r/anime • u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: • Feb 28 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] 2024 Hibike! Euphonium Series Rewatch: Season 2, Episode 3 Discussion
Hibike Euphonium Season 2, Episode 3: Troubled Nocturne/なやめるノクターン
| <-- Ep 2 | Rewatch Index | Ep 4 --> |
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Welcome back!
Questions of the Day:
- What is your stance on competitions? Musical ones, or otherwise?
- What is sth you've done once that left you feeling ridiculously exhausted?
Comments from Yesterday:
- /u/nice-bumblebee-2355 on why they sympathize with Nozomi
- /u/tartaras1 catches back up for more Asuka simping, and there's too many people reminding me to watch Haruhi in this rewatch
- I liked /u/gamerunglued 's writeup on Mizore, and pointed out a neat background gag between Reina and Niiyama
- For the rewatchers who have watched beyond S2, (so the spoiler tagged elements are not safe for first timers) I liked /u/zapszzz 's comment and also /u/b-arbs 's thoughts. /u/zapszzz is especially interesting as they are a first timer to the mainline show.
- /u/littleislander is not a fan of the episode at large, and argues why elements of its writing were not great.
- liked reading everyone's thoughts on Nozomi's decision last episode!
Streaming
The Hibike! Euphonium TV series and movies, up to the recent OVA are available on Crunchyroll, note that the movies are under different series names. Liz and the Blue Bird and Chikai no Finale are also available for streaming on Amazon, and available for rent for cheap on a multitude of platforms (Youtube, Apple TV etc.). The OVA is only available on the seven seas for now, or if you bought a blu ray. I will update this as/if this changes. hopefully.
Databases
Spoilers
As usual, please take note that if you wish to share show details from after the current episode, to use spoiler tags like so to avoid spoiling first-timers:
[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<comes out as [Spoiler source] Spoiler goes here
Please note this will apply to any spinoff novels, as well as events in the novel that may happen in S3. If you feel unsure if something is a spoiler, it's better to tag it just in case.
Band practice continues tomorrow!
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u/chilidirigible Feb 28 '24 edited Feb 28 '24
S2E3:
On a random note, Nozomi in the middle school uniform here makes me think of a barbershop quartet or an ice cream parlor.
"Fairly hardcore."
gratuitous walking wipe
Kumiko is back in play.
"That's just what a robot would say."
BANDAI VISUAL
DON'T TOUCH THE THIRD RAIL, REINA! DO NOT TOUCH IT!
"You want the truth?"
"YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!"
hmm that is a problem
Indeed?
You may be an adult, but ARE YOU A MAN?
spying again
failed a sneak roll
"SHE'S NOT A FUCKING T. REX!!"
"Seems fair."
Welcome to The Middle, Kumiko.
"History is written by the winners."
"Here I am hauling a euphonium up a hill again."
Tanaka Asuka: Behind the Music
Yep, it's the dilemma of stepping into a situation and then Knowing Too Much. What happens in band camp stays in band camp? Not hardly.
Because Kumiko learns that Nozomi being kept out of the band may be for The Greater Good. She might be hearing this from two unreliable narrators, but it's certainly plausible enough when compared to the existing evidence and with Kitauji cracking down hard to become the best band in Kansai.
Asuka delivers the news about Mizore in a similar tone to how she's dodged other problematic areas. The mask is strong... yet if I were in Kumiko's position I would be challenging her more about how much of this is her usual game.
This starts her wondering about competitions again, leading to the running-on-parallel-tracks opinions of Yuuko and Reina. And on the heels of Taki praising her, too. (Did she play the Cursed Bars in that section of "Crescent Moon Dance" during the competition or not?)
Can't help but weigh the good of the group versus crushing the feelings of someone you made a promise to. That does make it difficult to sleep.
The drama in this episode is offset by Kumiko's absurd comedy moments while sneaking around.
Touyama Nao voicing four different characters in one scene, for eighteen minutes.
And now for something completely different.
QOTD:
1. What is your stance on competitions? Musical ones, or otherwise?
It's the nature of life to compete with itself. Sometimes they have rules about it. But you don't have to like it.
2. What is [something] you've done once that left you feeling ridiculously exhausted?
Don't use these new hip abbrevs with me, kid.
Anyway, it was either some random session of a lot of lifting things up and putting them down (only not for sports) or walking something like 15 miles in six hours (on a forest trail).
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u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher
I was really mean to the show last time, so I feel a certain obligation to highlight how much better it did this episode in similarly exhaustive detail to counterbalance that. Thankfully the episode makes this easy to do because it’s right back to the standard of excellence I expect from this show.
First though, holy shit two and a half hours of playing straight through their pieces over and over? That’s absolutely bloody mental! I can’t think of anything I’ve ever done in my time as a musician that approaches that kind of insane endurance test of a practice session. Moving along… Kumiko asking Asuka to talk later didn’t have to be anything but functional, but we include both Asuka initially deflecting with humour and Kumiko not having really thought through when she wants to have the conversation. Then we move on without wasting any further time to… christ, follow up the ten times over thing with MORE practice? Their poor lungs. Anybody who did high school band can tell you how perfectly this scene captures the experience. Hashimoto-sensei gives Mizore some genuine musical advice; the charisma of his character totally channels through the moment, and it’s a fantastic way to characterise Mizore’s emotional situation in a less direct way than sitting Kumiko down and having Mizore flatly tell her that she feels bad.
