasons for doing band. All in all it's a fairly simple story but one that is well done. Getting to know all the characters still made for a very enjoyable plot. It is also rewarding to see Kumiko and her friends get better at their respective instruments and eventually perform. ~~~ __Characters__~~~ ~~~img520(https://imgur.com/MFqxCnG.jpg)~~~ KyoAni shines in the character design department once again. Our main heroine, Kumiko Oumae, isn't your typically dainty airhead female lead . She's cool and sometimes even sarcastic. Her friends are the type of girls you would think to be the main characters. The other members of the band are just as interesting and fun to meet. Each of their designs is truly unique, especially some of the background characters. The interaction between these characters during sectional practice is great and it's inspiring to see how the camaraderie among these young musicians grows. All in all, the characters were probably one of the standout parts of Hibike! ~~~__Animation and Sound__~~~ ~~~img520(https://imgur.com/DAJXDVs.gif) ~~~ There isn't much to say regarding the animation of this show. As usual, KyoAni creates backgrounds that are colorful and stunning! I'd say the main highlight would be the animation of the actual band. In Shigatsu wa Kimi Uso, we didn't get to see much animation of the music scenes and the animation in Nodame Cantabile was quite choppy. Hibike! gets it right with its smooth transitions and sequences making performances a joy to watch. ~~~img520(https://imgur.com/P2rbgnT.gif)~~~ ~~~_Dat bokeh tho_~~~ I was never really a fan of what high school bands played because from my experience, my high school band plays obscure songs from musicals and "jazz". However, this is a show focused around a high school band in Japan. The music selection is nothing short of incredible! I enjoyed getting to listen to new kinds of music. One of my favorites was the piece played during the marching competition. Of course, if you aren't into the symphony, then this might not be to your liking. The soundtrack for the solid. Many tracks have a happy vibe that is reminiscent of being young and some tracks have that good emotional feel. You just need to listen to it. On the official soundtrack, there are even different tracks for the trumpet solo audition. Overall very impressed. ~~~__Personal Enjoyment__~~~ ~~~img520(https://i.imgur.com/uvGqmPn.gif)~~~ This show really hit it home with me. I used to be a member of my school's orchestra so I can understand where many of the characters are coming from. Some characters are new to band, some are stressing out over competitions, most are conducting sectional practice, and some are even experiencing that drama (having to deal with slackers, fear of failure, that special someone in the other section) that comes with being a part of the performing arts. The show especially captured the experience I had during my own sectional practice. Your fellow section members start to feel like family once you spend enough time practicing together. Hibike! Euphonium reminded me of some of my fondest memories of high school. It's a real treat for anyone who has had a similar experience to me. ~~~img520(https://i.imgur.com/Ii1n64t.gif)~~~ Even if you know nothing about music, this show is still spectacular. If you don't enjoy the music aspect, then the slice of life will most likely impress you. However, if you don't enjoy music, slice of life, or cute girls playing woodwind and brass instruments, then this probably isn't your show. ~~~__Conclusion__~~~ ~~~img420(https://imgur.com/TCa8HNA.jpg) ~~~ Kyoto Animation is my favorite studio and Hibike! Euphonium is one reason why. The splendid animation, interesting characters, and varied soundtrack all combine for a decent show. I didn't really have any gripes with it. If you love slice of life, you need to watch this, If you love the music genre, you need to watch this. And if you love KyoAni like I do, you need to watch this. Trust me, this show really does end on a high note.
I started watching this series as a result of the terrible arson attack on the Kyoto Animation studio. As someone who considers many of their works a favorite, the news cut me very deeply and made me the most upset I've been in a long time. However, I decided to keep my chin up under all the dark and stressful emotions I along with many others felt, and reminded myself that all the wonderful people working at Kyoto Animation had dedicated their lives towards entertaining their viewers and making them feel happiness through their works. K-On! Is my favorite piece of media I've ever consumed, not just anime, and rewatching it only made me love the series and Kyoto Animation even more. It's a gem I see myself rewatching many, many more times in the future, along with the other fantastic anime Kyoto Animation is responsible for. Hibike! Euphonium is one of the most recommended shows for those who enjoyed K-On!, and I had been meaning to watch this for some time now. I could see through its dedicated and appraising fanbase that I'd be in for a real treat with this anime, so I decided watching it would be the best way for me to pay tribute to those who very unfortunately lost their lives at the studio, as I simply don't have the funds to donate monetarily. I don't have a ton of experience playing in an orchestra or band, so this anime did not evoke much nostalgia for me. I played the cello briefly in elementary school and never got enough experience to get past the ear-screeching and terrible phase that forced me to hoverhand my instrument during the end-of-year concert in my 4th or 5th grade. So the story of Hibike! Ephonium did not hit very close to home for me, but it was still very enjoyable on its own. I understand many people who played in their high school orchestra love this anime and get a wild nostalgia trip from it, a feeling I deeply wish I could experience with this show now. The story of Hibike! Euphonium is nothing special, but nothing uninteresting either. This is sort of a sweet spot for me, as I generally dislike fantasy shows outside of the cutesy slice of life genre, as well as plain boring shows with heavily uninspired characters. Honestly, I dig into most anime with very little reading beforehand (and I encourage others to do the same!), and I sort of expected another K-On! I realized how wrong I was after the first couple of episodes, though this was not a bad thing. While there is some overlap, Hibike! Euphonium focuses on an entire orchestra's worth of students and what they aim to achieve together in the realm of music, and is often heavily dramatic, whereas K-On! focuses more on a small group of friends and how they interact with one another. Comedy and heartwarming wholesome moments have the spotlight instead of Hibike! Euphonium's drama and gripping story. While the story isn't high-octane "saving the world" gripping, the writing managed to make me cheer on certain characters and detest others. I think the story in Hibike! Euphonium was handled very well. I haven't seen many anime in the "music" genre, so I'm not particularly qualified to speak on the subject, but Hibike! Euphonium *feels* like a unique story. I'm sure the story and characters mimic that of many other previous anime, but the effort put into this anime shows, and it doesn't come off as a copycat of anything else. It was a product of the heart, not of the wallet or time constraints. The art is simply breathtaking. Kyoto Animation, as always, looks clean, uncluttered, and high quality. Sticks in the mud always complain about their use of filters, but these same people, to be fair, would also need to complain about every modern film, and the use of applications such as ReShade in video games. The linework and animation is already flawless, and I believe the tasteful usage of filters only take the artwork to the next level. The attention to detail put into the animation and drawing of every individual instrument in the orchestra alone puts Hibike! Euphonium above Koe no Katachi and Violet Evergarden in the artwork department, in my opinion. The sound and music is beautiful. What would you expect from a musically-oriented anime from a highly respected studio? I honestly want to say as little as possible about the music and leave it for you to experience on your own. It's good. If it wasn't good, this music anime would not be nearly as popular as it is. The characters of Hibike Euphonium are not the best, but together, they make for a pretty interesting group. High school students can only get so interesting, but their interactions between each other is where most of the entertainment from this anime comes from. Just like in reality, many students are unique emotional wrecks who sometimes get carried away with toxicity and are confused with what to do in some of the most stressful years of their life. Admittedly, this isn't a perfect 10/10 anime. Kyoto Animation attempted to squeeze some romance and romance-related drama into Hibike! Euphonium, but there just really wasn't enough time in one season to allow for this. The romance felt like it could've gone somewhere, but it falls short without even becoming a halfway important role to the story or its characters. I say all this as someone who has only watched the first season so far, so perhaps it'll come together nicely as I continue to watch the other seasons and films of this series. But for the review of the first season, the romance leaves much to be desired. However, many other aspects of characters excel for quite an entertaining story. I only got into anime recently, and have only been a fan of Kyoto Animation's works for an even shorter period of time. However, less than a year's time was more than enough for me to fall in love with the dedicated and high quality work of this studio. May those who lost their lives at the tragic Kyoto Animation studio incident find ultimate peace wherever they are now. I wish for nothing less than a quick recovery and peace of mind for the rest of the employees who were injured in the incident. Your works will always hold a special place in my heart, and I genuinely hope to see many more works from such an amazing studio with fantastic people.
There is a sense of wonder and grandeur that hit upon witnessing the first episode of Hibike Euphonium. Perhaps it was due to the outstanding score or the sheer glow the characters had. Perhaps it was how its main character, Kumiko, was immediately presented. It’s hard to quantify such a feeling, but it’s an undoubtedly great feeling as you discover that you’re going to fall in love with a show that is confident in its own greatness. Perhaps the most immediate aspect to hit me was the soundtrack composed by Akito Matsuda. Several of the show’s background pieces convey a sense of tenderness and swelling emotion that few OSTs can truly match. “Hajimari No Senritsu” stands out as the first piece to provide that intimate and wondrous feeling the soundtrack wishes to convey, and others such as “Shintenchi”, “Iroasenu Kako”, “Ichiho Zutsu Mae”, and especially “Unmei no Nagare” also excel in this regard. It’s impossible for me to do this monumental OST justice, as it’s become one of my favorites in the medium to date and there are several stunning tracks yet to be mentioned such as “Tsutaetai Omoi”, “Ishiki no Houga”, and “Ao Haru no Kunou”. This also fails to include the pieces played by the Kitauji High School band over the course of the show such as the jazzy “Starting the Project (Big Band ver.)” and the centerpiece of the second half: “Mikazuki no Mai (Reina Trumpet Solo ver.)”. On top of that, the show does a wonderful job at cueing the audience into the differences in quality of a character or band’s performance over time and when something sounds perfectly cohesive or disorganized. The epic, expressive, and swelling vocals and instrumentals on the OP, “DREAM SOLISTER” by TRUE is another great song that keeps up with the OST. The ED, “Tutti!” by Kitauji Quartet is also amazing with wonderfully cheerful vocals from the seiyuu of the main 4 characters, and how everything swells up in the climax of the song. It might even be preferable to the OP, which just further highlights how outstanding the show’s music is. Another fascinating aspect of the show is its unique sense of lighting. Kyoto Animation is generally known for its outstanding attention to detail in its animation and artwork, and this show is no exception. There are several wonderful facial expressions and pieces of highly detailed animation to be found. However, outside of a few slideshow dips, this isn’t what caught my eye the most about the show’s wonderful visuals. The character designs by Shoko Ikeda are beautiful adaptations of the original designs by Nikki Asada, as there’s a sense of shininess to them that takes full advantage of the show’s lighting. Unlike shows such as Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei and The Asterisk War which just have gaudy, oversaturated lighting for no reason, this show has a natural sense of lighting complemented by its beautiful art direction. Water and sweat glisten more vividly than any other show I’ve seen, and whenever characters or their instruments are surrounded by street lights or any other light source, there’s an organic glow that radiates from them. Instruments shine intricately during major performances for similar reasons, and these scenes are all sights to behold. The direction by Tatsuya Ishihara only enhances this, as it rivals his work on The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. The presentation feels so intimate and tender, which brings the most out of the show’s mesmerizing music, lively lighting, and wonderful writing. Everything feels so organic and lovely that it’s astounding. This organic nature is also what makes the writing so much better than it could have been. Melodrama has become a dirty word in the anime community, describing an overdramatization of conflict which several fans deride. This is most common in high school dramas, which this show happens to be. There are certainly melodramatic characters in the show which drive a lot of the conflict in the latter half of the season such as Yuuko and Reina. However, the show highlights them in contrast to a lot of the more grounded characters such as Kumiko and Asuka. Kumiko is a wonderful main lead, as she feels particularly natural. Her penchant for thinking out loud and accidentally letting things slip is such a rare trait in anime that the show explores, and the character herself is very expressive yet down to earth. Perhaps more so than anyone else, she feels like a genuine, complicated person with her own well-defined feelings towards others. Others such as Hazuki and Midori have their own fun quirks and struggles with how they play or whenever Midori finds herself catching hopeless feelings for someone with his own complicated relationship with Kumiko. The last 7 episodes feel especially great at managing a careful tenuous balance between its drama and the show’s tender, more down to earth nature. Melodramatic conflicts such as love triangles, rumors, and competitions for a specific spot that a competitor’s adoring friend escalates are all handled tactfully and are never overplayed in this second half. Even events that Kumiko is haunted by that seem like they might repeat have a wholesome resolution that feels earned and natural to every character involved. Even those such as Asuka and Natsuki, who clearly have their own somber sides that the former hides and the latter exudes at first feel natural and multi-layered when contrasting those sides with their more understanding, cheerful, and good-natured selves that we see them as most often. Even more minor characters have their own personal struggles and layers that are made abundantly clear such as Kumiko’s sister, and events such as the audition tryouts and reminders of the turbulent year had before present-day bring out the most in them with how everything is explored so tactfully and earnestly. It’s hard not to feel sorrow or joy in several moments in the show because of that. Everything feels earnest and natural, rather than forced. This isn’t even mentioning every character and subplot that gets intricately woven together and addressed, otherwise we’d be here all day with spoilers throughout. The first season of Hibike Euphonium is an astounding show that is far better than I could have anticipated. Its uniquely lively sense of lighting is matched only by its tender and resonant nature exemplified by its direction and music. The natural character writing and drama that rarely feels overplayed only add to how lovely this show is. Sure, there are minor issues such as Kumiko’s narration sometimes feeling unnecessary or there being a few slideshow moments, but they mean little in the face of such a great show. Here’s hoping season 2 matches the quality of this first outing.
