Hibike! Euphonium 3 – 04 – The Band She’d Imagined

The first years are humming along nicely now and the skies are clear for the imminent Sunrise Festival, but for one dark cloud hanging over Tsukinaga Motomu. Even Midori, just about the only classmate he’ll talk to, isn’t sure what it’s about (and doesn’t want to pry), but as he snaps at an underclassman for saying “Tsukinaga” out loud, it’s safe to imagine it’s something family-related.

Just before Kitauji is about to march in the festival, Motomu is approached by his relative, who asks why he hasn’t spoken to his grandfather, the director of the Ryusei Boy’s High concert band. But Motomu won’t be pressured into unwanted contact, and storms away.

The SunFes goes by without a hitch, and Reina shows she can be a good cop too by praising a first-year who improved. But Motomu’s state of mind could affect future performances, so it’s President Kumiko’s job to investigate.

She and Midori end up speaking to Motomu’s relative, who isn’t sure exactly what Motomu’s deal is, but does provide them with two crucial bits of information: Ryusei’s band director, who led them to National Gold last year, is his gramps, and his big sister died three years ago.

Taki-sensei tells Kumiko (and only Kumiko) that Motomu’s gramps reached out to Kitauji about transferring him to Ryusei. Midori also reports to her that she tried to get Motomu to open up about what’s bothering him, but he told her he didn’t want to trouble her any further.

They didn’t have to go to the trouble of animating the complex light of a turning car reflecting off Motomu and Kimiko, but they did, and I love that

It’s Motomu himself who approaches Kumiko at the train station that evening (and gives her her second jump scare in as many minutes). Just as she did with Sally, Kumiko is there to hear him out. He tells her the story of how his sister, who was his musical inspiration, suffered at Ryusei due to the fact she was the director’s granddaughter.

He never goes so far as to blame his gramps for putting his sister in a situation where she eventually became ill and passed away, but suffice it to say he couldn’t see the concert band she imagined at Ryusei, so he went to Kitauji to try to find it for himself. In Midori, he found someone who reminded him of his sister and provided fresh optimism and inspiration.

After Kumiko and Motomu part ways for the night, Kumiko shoots her own big sister Mamiko a couple of texts just to make sure she’s okay. It’s a sign she acknowledges how lucky she is her big sister is still alive, and how the fact Motomu’s isn’t left such a big hole in his life.

Kumiko tells Motomu she wants to make sure everyone is playing at their best so that they’ll give their greatest performance of their three years there. Also, one’s state of mind determines how their performance will sound, so it’s important to trust one’s bandmates, or president, and not carry too much emotional burden on their own.

In a fitting ending, Motomu seems ready to tell Midori everything he told Kumiko, but Midori simply asks if he wants to play something together. So they play an etude for two contrabasses as the credits roll. Instead of talking, there’s an earnest dialogue between their basses, swaying between dissonance and harmony, leading and following. Listening to the two basses from the roof, Kumiko can probably hear that Motomu will be all right.

 

Hibike! Euphonium 3 – 03 – The Shrine of Sally

When Kousaka declared the concert band would be going for Gold, that meant she would be taking no prisoners when it came to preparing for that goal, starting with SunFes, which is now only a few days away. She stops the marching formation to point out individual first-years who are coming up short, and does not provide a shoulder for them to cry on … and cry they do.

This creates friction that weighs on the first-years’ de facto leader Yoshii Sari, AKA Sally-chan. From her morning where she prays at a shrine with a sigh, to her reaction to Reina’s strict criticism of her more fragile peers, she simply doesn’t look like she’s having a good time.

Kumiko finds herself so busy presiding over the club that she doesn’t have time to think too much about her future, despite having some paperwork to fill out to that effect as part of her responsibilities as a third-year. Reina says she’d like to see her get into musical education.

During their brief morning visit to the teacher’s lounge Kumiko sees all of the stuff on Taki-sensei’s desk and thinks out loud how being an adult must be rough. He admits there are times he thinks he’s an overgrown kid. Reina would prefer Kumiko not waste her crush’s time on psychoanalysis.

Sally looks like she might be ready to finally say something to Kumiko, but Suzume gets to her first. Her first question is whether Kumiko and Shuu are dating, because rumors among first-years are running wild. Once Kumiko declares they aren’t, Suzume moves on to the real reason she wanted to meet with her: she believes the first-years are close to a boycott, or rather a mass resignation.

Suzume’s warning seems to have teeth when one day four first-years don’t come to school. Mayu, AKA “Mama”, whom Midori described as a pretty jellyfish, delivers the second of two stings this week (the first flaunting to Kumiko how her marching outfit shirt is too tight): Why not just let those who are falling behind quit, so that those who want to stay can focus on the performance?

That’s a convenient option, but not one Kumiko is willing to entertain; certainly not as a default or first resort. As she declares in the band notes she Reina and Shuu share: they’re not Kitauji unless they’re all together. She decides to make a pilgrimage to Sally’s home, which happens to be on the grounds of a shrine, and finds Suzume, Yayoi, and Kaho there, the latter two in shrine maiden outfits.

Sally stayed home sick, possibly brought on by stress, but is recovering fever. Her friends didn’t skip school because they’re quitting the club, but to be there for their friend. Suzume in particular knows things are weighing on Sally and the best solution is for Kumiko, the president, to speak to her one-on-one.

