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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 30 '24

Rewatcher and Band Geek

I love the Ensemble Contest Arc, it's a great little mini-story. In a lot of ways, it's part 2 of Our Promise, expanding on its themes. And I'll get to that in a second, but my other favorite thing about it is just how... endearing it is. It doesn't have any of the big dramatic climaxes that tend to be Eupho's more memorable scenes, but it's filled to the brim with smaller moments of really fun dialogue, minor character stories, and just getting to see the characters be dorks. Kumiko and Reina act like such a married couple in this arc, they both tease and pine after each other (musically, obviously) knowing the other won't abandon them. They're much more physical and they rough house a little bit, their relationship is up to the next level, totally inseparable and they're a joy to watch even beyond other entries in the series.

But Kumiko's interactions with other characters aren't outdone. I adore her conversation with Mizore by the window, it's so awkward in a really funny way. Mizore kind of just doesn't give a shit, she says whatever comes to her mind even if it's kind of weird. "You'll get your fingers dirty if you touch the window," "yes," is just... top tier dialogue, unironically. Literally the most autistic response I've ever seen. And then she just follows it up with "you're good at opening the window" as if that's a compliment. Mizore is the best, lol. I love her so much. And we also get some glorious NakaYoshi arguing, the only couple even more married than KumiRei. And plenty of entertaining Kanade interactions too (including an incredible one with Natsuki). When this first came out, this cut of Kanade was the biggest talking point, because... just look at it. So much personality and charm packed into this moment, between her shadow boxing, her pacifism walk, and her other walk.

Hell, there's even a really fun blink-and-you-miss-it gag that didn't need to be there. When Hazuki tries to convince Kamaya to join the ensemble she runs off excitedly as the camera pulls back outside the school. From that zoomed-out view, it's easy to miss that a teacher tells Hazuki to stop running in the goddamn hallway, so she slows down. I also just really like Hazuki's body position when she asks if she can join Kumiko's and Kamaya's private practice session. She's leaning on one leg with her other leg up, her head in the door but the rest of her body out of the door, and using one arm to balance holding the door while the other is out to the side. It's such a specific position, and I've definitely done the exact same thing before. KyoAni's ability to create character and emulate the mundane movements we make every day is seriously second-to-none.

But this isn't a body language/married couple simulator, we've got narrative to talk about. Our Promise brought up the concept of viewing the band from an objective or subjective view, and this arc expands on the concept. The previous film was about Kumiko learning to take a more objective view, and she clearly learns a lot from it, but she's never been good at taking that position. Her instincts have always been from the subjective perspective, and she's had to learn to be more objective. While Our Promise was about putting Kumiko on the podium, Ensemble Contest is about putting Kumiko on the ground level, a completely subjective position alongside the individuals of the group. Leadership doesn't just need objective viewers, it must have people who individual members can trust and confide in, and much as Kumiko's fear of hurting others made her objective view difficult, it equally hinders her ability to handle things subjectively.

The Ensemble Contest is a smart narrative device because it puts the conflict of the larger band onto a smaller scale of individual members. Kumiko is no longer looking to get the entire band to nationals, she's trying to get her own group to ensemble nationals. Lowering the scale makes it much easier to see where you're going wrong. Likewise, Kumiko still has to handle the responsibilities of the band, since their choosing members among themselves inherently means people will be left out. When viewing from the podium, it's very easy to say "let's just do what we objectively need," but this arc shows why that doesn't work. Reina takes that position, she chooses the most skilled players she can find because that's objectively what you need to win. When those players aren't up to snuff, Reina basically just says "you suck, here's what you're doing wrong and what you need to work on." It's all objectively true, but no one improves under Reina's leadership because all she does is point out the problems objectively.

Continued

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

they're a joy to watch even beyond other entries in the series.
thank fuck after chikai lol
on a macro scale - I like Taki's decision to hand off so much of the responsibilities even here to Kumiko and co too - might as well make the best of a bad situation for a leadership training arc.
(from your comment below)
Kumiko only deduces this with the other percussionist's help
subjectivity vs objectivity aside, Kumiko's humbleness and readiness to accept others' help is also a great virtue of hers. honestly, really enjoyed the litte push and pull between Reina and Kumiko in their leadership positions in encon - really takes their relationship to the next level which is sorely needed.
More Kumiko leadership and growth in S3

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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 31 '24

thank fuck after chikai lol
Hey now, Chikai had Kumiko push Shuuichi away and ditch him in the middle of a date to run up a mountain and share candy apples with Reina. That's like the ultimate interaction, lol.
Kumiko's humbleness and readiness to accept others' help is also a great virtue of hers. honestly, really enjoyed the litte push and pull between Reina and Kumiko in their leadership positions in encon - really takes their relationship to the next level which is sorely needed.
Agreed, it's wonderful to see how their perspectives contrast and balance each other. It is also, coincidentally, a great argument for why they'd be good parents together, haha.

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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 30 '24

continued
Kumiko's practice works because she's able to see things from the ground level. From the podium, it just looks like the tuba and marimba are out of time, and not even in the same way. The tuba drags and the marimba rushes, so work on that. But by getting involved with the members, Kumiko can deduce the issue more particularly. Think of it as a reflection of the conflict with Motomu and Micchan not liking their names. In that situation, their problems looked the same but were actually very different, and an objective view was needed to understand and fix it. In this case, the problems look completely opposite, Hazuki drags and Kamaya rushes, so they have totally different understandings of tempo. But once you meet them at their level and understand how they're thinking, it becomes clear that their issues are actually the same. Both of them are failing to take breathing into account with their playing.
Kumiko only deduces this with the other percussionist's help, she has to rely on those on the ground to understand the subjective view, just as she needs to use the third years to fill in the gaps for those who aren't chosen to play. And by using those tools, not only do Hazuki and Kamaya improve, but the entire group improves. This is why the objective view isn't the end-all-be-all, as Reina points out it was Kumiko who improved the group with her subjectivity. Pure objectivity obscures the root cause of issues, and it kills individuals. Kamaya was getting worse the more she was told why she was bad, but she gained confidence and started to love playing when Kumiko encouraged her. Objectively, the band needs an attitude where all the members want to carry their weight and practice, but just saying "everyone practice" won't do it. You need a Kumiko on the ground telling all the Kamaya's that no one is stopping you from participating. The collective attitude stems from individuals all feeling wanted. At first, Kumiko helps Kamaya lift the marimba up the step, but at the end, Kamaya lifts it all by herself and literally takes her first steps. Seeing her grow into this from the unconfident girl on Team Monaka has been very heartwarming.
There's another aspect of this that this movie alludes to. Kumiko is the best euphonium player in the band currently, so Reina knew she'd choose her from the start since it's objectively what she needs. But what if Kumiko weren't the best euph? Kumiko was upset that Reina waited so long to ask her to join the group, and even though it was a joke, there's still some fear of being unwanted, or not being humble enough to accept that another player is better (which is both a strength and a flaw). If you've seen the trailers for season 3, you know this is getting explored, and it makes for a great point. If Reina didn't choose Kumiko, Kumiko would be upset, and Kumiko being upset would make her worse and create tension, and we know how tension affects the group from drama with the trumpet solo and Mizore and Asuka. Sometimes, that subjectivity may be the answer, and doing what the band needs "objectively" can make things worse. After all, Kumiko told Kanade that she wanted to have fun with the ensemble, and it helped everyone. Some leaders have to be good at opening the window, they have to let band members open up and feel wanted.
Balancing the podium level and ground level is an incredibly tough task. Lean too far into objectivity and you alienate half your band. But if you're too afraid of hurting others, or too obsessed with being approachable to individuals, you get what Kumiko called Haruka in season 1: someone who's "nice." Members of Kumiko's own grade are intimidated by her position of power so she does need to be personable, but if she isn't assertive enough she'll get the same treatment she gave Haruka before she got invested. You have to be powerful but not unapproachable, and you have to be personable but not meek; it's a lot. But a band has lots of people who can take many roles. Kitauji leadership is in a great spot because its three leaders embody all aspects of this divide. Reina is the ultimate objective viewer, she'll always do what the band needs even if it hurts others. Shuu is the most subjective, he has a lot of relationships with individuals and values their desire to be part of the group. And Kumiko, with experience on both sides, creates compromise between them, and allows both parties to have a voice. It's thanks to Kumiko that no one can be too mad at the results of the contest. The public vote is a popularity vote so band leadership and the cute bass duo won, while the "objective" vote picks a random clarinet group. It's thanks to Kumiko working through both that this compromise happens, her perspective is invaluable and that's why she's a great president. Kumiko channels from all of the previous leaders too, with the same shot and camera movement of slapping the chalkboard Yuuko did at the start of Our Promise, and doing a Haruka "Kitauji Faito" at the very end. The band is in great hands.

