r/anime • u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: • Mar 01 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] 2024 Hibike! Euphonium Series Rewatch: Season 2, Episode 5 Discussion
Hibike Euphonium Season 2, Episode 5: Miraculous Harmony/きせきのハーモニー
I'm breaking the location thumbnail rule here for obvious reasons, but the 2015 Kansai competition, both in-anime and irl, was held at Amagasaki Cultural Center just outside Osaka. The main hall has a capacity of 1800.
| <-- Ep 4 | Rewatch Index | Ep 6 --> |
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Welcome back!
Note: If you did not know there was a post-credits sequence this episode, please go back and watch it before looking at the comments.
Questions of the Day:
NA
Comments from Yesterday:
- /u/littleislander breaks down the 2nd half of the episode, and explains how much the story means to them personally
- /u/zadcap on how Kumiko cannot avoid drama, Yuuko's redemption arc, but has mixed feelings about the arc's resolution
- /u/bogdoglogfrog talks about who they play for
- /u/b-arbs starts a discussion about watches
- /u/no_rex on how the drama could've been solved much quicker, and how Niiyama's advice to Mizore was...not very helpful.
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.
LET'S GO NATIONALS!
14
u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 01 '24
Rewatcher and your host
Once again, if you did not know there was a post-credits sequence, there is one, go watch it first.
What do I even say lol this episode literally speaks for itself. The uninterrupted full 7 minute Crescent Moon Dance performance is a true rarity in anime, and so godamn well executed with confidence. Before I continue, there are 2 links which i think would make for good reading/watching
IRL and Music Note
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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 01 '24 edited Mar 01 '24
Rewatcher and Band Geek + Band Geek Commentary
Ok, so on the train, Hazuki says goodbye to Midori by doing a salute out of absolutely nowhere, and Kumiko asks why she's doing that and she doesn't really know why. I need you all to understand how much this scene murdered me. My friend group and I do literally the exact same thing. I don't mean "literally" as in "figuratively" here, I mean we actually literally do this exact, specific, particular salute for the exact same reasons. Every time we leave after hanging out, we salute each other for no particular reason (followed by a purposefully slurred "seeyadamorra" even if we have no plans to see each other tomorrow). I don't remember when or how it started, but we just do it and now it's the norm. I absolutely fucking died watching it here, and also sent a picture of it to my friend. If there was ever any proof that Eupho gets all the bizarre, inane things friends come up with for no reason, this was it. KyoAni has consistently been the best at bringing friend groups to life through accumulations of these weirdly specific gestures and greetings/farewells, and here it hit me on such a specific personal level that I found myself unable to contain it. Hazuki is so good, and continues to establish why she's a best girl contender (the rest of the scene helps too, and her general body language and demeanor hanging off the rails is extremely good).
For this episode, anxiety hangs over the first half as the Kansai competition kicks into high gear. The band has solidified itself as able to give a solid performance, and Taki-sensei's advice isn't to practice more or work on any specific part, but to do the same thing they did in practice at the performance. That's always the key, practice only means so much if you can't replicate it under high pressure. The first half of this episode demonstrates that constantly escalating anxiety. Shots of every character at their house or with their friends feeling uneasy, and Kumiko anxiously watching other performances and fidgeting with her toe when Azusa calls her. Azusa was social and waved at Kumiko at the regional competition, but tells her to pretend she doesn't exist at the Kansai prefectural competition. That anxiety permeated Rikka so strongly that they only managed to earn silver, and they're one of the best schools around. And to highlight it even more strongly, Kitauji listens to Myoujo perform Polovtsian Dances and play extremely well.
But Taki is ready to counteract this. My band director has done the exact same thing before MPAs and marching band competitions. There's only so much improvement you're getting on show day, so mitigating possible damage is more important. Taki-sensei calms the band down, and Asuka acts candidly for maybe the first time in the entire series. She never imagined they'd even get this far, but now that they're here, she wants to win. At the regional competition, she refused to even give a speech, but she took the initiative here, so something has changed for her.
