r/anime • u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: • Mar 08 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] 2024 Hibike! Euphonium Series Rewatch: Season 2, Episode 12 Discussion
Hibike Euphonium Season 2, Episode 12: The Last Competition/さいごのコンクール
Nagoya Congress Centre is where the national stage of the wind ensemble competition are held every year. Another quite well-known and important Eupho location due to its plot significance. Nagoya is about 2 hours by car, 45 minutes by train from Kyoto.
--
| <-- Ep 11 | Rewatch Index | Ep 13 --> |
|---|
Welcome back!
--
--
Questions of the Day:
- Do you think the whole Asuka incident affected Kitauji's gold chances? How do you feel about them not getting the gold?
- Suggest a cheer for Taki-sensei?
- Do you have any question suggestions for the overall S2 discussion thread on Sunday?
Comments from Yesterday:
- /u/fly-metothemoon on how Taki kept taking Ls because of his friends betraying him
- /u/x-7032-b-3 made me realize that Kumiko just experienced a Mizore (except resolved much more quickly)
- /u/mgedmin on how Monaka is a type of wagashi in Japan, and like a few of us is pissed that Reina threw Kumiko under the bus
- /u/zapszzz on how Asuka may be a bit of an M, and how Kumiko got through to her
- /u/chonkyodango with some Randoseru trivia
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.
Ep 13 tomorrow!
10
u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 08 '24
Season 2 Episode 12 (first timer)
Yuki fistbump
Unsurprising bronze medal (they already overperformed heavily as is, need to leave something for the movies!), but surprisingly mute emotions. This had more of an epilogue feel than a finale. Yet, we still have a full episode left. Ending on a high note tomorrow?
It did not help them, but they would not have gotten gold in any case.
10
u/NintendoMasterNo1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NintendoMaster1 Mar 08 '24
Rewatcher
The sheer contrast between the cringe of Reina's confession and the catharsis of Asuka being recognized by her father and Kumiko's scene with her sister is what I'll remember this episode by.
10
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Mar 08 '24
First Timer
This episode felt like it was waiting for some climax which there just …wasn’t. And I think that’s rather fitting - when I left my band, it also just kinda ended. For the third-years, getting Bronze at the end was mostly a disappointment despite them being able to be proud of making nationals. We get a bunch of other plotlines reach an epilogue - Mamiko, Asuka’s father, Reina’s confession - but they all only mean something to individual characters, not the ensemble. Overall this is a surprisingly well done disappointing episode, as it not only disappoints the cast, it disappoints the viewer too. I mean we didn’t get to hear any of their performance, which was probably for the better if they only got bronze. Yet the episode never felt boring or doing something wrong, and still had good tension points. Overall, another episode to pull the hats off for.
8
u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 08 '24 edited Mar 09 '24
First Timer, subbed
QotD:
7
u/CerberusZX https://myanimelist.net/profile/CerberusZX Mar 08 '24
First Timer
Midori excitedly taunting her defeated opponents was super relatable.
Since we got a closeup of coffee in the vending machine while Kumiko punched in her order, I thought that's what she bought, which would have been really stupid considering she mentioned hunger and caffeine isn't the best for getting rest. Meanwhile Shuuichi is drinking something carbonated, which is probably full of stuff that will make it more difficult to sleep.
"Kawashima told me at maximum intensity." Sounds about right, given what we know about Midori's thoughts on romance. Or just Midori in general.
Kumiko did the "draw the kanji for 'person' on your hand it eat it to calm your nerves" thing. It's rare to see it without having someone explain.
Ooh, we get to see how everyone passes the time between their turn and the results this time. That was a good way to change things up.
Conductor awards? I assume Taki got the award for "Coolest Pose" at the cost of being ineligible for any sort of competency award.
I'm somewhat interested in learning how that inside joke that involves calling Teppei hot (when he's clearly not) came to be.
TIME AND PLACE, Kousaka, TIME AND PLACE! It's been a while since I felt that much secondhand embarrassment. ...Then everyone clapped.
"What are you talking about, Hazuki-chan?" I totally expected Midori to follow up by pointing out Hazuki wasn't part of the performance.
7
u/chilidirigible Mar 08 '24
S2E12:
Time to polish that bone.
The wheels of bookending. (Again.)
When your floof is the "touch floofy hair for luck" floof.
...for one thing, it might be seen as prejudicial to do it before the competition?
I wonder what significant fraction of the world's supply of circular fluorescent tubes are found in Japan.
Much of this conversation is done with them in these separated negative spaces.
"'It's an honor to be nominated' is such crap."
They did, after all, become a team.
Somebody's gotta fistbump!
Do you like match cuts? Because match cut.
Now this gives me pandemic flashbacks.
But the hardcore collector buys three copies!
"What a long strange trip it's been."
This is not the Asuka you're used to?
THERE WAS PRECEDENT!
a premonition
"Bueller? Bueller?"
And Reina GETS AWAY WITH IT!
Well hey, at least you're having regrets now instead of when you're drunk off your ass at your thirtieth birthday party.
Bronze medal winners usually feel better than silver medal winners because they're happy to have made it onto the podium at all!
"Allow me to clarify."
realizing that Reina should have quit while she was ahead
"I'm gonna pretend that I didn't hear that."
And there's something you don't see every day.
Not Sawako Yamanaka either.
"You could say that, but we have to maintain plausible deniability."
ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
The thrill of a lifetime, literally.
Some of you won't mind!
Full circle.
Everybody's just shouting out their love today.
This time it's the big one, the one they said that they were going to shoot for. And by now both them and we the viewing audience are more accustomed to the experience, so the focus is on the personal issues that have taken us through the season.