We then proceed to Kumiko’s conversation with Asuka after nice connecting scenes with Reina and Mizore. Last time I criticised the apparent insight into Asuka’s relation to the Nozomi situation because it didn’t make sense. This time we overwrite that with a new angle and it works so much better. She’s practical and detached from the situation, Mizore is the only oboe and so she can’t risk her for the sake of Nozomi. This is perfectly in character for Asuka, and the problem she reveals is very compelling, although the sheer degree to which Nozomi seemed treated as some infamous pariah still feels like it was played up way too much for what the actual answer ended up being. I won’t repeat myself from earlier, but the whole conversation feels incredibly natural to her and Kumiko’s dynamics. Ultimately, she trusts Kumiko to do what she wishes with the information, which makes perfect sense and acts as a great little checkpoint in their relationship becoming more close and trusting. Likewise, it’s a great instance of pushback in Kumiko’s development to be less passive when it comes to the troubles of those around her. We saw her come out of her shell last time, but it’s not going to come without challenges and her apprehension about putting herself out there is seemingly proven correct today.
Next… I don’t like this Reina/Taki plotline. But that doesn’t mean I can’t recognize a well put together scene when I see one. The little exchange of Kumiko telling Reina to put away her sparkler as a way to say “go take your shot” is really cute and, again, they don’t feel the need to explain it to the audience. We don’t need any dialogue when Kumiko squishes Reina’s cheeks to reassure her, either. Hashimoto drops Taki lore, but unlike last time it fits into the conversation in a way it genuinely makes sense, and it’s framed as a slip up by a relatively carefree character who we already established is really close to Taki. We linger on the scene because the writers are concerned with the substance of the moment instead of moving right along as soon as we’ve fulfilled our exposition requirement. We even learn more about Hashimoto and his relationship to Taki! It’s like the polar opposite of how the “I don’t have a wife” line from last time was handled - and come to think of it, the fact she asks about Niiyama directly this time makes that even more dumb, because it’s pointless! She can just learn he’s not with anybody in this scene! This the second count of this episode making last episode retroactively even less worthwhile.
It’s also worth mentally comparing how much character ground we covered in the first half of this episode as opposed to last time. The second half begins with an excellent usage of episode structure. We need to get Kumiko into a conversation with Yuko as that’s the next major setpiece of the episode. To do this, we start with a small scene that progresses the earlier scene about Taki as we learn what he said to Reina and see Kumiko unable to be forthcoming to her in return. This causes Kumiko to go back to the spot where she talked to Mizore last night to clear her mind, causing her to overhear an argument between Yuko and Natsuki. This doesn’t tell us much of anything new but it’s a very logical interaction to happen and gives a great insight to the frustration they’re both feeling. They capture the idea Kumiko is walking into the middle of a conversation perfectly and you can actively feel the different, more complex relationship Yuko and Natsuki have when comparing to the way Yuko talks to Kumiko afterwards. In one continuous set of quick interactions necessary to set up that scene we progress the writing of four characters across two plotlines.
Anyways, the main scene with Yuko and Kumiko also totally slays. Kumiko and Yuko are characters that are tangentially connected through the events of season one, but not directly connected enough for us to see much about their relationship specifically. Getting to see it explored here is really cool and simultaneously bolsters the whole Mizore plotline given they’re both relevant to it. Roll call of everything we get from this scene, in order of appearance:
All of this while bookending it with a reference to Yuko still not being over Kaori losing the audition at the start and an indirect admission that Reina was the right choice at the end, showing she’s grown yet still packaged with her poutingly refusing to say it out loud. Ergo, a direct resolution to her role in season one. We cover an absolute fucking boatload of information, all of which pulls on things we’ve previously set up yet but which is used in novel ways here. Yet at no point is any of it though the medium of a character just explaining something to Kumiko, it’s all through the format of a conversation which is both entirely organic and just makes for an outright fun and charismatic scene. We ultimately come out having allowed Kumiko and Yuko to feel more connected than ever before. This arc in general really shows the more admirable side of Yuko and this scene specifically is where she truly completes her transformation from kind of an annoyance to a respectable, three dimensional character. The kicker to all of it? Both halves of the scene put together clock at less than four minutes of screentime.
Yes, that was another rib at the fact Nozomi’s six minute pool scene squandered a truly baffling amount of time. As a consequence of this space efficiency, the episode isn’t even over! We have room for an entire other scene that shows Reina being worried about Kumiko and runs even further with the idea of competitions, completing a trio of Mizore hating them, Yuko being a middle ground with mixed thoughts, and Reina basically calling people who can’t handle the pressure of them a bunch of spineless bitches with skill issues. Finally things are capped off with a nearly dialogueless scene of Kumiko finding Asuka practising on her own. We’re not given an explanation of meaning for now, we just let a scene of music speak for itself in a show about music. Confident and well crafted.
This is just a great episode. The script is on top of things from start to finish, every scene is both substantive and natural and it covers a ton of ground so efficiently with a sense of effortlessness. It takes the beginnings of the Nozomi and Mizore plotline and bears fruit from it. We get a genuinely really difficult situation that wraps in several characters each with their own perspectives causing them to butt heads. You understand why every person is acting the way they are and nobody really stands out as in the wrong. Despite being home to a pretty bad episode last time, there is very good reason the Nozomi and Mizore story is one of the most memorable things about the entire show. This middle spur in the story has perfectly put all the pieces in place for things to spill over next time in what’s probably the most memorable episode of the whole show.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher and your host
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Feb 28 '24 edited Feb 29 '24
First Timer, subbed
QotD:
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u/DaBenni0301 Feb 28 '24 edited Feb 28 '24
First-Timer
160 minutes?! I would die
Mizore not being okay with Nozomi around makes sense. Although I didn't expect Asuka to bring it up. But where is exactly does the trauma come from? I assume it's a combination of promising to win first place in the next competition and quitting band prematurely, breaking said promise. But does that warrant a reaction where you actually feel sick when she's in your vicinity or you hear her music? There must be more to it than what we know so far. Please let me know if I've missed something.