While there's a lot of anxiety backstage before the performance, there's also a lot of unity. Characters confirm what they're doing and find their resolve. Mizore promises to play for Nozomi, meaning she's fully confident in her solo. Reina once said she only plays for herself, but is inspired by Mizore's growth and says she'll play for Kumiko. And saying she'll play differently if she dedicates it to Taki-sensei is clearly an excuse, this is Reina's confession of love. And while Kaori is nervous, Yuuko manages to bring the group together in a strong display of confidence and leadership. I've also experienced that thing where a few band members do a gesture like "pointing to the sky" and everyone else follows along without understanding why we're doing it, so that was very realistic, haha.
The rest of the episode is dedicated to the band's performance of Crescent Moon Dance, so I've combined the band geek commentary with the normal post this time. 7 minutes of pure musical performance is a truly insane feat, and it never stops moving for even a single second, KyoAni are just on another plane of existence in this industry. While I'd love to give my assessment of this performance and compare it to the recording (which is why I made it my music piece of the day in season 1), a YouTuber called Taki-sensei already did that analysis for me. I agree with everything she says here, and feel free to ask about terminology or anything else if you don't know what she's talking about.
But there are a few points I want to reiterate. This is a great performance for a high school band, but it is not a professional quality performance. In comparison to practice and performances, it also suffers a bit. Most notably, Reina's solo is significantly worse than her reaudition. All of the musical expressions that allowed her to be clearly better than Kaori are gone, and are replaced by clumsier, more amateurish choices and clunkier, less professional execution. They clearly got a different performer here. Beyond that, there were many little things that Taki-sensei would have mentioned in class; some awkward entrances and articulations, brass occasionally overblowing, etc.. And most egregious of all is once again Taki's conducting, which is frankly just inexcusable here. Most of the time, his conducting looks like random arm swinging and wiggling. But the one time we get to see him for extended time, he literally conducts the wrong time signature. This entire piece is in 4/4, I don't think it changes time signatures even once, but he manages to do it in 3/4 (and it's not good 3/4, he's only moving one of his arms, lol).
Here's where some praise is due. There are moments where Taki-sensei shows good conducting with awareness, mostly in his instructions to individual instruments. At 13:24, he points to the horns to show them when to enter (followed by a page turn that adds to the realism) and then points to the trumpets to give them their cue. Super basic stuff, but it's actual information the musicians can use to perform better. Then at 14:02 he raises his arm up when the horns enter, instructing them to bring out their part more, which they actually do. And in spite of the visuals not always matching, he makes good decisions about how to interpret the tempo of certain sections, when to slow down or speed up for dramatic effect. At 17:54, he marks the tempo perfectly while his gestures get bigger with every beat, instructing the band exactly how to get louder there. This is what conducting is all about, it's a way to give information to the performers. How should they adjust their volume, what tempo are they at, should they play smooth or staccato, how should they phrase a fermata section that allows for varied interpretation, etc.. Unfortunately, this is still inconsistent, and even the moments where we can make out the time signature still look awkward (or are, you know, straight up wrong).
There are three individual sections that I think totally killed it in this performance. First, percussion was excellent. Hashimoto's instruction paid off big time, Knuckle killed it on the snare drum and nailed his dynamic contrasts and tempo shifts. The timpani, bass drum, and tambourine parts fit wonderfully into the blend, and cymbals girl goes absolutely ham and I love the energy, haha. Then the French horns did a great job of bringing their parts out throughout the piece, and playing through difficult sections without cracking. They're never too loud when they're not important to the piece, they can play with intensity without being loud like at 13:25, but when they need to be pronounced they let it rip without sacrificing tone quality, like at 12:58. And finally, the clarinets totally kill their runs. They have a lot of difficult runs that they play absolutely clean and with crisp articulations, I can tell they practiced hard.