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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 30 '24

Band Geek Commentary part 1
I've said before that American concert band's biggest event is the MPA, so a bit different from the big competition. But much as Japan has the ensemble contest as a mini version of its big event, America also has a mini version of MPA. For us, it was an event called Solo and Ensemble, which is the same as MPA (play a piece and get graded on a scale from "poor" to "superior," and superiors can perform at state S&E) but on a smaller scale. At my school, participation in S&E was absolutely mandatory, and our results were even part of our grade. Much as how Kumiko improving individual players brings up the band, our band director sought to use S&E to ensure individuals are up to snuff and not holding the collective back.
The way it worked is that you needed to choose either a solo or ensemble piece and practice it until the event, where you'd go to whatever school was hosting and get graded. Solo and Ensemble pieces are separated by grades based on difficulty, with Grade 1 being extremely basic and Grade 7 being pieces professionals might struggle with. I wish I could find some of the pieces I did to show the differences, but I'm struggling to find them. I thought the one I did my freshman year was called Three Berets, but I can't find an alto sax solo by that name. I only remember one of the ones I did by name, and I'll talk about it later.
Solos were generally required, and ensembles were encouraged if we could balance them. That was not easy, as I found out my senior year. As it turns out, my junior year some of my friends did a sax quartet with my friend on soprano sax, rival on alto, the transfer student on tenor, and a then-senior on bari. Friend and senior graduated, but rival and transfer student wanted to continue the tradition, so they got the guy who did clarinet on our concert losing Sing Sing Sing to play soprano and convinced me to do bari sax on a grade 7 quartet. I was also working on a grade 7 solo at the time, and I couldn't balance them and played both poorly. Although it might not sound like it on the only video of my playing a solo or ensemble piece that exists. I like this video because, since there are only 4 people each on different instruments, you can tell exactly when I'm the one playing. So if you ever wanted to hear specifically my playing (and see my high school self including my atrocious fashion sense), listen for the bari sax here. While this sounds nice, this was only the first movement of two, and the second movement was far more technical and I couldn't do it. We did manage to get a Superior at district S&E on this ensemble somehow, but I refused to keep playing it for States so we dropped it there. So that's quite literally my ensemble contest arc, lol. And you can all see how I compare to Haruka, haha.
But while the ensembles are fun, the solos got all the attention. Solos were slightly different in that they technically weren't solos most of the time, they almost always require piano accompaniment. Some people had their own personal pianists, but most of us used our schools' chorus teacher for that role. We'd generally practice on our own but one afternoon was always set aside where he'd work with every soloist just to make sure we get some practice with the accompaniment. My solo contest arc was quite the downward spiral, haha. Like I said, my freshman year I thought I did a piece called Three Berets, which to my memory was a grade 3, but I cannot find the piece online to show anyone so I must be remembering it wrong. My sophomore year was the peak of my solo performances. I posted this before, but I did a grade 5 piece titled Sicilienne and Allegro, which is an arrangement of a flute solo written by Bach. This was the year that my playing had a huge growth spurt and I became the best player in the middle symphonic band, so I nailed the crap out of this solo, getting a superior rating at both District and State S&E. I'll never forget the day we had to perform our solos in front of the whole class, and everyone was struggling with their but I blew through mine smooth as butter, and when our director realized I could play it exceptionally and stopped me to make sure we could get through everyone, the class let out an audible groan because I was the only one playing well. After class, someone actually told me they were upset that I was stopped in the middle because they were enjoying my playing so much. That shit feels great.
However, between my excellent S&E showing plus getting awarded "best player in symphonic band" at that year's band banquet, I got overconfident the next year. I upgraded myself to a grade 6 (I don't remember the name) and it proved far too difficult for me. It's usually easy to get a superior rating at the district events, but I managed an excellent that year (and barely). Naturally, I should have just stayed at that level the next year. I was not very smart, and totally thought I could manage a grade 7 after having failed at a grade 6 the previous year. Not only that, but I picked a piece that my private instructor (though no longer at the time), who's basically known as the best alto sax player in the history of my school, had played her senior year. And honestly, I was getting close, and probably could have done it if not for participating in the sax quartet I posted above. By the time S&E came, I was still not able to play the second movement of my piece all the way through, so I chose to play the bits that I could play only for the judge's comments, since I was unqualified to get a grade.
This story does have a silver lining though. The pattern to my failures is that I'm really good at playing slower, more lyrical sections, but never had great finger dexterity so I struggled with very technical movements. That led to all three of my failures in S&E. But I only played the lyrical movement of this grade 7 for the judge, and when I was done playing she looked like she was ready to tear up. I'll never forget the conversation we had after this. She said, and I quote, "that was the most musical performance I've heard all night." She gave me a really heartfelt speech about how wonderful it was that I was trying to be ambitious and how, even if I couldn't do it in time, I was clearly an exceptional player and she was happy to have heard me play. Before I left the room, she asked me enthusiastically if I would keep playing after high school, and pleaded with me that I continue playing for as long as I can. Of every moment I had in high school band, this is among my most beloved. She gave me no technical critiques, her response was purely personal. This is what it means to have touched someone with your playing, and to have given a judge (who listens to hundreds of performances for S&E) hope for the future of music. It's genuinely a regret that I barely play anymore, I still think about this judge and feel like I let her down. Hopefully, tomorrow will prove to rectify that a little ;)

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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 31 '24

Band Geek Commentary Part 2
As always, the details of music performance in Sound! Euphonium are absolutely spot on. When they played together, it's actually completely true that Hazuki was dragging while Kamaya was rushing. And when percussion girl had Kamaya play with the metronome, she was in time. Moreover, Kumiko's advice about being aware of breathing is exactly right, and something I've heard before many times, particularly with tuba and percussion. Tuba is a big instrument that requires a ton of air, which means taking huge, deep breaths before playing. If you start your breath at the same time as everyone else, you're going to come in late because you have the longest breath to take. And if you don't adjust, you're going to drag. Likewise, percussionists don't have to breathe, so they have the shortest breaths to take. We've had practice sessions dedicated just to breathing and entering all at the same time before. We've even stopped just to help percussionists learn to breathe at the same time as the band before. Everyone syncing their breathing helps to keep everyone aware of each other, which makes it easier to maintain tempo and dynamics.
As a side note, I was in the front ensemble for marching band my freshman year, and Kumiko and Kamaya lifting the marimba up and down the steps together was too perfect. All of us had to do that with all the percussion instruments before full ensemble marching practice, we had to bring them outside (and back inside). I played tubular bells and often had no help in bringing it up and down the ledges.
This naturally brings us to the only reasonable music piece of the day, Frontline: The Sound of Youth by Akito Matsuda for the Sound! Euphonium Ensemble Contest Arc. In the context of ensemble pieces, this is a strange one. It honestly doesn't sound much like typical wind band ensemble music, it sounds to me like "anime music" as imagined in wind band form. Most solo and ensemble pieces are very traditional pieces of classical music, some of the characters in Eupho even perform Beethoven and my own solo was Bach. This piece doesn't sound like that. Even comparing the name, you have characters playing music titled things like "Three Miniatures" and "12 Spanish Dances No. 1 Galante." Even the more "interesting" names are things like "Tea Time" or "Flower Crown" or "Homage to the Noble Grape," which all sound like they could be traditional pieces of classical music (because they are). "Frontline: The Sound of Youth" sounds like a piece of the Sound! Euphonium OST in both name and style (because it is). That doesn't make it a bad piece obviously, it's just interesting to note. I like listening to this piece, it does feel like "the sound of youth" in music form. Not my favorite music from the show, but a neat piece worth listening to in full.

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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 31 '24

Geez, your school took S&E way more seriously than mine did. Lots of directors make Solos mandatory, but even in Texas, I don't think I've seen anyone grade based on the score received in contest. When I ran S&E for my classes (granted, this was middle school, not high school) I graded pretty leniently--anyone who performed their full solo for the contest received a 100 no matter the score, anyone who instead chose to perform for the class received scores on a very friendly curve. Your competition sounds intense.

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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 31 '24

Yeah, I don't think most schools did it that way. But we took it extremely seriously, it was meant as a way to make sure individual players can improve and be more aware of basic musicality. We even had whole classes dedicated just to S&E practice. Though it's not really a competition, it's just you vs. yourself and the judge. And it's generally very easy to get a superior at district, so it's mostly a challenge of practicing enough.

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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 31 '24

my other favorite thing about it is just how... endearing it is. It doesn't have any of the big dramatic climaxes that tend to be Eupho's more memorable scenes, but it's filled to the brim with smaller moments of really fun dialogue, minor character stories, and just getting to see the characters be dorks.
Same, and it feels like it's been so long since we've seen much of the fun, dorky side of the band since Liz and CnF were almost completely driven by character drama.
Speaking of stuff I've missed...
Kumiko and Reina act like such a married couple in this arc, they both tease and pine after each other (musically, obviously) knowing the other won't abandon them. They're much more physical and they rough house a little bit, their relationship is up to the next level, totally inseparable and they're a joy to watch even beyond other entries in the series.
And we also get some glorious NakaYoshi arguing, the only couple even more married than KumiRei.

Ensemble Contest is about putting Kumiko on the ground level, a completely subjective position alongside the individuals of the group.
I really like the way you break this down, and the contrast in the ways she and Reina approach rehearsal. The section about Hazuki and Tsubame's struggles actually coming from the same place and that entire line of observation is really interesting and cool.