Confirming the vibe of her previous interactions, Sally admits that there’s some tension between her and Reina, though she makes clear she doesn’t hate or despise her. It’s just she doesn’t like how Reina’s strict instruction is making her fellow first years feel. Both she and Kumiko are leaders who had that leadership thrust upon them organically simply due to who they are.

This makes Kumiko, who is also pretty emotionally intelligent and empathetic, well-positioned to get Sally to open up. And really, that’s all Sally needs: to be heard, and to be told that if she or anyone else ever has something weighing on them, they can always, always bring it to Kumiko.

Separating advanced members from newbies was always an option, but not the option for Kumiko. She feels it’s her job as president to bring everyone’s hopes and wishes together. It may be messy sometimes, but through that mess comes understanding and growth. It’s a moving scene filled with gorgeous light, subtle facial and hand expressions, and some truly terrific voice acting from Kurosawa Tomoyo and relative newbie Sayuma Emiri.

Suzume reveals herself to be far more than the bamboo shoot bun-wearing goofball she appears to be, and the next day, with SunFes right around the corner, Sally greets Kumiko and Reina with a smile and hearty good morning, having arrived at the practice room early. Now that she’s bought back in thanks to Kumiko showing that she’ll be there for her and the first years, the threat of them quitting has passed.

I love how Kumiko was able to resolve this issue in the way she did, which is her way: through openness, honesty, and dialogue. She didn’t go to Reina and tell her to ease up on the newbies. She knows, just as Sally does, that Reina has to be hard on everyone if they want to make Gold. I hope that through her success this week Kumiko has shown herself that she has what it takes to be a leader, as Reina told her—both in the club now, and in a future that’s closer than she thinks.

Hibike! Euphonium 3 – 02 – The New Kitauji Trinity

President Kumiko suddenly finds herself with a new euphonium ace (or at least her equal) in Kuroe Mayu, formerly of Seira High. Unlike Kanade, she doesn’t seem the conniving type and genuinely doesn’t want to rock the boat. But she also transferred to Kitauji because they have a shot at winning.

Kumiko now understands just how much stuff previous presidents had to keep track of. Gig requests, school events, competition practice, camp planning. She, Reina, and Shuu are also summoned to Taki-sensei, who gives them a choice of three pieces to play for their selection piece.

Kumiko is weary of being the one to make such a choice, but on the train, Shuu assures her that the fact it is her choice means Taki-sensei must trust her. After Kumiko heads home, Reina waits outside the Konbini and confronts him about putting pressure on Kumiko, which he acknowledges after some thought.

She urges him to “stop being weird” and support her, for the two of them are the only ones she can whine to and ask for help. This isn’t just Reina standing up for her girl, though it is that: it’s identifying that Shuu isn’t quite where he needs to be mentally in this new regime, but now is the time to shape up. Things must be solid at the top if they’re going have a chance at Gold.

She’s also right that even though she’s gotten better since her first year, Kumiko still struggles with self-trust and self-confidence. Tsubame’s extremely extra little sister Suzume corners her and almost runs roughshod over her, protesting Tsubame’s inclusion in the color guard.

It turns out Suzume was mistaken and Tsubame asked to be in the guard for her final year. Kumiko knows she has the authority, but still isn’t comfortable using it if it makes others uncomfortable, because she then starts to question who is actually correct in the equation.

Reina, whom I’m just going to come out and say has become Kumiko’s best friend and more, won’t let her twist in the wind, or in this case wallow alone on a damp bench under the cloudy sky.

Stop worrying about stupid competitions and just SMOOCH already!

She gently takes Kumiko’s earbud out of her ear and puts it in her own, connecting the two, and hears one of the three pieces they must choose. It relies on a great deal of expression, the second piece on technical precision, and the third piece, “Hitotose no Uta”, requires both.

When Kumiko voices her doubts about her fitness for the presidency, using her poor showing with the Kamaya sisters as an example. That was an easily-resolved issue, but what if it wasn’t? Reina gets her out of that mind space by declaring that both she and Shuu already have a piece in mind, covering the title on her phone with her hand and asking Kumiko what she thinks it should be.

Kumiko tells Reina how she’s imagined the band playing her choice, which starts with a clarinet. Reina pushes play on the piece she and Shuu chose, and sure enough, a clarinet it is. “Hitotose no Uta for Concert Band” blows away the clouds and paints both Kumiko’s realization and Reina’s wry yet caring smile in the sun’s golden radiance. Then Kumiko places her hand on Reina’s as they listen, along with us, through a montage of gorgeous vistas.

Wouldn’t YOU go to war for her?

This is why Kumiko is president, and should be president. No previous band administration could pull this piece off. Only she, Reina, and Shuu can. Taki-sensei looks pleased they picked the most challenging piece, because that’s what this is all about: pushing themselves beyond simply “good” and aiming for the top without reservation.

Drum Major Reina delivers a stirring motivational speech to the band, getting them on board and fired up for the mission, and we are officially on the road to the Nationals. The leadership team is united in their belief in their ability and in their support for one another. Now all that’s left is for the band to practice its ass off, extinguish any brush fires or dramas along the way, and bring home the Gold.

Hibike! Euphonium 3 – 01 – The Last Dance

It’s been eight years—and I mean eight years to the freakin’ day—since I first watched and wrote about Hibike! Euphonium. It comes as no surprise for a top-flite operation like KyoAni that it hasn’t missed a beat in all those years. After an introductory episode that kicks off Kumiko’s third year and introduces us to some new band members, it’s clear this is seiyu Kurosawa Tomoyo’s—show.