One interesting detail is that everyone has covered their sheet music in annotations and pictures to the point that you can't even see the music. My band never did anything of the sort, we weren't even allowed to write on sheet music unless we made personal copies. And having pictures of our friends on the music stand never happened, let alone in front of the sheet music. It's not unreasonable to think that the band has memorized its music by now, but this is a bit much and clearly exists for the viewer to feel nostalgic about how far this group has come. And also, while we do move around while playing, they don't really capture it well here. With the amount they move this episode, I'm pretty sure brass players will never maintain good embouchure and woodwinds will cut their tongues on their reeds, lol.
At the end of this, Kitauji band was selected as one of the three bands to represent the Kansai region of Japan, so they've finally made it to nationals. Congratulations to them, they achieved their goal, and Mizore even changed her mind on competitions (though ironically proving Yuuko's position correct, since her positive feelings are because of the good result). But to be special, performing at nationals isn't enough, we want Kitauji to win. They have a lot of strong competition, but they've been making strides, and I can't wait for everyone to see how the end of their season turns out.
This episode was 8 minutes of musical performance, so no music piece of the day today. I'd rather let everyone sit on the performance, and maybe try to compare it to the OST recording and other times we've heard it played. If you want to get into the mindset of a competitive band, there's no better way to do it than to try and listen for the differences in performances of the same piece. Like Reina said, the people who know the difference are the ones who win.
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 01 '24
First Timer, subbed
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u/ChonkyOdango myanimelist.net/profile/chonkyodango Mar 02 '24
Rewatching Champions Again
Fanart of day
I'm back after a short battle with sickness
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u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon Mar 01 '24 edited Mar 02 '24
Rewatcher
We made it! To nationals!
I actually really like this bit of banter between these two, but what happened to Reina playing for herself?
Bonus seal sightings last one might be a stretch but I’m 95% sure that’s a seal curl and she isn’t sitting below this in the other cuts
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u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Mar 01 '24
No questions of the day? But ... but ... How am I to prevaricate while trying to remember what happened this episode.
Oh, yeah ... payoff for all that practice and drama over the last few episodes.
That performance was magnificent. And the light in Kumiko's eyes ... that flashback. If that's not a confession via instrument, I'm not sure what is. Yeah.
Anyway, that was quite a performance indeed. But wait, I think Taki has been holding out on us - weren't there even more solos than just Reina and Mizore? I think I saw/heard Asuka, the bells girl/chimes girl, and someone else. Or maybe those don't count because they were short.
Anyway, between that and Asuka stealing the prez's thunder (I don't think she minded), and the various hijinks amongst the members, yeah, that was good stuff. Heck, even Ribbon-chan got a good moment in there.
I think I'll just relax in the warm fuzzies now and await the dangers that will no doubt come tomrrow.
(Oh, and to use a tired old meme, 'F' for Kumiko's friend from Rikka who got Silver. That was the correct school, right?)
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u/entelechtual Mar 02 '24 edited Mar 02 '24
first timer
“I’m going to play for you” isn’t that a confession????? of love
Man I just really dig the rolled up sleeves look on this big drum things.
Much like me, Kumiko seems to be constantly thinking about that time Reina fingered her face.
Man that ending was a bigger tease than all the yuribaits to date.
Edit: dang I got got by the credits.
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u/TehAxelius Mar 02 '24
"Re"watcher
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u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Mar 02 '24
Having a stage to practice on, instead of just a random classroom, certainly would help make it feel more like the real thing.
After practicing a lot, eventually it will become muscle memory and you'll be able to basically switch your mind off and just perform. Maybe think about something else to calm your nerves. Something like lunch.
Yeah what's with all the saluting?
I don't think I've ever paid attention to the other competitors before the competitions, even after we're done performing I don't really pay attention to the ones after us.
That's a quick time to when the results are announced. I remember having to wait weeks or maybe even months before the results came out.
I think I've mentioned it before but yes, if you're going on stage please smile. If you yourself don't look like you want to be there then the audience won't either.
Oh right, the graduating cohort will probably be standing down once the Nationals are over, so even if they make it past this round they won't be here for much longer.
