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“Welcome Back, Audition”Consistent Brilliance: And like clockwork, Kyoto Animation delivers another fantastically tense, emotional, and rewarding episode of Hibike! Euphonium. It’s scary how easy they make this look. At this point, Hibike! Euphonium is my favourite Kyoto Animation anime. Of course, there are still two episodes left to change my mind, but based on what I’ve seen week-in week-out, I have no doubts that the last two episodes will be anything less than near-perfect. This one didn’t quite top episode 8 – not many anime episodes ever well, for me at least – but this was a showstopper that delivered from start to end. It had me rooting for everyone, even if only one of them could get that solo. Team Kaori – Yuuko, Asuka, Haruka: The second auditions may have been a chance for Kaori to prove herself, but there was a bias here and all because Reina was blamed for a non-issue. Still, I sympathise with Kaori’s position. I got a warm feeling from seeing her friends gather around her throughout the episode to try and encourage her. She’s popular, but she’s a solid trumpet player as well. In a way she deserves this opportunity, so I can see where Yuuko is coming from.
Powerful words to start the episode off. Yuuko’s adoration for Kaori is impressive, and even though she’s probably the least popular character with viewers, I can’t bring myself to hate her. Her reasons may seem petty, and she already seems to know that she’s fighting a losing battle… yet I can’t help but feel for this girl. It’s not like she’s doing this to spite Reina, she’s just doing it because she feel this should be Kaori’s time to shine, having lost the chance to prove herself in previous years due to band drama that she even tried to fix. Yuuko cares for Kaori – that’s clear from watching them together. But Yuuko knows that Reina is better, she just won’t say it. She wants her friend to get that solo at all costs, no matter who stands in their way, no matter how good they are. Speaking of selfish, Asuka showed more of her true self this episode. I say selfish not to slander her, but just as a simple fact – that’s what she is. She’s Kaori’s friend and acts as her support, but she refuses to give her real opinion on what she really thinks. She’s increasingly difficult to read, but I’m liking this Asuka the more we see of her; it’s rare to see a character so firmly rooted in their opinions with no inkling to change them, yet shows no signs of those opinions in the first place. Her stubbornness makes her all the more interesting, and she’s still funny when she needs to be. Haruka is the last to give Kaori the push she needs. Throughout the episode there are perfect examples of how the space between the characters sets the tone of the moment. These two, however, are pressing shoulders and joined at the hip. Haruka may have her duty as the de-facto leader of the band, but that doesn’t mean she can’t want her friend to get the solo spot. It seems like this episode was less about Kaori herself, instead focusing on the relationships with her friends and how they are put to the test in this re-audition. As it turns out, Kaori has three strong, dedicated friends who each give her a different sort of support. Team Reina – Kumiko: In contrast, Reina only has one true fan: Kumiko. Reina is all she can think about, and Hazuki and Midori can see that. Reina is certainly not popular right now, correctly labelling herself as the villain in this situation. Stealing the seat of the prima donna of the band isn’t going to make you many friends… but she doesn’t need anymore than Kumiko, if you ask me. Kumiko is not a particularly proactive or violent person, yet when Reina asks her how she would react if her solo was taken from her, Kumiko doesn’t think twice before going off an emotionally-charged speech about how Reina’s deserves that solo. Which leads to the highlight of the episode… Confession of Love: I thought I wouldn’t have to talk about Kumiko and Reina’s romantic relationship after last week’s confirmation. At this point, I already know that these girls aren’t destined to be together (unless KyoAni changes that). Yet here we are, with another show-stealing interaction between the two. Kumiko may have been watching Shinichi practice in the distance, and hummed his tune the next day at school, but that will never be enough to prove he’s a better love interest than Reina. The boy with barely 10 minutes of screentime (if even that) or the girl who has constantly inspired Kumiko, and has always been on her mind? Reina wins hands down, even if she doesn’t win in the end. Death threats and love confessions have never been so romantically intertwined. The Audition, the Applause, the Result: The audition itself was simple. Kaori was nervous (her lips quivering before she blew the first note) but managed to deliver a solid performance. However, Reina was not nervous, and she didn’t just deliver the notes. She did the exact same part as Kaori, yet it sounded so much more alive, and everyone knew it. Kaori’s was nice to listen to with closed eyes, but Reina’s notes were crisp and powerful, demanding attention. The decision by applause turned out less dramatic than I expected. In fact, it brings the band back to the first episodes when Taki-sensei gave them a chance to raise their hand if they didn’t wish to aim for nationals. In that moment everyone (apart from Aoi) was silent, even if they didn’t believe in what they were agreeing with. The same thing happens here, when only the dedicated few applaud for their victor. The vast majority don’t even bother to clap – too afraid to make a decision in case it backfires. Part of me wants to shout at them, to make them all grow some spines, yet another part of me understands them holding back in this tense situation. In the end, however, Kaori gives up her popular vote in what was a predictable move. She knew Reina was better, Yuuko knew she was better, as did Kumiko and Asuka and near enough everyone else. It was the best thing to do, because if Kaori got the solo through this one-sided re-audition, I don’t think she’d ever feel like she earned the victory. Overview – What’s Next?: Not only did this episode have strong character moments – balancing all sides of the band drama without a single cringeworthy moment or inserted cliche to throw us off – but it looked gorgeous. That should be no surprise, but the use of composition, lighting, and tense closeups were all achieved with greatness. It baffles me that this episode was drawn by five key animators. FIVE! Five people drew all these cuts, all those fluid moments, all those stunning long shots. FIVE PEOPLE! You may love or hate them, but you have to admit that no one else makes anime like Kyoto Animation. I, for one, love them. They make me love the animated art form more than I thought I possibly could. |
Full-length images: 31.
I did not think I could dislike Yuko more than I did after last episode, but this episode proved me wrong big time. I went from disliking her to actually despising her.
Not only is Yuko a hypocrite in terms of favorable bias with all her fangirling over Kaori, but she’s also a hypocrite in terms of her own “belief” and thinking Kaori would win to the point where she has the nerve to stoop so low to actually try to beg Reina to throw the audition just to let Kaori play the solo which, as I said last episode, would completely defeat the purpose of Kaori actually proving to be better than Reina (also, as it was mentioned, the one who would truly be hurt is Kaori), and also because Yuko herself is only thinking in terms of high school years (“You have next year! And the year after that!”) whereas Reina is thinking in terms of her whole lifetime.
Did Yuko also just completely forget how sharp Taki-sensei is? Did she honestly think that, even if Reina did throw the audition (obviously she never would have), that Taki-sensei wouldn’t instantly notice?
And yet, despite Yuko’s own knowing that Reina was better (given her actions and reactions), the obvious captivation the other students had over Reina’s playing, including herself while trying to shut it out, she has the nerve to cry her eyes out as if Kaori actually truly won, but is simply being nice or something. Thankfully, Kaori proved to be the much better person in being able to easily see the fact that the only reason most of the other students weren’t choosing Reina to play the solo was simply out of fear of being “the villain”, letting themselves “be influenced by others”.
I also feel that Asuks was also subtly saying that Reina was indeed better when Kaori asked her about it with the things Asuka said. “I said the same thing because it’s the same. Good is good. There’s no better.” Basically, like Kaori was at her limit, that no matter how much more she practiced, that was as far as she could go.
Also, in before pairing-lovers try to reignite the whole yuri argument for KumikoxReina with the whole “love confession”.