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This is a review from a band member to you. (Yes, the rhyme was intended.) I mean, I originally didn't have a clue what this anime was about; I only watched it because Kyoto Animation was animating it. However, knowing exactly what it's about made me like it even more. Although it's not 9-worthy, it came extremely close to it. Is it because I'm a part of my school's band? I don't really know. (I play the flute, in case you're wondering.) Hibike! Euphonium is about a girl named Kumiko Oumae, who just entered Kitauji High School. In junior high, she was a part of her school's concert band and played the euphonium. She checks out her new high school's band and finds one of her old bandmates, trumpet player Reina Kousaka, there. Because of a certain incident, the two of them aren't really on the best terms. Still, Kumiko joins the band and, of course, gets stuck with the euphonium. Under the direction of the new music teacher, Noboru Taki, the band members of Kitauji High School work hard to get into the Nationals, and Kumiko and Reina slowly but surely become closer to each other. (Oh, how they teased the yuri in this anime!) The story is pretty well-told; it's not perfectly-executed, but it's definitely well-told through the eyes of Kumiko. Most of the characters are well-developed and interesting, as well, even though there were also some annoying characters in the mix (coughYoshikawacough). The voice acting is very well done. The ending theme - "Tutti" by the Kitauji Quartet - is very catchy, and I just plain fell in love with the opening theme, "DREAM SOLISTER" by TRUE! I don't know if it's necessary to say this, but the ED for the last episode was a wind orchestra version of the OP. Honestly, I found that to be rather clever. Speaking of which, the way the band music is played in each episode is realistic; they're all improving little by little, just like in real life. Now, here's something I can go on gushing about for hours on end: the art and animation. Obviously, as I've mentioned before, it's from Kyoto Animation. Kyoto Animation always manages to release an anime with beautiful animation, and the animation in Hibike! Euphonium is certainly no exception. With nice, vivid colors and serene animation, I liked the art and animation through and through. I noticed a little change in the characters' design, but this change is so insignificant that it's nothing to rant about. Overall, Hibike! Euphonium is a good anime. If you like a good story accompanied by Kyoto Animation's ever-so-stunning animation, I'd recommend it. I'd also strongly recommend it to those who are or were in band; it might get you pumped up to play whatever instrument you play!
(This review covers seasons 1 and 2 of Hibike Euphonium. I mention a handful of things that happen in the story to bolster a couple of arguments, though anything spoilery is anonymised and decontextualised.) Hello reader! I only recently watched Hibike Euphonium but it almost immediately catapulted itself into my all time favourite shows. This review basically is an attempt to put the emotions it deluged me in into words, and in effect spread the love and get the word out, hopefully getting others to give this little masterpiece a try. I entered it seeing a discourse that it was a pretty middling project in kyoani's output and something moderately well liked but something largely forgotten and considered 'inessential' (outside of a few content creators who thought it was underrated). I came out baffled that that's what's become common sentiment. It was an incredibly emotional experience and something I'd consider essential not just for anyone who digs Kyoani's work, but to fans of animation and fans of damn good filmmaking in general! There are 4 Kyoani things in my Top 10 favourite anime list- A Silent Voice, K-ON, Dragon Maid and, now, Hibike! Euphonium- though they're all incredibly fluid in order, and picking favourites to me is like choosing a favourite child. The fact I can't bring myself to order it against these better known widely beloved giants as opposed to just putting it at the bottom is evidence in itself that Hibike is something deserving of more than a bit of respect and time, let alone some respect on its name as an all-time great to come out of anime as a medium. __What's so special about slice of life?__ Slice of life is not about actions themselves, it's about the feeling behind them. It's about using the mundane to capture something beyond words. It's why it can be so irritating to discuss, because the critique is at the same time correct and entirely false. "the story is dull/haha grocery store arc funny" is inherently correct- it's about the mundane, and attempts to draw an audience not through intricate politics, a twisty, turny rollercoaster of a plotline, nor a creative setting. Yes, most slice of life fiction (outside of arguably sci-fi iyashikei) will fail to scratch the itch of a gripping *premise*. But the point is that that's irrelevant. The very essence of slice of life, and what makes or breaks one, is in using the mundane as a vehicle to carry to its audience a deep understanding or exploration of something beyond words. Will you choose to actually make a story conveying 'nothing' with your mundane like an Azumanga Daioh (sorry~) or will you attempt to grasp something usually beyond the reach of storytelling (at least for the anime medium) in like how an Aoi Hana gives form to the emotional experience and mundane realities of growing up lesbian and how confusing sexuality is, or how Dragon Maid gives form to the unspoken bonds stringing together found family? The best example to illustrate my point is perhaps K-ON - 'they don’t even play much music, they just drink tea and chat shit, it’s not even really a music anime!' ignores that that's... kind of the point. K-ON was never really trying to be a 'music anime'. What it was trying to do was use a slice of life framework to seep its audience in an audiovisual experience conveying, in its purest form, what friendship means. Grasping those invisible bonds that entangle the five protagonists in such a richly profound and physically felt way, K-ON succeeds in bottling what the very phenomenon of friendship *is* in the flesh of its myriad nuances in a more affective and genuinely educational way than I've ever run into elsewhere in fiction. A common complaint against slice of life as a genre is that it 'has no story' because of its mundanity- i think that at the very least the existence of shows of K-ON's ilk prompts a redefinition of how that term "story" is understood, if not a complete abandonment of the argument. This isn't a love letter to K-ON though- it's a love letter to its distant cousin. I mention K-ON not just because they share seats in the pantheon of all time greats to come out of anime as a medium, the fact they are made by the same studio, and the handful of creative staff shared between the productions. I bring it up because in many ways, though it dodges most of the 'it's not really about music' non-critique, Hibike brings the aforementioned genre discussion sharply to mind. As a slice of life, what are you using the mundane to explore? And where K-ON bottles up friendship, I feel Hibike! Euphonium does something similar with its sense of community. __Community as a theme and conveying a felt affect of experiencing being enveloped in that emotional structure like its characters (family too)__ Community is in the silences and moods in the room at practice time, the gossiping and the drama; it's in understanding a group not just as a collection of individuals but itself its own structure and own emotional web, with its own breakages and sub-sectional groupings and more intimate interpersonal relationships branching from it; it's the long fraught histories of the group at large (how the existing second years and the third years clam up at the first years' question of 'why are there so few second years?'); how surprisingly political it is based around year groups and age and those in charge and their conflicting perspectives on issues the band faces, and how those actions and decisions are provoked and shaped by the often silent but always felt rumblings from below (including in one of the most deft and believable and densely constructed uses of rumour-mongering in a school context i've run into in anime, making great use of those webs to organically create cracks in the group dynamic); but also in how it deconstructs the philosophies and reasonings of why people are here and the shifting collective desires and character of the group as a whole after the newly-hired rude genius of a conductor holds their feet to the fire after the band decides to aim for Nationals. It's also certainly helped by a number of other factors- primarily the production values that produce such colourful and nuanced expressions on such a consistent basis and allow a whole brass band to be drawn in a single shot in enough detail to capture expression and their distinct personality-filled character designs to the point even unnamed characters can feel like living personalities as part of a wider social organism in a way I haven't seen anything come close to outside of Little Witch Academia. But it's also in that it somehow never feels rushed yet finds the time to construct a hugely compelling wide yet deceptively deep consortium of lovable side characters even beyond the core of the show, which also does much to create a believable sense of community. It's also brought together by how uniquely it understands the social ties of music in a band context, which I'll get to later. It's not just the bonds that bind a community it brings under the microscope but the bonds of family too. The chemistry and sheer… realism of the disconnects between Kumiko and her sister are just so fucking nuanced and *real* and natural that their dynamic I cannot do justice to in words. It's an utterly outstanding piece of character writing also conveyed which says so much in such a minimalistic but simultaneously so rich 'show don't tell' fashion, fleshing out so much in season one alone in spite of precious little screentime. Storytelling so good it finna make me bust out the FLCL comparison, coz how much it did with so little and the surgical subtlety and emotional affect of it all is right up there with how that did Naota and his big brother. Thankfully it swivels its attention directly to the relationship of the two in the second season, and god does it do an amazing job at it! It's something I'll get into sporadically as examples I'll delve into in the process of making other arguments in the rest of the review- put a pin in this thought. __Hibike and its fluency in emotion as a language and insight on how emotions, and the people that feel them, operate and 'work' at a fundamentally almost unparalleled level__ I think what anchors and mobilises the whole project, and corrals together and enhances the masterstrokes of various facets of the project is how deeply and amazingly Hibike understands emotion. I'm currently studying a History module about the History of Emotions and funnily enough I feel most of the insights I've learned from Actual Emotions Academia just come naturally to Hibike's scriptwriters and animators in a way that genuinely leaves me scratching my head and kind of awed. It gets that emotion is something constructed in its performance - recontextualised and understood and processed with its 'doing', and also something you can't disentangle from the physicality and bodied nature of how it is felt. It's an approach that Hibike uniquely seems to wholeheartedly 'get' in a way most anime just doesn't and applies it to its storytelling to great effect. It's an approach most immediately reflected in the imaginative storyboarding, with shots often captured in an intimately close fashion gazing at a small portion of the body- Tatsuya Ishihara takes Yamada's famous principle that “eyes may be the window to the soul, but I think our legs are like that too” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13va_lArzLA&list=WL&index=3&ab_channel=SubtitledAnime) when it portrays how Reina is at risk of being physically whisked off her feet like being faced with a gale force wind simply by being in conversation with the guy she's in love with, or how Hazuki fidgets her legs and awkwardly wraps her feet around one another under the desk as she lets on to her friends she's got a crush on a bandmate. As such, it's as much anchored in the emotionally charged and deeply nuanced, physically kinaesthetic and richly detailed character animation of Kyoani's supremely talented animators as in the studio's similarly industry-leading storyboard artists and directors. Another emotion thing Hibike loves to explore is how we reflect and reshape our understanding of emotion in the act of its release, and how that reforms and reshapes not just the emotion but often the very notion of the self- capturing too how identity is a particularly visceral personal emotional experience. You see it in an argument where you almost sleepwalk into words or a position you didn't even realise you felt- ambushed by a self you didn't know you'd metamorphosed into. You see it when a character realises just how much something means to them when they find themselves confused about the floods of tears suddenly pouring from their eyes on the train to school. Hibike also has a wise understanding of the self as something inescapably relational- that is, formed from the context of the society and emotional communities from which it resides and frames itself with. A character only realises and understands what an emotion means after finding themselves running across a bridge in fits of tears and screaming at the river below, then catching themselves saying the same words spoken by a friend years ago, words that until now had seemed almost a foreign emotional language, a curiosity. That's the eureka moment- not only 'so *that's* how she felt!' but also 'oh. So this is how I feel?' and crystallizes that emotional experience in a way I don't think I've seen captured so well in any piece of fiction I can remember. For Kumiko especially, the interweaving of insights drawn from various overlapping character arcs she finds herself increasingly tangled in informs her outlooks on life at large and her understandings of herself, but also comes together to nudge her into quintessential actions and decisions she takes in her relationships with other central characters in her other close relationships. It creates a near perfect sense of flow across the run of both seasons' arcs, as arcs bleed into other arcs in such an effortlessly natural way. I can't obviously go into any detail but this is best seen in two central character arcs to the second season that temporally overlap, and insights from both foundationally shape Kumiko's action towards the other as they unwind simultaneously - it really is some hella smart storytelling. Hibike's deeply layered selves are shaped in conversations that can threaten to puncture the barriers and faces people put up in a very very believably human way. Once again carried by industry-topping nuance in character animation it conveys the conscious and unconscious workings of lowering and raising one's guard, and how those defences function. This is shown no more handily than in the example of Asuka - the outwardly capable, at once affectionate and expressive, goofy and loud vice president of the club whose perception of which the audience radically shifts multiple times in the course of the runtime as Kumiko strains to peek behind the (multiple) curtains of her consistently bafflingly opaque actions and thought processes. All this interesting messaging about selfhood also does wonders to land its very coming-of-age ponderations on maturity- in regards to finding place and purpose, and in perceptions of adulthood. In a philosophically FLCL-esque way, it punctures the ideal of an adult as someone who simply has regulated their self-control, who has learned to be stoic, unfeeling, detached and uncaring. Instead by exploring one character's example it argues a sharp reformulation of the idea, let alone the reformulation of the common dogged necessity kids and teens often feel towards chasing that imagined ideal. It does wonders for what was already one of the most fascinating character dynamics in the show. These are selves not just wonderfully thought through in the abstract but also in the execution of the story. The show's use of narrative perspective is nothing short of ingenious, helped in part by how thoughtful and rich Kumiko's insights on her own experiences, her own selfhood and social situations she’s faced with often are. Similarly to how the narrative perspective of FLCL filters the world through Naota's unaware eyes and doesn't lean into explaining what he doesn't see, or leaves him to ponder things he sees in part or is too young or naive to process fully as a clue in and of itself for the viewer to put two and two together for ourselves, we genuinely see the world as if it's through Kumiko's eyes in a profound way. Hibike respects the audience's intelligence by letting you know something might be wrong, someone might be bottling something up, or a