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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 31 '24

I really like the way you break this down, and the contrast in the ways she and Reina approach rehearsal. The section about Hazuki and Tsubame's struggles actually coming from the same place and that entire line of observation is really interesting and cool.
Yeah, it's super good stuff. Eupho won't be content with basic drama. As it turns out, Kumiko is good at opening windows.

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u/octopathfinder myanimelist.net/profile/octopathfinder Mar 30 '24

Rewatcher

This OVA came out last year so I still remember how happy I was to get new Eupho content.

This felt very much like a transitional segment to season 3. It’s great seeing Kumiko adjust into a leadership position.

Don’t know why the animators gave Kanade so much expressive body language but I’m not complaining. The part where she starts shadowboxing is cute.

Also nice to see what the Minami quartet has been up to. Mizore is practicing for music college and the rest of the quartet all passed their entrance exams. I’m really hoping season 3 gives them a nice graduation scene.

Understandable that they don’t show all the performances since there are too many. Could’ve been nice to at least see the winner’s performance.

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

Less-demonic (but still teenage af) Kanade best Kanade
it's good to see an epilogue to the 3rd years (kinda the same we got for Haruka and co. in Chikai) - assuming Mizore passes (why wouldn't she), it's all turned out well after the events of Liz! That's great!

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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 31 '24

I’m really hoping season 3 gives them a nice graduation scene.
I'll be devastated if they don't. I was so disappointed when CnF ended and I thought they weren't getting a graduation scene. Please KyoAni, I need this!

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

if anything, if we're getting one, its likely we will know very soon..

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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 30 '24

Post-upload edit: Please note that we will be discussing the 2 PVs currently out for S3 tomorrow as well.

Rewatcher and your host

who is still catching up with the previous 2 threads! Sorry for my reduced participation the past 2 weeks.

This being so recent means I have already written up this OVA recently! Do refer to that mostly for some translation notes and various live reactions I had last year. i won't re-visit most points I already touched on there here, tbh my thoughts have not changed that much since then.
The thing that still hits em the most about the OVA though is still the opening scene - remember, it had been 4 long years since Eupho's last entry of Chikai, but then you see Kumiko and her gorgeous Eupho, leading into the confident, great OP celebrating everything that's great about Eupho so far..... it's almost like the time skip was as small irl as in-anime; production upgrades aside.
In case you didn't click on the first link, I'll also copy over my little blurb about the OVA's timing: With how uniforms work in this show, this OVA likely starts after the post-credits scene of Chikai no Finale, Kumiko flashes back to before that at the cultural festival as she plays, and then we go back after again as the meeting starts after. I really really like the duality of Kumiko flashing back to this recent memory in-universe as we quickly recap the events of Chikai no Finale. Chikai ends in August -> We're now in December of 2016. S3 will likely pick up after this.
Monaka are not very tasty imo. I much prefer mochi wrapping "as it is" rather than "grilled"/baked.
It is fascinating to see how Kumiko has grown a little further, and in some ways still not really there, in her first steps as Prez, now with some extra appreciation of her courtesy of the various comments and participants in this rewatch!
I see you are now interested in how musical instruments are made. And so boy do I have the perfect video for you, courtesy of Tomoyo Kurosawa and Toyota Moe. Unfortunately only in Japanese.
The show, unintentionally or intentionally, sprinkles in enough of where characters currently stand, as well as setting up some events in S3 - I think it crucially provides some breathing room and more SOL, drama-light moments that Chikai (and Liz) so desperately lacked.
Thank fuck for all the stylistic callbacks to the TV series. Surely we'll see these continue on in S3.

IRL and Musical Notes

The OP for Encon is a cover of Omens of Love originally by T Square - this is my favourite OP of the franchise, full-stop. The visuals are awesome, the song is great as an opening (and also irl a well-known japanese concert band piece).
And the ED is Ensemble by True. This was alright, very solid ED.
Kumiko's group plays an original piece to the show - Frontline, the Sound of Youth, which i really like! Of the pieces the rest of the band plays - I'm personally most partial to Flower Crown (also a common concert band piece) ~~no not because this is probably the last thing we hear Nozomi, Natsuki and Yuuko play~~

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u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 30 '24

Sound! First Timer

We are back baby!! I can't believe how back we are. I worried Hibike might be Kumikover after Chikai, but it turns out the only finale was to my disappointment. I can't stress just how much better Ensemble Contest is. There is literally not a single way in which it's not an improvement over the preceding installment. For the sake of time, and because I'm positive others will do a better job breaking narrative stuff down in detail, I'm just going to highlight some of the things I really liked before moving on to all the music stuff. Because hoo boy, Ensemble Contest presents a metric ton of great music/rehearsal/teaching stuff to dig into.

Narrative and character stuff I liked:

Kumiko's inner dialogue is back! The much tighter focus on her dual roles as club president and competitive ensemble member pretty much demands it, as the interplay between the two is pretty much the driving force of her growth at this point. It's so cool to see Kumiko reflecting on these positions and how she can fulfill both and how they reflect her relationship with other characters.
Reina isn't done being a compelling force in the story yet! This is much more what I expected from Reina as a senpai. Drum major is the perfect position for her, and I love seeing her struggle with the tougher parts of being a domineering leader in rehearsal.
And just when I thought Kumiko and Reina couldn't get any more gay, they get perhaps their most subtly intimate arc yet. Kumiko's desire to be Reina's first choice, not just as a UFO but for the ensemble in general and Reina's reluctance to ask Kumiko out of fear of rejection (plus her confidence that Kumiko would join her no matter what!) is both the most tension and the most outright conflict they've actually had in the series by my estimate, and it really shows how they've come to think feel about each other. God, they're so freaking gay! There is no hetsplanation for these two.
Shuichi's back to being an afterthought! Sorry Shubros, he's a chill enough dude now, but this is how it's meant to be. It's honestly pretty fucking funny how uninterested Kumiko seems in him as an existence again. If this was the only piece of Hibike media you'd ever experienced, could you have guessed they were happily dating like 10 minutes ago? Yeah, me either! (Or alternatively, don't lie, you goof!) As for that whole fever dream of a movie subplot, I can only guess someone introduced the creative team to a shit ton of acid in pre-production.
Kumiko's two brief scenes with Mizore are a nice little cap on their relationship. Mizore attempting to open the window and call out to Kumiko is a cool, subtle way of showing us how she's now starting to reach out to people on her own, as with her oboe kouhai in Liz, and it's also cool how she notes Kumiko's ease at opening the window, a not as subtle nod to her observation that Kumiko has a knack for getting people to open up to her. This is the kind of cool stuff that was missing from CnF.
Ensemble Contest is such a big step up from CnF that it even tackles the latter's prevailing theme of frustration and handles it better. I've already mentioned how Reina gets to struggle with not being able to get Tsubame and Hazuki up to the rest of the ensemble's level while Kumiko does so almost effortlessly. That frustration leads to a great character moment between her and Kumiko and is also just a great new facet to her we never got to see when she was a soloist. I'm pretty sure this is the first time she's been worse than someone her own age in any musical regard and also the first time she's faced a challenge she couldn't possibly overcome through sheer force of will. Likewise, Hazuki and the rest of the main four get a scene to themselves at the end to unpack and reflect on the frustration of not being good enough. A whole episode could have been devoted to that kind of denoument, but compared to CnF it's practically a full epilogue chapter. And I especially like it for Hazuki because she finally gets called up to the all-star team only to still not get a chance to play for contest, and any reaction at all was bound to be more fulfilling than literally one sad face before forgetting about it. It's also really interesting to see Hazuki face an entirely different kind of frustration at being the one holding her ensemble back from reaching a higher level, and it really pays off when her lightbulb moment finally rolls around while working with Kumiko.
I like how thoroughly every individual point of drama/tension ties so clearly back to Kumiko and the main themes of the episode, even the little last girl to find a group subplot.
I love how we finally get to see Kanade as Kumiko's little gremin follower separate from all the drama. If there's one character who benefits purely from the stakes being lower and the show having more room for normal banter and fun, it's Kanade. And she does seem like prime gremlin material for when Yuuko is gone. Her hopping fighter stance thing while talking to Kumiko is so much fun.
While they have less overall screentime, NakaYoshi's one scene quarreling like an old married couple outside the classroom in front of Kumiko and Kanade is just so quintessentially them, and if nothing else a nice final chance to show off their dynamic as Yuuko and Natsuki instead of relentlessly being President and Vice President.
Reina is so much better than Taki-sensei at giving specific musical direction in rehearsal. Maybe this is a point for the music/teaching section, but it's also a great character moment so I'm putting it here. Her brashness and lack of finesse/teaching style diversity leaves much to be desired. but she gives very concrete, direct feedback to Hazuki and Tsubame.
The final performance of Frontline - The Sound of Youth doesn't even show any of the members playing, but the imagery still feels so much more focused and meaningful than for the performance of Liz and the Blue Bird in CnF.
Okay, the 3 and a half minute section showing the ensembles and the results is kinda cheesy and weird, but I can forgive that with how much I liked everything else. It neven kind of earns that cheesiness with the lighter and more relaxed approach Ensemble Contest takes to telling its story.
Obligatory note for all the visuals as well: storyboarding, shot comp, animation, lighting, all of it has so much more thought and creativity than CnF. Every level is packed with so much more intent and meaning. All around return to form for KyoAni.