Change is the one constant in the universe, and Kumiko, who wasn’t sure she’d even join the band when she first arrived at Kitauji, is now the president, supported by Reina and Shuuichi. Unfortunately I never got around to watching the movies, meaning I missed her and Shuu confessing, dating, almost kissing, then breaking up so Kumiko can focus on band. D’oh!

Oh well, at least they’re not that awkward here, as Kumiko left open the possibility of getting back together when she’s done band. The first three minutes in particular are a perfect reintroduction to the look, vibe, and above all sound of the show. Kumiko wakes up with a band rehearsal playing in her earbuds. Her dad says to her mom that she really should be quitting band at some point to focus on her future.

It nails home the fact that it’s Last Dance time for Kumiko and the third years. The task falls to the third years to market the concert band and recruit first years and other interested potential members. As usual, the trumpet is the most popular group, while the bass attracts a bunch of colorful weirdoes (Speaking of, the movies also introduced her cute and quirkily confident fellow Eupher, underclassman Hisaishi Kanade, voiced by Amamiya Sora).

Kumiko may still struggle with her confidence and communication skills, but there’s no doubt she’s a lot better at it now than as a first year. There’s an added level of maturity to all of the third years, including Hazuki and Sapphire, who are all tasked with teaching first years, most of whom have limited to no experience playing their instruments.

The concert band swells to ninety members, but as Reina points out more than once, it’s not quantity but quality that matters. The difference between season one and this one is that Kumiko has caught up to Reina’s mentality of Real Gold or Bust. She makes clear to Reina that the frustration that churns deep inside her won’t be quelled unless they claim First Place at Nationals. Their bond has never been closer, by the way, exemplified by the symmetry of their playful bumping into each other in the hall.

Throughout this episode, Kumiko also hears an unfamiliar but unmistakably skilled Euphonium on the air. It’s not her senpai Asuka, but someone mysterious. After Kumiko gets through her first big speech as president to the newly convened band and gets them to unanimously vote to go for Gold, she hears the sound again and rushes to the roof to find its source: Kuroe Mayu, voiced by another titan in Tomatsu Haruka. Her different uni suggests she’s a transfer student.

The stage is set and the stakes have never been higher. While I feel a little FOMO about skipping the movies, this premiere warmly welcomed me back like the second season ended last week instead of in 2017. KyoAni also demonstrates a high degree of restraint and elegance in its production, in contrast to the almost try-hard glitzy kitchen-sink nature of Jellyfish. In short, it makes it look easy, which makes it easy to be totally engrossed. Let’s Go Band!

Hibike! Euphonium 2 – 05

One thing that makes Euph such a joy to watch is that it isn’t only the musical performances that are beautifully animated with the utmost attention to detail, it’s everything.

Hazuki doesn’t just grab hold of the handle on the train, you see the specific angle of her Chuck Taylors as she’s doing so, then looks out the window at the sights going by. Something mundane, like riding a train, is elevated to something special.

So too is Kumiko when she starts to get scared about the oncoming Kansai Competition, even though we learn neither she nor the others had any reason to fear. They put everything into preparing for a twelve-minute piece, and it pays off big.

Asuka, mostly keeping to herself unless someone like Kumiko or Nozomi approached her, stands up before the president to say some words that need to be said, about how she isn’t going to be satisfied having simply made it to where they are; she wants to win and move on to the nationals. Now they’re one step closer.

If mundane things are wonderfully rendered in Euph, then the musical performances are simply that much more impressive. Every little clink of the instruments before the music starts, the teast of Taki-sensei raising his hands, then cutting to the sound of cicadas outside, only to bring us back into the performance.

The bold, brash, and challenging-sounding piece they play draws us in; the band plays as well as they ever have. Everyone knows their role and they execute with near perfection. Kumiko plays to the level Taki expected; Reina, playing for her and not Taki, knocks it out of the park with the trumpet. And Mizore’s oboe solo is full of grace and emotion, now that she’s no longer lamenting Nozomi.

There’s a bit of suspense after the credits when the schools and their scores are announced, but I never for one second believed Kitauji would get anything less than Gold and to advance onward. I mean, they simply brought it with that performance.

Like Kazuki backstage, I couldn’t help but pray no big mistakes were made, and none were. As a result, the Nationals are now in view on the horizon, and it’s great to see the release of tension once they know it is. Kitauji is for real, but it only gets tougher from here.

Hibike! Euphonium 2 – 04

In the end, Kumiko couldn’t do it. Or at least she couldn’t do it in time: confront Yoroizuka Mizore about Nozomi. Time is something no one in the concert band has: the competition is in ten days and they’ll be playing after Myoujou Technical.

It’s apropos that moments after nailing her piece in practice, Nozomi appears to praise her, than to ask if Mizore is around, since she heard her oboe. An oboe, by the way, that Nozomi remembers as being far more “fun” than it is now.

There’s a reason for that, and it’s revealed this week, in IMO the best episode of the Fall 2016 Season so far (keep in mind I’m not watching Yuri!! On Ice). The tension when Kumiko realizes Nozomi is headed to Mizore, and Mizore’s painful reaction and quick retreat, are all beautifully done, as is Yuuko dropping all pretense and begging Kumiko to find Mizore quickly.