I can see why you (and probably everyone else) would be hating Yuuko for what she did, but I still think her motive is pure. Sure, it’s selfish and shows how close-minded she is, but she’s not doing this to watch Reina lose that solo, or because she’s got some evil agenda. She’s just doing it for her friend, and I couldn’t help but feel for her, even if I don’t agree with what she’s doing. She stooped so low for it, and in the end it does make it seem like Kaori never had a shot in a fair fight, but Yuuko didn’t understand that. Maybe she will when she sees Reina play her part when it matters most.
It would seem more pure if Yuko had whole-heartedly stuck behind Kaori and just continued to truly believe in her (even if her fangirling was annoying), but with this episode, Yuko only did it as a front while she showed how little she actually did believe by trying to go behind Kaori’s back and get Reina to let her have the audition. As a result, she completely disrespected both sides; Reina, simply because of her own bias towards Kaori, and Kaori herself by going to Reina like that to begin with, as well as the efforts of BOTH of them.
Maybe I’m just cynical, but how noble the intentions are really doesn’t matter to me if the methods done to try to obtain that goal are dirty, whether it’s done by someone else for me or being done by/for other people. The only time I might be able to make an exception would be if the situation was just THAT dire/desperate/etc., like if someone could die or something if something wasn’t done quickly, which this obviously was not such a case.
I love how you wrote “pure” and right in the next sentence, wrote “selfish”.
“Pure” because her intentions are for the benefit of her friend, not for the downfall of Reina. “Selfish” because she doesn’t see anyone’s POV in this other than one than benefits Kaori. That’s what I mean.
What Yuuko did was low and desperate. But I can’t really blame her. What happened was that Kaori was stuck in a situation where seniority was priority. I can see her getting shunned for 2 years because of the criteria then at her final year she got outclassed by Reina. She really got the short end of the stick.
Yuuko wanting Kaori to have the solo part because she got shafted by seniority reeks of hypocrisy when she is effectively trying to do the same thing to Reina.
I’d agree that it was hypocrisy in a way. Everyone has their share of misfortunes and blessings. Everyone has their own weakness and strength. One can excel in something and the other can excel in another. Someone can have less than the other and yet everything is still fair and equal. The real game changer is when people act to make or take the opportunity. If we just go back to Hazuki’s episode then this will support Kaori’s case even more.
In episode 6, in a humorous manner, Asuka said something about being outclassed by new students. Hazuki was already convinced to pass on the auditions since she believed that she was an amateur/total greenhorn. That may be true but it’s still worth a shot and the opportunity is hers for the taking.
In Kaori’s case she respected her seniors and the system, letting those past(2?) years go by. With this year being her last for her highschool days, it was just unfortunate of her to have match against Reina. One could say that it was all Kaori’s fault for letting it slip. It’s true, but I don’t think the uneasiness in her heart was because of that. It was more of her frustrations for lacking the skills in the present to take on her goal. In Yuuko’s point of view though it was unfair for her friend Kaori.
Desperation clouds the mind. Like Samu said, Yuuko’s actions were both pure and selfish. She didn’t do it out of spite for Reina. Sure she can be a jerk at times but I didn’t see her outright complaining right off the bat when Reina earned the solo. As bad as it sounds, Yuuko’s actions were a blessing to Kaori. It’s gave her the opportunity to try it once more and to finally accept where she stands once and for all.
This topic kinda reminds me of the message in Death Billiards. Don’t want to spoil it for someone who hasn’t watched it so I’ll just leave it at that.
I’m probably in the minority of those who do not dislike Yuuko. lol (^o^)
Samu, I agree with you and I can see Yuuko’s perspective (even if she her self can’t see the bigger picture). But honestly, the tears after the audition, what is that about? I’ve never met a grill who would ball their eyes out in such a situation. Justice was served, and Kaori turned down the “offer” herself. Maybe be sad, maybe your pride was hurt, and the pride of a friend, maybe shed a single tear if you’re feeling extra empathic for some feelings nobody felt, but if Kaori herself doesn’t cry, just what the fuck are you doing. Some anime directors, just press the tearworks button for no reason.
The only thing ‘pure’ about Yuuko for me is how much she misunderstands her idol. Kaori doesn’t do it for the fame or attention; she just loves playing the trumpet, and wants to play it in the best place she can. A situation where she’s put on a pedestal because of controversy – and maybe even bullying, as Yuuko was suggesting to Reina – regarding fellow band members – which she clearly wants no conflict with – is hardly the environment she’s calling for. And yet, Yuuko exacerbated that environment to its fullest. Her nerves during that audition showed me that she wasn’t enjoying being up there. She didn’t enjoy her humble confession of not being able to take the part, even though it was a brave and powerful thing to do.
I think Yuuko’s tears were partly of guilt. Either she’ll realise she was going about this the wrong way or she’ll stick to her stubborn and misguided guns until the end.
You said it, man. Yuuko is still a little shit, because no matter how much she feels for Kaori and whatever the circumstances of why Kaori didn’t get the solo in the past, there is NO justification for the kind of fraud she employed. And she didn’t apologize for it, neither publicly nor privately to Reina or sensei, so why should I excuse her?
Moreover, right now I don’t think this band deserves to win anything at the competition, because it’s made up of manifest cowards. At this point I kind of wish they’d get screwed over by rigged judging even if they played really well, just to see how that feels.
And I’m sorry, but screw all those who are justifying all this because of “consideration of feelings” or whatever. Boo-hoo, someone won’t get what they were hoping for. We can’t have that, so instead let’s screw over the person who deserves to win on merit, let’s publically embarrass the person who doesn’t deserve to win on merit (so that they’d know for the rest of their lives that they didn’t win fairly), let’s shaft the whole group by bringing the level down, and let’s poison the air with rubbish gossip. Makes total sense.
Since everyone has eviscerated Yuko already so I’ll just say my piece. My biggest problem is the selfish part. I don’t play band but I’m pretty sure this should be a team effort to succeed. That’s why everyone has to do their part to make this work. Kaori understood that, thats why she gave up her solo role. Even Natsuki who did not make auditions throws in her encouragement to other people
But Yuko at no point ever thought how her hissy fit has affected the team. She says it’s Kaori “last chance”. What about the other third years? Is she now saying that the other Seniors should compromise their best shot for the Nationals after so many years for one person? If this were a basketball team that had an honest shot for the championship, should they bench their best point guard for a Senior on his last year? Of course not!
Yuko at no point has taken off her Kaori goggles and thought about the big picture. She never gets called out on it nor do we ever see her show any contrition about the gravity ow what she has done. Just from that alone I’m not surprised she has garnered little sympathy.
Really well said, better than me for sure. The kicker is that Kaori is not even benched, she’s still part of the competition band, just not the soloist. To jeopardize everyone’s chances just so your favorite can star is extremely stupid. With Reina as the soloist, the whole band, including Kaori, can potentially go much further in the competition, so Yuuko’s plan is really not helping anyone at all.
That’s also why I don’t like the chicken band behavior, because you can rest assured that if Kaori wasn’t strong enough to give up the solo on her own and later the band didn’t do great in the competition, there would be plenty of people to put it on her, never mind that they were the chickenshits who let it happen.
I see Yuuko as a representation of how a more selfish person in Kaori’s position would behave; unfortunately, it would be OOC for Kaori to act that way, so they needed someone else to do so for her.
While it may be selfish, I don’t actually have a problem if someone in Kaori’s position felt that way. She got screwed over by bad timing and a change in circumstances; if the change from seniority to merit happened 1 year earlier or later, she would have had her chance to solo. Most people would expect her previous sacrifice to be rewarded down the line; she just got caught in an unfortunate situation with Reina and Taki coming in and the change in how positions are decided for the club. Sure, everyone likes the idea of sacrificing for the greater good; not everyone is as fond if s/he is the one who has to do the sacrificing. It’s much easier for the other 3rd-years to say she should sacrifice since the only negative effect is to their relationship with her. While Haruka seems like she wouldn’t be willing to make that sacrifice, Asuka was clearly willing to do so if she were pushed for an answer.