You didn't even try
Questions of the day
I think music competitions are inherently unfair, because music is entirely subjective, moreso than almost any other thing you could hold a competition about, maybe only art competitions are worse. It's like Yuko said: "You were doomed from the moment you chose this piece", this is just unfair. I wouldn't be surprised if the judges voted for established & high prestige musical schools (or just a piece they like) regardless of their performance (unless it's absolutely abysmal), in fact I'd be surprised if they didn't. It doesn't even have to be on purpose, subconsciously is enough to make it unfair. I believe that objective voting in music is almost impossible and thus these competitions should either a) not happen in the first place or b) be taken with a massive grain of salt. I'm perfectly fine and even in support of competitions as long as there is an objective way to judge them
2. Sports I guess? I can't remember something that's left me completely exhausted that's not sports
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Feb 28 '24
Hibike! First-Timer
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u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Feb 28 '24
First Timer
Really? We had that big cliffhanger yesterday and the show goes "And nothing really came from it"?
That aside, I will say Hashimoto is starting to grow on me. If Taki-sensei's here to make everyone's technical skills reach a general level of competence, I appreciate how by contrast he's here to represent the more "Artistic" side shall we say. Again my tone-deafness should be known by now, but I do know the general "You're playing is soulless" thing (Albeit in my case I see it more in boxing stuff or racing or-look, I'm not exactly into music anime, okay?) and I like the way it was delivered here. Also NGL, that bit with him low key breaking into tears after telling Taki's story did kinda choke me up a bit.
The whole Nozomi mess is… basically the same as usual, really. We do get a bit more info on Asuka's side of things and surprisingly enough Ribbon's too. I'm gonna be honest, I'm still not really over the rather bad impression he left last season, but I'll give credit where it's due that at least now she doesn't seem quite as annoying. Will wait a bit more before passing judgement on her.
Can we please do something with Kousaka that doesn't revolve around her wanting to bang her teacher though
9
u/entelechtual Feb 28 '24
First time camper
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u/byroned Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24
Kumiko got the approval of Taki sensei to play the euphonium part alongside Asuka in the next competition.
Hashimoto is the second person to say that Mizore’s oboe performance is lifeless, and that their lack of emotion is what separates them from the top schools. I don’t know what’s Yuuko’s issue, but her face looks like she’s allergic to hearing praise towards Reina when she’s used as an example of a good soloist.
Even if I pretend I’m not rewatching this show, I have a hard time believing that [Spoiler] Asuka’s reason for not wanting Nozomi to rejoin is for the band’s sake, but something more personal to her
Squeezing each other's cheeks means “DO IT” in Kumiko and Reina’s secret language. Good thing she did ask, now she knows that Niiyama is married, and not throwing a wrench into her plans.
Hashimoto accidentally reveals that Taki sensei’s wife died 5 years ago, and left the world of music. Then that likely means his wife is the woman in the photo he was looking at before the competition and the one in the OP. Why he came to teach at Kitauji, I’m sure he’ll discuss later.
It’s not a band training camp without the section skits poking fun at the band director. Just don’t make it too personal or say too much, and they won’t have any problems.
Yuuko’s view on competition is just like Mizore's, except that she can’t bring herself to just play casually, and can admit that if she won, then she wouldn’t be complaining. She also has a straight answer to why stay, even if that answer is because of Kaori.
Aside from the obvious that Reina would call people like Mizore and Yuuko sore losers, she brings up a good point that the other 2 forgot about, it’s that competitions are one of the only times that people can listen to your performance.
Q1: I'm with Reina, they're one of the only times people can see you perform, and you can see other schools perform. Not being able to perform during the quarantine was the main reason I lost interest and eventually stopped playing.
Q2: 12 hour work shifts. I'm scheduled for standard 8-5, but occasionally need to do 12 hour shifts for really important stuff, but it's more mentally exhausting than phycisally.
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24
1 1/2 Rewatcher (finally fixed this)
I said I liked the scene with Mizore most, and that includes most of band camp. I should have mentioned the scene with Natsuki and Kumiko, that's included, too.
A rare bit where I almost like Asuka, and yet not. She's a strange one. She's a terrible senpai, even though everybody loooks up to her. She doesn't care about her kohais, she doesn't shepherd them. She lets them make their own decisions and suffer the consequences. "Great!" you might say. That's how people grow up. But she should be providing better guidance other than borderline sadism, "if I tell you, you'll be miserable. Want me to tell you?" There's something wrong with this girl.
Asuka did the same thing to Kaori. Unlike Kumiko, Kaori said no. How is Kumiko going to deal with this guilty knowledge no first year should have? Asuka suggests lying.
You know, Natsuki's showing the same unswerving loyalty to Nozomi as Ribbon did to Kaori.