Kumiko is the one who finds Mizore first, and though she didn’t get to her in time to save her from a painful encounter, she more than mitigates that by forming the conduit through which misunderstandings can be cleared up and fences mended, which was Kumiko’s hope in getting involved all along.

Mizore, as we know, is bad with people. It’s hard for people to approach her and harder for her to approach them. So when Nozomi did approach her, in middle school, and they became fast friends, it was a revelation.

So much so, that when Nozomi quit the band without telling her, Mizore worried that it was because she was being left out. Nozomi was her only friend; Nozomi had many; and she feared more than anything that she was mistaken about their friendship.

When Nozomi quit, Mizore shifted to Yuuko, but anyone could hear in her oboe play that she was still playing only for Nozomi; that Nozomi quit and could no longer play with her. When Yuuko arrives, worried sick, Mizore is so worked up about Nozomi that Yuuko has to remind her she has her too.

To that, Mizore reveals something more: that Yuuko was friends with her only out of pity; another misunderstanding. She was also mistaken in thinking her guilt over Nozomi and the others quitting was more important than being happy about winning the Kyoto Competition.

Tanezaki Atsumi and Yamaoka Yuri do superb, powerful work here, bringing vitality and raw emotion to Mizore and Yuuko, respectively; there are moments when Tanezaki channels Hanazawa Kana. When Nozomi enters the classroom to find out what’s amiss, Touyama Nao adds her voice to this choir of awesomeness.

The most important misunderstanding is revealed by having the two friends finally face each other and clear the air: Nozomi didn’t tell Mizore she was quitting because she didn’t want her to quit too. She admired how diligent Mizore practiced.

This was a case of someone who has trouble making friends and someone who has trouble not making friends ending up in each others’ blind spots. So it’s a good thing Yuuko and Kumiko are there to help bring them both into the light.

It’s also a case of my patience being rewarded, and I always reward shows that do that. Just when I needed some kind of catharsis over the building character tensions Kumiko was juggling, we get exactly that, and it’s as compelling and dramatically satisfying as anything on HBO. That’s the power of KyoAni at its best.

Those fantastic scenes between Kumiko, Yuuko, Mizore, and Nozomi were bookended by Kumiko encounters with her older sister (who wordlessly storms past her and out of the house after an argument with their father), and her sister from another mother, Reina. The earlier scene very succinctly illustrates how wading deeper into her bandmates’ problems has taken her further away from her family’s. To be continued.

Her scene with Reina, on the other hand, is almost a reward for Kumiko (and us!) For a second I thought she’d bring up the fact that Taki-sensei is a widower. Instead, she asks Reina if there’s anyone in particular she plays for. Reina is, as Kumiko so perfectly puts it, “so Reina” in her reply that she mostly plays for herself.

But I’d wager a part of her plays for Kumiko too, as part of Kumiko plays for her. After all, come the next competition, everyone in the concert band will live and die on each others’ performances, not just their own.

Hibike! Euphonium 2 – 03

This week both Kumiko and Reina have to have potentially uncomfortable (and in Reina’s case, catastrophic) conversations with people who are by nature hard to approach: Asuka and Taki-sensei, respectively. Reina is open with Kumiko about what she must do, and tacitly seeks support; Kumiko doesn’t tell Reina what she’s up to regarding Asuka and Nozomi.

Also, Reina’s is a simply matter of love. Kumiko feels she has to take an active role in the repair the frayed ends of the band before they get worse. She may have been sparing Reina extra stress, but perhaps she’s also keeping things quiet because she’s still not sure she can succeed.

After a day of grueling, repetitive practice with short breaks for bathing and eating, Kumiko is already at a physical disadvantage in her long-awaited chat with Asuka (who has far more stamina). But Kumiko remains focused, as she must, to keep their talk on track.

Asuka wants to steer Kumiko away at every turn, but once she sees how committed Kumiko is, she isn’t shy about explaining why she can’t support Nozomi joining the band. In short, because their only oboist, Yoroizuka, wouldn’t be able to play.

It’s plain old logic: you already have some flutes, but only one oboe. So Asuka does what needs to be done for that oboist to be able to perform optimally—and even when Hashimoto says she plays like a robot, she’s still very good.

Asuka warned Kumiko that possessing this knowledge would only make her miserable: how is she going to keep her promise by telling Nozomi…that? It wouldn’t just be a blow to her as a musician, but also completely upend her perspective on her relationship with Yoroizuka.

Sure enough, Kumiko isn’t in the best of moods, but Reina shows up with sparklers, and suddenly Kumiko has a worthy diversion: taking Reina by her perfectly constructed cheeks and giving her a wordless look after Reina hesitates asking Taki if he’s dating Niiyama.

Proving she’s simply a magnet for personal information and probably has a bright future in talk therapy, after Reina strides off, Hashimoto sits beside Kumiko and lets slip that Taki is a widower; his wife died five years ago and he’s been a “husk” ever since. But he’s happy Taki took the job at Kitauji, and even happier when he asked him to join him.

When I heard Reina say Taki and Niiyama aren’t dating, I knew she’d sleep soundly that night. Sure enough, she’s blissfully dozing away, but Kumiko is restless, unsure of whether to tell her about Taki’s wife.

Her night wandering leads to her eavesdropping on Yuko and Natsuki, with the later confused about why Nozomi can’t join the band and the former unwilling to let too much slip, partly because she doesn’t want a big mess on her hands.