character might be experiencing any sort of emotion by teaching you (as Kumiko) of it the way any usual kid in school would find out about it- not through the eyes of a see-all omnipotent narrator but through the mundane gestures and physical expression of emotion which we might catch glimpses of out of the corner of our eyes- or, in the rare cases we accidentally see the masks slip or are trusted with being let in on that internality, it's often in chunks or pieces maybe that other character themselves haven't yet made much sense of. It works wonderfully to sell the layered, internal worlds and protective nature of much of its cast - once again, amazingly captured in the awkward, palpable silences, half glances, grimaces and body language conveyed in its stunningly choreographed, sumptuous character animation. It's not even a mystery anime but how the characters' multifaceted and complex personalities are revealed and elaborated via the smartly weaponized usage of narrative perspective is better than many actual mystery anime I've seen. Mysteries almost always feel like things we peek around the curtain tentatively as a band in rumour-work and gossip and loaded looks and ruminate on as a community rather than the artificially created wrinkles of a written story, as things that you impulsively just believe rather than things you're consciously aware are just the penstrokes by a writer in real life trying to write something. Particularly in the second season it can often feel as if we're entering a danger zone of sorts, prying into a wilderness we don't belong, as part of Kumiko increasingly breaking out of her cynical and somewhat distant shell, asserting herself to help resolve certain members struggles and this sense of danger intensifies in a really palpable way. I'm running out of positive adjectives, please send a thesaurus. Speaking of Kumiko: *deep breath* Hibike's main character Kumiko is fucking phenomenal. Kumiko is not only a breath of fresh air as a protagonist but one of the best characters to come out of the medium full stop. I quickly fell in love with her intimately personal internal monologue narrating the story, especially in how it comedically broke with her relatively apathetic, detached and aloof exterior face she wears (which is often broken as she accidentally speaks a thought out loud or makes a comment in a conversation stemming from her cynical outlook without thinking of its repercussions or rudeness). Her character development is a relatable exploration of her sense of apathy and detachment, her literacy as to her own emotions, and perhaps the most resonant argument thematically pertaining to what Hibike has to say about how we grow attached to our passions, artistic/competitive endeavour and why we bother with it in the first place. So it argues, Kumiko is detached and waywardly drifting through life searching for a personal direction not just because she’s lost track of what drew her to music as a youngun in the first place, but because of a subconscious understanding of how hard it is to fail. It’s easy to dodge that anguish by simply not baring yourself up to that pain by not giving things the power to shake you like that, not realising that that apathy is a slower and more painful killer than however difficult the mountain of challenge is. Like Eva argued with interpersonal relationships, avoidance of the pain of failure is the wrong response- pain and failure is itself a lesson to be learned about yourself and proof that you can also find happiness because you’ve allowed yourself to open yourself up to let yourself feel. Hibike makes a similar argument but in the context of competition and skill-based hobbies. Particularly through Kumiko it had me really thinking about what exactly I want to do with my life - something that I had in my hobbies/my academic work that truly alights my interest and was something that I’d be glad to feel the anguish of failure in and be enough of an “idiot” to push past it and throw myself into completely again after. Do I actually have passions for competitive/artistic hobbies hot enough to not simply give up when I face adversity, when i’m ‘not good enough’, and feel dejected about it, or is this sort of rejection-sensitivity I’m bogged down with something I’m just saddled with by my own failure to properly explore and find my true calling? Do I really “want to improve?” Is History something I really, actually want to do - and am I even trying hard enough to know if it is? Do I even enjoy the games I spend half my life playing? I had an epiphany of ‘oh, i’m just dodging failure because I find it stressful, and it makes me stop trying and do the bare minimum’. Is there really something in my life I’d be happy being hurt by and still run back to to try to improve at? I love Kumiko’s character design. I love her disheveled little curls and the little poofy bounce her hair has when it goes below her ears. It’s also clearly a character design that animators felt was adaptable enough they could go buck wild contorting to great comedic effect in the many hilarious expressions she makes. On the point of comedy, I’d also be remiss not to mention Kumiko’s voice actress Tomoyo Kurosawa, whose expressive, bonkers, over-the-top and often quite odd noises and sound effects do just as much as the animation and expressive character design to anchor what can be an unexpectedly kinda hilarious show at times (just search ‘Kumiko noises’ on youtube, it’s great). More on voice acting later. In Hibike, character development is a genuinely fluid self in constant self-conversation or lack thereof that doesn't change in such seismic manners as many shows would lead you to think, but often shifts when you least expect it and in ways you might not be able to articulate, not only in sharp breaks but sometimes over months or years of time. As much as Kumiko realises things about herself in an unexpected emotion’s performance taking her by surprise, equally her withdrawn personality and her aloof public face is something that she consciously and unconsciously retools as she indelibly changes over the course of 26 episodes of anime in a way that makes you look back and go ‘huh she really has changed’ only when you stop for a moment, or see how she *used* to be. The self never changes when the plotline seems to mandate it - instead the self feels like the driving seat that the plot is simply filming in its natural habitat, rather than the show yanking its characters by their lead - it has a deep respect for the subjects it surveys. To take another example, Natsuki grows from being a quiet, apathetic slacker leaning out the window with her headphones in during practice to a trustworthy friend, community leader and someone who develops the bravery to really try and scale the wall of her own natural lack of skill at music and the anguish of failure at something you really care about by her own two hands, inspired by the work of the new generation of musicians in the club coming up behind her. It’s a change you can’t really pinpoint to one moment, or that happens overnight, but something that subtly but hugely shifts over the course of the entirety of the show’s runtime. This is a relatively small side character in the scheme of things, and I could go into similar depth (in a way that would probably be more spoilery than this example) for the other dozen or so other important characters in the cast too. I guess as the final main argument to be made about Hibike’s emotions is in the emotionality of its spaces. A rule about fiction I still stand by is "the litmus test for a great show is a great bedroom", and it's a test Hibike passes with flying colours. It's a deeply thought out, emotionally mapped space that's a clearly lived-in reflection of Kumiko as a character, her personality, and serves to bring to the surface her interior emotions and how she behaves and acts once you can drop your public face, talk to yourself, collapse onto your bed, look yourself in the mirror, or have a heart to heart with a pet cactus. It's also worth mentioning how the emotional mapping of the space shifts with the presence of her older sister (with her penchant for butting into the space uninvited) and how it visibly portrays a sense of discomfort and defensiveness using smart shot composition to make scenes where she enters Kumiko's bedroom (usually as part of an argument) visibly claustrophobic, tight and close. As a brief tangent- this also applies to her home at large! There's this shot about two or three episodes into the first season where Kumiko gets some juice or milk or something from the fridge in the kitchen, and the way in which that was animated and the languid way in which she reached and grabbed for it and walked back to her bedroom is a peak collaboration of god-tier environmental storytelling and character acting to create such a characterful moment acted in such a way that conveys the emotional importance of the space to Kumiko and how profoundly differently she acts in the comfort of a domestic sphere rather than in the public where she has to wear her ‘public face’. Another shot where Kumiko commutes home from school on the train similarly blew me away with the most minute bit of spatial/character-animation storytelling- as her friend gets off a couple stops before her, she takes the opportunity to stretch, lean back, yawn, flop in her seat and slink out of her shoes in a clatter, not noticing an old, distant acquaintance in the next car behind her through the window seeing all of it- then catching her gaze and jolting back to attention, realising she's let her public guard down and showed a little bit of a private self she didn't mean to. I think this too really serves to show both how Kumiko carries herself as a person in different contexts but also how Kumiko *experiences* this mundane train commute in an incredibly emotional fashion. I've never seen anything outside of Aoi Hana really get close to capturing this quite as well as Hibike did. I’d be dumb to talk about emotional space without also touching upon how gorgeous the artistic vision executing this in a visual sense unceasingly is. The visual temperature and the warmth and colour of it all is vividly striking. I could lavish praise on its gorgeous backgrounds and rich colour palette for days- both always miraculously seem perfectly on the same wavelength and produce exactly the emotional temperature the music and script and acting and cinematography desires a scene to take. To just pull one example, check this out - and look how its use of saturation really conveys not just the heat but the emotional space and closeness of the scene and produces a landscape of colour with so much welly you can basically taste it: https://youtu.be/xbbYuZebVeM __Music and sound things: music and space, music and genre, sound design and acoustic diegetics, voice acting, attention to detail in its performances, and its soundtrack__ It's not only Kumiko's house, bedroom and train journeys that are deeply thought out and carry weight as relatable emotionally mapped spaces its characters experience. What gives the school its rich sense of space isn't only the painstaking detail, meticulous use of real life reference material and its striking use of colour but in its similarly outstanding sound design. Every single scene in the show has its dialogue (and any live musical performance) recorded with the acoustics of the space in mind, a nuance that does much to give space its wideness or closeness. I think one thing that Hibike just gets, connecting to an earlier point, about emotion is just how intensely it is mapped and invested into space. This is especially the case for Liz and the Blue Bird, which is slightly out of the frame for my review/ramble here which is mostly keeping to both seasons of the TV show, but is worth discussing in brief. It makes a conscious decision to never leave the confines of the Kitauji High School school grounds in attempt to obsessively, intimately map and flesh it out as lived in, organic, *felt* space. It also goes one step further from diegetic acoustics to using on-site recordings for its soundtrack, for example using objects hit into the walls and floors as percussion to give it an authentic aural feeling of space in its sound design. The diegetic acoustics of the sound gives noticeable flavour to its musical performances- which is just a cherry on top to something already mind-blowing. I found myself repeatedly blown away by the slavish attention to detail in conveying those musical performances. When Taki-sensei critiques a member's/section's playing, if you pay enough attention you can *hear* exactly what he's on about - not just in the simple way of the first episode where the band is audibly unpracticed, out of time, out of sync and out of tune, but as in: one member of a section flubs a stretch; an individual rushes or drags; even the shape and extent of raw emotion invested by a character into their performance- the difference between a really good soloist and a virtuosic one, or the difference between, say, Reina's anxious but defiant, spirited trumpet rendition of Dvorak's 'New World Symphony' as opposed to Mizore's robotic, technically talented but emotionally stilted by-the-numbers oboe. The series does amazingly to portray these musical performances as believably amateurishly rough, earnest, imperfect, whilst still capturing the wonder of the stage experience. It's conducted in a way you wouldn't think it's a professional orchestra performing but the noise produced by the kids themselves- that's difficult and worthy of massive praise just from a technical perspective! One part of this really struck me- as a character struggles deeply with one particularly fiendish stretch of the band's concert piece, how the show audibly portrayed their progress over the course of numerous episodes in slowly becoming able to play it was so perfectly believable in a way I can't really explain. As a very amateur guitarist that dropped the instrument half a decade ago, it conveyed the frustration at the inability to transform the music of your brain into the output of your fingers (and mouth in this case) into audible music in a way I didn't really think possible whilst still translating the script's narrative of slow, slow, aggravatingly too slow improvement against the clock leading up to showtime and the forcefully powerful emotional impetus to want to be better. Overall, the strenuous detail applied to sound design and insert musical performance really cements Hibike as a music anime without many peers in its genre space. I've talked for this long about sound and music in the show without even gushing about its soundtrack! The shows employ the same sound director as the Monogatari series and has a couple pieces that are really reminiscent of some of the pensive, mundane pieces in the Bakemonogatari soundtrack in particular, which is always great. It's a really good soundtrack- it doesn't wrestle itself into forcing your attention blotting out other features of the production and each song seemed thoughtfully employed as to always fit the emotional vision of a scene, which is perhaps why it often goes unnoticed - it doesn't jut out like a sore thumb. It's one of those soundtracks you don't really consciously realise is really good because you don't consciously pick up on it easily, but it's something you listen to separately and realise you really like. It’s something that basically bled into the fabric of what Hibike! Euphonium *was* to me in a really cool way. Originally I wasn't a huge fan of the OPs, but slowly the OP for the first season in particular grew on me, even though I'm not personally that partial to TRUE's voice (sorry Violet Evergarden stans). To some extent it's carried by the energetic, rambunctious orchestra plumbing away in the background, but also what gives it a lot of personality is its video (one that clearly borrows a lot of influence from Yamada's OPs and EDs in terms of its visual language). This is also true for the EDs, both of which I vastly prefer the songs for, and both of which are visually even more Yamada-esque (for season 1’s this makes a lot of sense because she storyboarded it. lol). Alternate dream worlds, placing her characters in funky costumes like a fashion show, collage imagery placing seemingly random items as held objects for its characters to ‘improvise’ around, lots of cake, pastel imagery, etc. It's usually pretty understated how important the emotional experience of a good OP/ED is- combined with how naturally the 'to be continued' endcard would flow into the EDs, I'd always end every episode on a high note, hyped and ready to watch more and more. It definitely made the show feel more bingeable- I'd always be subconsciously hyped for my next play of Tutti or Vivace (and after that, hyped to see the super visually-personality-filled OPs again soon after clicking next episode). I also want to talk a bit about the stellar Japanese dub on this show. "I want to improve" are words I don't think anyone who watches the first season of Hibike will forget in a hurry. That borderline perfect scene, among many other things, cemented an already nagging perspective in me that Tomoyo Kurosawa's raw, rousing verbalisation of Kumiko's many, many coursing, overwhelming