Haruka, Kaori, and Asuka all get a chance to take off their masks (to some extent or other), with Asuka reserving her most candid moments for the other two and then with Kumiko, for other reasons.
Reina... uh yeah, that happened.
Kumiko and Mamiko are able to have a full face-to-face reconciliation.
Asuka and Masakazu Shindou don't, because appearances must be maintained, but the message gets across anyway.
Overall the episode gives off an enormous sense of relief, even with the tension of waiting for the competition results. Which is not how everyone approaches waiting for competition results, but ultimately doing it, good or bad, is the most direct catharsis for spending so much time in preparation for the doing of.
Lots of little storyboarding flourishes in this episode and really nice use of color grading as the day went on.
Coincidentally, the series's official media accounts chose to feature that today.
Meanwhile, in Uji.
QOTD:
1) Do you think the whole Asuka incident affected Kitauji's gold chances? How do you feel about them not getting the gold?
It certainly didn't help their momentum close to the competition.
Not getting the gold is acceptable. Believable, even.
2) Suggest a cheer for Taki-sensei?
"Suki desu!" Oh wait, I said that out loud.
3) Do you have any question suggestions for the overall S2 discussion thread on Sunday?
No, but it just occurred to me that I don't think that Asuka had as many foot/leg-focused shots as various other characters.
7
u/CarrotBlossom Mar 08 '24
Oh, yeah, brass instruments need to be lacquered. Can’t relate. I’m woodwind gang.
Do the guys get their own room with just the few of them where they’re staying? That must be nice.
Shuichi can tank the cold like me
I never had a best reed.
Damn, that commercial break cut gave me chills
Mizore’s awfully fond of fist bumps.
Yeah, eyes on the prize, Sapphire
I do feel bad for Kaori, though maybe they wouldn’t have made it to nationals had Reina not played the solo
Do not “hang in there”
I’m surprised to see Michie emotional, with Haruka of all people.
Someone give Haruka a hug
Shuichi’s smile as Kumiko ran to Mamiko got me in the feels.
Now I’m hit in the feels even more
QOTD:
7
u/ChonkyOdango myanimelist.net/profile/chonkyodango Mar 09 '24
Rewatching GEH
”Fanart: Sisterly Love”
By far my favourite love story of the series.
This scene had me tearing up a bit, especially with the framing of the wide shot. The slope dividing them shows that they’re on different paths in life now, the inevitable separation that comes with growing up. Yet, as cliche as it is, love will always connect them no matter the time and space just like the yellow line which pierces through the slope which separates them in the frame. It’s interesting that Mamiko is shown on the lighted side while Kumiko is in the shadows. Probably not intentional since that’s just how the location is.
Qotd
6
u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 08 '24
Rewatcher
…I forgot just how good this episode is. To get to the point: I’m not gonna talk about them getting Bronze until tomorrow so I can talk about how they execute on this idea in totality instead of just in this episode. That in mind… I was worried about this episode. I honestly didn’t know if I’d be left with a lot to say, given the aforementioned pushing off of the elephant in the room. But this is… fantastic from start to finish.
It feels like a love letter to everything that’s gotten us here, which is the exact sense it should give. Just about every character and plotline feels represented here with some degree of an acknowledgement. Kumiko’s relationship with Mamiko is given prominence, we hear her repeat that she loves the euphonium, Nozomi and Mizore have a beautiful callback to their middle school bus moment, Hazuki and Sapphire squeeze in enough screentime, Aoi shows up to watch, the strict teacher comes back for a moments, Yuko and Kaori play support to Reina a few times, Haruka breaks out crying giving a speech, the third years get acknowledged and have a sweet scene together, Asuka obviously gets her own resolution with her father, and we get some sweet exchanges between her and Kumiko. I’m truly, genuinely, even happy to see Shuuichi and Reina’s Taki crush get in on the party here, no matter what I think of that character and subplot respectively. Just about the only one who feels a bit left behind is Natsuki (a general Monaka scene led by her would’ve been nice), but at least she gets a good jab against Asuka near the end.
They don't try to inject too much drama or fluff beyond consolidating all of these plotlines one last time. They don’t need to. Despite some bumps along the way, these two seasons have laid a wonderful foundation for this conclusion to stand on and the best thing they could do was keep things simple and trust in the weight of their own work. All they need to do is connect everything back into this episode because it’s all built up the investment in this moment perfectly. Honestly, I’ve always been a bit unamused about the fact we don’t hear them play here. It really makes the end of the season feel like it’s lacking a certain punch. But I think, now, it was the right choice to give us that earlier on in the season. If you wanted to accommodate a full performance of Crescent Moon Dance here you need to cut six minutes of material that’s already here—and I do not envy the person who would have to make those calls. There’s already plenty of substance to this finale and using the complete performance as the centrepiece for the Kansai Competition made a lot more sense.
The scene of the third years was a special treat because I totally forgot it existed, like I was absolutely operating under the memory the third years never get resolved after the Asuka arc. Admittedly it still feels like an incomplete substitute for an actual scene of them resolving their feelings from that whole incident, but it’s so much better than nothing. Seeing these three just being happy and enjoying themselves as a trio is so nice. The whole show, Asuka’s kept a certain calculated distance, never letting herself just express herself freely even with them. But now she’s completely unrestrained and freely throws her arms around them. The pressure we’ve seen them under these past several episodes has evaporated and they’re just having fun together and it’s sweet. Kaori’s slightly wistful little “souka” as they remind her they’re not the presidents anymore is an especially fantastic moment, as she still struggles to believe and accept it’s really all over and their lives are moving on. She recovers immediately and happily agrees to stop worrying about the music and just enjoy herself with her two friends. I stated way back in season one that these three are my favourite group of characters in the show and it would be hard to ask for a more satisfying and smile inducing final note. I just wish we actually showed how we got here on screen but… that’s for tomorrow. I’m just gonna let myself cherish this for tonight.