I like Asuka’s selfishness, which I talked about last episode. It’s still hard to say if she’s intentionally covering it up with her silliness, but she isn’t afraid to let out how she really feels if someone truly wants her to. Her final confirmation seemed more for Kaori’s sake than her own, despite knowing how that would affect their friendship if she told her what she really thought.
@AngryViewer
Losing the solo part is like a starter getting benched; she still is a part of the team, but her role is reduced and she’s no longer a star. Either way, it’s a demotion from the role someone expected to have in the group.
All great points in this thread. My two cents: I can’t help but feel that the way this episode focused on Yuuko’s cheap attempts at doing anything to see her beloved senpai succeed was supposed to be a sharp contrast in comparison to the way Kumiko supported Reina. Albeit Kumiko and Reina are both of the same year while Yuuko and Kaori have a slight gap, it goes to show there’s a right and a wrong way to support someone you care about.
The difference here is that Kumiko has made it a point to run after Reina in order to share intimate moments with her whenever she seemed insecure about something (being the villain for winning the solo part, liking Taki-sensei), always listening and being considerate of Reina’s perspective. She has always present for Reina, rather than staying in the background like when Yuuko saw what was happening to Kaori behind closed doors with the upperclassmen.
In fact, Yuuko didn’t consider the complexity of the auditioning situation whatsoever in Kaori’s shoes. She didn’t consider the internal turmoil Kaori faced, which boiled down to the very first fork for the band: playing for fun/out of love for music or playing for Nationals. It was a conflict of whim and a set goal. A reality. She knew deep down that Reina was the band’s, er, trump, and deserved the spotlight due to her skill and devout training, but this was something she had always wanted without ever being given a chance until now. Yuuko, who couldn’t see past her own desire to see Kaori “win”, shoved her own expectations of Kaori onto her during that playground scene. Natsuki, who is far more perceptive than I initially gave her credit for – probably having known the existing dynamics between Yuuko and Kaori – pointed this out to Yuuko during the locker scene. When Yuuko runs into Natsuki’s back later, I felt like that was to show acknowledgment that she was wrong to jeopardize the band and regretted having contributed to the devastation of Kaori losing the solo yet again, something she tried so hard to prevent from happening. “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions” indeed.
While I agree that Yuuko was childish for causing all that drama, we need to consider that they are, what, 14-15 years old? It’s not an excuse for the bratty behavior, but it certainly brought realism to this school-oriented anime. I was amazed that someone could be so selfish, yet so selfless all the while. However, this episode did a great job capturing the admiration and love that Yuuko felt for Kaori all that time and since the last episode, it left me not wanting to strangle her, but rather only gently reprimanding her for her stupid actions. It’s definitely something that would be reminisced about some years down the line, when they’ve all graduated, during a slow summer evening, winding down from their full-time jobs with a slight buzz from a tad bit too much sake: “Hey Yuuko, remember that time in high school when you almost single-handedly made the band drop out from Nationals, hahaha?”
Anyway, another stellar episode which added to the characters’ depth and relationship dynamics (I’ll spare everyone from me fangirling over the “love confession” scene). Character development- wise, I’m dying to see if more bits and pieces to the puzzle known as Asuka will be offered in the next episode.
I’m kinda mad only few of the students clapped at the end of the solo auditions. Were they trying not to take sides?
As for Yuko, is it wrong that I kinda liked seeing her cry or am I just messed up?
The moment between Kumiko and Reina must have made the shippers really happy
I think the scriptwriter had to be careful about that part and not write anything too drastic considering the “judge by clapping” concept wasn’t even in the original novel (it’s anime original). In the novel, they had no say and were just supposed to listen and accept who was picked.
A majority of the band was “influenced by others” and too afraid of looking like “the villain” by choosing one or the other. This is what made Kumiko’s dedication to supporting Reina so awesome. Kumiko’s support of Reina is exactly the kind of support Yuko SHOULD HAVE been giving Kaori; just unwavering belief and encouragement, standing behind her regardless of the outcome. Instead, Yuko takes the opposite route of “support” and causes problems for everybody and if she did succeed and Kaori did get the part via Reina throwing the audition, who knows how badly things could have turned out.
It’s easy to hate Yuuko now but seriously I’m more interested in her case. People tend to call her bitchy but I don’t think she’s a bad person. The only person who she had a problem with was Reina and Natsuki.
Reina aside, I’m more interested in seeing Yuuko’s story. We can all easily just say it’s just plain blind fanaticism by Yuuko. To be honest, I don’t think that’s simply it. The way she reacted would be shallow if it were to be case. Given how this show has been going, I’m more inclined to believe that Yuuko feels indebted to Kaori.
If we take into consideration the situation back then, Kaori was a second year and Yuuko was a first year. Kaori, like Haruka and Aoi tried to save the band. Kaori even got to the point where she offered her spot in the competition to a first year. Everything was a mess. I’m inclined to believe that something definitely happened there that might’ve made Yuuko feel indebted or attached to Kaori.
With 2 episodes left, I’m eager to see how they will close out this show. I kinda feel that some aspects are going to be left out. I don’t know how Asuka will even get fleshed out after all those build up.
I don’t know why my post got here. Wrong reply.
I still think Taki-sensei should have done a blind audition where the band didn’t know which one was playing (behind a screen or something similar). It appeared to me that only Kaori’s rabid supporters were willing to vote for her. The rest of the band was too stunned by Reina’s performance to vote for Kaori (which I think they wanted to do), but couldn’t bring themselves to vote against her. Basically, they chickened out.
As for Asuka, Asuka is a classic outsider. She acts friendly towards everyone but sides with no one and refuses to take responsibility for anything beyond herself even when she sticks her nose into something.
Now all the trolling about there not being a yuri note to the story is turns out to be exactly that. That scene made it unequivocal no matter what happens in the future, and I doubt if there will be any other love interest in this cour at least with only two episodes left.
I actually kind of think Asuka is a genuinely perceptive and social creature… who just happens to have zero patience for or inclination to participate in ‘office politics’. Which explains how she can be so popular and yet absolutely refuse to take any significant action with regards to interpersonal relationships.
Asuka is an alpha female who is able to identify bullshit very easily.
Technically speaking, the only way to do a blind audition would be to use blind folds. Otherwise it would be a waste of the venue they’re using. A screen will ruin the acoustic properties of the room. Playing behind one will make it even worse. Do note that most of the band were listening from what is usually the “sweet spot” area. That’s the area where you will have the best musical experience. Taki-sensei probably stood on the best spot, it would be a waste to ruin it with extraneous items.
Dude. All you have to do is not face them. And let someone who’s not in the club announce numbers as people come in one by one. It’s not exactly rocket science.
@Petit Orenji
Having the players face any other way besides towards the audience, means the sound has to bounce of walls first. This can be compared with looking at a picture from a projector on a wall versus looking at it directly from a monitor.
Having the audience face another direction also has complications. These rooms are tuned with the assumption that the audience are facing directly at the players. There are two things that are related to this, hair and ear (lobe) position. The first is what is usually inputted into computer models for this type of room. While the latter has more to do with how we hear things. In short, things at the back aren’t as clear as things at the front.
Of course they could just ignore all these factors, but then it would be the same as auditioning in their practice room in the evening/night. Unless the bugs are really loud over there.
Room acoustics is an interesting science. Just look it up if you want. Some concepts can be applied in everyday life without having to do a lot of calculations/number crunching. Great for music, movies or gaming.