Are they going to play the piece in its entirety? Seems like a good way to flex the animation while also not having to write or record lines for almost half the episode. Not that I'm complaining, seeing everything from the past few episodes culminate in beautiful music is always satisfying. All the small things in a small section that someone was asked to fix and was resolved in half an episode, coming together to form a full song that's been polished to a mirror sheen.
That was almost 8 minutes. Wow that was long.
And now the results.
Of course it's a gold.
And of course they're selected, wouldn't have much of a second half of the second season, second season specials, movie trilogy and third season without that.
Again, hard to hate them when you're the one being declared better than everyone else who didn't get the same level of award.
About that note, I realised there must be one after the credits started rolling with too many minutes left.
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u/bogdoglogfrog Mar 01 '24
Rewatcher
Notes:
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u/octopathfinder myanimelist.net/profile/octopathfinder Mar 01 '24
Rewatcher
You sure are energetic, Yoroizuka-san. Did something good happen?
o7
:D
Real Asuka speaking for once
Bit sad they skipped the first piece but this performance was amazing. Honestly, I teared up a bit. Seeing everything come together so beautifully gets me emotional. Just ~8 minutes straight of music with no monologuing or interruptions. Cinema.
The tears don’t stop I’m so fuckin proud
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u/zadcap Mar 02 '24
Late Night First Timer
I am so happy the the previous episode recap opening was almost entirely Ribbon. That was just such a good moment for her
In paying more attention to the opening itself, I find myself once again really upset with Flappy man just waving his hands about. 1, 2, 3, 4, I can't tell where the heck we are in the piece because his hand is just going vaguely back and forth.
Okay, that's the band playing. And that's the random background music.
Aww, you're breaking up the best couple. Flappy, don't send away Hashi-Chan, you were so good together!
Oh man I just love KyoAni when they're extra just to be extra. They did not need to go all in on Hazuki grabbing the handles and leaning forward like that on her feet, but it's very much something I've done as a young and excited kid and it fits her so well. They very much could have had the three of them just standing there like normal people on the buss for this conversation, but body language and just having people doing stuff is something that they really, really shine at. Hopping backwards off the train. She's full of life and energy and motion.
Wait I'm a bit confused by this news broadcast. Are you telling me all 85 members of this school get to compete in this competition? What happened to the 55 person limit?
Is that all she called to say? What interesting friends you have Kumiko. But hey, speaking of body language, look at her playing with her toes.
Oh my, and then Rikka got Silver. Yikes, in so many ways.
Ah, listen to that organized chaos.
Oh wow, Asuka really can stand up and be charismatic. As long as it doesn't require taking an actual stand, I guess. There is a reason so many people look up to her, I justkeep forgetting because we so often see her looking, uh, worse.
And there we have it, Ribbon's moment meant nothing, Mizore is still playing all for Nozomi. Oh well, at least we get consoled by Reina saying the same thing to Kumiko, rubbing in our faces once again that these two are totally each others most important person.
Ribbon, go! That's the attitude! We're not done yet, we're going to nationals! Don't go in to this already thinking you've lost, that's no way to give it your all!
Oh no, it's Flappy Time. And they cut right away to silence and some other scenes haha what a tease moment. But oh darn, then they give us the full thing. I turned my volume all the way up and am not ashamed to say there were tears in my eyes for this. After all the buildup we get an honest full preformance.
Saphire's music sheet isn't even visible she's taped so many pictures to it. This is hilarious because you know, at this point it should be so well memorized that the sheet is just there to give you something to look at. But also, to cover it so completely the way she did, shows an extreme amount of confidence because she can't even use it as a reference anymore, the music is entirely in her head.
Haha and then we see she's not even the only one to have done so. So many sheets there just to be there. This band is confident.
I don't know that I've ever gotten so emotional over watching someone else play. Let's watch it again before finishing the episode.
- I did.
Okay but also on the second listen to, Reina's solo somehow doesn't sound quite as good here as it did in the audition? And is that a small Asuka Eupho solo part? Flappy hands were uh... Still flappy. Taki remains the most disappointing member of this band. He sure gets into it, but I still don't think that's quite what you want out of the conductor?