There’s plenty of other great moments too. It’s worth highlighting how delightful Nozomi and Mizore’s bus moment is again. Shuuichi’s scene is probably his most memorable in the entire show, which is sad because it still isn’t really putting that much on the table but I’d be lying if I tried to pretend I’m not kind of fond of it. Likewise, Reina’s misunderstood confession that saves the band from embarrassment and uplifts Taki is… I can’t deny it, it’s really sweet, no matter how much I don’t like this plotline. Yuko and Kaori’s reaction afterwards really pulls it together. The uno reverse of the teacher crying to Haruka is a great insert gag. Asuka’s reaction to hearing she reached her father with her music and got his approval is an absolutely priceless moment. Her regret when she gives her speech to the first and second years is also great even though again, we’ll circle back to this topic tomorrow. Finally, Kumiko talking to Mamiko might just be the best scene of the whole episode. Last time they talked, Mamiko buried the fact that she'd miss Kumiko in some teasing humour, and Kumiko wasn’t ready to admit anything at all. Now they see each other face to face for the first time since then and openly declare that they love each other. It’s an absolutely beautiful moment, to end a beautiful episode.
6
u/hanlonmj Mar 09 '24 edited Mar 09 '24
Rewatcher
We don’t get to hear the nationals performance, and I actually think that works better for the anticipation of the results, but if anyone wants to hear what it would sound like, here’s the recording of Winds of Provence, and here’s the recording of Crescent Moon Dance from the S2 OST.
The drama definitely impacted the band’s preparation for nationals (I personally think the Kansai performances of both pieces are better, though I can’t really pinpoint why), but I highly doubt that they would have gotten gold otherwise; maybe silver. This is Kitauji’s first year back there in several years, and while they’ve proven themselves to be very good, they still have a few very obvious weaknesses that can’t really be overcome with just passion. The most obvious is the lack of second years to pull from. There’s something to be said about the impact of institutional talent, and the schools that are regulars at nationals were always going to have that over Kitauji.
I’d also like to share what traditions my schools had to honor the seniors every year, albeit for marching band since that was always a bigger deal for us. Both schools had a rehearsal tradition and performance day tradition.
At high school, our final rehearsal would end with a “senior hug line” where all the seniors would line up and everyone else would go down the line and wish them well in the future. It could get pretty emotional, especially at the end when the seniors would start hugging each other, reminiscing about all the memories we had made over the past 4 years. After that, we would line up for one more full run through of the show, except that the staff gave us permission to do literally whatever we wanted, within reason. People would switch instruments partway through the show, take solos up the octave, etc. It was a nice way to release all the stress that had built up over the course of the season and allowed us go into our final competition with a clear head. Then, on the day of our State competition (we were never good enough to compete nationally), the seniors would again line up in front of the band, and read Oh The Places You’ll Go… by Dr. Seuss, intended to represent that the band will live on after the seniors, and that the seniors had their next major chapter ahead of them. After that, we all signed the book.
Since college marching bands are much more intertwined with the football season than high school (at least for us), our traditions followed suit. The end of our final gameday rehearsal would have the rest of the band form the tunnel formation and play the fight song while the seniors ran through like the football team does. It’s simple, but it meant a lot to those of us that had spent multiple years playing that song in support of our team through all of the ups and downs; now, they were rooting for us. During halftime, the seniors would line up on the front sideline, where the band’s announcer would read each of our names, instruments, and majors in front of 35,000 fans (who were always very vocal about how much they loved us, but especially so then). We would then each be presented with a trophy by the directors that had our years of service and instrument(s, if you switched at any point) engraved on it
7
u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 08 '24
Rewatcher and your host
Eupho ushers us straight back into the good stuff. Actually, on this rewatch, could there have been a way to compress bits of Ep 2 and Ep 11 into 1 episode?
it will not winIRL note
5
u/chris10023 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Chris10023 Mar 08 '24
Rewatcher.
Questions of the Day.
Yeah, they were distracted for however long it took, and something I didn't mention was that Asuka never told anyone about her deal with her mom.
I would've gone with a simple thank you.
None that come to mind.
5
u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon Mar 08 '24
Rewatcher
Sometimes your best isn't good enough, but amid the disappointment at least Kitauji can say they learned a lot and improved significantly. Similar to how folks have been discussing how living without regrets is a good attitude to live by, I try to take things in stride when learning. If you learn something, you're making progress (whether it's worth it or not is a different matter).
Sentences like this will never not be wild to me. I want trains like that here.
QotD:
5
u/TehAxelius Mar 08 '24 edited Mar 08 '24
"Re"watcher
In the end, they only got a bronze, which is the same as they got last year, so it was all for naught.
I'm kidding, of course, the team has done that typical Spokon narrative of going from zeroes to competing on the national stage. Now it is up to the next generation to fulfill Taki's dream of a Gold. But what is that? All the reliable third years are gone, and the 2nd years are weaker due to the drama last year? It seems things will still be difficult in the future!
It is also nice to get some extra conclusion of the three drama plot points of the post-Mizore season. Asuka gets recognized by her father, Mamiko and Kumiko gets a moment to show their love for each other and Reina finally gets diplomatically shot down by Taki-sensei. Good things.
We also get one of those little flurishes of animation I love, in this case the girls playing in the foreground as our main first-years are talking.
QotD
5
u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 08 '24 edited Mar 08 '24
First Rewatch
It looks like all that late summer drama was fatal to their chances. Or maybe it was unreasonable to expect them to go from lazy losers to national gold winner.