Yuko saw Kumiko try to hide, and treats her to a juice and a chat of their own. Yuko, like Asuka and now Kumiko, knows the truth about Yoroizuka and Nozomi, but doesn’t want Natsuki involved. Kumiko steers the talk to what Yuko herself thinks of competitions. She doesn’t like them, but if she has to be in one, she wants Gold.

Kumiko returns to her futon and a now half-awake Reina (nice job with both seiyus modifying their voices to sound tired, discreet, and like they’re lying on their sides, which they are). Reina’s first thought of where Kumiko was is Tsukimoto, who has a hilariously tiny role so far this season, commensurate to the amount of shits Kumiko cares about him.

After honestly asserting that her childhood friend has “nothing to do with it”, Kumiko changes the subject, asking Reina the same thing she asked Yuko, and getting a predictably different and very Reina response: most people complaining about competitions is sour grapes, and all one can really do is to “get good.”

Besides, she likes playing in front of people, and competitions offer her that chance. For the record, she likes ’em. Then she nods back off, no longer troubled about Taki.

The episode ends quietly and beautifully, not with another frank discussion on how someone feels about competitions, but with a sleep-deprived Kumiko striking out into the dawn with trusty euph in hand, and coming upon a “strange, warm, lonely piece” being played by Asuka in the middle of a grassy field.

Honestly, it sounded Ghibli-esque to me, like something Pazu might play on his trumpet for his doves. It’s a lovely scene, and a reminder to Kumiko that Asuka carries in her a “myriad of emotions” she releases in her music. While that might make her the opposite of Yoroizuka, well…they still need an oboe, and she’s it.

Hibike! Euphonium 2 – 02

Oooo, it’s a pool episode! Except Hibike! Euphonium doesn’t really do straight up pool episodes. Yes, Kumiko and Sapphire are dazzled by Reina’s new swimsuit, but fanservice isn’t the sole point of the episode. Indeed, we get the same nuanced interactions between characters, regardless of garb.

This is because Kumiko, seeing all the strife around her, can’t help but want to do something. She’s also not afraid to stand up for herself this week, when Nozomi asks why she and not Natsuki is in the competition group. She’s in because she’s better.

To her surprise, she doesn’t make an enemy of Nozomi right then and there. On the contrary, the two have a nice long chat that results in Kumiko promising to talk to Asuka. She even forgets she’s supposed to be having fun with Reina and the others.

The pool segment is only half the episode. From there we get right to the practice camp, where Taki-sensei introduces another teaching assistant for the woodwinds, the very talented—and very stunning—Niiyama Satomi. The two seem to flirt a little, which just wrecks poort Reina. We’ve never seen her so out of it!

Kumiko knows less about romance than Reina, so she decides not to touch that lest she cause more harm than good. Instead, she ends up in more one-on-one talks, first with Natsuki, who thanks her on Nozomi’s behalf and states her undying admiration for her, and Mizore, who expresses how much she hates competition, and how it causes her pain.

Kumiko, for her part, answers as forthrightly as she did regarding Nozomi’s question about why Natsuki wasn’t ahead of her. Their music is judged the way it is…because that’s just the way it is. She’s fine with it. You may not know exactly what a judge likes on any given day in any given competition…but neither does anyone else. You simply have to play as well as you can, and live with things outside your control.

In perhaps my favorite scene of an episode full of nice conversations, Kumiko returns to her futon next to Reina, who is still awake and still worrying about Taki and Satomi. This time Kumiko has an answer, which is that they have no way of knowing how Taki feels unless he’s asked.

That brightens Reina’s mood somewhat, and the two simply join hands and stare at each other for a while. IMO there is no friendship deeper or more well-realized than these two this Fall. The voice actors and animators weave their usual magic here, nailing every little gesture and subtle change of tone.

When Kumiko tells Reina she seems more grown up “inside and outside”, it also self-motivates her to try to emulate Reina, by following through on her promise to Nozomi to confront Asuka and get some answers. It’s not going to be easy, or likely pleasant—Asuka’s a damn hard nut to crack, and loves to cut conversations short with curt responses—but I look forward to seeing if Kumiko can achieve her goal.

Hibike! Euphonium 2 – 01

Ah, no more messing around. Here comes a properly good Autumn hump day show that immerses you in its gloriously naturalistic and precise world. Granted, I was pre-immersed last year, but it takes no time at all in this sprawling-yet-measured 47-minute season premiere to fall back under the spell of Sound!

Oumae Kumiko and Kousaka Reina have never been closer, literally or figuratively. Perhaps it’s a factor of Reina being satisfying with their level of success: they placed first in Kyoto and are representatives at the Kansai competition, the next step to the Nationals she dreams of winning someday. Right there with her, kind of in her wake, is Kumiko, who is more open and affectionate to Reina than anyone else, even, no especially her mom and big sister.

Kumiko and Reina are relatively steady variables in this opener: all of the conflict comes from the uneasy atmosphere being created by still-open wounds among the upperclassmen.

Specifically, one former member who quit in the great second-year purge wants back in, but Asuka won’t budge. The first years are kept out of the loop, and it hurts their focus. As usual, KyoAni is impeccable at not just telling but showing the subtle but increasingly assertive effect of the senpai drama.

Kumiko is a great protagonist because she’s so good at being in the middle of things while not dominating those events with her personality. She’s a deceptively very “normal” girl hiding multitudes beneath her exterior, brough to life with a skilled performance by Kurosawa Tomoyo (in a total 180 from her character of Sylphy in Amaburi). I love how drastically Kumiko’s tone changes when she’s talking to her fam, as if it’s a huge imposition to do so, which makes perfect sense since she’s a teenager.

