First things first: The prefecturals. Did Kitauji High win Gold? Why yes, they did, but Euph still made us hold our breath along with Kumiko, Reina, and the band members. This part of its storytelling is never not effective, especially when we see Kumiko’s face resolve into joy and relief on the stage with Shuu behind her, along with Reina’s.
Now there’s no doubt our girls have a chance to play the soli part together for National Gold. Here’s the thing: there’s a lot of buzz around the soli that featured Reina and not Kumiko, Mama Mayu. At their next practice, Kumiko congratulates Mayu on nailing the soli. Mayu wonders if she really means it.
When Kumiko returns the practice room key, Taki-sensei tells her she gave a speech before the concert that was “exemplary of a president.” This is coming from someone who admittedly has a habit of being cold in such situations.
Kumiko may not have played in the soli, but without her speech I don’t think Kitauji wins Gold. They were so out of sorts, and she locked them into a space where they could relax, focus on the music, and excel.
We get deeper into Taki here than ever before this season, as he once opined to his late wife that teaching school concert bands with high turnover is “as futile and thankless as stacking rocks on the River Styx,” to which she responded “they’re not rocks, they’re people.”
Kumiko, Reina, Hazuki and Sapphire have drinks together, and Kumiko admits to still having no freakin’ idea what she’s doing after high school, even though it’s late September. Sapphire has a really nice little spiel about how they’re all “sowing seeds for unknown futures in all kinds of places.” She really is an old soul.
On the train home, Reina asks if Kumiko wants to go with her to a university orchestra concert featuring their old senpai , oboist Yoroizuka Mizore. Yuuko, Natsuki, and Nozomi will also be attending. Before they part ways, Reina does the right thing and apologizes for calling Kumiko a failure and pushing her away.
In response, Kumiko asks for a hug for Reina to prove her love for her, and Reina obliges. KyoAni does proper justice to the event, as Reina is initially reticent, but once Kumiko’s arms are around her, she puts hers around Kumiko and the two smile in sweet, sweet reconciliation.
Kanade makes it clear (if it wasn’t already) that she wants Kumiko to play the soli part with Reina. Kumiko practices so hard she starts to cry in frustration like Reina. Kumiko admires how Reina has never changed since they met in regards to being so unwavering about musical excellence.
This time around, Mayu comes up to a practicing Kumiko and tells her, once again, she’ll be forfeiting the soli part. She repeats all the same chestnuts: she doesn’t want to rock the boat, she doesn’t want to cause anyone suffering or misery.
She knows both she and Reina want to play the part one last time together, so she’s fine with stepping aside. She even says she flat out doesn’t care about playing the soli. Kumiko repeats what she’s always said: let the best euphonium player win, but Mayu doesn’t believe her. Mayu doesn’t think Kumiko really wants the best player to win.
Kanade overhears the exchange and warns Kumiko not to take Mayu seriously. She’s certain Mayu would never approach Kumiko and talk to her if she was truly serious about forfeiting. This is a battle between Mayu’s selfish wants and Kumiko’s.
In preparation for the fancy orchestral concert, Mamiko glows up her little sister and drills it into her head that she’s cute as hell, something we’ve clearly never disputed! When Mamiko asks if Kumiko is going to go to music school, she says probably not. When asked why, Kumiko simply says “just because,” and Mamiko accepts that, because “just because” is the hardest reason to dispute.
As Mamiko lovingly fixes Kumiko’s hair and makeup, Kumiko opens up about the central issue: she wants to play a soli; in the last round, she lost to another player; and she wants the role back. If nothing else, Kumiko looks cute as hell for the concert.
So does Reina, as the two meet up in their lovely fancy dresses with Yuuko and Natsuki (who are a full-fledged couple) as well as Nozomi. Kumiko and Reina admire Yuuko and Natsuki staying so close after graduation; they’re a model for what Reina wants.
Mizore is already playing solos in her first year of college, and Kumiko imagines that while Reina was watching Mizore, she was imagining herself also playing at greater heights. But when Kumiko asks Mizore what she’d think if she ended up in her college next year, Mizore admits she can’t picture her there at all. Neither can Kumiko!
When Kumiko and Reina are once again about to part ways to their respective homes, Kumiko comes out and tells Reina: she’s not going to music school. She may not know what she’s doing, but she won’t be doing that, and she feels that strongly in her gut. Reina quickly accepts this, but then says she’ll be promptly “ending things” with Kumiko after the Nationals.
Her rationale for this is that if they don’t have music in common, they’ll gradually drift apart. She’d rather “end it now” and “hold on to what they have’. To this, Kumiko bursts into laughter. Reina tells her not to laugh, and Kumiko takes her hands into hers and assures her it will be fine; they won’t change. Kumiko tells Reina she’s her special person, and Reina’s grip on Kumiko’s hands tightens as she tells her she’ll go and become “even more special.”
Kumiko and Reina are without doubt one of my favorite couples in anime, and this episode put on a clinic for why that is. Reina is scared about their future, but Kumiko knows that their bond goes beyond mere music. That said, Kumiko still intends to beat Mayu fair and square so they can play the soli together. If they can’t, and if after graduation Kumiko never touches an instrument again, it won’t matter. Because nothing can destroy their bond.
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