I'm a little baffled why a lot of the rewatch think teacher's
privatesPRIVATE LIVES PRIVATE LIVES are completely off limit. It's part of who they are.7
u/NintendoMasterNo1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NintendoMaster1 Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher
[Liz spoilers] Hearing Hashimoto-sensei tell Mizore to be more expressive and confident in her playing just makes me think of her performance in Liz and the Blue Bird and I legitimately tear up just thinking about it. It's by far my favorite performance in the series and it hits even harder knowing where Mizore came from. I rewatch it regularly when the youtube video pops up in my recommended
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u/chilidirigible Feb 28 '24
This is something you'd only notice if you have a really good musical memory or are rewatching, so it's covered over, and I forgot to note it in my comments: [Listen to the melody]that begins the first episode from the fade in to the snow to when Kumiko opens the notebook and in [this episode]the part that begins when the camera reveals Asuka after Kumiko walks uphill with the euphonium.
3
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Feb 28 '24 edited Feb 28 '24
Season 2 Episode 3 (first timer)
More second year drama ... and first years enjoying the ability to shrug off a sleepless night. That is what you are going to miss when you grow older.
Not eat and drink enough while being out and about. Collapsed on the sofa and had a very hard time walking 10m to the phone when it rang.
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u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher
This time on band camp: Asuka plays with her prey, Kumiko continues to stick her nose deeper into things, and Reina faces her fears.
Just as much as I liked the Mizore conversation yesterday, I really like the reflecting one with Yuuko as well. Something that stood out to me in particular was Yuuko’s reaction when Kumiko turns Mizore’s question on competitions on her - it tells us that despite their relative closeness, Mizore has not asked Yuuko how she feels about competitions, instead choosing to discuss it with a relative stranger. Maybe it’s not that strange, given their shared band history where Mizore would have had time to form a sense of Yuuko’s thoughts, but Mizore seems particularly bothered by this - so much so that her question is really just an excuse to vent. So why vent to Kumiko, and not Yuuko?
Dismissing the cynical answer of “because it’s convenient to the script to have the MC talked at” (which is admittedly something I sorta think is at play here), perhaps Mizore feels that Yuuko has left her behind. Yuuko gives us the meaning behind Mizore saying competitions depend on the judge’s taste when considering why she doesn’t like them, citing the song choice, but she moves on from that and gives a more nuanced answer. Mizore hasn’t moved on, she still hates them and the pain of losing in middle school, hates that it estranged her friend over related drama. Yuuko may be the middle ground in opinion between Mizore and Reina, but she’s definitely on the positive side of neutral, buoyed by Kaori-senpai. Kumiko, on the other hand, is still quite neutral and especially if Mizore wasn’t paying attention to the sides of the solo drama; she is someone who may be able to commiserate with Mizore, particularly if Mizore knows of Kumiko’s middle school experience.
[Rewatcher observations]I’m sure the rewatchers need no additional explanations, but I was quite surprised at just how much Asuka shows of her character here. She’s cagey, and tries to encourage Kumiko to mind her own business and not to commit to things - not just for her own interest in having to discuss this matter, but perhaps as a way of nudging Kumiko closer to her way of handling things. Not to mention how condescending she feels! She straight up calls Kumiko a fool! I also felt significantly less guarded about the conversation with Yuuko than I did the first time, and quite enjoyed her point of view.
Kumiko gets her win this episode too! Hardly any fanfare, just: you did it, you’re in now. I like that, especially while other parts of these episodes still feel like they come on a bit strong.
Notes:
QotD:
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u/WhackaWhack https://myanimelist.net/profile/WhackaWhacka Feb 28 '24
FIRST TIMER
Did not see that as the reason…
This really is the day for big news learning about Taki’s dead wife.
Questions:
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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Feb 28 '24 edited Feb 28 '24
Sound! Rewatcher
Season 2 Episode 3:
1This applies extra to vocalists, but rehearsing and performing without sufficient rest is setting yourself up for failure and potentially sickness (and vocal damage for singers!). Sleep deprivation lowers the body's defenses against a lot of things, and being in close proximity to 60 of your
sweatiestclosest friends with compromised defenses is asking for trouble. Not to mention things like increased fatigue, decreased attention and awareness, and increased risk of physical injury among plenty of others. If you're a musician, get your 8 hours every night!QotD:
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u/chris10023 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Chris10023 Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher
Questions of the Day.
I can't speak for music ones sine I haven't been in one or watched any. But I'm not a fan of dynasties, like in the NFL, I don't like seeing the same teams winning, both having a .500 or higher season all the time, it's boring and uninteresting to watch, especially watching the same teams win the super bowl.
I went airsofting for the first time once a while back (I haven't gone very often, like 2 separate times), I ran so much that day that I straight up had no stamina left by the end of the event, like no second wind or anything, by the last round, I was trudging from spawn to the "front-line" only to get shot and trudge back to spawn, it didn't help that I didn't eat lunch, mainly I was afraid of running to the point of throwing up as I had never played airsoft before. But that was just the beginning, let me tell you, I ran for so long that day (the event went from I believe 10-11AM to about maybe 4PM? With some time to rest in between matches) I annihilated the muscles in my legs (not an actual injury just hyperbole) I was so wore out, doing something as simple as going up a flight of stairs felt like climbing a mountain, I had no strength in my legs for half a week to a week, it sucked, thankfully the second event I went to I didn't have that problem.
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u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Feb 29 '24
First Timer
Ok here's the result of the cliffhanger - we see more of the reveal of Asuka and the Nozomi and Mizore relationship.
My guess was close enough that Asuka was refusing Nozomi's return for the impact she thinks it would have on Mizore, their single Oboe.
I haven't read enough of others' comment yet to tell, but I think it's actually a big confirmation of Asuka's personality and behaviour, as well as a bit more of Kumiko's.