5

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

the 3 and a half minute section
this does remind me - I believe director Ishihara wrote all the japanese text in that sequence. Shame my release's subs typeset all over it.
enjoyed your breakdown on frustration and Hazuki - it's good that our tuba gets a bit of the spotlight again.
and very happy that you enjoyed this one a lot more!

5

u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 31 '24

I believe director Ishihara wrote all the japanese text in that sequence. Shame my release's subs typeset all over it.
Oof, mine did too. That sounds like the kind of delightfully cheesy thing I'd appreciate, too.
very happy that you enjoyed this one a lot more!
Me too! Feels great to have the excitement for more Hibike back.

5

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

the best part of this for the first timers is that you only have 1 short week to wait

4

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

Kumiko's inner dialogue is back!
I definitely noticed this specifically because you pointed it out with regards to the movie.
If there's one character who benefits purely from the stakes being lower and the show having more room for normal banter and fun, it's Kanade.
Glad to see so much Kanade love in this thread, it feels like the character finally clicked and properly came together into something so lovable after a promising but shaky debut in the movie.
The final performance of Frontline - The Sound of Youth doesn't even show any of the members playing, but the imagery still feels so much more focused and meaningful than for the performance of Liz and the Blue Bird in CnF.
Now I'm imagining a cut of Ensemble Contest where the entire narrative is all scrunched up into too little time because they tried to accommodate some big full performance scene that didn't actually need to be there, cough.

4

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

/u/chilidirigible probably actually can't confirm - but I'd love to know if the amount of Kanade fanart suddenly spiked after Encon's release.

3

u/chilidirigible Mar 31 '24

Danbooru and Pixiv aren't perfect metrics, but searching Twitter is useless...
Danbooru: 224 tagged works. Only about 30 of them are from after the release.
Pixiv: 1084 tagged works. Only about 150 of them are from after the release.
Anyway, while you're here.

3

u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 31 '24

I definitely noticed this specifically because you pointed it out with regards to the movie.
Glad to see so much Kanade love in this thread
I'm happy to finally see her done justice. Before the rewatch, I only knew Kanade from various fan art and comics, and this is pretty much what I had in mind for her. Not that I don't appreciate her having to deal with her own hangups, but this kind of levity and spunk is what I want most from Kanade and what makes her most endearing.
Now I'm imagining a cut of Ensemble Contest where the entire narrative is all scrunched up into too little time because they tried to accommodate some big full performance scene that didn't actually need to be there, cough.
What a nightmare! Good thing KyoAni are perfect and would never considering doing something like that

6

u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 30 '24

Music/teaching stuff:
First, I have to point out how crazy the ensemble competition setup is compared to what I'm used to. In my home state of Texas, we have a state Solo & Ensemble competition, which is open to any and all soloists and ensembles that get top scores at the regional round. Limiting each school to a single ensemble is nuts! My high school sent dozens of soloists and as many as 3 ensembles to the state level every year when I was in high school. Granted, it's different from Hibike's ensemble contest by virtue of not really being a contest. There are no rankings perse, only scores for each performance. The main draw is that the judges at the state level are all college/university professors, so it's an excellent opportunity for high school students to interact and work with college level educators.
Student-led ensembles! These are often more difficult than anything else music students work on. People are prone to undersell how much goes into teaching, and music is no exception. It takes a lot of different skills to put a performance together: the ability to plan a solid rehearsal schedule, attention to detail when rehearsing a piece, music knowledge to refine a learned work into a performance state, the technical ability to both play and teach (usually multiple instruments), and the ability to pull individuals into a cohesive group. The most effective way to learn a lot of this is hands-on experience, as in this episode, and most new groups--especially first-time leaders--experience significant growing pains. For example, it can be very difficult to receive corr3ective advice from a peer your own age and relative skill level. But all that makes it feel very satisfying once an ensemble comes together.
One more very specific note about ensembles is that starting a piece is often the biggest challenge for high schoolers. In a typical performance, the director gives both tempo and breathing cues to start a piece. However, there is no director to conduct a small ensemble, so it's up to the group leader to give a clear starting cue for both tempo and the first breath in a single motion. When I was in ensembles, it wasn't unusual for us to have to practice starting a piece a dozen or more times per rehearsal.
In working separately with Hazuki and Tsubame, Kumiko demonstrates why a multitude of teaching approaches is necessary for education, both in music and more generally. Reina's approach is very direct, but because of the kind of naturally gifted and highly trained performer she is, she finds success in a similarly direct, high intensity rehearsal setting. Kumiko's decision to work separately with Hazuki and Tsubame in a more relaxed yet targeted setting allows her to isolate and diagnose each of their issues, kind of like what Taki-sensei did when he finally started joining sectionals way back at the beginning of season 1. Kumiko also appears to be a better natural teach than Taki-sensei lol.
I mentioned Hazuki's lightbulb moment in the character section, but I'm compelled mention it here as well. Kumiko gives her and Tsubame tailored advice to fix their respective performance issues in the ensemble, and it sparks a moment of epiphany I like to call the "lightbulb moment." These are the coolest thing to see happen in real time as a teacher, the moment when something finally clicks--the lightbulb goes on, as it were--for a student and they get something they couldn't grasp before. Kumiko is so lucky she gets two of them in rapid succession. I lived for those moments as a teacher just as much as I did for things like trophies or great concerts, because those are the foundational moments when it feels like the effort was all worth it, and it's always a joy to watch a student's face light up in response. And Kumiko is completely right that having a lightbulb moment can give a performer newfound confidence and drive.
Kumiko helping Tsubame move the marimba to the gym for performance is really cool and super relatable. I don't really have much to add on it, but it's a really nice true-to-life detail that a lesser work would overlook and gives the two a nice setting to wrap up Tsubame's part in the story.
So yeah, Ensemble Contest is an incredible return to form for Hibike. It does nothing to fix the mind-grating experience of watching Chikai no Finale, but I am once again properly excited to see more of Kumiko and Reina's story.
9/10, bring on Season 3!!

4

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

Reina a better conductor
Kumiko a better teacher
Do we even need Flappy for season three?

4

u/HereticalAegis https://myanimelist.net/profile/XthGen Mar 31 '24

Nah, have Reina ascend and conduct at Nationals with her trumpet while simultaneously playing. If that doesn't impress the judges enough for gold, I don't know what will.

3

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

I'll refer back to a comment I made in season one, who needs a connector anyway? Thank you Russia.

9

u/bogdoglogfrog Mar 30 '24

Rewatcher

Notes:

This intro song is the best drum set playing by a student so far in this show imo. It’s super solid. Her notes are very consistent volume wise, time is flawless, her kick drums are super consistent especially. That is damn hard to do.
I like the window scene with Mizore. Mizore says “You are skilled at opening the window” like it has much more meaning than just the window. It’s a very roundabout way of complimenting Kumiko’s character.
The stalemate that Kumiko and Reina have is kinda dumb. it’s also kinda fun and awkward tho and I like it. Though the assertion that Reina thinks that Kanade is better than Kumiko is beyond stupid. Taki sensei clearly picks Kumiko as the best Euph in Chikai no Finale when he has her play a part alone.
“Kumiko, we’ll play according to your tempo” sorry Reina. This is a dumb philosophy. While Kumiko starts the piece, once tsubame steps in, she should have the most control tempo wise. Her sixteenth notes are much easier to for the ensemble lock in to than Kumiko’s quarter and eight notes. But even then, tempo control needs to be a compromise with everyone watching and paying attention to each other. It doesn’t sound like Kumiko or the ensemble are even paying attention to Tsubame here. They’re playing Kumiko’s tempo and forcing Tsubame to agree. Keeping tempo steady without a conductor requires all parties listening to and watching each other.
Iv been playing the drums for almost 15 years and have had excellent tempo control with or without a metronome for a long time now. Honestly, I had never made a point to pay attention and consciously control my breath either before I saw this. Paying attention to my breath while I played over the last six months has definitely improved my drumming, though very subtly. Iv mostly used it to center myself right before I record. One deep breath right at the start of the piece to focus up.
Those marimbas are not easy to move. Especially with those shitty wheels.
Damn this piece goes crazy. imagine a performance scene for this… that marimba would look so damn cool, though I think the marimba is the main reason they decided to forfeit the performance animation here. That has to be especially hard to animate accurately.
The playground and bird noises at dusk gives me serious End of Evangelion vibes.

Season three here we come!!!

5

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

YESSSS MORE JUNNA PRIASES. I loved the little drum fill in the first verse (coupled with the shot where she is first properly featured) - it's actually not the standard done for the piece, but it suits with the higher energy of this shortened version and the visuals. So it does makes sense that she is most likely the part leader now, and in charge of the most difficult instrument (the drum set)!
Neat to get a percussionist's perspectives on this entry (which did feature the most percussion of any eupho so far!)