But most gratifying in a sea of senpai uncertainty and a looming life-altering competition is to see the collective rock that is Kumiko and Reina. They’re far past their troubles of past years, and both value one another’s company and conversation above all others.

They are proof that previous bad blood can not only be corrected, but flourish into a beautiful friendship. As the assistant instructor (a pro in the music industry) says to the band: be more imposing. Make more of an impact. Don’t be reticent, because it all comes through in their music.

Everyone has to be more open with one another to succeed and become the best band they can be, as well as the best people. Unpleasant things like resentments and grudges and infamous incidents can’t be allowed to fester. And most importantly, life shouldn’t be a constant struggle. You gotta stop and ogle the fireworks in rapt awe once in a while.

This was a baller premiere that reminded me why KyoAni is so good with such regularity. It doesn’t just nail the fundamentals, but sweats the details to the extent there are gestures and tones you won’t see anywhere else, to say nothing of the complexity of the emotions in play. A very solid and confident start.

Hibike! Euphonium – 13 (Fin)

From the speed with which she turned it off, Kumiko wasn’t awakened by her alarm; she was already awake and alert, and ready to start the most important day of her life as a musician. From her stiff-upper-lip departure from her home, and the playful elbow-knocking with Reina on the train, to the execution of the logistics for the competition including roll calls, loading, instrument checks…and hair-tying—the Kitauji High School Concert band slowly but steadily marches to meet its destiny, and this time Kumiko is committed like never before.

Fully half of this virtuoso finale is glorious, painstaking, nerve-wracking waves of build-up as the band prepares, and it’s just about perfect. Everyone gets their moments to shine and steady themselves for the monumental task before them: to advance to the Nationals. All of the hairs on my back and arms (and there are many) stood on end as the full band tuned, making a bottle of water vibrate a la Jurassic Park. Yet through the soundproof doors is something more frightening than any beast: judgement.

Yet when the time comes to open those doors, no one shrinks or runs: Kitauji is united as one; even those not in the competition. Those who seem more nervous are comforted by others; even Shuu makes sure Kumiko, who’s never been that warm with him, is okay, and Kumiko decides she’ll at least give him a fist-bump for good luck, in one of countless subtle verbal and physical gestures that fill this marvelous half-hour.

And doggone it, even Asuka is getting a little wobbly-eyed at the prospect of a period she wishes would never end ending. Only Kumiko is beside her to assure her nothing’s over; they’re just getting started. Kumiko is no longer simply half-assedly dreaming or thinking or hoping they’ll make it to the nationals. She truly believes they can, and she wishes that they do, out loud. It’s SHOWTIME!

In the second half, we’re treated to the most sustained piece of music since the SunFes march, only here the stakes are much higher. And while the camera cuts from place to place and we get a brief interlude into Kumiko’s thoughts, once again Hibike! makes the right choice by simply letting the music breathe, not dolling it up with weird psychedelic visual effects.

I hope you watched this with some good speakers and cranked those suckers up to get the full wall-of-sound effect once they got through the workaday required piece and moved on to their stunning free play, the “Crescent Moon Dance”, which had no major errors I could hear. It was a proud, confident, and powerful performance by a band with something to prove, and they proved it. No better example of this is Reina’s clutch solo, which was so loud and pure and gorgeous it moved me and Midori to tears.

And while Taki-sensei had been a hard-ass leading up to this day, we saw him soften a bit when Kumiko came by after school to recover her phone, and that he truly wanted his band to succeed, and believed they had what it took to reach their goal. As for the band, when they finally finish their piece and rise for hearty applause, they almost seem to be in disbelief and shock that they were so good. But I wasn’t. They simply rose to the occasion and poured all of their efforts into the music.

Unlike the first episode, where a middle school Kumiko had an “oh well, better luck next time”, “dud gold is still pretty good” attitude, she, along with everyone else, looks like their lives depend on the best result…and they get it! Not only is Kitauji awarded Gold, but they move on in the competition. And Kumiko and a tearful Reina’s hands are tightly intertwined for that moment of victory.

Even if this show doesn’t continue a second season (and there are apparently seven special episodes bundled with the Blu-ray), their piece continues, and we don’t necessarily need to see how far they’ll go. They did it, and it was fantastic to behold. Any Summer shows with similar themes are going to be very hard-pressed to match Hibike! Euphonium for pure emotional power and beauty of both sound and image. I shall miss it dearly.

Hibike! Euphonium – 12

Watching Reina win, then win again, has lit a match under Kumiko’s bum: she wants to be special to. But there’s a tricky euph measure she’s having trouble with, and Taki makes it clear in no uncertain terms that she’d better have the part nailed by the competition or else, she’ll drag everyone else down.

So she practices, out in the humid heat until she’s dripping sweat and even gets a nosebleed. Reina is there with some water, along with her assessment that while Kumiko is getting better, she’s not good enough yet. She also makes it clear that she won’t easily let Kumiko catch up to her: if Kumiko becomes special, well, she’ll just become even more special.

Reina continues her campaign to fit into the band by apologizing to Kaori and Yuki for her smugness, catching both unaware but likely forging a new bond moving forward; not necessarily of friendship, but mutual respect and cooperation, a necessity if they’ll have any hope at the Nationals.