feelings was something really quite special. But it's not only Kumiko's acting that's wormed its way into my memory. Minako Kotobuki proves she's an utter GOAT in her portrayal of the multifaceted charismatic mystique of Asuka, Chika Anzai knocks it out the park in her curt, stubborn, defiant, and confidently driven Reina, and Takahiro Sakurai's outwardly polite and warm yet searingly blunt Taki-sensei brings the character to life perfectly. Other voices I adored that I can picture in my head include those of Konomi Fujiwara's increasingly warming, soft, originally somewhat distant and detached but increasingly assertive, comfortable and upbeat ray of sunlight Natsuki (how the fuck has she only been cast in two roles?? She's so talented!), the emotionally layered, repressive emotional language of Yoko Hikasa as Aoi, as well as the stilted, sharp and jagged emotional outbursts of Atsumi Tanezaki as Mizore. Even voices that seemed a little too put on, ‘animeish’, or gratingly cutesy at first- particular the classmates and band friends of Kumiko's, Midori and Hazuki- I grew from ambivalence and distaste to genuinely liking, particularly in Hazuki's case, as the first season stretched onwards. All across the breadth of its now (though not always at the moment of release) somewhat star-studded lineup are stellar casting decisions and are telling of a clearly contemplative, visionary dub direction perfectly in tune with the psychological headspace of its characters and the emotional temperature of each scene. Both elements really combine to elevate an already industry-leading script into something, like everything audio in Hibike, you need to really hear to believe. For a moment I want to talk about genre. I think Hibike is a music anime in the way that March Comes In Like a Lion is a 'sports anime'. In fact to some extent Hibike probably can be considered a sports anime- it's as much about the competitive nature of striving for a national stage against the rest of the country, and the 'team' drive and dynamic, and the strains, bumps and bruises gathered in the journey of sailing the ship to its destination as it is about the music being made to do it. It invests you with its symbolic rivalries and narratives, and the emotions and philosophies that drive its competitors, instead of being based around teaching you the nuances of how to play an instrument in the way, say, something like Yuru Camp will teach you how to camp or Dumbbell will teach you how to do strength training. I think March and Hibike have more of a closeness of theme than they're often given credit for. (Sidenote: if you haven't picked up how much I adore this show from me speaking for nearly six thousand words at this point and having maybe a single paragraph that wasn’t utterly glowing in praise, then me leaping from making comparisons between Hibike and my second favourite TV show to making comparisons between Hibike and my favourite TV show should make it obvious ?) As Subtitled Anime argues so well in his video essay reflecting on the series (https://youtu.be/HlgJCAnSlyI - it’s easily the best written Hibike retrospective I’ve found on the platform- do check it out if you wanna read further. It’s brill and not even 10 minutes long) what I think most of all elevates Hibike as a masterpiece of a music anime is how it understands music as an inherently socially interwoven act defined by the connections that bind that sound. It understands music as an act of emotion and act of community rather than a simple act of playing an instrument. It informs a major throughline of its thematic metanarrative in the show's second season, one asking 'who do you play for?' But it also shapes most of its musical moments, if not the emotional undercurrent for every single one of the heartrendingly emotive musical performances in the show's run. Reina's spirited drive to reach for the heavens and work her ass off to become the very best trumpet player she can be - to "become special" - itself is core to Kumiko's own complex, messy process of growing up, reconnecting with both music and a profound sense of purpose in her life. Kumiko’s reasons for playing are entangled with her complicated, fraught relationship with her older sister. Asuka and Taki play for similarly dense and deeply affective reasons that I won't do the disservice of spoiling. Rather than a series of abstracted notes on a page Hibike understands music as much more than that- as a voice, an emotional cipher and unique language of self-expression inseparable from the tangle of deep emotional bonds that produce it. Hibike doesn't sound beautiful simply because of its wonderful sound design, soundtrack and considered use and placing of all the above to fit the right emotion in the right moment, and it's not even through the talent of the real life orchestra who performed this music so ably, but in its perception and grasp of such an emotional language it speaks in utter fluency. Hibike's music is so powerful because it is shaped in the social- not just in the meanings inspiring such deeply emotive performances, but in how music is a gift to be shared. Hibike doesn't need words, just the power of that shared fleeting moment of beauty as breath turns to wind. It's no surprise that retrospectives and reviews of the show I've found unfailingly seemed to hold its most subdued, wordless moments of musical intimacy that conveyed so much in so little to be its most resonant notes in both seasons, in two scenes in particular you'll probably know when you get there respectively. __Some miscellaneous thoughts that didn’t fit well elsewhere__ - Emotion in mundane objects Emotion doesn’t just worm itself into every space the show constructs but also into the objects its characters use. It’s so potent to see the band’s sheet music utterly covered with handwritten colourful scribbles, internalised feedback, encouraging messages from bandmates- ‘let’s go to nationals!’ and the like - and even sellotaped group photos. It’s such a smart and rich little touch to include that gives such a tactile indication of the emotional communal bonds that grow to wind around this lovable group so tightly and just indicates the level of thought the scriptwriters (or, I’d imagine, the original novelist Ayano Takeda) give to thinking of their world as their characters would and investing that into the things they own in addition to the spaces they occupy. - Genius dialogue and a genius script The sharpness of its wit and the concise insightful nature of its turn of phrase - or how the dialogue is in a symbiotic relationship to character animation to really sell what’s hidden in it’s silences - make this a really sick script. It does a lot to give Asuka her bite, as much as it gives Kumiko her endearing, pithy sense of humour that comes out most obviously in her playful banter with Reina. - Genius shot composition and sense of flow Shots and scenes effortlessly bleed into one another in such an inspired and natural way. The show moves like how a fish swims, and even me with no experience of film academia or expertise in understanding cinematography and filmmaking at all can see that this is clearly something special, even amongst KyoAni projects. - Kumiko and Reina's relationship I’d be wrong not to at least discuss Reina and Kumiko’s relationship in a review on this show. For myself and I think for many watchers of the show(s), one of the most engrossing aspects of the entire show is the pure *feeling* flowing from every pore of Kumiko and Reina’s relationship. I’m surely not alone in finding the feelings between the two more intense than even a lot of yuri I’ve read and watched. The flirting, the touchyfeelyness, the handholding, the face grabbing, the lip touching, the falling asleep on eachothers shoulders on the train commute to school-ing, the awkward glances at one another in practice, the gazing into eachothers eyes, their mountaintop date, how Kumiko talks of herself as “drawn in” by Reina, comparing her experience of being dazzled and engrossed to being bewitched by a siren… The pure intimacy of it - hell, the two phrase their loyalty to oneanother on multiple occasions as a “declaration of love” - has a romantic tension so thick and palpable you can cut through it with a knife. The bond between the two even beyond these incredibly romantic gestures is absolutely electric and more emotive and affectively gripping than most actual couples I’ve run into in fiction. If the show had decided to convey these feelings as romantic textually rather than subtextually I think any viewer would find it completely natural as a progression considering the utter depths of feeling expressed between the two. Which is why it’s quite baffling that it decides to play their ‘love’ as something platonic. It becomes clear, especially in Reina’s case, that it’s only interested in exploring her romantic feelings for a certain guy in the cast, and constructs that attraction as unambiguously romantic and/or sexual. Kumiko and Reina’s romantically-coded relationship seems something weird to call a ‘mistake’ - it so categorically and consistently captures a sheer depth of romantic feeling ‘by accident’ - it’s misconstructed as something easily misinterpreted as romantic as opposed to a simply intimate ‘more-than-best-friendship’ of platonic soulmates. Is it even a mistake if it’s one of the accidentally best bits of the show, even if it is emblematic of a rare failure in judging emotional temperature and nuance in script and in storyboarding and in voice acting in conveying the ‘right’ emotions between the two? __Conclusion__ I could talk a lot more about this show, to be honest. I didn’t really give many examples for a lot of claims, and I wish I had more filmy/animationy expertise to make stronger arguments for how well put together it is at a technical, production level. There are a few Kumiko things, and a few very personal Kumiko things, I didn’t really find the place or the words or particularly want to talk about. I didn’t talk about Kumiko’s odd relationship with Shuuichi either - it’s something that I have many thoughts about but no idea how to express, either. Even now I sort of just want to go back and rewatch it and experience all the feelings again. But I don’t have the time, and plenty more anime I’ve yet to see beg for my attention instead. So long Hibike, sweet prince! I’ll be back in a couple years. So instead of rewatching it, I tried to convince you to watch it instead. I hope I succeeded. If this ramble has at all been informative or interesting to you, please toss it on your to watch list ❤️ (if you’re looking for a numerical score, I gave S1 a 10/10 and S2 a 9/10. Out of the two sequel films that I didn’t really talk about here (maybe another time), I gave Liz and the Blue Bird a 9/10 and Chikai no Finale a 6/10)~!!~
_"I'll be the one going to nationals" "no, I'LL be the one going to nationals" "no, I'LL-" _ There's no way I can say this without sounding like I'm gatekeeping the hell out of this show, but the thing about sound! euphonium is that I really don't think you'll enjoy it if you weren't in band. You could definitely watch it just for the characters (like most people do for like, sports animes, because let's face it - almost nobody watching Haikyuu actually plays volleyball) but it doesn't explain anything about the mechanics of band since it's only 13 episodes, and it has the potential to leave you super confused if you don't already know what they're doing. On the flip side, if you were/are in marching/concert band, you'd have a really easy time navigating the more jargon-y parts of the show. A lot of people have described sound! euph as being "easy to digest," which is pretty much a defining quality of the slice of life genre, so that's not really a surprise. You can seriously turn your brain off while watching this show. Whether or not that's a good thing is pretty subjective. At times, the drama is really stupid and over the top, and you can't help but think, "oh dear god, that literally doesn't matter; please shut your mouth - you're 15" and there are parts of the show that are supposed to be dramatic and impactful but you end up cringing at it. I wish I could say those moments are few and far between, but they're not. They're scattered throughout the series. Sound! euph takes itself too seriously. Like... know your place. This is an anime about concert band. Band is lame (coming from a former band kid). I'm not gonna take it super seriously, and you shouldn't try to make me! Maybe it's that my school band sucked so I can't relate to their... enthusiasm... about band. [mild spoiler - please believe me when I say that when someone quits band, it is NOT that big of a deal.] Also... in an ironic twist, for an anime so focused on band and music, the soundtrack was pretty lacking. Nothing about it stood out to me; although, the instruments sounded really realistic (especially the scenes where they were tuning their instruments). Actually, on that note (ahaha), I thought that when they were playing their instruments, they sounded great! Normally I wouldn't criticize the soundtrack of an SOL, but since it's all about concert band, you'd figure it'd be, like, up there... People often ask if this is a yuri... it's not a yuri explicitly. But it's far from straight. Light years away from straight. Although there is definitely LGBT stuff going on, there's not enough of it to warrent watching the show just for LGBT reasons. It's genuinely 90% band, 5% cringy drama, and 5% LGBT. If you went into the show just wanting to see LGBT content, you're gonna be bored out of your mind. And while I'm talking about characters, some of them felt super useless. Midori and hazuki, for the most part, were just... there. I genuinelly can not tell you what it is they contribute to the show. They're kind of annoying to be honest. The vice president was annoying too. Most of them are annoying. The only characters who are remotely interesting are kumiko and reina. Okay i know I just dished out a lot of criticism but I actually enjoyed the show. Most of it is pretty solid, which is why the bad sticks out so much. I was really rooting for kumiko and the band by the last episode. I was in band, so it was also super nostaligic for me. It didn't really feel like a trip down memory lane so much as being dragged face-down through the mud of memory lane. Watching this seriously made me miss band so much. Throwing this in here since it would be confusing to hear me talk trash for 600 words and give it an 8/10 at the end. The conductor is hot but it really throws me off how much he looks like an older, preppy, blue-eyed version of joker from p5 :/
Hibike Euphonium: El género musical en el mundo del anime sin duda alguna es visto de manera un poco controversial, con puntos de vista y opiniones bastante variadas va desde “Aburrido y monótono” hasta “Divertidos y graciosos”. La pura verdad es que bajo mis ojos esto siempre va a depender de con qué otros generos se mezcle, existiendo combinaciones como Musical/Drama o Musical/Comedia hay una en específico que para mí siempre será la “vieja confiable”, y no es ninguna otra que Musical/Slice of Life. Hibike! Euphonium es un anime que desde el principio te deja las cosas claras, es sencillo entender que narra las experiencias de un grupo de estudiantes en su aventura de llegar lo más alto posible en el mundo de la música clásica, rápidamente introduce personajes llenos de vida con los cuales te encariñas rápidamente, y eso está de maravilla. La situación es la siguiente… ¿Qué hará Hibike! Euphonium para destacar en el género y merecer el título de “único”? Cosa que me pone a pensar bastante pues con titanes como Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso es una tarea bastante difícil, esto fue lo que hizo que mis espectativas calleran bastante, llegando al punto de dejar de ver el anime mediante su período de emisión, pero que en un futuro me haría darme cuenta de lo equivocado que estaba. La primera temporada de este anime da una sensación de estar completa, y puesto que este es un Slice of Life es aún más dificil exigir un final cerrado que acabe con todos los agujeros argumentales, ahí es donde entra en función la segunda temporada que es la encargada de tapar la boca a todo aquel que tiro al traste las esperanzas con esta historia, dando el doble de profundidad a los personajes, dándole sentimientos, metas y sueños que se sienten tan reales que hacen que el espectador se introduzca aún más en la historia, siempre haciéndote querer saber más. Todo esto sumado al increíble soundtrack y a una bella animación sin duda logra una combinación sobresaliente, la verdad es que no estoy seguro de cómo explicar la sensación que provoca este anime, me hizo derramar lágrimas en varias ocasiones y es que para mí fue inevitable pues recalco, los personajes y las situaciones se sienten tan reales que impactan, ese es el aspecto en el que Hibike! Euphonium brilla para mí. Le doy al anime una calificación de 9/10. A ambos openings una calificación de 10/10, súper recomendados. Y mi crítica final es: “Si de verdad disfrutas de los Slices of Life y encima eres amante de los animes musicales tanto como yo, y en especial te gusta la música clásica, este es el anime para ti. No te lo puedes perder”.