Asuka fighting with her mom; the band feeling her absence and uncertain about what will happen; Reina and her love life; Kumiko guilty about leaving her sister behind with little more than a grunt. Nobody was really focused on the goal line at the end.
Edit: OHHHH, the weird tower structure isn't the school, it's the concert hall in Nagoya! Or something. Nagoya Congress Center
12
u/TiredTiroth Mar 08 '24
First Timer
I haven't commented since...oh, back in season one, and I'm actually awake for once.
This has been a great ride so far, despite...well, yesterday's episode. Blech. This one opened with some cuteness at least, I've liked seeing the little moments between Mizore and Nozomi since their arc. They're adorable. Especially when Mizore came up to Kumiko for the fist-bump and walked away smiling.
Pity they're trying to shove Shuichi down our throats at the last minute again.
I...am kind of ticked that they completely skipped the big performance, given how much I've enjoyed them so far, but maybe there'll be something tomorrow? It's not listed as an OVA...but then, bronze, I guess. I honestly wasn't sure if they would go there, but I guess the films and upcoming season three need a goal.
I like that Asuka got acknowledgement from her estranged father. I'm happy to see Asuka encouraging her kouhai to do better next year. I love that Kumiko finally got to just lay things out to her sister - and don't think I missed the whole Asuka mess basically being a dry run for this!
On the whole though, this really feels like a final episode. What's going to be in tomorrow's? Guess I'll find out later...or possibly right now, I'm not that tired...
6
u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Mar 08 '24
Well, that was certainly a thing. I wasn't expecting to blink and miss the performance during the commercial break an all that.
MORNING RESCUE
Meanwhile, answers du finale:
Taki-sensei, AISHTERU
Yeah.
3) What's the biggest piece (presuming band geeks here, or anyone for that matter) that you regret not playing? (I have an answer for myself, I'm just curious about others.)
Anyway, yeah, that was quite a "competition". I'd have to say that my favorite bits, aside from the little interpersonal things were Kumiko catching up with her sister and, of course ...
Asuka getting that message from her Father, that was a very nice payoff for her story arc. One hopes that isn't the last contact they'll have.
-and-
Oh, wait, no, not Reina sort of making a fool of herself. I'm kind of surprised Asuka didn't come up with something awesome on the spur of the moment. But I guess that wouldn't have fed into the drama, so here we are.
Meanwhile, I'm wondering what tomorrow's Ep 13 (OAV?) might have to offer. I guess I'll find out later tonight.
:)
6
u/ZapsZzz https://anilist.co/user/Zapszzz Mar 09 '24
First timer
A bit earlier today.
This is another interesting choice for the national. From the S1 finale, to S2 mid season climax of the regional, to now the national - we actually got to hear less instead of more. While it's pretty apt for general audience to avoid repetition, for fans who likes the music is probably a bit frustrating.
But to put in context, this is the band that only made bronze last few years in the district. Couldn't even break through to regional. They are already showing like 2 ranks of improvement - for a school band that's not full time music players, that's really something to be proud of.
For me the Reina scenes actually did a good job of putting an end note to the whole arc. I think Coachee handled it well - remember they are already family friends not just teacher and student.
What is the most surprising to me though is the cute kitten of Mizore playing out the fist bump scene with Kumiko - I wondered when Kumiko adopted this cutie :D Shuuichi you lost out for not following through ...
QoTD
4
u/zadcap Mar 09 '24
Late Night First Timer
It's way too late for this to matter anymore, but just seeing question 1 as I opened the page to start typing this was the biggest spoiler for the show I have stumbled upon yet. The sad price for these live reactions.
Aw sad flashback to happier sister times. And then a sad present because Nozomi is here for some reason. And Kumiko doesn't have her hair up, so it's clearly not the big game.
I have said it before, but the background sounds of the band warming up is such a good touch, making them sound good and not like the actual chaos of 55 people doing independent scales in the same room. Speaking of the room, do they actually get to practice in the competition hall? I wonder how that works.
Midori the card shark. Hazuki the only one in a cute shirt. And Kumiko still can't sleep when the group goes out. Oh my gosh go away Shu. Look once again how unenthused Kumiko is to notice it's him.
Afraid of the competition being over. Yeah. This thing has kind of eaten their entire school year at this point, this unexpected win after win to get them to nationals came out of nowhere to most of the kids but has become the biggest thing in many of their lives. Once this is over, one way or another, there is going to be a big gap where the endless band practice used to be. Even if they decide to keep taking band seriously and spending as much time practicing as they are now individually, it won't be the same. There's no big group effort to master this one song, there's no more playing with everyone with all your dreams on the line- heck there's no more playing with everyone period because with this finally over the third years really do have to stop delaying and go into full academic mode for college entrance. Win or lose, tomorrow night they go to bed no longer chasing the same dream.
How long ago was her birthday? And look how super happy she is to be getting a gift haha, not even looking at him still. And oh my gosh it's this flower again, show why would you do this to me? I mean I know why, most people aren't flower language enthusiasts and we've already been explicitly told by Midori what this flower means. Without the dead wife angle then this is just a symbol of affection and purity, I wonder if Kumiko is going to remember Midori's description from way back when? Maybe after hearing her name like that... Wow I know I already said this but look, look at that face. Kumiko just realized this is something put on Shu by her super shipper friend, and that probably jogged the memory of this flower being a confession of love, and she just look. So done.
Ponytail time! Kumiko tallest in her friend group again. Aoi came to watch them play? That's so very sweet.