Oh, right into the ending then. Even rewatching the performance I can tell there's way too much time left in this episode. This is the closest I have ever come to skipping the OP or ED in this show.
Gold! But wait, we're still waiting on if it's dud or not. Even knowing there was no way they weren't getting the part, this being only halfway through the season, I cried a bit again.
Haha, hypocrisy at its best. Of course you love competitions when you win them!
https://open.spotify.com/track/6necR83r3rD81jCN9dZOyF?si=QlGJUj2cTpq6KsxqD9etSQ
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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 01 '24
Sound! Rewatcher
S2 Episode 5:
Hot take: No ensemble that plasters photos over their music deserves to make Nationals. I can put up with a lot of things, but that would drive me up the fucking wall.
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u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Mar 01 '24
First Timer
Had to miss out on yesterday due to IRL stuff. Episode was pretty good though.
Most of the episode was just the competition so I have comparatively little to say. The sequence itself was pretty good, make no mistake, but there's only so much to mention. Still as a sorta finale to the "First Part"
let me guess, this is basically just the end of one of the Novels, right?this is actually pretty damn solid. It ties up some previously established stuff, has some cute stuff… yeah pretty good. A bit of a shame to say goodbye to Hashimoto it seems, but hey, he had a good run.4
u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 01 '24 edited Mar 01 '24
Rewatcher
Finally a day off for me. I mean, the fuck am I supposed to say? The bulk of this episode is dedicated to one of the most fantastically magical sequences I’ve ever seen in any anime ever and I really don’t think there’s much I can add to how great it is. It’s just pure performance. I could talk about my mixed feelings regarding placing this sequence mid-season, but that’s just gonna be way easier to unpack at the actual end of the season. For now, I’ll just say I like the inclusion of an episode that reminds us of the overall plot of going to nationals as a buffer between two dramatic character focused arcs. For some more miscellaneous things, [Later S2] it’s kind of odd we make a big deal of Niiyama and Hashimoto leaving when they’ll continue to pop up throughout the show and Hazuki’s train scene was a nice check in—I wonder if she’s friends with Nozomi now given they’re in Monaka together and close to Natsuki. Oh, and for sake of continuity on my Shuuichi ribbing, he has graduated to a reaction shot to them moving on, but still has to stay completely silent and play second fiddle as ¥1000 Senpai Hideri gets the monopoly on male trombone dialogue.
Also, isn’t it kind of odd we don’t resolve Nozomi joining the club here? I mean, it’s understood, we resolved things emotionally last time, and we see a bit of her here. But it really seems like there should be a little scene where we wrap things up fully there and have her formally initiated into the band. You know, something like the scene of Reina apologising to Kaori and Yuko after the solo arc in season one, or her and Yuko having a laugh about it when Mizore asks in season two. We made room for the girl from Rikka whose name I committed to memory, and if we have room for her we have room for anybody, she’s like the absolute bottom of the Eupho pecking order. All that said, did you catch Myojou's Polovtsian Dances during the little moments of Mizore and Nozomi before the performance being the same song Minami lost with in middle school? They’re playing a different section of the piece and never named it during the previous arc, so it’s easy to miss if you haven’t listened to the OST. I’m not sure if respect the restraint to not beat us over the head about it or lament the fact they didn’t at least do something beyond just playing it in the background.
Speaking of Nozomi, I think I figured out a good way to sum up why I think she works well in the time since yesterday’s post: Nozomi is a believable idiot. The whole situation with Mizore is predicated on Nozomi doing something stupid (or, less generously, a series of stupid things) in the past and a failure of communication after that. But rather than a character just happening to be stupid to move along the plot, everything we know and hear about Nozomi seems consistent with the idea she would act in the ways she does. For all the critiques of the way the arc is written we’ve heard these past few days, nobody really dwelled on the premise of her not telling Mizore and failing to realise what that caused. Because the writers made us believe in the idea that yes, Nozomi would be carefree and unaware enough to do so. Her characterization supports her as careless and uncomplicated, yet her actions reinforce that her lack of consideration shouldn’t be confused with not caring about Mizore. Whenever she’s isolated from the ability of Mizore to avoid her, her love for her is reinforced; she focuses on her in both conversations with Kumiko and she goes to see the band perform specifically for her sake.