This has proven itself to be perhaps one of my most difficult reviews to write. There is a lot I can write about this but my ability to express my personal opinions around it feels trapped in the great atmosphere, characterisation and pacing of the show in such a way I don’t feel like I can say anything other than “it’s just really good”. But I shall try my best! Some spoilers of specific scenes and mentions of themes but should be safe to read without worry. Sound Euphonium is, firstly, just an incredibly engaging and impeccably paced time. The characters are all likable and distinct, sometimes over the top but not too unbelievably so, being rooted in the mess of adolescence and roaring emotions. Every band member even has GASP very distinct individual character designs. All of this leads to a work that just flows wonderfully, with dialogue flipping with ease between comedic, dramatic, and delightfully honest and simple. Hibike! Euphonium S1 definitely leans into drama at times, but always feels tangible. The characters are deceptively complex but not the deepest characters ever written or anything, they all just feel like humans, even at their more dramatic, and also at times because of their more dramatic moments. They just feel present. Everything in Hibike! Euphonium to me feels both tangible yet at times dreamy, just like life I suppose, and I relish the tone and atmosphere it is all soaked in. Life is a mix of things feeling real and surreal, dreamy and sharply tangible. img220(https://preview.redd.it/tfhiyqtlok381.png?width=640&crop=smart&auto=webp&s=13f3dd9504724e694cdc95d0538ac2529641f16d) A shot from start of the series, of passion for music blossoming. Continuing on, the use of lighting is exceptionally impressive in this show and season. Kyoto Animation (and Yamada and Ishihara etc.) does lighting exceptionally, engulfing the atmosphere of their works in it, and using it to control tone precisely. In some ways it feels like live action but enhanced. Sound! Euphonium has the mood of great live action cinematography with its strong use of space and lighting, like in Hirokazu Koreeda's _Maborosi_ for example, but with an extra edge of dreaminess and softness. The use of bokeh and chromatic aberration also add such a great texture when they are used, and there is a great diversity in camera angles. The music is also lovely in general, and adds to this tone, with a mix of careful emotive background melodies, and fully fleshed classical pieces. Furthermore, backgrounds are exquisite, deceptively so, they feel very realistic yet very clean and filled with the same soft and tender quality as the lighting. Of course, the lighting and colour use (the colour palette is so warm, tender and subtly rich) is not limited to this soft dreamy quality, but they almost always maintain that tenderness and often wispy nature. For example, there is the scene where Reina brushes aside her hair and the lighting goes bright and powerful in episode 5, or the scene with Reina (again haha) on the mountaintop scene that I discuss later. Episode 8 in particular capitalizes on the dreaminess. It invokes a slow and careful pace, yet also the season’s integral sense of adolescence and chasing your dreams (a great job on that episode by Haruka Fujita and team). webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/3087feb3ae5b580f01f9dce618f3bc19.webm) Episode 5 scene I mentioned; it also illustrates the show's intricate character animation. Animation is often pegged as a medium purely for abstraction and metaphorical imagery and such, and while that is absolutely one of if not it's greatest strength and should happen, there is a profundity to stripping motion and thus emotion down to its core through realism in animation. Animation should and does do both. Isao Takahata himself said something along the lines of that animation should recall reality. Many who have been in bands have said how realistic this felt to their experience and to club dramas, and how detailed the depiction of instruments and the likes are. KyoAni and team are intricate and passionate about their work, and thus invoke the same in fans. I think to qualify the show as purely “dreamy and atmospheric” would be doing it a disservice though. As I said it is warm and soft, but also without a doubt realistic, sure there is some aggressive comedy and melodrama, but it all feels rooted in adolescence and human emotion. It somehow balances an ethereal nature with a realistic tangible one. Honesty. Growth. Struggle. Complexity is subtle, it is told through settings, careful animation, and attention to details and dialogue, rather than through long backstories or the like (not to say those are bad, they are highly present in many favourites of mine, just that is not the only way to characterise, and KyoAni has made a name for themselves through their abilities to characterise subtly through careful attention to demeanour, body language, and such). webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/c98209ee316e97d3f1487b207624a7ff.mp4) A few cuts from the Yamada-boarded episode 13. Please take note not only of the body language, but of the bag accessories within the shot, an example of cumulative directing as an illustrator of themes and traits. These accessories are important). I want to - before delving into scenes and such - talk about specific characters. Firstly, Kumiko. Kumiko has skyrocketed up to be one of my favourite characters in anime. She is just so good, and it’s hard to fully explain why. She is awkward and caring yet closed off and a little self-absorbed. She wears a bit of a façade (as do most people, whether they admit it or are aware of it or not), but not a glaringly big one. As Reina says “she has a terrible personality” but that is of course hyperbole, she has a human personality that is unbelievably compelling, and relatable yet distinct. I am struggling to explain, she is just a fantastic character, OK? Her growth throughout the season is also an absolute joy to watch, and I don’t wish to spoil it for anyone so will limit my exploration of it here. There are several very powerful scenes surrounding it that dive right into the core of the series and what it means to me and many people. Growth, doing something because you like it and that’s enough, learning to like something, not making excuses and really trying to improve, and so forth. Multiple characters play into this idea, such as Aoi, and Natsuki (who is great so far and probably gets better in season 2), and of course Reina as a clear driving force as someone who “wants to be special”. Kaori also plays into this, so does Asuka and the Vice President. They play similarly into these themes mentioned above surrounding progression and passion etc., while remaining distinct characters. I can definitely go into each of these characters more but I don’t want to spoil too much, and several will develop in the second season. Asuka I know becomes more prevalent, and you can already see multiple hints of her complexity and façade in this season. It's about the details. Hazuki is also compelling here, and Midori likable. Now I want to try and delve into some specific scenes that I remember best, also episode 8 (and 1 and 13 etc). Firstly, have a clip of episode 8, of course spoilers for that episode. ~!https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/dd0588571c074cdb0f62fb4c005c7bc1.webm!~ Episode 8 is one I can say a lot about. Talking about the aforementioned ethereality of it, the deliberate and slow pacing, referencing specific shots and framings I think are genius, the colour, and talking about Haruka Fujita and Naoko Yamada by using the episode as a lens. However, I don’t want to talk too much about either Yamada or Fujita in regards to this episode, as I have done so to a decent degree elsewhere later in this review, and in other reviews (though in a different context, and some of which are not (yet) on this site). Although, my praise for this episode will not go unsung and my praise for certain shots will undeniably show praise for those two auteurs. Like Kumiko feels as if Reina is pulling her in, so does the episode pull you in. I mean episode 8 was such an impactful one, that it apparently caused a stir when it released causing fans, critics and industry members to gush about it and Fujita as a result. It was that big (and obvious why). Not only does it showcase KyoAni's evocative art direction and it's ability to capture a sensory feel and tangible emotions, but it illustrates the heart of their strengths, and strengths of Directors like Yamada (and Fujita here), to bring characters to life, fully realised not necessarily through in-depth backstories or long monologues, but through very precise and careful character animation and direction, not just body language quirks and metaphorical imagery, but background details such as plasters on a scraped knee speaking more than a character purely stating their adventurous nature (thanks to Sakugabooru for the specific example here and knowledge of the episodes wider impact). Firstly, the colour is exquisite, bathed in many rich purples and blues, which create a great colour pairing with Reina’s dress. They are also inherently atmospheric colours in the night setting used for a lot of the episode, and these colours and the heavy use of bokeh circles is just wonderful, with characters beautifully placed against these bokeh filled backgrounds in the most emotionally charged moments. A shot of Hazuki from behind, and a shot of Reina turning to face Kumiko on the mountain top are particularly noteworthy. img220(https://blog.sakugabooru.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/fujita-1038x576.jpg) Pretty shots is far from all the episode has going though, it has some strong compositions with characters sitting to the side of the frame on benches to create visually enjoyable scenes, as well as a nice semi long shot of the bridge with Hazuki and Midori at the end. The hallway shot is also noteworthy, and the final mountaintop shot of the silhouettes of Reina and Kumiko off to the side and in the distance was breathtaking. There are likely more that I have forgotten as it has been several days since I saw that episode and I didn't write any notes down. I will mention a few more though, in particular I want to bring attention to the shots of Reina and Kumiko walking up the mountain. There is one shot/ sequence in particular here I am unsure how to describe, as well as the shots of Reina’s sore feet that lead to some fun dialogue, and the nice shots of their shoes followed by atmospheric and emotionally engaging framing of their legs and their instruments (Yamada reminiscent). Also, there is the lip touch scene (credit to Yamada for that one). The skirt shot was also truly great, fabric animation is often fun when done well, and judging by this scene and one scene in the Violet Evergarden spin-off film, Haruka Fujita can storyboard and direct some lovely animation of fabric being blown around with light and backgrounds playing off of it. Here is the aforementioned scene from Fujita's Violet Evergarden spin-off film webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/a2b57d89867738257db4c2a8ad42d538.mp4) Now there are likely many scenes I will have entirely forgotten here, having not taken any notes when watching as I mentioned (I want to make it clear I never take any notes unless I am rewatching clips or something or very very occasionally after an episode), but there are a few outside episode 8 I do remember that I want to praise too. Firstly, episode 1, a Yamada episode. It has some truly loveable stuff, from the little snapshots that I can remember. To start, there is the wonderful shot of Kumiko blowing the cherry blossom petals. img220(https://pa1.narvii.com/5789/aece7f444aff69647c609af5e3c91ff79d586383_hq.gif) Yamada's compositions, lighting and more importantly the way she playfully and rhythmically edits to create a flow of movement and sensory experiences are kind of all in this scene. It feels like a nice small pocket of why I adore her directing style so much (though the Tamako Market ED might be better at providing a shortish pocket overall). The colour palette in the show is great and richly warm and the lighting beautiful, with the chromatic aberration in this particular scene forming a hazy pink that creates a magical dream-like feel, her musical passion about to blossom, and character about to grow. Moreover, the way Yamada's boards and times cuts between them tends to flow playfully around movement and sensory experiences, creating for me a rhythmic tangibility and resonance. Cuts following Kumiko picking up the petals before this gif starts and a wide shot of the sakura trees utilising Yamada's common use of far left and right. Cuts then intimately follow the intake of breath, from her mouth to her chest as she inhales before she blows the sakura petals and they are seen rising to the sky, with Kumiko then seen gazing up at them smiling. It's a short scene, but it nicely represents the emotive texture that makes me adore Yamada's work as much as I do. How much I adore her compositions and the way she follows movements and distils such an incredible sensory texture into her work. Carrying on, in this episode we also have a great shot of Kumiko slowly collapsing forward into her bed which is very relatable (Yamada leg shot here plus her hands are stretched out in a really weird and fun way). Moreover, in the episode there is a nice shot of Kumiko’s ponytail when she is on a bench. She is tired so she leans her head back on the bench, and Yamada pays close attention to her ponytail draped over the back, as that’s ultimately where all that