But despite her near-obsessive practicing of the same measure over and over again, Taki-sensei seemingly has enough and asks Asuka to play the part alone for the rest of practice, a stinging condemnation that might spell the end of the line, at least according to Kumiko, who has worked so hard yet still can’t get it right. She’s at the base of a wall she’s not sure she can scale to the top, but doesn’t want to stop trying. And she’s putting everything into band, as we don’t see her studying one bit.

Physically and emotionally spent, she breaks into a run (more nice work from KyoAni) and shouts from a bridge both her feverish desire to improve and her anger at the level she’s presently at. Shuu just so happens to be on the other side of that bridge, and joins her in the yelling, and Kumiko realizes she’s as upset as Reina was in middle school. Now she knows that anger, frustration, and pain she felt.

The question is, what will she do with them? As luck would have it, Taki-sensei is still at school when she returns to retrieve her phone, and he’s surprisingly warm and open to her, both about how his own life turned out, following in the footsteps of his father. He didn’t do it out of obligation, but because he liked it, just like Kumiko has grown to like her Euph (and, perhaps to a greater extent, Reina.)

She leaves the school with a spring in her step, having been, if not smiled upon, at least winked at by the god of fortune. She also finds that Reina tried to call her a million times, and when they meet up, Reina seems far more interested in Kumiko’s alone time with Taki than Kumiko’s quest for a Euph capsule toy.

With only one episode left that I know of, I can’t see Hibike! Euphonium ending in a satisfying fashion, no matter how many stops are pulled out. Attempting to do so would require too much speeding up of the narrative. So I’ll approach the final week hopeful that last episode won’t be the end, because I’m simply not ready to close the book on Kumiko, Reina, and the rest of this beautiful, brassy, poignant show.

Hibike! Euphonium – 11

I’m not good. I just love it.

Those are the words Yuko remembered Kaori saying when she first told her senpai how good she was at trumpet. They’re words she tried to put out of her mind in the midst of her crusade to elevate Kaori to the soloist’s chair, but nothing she can do can change the fact that Reina is better than Kaori. Even she can’t deny it anymore.

On the eve of the second chance she nabbed Kaori—by besmirching Taki-sensei and devaluing Reina—and Kaori’s inevitable defeat, Yuko starts to realize she’s made a mistake. As Natsuki tells her, Kaori is the one who’s going to feel the worst when she loses to Reina a second time. Asuka, always businesslike in matter of music, can’t and won’t humor Kaori.

Kumiko, just as obsessed with Reina as Yuko is with Kaori, happens to be on the right side of objectivity as well. She sees Shuu practicing hard by the water on a part Taki warned him to get right tomorrow, only increasing her desire to get better herself. But notably, she doesn’t approach him, and not just because she doesn’t want to disturb him.

For all the trouble she’s stirred up, Yuko isn’t quite done this week, as she tries to persuade Reina to take a fall in the audition for Kaori’s sake, reciting to her all the arguments for why Kaori should get the part, and is even willing to throw herself under the bus, telling Reina she can accuse her of bullying her, and she won’t deny it.

Kaori puts up a metered front: none of Yuko’s arguments have anything to do with her, and refuses her begging. Channeling Asuka, another no-nonsense musician, Reina assures Yuko that Taki will choose the trumpeter who plays best, even though she knows Yuko knows that, and is why she’s exploring…other options.

The day arrives, with the two would-be soloists excused from set-up duty in their rented hall to practice and get in the zone for their auditions. Tension mounts, and their respective cornerwomen pay them visits. Notably, Asuka doesn’t visit Kaori, as she probably finds this whole exercise distasteful. Haruka does wish her luck, and even asks why Kaori is so obsessed with Asuka.

Kaori’s answer is clear: she feels like Asuka can see right through her and knows what she’s thinking, so she wants nothing more than to surprise her. This second audition affords her just that chance, but having heard Reina’s playing, it’s practically certain she’ll come up a bit short.

That brings us to Reina, sitting alone in the gorgeously lit lobby of the concert hall when Kumiko approaches her. Reina’s had time to think about all of the things Yuko said about Kaori, and all of the things that will happen to her if she destroys her. She asks Kumiko if she’ll be upset if she loses, and Kumiko tells her she would: she is better than Kaori.

When Reina counters that winning would make her a villain, Kumiko promises to be a villain with her. Reina draws so very close to Kumiko, asking if she’ll really stay with her, and Kumiko tells her she can kill her if she doesn’t, stating her resolve as a confession of love, echoing Reina’s own confession up on the mountaintop.

Reassured with Kumiko beyond doubt, Reina assures her that she never had any intention of losing anyway. But it certainly didn’t hurt to hear the strongest words yet of affection and solidarity from her dear friend. All Kumiko did was speak from the heart, but she said exactly what Reina needed to hear to take the stage with the utmost confidence.

The tension builds again when the two trumpeters take that stage before the rest of the band, dwarfed by the massive music hall that still isn’t as big as the venue for the competition. Taki sets the rules: Kaori will play, then Reina, and the students will vote with applause.

Kaori really seems to rise to the occasion and plays beautifully, but when it’s Reina’s turn, the difference between them is considerable, even for these relatively untrained ears. Reina is crisper, louder, and seems far more in command of the instrument. Her solo fills the entire hall and resonates. It should be plain to any of the band members assembled that she’s the better soloist. It’s stirring stuff to boot; not even having to rely on weird trippy visuals like Violin Girl.