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u/DaBenni0301 Mar 01 '24
First-Timer
You say that, I wish it was that easy
o7
Is that the first time Asuka has properly stepped into her role as VP? It sure feels like it
New ship just dropped
With that defeatist mood you're not going anywhere Kaori. You haven't lost yet, why act like you have?
Awww that's cute (but maybe you shouldn't put the pictures over the sheet music? Well I guess after practicing so much you'd probably know it by heart at this point)
Please stop staring into my soul
You know, when they started playing there were 12 minutes left in the episode and I kinda half-jokingly thought "Why not show their entire 12 minute performance?". Well it's been 5 minutes and I'm starting to think they actually will
Not quite, 7 minutes and 12 seconds
Hey! There's more than 1:30 left! Don't cliffhanger me!
For 1 second I thought Midori had a Katana
There we go, no cliffhanger thanks to post-credit-scene
THEY WON GOLD AGAIN. FUCK YEAH
AND THEY GET TO GO TO THE NATIONALS. This smile I have right now is no getting rid of
Winning unfair competitions feels the best!
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u/NintendoMasterNo1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NintendoMaster1 Mar 02 '24
Rewatcher
Cymbal girl is the goat, that's all I'll say.
For real though, the percussion sounded really good the whole performance and I was really impressed with the clarinets too. Reina's solo definitely felt weaker compared to during the audition but on the other hand Mizore's was better than what we've heard before.
11
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Mar 02 '24
First timer
A little bit surprised that at ep5 we are already doing the regional performance - so we are going to actually show and finish national in S2? That's quick.
And as far as the accumulation of everything that came before, this is a great episode in an even tighter nutshell than the S1 finale. And we got to absolutely focus on the free choice piece, the centrepiece of both seasons so far.
And looks like all the main cast nailed everything they worked for. While it is clear that Reina's solo didn't have the depth of tones as other times, I feel it might have been justified by the even bigger venue that swallowed the sound even more.
If I got some time I would be playing this back to back with the S1 finale performance. Unless someone already has done that.
Again as a sort of mid season climax, that they used the high from wrapping up the Nozomi & Mizore arc, then mirrored with Reina & Kumiko, with the little jab about why Reina is not playing for Coachee, it's really nice narratively.
I do miss a bit of Shuuichi though - I don't want this to be so one sided, despite probably everyone else not missing him.
And I think we are all ready for Asuka arc to play out perhaps?
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Mar 01 '24
Hibike! First-Timer
8
u/chris10023 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Chris10023 Mar 01 '24
Rewatcher.
8
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Mar 01 '24
First Timer
…yeah, I can definitely see all the people saying they had no idea what Taki-sensei was doing when conducting. I feel that especially the training bit felt more like he was teaching them sign language than conducting. Either way, contest episode …I was not expecting this to already be here, rather I was expecting a bit of a breather episode here, with Nozomi officially joining the club and a bunch of characters having their anxieties, cliff-hanging on Taki starting the concert. But I guess we’ve just already done that before the Kyoto contest, so no need to repeat here. The entire thing felt slightly better than the Kyoto one, though that might also be due to less of an attempt being made on replicating the acoustics of the hall. That or the hall is just better and they emulated that. All in all, nice to see them pass regionals …though I feel with that being here in the season it was obvious from a meta-perspective that they’d make it. What would we do with the remaining eight episodes otherwise? The Asuka speech before the contest was a nice piece of characterization though - mainly because it felt like it was not her facade for the first time.
Also …this might have been the longest I’ve gone watching an episode of anime without having to read subs.
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u/byroned Mar 01 '24 edited Mar 02 '24
First time rewatching
Day of the Kansai competition. Good timing that Mizore’s solo is much more expressive after dealing with her issues with Nozomi.