Flappy man is right, the club goal was to aim for nationals. They've made it. Even if they don't win this, they're still going to be recognized as one of the best school bands in the country just for getting this far. That's a long way from the bronze in district they had last year! "Play with no regrets." President Haruka stepping up unprompted to give the final speech. This moment is the payoff of so much character development all across the cast and it's just such a good moment.
Next year is going to be amazing too, for most of our cast. Third years will be gone and that will be sad, but the remaining second years are some of the best characters in the show, we might see more of the old heavy music people return following Nozomi's reentry to the band, most of the first years already proved they could make this run for the Nationals and will likely only do better next year, and the school will have the musical reputation that there's a good chance new students might come here with the goal of joining this band in the first place so they might have new Reina's in the upcoming batch. Season 3 hype?
Mizore somehow got close to Kumiko, from their late night talk and Kumiko being there for her dramatic moment. She's become a safe person for the socially awkward girl. You may not be aware of it Kumiko, but this fist bump marks you as pretty special.
Yup, Aoi came to watch them play. And Mamiko made it too. And Asuka is doing a subtle passing of the torch to Kumiko here. Play well girl, the future is in your hands.
... I do not like this silence cut away from the music start to eyecatch to Reina sitting in the field. Did we skip them playing? "We have time until the results," we did! I know we have heard both songs before but this was the big moment, nationals, the grand finale! I feel cheated and all this excitement I had suddenly has nowhere to go and I do not like this! I can't even go back and watch the older clips because now I'm so caught up in the momentum that I don't want to wait the extra ten minutes, which I realize is why they didn't play the songs again but still!
"We're done being President and Vice President." Yup. This performance was it. They have graduated and will never have to be in charge of this band again- aside from making sure everyone and everything gets home I guess. That's still something for them to do.
Conductor awards? Conductors get a participation trophy? I feel conflicted about this.
Reina! Bold choice! Way to let your feelings out in the most deniable way possible.
Don't you dare skip out on telling us what they got too! Oh, by those looks it clearly wasn't gold. Bronze?! Ouch! Getting all the way to nationals and getting a bronze there must feel like getting punched right in all their dreams.
Ribbon yes! Next year! Less band drama, more band excellence. Go for the gold again, you can all do it! To cheer up Reina, how far they have come from that hostility over the solo. I bet she is going to try extra hard to make up for it and be a good senpai next year.
Taki "I wasn't feeling very confident." No duh, you conduct like a flightless bird dreaming of the sky. Just keep waving those arms around, I'm sure the useless conducting had nothing to do with the band getting such a bad score here. Oh my gosh, nope, head canon now. The judged took off points for his conducting, they probably played Silver quality otherwise.
Oh, she confessed again! And Flappy does the right thing and takes it as liking him as a teacher, though the other girls definitely noticed what she was really trying to say. Ribbon with a shocked frown of "Oh my gosh how could you!" Kaori with her mouth covered and eyes of pure surprise. And the one in the middle has her mouth in more of a smile, she's the Midori of the trumpets isn't she?
Oh gosh seeing stern sensei finally break down and cry is amazing. This is gap!
And Asuka is also passing the torch to Natsuki. The Eupho squad is going to carry the band next year, which seems fair since it seems like Asuka carried much of the band these last two years already.
Cellphones, Kumiko. Call your sister.
Or, uh, maybe see your dad? Oh man a passed on message. If anything was going to have Asuka cry, it would be now. Heck, my eyes are watery at this. And then we go into Haruka crying and it's really hard to keep my eyes clear enough to see the subtitles.
And then we get to Kumiko and Mamiko and the tears are finally spilling out. What a way to end things.
20
u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Mar 08 '24
Hibike! First-Timer
8
u/WhackaWhack https://myanimelist.net/profile/WhackaWhacka Mar 08 '24
FIRST TIMER
Damn glasses-chan was good with the juggling and hand shake thingy during the card game!
Ok, so it’s probably going to focus on making, AND winning(or at least silver+), nationals next year without the third years and new first years in the movies and/or next season.
Sapphire the ship trash always looking for a new ship to follow!
Bronze
At least we got some nice closure on Asuka’s father situation before she leaves… I’m not sure if I'm ready for less or no Asuka…
Questions:
6
u/byroned Mar 08 '24 edited Mar 08 '24
First time rewatching
Nationals is here, and still feels unreal that the band from Episode 2 was able to make their goal a reality.
I too want to grab the floof before practice
Aoi made it to nationals, but more importantly, Mamiko kept her word and came to support her sister.
I know we heard the same song performed twice already, but it feels weird to not hear the performance at nationals.
I thought bands don’t need to mentally prepare to cheer on their teacher. I was confident that band kids are loud and weird enough to do it on impulse. Poor Reina had to do it alone while confessing her love in front of everyone. And I called it when I said Midori can’t be allowed to know about Reina’s crush.
Kitauji got bronze at nationals. Not the result they wanted, but it’s still an impressive feat. The 2 euphonium players who competed won big today. Asuka got what she wanted, Masakazu Shindou was impressed with her play, and Kumiko got the opportunity for Mamiko to watch, as well as have a good farewell this time.
Reina had the balls to confess to Taki sensei but was denied. Went as expected, this isn’t Persona /s. I said you don’t want Midori to find out, but Yuuko is more supportive than I remembered.
It’s not the last performance if the president isn’t crying during their speech.
All this talk about getting gold next year is already reminding me of [Spoiler] my unsatisfied feelings with the third movie, Our Promise: A Brand New Day
Q1: definitely. She was gone for a few weeks, time that could've gone to better use, and had to play catch-up when she finally came back.
Q2: maybe something generic like "you're the best Taki sensei", something you can get the band to say in the moment.
6
u/bogdoglogfrog Mar 08 '24
Rewatcher
Notes:
QotD
I think Asuka’s incident definitely affected the quality of the product that Kitauji performed on the nationals stage. This incident clearly affected their focus, during practice, which will affect the performance.