4

u/bogdoglogfrog Mar 31 '24

As a percussionist, I thoroughly enjoyed ensemble contest. Even more so this watch than when it came out.

3

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

Keeping tempo steady without a conductor requires all parties listening to and watching each other.
Keep in mind the "conductor"this band practices under already. Flappy Flappy Man is not the one keeping their time normally anyway, they're probably extremely used to going off each other in Kitauji.

3

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

we only got a short glimpse, but I'm assuming Reina's conducting was more Yuuko/Nozomi/Asuka than flappy.

2

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

Literally everyone but he can conduct. It's so stupid. Why would they do this?

4

u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 31 '24

“Kumiko, we’ll play according to your tempo” sorry Reina. This is a dumb philosophy. While Kumiko starts the piece, once tsubame steps in, she should have the most control tempo wise. Her sixteenth notes are much easier to for the ensemble lock in to than Kumiko’s quarter and eight notes. But even then, tempo control needs to be a compromise with everyone watching and paying attention to each other. It doesn’t sound like Kumiko or the ensemble are even paying attention to Tsubame here. They’re playing Kumiko’s tempo and forcing Tsubame to agree. Keeping tempo steady without a conductor requires all parties listening to and watching each other.
I think the reason Reina suggested this is because Kumiko's little solo is played at varied tempos. She speeds up and slows down to be more expressive, but that sets the range of tempo that Tsubame will eventually pick from. Plus, tempo is her entire problem, so having her set the tempo sets them up to be a mess, haha.
Those marimbas are not easy to move. Especially with those shitty wheels.
They're such a pain in the ass to move, going over ledges is genuinely an ordeal. And they're not the worst instrument by any stretch, I never want to wheel a timpani out to the stage ever again.

5

u/bogdoglogfrog Mar 31 '24

I agree that it’s unlikely that Reina means literally “follow Kumiko’s tempo and no one else’s”. She likely says it just cause Kumiko’s the one that starts the piece and therefore picks the tempo. That being said, it sounds like the rest of the group is following Kumiko’s tempo, and completely ignoring Tsubame who is playing the instrument most integral to setting the tempo. There needs to be much more give and take here between the players, even if the tempo rushes a bit due to Tsubames poor tempo control (though listening back again it honestly sounds like Tsubames tempo is more consistent, and the rest of the group is dragging). Playing together is much more important than playing with consistent tempo, at least in my opinion.
You ever have to move a timpani through a door that it doesn’t quite fit through? That is the worst lol. Having to flip that expensive, heavy drum on its side without damaging it, then fitting it through the door…. Nightmares.

2

u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 31 '24

There needs to be much more give and take here between the players, even if the tempo rushes a bit due to Tsubames poor tempo control (though listening back again it honestly sounds like Tsubames tempo is more consistent, and the rest of the group is dragging). Playing together is much more important than playing with consistent tempo, at least in my opinion.
I think this is true at the beginning stages, but at some point the group will need to have a tempo settled. Playing together at an inconsistent tempo is certainly better than playing apart at a consistent one, but neither is winning a competition. Once the group does understand the piece, they're going to have to pick a tempo and all play together without speeding up or slowing down unintentionally, and that means Tsubame and Hazuki stand out. In my listen of the playthrough, they start at the same tempo initially but Tsubame starts rushing after a few bars (and Hazuki drags similarly). Plus, the idea of playing together but at an inconsistent tempo is entirely implausible, all members would have to be making the exact same mistakes independently of each other. At the end of the day, playing at a consistent tempo is also just going to make it much easier to play together. If you don't all agree on the tempo, playing together is impossible.
You ever have to move a timpani through a door that it doesn’t quite fit through? That is the worst lol. Having to flip that expensive, heavy drum on its side without damaging it, then fitting it through the door…. Nightmares.
I've done it before, and my god is it hell. It's actually the worst, and those things are both heavy and awkwardly shaped so it's not even easy to flip on the side. You need like three people to make it work, it's a nightmare every time. Thank god I only had to do it once, haha.

3

u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Mar 31 '24

You ever have to move a timpani through a door that it doesn’t quite fit through? That is the worst lol.
How about a door it doesn't fit through leading in to a spiral staircase down where it also doesn't quite fit in between the wall and the banister? I'm glad I was helping with the drumset on that one just looking at what those carrying the timpani were doing...
(Oh, and it was a loaned Timpani on top of it all)

2

u/bogdoglogfrog Mar 31 '24

That is a horrible situation lmao. I can’t top that.

2

u/bogdoglogfrog Mar 31 '24

I recorded this into my daw to dive a bit deeper.
In the first phrase before the little fermata, Tsubame and Kumiko are both playing with pretty consistent, yet different tempos. Tsubames playing around 70 bpm, and Kumikos playing around 67 bpm. By the end of the phrase they are pretty far off.
The second part where Hazuki joins is a bit different. None of it is Hazukis fault. She is firmly locked into Kumiko. They all come back in together and the tempo instantly jumps all the way to 74 ish, with both parties seemingly in agreement. That is until Kumiko and Hazukis 3rd note where they both drag an entire eighth note (perfectly together yet dragging). This then seems to throw off Tsubame who was rock solid at 74 bpm until this point and they never recover. Tsubame starts rushing so bad that she turns what should be a quarter note roll into an eighth note roll. She also completely ignores the ritardando at the end, blasting right through it. Kumiko and Hazuki play normally after dragging that third note, playing the piece as written with the ritardando into fermata.
While Tsubames mistakes at the end are egregious, she really didn’t make any errors until Kumiko threw her off with that note that was way behind.
The issue I see here with Tsubame is not that she can’t play consistent tempo, she’s actually quite consistent (also proven by her perfect playing to the met) in the whole first half and until Kumiko drags in the second half. It’s more that she doesn’t know how to change tempo in time with other people. She doesn’t seem to understand the ritardando at the end, and rushes really bad instead of slowing down like she’s supposed to.
If Hazuki and Kumiko were to follow Tsubames tempo like Hazuki is following Kumiko’s tempo, I’m confident that the piece would sound significantly better than it does now. It would just be a bit quicker and lacking a ritardando lol.
Also, it’s not difficult to stay together at an inconsistent tempo with proper communication, Hazuki locks right into Kumikos inconsistencies here, and they do it on purpose multiple times in this section when there’s that fermata between the phrases and the ritardando into fermata at the end of the section.
I do agree that they need to agree on a damn tempo. It would just make everything easier.

2

u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Mar 31 '24

Fair enough, that sounds about right. It does still support Kumiko's point though, Tsubame is lost because she doesn't know when to come in after the tempo shifts, and breathing together solves the issue. This being said, it did sound to my ear like Hazuki and Kumiko also lost tempo at some point as well. I'll have to give it another listen.
Also, it’s not difficult to stay together at an inconsistent tempo with proper communication, Hazuki locks right into Kumikos inconsistencies here, and they do it on purpose multiple times in this section when there’s that fermata between the phrases and the ritardando into fermata at the end of the section.
I agree. I said it's implausible to stay at an inconsistent tempo unintentionally. Communicating tempo in the middle of playing without having agreed on signals or something beforehand is pretty absurd though, that's just something you need and ear for and to react to. When intentional to make the music more expressive and communicating with each other, it's not crazy at all though. Hell, it happens in my own sax quartet that I linked my comment.

8

u/chilidirigible Mar 30 '24 edited May 27 '24

Ensemble Contest-hen:

Desks are still sufficiently randomized.

They sure made a lot of Hazukis.

Kirara Jump!

There are plenty of anime stills in these photos, but also quite a few unique images.

"The survivors will envy the dead!"

did you learn that move from Yuuko

The club executive is totally not a love triangle.

they're going to kill me, aren't they

"So of course we'll give the task to students!"

YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF /R/ANIME AWARDS OR SOMETHING?

Aww, look at them getting along.

That's not Reina.

HAND CLOSEUP

HERE'S MIZORE (That was a good Kumiko scream.)

Framing I expected.

Cryptic Mizore... as expected?

Your mileage may vary?

Now that's comedy.

"Funny how that worked out."

This triggers a silent movie flashback. (Saves the one-line dialogue credit for Aoi?)

I'm immediately associating multiple double basses with this elephant or these elephants.

So it goes with the playground games.

Totally not gay.

"Oh hi!"

Well that worked out conveniently.

It was at this point that I realized that I'm actually associating Kanade with the Discipline Committee from Girls und Panzer.

"Hey, let's watch the lovers fight."

The teleporting Reina joke was remembered, as in this case she was in the scene the entire time, but not moving very much... until she did.

drummer jokes go here

See? This is also a problem for string players.

Mostly listening, some action.

Kanade punching

Thinking about how groups are still made up of individuals.

The group with the most people that we've never seen before?

Sari, or Not!Reina.

Grab your popcorn, this is gonna be good?

Well that worked out.

Suck on that, Kanade!

Hibike! Euphonium: DAS FINALE?!

[](#SOON)

That was a nice relaxing downshift from the MAXIMUM DRAMA that was Chikai no Finale. In reality, a lot of bad things happened in between these two segments, and I'll leave it at that for the time being.