Wouldn’t have done anything for the tensions regarding Kaori – sure, it would have given a justification for picking Reina, but it wouldn’t have solved the grievances surrounding the previously strongest soloist in the band losing a chance of a lifetime. There needed to be no masks and no curtains; only Kaori’s humble refusal of the solo part, which Taki orchestrated the second audition for, would fix the underlying issue of the band’ social dynamic while saving face for everyone.
I think that’s also her part in the performance so it’s debatable whether she was hamming the tune because of him.
That may be true, but I wanted to be sure to mention it in case some fan of the novels shouted at me for being biased and not seeing the carefully placed proof that Kumiko loves Shuuichi – not that I buy it for a second, mind you. But just in case.
Nah… You’ll not really buy it. Only a handful will. If we’re talking of volume 1 then hands down, Kumiko and Reina ship is strong in here.
Show Spoiler ▼
I wouldn’t call it ‘carefully placed proof’ – everything is still liminal at this stage. She’s at the confusing period of her life when all kinds of opportunities for growth arise for her. Reina is making her blossom in many ways, but Shuichi brings out a lot in her too. It’s great mimesis for what’s it’s like to be young and discovering yourself.
Gonna focus on the audition for this one:
Like I said–obvious. Kaori is good, very good. Any high school music teacher or advisor would be pleased to have a musician of her ability in their band or orchestra. She would easily find a place among the first trumpets in any ensemble. But Reina–Reina is in a whole other class.
My reaction to Kaori’s solo: “Nice. That was good!”
My reaction to Reina’s solo: “Mmm…yeah, baby…that’s how it’s done…”
Kaori can play, and would benefit from the lessons and training Reina is getting. But Reina’s attacks were crisper, her dynamic control more precise, her tone smooth as silk–seductive, even. Kaori can play a trumpet; Reina can make one sing.
The band’s vote? Irrelevant, and Taki-sensei knew it. He didn’t just want the band to hear the difference in ability between Kaori and Reina, he wanted Kaori to hear it, too. Kaori’s opinion was the only one that mattered. Her gracious acknowledgement of Reina’s skill closed the door on the entire controversy. A brilliant piece of writing.
Taki is a effin genius. Note how after the 2 played, he didn’t confirm that Kaori would head the solo or TELL her to- he ASKED her. “Do you want to play the solo?” Wording is everything in this. A question put the final piece in place for Kaori to realize the true answer.
Yep, exactly. Now that I think about it, Taki-sensei’s question gave Kaori the dignity her performance deserved, but also the opportunity to back down while saving face. There’s no dishonor in her giving way to a better musician, particularly when she herself brought the best she had; it just wasn’t enough this time, that’s all.
I’m of the opinion that Taki-sensei is actually the most calculating and manipulative person in the series, from the loaded question at the beginning of the season to the setup of the re-audition designed to show off Reina’s talent and calcuating that the applause voting would paralyze the supposed judges sufficiently to ensure that HE got to make the decisive move without appearing to make the decision, he seems to have everything planned out in advance.
He’s a musically inclined Light Yamagami, and he WILL be conductor of this band in the Nationals.
Seriously, I was thinking Kaori did a good job then Reina started and I literally felt a chill go down my spine. Music is such a crazy thing.
As an aside, does anybody know who is doing the actual trumpet work for Reina?
In reality they’re both played by professional trumpet players. In Kaori’s case the trumpet player is intentionally throwing their performance. One of the things that’s off about the anime to anyone that really knows music, the bad performances don’t really sound like amateurs, it sounds like a professional intentionally throwing things off.
I will chain myself in KunikoReina ship and if he sink, I will go with he until the ocean floor
Reina’s solo was amazing. I’m surprised Yuko didn’t jump off a building when she was in junior high…how can a person be so irrationally sensitive? But of course, KyoAni wants to show the the sweetness of pseudo-yuri. When I was competing in national concertos, and wasn’t paying attention to a lesson, my piano tutor almost shut the lid on my fingers. While my flute instructor just took my flute out of my hand. One learns, and one moves on.
As an aside, one thing that always gets on my nerves is bowing before clapping. One does not bow before clapping. A bow is a sign of modest graciousness for others who clapped because they enjoyed your music and skill and efforts. A bow is not a signal to initiate clapping. If they were playing Japanese instruments, I would have let it go. But they’re not.
Regardless of the instruments, it’s still Japan. People bow there for totally different reasons. In this case they do so to thank the audience for listing.
When an audience doesn’t clap and a performer bows, it’s just the most awkward thing ever. (i.e. the competition scene in this episode) I’ve seen it first-handed.
An audience is not obliged to clap. Bowing after playing without the positive reaction of the audience is like a sign of relief, which is even more rude in Japanese culture. Regardless of the country, there needs to be logic to actions. Also, for piano concertos, even a Japanese pianist first shakes the conductor’s hands, then the concertmaster’s, and only if the audience is still clapping at that point, bows to the audience. If piano players can follow the rules, why not other those of other instruments?
Ok I’m confused with that. I think I’ve seen rehearsals from back then when my cousin was playing Piano. That’s interesting. I’ve always thought that bowing is showing humility and gratitude. Or plainly just showing respect.
I think I’ve seen this in the live action of Nodame as well. When
Show Spoiler ▼
So if indeed this is there then they’ve screwed up that aspect too?
I kinda want to rewatch that particular scene. 😛
@Megalith
Nodame is an anime as well. Not a dependable source. I’ve dropped the series mid-way, but it probably shows it wrong too. And every other anime.
Bowing is never a showing of humility after a Western performance. Whether you’re humble or not after the performance is irrelevant to the audience. It’s always all about the music. Music in the old days was not only for the well-to-do who could afford it… it was for everyone who wanted to celebrate a holiday, or court a lady, or perform to one’s master. One does not show humility right away after a performance (which seems pseudo anyway) but great joy and pride. Only when the audience dictates that your skillsets and knowledge of music are of superior quality via clapping are you allowed to feel humility. And only then can you bow. Bowing anytime before then is, symbolically, asking for the audience to accept your performance even when it is not well performed.
Erm, no, bowing is a sign of thanking the audience for listening, not thanking for the applause. As a classical musician I have never not bowed or seen any performers leave without, applause or no applause.
Erm. No. I’ve played on 3 continents. And in Vienna, where classical music was born. Do not negate me on the subject.
And why the fuck would you bow to thank the audience for listening when they had no pleasure in listening to you?
@Petit
It is a Culture thing, not an Music one. You enrage of a misunderstanding
I really really liked how taki had kaori admit her own defeat; i mean i saw it coming but still; that’s exactly the same thing i would have done in his position. he may be a music instructor, but he’s also a teacher and teaching life lessons such as knowing when to admit defeat is a good moral to embrace even if he may have not been trying to teach kaori this intentionally
Yuuko needs to be removed. She’s downright bitchy and annoying.
FIVE PEOPLE. And now I hate myself.
Kaori isn’t one to damage a fellow competitor’s judgement. She knows Reina is still better than her and she always has known. She’s too good a sport to do that to her. That said, I’m astounded that KyoAni took who the story set up as an introverted prima dona with no friends into the most beautiful creature in the show. Not just in appearance, but in her goal, and her interaction with Kumiko.
I was already expecting a lot of hate for yuuko/yuko/ribbon-chan etc. I actually feel bad for her.
I think yuuko just wants to give back to kaori, after all the things that kaori done for the first years during her time and all the things that she had to go through. She loves kaori too much that it starting to show her ugly side. She’s not doing it to see reina lose but to see kaori happy.
yuuko exposing taki knows reina, then asking reina to throw the auditions, seems hypocritical, and I agree it is and i agree it is wrong(and i think she knows it too), but it is her choice and she realized it too late. We(audience) were given explicit knowledge about the characters inner workings (how reina wants to be special, how kaori begged for the seniors to not ignore the first years) that the characters do not know about.