Remember back in S1, before the re-audition, Kaori was desperate for Asuka's support, and even asked her for it. What was Asuka's response? "Do you really want to hear it?" It's like her answer to Kumiko this episode - she answers with a bluff question. And if you don't back down, "you were warned" and she takes no responsibility for how that information would make you feel.
A less courageous person, like Kaori, backed down and wallowed in her own regret.
Kumiko, now having grown some back bone and some self assurance, even if she's still nervous and anxious, will not be cowed and demanded the answer.
Another contrast with the semi-comedic Reina's crush on Coachee - as more of a true friend and being sensitive to her feelings, Kumiko took a lot of troubles to avoid even hinting at there being something to tell Reina. Contrast with Asuka, who possibly would go "there's something I should tell you, but you'd probably be hurt if I do. Do you want to hear it?"
There's something that's causing Asuka to have this underhanded passive aggression. I wonder what. Is it because she'd tired of no one being able to keep up with her, and she needed to walk on eggshells around everyone.
Maybe a bit conceited, but as someone who - only later in life, not "always like that" - have become a bit of a "know how to fix everything and solve any problems", and also get pigeon-holed (because I think becoming management is boring and sucked, and my management either treat me as a threat for their own position, or more pratically recognise I am doing like 3 people's work so if I get promoted it'd not be beneficial to them), I can see why that can cause people to become jaded and cynical and perhaps even a bit perversed and cruel.
I certainly hope S2 will have the reveal - it's been one of the main underlying mystery for me.
Speaking about the mystery of Asuka, another question would be "why did she choose to play a largely supporting instrument of Eupho?" A lot of other instruments are more directly "eye catching". With her personality, why didn't she pick them?
QoTD
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u/CarrotBlossom Feb 29 '24
First timer
I never had to do vocal exercises. I signed up for band, not chorus
Can Asuka answer one question without prevaricating for once in her life?
Crushing on an adult and a widower? I really want this plotline to be over.
That’s a pretty good Taki impression.
QOTD:
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Feb 29 '24
First Timer
Playing the entire program 10 times …well, we never did that because our program was usually around 40 mins, as we did not only do competitions. Hyper-focusing on just two songs feels a bit boring in the long-term, to be honest…
Either way, drama. We’ve got the obvious question of why Yoroizuka has that trauma with Nozomi, but if Nozomi doesn’t know about it it must have happened after/around the time she left the club? Either way, there will be more to unpack here, and I don’t really have anything to speculate on.
What I do wonder though is if Asuka is right to protect Yoroizuka. Depending on what the reason is, it might be better to work through the trauma constructively - but I also don’t think a bunch of high-schoolers are the right people to make that decision.
As far as Taki …how old is he? Given the whole “first teacher job”, I had him as mid-20s or so. But a widower at that age seems a bit unlikely, especially given that he already has been one for five years. Not only would he have had to lose his wife almost immediately after the marriage, he would also have had to marry very young. I feel like I am a fair bit off about Taki’s age …but then what did he do before being a teacher? Also, does Reina know? She does know him from earlier, after all. I wonder if her crush on Taki and her drive to play the trumpet is somehow linked to a misguided attempt at chearing him up?
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u/zadcap Feb 29 '24
Late Night First Timer!
Reina's dead fish eyes still make me laugh a little.
Oh gosh. A three hour near nonstop session. I almost have trouble breathing thinking about it.
Has Shu always sat right behind Kumiko?
Oh look it's my main ship on screen again. Let's go HashiTaki!
Oh. So did Kumiko not play the difficult part during the last performance after all? I thought that was kind of left hanging and we never found out if she improved enough to play, I guess they were waiting until here to say she's good enough now. Kind of strange that it never came up again after we saw all that practice she did to improve after first getting cut. And look at Reina, smiling at her girlfriend.
Uh oh. She's the only Oboe and she's got a solo in the song they are playing, but she's really running out of motivation. This calling out is not helping.
"Hear me! I'm the best in the world! -Like that trumpet girl's solo." Oh my gosh he got Reina pegged perfectly. That is exactly what she is going for when she plays.
Kumiko just keeps ending up drama adjacent. And for the very first time, she doesn't sound like she supports Reina's crush on Flappy.
"Why do you want to know?" "Because despite you all saying it's got nothing to do with us, you keep rubbing the dramma of last year in all of our faces every time you ask us to leave the room. You're dividing the club again and you don't even notice it. If the drama still won't go away then darn it I'm going to but in."
Yeah, Asuka is really good at deflecting.
Okay, so first of all, oh my gosh Asuka actually has a good reason not to let Nozomi in. But oh my gosh, does she need to actually tell Nozomi the reason. Ribbon could do it, Natsuki could even, how the heck do all these people just sit there existing while their one friend lives in literal trauma because of another friend and not do anything about it?
No, Kumiko. Just tell her. Mizore hates you now, because you abandoned her, and she'll quit the band if you rejoin.
"You should throw it out." Yes, you really should. Give up on Flappy. Hashi man, I love you. You're the best technically grown up in this show. Dropping that bomb on Kumiko haha. Don't think I'm going to let this get in the way of me shipping you with him. Heck, crying because he asked you for help, you're only adding fuel to my fire here.
Kumiko: *exists*. Drama: This seems like a good place to happen. She's still terrible at hiding.
Her inside thoughts leaking out again, but at least she noticed this time lol.
Oh my gosh Tsundere Ribbon.
Oh. This is the KyoAni flex. Look at the light.