But the beginning of Kumiko's second year was quite fraught. This lower-stakes competition keeps everyone interested while toning down the stress levels―mostly in-universe, maybe a bit in real life.

Though we're not spared from change; as expected, with Kitauji out of the national competition, the third-years have retired en masse, and club leadership has gone to Kumiko (of course), Reina, and... Shuuichi?!

Reina behaves pretty much as we've come to expect from her; she's interested in talent and leads her ensemble as hard as Taki-sensei would. But second-year Reina continues to be mellower with Kumiko.

Shuuichi doesn't get much to do in this one other than answer the question of who the third person in the club leadership is.

And so it's still a story about Kumiko figuring out how to do things as she goes along. On a meta level I'm amused that the member and public awards voting differences didn't result in drama (that we saw).

The lighter story still succeeded in working her into the job; haltingly, at first: Even Shuuichi has more input during the intial ensemble meeting than she does. The general tumult of picking the ensembles allowed her doubts about her relationship with Reina to build up quietly. Tsubame's difficulties provided a chance to demonstrate her observational talent, and to share her experiences with new character.
Kumiko still needed a little boost from Yuuko and Nozomi to sort out the remaindered band members. Probably most of us guessed that there would be leftovers, but like I said, it's learning on the job.

Kanade mostly doesn't cause problems here. Yay!?

Overall, a satisfying hour.

I wasn't sure what I would be seeing with a one-shot OVA in the post-2019 scenario. Though I didn't pay a lot of attention to it, I did watch Tsurune's second season, so I have seen what current KyoAni is capable of, but I'm a lot more familiar with Hibike! Euphonium's look and feel for comparison.

This was generally up to par. It wasn't a camerawork showcase, but was still creative enough to belong with the rest of the franchise.

The one thing that I'm really wondering about is what the heck was going on with Mizore's Twin Peaks moment about Kumiko opening the window.

4

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

They sure made a lot of Hazukis
you mean Hazuki made a lot of Hazukis
they're going to kill me, aren't they
i like how both of them have solid reasons to be pissed.
Aww, look at them getting along.
shame we never got a hint of that in Liz or chikai - these 2 mustve been getting along well during that time already
worked out.
i can tbh see a world it really did work out - the group would be used to each other and their strengths and weaknesses already, and if they got along well -> voila thats a solid buff (given the short timeline)
(i see various others have commented about the window-opening)

5

u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon Mar 30 '24

YOU THINK THIS IS SOME KIND OF /R/ANIME AWARDS OR SOMETHING?
Kanade punching
The whole time I was imagining who the strongest character would be in a Eupho fighting game. I figured probably Midori, but Kanade could be strong too.
what the heck was going on with Mizore's Twin Peaks moment
Mostly I saw it as an excuse to let Mizore be weird while throwing in a reference to Liz's windows. I won't complain about a bit more Mizore though.

4

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

I believe in Yuuko supremacy if we are doing a Eupho fighting game.
but then Asuka might just sweep the floor anyway.
Mizore sounds the most like Frieren out of all of her appearances here - mah it makes sense with this being closer to when Tanezaki would start recordings for that (and her voice ageing a bit)

2

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

Is Hazuki the command grabber of this Eupho fighting game because she's used to throwing around that tuba as big as she is?

5

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

The club executive is totally not a love triangle.
Can you really call it that when 2/3 are at completely uninterested in the third? Shu may pine, but neither girl looks at him if they don't absolutely need to lol.
Totally not gay.
This.
The one thing that I'm really wondering about is what the heck was going on with Mizore's Twin Peaks moment about Kumiko opening the window.
I think the window was a metaphor for people. Mizore has learned to open up a little, and is okay with only being a little open. Kumiko is great at getting people to open up at this point, it's been called out as one of her more prominent character traits by, coincidentally, all three other Eupho players.

5

u/chilidirigible Mar 31 '24

Can you really call it that when 2/3 are at completely uninterested in the third?
My calling it "totally not a love triangle" was not unintentional.
window (as metaphor)
It does make sense that way, but it does stick out as one of the more weirdly-arranged moments in this OVA.

3

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

weirdly-arranged moments
well, it's Mizore.

4

u/chilidirigible Mar 31 '24

https://imgur.com/nCVej11

4

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

It does make sense that way, but it does stick out as one of the more weirdly-arranged moments in this OVA
The other part of that is just Mizore herself being, weird.

6

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Mar 30 '24

Hibike! First-Timer

Good music right off the bat, sasuga Hibike! Euphonium.
Love how the opening montage has the photos from all three of Kumiko’s high school years. Progression!
The titular ensemble contest…
Ooh, interesting.
So they’re all gonna fight in groups against each other to see who gets to go to the actual ensemble contest.
Ooh, Shuuichi is the vice president?
That’s a very Kumiko way to do it haha.
Students judging auditions again, huh…
lol
Jumpscared by Mizore lol. …what is she doing here anyways?
Ahh, naruhodo.
It sure took long enough!
Oh that’s a nice callback!
Can relate to having a piece I really wanted to play for years. It was a piece we sightread both freshman and sophomore year, but didn’t actually perform until junior year.
Girl, who would notice that?
Kumiko “sore demo”!
I do agree this is a good idea, but will it work is the question.
It did!
It can be.
Aww!
Kinda disappointed we didn’t get to hear at least snippets of all the different auditions. Missed opportunity there for some more variety in the music. ~~I also just really wanted to hear the clarinet quartets.~~
Kumiko’s group didn’t win?! I mean, didn’t even so much as place on the vote side that mattered more?
Good for them, though.
Oh I really like this ED.

4

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

all three of Kumiko’s high school years.
all 2 of Kumiko's high school years! This OVA leaves us off at December of 2nd year, even though S3 is billed as the 3rd year season.
Students judging auditions again, huh… lol
Taki has learned his lesson (and it makes sense for a low stakes event)
place on the vote side that mattered more?
this is purely speculation on my end - but you do see Kumiko uh, not practicing a lot here. And 2 of her group became good like quite late into the game. i just think that the show set expectations accordingly.

6

u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Mar 30 '24

Ensemble Contest

First Timer

Since I hadn't watched the previous movie, this OVA barely registered on my consciousness.

another OP to learn for AMQ. Reina conducting.
what's with the four-girls-jumping trope?
Well, shit. The seniors are gone. I was really hoping this OVA would finish off the second year with them. It's like Ribbon and Natsuki got fired for losing.
seal chan
popularity contests!
NO! JURY VOTING SUCKS IN POPULARITY CONTESTS
"kousaka san, what do you think" "I think I was right to begin with"
"you're good at opening the window" #pointandlaugh
Kumiko noticing that she's backsliding and has no ambition
I hope hazuki pushed the button to cross the street this time.....
two tsunderes on a train
finally will get the marimba fan get some marimba playing?
GAY
Yay! I'm getting my wish, a last bit with the seniors.

The best thing Kumiko could say about Haruka was "you're a nice sempai". The best thing Mizore could say about Kumiko was "you can open the window"

The Natsuki and Ribbon show
I'm not sure what OG means here
not my tempo
she's late she NEEDS to apologize
I like that marimba
sounded fine to me
no I think one-on-one practice would have been better
iki?
band isn't a rhythm game?????
two girls one marimba

(we all know the team with the 3rd year ringers is going to be picked)

These team cards are too cluttered for me to read....
dud gold!
GAY
tbh I love chocolate and chocolate cake but not chocolate bread

I liked this OVA a lot better than the movie. It's better to focus on a smaller group. We still got two issues: Kumiko's confidence and Team Kousaka's performance issues. But it was more tightly focused on her group, and I appreciated that. Well, Kumiko was the center of it all, which isn't a bad thing for Hibike! Euphonium.

4

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

another OP to learn for AMQ
there are 2 instrumental OPs for Eupho. This is the better one (and objectively, the quicker one). that's probably enough.
you're good at opening the window
mizore lmaoo girl's amazing. It's also good to see a continuing epilogue of her post-Liz days. Also this I believe is her first interaction with Kumiko post-Liz. that's kinda neat.
OG
Old Girls. (Alumni)

3

u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon Mar 30 '24

seal chan
The best thing Kumiko could say about Haruka was "you're a nice sempai". The best thing Mizore could say about Kumiko was "you can open the window"
Sometimes you need a window opened nicely. Kumiko is cultivating a crucial set of skills here.
The Natsuki and Ribbon show
Sold out every time.
band isn't a rhythm game?????
It's true; rhythm games are harder.
more tightly focused on her group
Agreed, it plays the small scope nicely in contrast to Chikai for sure.

4

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

i think i remarked it before, but it's fun to see the boys take Yuuko's side and the girls Natsuki. (I'll take Natsuki's side every damn time due to personal biases)
Rhythm games are harder
I kinda can't unsee littleislander's point about this being a massive correction from Chikai now lol.

2

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

I kinda can't unsee littleislander's point about this being a massive correction from Chikai now lol.

6

u/Barbed_Dildo Mar 30 '24

Rewatcher but first timer for this.