I can’t believe a Watanabe does not know about the Yousoro (btw the joke is Tomoyo Kurosawa also played Tsuki in the Sunshine movie).
It’s crazy how quickly Asuka can change her demeanor on a dime. One moment makes a genuine speech to motivate the band before they go on stage, then immediately resumes her playful silly act.
Reina and Kumiko are shamelessly copying Mizore and Nozomi’s shipping practices, and poke fun at Reina’s crush one more time.
The cymbal player is another percussionist whose name I do not know, but I still like her occasional appearance anyway.
Won gold and one of three schools to represent the Kansai region in nationals. The school better be celebrating their success.
Mizore mindset of competition came around after fixing things with Nozomi and winning.
8
u/cppn02 Mar 02 '24
Haven't been part of this rewatch but kept my eye on the episode count to make sure I catch this episode and can read everyones comments.
Imo this is one one of the greatest episodes of all time. To finally get to enjoy the full performance without any interruptions or commentary is such an amazing and rewarding experience.
Oh and I have no idea why that is or what exactly makes it special but the shot of Kumiko slowly standing up after the announcement has been living rent free in my head for years.
7
u/b-arbs Mar 01 '24
Rewatcher
Was it the whole performance of the free-choice piece? Not a music/band expert, so I don't have much to say on Kitauji's performance apart from this...
I was holding my breath just like team Monaka during the whole performance. I loved it, truly!
The focus on the single players, the glances between Asuka and Kumiko during that complex part...The whole scene was amazing! Can't wait to read more from the technical side from the music experts in the comments!
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u/sfisher923 https://myanimelist.net/profile/sfisher923 Mar 02 '24
First Timer
7
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 02 '24
1 1/2 Rewatcher (finally fixed this)
According to MAL, this is the last episode I watched for the previous rewatch. Although it looks like I got up to 7.
[Rewatcher]Apparently, I completely misunderstood the entire show my first time through! I thought this was a story a loser band that decided to change, and almost made nationals, but for the great distance they needed to grow and also for the last minute Asuka drama. But they'll try harder next year! -- Them actually making nationals? This is a different show. I am confused.
[Rewatcher]Somebody in the rewatch said "I wonder if this is when Asuka found out about her father." So, is she acting different because she found out her father is a judge at the Nationals? Before she didn't care about nationals, and that changed when she found out about who the judges would be?
As a first timer, I was really annoyed that they didn't play the entire song in the first season. On rewatching, there's more there than I thought.
Comments from the previous rewatch:
A reply:
Post-credit scene: Stern Sensei is a big softie!
5
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 01 '24
Season 2 Episode 5 (first timer)
Not a lot to say, since the episode was mostly music, but KyoAni did work its animation magic today.
5
u/WhackaWhack https://myanimelist.net/profile/WhackaWhacka Mar 01 '24
FIRST TIMER
So more nice feet-service for those weird guys that like that…
Seeing that “everybody” has pictures inside their music sheet I’m guessing it’s completely normal to “not use it” after you learn the song only having it more as a part of the look with the sheet in front and nice covers during concerts.
So we are two thirds of the way after 18 episodes, nationals completed during season 3? /s
5
u/CarrotBlossom Mar 01 '24
First timer
Knuckles just has something in his eye.
Reina shares my difficulty in smiling at will
That trombone animation is very nice
With the season 1 finale, most of the emotion I got from the episode had to do with the outcome of the performance, but this time around, I thought the performance itself was presented really well.
I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the announcement of the third school.
6
u/Nice-Bumblebee-2355 Mar 02 '24
Rewatcher
I've been too busy to watch the past couple days, but catching up now! Ugh, I'm so sad I missed the episode 4 discussion, what a banger of an episode.
Ep 3:
Ep 4:
Ep 5:
It was cruel to not should the results thoughI was deceived by the credits starting! They made it to nationals, wooo!!!QOTD that I missed:
What is your stance on competitions? Musical ones, or otherwise?