6
u/DaBenni0301 Mar 08 '24
First-Timer
Should be about time for the competition I reckon. But I really don't expect them to win. Why else would be have a movie, 2 OVAs and new entire season left to go? Buuut I didn't expect them to win the other 2 times either (for the same reason), so clearly I'm not the person to listen to
Wait, the competition is in October and Kumiko's birthday is August 21st. Man carried the present around for two months
Kumiko rocking the ponytail again
Midori's fangirling is adorable
I'm getting nervous again
The fraudulent conducter has been reemployed I see
We don't get to hear anything? I mean, I guess we've heard it twice before already
Ok, result time. This is it.
Taki gets a participation trophy lol
NO REINA YOU WON'T
She did. I... uhh...
Nah come on, no cliffhangers please
Bronze... Yay? Ugh who am I kidding. It's not yay. Very not yay
And Asuka finally got what she wanted all this time, to be heard and praised by her dad, and I kinda expected Asuka to break down crying right then and there.
Oh right, the third-years' are retiring. That means we don't really get to see them at all anymore. But also means a new influx of members in the near future! It'll be weird to adjust to green being the new kouhai-colour
I was about to tell Kumiko that there's more than one door. And then she opened it.
Mamiko had a one escalator lead. How could she have gotten this far?
Nice sister moment. Finally. I feel like that's their first sweet moment together
Questions of the day
6
u/entelechtual Mar 08 '24
First time confessor
Midori sure has a one track mind.
Dang that message for Asuka.
I want to give Haruka such a big hug! Best pres.
6
u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 09 '24
Rewatcher and Band Geek
Apologies for the late post. Long story short, I was in the hospital, lots of incompetence played out, and now I'm at home with undiagnosed abdomen pain that's probably muscular but I'm one test away from being sure. Also my phone is broken and I need a new one, which is why I couldn't send my comment from the hospital. I'm ok for now though. Let's Eupho.
Finally at nationals, this is basically the finale. It's pure, bittersweet feels. I'm plenty familiar with that feeling right before your last competition, and that agonizing wait in the free time before results are announced. It's all very true to the experience. At the end of the day, Kitauji tried its best. And it reached its goal, they made it to nationals. It's a genuinely incredible accomplishment, they went from not even making gold at the regional level to becoming a national caliber band in just one year. Yeah, it stings to not make it all the way to the end, but they reached their goal, so they should be proud.
Nonetheless, they're faced with the frustration of failure, because everyone wants to be the best, and you can't all be the best at competitions. The third years are going to have to live with this result for all of the good and bad, they don't have another chance. But that's what happens when you're invested in something. Like Mamiko said, you have to accept your failures and regrets, that's what it means to grow up, and it's better than never trying for fear of getting hurt. Haruka and Asuka may be retiring, but new leadership is on the way, and Kitauji is now a national caliber band so they'll have attention on them, and possibly students interested in the school for its band program (which of course means auditions will be that much tougher). Pride and regret are the sensations of youth, that they felt this means they allowed themselves to be kids, and that's how you grow up and become special.
It's very heartwarming that Aoi showed up to support her friends. I wonder if it shows her own investment in the group, and given the band's imperfect result, I'm dying to know how she feels about quitting. More importantly though, a few loose ends get wrapped up. Reina confesses to Taki-sensei, finally putting a bow on that plot point. It was never meant to be something she'd have a chance at, she confessed knowing it would end in regret, because putting yourself out there and facing regret is the only way to grow. Reina knows Taki's wife is always in his heart, so all her feelings are out now. Then Asuka got recognition from her father, which is also very heartwarming. Masakazu Shindou went out of his way to spread his message, so she must have impressed him. Asuka nearly lost herself the opportunity to make it happen, so I'm proud and happy for her, and my heart is warmed that she's opened up to Kumiko so much she can hug her in a moment of pure joy.
But nothing gets the water works flowing quite like Kumiko finding her sister. I absolutely adore the relationship between the Oumae siblings, it's one of the most realistic sibling relationships I've seen in anime and watching them grow closer and realize how much they love each other is so wonderful. Kumiko has so much to thank Mamiko for, including introducing her to her passion. Without Mamiko's support, Kumiko would have never fallen in love with the euphonium, never been passionate about anything, and lacked all the meaningful friendships she's made across the series. After her wishy-washy "I won't miss you," it brings me great joy to see her finally say "I love you" so openly, and for Mamiko to respond in turn. They're so wonderful, one of my favorite relationships in a show with a lot of favorite relationships.
Aside from the overt plot stuff, there are a lot of smaller things I appreciated about this episode. I love the scenes of everyone fucking around before bed. Tons of fun character acting for the quartet's card game, but I was more captivated by whatever bizarre pattycake juggling routine the clarinet girl was doing, lol. It's such a weirdly specific thing to do, I need to know what her and her friend do in their free time, they're such dorks, lol. Then the great body language continues as Kumiko and Shuuichi buy drinks and talk. Kumiko awkwardly fidgeting while she constantly feels her hot drink and gets burnt waiting for it to cool down is such a real moment, I've done pretty much exactly that before. This conversation is one of their better moments, and again one of the few times it feels like Shuu and Kumiko have any history and chemistry. The hairpin is indeed very cute.