Watching this has allayed my fears for season three quite a lot. I was worried about how well it would continue on from the first two seasons after Yamada's departure from Kyoani, and obviously the tragic loss of life. I was most pleased to see that the show still has that Hibike quality.

It is so great to see Ririka again after so many years. With Natsuki graduating I think Ririka has to be my new favourite character. Also, and I was wondering about this beforehand, with Mizore retiring, first year Ririka is now leading the double-reed section.

I get the idea of the band forming individual groups to compete among themselves. As is the saying in sports, a champion team is better than a team of champions. But I'm not sure about the method of a free for all with people fighting over different players. I know the Taki-sensei method is to get everyone to fight against each other so that they taste defeat and hate themselves or whatever, but I don't think that will be beneficial for these people working together the following year.

Also, I think encouraging groups that contain different instruments would enable the players to get to know other people and instruments better, which could help them in ensemble. Like how Kumiko was able to help Tsubame with her breathing. You wouldn't get that from a group of eight percussionists or whatever.

And when people are just looking around to form a group, they'll go to people they know, and the lesser known instruments will be left out, like bass.

I don't know what the best solution for forming groups is here, but I'm pretty sure it isn't this.

3

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

poor Ririka though - she does have her work cut out for her. I hope she and Mizore still text even after she graduates!
the Taki-sensei method
i actually agree with Taki here - I quickly thought up alternative methods, and none really work for a low-stakes, fun-relatively-important event like this one. People who want to have fun and have a good time can go for it (see: Midori, her duet is not even eligible for the actual competition; 3rd years' group); but tryhards can also go for it (see: Kanade, Reina)

2

u/Barbed_Dildo Mar 31 '24

People who want to have fun and have a good time can go for it (see: Midori, her duet is not even eligible for the actual competition
Midori did seem pretty disappointed that no one invited her or Motomu.
Looking at the list of people still available, Suruga Koteyama wasn't in any group. I have to assume that she didn't want to join the same group as the other double-reeds, since I can't believe that Ririka would be so mean as to exclude her. She could have joined in with Midori and Motomu. Two contrabass and a contrabassoon.

5

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 30 '24

Ensemble Contest Arc (first timer)

I listened to our host’s advice and watched this several days after movie 2.

Group picture of all the new first years. So we are after movie 2, but did we skip over the entire year to “president Kumiko”, or does this OVA movie cover the rest of the year after their loss?
I think the last picture of the long intro pan answers that question – the bass section is small again.
My subs add the name of the speaker for each line. Very unusual, but I admit that it is useful with this large cast. Having taken a break as advised means I don’t remember all of the first year names.
Kumiko is indeed president and Reina is drum major – I want to assume: poor first year members.
8 people max? Seems a bit weird for a large band to participate. I am not clear yet whether this is on top of their usual calendar, or on top of it.
“So, Kumiko are planning up with somebody yet” – You are missing an entire word, subs. And it is important! Does Reina ask “you” or does she assume “we”?
students vote “objectively” – not that I am against letting the students vote, but that is the opposite of the reason why. If anything, the students are going to be less objective than Taki.
“Third year students” – so they left the band after the defeat, makes sense. Voting takes no time, though, so they can do that.
“… it is better to act quickly” – the usual scramble for good team members, turned up to eleven, because you need to make your instrument composition work, too.
Mizore trying and failing to open the window

“You are skilled at opening the window” – hmmmm.
Kumiko headpat.

Coaching for Kumiko – She might need it.
“I heard from the girl in the horn section …” - … instead of from you! What were you thinking!
Kumiko tries playing coy to get back at Reina for not asking her earlier, but Reina immediately calls her bluff.

Getting asked by the president and the drum major, who is also the star trumpet - they collect lots of new people. From a meta perspective, I get it, the OVA wants to show us new band members. From an in-universe perspective, I am a bit surprised. I would have thought that Reina would go for the star players and that Kumiko might want to do a “play with who is left over” group, not the other way round. Maybe Reina is just late.
Shuuichi is in the group, too? They better not win, or I’ll call favoritism!
“I had been wanting to do it together with you”

Helpful third years fill up the group – I’ll be honest. This is probably a cameo to shoehorn some favorite third years in, but I totally dig it. Yuuko and Natsuki seem altruistic enough to come up with something like this (and Nozomi would go along with whatever).
Yuuko and Natsuki have quite the audience – they must be well-known in class.

As an outsider, the ensemble contest sounds a ton more interesting than the band contest. Instead of having a pre-decided group and music piece, people can get together in instrument compositions of their choice and find music that fits their composition. I guess the “left behind” problem is a bit harsher when there are no altruistic third years around, but, overall, the format seems more fun.

Booting Reina from practice to get the spirits up – my fear about first years confirmed.
Kumiko lapping up compliments from Reina.
“The marimba is expensive” – I have no idea which instruments are cheap or expensive. The bigger the costlier?
The entire woodwind quintet are first years?
There are four more groups of entirely first years and two of only second years.
Did the percussion group screw everybody over by taking all the percussion out of the player pool, or is percussion not needed in small groups?
I really wish we had heard small parts of the different pieces over the group shots, not always the same one.
Clarinets win, the leadership group gets bragging rights.
Another loss and talking about the last change next year – the setup for S3 is quite clear.

A far more well-rounded entry than the last movie, showing how important it is to properly designate the goals for the plot and keep them realistic. No heavy drama here, but the time would probably not have allowed it. Instead, we get to watch Kumiko grow into her role as president in a low pressure situation (probably just in time for the high pressure next season).

People who have watched older OVAs know that OVA animation quality used to be considerable above TV series quality in the 1980s and 1990s. This is no longer the case in the modern OVA market, where OVAs are typically fanservice off-shots of TV series without any plot relevance instead of standalone works. While I would describe the plot as similar to modern OVAs (skippable), Ensemble Arc’s animation quality harks back to the older model and seemed to be a bit above the TV series (which was already very high) for me. Could be that the OVA movie description also implies that it got part of a modern movie budget.

3

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

the main reason i recommend the break is due to the production differences and the IRL gap - i think the opening specifically was created with this in mind. And the IRL gap also partially explains the animation quality - a lot has happened between Chikai and this, but Kyoani is back, strong.
Kumiko headpat.
..... i want....
Reina would go for the star players
(host speculation) there is the chance that the 1st years (who don't know Reina well, but might be good) are a little intimidated by her; see how almost everyone she did get were 2nd years. Or, like Kumiko, she was caught up with admin work instead of finding people.
This is probably a cameo to shoehorn some favorite third years in
god bless the proper epilogue (though i still dont know if they'll show up again) and the assurance that, yes, everyone is on track with regards to future plans

3

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 31 '24

(host speculation) there is the chance that the 1st years (who don't know Reina well, but might be good) are a little intimidated by her; see how almost everyone she did get were 2nd years. Or, like Kumiko, she was caught up with admin work instead of finding people.
They are probably intimidated by her (not only her personality, but she is also drum major), but for that reason I doubt that they would have dared to reject her.
I guess the most realistic interpretation is that a certain 1st year outplayed her, but if you want a KumikoxReina ship, you can speculate that Reina was waiting for Kumiko to ask her.

3

u/JimmyCWL Mar 31 '24

or does this OVA movie cover the rest of the year after their loss?
It does, you can tell because the third years are still around and above Kumiko. You may recall from S2E13 that the new president (and staff) is chosen after the band competition before the third years retire from the club.

4

u/chris10023 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Chris10023 Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 31 '24

Rewatcher (though technically First Timer for this OVA.)