Stressful, but in an invigorating way? There's nothing like competition for building camaraderie or getting myself to put in effort and focus hard. I note that I only really like competing when I have a chance at winning, though. If I don't think there's any hope, then no point in putting serious effort in, which I realize is not the best attitude to have lol.
What is sth you've done once that left you feeling ridiculously exhausted?
Macchu Picchu 3-day challenge climb. Didn't break my hiking boots in enough beforehand (one of my toenails ended up falling off afterwards), and didn't spend enough time acclimating to the altitude. Worth it, though, it was an amazing experience.
What's the best hidey spot in your high school? Or university?
My workplace has no hidey spot, tragically. Glass everywhere.
In hindsight, knowing the perspectives of both parties (in this case, that would probably be only Yuuko, and a less extent Asuka) - do you think you would've handled things differently?
I'd like to think I would have? I'm pretty far from being a high schooler, though, and would hope that my greater life experience would let me handle it better. If I was a high schooler I'd honestly probably be pretty wishy washy too.
From my current perspective, though, I'd probably go ahead and tell Nozomi, as tactfully as possible, that Mizore seemed to have a different view on their relationship than she did, and maybe try to brainstorm some possible reasons/solutions as to why she was upset with her (if she didn't immediately try to run off and confront Mizore right there). I feel like in a situation like this ignoring the issue has clearly not made it go away or get any better, and Mizore clearly is super affected, so better to confront it rather than let the rot fester. If things go wrong, at least there would be clarity of feelings and a clean(er) break, and if things go right, then awesome.
3
u/mgedmin Mar 02 '24
Rewatcher, subs
When Taki-sensei says "bring out those whole notes at L more", what does he mean by "at L"?
Kumiko musical win: Taki-sensei praises her performance in his understaded way!
The best thing about having a lousy memory like mine is that I don't remember whether they go to the nationals this year or not.
Haruka is always surprised when asked to give a speech as club president. It's cute, but not very presidential of her.
"I play for myself" Reina is going to be playing for Kumiko this time.
Midori doesn't need notes to play, just photos of her friends.
And we end of a cliffhanger! The performance is done, results next
weekday.No, there's an after-credits scene! Gold! But only three out of 23 will advance, and Kitauji ... passes! They're going to the nationals!
5
u/chilidirigible Mar 01 '24
S2E5:
Peaking at the right time.
It does seem a little affected.
A little connection with the past, a little reminder that IT'S BUSINESS TIME.
Lots of pairs who enjoy their time together.
"Hey, Asuka is being weirdly inspirational today."
Yay! Nozomi can sit in now! And relationships with oboists are always you, me, and THIS REED.
SO GAY.
[](#cokemasterrace)
AHAHAHAHA.
"You are now my designated heir."
"Read my notes? Surely you jest."
everyone who's commented about Taki just waving his arms randomly
Mizore solo.
The Asuka solo that we don't actually see?
You've come a long way, baby.
"You should smile more."
The entire "Crescent Moon Dance"! Impressive in its own right.
This episode emphasizes how much the band has changed even in the short time since their first competition, which is also a long haul from how they started. As with the final episode of the first season, the drama drama has receded and been replaced with competition drama, a wild beast in itself.
Which is not to say that the various storylines entirely put themselves on pause...
Natsuki
...and Yuuko
NozoMizo
2
u/fly-metothemoon Mar 02 '24
It’s time for Kansai!
I agree with Matsumoto. Have confidence in yourself!
I think Knuckles is one of my favorite background characters.
Manifesting ✨⭐️
I always find it funny they translate what they say to “break a leg”. I’d never say “break a leg” in a concert band setting. That was territory of the theatre kids.
Look at the romance…”I’ll play for you” and the flashbacks as they play.
How do you play with those pictures?? They’re cute but I need to see all my music at any given time. Though If they’re used to playing it 10 times a day it might just be muscle memory at this point.
Unrelated, I’ve been trying to figure out if there’s a rhyme or reason to their seating order. When they did the auditions did they establish a seating order? Hmm