Yet when it comes time to applaud, only Yuko and Haruka clap for Kaori, while only Kumiko and Hazuki clap for Reina: a tie. Taki, ostensibly the tiebreaker, calls Kaori’s name, asking if she’ll be the soloist for the competition. After a few moment’s introspection, Kaori herself refuses, saying it should be Reina.

Really, how could she not? As both Kumiko and I have remarked, Kaori is a good person. She’s taken things as far as she can, and knows when she’s been beaten. Even if a hysterical Yuko still can’t quite accept it, she must, as Kaori does. As for Taki-sensei, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if he knew this was exactly how the audition would go down.

While no one other than Kumiko and later Hazuki volunteered to clap for Reina, nor did they clap for Kaori after hearing how good Reina is, choosing to abstain. I’m sure both Reina and Taki would have preferred not being accused of being the recipient and doler-outer of favoritism, but in the end merit and talent triumphed over sentiment and pity.

If Kitauji’s going to have a chance at the Nationals, this is how it has to be.

Hibike! Euphonium – 10

Not that it wasn’t going to anyway, Hibike! got on my good side early this week by elaborating on that dark flashback Kumiko keeps thinking of. Turns out she beat one of her senpais in auditions, and the senpai chewed her out, saying she’d be in the competition if only Kumiko…didn’t exist.

That’s a harsh thing for someone like Kumiko to hear, and it’s clearly stayed with her, because when Natsuki asks to talk, she’s worried she’s going to get it again.

It’s not that Kumiko doesn’t believe she deserves her spot, it’s that she can’t help but feel in the way of a senpai. She deals with her objective supriority by recoiling almost apologeticaly before the one she beat. Fortunately, Natsuki is, as Kumiko aptly puts it, “a nice person.”

That is, she doesn’t hold it against Kumiko for winning the seat. On the contrary, she’s only been playing a year and didn’t expect to win, and knew she wouldn’t be able to hide either fact from Taki-sensei. So while she’s her senpai in age, Kumiko is her senpai in Euph experience, by six years!

While I believe Natsuki when she says she didn’t have high hopes, Kaori is another story entirely. She really wanted the solo part in her final year, and while it’s clear she hasn’t made her peace with the fact she didn’t get it, she’s willing to accept the decision out of respect both for Taki-sensei, Reina, and the system.

But then rumors spread of Taki and Reina knowing each other, introducing suspicions of favoritism. Yuko relays these rumors second-hand to Kaori, and while I know she’s just trying to be a loyal and caring friend, she only made things worse in terms of Kaori getting over things, because things may not be on the straight and narrow.

What’s disappointing is how indelicately Yuko brings the issue before Taki-sensei, in front of everyone. He doesn’t deny knowing Reina, but insists he showed no favoritism. When Yuko presses, Reina can no longer hold her tongue. Both she and Taki make things worse by refusing to to anything about it.

Reina storms out, followed closely by Kumiko, but rather than find Reina depressed or crying, Reina is simply frikkin’ PISSED OFF, unable to stand Yuko’s presence any longer. She gathers Kumiko in a big warm hug, seeking assurance that she’s right about being the best trumpeter for the soloist part. Kumiko gives it to her, not just because they’re friends, but because she believes it herself.

And because these two are so close and open now, Reina also informs Kumiko that she attended this school because she knew Taki would be directing the band. She probably knew rumors would surface, but they’d come from what amounts to sore losers, and she’d simply barrel through them and press forward. (Does this confirmation of her love for Taki mean Reina and Kumiko don’t have a yuri future? I guess we’ll see.)

But that’s going to be tricky. As good as Reina is, the controversy has had a profound effect on band cohesion, with people taking sides all over again, and talking about everything behind Taki’s back. The bassists send Kumiko to try to get Asuka’s opinion on the matter, but off the record (and in confidence) Asuka admits she doesn’t care either way; insinuating she’s focused on her own path. Kumiko can’t tell if she’s putting up a facade; neither can we. Asuka remains wonderfully enigmatic.

Less enigmatic but still wonderful is Haruka, who can’t rely on Kaori again (since Kaori is mired in the middle of this) nor the ever-neutral Asuka. She knows that she, the president, needs to get the band back on track. So before Taki arrives, she addresses them, and gets a show of hands for those with problems with the auditions.

She gets a number of hands, but can’t do anything with them as Taki-sensei enters, having just gotten a brief talk with the faculty adviser, who also happened to know his father. She knows that he can’t help but be honest and only care about music when it’s good enough. But in this situation, he has to be more than a greatness detector: he has to regain his band’s trust, even if it means screwing over those who already won.

To this end, he too breaks the silence about the controversy, and offers a second audition to anyone who wants one, only this time it will be held in the concert hall he rented, in front of the whole band. The first to raise her hand is Kaori, which we know has nothing to do with her thinking she’s better than Reina or believing Taki played favorites. I don’t think she believes either.

This is, as her friend said, about accepting herself, something she won’t be able to do if she doesn’t take this opportunity. Reina’s disappointment is clear and justified, but knowing her, she’ll take this as a fresh challenge on her path to become truly special. Even if she doesn’t care what others think of her, she can’t get to the nationals without the rest of the band.

I don’t think she’ll ever win the love Yuko and others have for Kaori, and it’s possible she’ll beat Kaori so badly they’ll still be against her. But who knows, perhaps this time, out in the open, she can convince them beyond doubt she deserves the solo part. It isn’t something she should have to do, but she has to all the same.