emotion lays to rest in that scene if that makes sense. I also very much liked that Shuiichi climbed over the back of the bench to sit on it instead of walking around, because who hasn’t done that, and depicting little things like that is always so charming in animation. Again, ANIMATION IS CHARACTERISATION! Of course there are several emotive leg shots in here too, because it’s Naoko Yamada, such as one at the very start with younger Reina nervously fidgeting. There is also a cool birds-eye shot in here, I like those when done well. To continue following my mantra of not shutting up about Yamada, let's also talk a bit about the tiny amount I still remember from the final episode for which she did the storyboards and episode direction. To begin, that elbow nudging shot was the cutest thing and it was (of course) framed to perfection (the one I embedded earlier in the review), plus Kumiko reluctantly allowing a fist bump from Shuichi was an adorable mood. Additionally, the performance itself was done really well. The performance is bathed in orange light and powerful but warm and soft lighting overall, and with a nice focus on each of the instruments and such throughout. I particularly like the shots that have light reflecting off the instruments prettily, such as with the side shot of the trombones (also in the OP and I believe in Liz and the Blue Bird too but of course different in each). The reactions to the results were also done really nicely, reminiscing back to ep1, while remaining distinct and fresh, and it had a nice little touch with how different Asuka’s reaction was. I have mentioned Asuka’s character above. I also adore how we see Nozomi sit down in the stands in this episode, which would only register knowing more about the series, a lovely little touch. Once again, KyoAni is supremely intricate and careful with their characterisation. The episode also has a nice intimate focus on Kumiko practicing her fingering of the instruments, and generally it has some nice Yamada stuff in it haha. Did you know, perchance, that I like Naoko Yamada? Now on to some other episodes. Everyone loves the train scene. If you’ve seen the show you know which one I am talking about. It’s so good. The little and relatable focus on Kumiko yawning and stretching out and sinking in her seat on the train thinking there was no one around, and the cut to her Yawn then to her shoes coming off as she stretches, then noticing Reina is there, then very cutely fixing her posture. Just a great scene. The show is great because it allows for these relatable and honest breather moments, because it paces itself, because we get to feel the space and life these characters inhabit. As a bit of a tangent building off of the train scene, I need to give some respect to Kumiko’s seiyuu, Tomoyo Kurosawa, for her performance and all her weird but endearing Kumiko noises. webm(https://www.sakugabooru.com/data/d11844bd2078d521e2ccd8c24c412550.mp4) Continuing on, the ‘I want to improve’ scene of course needs to be noted, but to avoid spoilers I shall leave it there. It’s fantastic, very anime, but also very heartfelt. Melodrama at its most human, and fantastic character growth for Kumiko. In addition I wish to note the scene where Kumiko and Reina walk together in one of the earlier episodes because the tonal lighting in that was magnificent and it has the infamous shot of Reina flipping her hair and the light playing off it. Of course there is the “I love Eupho” scene with Kumiko’s sister and the one with the Eupho-kun (loved that scene, loved the whole show, also links back to what I said about additive directing, with the bag accessories). Now that I have mentioned all the positives and some negatives as yes it is melodramatic occasionally (though melodrama is a symptom of adolescence and competition so it works, also yes the character and general writing isn’t exactly revolutionary, but this is the kind of show where it needs to be human and simple but real with plenty still to chew on, and the show definitely nails it, with characterisation being in the directing itself rather than necessarily textual. It allows for a thoroughly immersive tone and compelling narrative), the main flaw of Sound Euphonium ultimately comes down to trying to consider it's biggest, infamous controversy. It is a big controversy I don’t really feel as if I can take a stand on because of A) personal and cultural separation from the topic as well as the country from which the work originates, and B) confusing interviews and translations/ suggested mistranslations. The yuri bait is something that if done purposefully purely for the sake of cash and such would dramatically reduce my opinion of an otherwise carefully constructed work, as sensitive topics need sensitive portrayal, and representation matters. Feel free to discuss it if anyone has a proper hold of the topic including the translations and suggested mistranslations and stuff.
KyoAni is one of the very few studios that have defined my life. They have made the very first anime that helped me become an anime fan. And in 2014 they released a series that I believe is truly up there with their best. With the series cast and setting used beautifully, Sound Euphonium has to be one of the best coming of age stories of all time. ~~~img420(https://thenerdstash.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Sound-Euphonium-anime-cover-image.jpg)~~~ The series begins with our two main focused characters Kumiko and Reina. Both of them are deeply interested in their concert band activities but for different reasons. Reina is interested in becoming the shining star. She is extremely determined to be able to stand out amongst everyone and will make sure she wins in whatever she sets her mind onto. Kumiko on the other hand is focused on having fun with playing music and making sure she doesn’t stand out too much. She definitely is the more relatable of the two. Unfortunately Kumiko also has a habit of speaking her mind with no remorse to people around her. While being a huge jerk others around her can’t help but relate to this side of her personality. In the very start of the series she mentions to Reina asking if they are surprised if they got fake gold. ~~~img420(https://minuteart.files.wordpress.com/2015/09/reina2.png)~~~ With this mentioned it is made clear passion and how people use it is a huge part that makes up the show. To be honest, I understand that dedicating yourself to a goal is very beneficial but as someone who is extremely lazy I can do without it. Living out your life feels a lot better than having to absorb yourself. I feel like Kumiko walks the line perfectly with learning that she loves most in life is playing her Euphonium. She might play too much to the point where she makes herself injured and sick but it never looks like she is mentally hurting herself. I believe learning to do what you love is a great lesson she needed to acknowledge. Kumiko and Reina helping each other inspire their goals really helps make the characters feel like they can accomplish going to nationals together. Once everyone notices how hard they are working people believe they should inspire themselves to get better too. When everyone works hard they all help each other to get to a level they couldn’t play before. ~~~img420(https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%202%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2001.jpg)~~~ For most people their mileage may vary with the contents of the series. For the first three episodes I was extremely bored due to how much they focused on the beginning of musical instruments instead of the drama. Not to say there wasn’t any but this show was specifically made for people who played in a band. There is an impressive amount of technical input to how people learn their instruments that went through my head as I am not their target audience. I would like to repeat, I am not their target audience. But I still enjoyed this series a lot. One of the reasons why I enjoy it a lot is due to the various points of drama the show focuses on. This show has a gigantic cast and unlike other series every character matters. Some matter more and some less but everyone gets focused on within such a small amount of time. One of the things KyoAni loves to focus on family and this show is no different. There are two main characters who develop Kumiko into becoming the girl she is today. One of these two characters is her older sister. She is the one who introduces her to the instrument she plays to this very day. But unfortunately she is also the one who tries multiple times to make her stop playing. She grows bitter as time goes on and unfortunately this shows. The other person she develops a bond with is her teacher Taki. Taki has to be one of the best teachers I’ve seen in an extremely long time. Despite it being his first year he is able to have an extremely good handle on his students. He is extremely fair to each of them and gives everyone a chance to prove themselves. If you aren’t up to his standards he will throw you out from performing inside of the competition. ~~~img420(https://formeinfullbloom.files.wordpress.com/2016/12/takisensei2.png)~~~ While there is a ton of drama featured inside of this series I would like to point out the show also features a good balance of light hearted moments. The animation can go from absolutely gorgeous to goofy at any moment and KyoAni can capture the tone of the series perfectly. These characters honestly act like high schoolers and are able to have fun with each other despite having such a rigid training schedule. One of the biggest lighthearted moments is when they all go to a festival together to have fun. KyoAni tried to be ambitious with this series and it has paid off. With such a drive to become the best they have installed not only a drive of competition but passion. Anyone can be competitive but it takes a deep desire of liking what you love to become the best. Kumiko's journey of self-discovery and what it means to love what you do is one worth watching.
(If your just wondering if you should watch it absolutely you should go watch it right now.) Going into Hibike Euphonium (HE for short) I didn't expect much and it had been on my planning to watchlist for a year. However HE soon became my favorite anime thus far in my life. I could account it to many things whether it be the loving effort put into it by the staff at Kyoto Animation such as Naoko Yamada or the enthralling visuals and animation but where HE ultimately shines above all else is the characters. ( I will only be touching upon the characters for if I were to delve into all aspects of the show this review would be too long img220(https://files.catbox.moe/8xzire.jpg) __Kumiko Oumae__ I will attempt to do a mostly spoiler free analysis on Kumiko and therefore it will be relatively brief. HE ultimately is about Kumiko's journey to finding her true self and what that even means. It is this struggle of self discovery and betterment that truly affected me like no other anime character. Kumiko as a character and her flaws I find in myself and have struggled to combat. It is through Kumiko that I found a path in which I can take to find what I love in life and give it my all so I don't have any regrets. ~!The most touching scene with Kumiko for me was her wanting to improve when struggling to perform a section for their upcoming competition. I am a deeply flawed individual and I will admit in the face of adversary I have given in many times often pondering what the point is if I still fail anyways. However Kumiko represents the better choice to make when facing adversary even if you might fail still nonetheless give your all because it is better to give everything you have then to give up.!~ Kumiko as a character is one you can relate with and see yourself in and it is because of this realistic approach to a character that her journey can leave a heartfelt message in countless individuals. Throughout all media Kumiko has resounded with me personally more then any other and I truly feel grateful that I was able to watch HE at this exact moment in my life when I needed it the most. img220(https://files.catbox.moe/gqa4fo.png) __Brief Analysis of Hibike Euphonium's Cast__ For those who may not see yourself in Kumiko HE has a wide range of other characters to such an extent that I believe you will see yourself in at least one character. Whether it be aspiring for greatness above all else, overcoming your inner struggles as an introvert, coming up short no matter how much effort you put in or being burdened with the pressures of being an older sibling the characters imbedded within the cast. The characters within HE are inherently human with realistic struggles that we all as humans face. Being a fantasy fan I understand the draw of characters in far off worlds doing amazing feats I can only dream of however HE has taught me how heartfelt stories about normal everyday struggles can fell. What you will find within the wide range of characters within the story of HE is mirrors of yourself whether in the past or present. These stories will touch you on a personal level and leaving you full of emotions and by the time you reach the end of HE you will be wanting more while also left with a plethora of inspiration and memories. I will never forget Hibike Euphonium and the characters I met throughout this story I look forward to the upcoming movie this year and the third season in 2024. I hope by the time of the third season I will be in a better point in life through the lessons I learned in this anime. The words of Kumiko "I want to improve!" will live with me forever as I push to truly become great just like Reina and Kumiko.