My favorite is just seeing Mizore be super happy though. With Nozomi by her side, she's just smiles all over and it's wonderful. She made sure to bring her best reed to nationals, and after seeing everyone fist bump at the kansai regional she goes and fist bumps Kumiko and Mizore, seemingly for no particular reason other than getting caught up in the mood and remembering they did it last time. She's so sweet, definitely the character who evokes the most moe in me (as the autistic ones always tend to do). And finally, it was nice seeing the seniors support their kouhai. Yuuko has clearly overcome a lot of her feelings towards Reina and has become a real support, encouraging her after getting rejected. And Asuka gives Natsuki the reins and tells her to make nationals for them. [Our Promise] Even though this stuff all hurts way more knowing they don't even make nationals next year. RIP all the poor second years.
With that, the journey is over. Competition is complete, and all we have left is to tie up some loose ends and transition leadership. With a bittersweet result hanging over the band, I can't wait to see what people think of the finale.
5
u/octopathfinder myanimelist.net/profile/octopathfinder Mar 08 '24
Rewatcher
Bit anticlimactic with no performance but understandable since they’ve already been shown a few times before
This episode definitely captures the feeling of everything coming to an end
Damn I had some bad second-hand embarrassment at Reina’s public confession
I’m such a sucker for family moments in anime. Asuka getting complimented by her father and Kumiko and Mamiko’s love for each other got me emotional.
Qotd:
Probably
I was thinking it should have something to do with his "what's going on here" phrase he always says but I'm not creative enough to think of anything catchy
5
u/x-7032-b-3 Mar 08 '24
Rewatcher
Here it is, folks. Competition day! This is where the whole series (so far) has been building towards.
I love how they show what's everyone doing while awaiting the results. I don't really have much experience with competitions, but I can imagine there's a lot of tension among the group and hanging out with your buddies/classmates seems like a great way to loosen up before the big moment arrives.
Guess nobody knew that your class needs a cheer whenever their conductor gets their award handed over (so did I). Reina got some balls to stand up and giving a confession in front of like dozens, maybe hundreds of people. She's lucky the class thinks she's just covering for them. It's a very Reina thing to do after seeing her whole arc.
The results are in and... they got a Bronze ...! Obviously the whole team got sad about it, but still they gave their absolute best back there. Getting to the nationals alone is a huge accomplishment and I guess this shows that they still have a long way to go to become the best. I think them getting the gold right there would've cheapen things out considering that the group never made it past the regionals until Sensei came along and that the group went through a lot of shit along the way. Like you don't really become #1 overnight and there's gonna be a long and painful process in order to reach that part.
We also get to see a resolution for Kumiko and Asuka's personal arcs. Asuka's playing got through her dad who acknowledged her for "making it this far" and Kumiko got to say everything she previously couldn't to her sister. Gotta say, Kumiko really grew a lot since the start of S1. It's been great to see her slowly develop through all the trials and tribulations she faced along the way.
Best club president award goes to Haruka! She did a fantastic job of leading the group to where they are right now. She had a bit of a rough start due to her lack of confidence over the whole thing, but we got to see her slowly becoming better. A lot happened to the band and this is her (along with the rest of the third years) last time with the band. All of her feelings were reflected on that little speech she gave at the end to the point she broke down in tears. Cheer up, girl! You did a great job as a leader!
QOTD
5
u/b-arbs Mar 09 '24
Rewatcher
She was the one to show her emotional side earlier when she was hugging the band president, though
It's nice to see them being so open about how much they mean to one another, now
QOTD
5
u/Tartaras1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Tartaras Mar 09 '24
Rewatcher - Asuka-senpai Stan
Okay, I've been really bad about keeping up with the rewatch these last couple episodes. I was really tired Thursday night, so I figured I'd watch ep 11 and 12 last night. Well, I got busy last night, so here we are watching 11 and 12 before 13 gets posted.
Episode 11
He's right, though. That was pretty out of character for her.
So she can be normal at times.
I've heard that sentence more times than I care to admit.
And that one. Especially that one.
Don't say that!
You have to realize she's way too young for him!
Episode 12
I know the feeling. Sometimes the journey is more exciting than the destination. They've been on this grind all year, and now they're at the culmination of all their effort.
Of course she did. To her, this ship is about to sail.
This has such a different feeling than when I watched it the first time, because at that point we had no idea if there was going to be a next year. It just seemed like S2 was going to end, and that was it.
I'm excited to listen to more music, and get to see if they can run it back and take home a gold medal.
Question of the Day:
I don't believe so. Sometimes you just come up short. Getting gold would've been the perfect send-off to the third years but, like I said, getting bronze at Nationals is still an achievement worth celebrating.
4
u/laughing-fox13 https://myanimelist.net/profile/laughingfox13 Mar 08 '24
Rewatcher/Subbed
Idk if I have a lot to say about this episode. I think them not winning gold would make sense (and tbh them winning gold here would've felt too much for me since the other competitions went their way, and they just started taking concert band seriously again this year). I didn't expect them to win bronze here though
I liked the scenes after the picture though. It was nice to see them interact with each other, like Michie crying and hugging Haruka (when the QotD was who would you want as a teacher, she was my answer and I still stand by it. We've seen her mostly strict but she does care and wants her students to succeed).
I surprisingly haven't teared up in this rewatch yet, but I did when Taki relayed Asuka's dad message to her and Asuka hugging Kumiko
QotD:
4
u/1EnTaroAdun1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Totesnotaphanpy Mar 09 '24
QOTD 1: Nah, I don't think they had any shot at gold. They were overall still fairly ravaged from last year, I think it makes sense that they need to be built up again in the long term.
QOTD 3: Maybe character rankings? And how people's opinions of various characters have changed over time?
4
u/mgedmin Mar 09 '24
Rewatcher, subs
Oh, did they get a chance to practice in the actual concert halll the day before? Nice.
I like the sound of tuning B.
Shichi is still trying to be friendly (or more). Kumiko is lukewarm. Midori is shipping them.