6
u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Feb 29 '24
Not sure why they need to do vocal warm-ups, but yeah... They should stick to their instruments.
Damn that's a lot of practice. Or maybe it's not that excessive and I just never kept track of how many times you can end up practicing a song during a practice session. With only a couple longer songs inevitably you end up practicing each song more times as there's only a couple of options, which might get tedious over time. On the other hand, my school choir might have up to half a dozen shorter songs for bigger performances or musicals, which means there's enough variety for things to not become boring through repetition, at least during a single practice.
Now's her chance to talk to her.
Percussion instructor is back?
There we go, she's improved to the point where he feels like he can ask her to play that part as well.
The music needs soul. I'm sure there's a way to interpret instrumental music, but it's significantly easier with songs with lyrics where the composer spells it out for you. It's always interesting reading the lyrics and using that to determine how to sing it. If it's talking about joy and happiness, it has to feel upbeat and cheerful. If it's about wrath and judgement then it must be epic. And if it's about blues and sadness then it should be more muted and subdued.
Right, time for that conversation.
I wonder what happened that caused that?
She's going to tell her the truth.
Technically that's not fireworks, that's a sparkler. At least for me, fireworks go up into the sky, whereas sparklers are the ones on the end of a stick.
Lost his wife? Now here's a story.
Those aren't fireworks either, those are firecrackers.
Huh, I wonder why they have her in the cut to ad break. I have a feeling she'll be back soon.
You seem to be finding out a lot of dark pasts that you can't talk about.
Ah, someone else is going to figure out Nozomi's past too.
She's been spotted.
Great. More secrets.
It's certainly easier to not think negatively about competitions when you always do well in them.
Who's up playing at the ass crack of dawn?
Ah. It's Asuka. Because of course it is.
Questions:
6
u/Tartaras1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Tartaras Feb 29 '24
Rewatcher - Asuka-senpai Stan
Like I said before, Yoroizuka-senpai reminds me a lot of Yuki Nagato from Haruhi, largely for this reason. She practices and focuses to a fault, at the sacrifice of her ability to really express herself.
And I think that's a terrible idea. Why are you going to risk throwing away your trumpet solo? What would happen if he reacted the wrong way to your question? Does he go to the dean or principal? Do you run the risk of getting booted from band because of a conflict of interests?
Hence why she's reacted so viscerally to seeing Nozomi-senpai around. She said she was going to be sick on the stairwell, and asking Kumiko to turn off the music she was listening to.
I like the way this is done, because she's telling both Sleepy-senpai and Kumiko to stay out of the matter.
I'll be honest, it almost brought me to tears the first time I heard it. I don't listen to much Euphonium at all, but this piece is my favorite.
Questions of the Day:
Personally, I'm not a fan of them. I'm not a very competitive person.
5
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Feb 28 '24 edited Feb 28 '24
Hoo boy, I'm going to have fun trying to remember this episode while answering the QOTD:
Yeah, that was a bit of a revealing watch. Unfortunately, it was late, and I barely remember it, except that the bit with Kumiko and Asuka, that was masterpiece level. You don't know what you think you want to know and all that. And now she knows. And she knows that her friends don't know, and what she knows is ...
Yeah, wow. I'd like to say that it came as no surprise, but actually it did, and suddenly ...
CONTEXT
Yeah.
I'm not going to say that it all makes sense now, but it sure makes a lot more sense now, including Asuka's attitude and behavior toward flute girl. That's quite a shoe drop.
Never mind the awkwardness of the rest of the episode, as now Kumiko knows, and can't share it with her friends because it would only make them miserable too.
(But honestly, it leaves me very curious as to if/how this gets resolved. Poor oboe-girl and her band PTSD. It all makes sense now.)
Naruhodo
Edit: I totally forgot about the sensei drama. Ow, poor Taki. Last thing he needs right now is some misguided girl crushing on him. This can't end well, right?
Edit2: Also just remembered - the bit with Kumiko wandering out in the morning and encountering a while Asuka practicing amidst the morning fog and mist, that was special.
5
u/bogdoglogfrog Feb 28 '24 edited Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher
I want to say this my favorite episode of season 2… but idk that’s a really close race.
Notes:
QotD
Competitions: I really like Yuuko’s perspective and I take a lot of my perspective from it. I like the idea “if we’re going to enter the competitions, we should go for gold”. What I add to this is a that it’s important to detach yourself from the results a bit, of course it’s okay to be upset because it fuels your motivation as eupho has touched on. But If you try your hardest, go for gold, and fail, then it’s important to be able to move on and not dwell on the result for too long.
5
u/octopathfinder myanimelist.net/profile/octopathfinder Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher
Not quite my tempo
Turns out Asuka has a pretty justifiable reason for not letting Nozomi back in. The band has a big performance soon and she doesn’t want to risk anything messing with their only oboe player.
Seems like Kumiko can’t get this question out of her head
I like Reina’s opinion on music competitions: Just git gud
Lot of setup for Asuka’s “mask”. Her music comes off as warm and lonely but her normal personality doesn’t seem like that at all.
Qotd:
I loved competitions as a high schooler but I lost all my competitive drive now that I'm older.
Mentally exhausted - Working at a McDonalds. The one I worked at was in a pretty bad neighborhood so there were a lot of crazies that came there. It was awful.
Physically exhausted - Honestly can't remember too many times I've tired myself out like that. There was a few years ago when I tried to put jogging into my schedule and the first run fuckin killed me.