Also, as outsiders, we can see the faults of yuuko’s actions and we can easily say that this is right or that action is wrong but because she one of the directly affected parties, being in the thick of things made her make rash decisions. Again some people would say she shoud’ve done this or that, but hey, that’s what YOU would do if you were in her shoes not her, and I’d like to think she is her own character and that is her decision based on her circumstances, what she knows, and what she’s experienced. Just my two cents
Man, the last time I defended a character was when Miuna(Nagi no asukara) unintentionally third-wheeled her friend.
I’ll just end this with a line from spider-man 2(I think) said by sand-man(with a few edits to match this show):
“I don’t expect you to forgive her, I just want you to understand”
Nah. The moment when Yuko heard Reina’s music, she already realized that she was absolutely wrong. That her argument of favoritism was moot. Still, what did she do? She still pressed forward anyway and even stooped so low by asking Reina to throw-away the audition and trying to guilt trip her with Kaori’s unfortunate circumstance in the last two years. Hypocrisy at its finest.
The icing to the cake was when she cried out loud all over the hall. She didn’t even respect Kaori’s decision of giving up the spot to someone who was better and now Kaori has to babysit a devastated crying junior instead of finally focusing in practice.
Yuko did not do anything good for the band, for Kaori and most especially for herself. She simply dug her own grave, lowering her self-esteem with her fanaticism of Kaori. Now how will Yuko focus on practice and look straight to her band mates eyes now? Even before the second auditions it seems that she’s already being shunned or she is distancing herself from the rest because of that stand-off.
The scene where she said “how could a first year sound so good”, She already realized how good reina really is since no student was allowed to listen in during the audition.
At that moment she had two choices. either swallow her pride and admit that she was wrong or still press on, and guess what she chose. Her, pressing forward with kaori taking the solo and begging for reina to throw away the audition is hypocrisy, fanaticism(kaori’s happiness > the whole band) , yes i agree, but I did not see any malice, I did not feel any guilt tripping, no evil intent, more like returning the favor to a senior who tried to keep the band together during her younger years but still failed, but still, yuuko’s methods were questionable.
She suggested that reina could accuse her of bullying and she would gladly take the flak, shes was already prepared to lose face when it came right down to it. It’s hard to see a friend get the short end of the straw(after she saw how badly kaori wanted the solo part when yuuko opened her music sheet and see the note “aim for the solo part” ), she had to do something even though its underhanded.
I also don’t think that her crying in the hall after hearing kaori give up the solo as a sign of disrespect, more of sadness because she can’t do anything for kaori anymore.
The only good thing that came out of yuuko’s actions was that kaori finally being able to let go of the solo(kaori still had lingering doubts thats why she raised her hand for the second audition). It was not the conclusion that yuuko wanted, but it’s for the best.
I’m not defending that her course of action was right, heck they were down right wrong (I would like to think that these characters are real people who make their own decisions, even if they are wrong, it makes them more human), but I think she is just misunderstood (like i said, we are outsiders, we have info that the characters don’t have, we have clearer view of things and think with cooler heads as opposed to the characters who are in the middle of things and make rash decisions)and I think it is unfair that she is painted as evil and should be crucified for her actions.
For the ones denying the things. Perhaps they are angry that the hottest Girl loves another Girl or has romantic feelings for her. So they are afraid that her Waifu is not interested in him
Yuri or not yuri? I am not the one that fight for this. They are making a big mess out of it. Sadly the fight about that, drown this good anime in hate
https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
I will kill you… – I’m ok with that…
Oh gawd! the Yuri fans will have a field trip with this one… (and for some reason I was thinking of the “Killing me softly” song at this moment)
Overall my favourite episode so far. The tension was not just palpable, it was downright physical like a force field. I think the characters felt the most genuine this time. You can’t get more human than Yuuko, Reina, Kaori and Kumiko this episode. “10 out of 10 eh, 10 out of 10” (Al Pacinos voice)
Yuuko is a bit annoying, but she’s still Natsuki’s friend, and Natsuki’s opinion is all that matters.
Really, though, I can’t hate her. She gave everything she had for a goal that she knew was almost certainly out of her reach, with no regard for what others thought of her. She could have played the stereotypical ‘evil bitch’ to try to bully Reina into throwing the audition, but she didn’t. She went straight up to Reina and begged, perfectly willing to take the blame on herself. She cast aside any concern for what others thought of her for the singular sake of her goal. Quite similar to Reina, actually, in that regard.
She ultimately failed, as she ‘should’ have by literary standards, but she came a whole lot closer to succeeding than she realizes. Given Reina’s demeanor before the audition, I’d say that there was better than 50% odds that she would have thrown the audition, if not for Kumiko’s encouragement. Anyone less stubborn than Reina would have given in. Anyone entrenched in the Japanese seniority system would have deferred to Kaori from the start.
As a not-entirely-unrelated aside, the whole situation seems to hearken back to the threats used against Hazuki, about the Sapphire clones (Ruby and Diamond?) who might come in to steal her spot if she slacked off simply because she was a freshman, while expecting to have a better chance in later years. In fact, that theme repeats itself over and over again throughout the series, of seniors either pushing out or being pushed out by more competent lower years.
It even shows up in the voting/applause of the audition itself. Only 4 people clapped: Yuuko (obviously) and Haruka (her best friend) for Kaori, and Kumiko (obviously) and Hazuki (interestingly) for Reina. Despite being close friends with Kumiko, aware of Kumiko’s closeness to Reina, and a skilled musician herself, Midori didn’t vote for either side, preferring not to rock the boat. Only Hazuki, not being embroiled in the band politics, was able to take a side without being closely connected to either competitor.
One might excuse Hazuki due to her being new and not having played an instrument before, but the politics of this type of group doesn’t just spring up out of nowhere. It’s endemic throughout Japanese society. She can’t claim, “I didn’t know.” She can claim, “I’m not skilled enough to offer an informed opinion”, but she can also trust Kumiko’s opinion. The point, though, is that it would have been quite easy for Hazuki to excuse herself from getting involved in this mess (as Midori did), particularly since being literally the lowest on the totem pole makes her an easy target (vs many others, such as Midori, who are much harder to replace and carry more weight), but she didn’t. Serious props to Hazuki for that.
I think Hazuki started clapping after Kimiko stood up to support Kimiko not Reina.
Kaori is my “best girl” now for her strength of character for standing up for what was right. Running against the flow both for supporting the first years earlier and here in refusing the solo part.
I’m not sure it’s fair to the people who didn’t vote to say that they were “too afraid to make a decision in case it backfires.” I think it’s more complex than just who gets to play the solo, it’s also about what effect that is going to have on the cohesion of the group, on whether they can come together as an ensemble if some of them are torn about the decision they personally make. And it’s not an easy one, especially not for those who know what happened in previous years, who know that Kaori should have played the solo part the year before, but wasn’t able to because seniority was what took precedence. For many of them, voting for either Reina or Kaori would have left them feeling as if they’d wronged someone, and that would probably have resulted in half-hearted playing, to the detriment of the entire band in the competition itself. One choice suggests that you prioritise winning at all costs, whilst the other suggests that you empathise with how someone else has suffered, even at the potential cost of the band losing the competition, and the cost of stepping on a talented younger player, albeit one who has more chances to shine. Kaori making the decision was probably the only way they could have come out of this and be able to perform to the best of their ability.