I'd like to start off this review by saying that I am, indeed, a band kid. Not the derogatory kind, I mean I'm literally a band kid. I've been introduced to a number of instruments throughout my life, the most long-standing (and my personal favorite) being the flute. I'm in a marching band (respond to that how you will) and am very proud to say that I love music, playing in an ensemble, and just _sounding good._ I actually wasn't always like this, but more on that later. Being the type of person I am, I was immediately hooked on _Hibike! Euphonium_ and would get giddy understanding the musical references that were obviously going to be included in a show about band kids, almost watching this anime as if I were part of some "elite group" of people "in the know." But the more I watched, the more that giddiness turned into real attachment to the contents of this series, not just because I recognized the word "ictus." This review will contain spoilers for both seasons 1 and 2 of _Hibike! Euphonium_, so if you have not watched yet, please do so before continuing! Even if you don't come back to read this, the series is simply amazing, and I'd love for everyone to experience it at least once. EXTREMELY SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO @ericz1 for reading over this literary shitshow and helping me edit!! His reviews are top-notch, GO READ AND UPVOTE THEM Y'ALL >:DD webm(https://files.catbox.moe/xphk5q.webm) --- _Hibike! Euphonium_ follows the story of Oumae Kumiko, a first-year at Kitauji High School for the duration of the first two seasons. The opening scene of the series takes a step back, first presenting to the viewer a pivotal memory for our protagonist: her final middle school band competition. Though her school only won a “dud gold,” Kumiko quietly celebrates the achievement, only to be immediately taken aback as her fellow musician, Kousaka Reina, mutters that she is “so upset, [she] could die.” She proceeds to question why everyone is happy when they didn't even make it to the next competition, thus ending their "dream" of Nationals; to this, Kumiko inadvertently blurts out, "Did you really think we could make the Nationals?" This is the precedent of the series, the foundation of the characters that we will follow for the next 13 episodes: passionate, seemingly-naive Kousaka, with dreams that nobody else shares or even cares about, juxtaposed with the lackluster and almost "non-protagonistic" Kumiko, who is immediately willing to roll over and settle instead of shooting for the moon. The episode moves forward to Kumiko’s arrival at Kitauji, a high school she chose not for any spectacular academics or to be with old friends, but for its “sailor-style uniforms that [she’d] always liked” lol NICE! But in all seriousness, Kumiko’s reasoning for coming to Kitauji was so she could get a “fresh start,” away from her old peers and the things that may have haunted her. It was nothing to do with _Kitauji_ that attracted her—simply her desire to _flee._ This is who Kumiko is. Within the first 10 minutes, Kumiko is introduced as a sort of spineless character who drifts through life without conviction. Even when meeting new friends on her first day, she is clearly taken aback by how forward her classmate, Katou Hazuki, is in calling her by her first name, but quickly resigns herself to this without any resistance. It’s a minor detail that otherwise seems irrelevant to the plot or development of the story, but I think it was a very intentional decision by the author: in Japan (and most East Asian countries), it is considered basic etiquette to refer to acquaintances, coworkers, classmates, etc. by their family name, whereas family members and closer friends may refer to each other by their first. While Hazuki is simply being friendly and means no harm, Kumiko immediately makes a doormat of herself in allowing her classmate to skip the formalities so easily. There are many more examples of her very hands-off, "Jesus-take-the-wheel" personality, but the point is that Kumiko is a coward, not to mention unsuitably unremarkable as a protagonist. webm(https://files.catbox.moe/mf3247.webm) In a lot of ways, however, I think this was the perfect way to start off her story. I was a lot like Kumiko in middle school, and still am sometimes today. When I initially started band, 11-year-old me was already dead set on a medical career and being a hardcore academic. Music was a hobby, a “haha funnee,” something to drop once I got to high school so that I could make room for the classes that _actually_ mattered. Today, as a high school junior, I actually have no idea what I’m going to do with myself, and it’s a scary uncertainty that lurks in the back of my mind a lot. Like Kumiko, I don’t have a lot of conviction, and like Kumiko, I simply didn’t care about band—until I entered 9th grade, ironically enough. That’s why, as someone who’s pretty spineless herself, I think Kumiko’s growth is so beautiful. She doesn’t change personalities overnight; she doesn’t have a single conversation with a supporting character that suddenly makes her say, “I’ve got it!” and transform into this awesome protagonist. In fact, for the majority of the series, she stays (as Asuka once put it) “wishy-washy,” watching everything play out from a safe distance for fear of hurting others and of being hurt. Notably, the rest of the band is actually quite similar. For the first few episodes of season one, each section is revealed to have their flaws, and the band as a whole is continuously flamed by the merciless Taki-sensei. People don’t practice (I’m looking at you, horns), the students are hostile towards their new advisor, and nobody takes “going to Nationals” seriously; as club president Haruka said, it’s more of a slogan than anything else. Despite having declared the goal for themselves, as per Taki-sensei’s philosophy, and despite the best efforts of the third-years who had seen this laziness destroy the band before, most of the members stay stagnant. But not Kousaka. --- Once again, Kousaka enters Kumiko’s life as a fiery, self-assured, and maybe sometimes antagonistic presence. Of course, she also serves as a living reminder of Kumiko’s half-assed participation in their middle school band, with Kumiko being unable to even speak to Kousaka for the first half of season one. In the early stages of their relationship, you could almost call Kousaka the antithesis to Kumiko. Funnily enough, this kind of “anti-Kumiko” was exactly what Kumiko needed to progress. I think the obvious example would be their hike up the mountain together during the Agata Festival, where Kumiko learns for the first time why Kousaka plays trumpet (and also where we get some top-notch yuri to scream over). img(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/753957078866853918/1132890611020726434/IMG_9102.png?width=1196&height=673) img(https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/753957078866853918/1132890611343708240/IMG_9103.png?width=1196&height=673) It’s this sentiment that lights a fire in Kumiko. Sure, she’d shown improvement during the club's preparation for SunFes, but there’s a sudden shift in Kumiko’s presence in the band. With auditions for the competition group coming up—a concept newly introduced by Taki-sensei, encouraging them to buckle down and actually practice (COUGH HORNS)—she seems to be more driven than ever before. Of course, she wasn’t totally apathetic towards the band up till this point, but it’s clear that something in her had fundamentally clicked. It’s difficult to put it into words, but I think seeing that progression from a timid, largely inconsequential background character to someone who works her tail off to achieve the goal that she now truly believes in is just incredibly satisfying. Oftentimes we watch these types of anime where things miraculously start looking up for the protagonist and scoff at how conveniently their world works, but Kumiko’s world is focused on the effort and hard work towards getting that gold rating. It’s a premise that feels so obvious but makes anything that much better: watching a character’s journey and how they _build up_ to the results they want is what makes something enticing, not just the gratification from seeing them win (though that is pretty great, too). _Hibike! Euphonium_ does this exceptionally well, creating characters that start out with a mindset that is actually quite grounded in our world—that “band isn’t important”—before showing how their passion and drive slowly builds up and unifies into a singular goal. Not just a slogan of a goal, either, but a _desire,_ a full-fledged declaration that everyone believes in and is working towards. Well, almost everyone. --- _Hibike!_ is pretty enough as it is: band kids be happee over band and start tryharding to go to expensive stages. Fun times that can be wrapped neatly into a little bow. But just like our parents when we stay up till 3 am, the series reminds us that it’s not all fun and games as it starts to explore something more realistic: these students’ futures. Again, it’s a very common (and to an extent, justified) belief in our world: “band isn’t important.” Fun if you make it fun, but not important. Even if you say you want to become a professional musician, most of the time, that notion will be discarded by your family and friends unless you were a child prodigy or you have the assets to pursue that dream. In most cases, students will go to college, find a more “realistic” major to enter a more “realistic” job, and that will be that—not to mention this series takes place in Japan, where academics and financial success is a high priority. This fact of reality is served through Aoi Saitou, a third-year who, having failed the high school entrance exams, is now desperate to get into the college of her choice. To her, band isn’t something she’s “particularly insistent” about. It’s just a club, a “haha funnee” for her to get her kicks and then move on to something more serious. It’s a stinging perspective, but one that I don’t resent nor disagree with; even though I don’t know what I’ll do in the future, I’m relatively certain I wouldn’t make it in the music world in all its competition (which could honestly be a whole different rant). I’m well aware that my time in band and my connection to music will likely fade soon, which is exactly why when Aoi quits the band, I can’t help but sympathize with her. webm(https://files.catbox.moe/t50op6.webm) I often see people say, “What was the point of having Aoi as a character at all? She didn’t do anything in the series, she didn’t contribute to the band,” and so on. While it’s true that the overall plot of the series would have been the same with or without her, I disagree with the opinion that her presence was meaningless. At least to me, Aoi is a reminder that you simply can’t have the full deck—life deals the hand it deals, and those are the cards we play with. A stark juxtaposition to the fired-up, go-getter attitudes of the other members in the band, Aoi’s singular decision to step down from the heat brings back an element of cynical realism to this series, reminding the viewer of the very opening scene where Kumiko voiced her doubts that they would ever go to Nationals. And in a way, Aoi was also a depiction of strength. It’s often extremely difficult to go against popular opinion, especially in today’s social atmosphere. Aoi herself says this in the second episode after the club voted to aim for Nationals: ># ~~~“Everyone’s subtly hiding their true feelings and gathering in the safest direction… Because otherwise, we’d butt heads. We’d butt heads and hurt each other.”~~~ Yet in the entire series, Aoi is the only one to go against the grain and drop out. It was foreshadowed from the very beginning when she was the only one to throw away her leaf after talking to Kumiko, hinting at her later “throwing away” her instrument and life in the band. Even when Haruka offers for her to stay in the band without entering the competition group, Aoi says that she can’t just let herself “wander toward Nationals,” not when everyone else is seriously aiming for the gold. Even if others would view it as needlessly throwing away an opportunity, Aoi stood by her principles and acted on them. It’s something every character in this series eventually does—Aoi just happened to have different priorities. Though we never do find out if Aoi made it to the college of her choice (as far as the anime goes, anyway), I hope she got what she wanted out of this, even if she had to walk away with regrets. That’s the final topic that I think this show executes amazingly: regret. It’s impossible to lead a life devoid of it—whether it be something stupid you did when you were 5 or a decision that you didn’t really want to make when you were 15, we will always do something that we aren’t satisfied with later on. It’s not inherently a bad thing. The fact that we regret things just means that we’ve grown from when they initially took place. It’s a sign of maturity; so when a seemingly mature character tries to do something that she knows she’ll later regret, it’s only natural to want to help her. --- I remember on my first run through of this series, when we were properly introduced to Tanaka Asuka in the band room and she pranked Hazuki with a fake hand, I thought that she would just be another endearingly enthusiastic band kid. No particular character arc, just someone to provide exposition and comedic relief with her musical rants. But throughout the series, her motivations were cryptic, her opinions felt guarded, and all arrows pointing at her were constantly screaming, “There’s more to this woman!” So of course, finding out her true intentions and the decision she was forcing herself to make immediately broke my heart. But once again, I think there was a very intentional decision by the author to put Asuka’s arc immediately after Kumiko’s. webm(https://files.catbox.moe/j37qpf.webm) Before Reina reignited Kumiko’s passion for band, it seemed that she didn’t care much for it and was just drifting along. In fact, on her first day at Kitauji, she initially decided not to join the club at all on account of the band sounding terrible, as well as feeling discouraged by her past musical experiences; only when Hazuki reminded her of the joy of creating music did she change her mind. Of course, it’s not like she ever _forgot_ that Mamiko was her original inspiration for taking up an instrument, but over time it became somewhat trivial to her, especially after seeing her beloved older sister quit in favor of studying for college. What Kumiko and her parents didn’t know until it was too late was that all this time, Mamiko didn’t want to quit, and she most certainly didn’t want to go to college with a major she cared nothing for. It was great that Mamiko understood and expressed her passion, but as her father said, it was far too convenient; she was already nearing her graduation, not to mention taking a toll on her parents’ savings for her to pursue higher education. If she wanted to switch paths now, she’d have to go it alone. Mamiko’s father may have been harsh, but he was correct: there is no way to turn back the clock. She couldn’t go back to being a high schooler, rejoin the band, and choose the college she’d always wanted. For the rest of her life, Mamiko would have to live with the decisions she made, their consequences, and seemingly, the regret that accompanied it all—but it’s exactly that fact that gets her on her feet and starts her on her path to chase what she wants, even after all that’s happened. She could roll over and accept the way things are, or she could show her parents that she’s serious and then _make_ something out of it, refusing to give in to the regret. This is the precedent she sets for her younger sister, and it’s the final gear to make the climax of season 2 so meaningful. When Kumiko confronts Asuka about rejoining the competition group, Asuka once again becomes cryptic and sly, even going so far as to criticize Kumiko’s inaction in most of the club’s affairs. Kumiko’s response to this is a cultivation of everything she’s learned in the series—the passion and confidence that she’d gained from Reina, the pain of seeing someone dear to you leave from Aoi, and above all else, the refusal to live with any more regrets that Mamiko had inspired in her. At long last, Kumiko stands her ground, reminding Asuka that she isn’t as mature and grown-up as she thinks but is instead just a high school kid like the rest of them. If nothing else, _Kumiko_ wants to play with her beloved senpai, _Kumiko_ wants to hear her euphonium, and _Kumiko_ wants to win the gold together. Not anyone else’s words or feelings, but _Oumae Kumiko’s._ webm(https://files.catbox.moe/lmcwpa.webm) It’s a beautiful delivery of her emotions while holding every intention to reject anything else that might stand in her way, and I think it drives home the conviction that she’d developed over all this time. It’s no mistake that Kumiko becomes most assertive when defending a friend—she did the same when she unwaveringly supported Reina during the trumpet solo audition. Unlike her mousy, feeble character from before, the audience sees that this, now, is who Kumiko is: passionate, sure-footed, and unwilling to let doubt tell her that she won’t make it. The ending of _Hibike! Euphonium_ threatens to destroy this progress as the band places a mere bronze prize at the National Competition (something that definitely would have discouraged me after all the work I would’ve had to put in), but it doesn’t. Kumiko looks to the future, no longer aiming just to _get_ to Nationals but to _win_ next. Is it disappointing? Sure, and it’s not like they’re _not_ upset about getting bronze. But after all, it’s only another opportunity for the whole nation to hear Kitauji’s sound again. # ~~~__Someday, Japan will hear Kumiko’s euphonium. And they will never forget how warm it sounds.