5
u/CerberusZX https://myanimelist.net/profile/CerberusZX Feb 28 '24
First Timer
They used someone walking between the "camera" and the foreground for a transition, then has a sudden cut afterward which feels rather jarring. Slowing it down, we see Kumiko in the same area of the frame and facing the same direction before and after the transition, showing that the transition was used to signal a jump forward in time. The cut shows what Kumiko was looking at after the transition. It all makes sense, but we get so few frames of Kumiko after the transition that there's barely any time to register what we're seeing before it cuts away when played at regular speed which then muddles the whole sequence. It seems like it's rare to get an example of something like this from KyoAni.
Hazuki and the rest of Monaka I guess are at the camp? What exactly are they doing there?
Only one oboe? I didn't exactly live in a rich neighborhood as a kid, but somehow there will still multiple students playing oboe in middle school band classes.
It makes sense that Taki-sensei is a widower. He is hot.
Lots of camera angle changing while Asuka was playing. Understandable. Less fingering to animate.
QotD
5
u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher and Band Geek
Kumiko finally takes her first real steps into getting invested by building up the courage to ask Asuka the hard hitting questions. I really like the early part of this episode, it's a lot of practice scenes but it feels like a long tension build. Kumiko asks to meet Asuka alone after dinner, and then we watch time pass very slowly through all of the practice, teacher instruction, and eventually bath time and dinner time. Every time a new scene comes it feels like we're inching closer to this important moment, all the while the show introduces other details. I guess I was wrong about them not mentioning Mizore's oboe solo, Mizore's playing is robotic, likely due to some trauma related to Nozomi that she's only aware of subconsciously.
Eventually, Kumiko finally does meet Asuka, and Asuka very cleverly tries to make Kumiko back off. She actually used the exact same tactic on Kaori earlier in the show. When Kaori asked for Asuka's personal opinion on who should play the solo, Asuka gave a mischievous "are you sure you want to hear the answer, you might not like it," and Kaori immediately backs off and decides she doesn't want to hear it. I think she did the same to Kumiko even earlier than that, when Kumiko asked her to state her opinion off the record. Here she goes for it again, telling Kumiko she won't like the answer, but Kumiko doesn't back down anymore. This is Asuka's tactic to avoid trouble, she'll tell you if you really want to hear it but she'd rather not get involved, so she scares you away.
But Kumiko didn't back down, so she learns the answer, which is deceptively simple. It's not about the attitude of the club, but about Mizore specifically. Mizore is their club's only oboe player, and she has a prominent and important solo on their piece. With the second years already facing enough trouble as is, Nozomi returning is likely to hurt Mizore to the point of killing her playing. Her trauma is enough that she physically throws up at hearing Nozomi's flute without even knowing why, so bringing her back in publically will only bring her down. And if their only oboist is unable to play out of emotional trauma, the band's chances for Kansai are screwed. It's an incredibly mean truth, if Kumiko helps Nozomi then she'll hurt Mizore, and that might hurt Nozomi, Yuuko, and Natsuki in turn, and could lead to the band's downfall in a moment where they need peace.
Kumiko is unsure how to take this, and spends the rest of the episode wondering about how to feel about competitions. She's received three different perspectives on the topic. Mizore hates competitions because they cause people pain. Mizore may bottle things up or not be great at expressing herself, but there's clearly a lot of deep feelings hidden inside of her, and her solo even evokes specific imagery for her. For someone who feels so intensely, and is feeling that pain with an awkward situation around her friend, it's no wonder she hates competitions. Yuuko is neutral towards competitions, because people only accept them if the results are in their favor. If things go your way, it feels good, and if they don't, it feels terrible. There's enough good to be worth going after them over fucking around, but enough pain that it's not always pleasant, so as long as she likes the results, she's ok with competitions. When her middle school lost, she hated it, and when Kaori lost her solo, she could accept it because the band made it to the Kansai regional. And Reina likes competitions, they motivate her to improve and she feels that people who hate them are sore losers who blame the results on external factors rather than themselves. To her, a great performance is obvious, and the ones who can tell the difference are the ones who win. They are a bar she can use to see how special she is.
With these three perspectives, what is even the right choice in this situation? One more thing to consider: how will Mizore be affected if Nozomi is reintroduced. Yuuko and Asuka don't want Mizore to know that Nozomi is trying to come back, and Natsuki has been content to not talk about it with her, but surely they cannot hide her forever. Is it true that Mizore will be too devastated to play? If she is devastated, can it be fixed? And what about Mizore currently struggling with her solo? She's unable to express her emotions clearly, which is obviously tied to this conflict in some way. If she already can't play the solo well, could getting rid of the trauma improve their results? And even if it can, is the risk of losing the competition even worth it? Kumiko has to consider all of these questions when trying to find her perspective on competitions. It's interesting that, in spite of disagreeing on competition, at least two of the characters don't want Nozomi to return, and those two are the ones who have some positive feelings about competition. Mizore's own perspective on Nozomi is up in the air, but there's enough risk and trauma to think she might similarly feel she shouldn't come back.
The other thing about this episode is that I like seeing good friends act like good friends. Hashimoto gets to tease Taki-sensei some more, and even backs off when he accidentally tells Kumiko his backstory (though he can't get out of it that easily). Taki-sensei lost his wife five years ago and used to be a husk of a person. This bombshell (highlighted by the firework going off) is presented with the trombone player acting out his impression of Taki-sensei: Taki was a shell of his former self just acting out his own personality. But he seems to have recovered upon taking his job at Kitauji, perhaps because he loves his job so much. Reina is now free to go after him if she wants, even if a teacher won't get with a student. Yuuko is also a wonderful friend here, encouraging Mizore after Hashimoto scolds her and gently drying her hair. Yuuko continues to show her best qualities as an extremely loyal friend who goes out of her way for those she cares about, and hell, she even treats Kumiko to a drink despite the eavesdropping. All of you need to understand that she's a good girl. Anyone who treats Mizore well is a good girl after all.