Kudos to Kaori. In graciously admitting defeat to Reina, she avoided making the same mistakes that her senior made (seniority taking precedence) and got rid of some of the bad culture lingering in the band from previous years. Kaori as a senpai didn’t allow Reina to be a victim of being the better player yet unable to play the central, essential role.And for that I thinm she deserves full credit.
On another note (no pun intended), frankly I enjoyed Kaori’s moments with Asuka and Haruka as much as Reina with Kumiko. Well done KyoAni, this may be the best work I enjoy from them in recent years.
Called it last week!
Random Thoughts:
===
Reina hands down won at the audition and everyone knew it.
https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%20-%2011%20-%2031.jpg
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I need to find out who those five people are! \(^o^)/
https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2012.jpg
Whenever Kyoto Animation shows this setting, it is always beautiful!
=
Kyoto Animation is too good with teasing its viewers. I wouldn’t be surprised if the “confession of love” suddenly becomes a “confession of love for a friend”. We never know until the end, or unless a Hibike! Euphonium Love Story comes out.
=
I am seriously wondering what was anime original and what was from the original material. If only I could read it myself…
Actually too many animators often mean the production was in panic mode.
SHAFT could use some more animators.
Gosh I bet for a lot of people they loved this episode but at the same time it was just sooo frustrating to watch since things like this happen everywhere. Someone rightfully gets something and someone complains about it soooo much it causes an unnecessary drama like this and in the end it makes the person who rightfully got something look like the “villain”.
Would have liked to see Yuko cry more in pain.
This is the first episode I could actually recognize that the music played by a character sounded good.
Unlike previous episodes, I couldn’t really tell if whatever they were playing was good or not. I had to go by the descriptions of the characters about the quality, tone, etc.
Perhaps hearing both Kaori and Reina play the same piece back to back helped for comparison. That’s the thing when I watch music-related anime. I could never tell the quality unless it was intentionally bad or spelled-out by the characters, but Reina’s playing didn’t need any of that.
Yuuko’s being pilloried by the fandom. And all’s right with the world.
Also, that compatibility between Kumiko and Reina. Normally not into yuri, but that whole scene, I was like, “Just make out already!”
Warning for yurifan
Show Spoiler ▼
Brace yourself.
Hmm, I didn’t end up hating Yuko…She’s actually an interesting character in her own way. After hearing the back story, I can understand her action in previous eps. and this ep. even though it is not the correct thing to do.
Yuko actually acknowledge Reina’s skill and know that Kaori will lose even before the audition. However, she still supports Kaori to the last second. Also, unlike most member, she has the brave to vote for Kaori even she knew it was useless. If I were Kaori, I will probably feel happy somehow.
Her crying at the end seems to happened because she was moved by Kaori action/word + feel sorry for Kaorirather than because of suffering and disappointment ,so I don’t really understand why someone would “satisfy” to see that. It is not even the “butthurt” feeling.
Holy shit. Even though the yuri ship was supposed to have sunk last week, that didn’t stop Kyo-Ani from ramping up the yuri-baiting (only to have it sink it even more brutally, GoT style).
https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
Just kiss already!
It’s scary how easy they make this look. At this point, Hibike! Euphonium is my favourite Kyoto Animation anime.
I can get behind this 100%. Their Yuri teasing though, a bit to potent!
Honestly though, this show hits all the right notes with me, I mean KyoAni has been good before but for some reason they just cranked it up to 11.
http://i.4cdn.org/a/1434538851412.png
Not appealing to yuri baits, sales were a failure.
can forget the second season, this show comes to history as one of the worst adptação of the LN KyoAni.
Amagi Brilliant Park on his first day reached the rank 1 sales.
Yes Hibiki, surely not received a second season, and should not reach 40 percent of sales Amagi Brilliant Park.
And much more likely that KyoAni make the second season of Amagi Brilliant Park that gave more profit.
Are you grading how a good anime is by it’s sales? lol xD
There are no sale figures for Hibike! Euphonium yet as it only went on sale on the 17th. You’ll have to wait for next week to scream how much you hate the show and that it was a huge commercial flop.
BTW the current prediction is something like 6k sales for the first volume.
THAT YURI SCENE! WHOA….!!! TIME FOR FIELD TRIP! YEAAAA!!!!
Anyway.
I think Yuuko is just being loyal to Kaori to the bitter end. And yep. Loyalty and Righteousness have no relation to each other. Loyalty can be blind, evil, selfish, stubborn and annoying yet loyalty can be pure, beautiful, innocent, and …well….romantic~~ It is up to how you see it, seriously.
Yep. Loyalty and Righteousness… Just like in Game of Thrones.
KyoAni is dead
http://i.4cdn.org/a/1434538851412.png
Even Amagi ranked #1 on its first day.
Euphonium is doing much worse.
No season 2.
Even playing most yuri bait before the pre-sales of Blu-Ray to no avail.
The anime is a sales fracaso.
That the appeal to yuri bait.
Hibike! Euphonium It has the worst selling blu-ray in the first week in the history of kyoAni
What’s the point of posting this twice, and in a very abrupt, matter-of-fact tone?
It’s better to ignore this one. No matter how many usernames you use caxasa, we know its you with your aggravating hate of yuri.
If you cannot get A HINT and automatically branded those scenes as yuri-bait and go bat sh!t angry about it, I’m sorry, stop watching already and stop ridiculing yourself by continuously posting here with different names.
The same broken English, the same inability to form a consistent thread of replies, the same references to old series, and the same blatant yuri-bashing and nothing else.
Yeah, it’s the same person who has nothing better to do and will never learn.
plus hibike is rank 5; that’s hardly failure status. This is a spin on the kyoani formula like hyouka was so it was bound not to explode like k-on or something but it seems to be doing moderate. What are the sale numbers?
3# Kekkai Sensen – 10.k
5# Hibike! Euphonium – 5,5k
Yes tremendous failure of sales.
Amagi Brilliant Park, in the period was first with double the sales Hibike Euphonium.
2 last anime KyoAni
difference is double
1# – Amagi Brilliant Park 11k
5# – Hibike Euphonium 5.5K
Now which would give more profit to KyoAni create a second season
Hibike Euphonium is one of the worst anime KyoAni in terms of sales.
This proves that they have a tremendous rejection by fans of the official materials and original canon.
And people are tired of colleges with moe anime girls with escaces of men and yuri, as they are repetitive and boring
Many people dropped the anime of Midway because he was tired of yuri bait and the destruction of the official materials and canon
@ Andy
So what about it? Should I stop enjoying watching the show just because the BD sales are low? Or do you even know what should be considered as low? For all we know KyoAni could have already break-even with that volume of sales. Do you even KNOW what break-even means? Are you a part of KyoAni’s top brass to decide which will have a season 2 or not? If the anime does not get a season 2, fine by. If it gets one, then great. I’m enjoying the series so stop rubbing it to us as if BD sales is correlated to our own enjoyment. And mind you, yuri is not my cup of tea. Needless to say, the series has a lot going on to it aside from Reina and Kumiko’s own small world.
Stop ridiculing yourself. Because every post that you make regardless of what username you use makes you even MORE PATHETIC than ever before.
You have a gold mine of an anime blog here, Samu. This, I think, is the most active blog this season.
And goddammit! I almost melt with that Kousaka and Reina scene in the hall. Isn’t that the sweetest? Yuri-bait or not, platonic or romantic, that’s just fvcking so sweet. Period!
And Yuuko… she even had the nerve to cry in the hall when Kaori already gave up the slot to the better soloist. Bring your fanaticism out of the competition. You’re not doing Kaori any favor. You’re not doing the band aiming for the Nationals any favor. If I could only slap some sense out of her. When her senpai finally conceded, she should have just stood by on her decision instead of crying like a sore loser. I feel sorry for Kaori who might harbor the guilt of failing her junior. Damn! So irritating.