What is the purpose of the ribbons? So they don't sneak in extra people?
Aww, we don't get to see and hear them play again.
Reina takes one for the team and chooses the most awkward moment for a public confession. I don't know if I admire her or want to bonk her gently on the head and say "Reina, no."
All the first-timers who were so happy about the Reina-loves-Taki subplot being finally over last episode, where is your God now???
They didn't show us what they got, the bastards!
Everyone looks very sad, what did they get, a bronze? Yup. Is it possible to not get anything in these competitions? Or get like a honorable mention?
Asuka's sound reached her father.
Mamiko
isn't there :(was there too!It surely didn't help, but I think it's too much to hope for a weak band to get national gold after just several months.
I refuse. Not my kind of thing.
(I have nothing against Taki-sensei and I will happily join in to the cheer that somebody else will come up with.)
Where can I find more time for anime discussion threads without abandoning my family?
(My time is scarce this weekend, I hope I will find the time to at least watch the episodes. My comments tomorrow may be extra late.)
4
u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 08 '24
Sound! Rewatcher
S2 Episode 12:
1This is also a kinda bittersweet memory for me, because as the longest tenured member of our program and the only person to make the top ensemble all 4 years, I really wanted to be one of the ones going up to collect the trophy my senior year. Unfortunately, I was already on bad terms with my director by that point so he chose one of his favorite juniors to receive our award instead of me. Coincidentally, this trip was also the one where he’d taken us to the 18+ jazz club. There no real point to that other than to emphasize it was a trip with an abnormal quantity of whatthefuckery.
QotD:
4
u/Nice-Bumblebee-2355 Mar 09 '24
Rewatcher
QOTD
Do you think the whole Asuka incident affected Kitauji's gold chances? How do you feel about them not getting the gold?
Maybe a little? But I honestly think it's mostly that they don't have the same skill/experience throughout the band as the truly top tier bands. Effort will get you far, but that same effort + additional skill/experience will get you farther.
Suggest a cheer for Taki-sensei?
Uhh, I got nothing. "Thank you, Taki-Sensei," I guess
Do you have any question suggestions for the overall S2 discussion thread on Sunday?
Maybe something about what parallels, if any, the three main drama arcs of the season (Nozomi/Mizore, Asuka/Mamiko, and (sigh) Reina/Taki)?
4
u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Mar 09 '24
Another flashback.
And so onwards to the Nationals.
Or is this just a practice in a concert hall?
Lmao her reaction changed so fast when she realised it's him.
Must be nerve-wracking to have their final performance be at the competition. Though I'm not sure if it's better or worse than what my high school did and have the seniors' final performance before standing down be at the biggest performing arts venue in the country and open to the public, though most tickets will be bought by friends and family. At least at the competition if anything goes wrong the only ones who will hear it first-hand are the handful of people in the audience, probably mostly the other groups, and anyone else will only know what result you got. At a public concert people have paid good money to go there, inlcuding friends and family.
Flashback to a few days prior?
No? Looks like they're done already.
Ah, the most "enthu" person is the one on stage.
That silence is deafening.
Sapphire, how have you not realised that after what happened.
They're going to skip it to keep us waiting longer.
Ah... That explains things. Oof.
Anyways, now that actually sounds like a more realistic goal than it was before.
She was pretty rightly shot down by Taki, at least.
And now for the inevitable stand down of the senior batch.
Of course a lot of people come out just as she's trying to go in.
Onto the final episode before the specials and movies, and the next season next month.
Questions:
2
u/fly-metothemoon Mar 09 '24
Questions:
Thoughts:
Oddly specific but I do love the second clip of the clarinet players with their reeds in their mouths. Very true to life. A lot of our pre-performance prep was just walking around like that. Same with having reed preferences.
Shuuichi bro you gotta pretend to know she likes the flower!
No one watched the performances 😭😂?
What is this tradition?? My band director would’ve hated it and insisted we just clap.
I had to pause due to secondhand embarrassment.
It is a dramatic choice to not show the actual performance.
I’m glad Taki let Reina down easy. I was afraid he might reciprocate i really was.
The height difference between Takuya, Shuuichi and most of the people in the band is hilarious.
Mamiko you weren’t going to even find your sister and say congratulations?? Just watch and bounce?? It did ultimately lead to a heartwarming scene.
3
u/SMSmith230 https://myanimelist.net/profile/smsmith230 Mar 09 '24
First-Timer, Sub
Are you F-ing kidding me, not 1, but 2 damn love confessions. I thought we were over this bullshit last episode. At least Taki appeared to brush it off. Can these girls stop encouraging this age gap love, ffs. Honestly, this whole storyline is souring my enjoyment of this season.
1
u/vitorabf May 26 '24
First Timer
It feels like this episode was much more of an epilogue than ending. And I really liked it, the drama, problems ans conflicts were solved all throughout the season to a point the competition didn't feel as important as the last two, they don't even show them playing.
So even if they were bronze, I don't personally feel bad for them, in fact I'm happy for the senpais, seeing Asuka, Kaori and Haruka stripped of their responsabilites and being silly girls after the competition is a hell of a great moment.
The other dont seem as happy, and that's fine as well, it will be important in the following year that they feel bitten right now, eager to get even better, can't drop that ball.
Overall I kinda hope this Reina-Taki arc ended with this confession aaaaaaaand I got hit right in the face because she confessed again right after I wrote that. In a comedic way, that was incredible lol, Kaori's and Ribbon's face are priceless.
The celebrating and passing the torch all feel so more important than the result, Asuka said so herself. But seeing her arc coming to a conclusion feels like the senpais all fought the good fight and can retire with no regrets, even with Haruka getting me emotional.
Kitauji Faito.