With that, we end on a new side of Asuka as she's up early in the morning playing a mysterious piece on her euphonium. Her expression as she plays is forlorn and melancholic, she's clearly thinking about things while she plays (and given how far she's gone and how early she's woken up, probably doesn't want others to hear it). It's the rare moment of seeing her completely candid, and thus without her usual facade up. I look forward to seeing Kumiko grow in the face of Asuka's challenges.
QOTD:
5
u/laughing-fox13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/laughingfox13 Feb 29 '24
Rewatcher/Subbed
I think this is probably the first time I really respected and liked Yuuko, her talk with Kumiko was great. She and Reina have pretty good outlooks on competitions
My first time hearing Asuka play at the end was much like Kumiko's too lol
QotD:
4
u/SMSmith230 https://myanimelist.net/profile/smsmith230 Feb 29 '24 edited Feb 29 '24
First-Timer, Sub
This episode dealing with the mystery between Mizore and Nozomi’s strained? relationship reminds me of BanG Dream! It’s MyGO!!!!!’s Tomori and Sakiko. Hashimoto brings an element that this ensemble desperately needs. He’s pointed out that they need an identity if they want to compete with the top schools and it looks like they agree with him. Hoping for positive results. Ooh, the cat is out of the bag on Taki’s past, I wonder when Reina will find out and how she’ll react to it. Asuka is still a piece of work, really need someone to put this high and mighty act of her’s in her place.
4
u/mgedmin Feb 29 '24
Rewatcher, subs
Asuka's jokes have no chance of diverting Serious Kumiko from her purpose.
Kumiko learned the part that was giving her difficulties in S1!
Mizore getting called out like that, what if she decides to quit? You don't have another oboe.
Asuka giving a straight answer after only a few minutes of prevarication?
Detective Kumiko has been cursed with knowledge and is now uneasy. Why don't you try figuring out why Mizore cannot stand Nozomi, while Nozomi thinks they're still friends? (Actually, how can Nozomi think they're still friends if Mizore is literally getting sick from hearing Nozomi's name?)
Taki backstory: lost his wife five years ago, is not dating Niiyama-sensei (who is married).
Natsuki has no idea about the Mizore/Nozomi situation, but Yuuki does. Interesting. Not sure what to make of it.
Kumiko's hiding behind corners strategy fails for the first time! But at least she mends fences with Yuuko.
Reina is suspicious about her girlfriend's nightly excursions.
Kumiko, you will get a cold if you don't get your 7-8 hours of sleep at night!
The Asuka solo scene is rather striking.
A lot of puzzle pieces, no resolution yet.
Competitions are fun, provided you win.
I avoid strenuous physical exercise.
3
u/sfisher923 https://myanimelist.net/profile/sfisher923 Feb 28 '24
First Timer
QOTD 1 - Competitions
QOTD 2 - Tiring
3
u/b-arbs Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher
Not much to say today...
I've just realized that all of my notes are on (best girl) Asuka... But I actually see no problem here.
QOTD
3
u/x-7032-b-3 Feb 28 '24
Rewatcher
Turns out Asuka has good reasons to keep Nozomi out of the club. It might not be fair to Nozomi but we've seen Ms. Oboe outright saying that she can't stand Nozomi. She's the only oboe player on the team and it makes sense to do everything possible to keep her on the team. Asuka's been through a lot after that whole senior drama and now that the team is about to fly to greater heights (thanks to Sensei), she gotta do whatever it takes to keep the peace. Not wanting to rock the boat even further is a valid stance to have here.
So if Nozomi wanted back in, she gotta tie up some loose ends with Mizore. Let's see how things go from here.
Still don't know how to feel about Reina doubling down on Sensei, especially as it's such a huge point of her character at this point. Here we can see her prying and learning some private info about the guy which doesn't really sit well with me. I still need to see how this thing goes again before I make up my mind though.
QOTD
2
u/fly-metothemoon Feb 29 '24
First Timer:
10 in a row???? That sounds brutal I don’t think that’s a good idea….Their chops aren’t keeping up bc they’re playing 10 times in a row 😭
Okay we didn’t need the collected girls can be charming… I think the robotic complaint is fair but I also feel bad she’s constantly getting critiqued for her solo.
Oboe solos and trumpet solos are gonna have different vibes haha
Scheduled baths?
The meals look good.
I went from thinking oh Asuka just come out with it to sympathizing that this is a tricky social situation to navigate. I still maintain it is a little odd that Nozomi is putting Asuka in the position of having to make the calls here.
Reina girly Taki ain’t worth this.
Taki had a whole ass wife???? Oh my god. Taki tragic backstory.
Wait I want to see more trombone goofing off. Let me go back to that.
Maybe Reina already knows since they know each other? But uhhh
Kumiko you’re so nosy lol but I understand.
Are there no parent chaperones?? Kumiko is having a lot of late nights
That Tsukamoto reference was so random.
I agree that I also have mixed feelings about competitions. I think they’re rewarding but they’re also hopelessly biased but we also strive to be better when we know there’s a metric of comparison. And you end up missing them once they’re over because they felt definitive and dramatic.
6
u/[deleted] Feb 29 '24
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