Also, it seems that there’s another ship brewing there, Kaori X Best Girl Asuka.
I wanted to slap the band for their voting (or rather their lack of it). They were clearly blown away by Reina’s piece and yet get cold feet when the choice is given to them. The only thing that keeps from being truly angry is that this is exactly how I expected a bunch of high-school kids would act. If anyone wonders why teenage students shouldn’t be judging auditions, this right here is Exhibit A.
I actually feel bad for Kaori. She was practically driven into the corner at this point. Everyone now officially knows Reina is superior. Even if Kaori did accept the solo, the shadow of her being only favored by the seniority would be hanging around her and all the bandmates. Giving it up Reina was her only way out. It wouldn’t surprise me, as some have speculated already, that this might have been Taki’s plan all along. Sure Yuko, white-knighting Kaori was TOTALLY WORTH IT.
https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%20-%2011%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
It continues to impress how physical their friendship has become after a few months. I suppose that’s the “magic” Kumiko feels whenever Reina is around. This is why I think all that drama from last episode was stupid. Nothing has changed between them. It doesn’t matter if you think their relationship platonic or romantic. They are clearly soul-mates.
few months? They know each other longer. ReWatch Episode 1. Both where in the same Band, and won the “Cheap Gold”, where Reina began to cry..
They barely knew each other in middle school. They weren’t even friends. At best, it was the start of their interest on each other.
in my opinion I see kumiko and reina closeness as a sisterly love. it is entirely possible for two girls to be close and still like boys that’s not unheard of. besides we “fans” always say how we want anime to stick close to the source material but I guess if yuri is involved that’s an exception to the rule. look at rorouni kenshin for instance what if the creator of that show let the studio do whatever they wanted with his characters and changed kaoru and misao into lesbians despite the fact that both of them love kenshin and aoshi in the manga respectively. would that be a good choice in terms of story? no why because it be just be doing whatever instead of being true to the original intended.
Oh, look, another yuri-bashing comment from angiri, Melissa, Ashford, sadia, clarice or whatever other name you are deciding to call yourself this week. How original.
Get a life, seriously. You have done nothing except this, and it is already beyond old.
I don’t see how clarice is yuri-bashing. He or she is just expressing their opinion with justification on how the characters have been presented. I’m sick of how some other comments hate on the yuri undertones, but clarice’s argument is plausible.
Because literally EVERY SINGLE comment this person ever makes is about the same subject of how yuri is unnecessary, even spamming in other series where yuri is a focus.
Other RC writers have already warned this user in the past, but he/she never listens and keeps bring up the same argument. And yes, it is the same person, despite constantly changing the username.
In this comment thread: People who hate Yuuko and go crazy over even a little hint of interaction between girls. Well mostly.
That seems about right. I’m genuinely trying to recall any other anime that had shipping wars as ….volatile as this this one. Some of the reactions genuinely astounded me…and the persistence of the trollers, too.
Go check out Naruto pairing tags on tumblr and such. This will look extremely tame in comparison, lol.
Tumblr is a conglomeration of some of the most outspoken creative (is that the right word?) minds on the net. There’s no surprise in seeing them take things to the edge and over.
The issue now is that what shouldn’t be the focus has ended up being the highlight of the series, and I’m feeling strangely upset about that. When Haruka and Kaori both agree that they’re in the midst of a “complicated” situation and feelings, I’m just inclined to verbally echo their sentiments in agreement. These are teens living a typical teenage life, growing and learning to come to terms with identity and ambition. Just because they make allusions and even seemingly upfront statements to having romantic feelings for others of the same sex, everyone starts to either indulge in the fantasy of a “forbidden love”, and it just draws the attention away from what I think was the most insightful and relevant part of this episode, from Yuuko to Kaori and Asuka and to Reina and Kumiko: “It’s complicated”.
It doesn’t surprise me to see a majority of the same audience find it perfectly fine to threaten literally death to a character solely because she’s fictitious. Go ahead and call this speaking from a moral high ground but seriously, some people need to grow up and learn to empathize, even if it’s difficult. Again, I can’t help but be strangely distraught by the general spite that has spawned for the petty reason of schoolgirls being the normal naive schoolgirls they ought to be.
I’m liking this series. It does what a good drama should do, it’s a visual feast and it has parts that crescendo with passion and inspiration that has the potency to breath awe and stir up its viewers (well, me, at least). The character’s are lacking here and there but with a cast this big and a span of time this short to flesh its characters out, I’ll look past that (and towards future seasons). I think our dear Samu-dono has done a great job trying to capture the essence of what this whole series has been thus far and enjoy reading his thoughts on much of it.
But reading comments which are essentially “WOOO YURI PAIR GIRLXGIRL SHIPS SET SAIL” OR “EWW YURIBAIT LOUSY SHOW HAS TO RELY ON LOUSY TROPES” OR “YUUKO MUST DIEEEE” just takes the magic away.
*End rant?*
Ribbons@ so next episode is going to have kumiko shuichi development?
I, for one, really really like Yuuko.
She is far from a perfect character, she has a lot of flaws and doesn’t care much her actions.
But to me, these flaws are what makes her so appealing to me.
I don’t agree with her actions and words, but she is humane because of these things and I find that interesting.
She is a flawed character and that’s what I like.
As for Reina and Kumiko.
KyoAni may use them as bait, but to me, the line was crossed this week.
They may not know they did it, but I cannot view that moment as anything but romantic.
And I am sure I am not the only one
Unfortunately, that’s one of the problems with a chunk of viewers/readers – two males, two females, or a male and female, can’t seem to have ANY sort of physical interaction with each other without a chunk of the fan base screaming “ROMANCE!!!!” or “PAIRING CONFIRMED!!!!” and so on. It IS possible for same or different genders to have close, even more physical relationships without it being romantic and/or sexual. It just shows how much societal “norms” have shifted as well as what is clearly more important in the eyes of such viewers/readers.
To all you Yuri-baiters and Yuri-haters..
Have you considered that it is posable to love someone who is not direct family in a way that is not sexual?
I know that I have..
The anime already made it clear that there’s love between Kumiko and Reina. There’s that deep respect, understanding and trust. That the two inspires and support each other so that they can do their best. That no one can ever break their bond.
Only thing up to debate now is if that love is platonic or romantic. And if its romantic, is it exclusive?
But that’s not where our attention should be focused. Really.
Your comment has no relevance.
Dear Not everyone who hates yuri anime, Odei gay in real life.
There are a lot of yuri anime fans who are prejudiced and homophobic in real life, since the number of real yuri fans are minimal, these baits are created for the general public, ie the otaku and masturbators men who do not want to see your loved ones moe girls lose their pristine image with men, they prefer yuri because they think girls remained pure to this relationship and they would rather masturbate for virgin girls, and one heterosexual relationship would mean that sooner or later his beloved moe virgin girl would cease to be pure.
You do not know how the anime industry nor his pulblico target.
The otaku, arriving to break dvds and materials related to anime when his beloved girl is moe interresada in men, and may lose its purity
The only thing that is more impressive than your devotion to be a troll is the amount if ignorance, hypocrisy and complete lack of self-awareness u can pack into one post. The fact that you act smug about it just makes it hilarious.
The most ridiculous is you want to deny the facts, canon and official materials.
With abstract arguments, delusions and hallucinations, when you have nothing more than their interpretation pessual your tastes and your desires to support their argument.
My dear if you do not know against facts there is no argument.
At the point that a person has physical and material Profas supporting the argument, there is no question.
Now it’s worse when you create fanwank, through their own interpretation and personal tastes and force it on others.