__~~~ webm(https://files.catbox.moe/t27goa.mov) --- If you've read this far, huge thanks to you! I really appreciate you hearing me out and listening to my thoughts, and I hope to make more of these in the future ^^ In the meantime, like I said, @ericz1 has some really great reviews, so you should go check those out as well. Jya ne~ Additional comments: ~!- I love the minor details in this entire show. The development and everything is beautiful, but god do I still get giddy about that singular trombone forgetting when the end of the exercise is, or the infamous 8-5 step explanation by the “eupho-ppoi” girl herself (YEEAAAAA MARCHING BAND) - I convinced my friend to join marching band in our senior year by introducing him to this anime. He got excited about the colorguard and how they throw flags and stuff and has now ordered a colorguard rifle to practice with (pray for the poor chap). He also won’t shut up about Haruka’s barisax solo at the station concert, which as a musician I will say that shit was FIRE, god I love saxes and their endless finger waggling. - I LOVE THE MUSICAL DETAILS OF THIS SHOW! I think it was most obvious during the trumpet solo audition. To someone who isn’t very experienced with music, they probably couldn’t tell _precisely_ what the difference was between Reina and Kaori, but the difference was _there_ and you could _hear_ it and you could _tell_ Reina was better and it made me SO EXCITED. KyoAni had every opportunity to just make Kaori sound like dogwater and slap the number one trumpetist on Reina to make the difference obvious for the audience, but they DIDN’T, AND I LOVE THE SUBTLETY SKLDJGOIDJIDGOEJ - ALSO W KYOANI THIS ANIME IS TOO DAMN PRETTY SODIOSGJOWEIOBFI - I want. The instrument-kun series. To be real. How dare Kumiko and the gang get to have these cute charms of these instrument mascots on their bags and pencils and stuff AND THEN I’M STUCK WITH A $20 ETSY FLUTE PIN THAT DOESN’T EVEN LOOK LIKE A FLUTE RAAAGGGHH I NEED TUBA-KUN - As far as the TV anime goes, Reina best girl. As far as Liz and the Blue Bird goes (I might honestly make a review about that movie too because OIDJOIDJGIO I CRIED), NOZOMI BEST GIRL BACK OFF ERIC /j!~
# ~~~__SPOILER WARNING ALERT__~~~ ~~~Review originalmente hecha: [03-Diciembre-2023]~~~ ~~~img350(https://yattatachi.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Sound_Euphonium-2.gif)~~~ - - - Cuando fui a ver Hibike Euphonium iba con unas expectativas claras, que sea algo parecido a K-On! Y Poco más que eso, y para mi grata sorpresa obtuve algo que aunque tenga muchos aspectos similares de manera superficial (Música como eje principal, y un grupo de chicas como protagonistas), ésta obra sabe cómo despegarse y crear su propia bola gracias a todas las circunstancias creadas en la serie y toda su línea narrativa y audiovisual. ~~~ ***¿Por qué tiene un 100?***~~~ No tengo una respuesta clara de la razón, pero creo que todo este asunto radica en un solo tema, familiaridad con lo visto en la serie. - - - ~~~img350(https://78.media.tumblr.com/31145b451abcd74d7f7437615e24e1dd/tumblr_pfd41yTZCu1w46s3lo1_540.gif)~~~ - - - Hibike trata principalmente de un club de música orquestal, se deja en claro cuales tendrán importancia a lo largo de los 13 primeros episodios de esta temporada, ya sea Kumiko, Reina, Asuka, Hazuki, etc etc, pero todos ellos buscan el objetivo de poder participar en las nacionales, algo que nunca habían logrado como club debido a ciertos antecedentes que muestran algo más adentrado en la historia. Quiero abarcar el primer punto que hizo considerar destacable a esta serie, su tono, me encanta que siempre nos pongan en los zapatos de los personajes en esta situación de estar casi entre la espada y la pared de entregar a tiempo una presentación que se considere resaltable en sus participaciones y que a la vez mejoren, y que todo eso que ocurre lo mantengan con un margen modesto de seriedad sin sobrepasar lo cuestionable o lo exagerado es de apreciar, sobretodo en el momento en que los personajes llegan a sus puntos críticos en las situaciones, mostrando que pues son simples jóvenes al final de cuentas. - - - Y Bueno, abriendo la siguiente página sobre los personajes presentes en la historia, doy un aplauso al reparto que se tuvo en Sound Euphonium, admiro que lograran que ningún personaje en mi caso resultara molesto, por supuesto hay personajes algo más interesantes que otros, pero no quita el hecho que los que dan más o menos seguimiento aportan un poquito a su manera. Desde protagonista hasta los terciarios, los personajes de esta serie llegan a ser carismáticos a su manera y en su forma de ser, y quisiera destacar los que más me gustaron a lo largo de la serie: Taki Noboru: el maestro y profesor de la banda, me encantó su presentación discreta que se mostraba como alguien sereno y despreocupado que le gustaba la música orquestal a simple vista, pero que al final resulta ser alguien bien estricto y exigente en su metodología de aprendizaje que asignó al grupo, me gustó su actitud y aunque claro que puede a generar opiniones divididas (incluso dentro de la serie hay personajes que cuestionan su forma de ser y de educar, se ve cuando decidió lo de las audiciones en la banda), gracias a él es que se puso un sedimento de continuidad en el objetivo de todo el colectivo de la banda, es mi personaje favorito junto con otro que mencionaré ahora. Nakagawa Natsuki: estudiante de segundo año que acompaña a la Kumiko y Asuka en tocar el eufonio, me gusta su pequeña evolución que tuvo, de ser alguien totalmente desmotivada y desconectada con practicar y estar al pendiente de su instrumento y estar en la banda, a tener una gran motivación y sentido de mejora en practicar su instrumento a pesar de llevar solo 1 año con el eufonio, es super gratificante ver que gracias a las ganas del mejorar del resto, en especial la de Kumiko, Nakagawaka hasta disfrutara de tocar música y mostrarse con más alegría frente al resto Mencionando a Kumiko, no puedo ignorar el eje de los dos personajes representativos en el anime: Kumiko Oumae y Reina Kousaka: Las pongo en el mismo lugar porque ambas representan un sentido que se abarca a lo largo de la serie, el mejorar de a poco. Primero con Reina, ella se presenta como el obstáculo o la supuesta rival que tendrá Kumiko en la historia, gracias a su gran talento en tocar su instrumento que viene siendo la Trompeta, pero se ve que ella tiene ciertas actitudes que molestan al resto, puede llegar a ser antipática o demasiado honesta con los comentarios que da a quién le meten en las situaciones, llevándose algo de odio en el tramo cuando la escogieron para dar el solo de trompeta de la canción en la segunda mitad de la temporada, y diciendo de manera transparente la falta de habilidad de Kaori en que ella pueda realizar el solo en la canción, pero para mi sorpresa, Kousaka admite que ella se da cuenta que a veces se vuelve algo engreída y ruda con lo que le dice al resto, disculpándose y tragándose su orgullo, que grande la tipaza. Y para el caso de Kumiko, me agradó que se diera un poco más de matiz a su forma de ser, pues en un principio sentía el aire que Kumiko tendría el arquetipo de niña protagonista de Recuentos de vida de chicas, y que no habría más allá de eso. Me alegro que con el paso de los episodios, el anime presentara algunas capas extra a la personalidad de Kumiko, ya sea con sus interacciones con Reina en donde era más honesta y hasta llegando a tener una forma de decir las cosas similar a ella, los pequeños flashbacks de sus años anteriores en que por su habilidad con el Eufonio hizo molestar a una niña causando que tuviera cierto temor o falta de focalización en tocar, y que en un tramo de la serie, la propia Kumiko llega a la misma conclusión de Kousaka sobre el mejorar cada día y esforzarse al máximo, fue simplemente genial, al igual que el momento donde ella junto con Asuka quedan seleccionadas en la audición para participar en las nacionales pero no lo hace Natsuki, teniendo una gran preocupación de que ocurra algo similar en el pasado, pero cuando va a consultarse a Natsuki y que ella se lo tome para bien y con una sonrisa, igual me encantó, reflejó que Kumiko ya podía mejorar sin sentir esa pequeña espina de lo que le ocurrió en un pasado, y claro, las veces que escucha a Reina tocar la trompeta con toda su pasión, más que signos de rivalidad, son de mejorar de manera sana para ser más diestros y habilidosos uno con el instrumento. El resto de personajes tampoco los dejo atrás, Asuka viene siendo el alma de la fiesta de la banda, una jóven hiperactiva y carismática, pero que cuando se trata de ensayar y presentarse pone todo de si y no se anda con distracciones, e incluso muestra una faceta más seria cuando Kaori le consulta a ella si puede merecer el puesto de solista para el solo de trompeta en la canción, y que la respuesta de Asuka sea: “me importa un pepino”, fuaaaaaa genius man. Aoi también es de destacar, aunque tal vez no posea un gran tiempo en pantalla, fue el personaje que inició el lapso de la temporada donde la banda tendría ciertas tensiones debido a su salida al grupo por decisión propia, optando por estudiar en la universidad que quería a costa de dejar la banda, la verdad más que el personaje en si, me gusta lo que representa, que a veces uno por sus metas a futuro, tiene que dejar o sacrificar algunas cosas por el bien de lo que quieres, y me gustó que en vez de darle algún tipo de cambio raro de mentalidad para que volviera, el hecho que mantuviera su decisión y siguiera lo que quiso fue de mi agrado. Shuichi igual estuvo piola, niño carismático y medio gracioso, ||que a pesar de su claro interés por Kumiko, siempre mantiene un margen y procura pues motivarla en lo que puede y al menos su personaje no solo radica en sentír interés romántico por Kumiko, algo es algo. En cuanto a las amigas de Kumiko, pues están bien, Hazuki y Midori caen bien, Hazuki es carismática a su manera y da risa las veces que se queda sin aire por no saber tocar instrumentos de viento, y midori pues está ok y me dio gracia cuando nombró a su contrabajo como George y creo que ya es eso, nombraría a más personajes pero esta sección en específica se está volviendo demasiado larga para su bien. - - - ~~~img350(https://31.media.tumblr.com/d05b1d270df396b7cdb4852ff55ab83f/tumblr_nocypx7VvK1sx2qobo2_500.gif)~~~ - - - En cuanto a aspectos de dirección y en lo audiovisual, sin palabras. La primer temporada posee dos momentos clave que abarcan lo que se desarrolla en la historia, su presentación en el SunFes, y su performance en las Nationals. La primera es introductoria y muy llevadera, deja en claro quiénes son los protagónicos y secundarios, deja una meta a corto plazo que viene siendo presentarse en el Festival, la figura algo autoritaria y algo antagónica del nuevo profesor y su forma de ser, y mucho del resto presentado de manera concisa y llevadera, mientras que la segunda parte de las Nationals aunque algo lenta, la serie toma un pacing más pausado y algo detallado de lo que estaban enfrentando, en esa parte de la serie, ocurren cosas desde las audiciones para seleccionar a los que estaban capacitados para ir a tocar allá, la salida de Aoi de la banda, las discusiones y rumores formados hacia Reina, el festival que fortaleció la relación de Kumiko y Reina, una visión más amplia de lo que hacia Taki en dirigir a los chicos, para que incluso les diera la oportunidad de ensayar de nuevo con el solo de trompeta para ver si Kaori se sentía lista para hacerlo, y que todos los problemas legarán a solucionar de a poco porque al final de cuentas no les quedaban tanto tiempo, debían ensayar y ensayar lo que más se podía, y todo ese esfuerzo, discusiones, desacuerdos y al final compromiso entre todos, diera el gran fruto del episodio final, de ser la banda ganadora de las nacionales entre las escuelas competidoras por su excelente performance allá, es gratificante, ya que viste todo lo que hicieron y todo lo que pasaron, y que diera los resultados que esperaban me emocionó como nunca creí. El aspecto audiovisual de la serie me deja con “”””pocas palabras””””. Sabiendo de antemano la casa animadora del proyecto, sabía que me esperaba una producción sobresaliente en todos los aspectos técnicos que se podía, y no decepcionaron en nada. La animación, un deleite visual, todo lo que conlleve el movimiento, cambios o deformaciones (en el buen sentido) de los personajes para visualizar expresiones algo más caricaturescas, el diseño de personajes redondeado y suave ya característico de cualquier producción de KyoAni, y la iluminación que llega a puntos impresionantes como en las escenas del festival de juegos o de verano ese, y en las nacionales con toda la iluminación resaltando la grandeza y belleza de cada intérprete y su instrumento en lo alto, es genial, es simplemente cine como diría el crítico pretencioso genérico de YouTube. Y la música…..joya, una genial joya, el soundtrack dentro de la serie es lindo, quizas no vea tal vez una memorabilidad tremenda en las pistas más comúnes que suenan a lo largo de los episodios, pero las OST clave lo son todo, desde la tocata que tienen Kumiko y Reina como ending en el episodio 8, la interpretación que dio la banda en el SunFes y el National, y claramente el Opening y Ending que son una completa locura, me encanta lo logrado en ese apartado a pesar de que tal vez sea en lo que menos tenga que decir al respecto de la producción de Hibike. Si te interesa algo soft, tranquilo pero que igual se preocupa por un seguimiento en la narrativa, pues claro te recomiendo con creces esta obra, es una experiencia linda el anime de la Kumiko, ya sea por sus personajes carismáticos, la increíble animación dada por Kyoto Animation, o porque nada más quieres algo divertido e interesante para pasar el tiempo. - - - ~~~img2350(https://i.makeagif.com/media/11-03-2016/0YLaRe.gif)~~~