All you presented so far is abstract, has no real evidence.
Sorry if you’re so duente to believe in his own delusions and hallucinations, you need a psychiatrist.
Because it occurs in all series with femina protagonist, those damned yuri fans destroying the series with their delusions and hallucinations about the sexuality of the characters and pairings and attacks on male characters.
You’re supposed to shut up, there are people who are watching the anime just for music and a good story, having to be seeing yuri fans distorting history posting these images just as they did when Ange Ange Cross and kissed Hilda distorting history and enxendo the bag to the anime end and as in all other anime.
People are tired of yuri fans, and your shit in all animes with femina protagonist, and always his childish and ridiculous attitudes fanwank creating and distorting history, attacking the male character, changing the sexual orientation of the characters, creating romance with another moe girl, always the same duentias attitudes.
Show Spoiler ▼
Look why don’t you stop pretending do be someone else and just say “I HATE GAYS”. Because that is the only contribution you’ve given in any of your posts.
I dont understand what you’re trying to prove. I personally dont give a rat’s ass whether endgame leads to hetero or homosexual pairings. Hibike! Euphonium, along with other anime, are pieces of fictional work made to be consumed by the consumer. and GODDAMIT, let me f-ing consume it however way i want and dont spoil it for everyone else. So WHAT if we’re falling into the “yuri bait.” As a consumer, i have the freedom to fall into whatever trap the studio sets me up for. GLADLY. Its like asking why daytime drama series still exist.
Friends Whether it’s LN, visual novel or manga. The pairing official canon and is always the original work, the one created by the novelist.
KyoAni throughout its history, has never changed these quisitos the protagonist.
1-All anime KyoAni The loving pairing the protagonist, It was maintained proposed by the novelist in his source material
2-Never changed the sexual orientation of any of its protagonists.
3-Never changed the sex from love interest of the protagonist.
do
These are facts, can not be changed, the COMPANY followed the conduct and respect for the protagonist created by novelist
Official canon and loving pairings in its source material are the same anime
Tomoya x Nagisa
Oreki x Chitanda
Kyon x Haruhi
Yutta x Rika
Mirai x Akihito
Tamako x Mochizou
Or you saw such a loving pairing and changing their sexual orientation.
Here is the example of what fans of yuri, want applied in other anime of Kyoani.
Would look like the loving pairings
Akihito x Hiroomi
Kyon x Koizumi
Sousuke x Kurz
Oreki x Satoshi
Akihito, Hiroomi, Kyon, Koizumi, Sousuke, Kurz, Oreki and Satoshi.
All these characters have changed their sexual orientation from homosexual to heterosexual ..
That’s exactly what the yuri fans want.
I admire your effort to show those who wish for a lesbian outcome to crush their hopes. Let them be and discover it for themselves. If you don’t like it, so be it. I don’t know why in this place all the people who don’t want or don’t like this possible scenario behave like you do. Relax, enjoy the ride, enjoy the series and let everyone else enjoy it in their own way.
https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%20-%2011%20-%2025.jpg
…I Think, I’am Gonna…uh…drool!
https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%20-%2011%20-%2035.jpg
THEN GO CRY TO YOUR MOMMY!
Hilda and Ange, what happened
-“Sit you ass down Yuki” – Thank You. Kaori decided no, passes it on to Reina. Yuki cries, the hell? They still gonna play together.
-Kumiko and Reina exchange was hot and funny. That’s love between best friends.
-Aoi should come back and do Sax Roll https://goo.gl/AGkKW6 Yeahhhhhh…. God I love her Green Hair Green Eyes…. please comeback.
Really people are tired of repetitive and boring animes.
Full of girls, where men are escaços and irrelevant, always the same content, always the same bait, always the same story, cheap melodrama, moe girl, girls rubbing.
It’s always the same thing.
Amagi Brilliant Park 11 k
incredible nor yuri baits can make good sales.
Probably because this type of anime behind always the same content.
cheap drama.
lack of men.
Men do not have the same relevance even being mixed college.
women rubbing.
moe girls.
characters plans without internal monologues.
frescurada.
Screwed high school.
women lacks interrese in men, which already makes the totally unrealistic anime, when 90% of women in real life are attracted to man.
always the same in every anime female lead always with the same scenario, content and development.
If KyoAni continue investing in the same boring crap will end up bankrupting
Also people are getting tired of all anime have to read the nonsense written by fans of yuri.
So the vast majority already prevents anime that has much of the cast women and female protagonist.The great sin of Adolf Hitler was not having exterminated these damned fans of yuri that empreginam all animes with his delusions and hallucinations
well now THIS is a rather appropriate new alias Bety/Andy/clarice/caxasa/caxasa2. Adolf Hitler. If you were on his shoes during World War 2, you could have persecuted and mass murdered all Yuri fans for no reason at all just like what he did to the Jews.
Case in point, you’re not convincing anyone no matter how hard you try.
Here we are talking about Yuuko’s bitching, Taki-sensei brilliance, Kaori’s sportmanship and Reina’s excellence while you, on the other hand, comes in full steam bashing yuri fans just because Reina and Kumiko had that one intimate scene. Damn! Someone IP block this dumbhead already.
welcome to democracy
I love shows like Yuru Yuri, Yuyushiki and Kiniro Mosaic but find the yuri in Euphonium pretty obnoxious. Not because it’s yuri in a “non-yuri” show, and not because of shitposters derailing threads, but because of how its portrayed in the anime.
Yuri scenes between Kumiko and Reina are just so over the top and obvious fanservice pandering it just makes me roll my eyes at them. I don’t understand how can anyone watch those scenes and consider them great, they’re pretty cringeworthy.
Kumiko acts like a pretty “realistic” character in 99% of her scenes, then Reina appears and its like the anime changes it genre for a minute to give us the yuri scene and then everything goes back to normal. It’s pretty jarring.
Kyoani should have really just made an original anime if they wanted to have a yuri romance and kept character interactions in Euphonium the way it were in the novels. It could have been a pretty solid band drama highschool coming of age anime, and now everyone will just remember it for all the bait it had. It’s a shame, really.
Well, it is a miracle that with only this Scene on some “yuri” the focus on the entire Anime as a Good and Picture wonder + Music is forgotten. i read many Hate here and there, just because of 1% Yuri in the Entire Anime. You think this Anime as a whole one, deserve this humiliation?
Well, it’s up to you guys, to open your blinders, and enjoy the entire World
What about this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r23gU7JzGNc
Episode 05
What about this?
https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2020.jpg
Is this the Source of the “Yuri is Bad!!” haters? feel betrayed?
What about this?
https://randomc.net/image/Hibike!%20Euphonium/Hibike!%20Euphonium%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2031.jpg
and this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_bhDwZEN5U
or even this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IAxlppnLjU
Sorry, for so many Postings. But this time it is needed to focus you of the wonderful things
p.s. Last Post, i swear
you haven’t noticed already it’s just kyoani taking pictures of real places and putting filters on them.
The difference between characters and background is just jarring.
of course i have noticed it, if you follow the Blog here, you would trip over my comments in the earlier episodes. I do not mean any harm with this post
even Fate/Stay UBW has this Background Magic.
Are people blind? Only one way this is heading. KumikoxAsuka.
My sole focus in this anime is the awesomeness between Reina and Kumiko throughout the whole series. Kumiko, especially, has intrigued me since the first episode when she said the band sounded terrible. Its like she and Reina share the same “height” when it comes to show-off their skills lol…Kumiko is holding her talent while Reina didnt even bother to shy away. This is why i stay for the series
And as for the other characters, i dont really wanna bother about them. Asuka and Shinichi are bonus hehe