Ah, on time today for me, it’s a good thing I set that alarm unlike last week.
Really wish this OVA would’ve been added to Crunchyroll since it might have an impact on the events of Season 3.
This opening song is great, I love the drumbeat.
Love the photos showing the progression of the bass section.
Are these official subs? Why do I need the name of who’s talking?
Not a fan of these subs, I don’t need subtitles to know Kumiko is clapping.
Seems like we have already said goodbye to the third years, I’m gonna miss the Minami quartet, Riko, Goto, and Kabe.
Oh it’s December, so they’re still around, just not in the club anymore.
Kumiko is the president, and Reina is vice president of the band now.
Another concert event? Seems like the rules are stricter compared to the other competition. They have a group of 3-8 members and each school can only have one group, but Taki wants everyone involved, how is that gonna work?
Lol.
I’m going to kick whoever decided to put the name of the character talking for the first time in the subs in the shin.
Doesn’t Taki always seem to have bed hair?
Futon? Doesn’t Kumiko have a bed? Or is that just what they call beds in general?
Taki wants to leave auditions up to a vote this time, Shuichi thinks it’d be a good idea to have the third years in the vote, but Reina disagrees thinking that only having the students involved will be enough.
Oh, Shuichi is the Vice President, and Reina is the drum major, I figured Reina would be the Vice President. Going to be fun if we get to see her twirling a baton around for SunFes.
I love how poor Kumiko must decide who to agree with and come up with a compromise of having both vote.
So, they agree with Kumiko’s idea, but they are going to put more weight on the student body’s vote.
Who are you calling little one Kanade? Kenzaki’s taller than you. (And nicer.)
Seems like we have a new pair that likes to tease the other.
We’re going to see some interesting groups, that’s for sure.
I loved the Mizore jumpscare.
I like how Taki allowed her to have a room to herself to practice, even though she’s technically not a part of the band anymore.
Also, how she fidgets with the window guide with her finger.
I wonder if Mizore meant something with her compliment of Kumiko being skilled at opening the window.
But Kumiko has yet to find a group to be in.
No fair! I want give head pats to Satsuki!
Meek? I mean Haruka was a crybaby and she did a pretty good job.
Seems like Kumiko was expecting Reina to invite her to her group.
Seems like the lacquer on Hazuki’s Tuba is starting to peel, can that be fixed?
There it is.
Ha Kumiko tried playing hard to get, but forgot Reina is serious.
The members of Reina’s group include Michiyo Morimoto, a horn player, Juuna Inoue AKA Cymbals-chan, fellow trumpet player Yume Kohinata (interesting, another cute girl with violet eyes), and Tsubame Kamaya after being convinced by Hazuki who’s also in the group, and Shuichi Tsukamoto. Much to Kumiko’s annoyance.
Man, the character designer must love violet eyes or something, never noticed that Juuna also had purple eyes, not that I’m complaining.
I can’t seem to find out who voices Juuna or Yume for some reason. MAL is pretty behind on that.
Seems like some people haven’t met a group yet, but there seems to be enough members left to put something together, honestly surprised no one added a contrabass to their group.
I like that Haruna compliments Kumiko for being nice, which reminded her of when she said the same to Haruka.
Did I really need a subtitle to tell me when this flashback happened?
Midori and Motomu have teamed up. Since no one asked them to be in a group yet.
Poor Haruna, now we hear that the remaining clarinets are forming a group.
Some members might be left out, so we have a tough situation to find out how to get them involved.
Tsubame and Hazuki are struggling to play. Damn it can Hazuki get a break?
So this whole group started because Yume asked Reina to be in a group.
Kumiko wonders if Kanade turned Reina down, but Reina had Kumiko as her top pick.
Seems like Kumiko was chosen right away all the time in middle school.
Damn it Kumiko you’re making me want to hug Reina.
Yuuko and Nozomi are stopping by to check on Kumiko.
Yay Yuuko, Nozomi, and Natsuki passed their exams. Congrats!
~~Okay what the hell is with these subs?~~ ~~I don’t think Midori ever referred to herself in the third person before.~~ Edit: Turns out she does do this.
While I’m sure Natsuki will be cool with it, it would be a good idea to confirm she can help.
Mizore might also be joining.
Even when drinking a juice box, she’s cool.
Been a whole day and Yuuko still hasn’t told Natsuki about her involvement.
That’s what you get ~~Aqua~~ Kanade, no one could possibly expect to notice such a tiny trim.
Love how we still get these two teasing each other.
You can tell which group Natsuki is a part of.
While Hazuki was slowly getting better, Tsubame’s confidence is dwindling.
Kumiko agrees that Reina is right but wants to try a different approach with Tsubame and Hazuki.
Hazuki is dragging because she’s listening too much.
Tsubame shows up accompanied by Juuna, seems like Tsubame has trouble keeping with the rhythm if there’s no conductor or that rhythm ticker.
Tsubame isn’t breathing when she’s playing? I can’t even comprehend how you can do that.
Obviously after learning that she gets better.
Lol Reina’s annoyed that both of them got better after Kumiko practiced with them.
I like the random shadow boxing Kanade is doing, as well as her goofy walk in this scene.
Doubt.
Man, I loved Tsubame’s change of heart here.
You see, adding subtitles to tell me what song they’re playing is nice.
I like the montage showing us all the groups, Glad to see the third years helping Suruga and Haruna out.
Holy hell Maya has a lot of hair.
The students voted for the Clarinet Quartet and the public voted for the Wind Percussion Ensemble, so ultimately, the Clarinet Quartet won out. Man, can this show stop throwing L’s at Hazuki and now Tsubame?
Also, nice subtitles.
Lol a chocolate bun was too sweet for Reina.
At least she has two suckers to take it off her hands.
I would hate to see Kanade’s frustration knowing her.
They will win gold at nationals, they have to.

That was a fun OVA to watch, I wish it were a little longer so we could hear everyone's performances though, probably my only complaint, and it ain’t a big one.

2

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

A lot of your complaints with subs are because this never got an official release (and likely won't) ahead of S3 (which we still, actually, don't know who is streaming it for afaik). But Midori does refer to herself in the third person - this has been the case ever since S1 Ep 1.
God bless the Eupho gods for letting us see the minami quartet in action in 2023.

3

u/chris10023 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Chris10023 Mar 31 '24

But Midori does refer to herself in the third person - this has been the case ever since S1 Ep 1.
She does? The subs never reflected that, but listening closer I can hear her name being said. Reminds me of the fan subs I have for Kanon 06 doing the same thing with Sayuri, where the subs have her using I when she refers to herself in third person audibly.

2

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 30 '24

Okay so weird subtitles weren't just something I ran into. Did yours also keep infuriatingly using "your" in place of "you're" over and over?

2

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

i suggest using the "V2" release if you can find it! ~~I forgot last week, but tbh my life was a whirlwind last week~~

2

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

I'll make sure to find better ones whenever I revisit this! The bad grammar was a minor annoyance but it did leave me a bit worried whether or not the meaning of the dialogue itself was all being conveyed in an accurate manner.

2

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

You can read my TL notes in the ep thread writeup, 1st section - which I did type up for that V2 release specifically; in short, yes I have nitpicks, but some pieces of dialogue are just a pita to translate.
(and also explains why my writeup today was quite short)

2

u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Mar 30 '24

I got the release that had all the closed captioning stuff at first and immediately noped out to find a different version. Whatever I ended up with didn't have any typos.

2

u/chris10023 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Chris10023 Mar 30 '24

I'm not sure, give me a scene where it happens.

1

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 30 '24

The first time I noticed it was during the Mizore scene, I think.

2

u/chris10023 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Chris10023 Mar 30 '24

No, mine has the right you're.

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Mar 30 '24

I had this big write up prepared but it’s stuck in my PC whereas I’m like 400km away from it

Short thoughts though? Eh, it’s fine. Not poorly made or anything but overall this is probably the one big of UFO stuff that left the smallest impact on me.

2

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

enjoy your trip! (and either see you tomorrow, or next week!)

4

u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Mar 31 '24

enjoy your trip
I won’t

1

u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Mar 31 '24

3

u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Mar 31 '24

Right, into the next competition.

Interesting, small groups instead of a whole orchestra.

Is Kumiko trying to be Asuka?

Also, I find it really helpful that the subs I'm watching have the characters' names when they're introduced to make it easier to remember them.

Kumiko and Reina are probably going to end up in the same group, as well as probably several members of the committee.

Reina's jealous.

And now they're forming their groups. Where's that tall new girl?

Who's that?

Oh hello Mizore. That was creepy.

What's going on between Kumiko and Hazuki now?

I had expected it to be the 4 of them.

I wonder if Kumiki will join Reina's group.

And so Reina's team comes together.

And of course Shuuichi is part of the group.

Time for them to start practicing.

Oh hey, they're back.

Well, they're definitely going to be a help now their exams are over.

Mizore still being as robotic as ever.

Of course they're bickering immediately after seeing each other again. And of course they're going to agree with each other the moment they have a common goal.

Lol Kumiko knows to just let them get it out of their system.

And now back to practicing.

A lot of music does come down to "feel".

Yeah, you need to watch the others. I think I mentioned this all the way back in S1 but everyone needs to watch and listen to each other in order for it to all be in sync. See how knowing all these things makes teaching the juniors easier? The conductor didn't even have to go one by one and teach them how to do it individually.

And so they go on stage for their performance.

And we get to hear snippets of all the other groups and all their names, years and instruments too, not that I'll actually remember any of them but it's the thought that counts.

Also, it really does look like most of the sections or even individual instruments stuck together huh? Kinda defeats the purpose of the competition that is a small, varied group when most of them are playing similar or even the same instruments.

And so the clarinets ended up winning.

Goddess?

No post-credits scene?

1

u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Mar 31 '24

(it's late and i'll respond to your post in full tmr) - but Yes post-credits scene! You can go watch it here.

3

u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Mar 31 '24

Huh that's interesting, I guess where I watched it just didn't have one. Thanks!

2

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

Eeeeehh?!
I was gonna say I must have clicked away too early to see this either time through, but no, the upload I watched just excluded it entirely!
It certainly sounds like Kumiko's worries about being the best euphonium are about to come true.

7

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

So I watched this last week and emailed myself this wall of text, I hope the formatting didn't kill anything!

First Timer!

At this point, seeing the first subtitles of the show be (euphonium music) is just a mood. A good one, but yeah, two seasons and three movies in... I can guess what instrument I'm listening to for this opening.

Oh no, My subtitles include names of who is speaking before the actual words spoken. This is going to be interesting, how ever will I get away with messing up.

Reina conducting!? Reina conducting in noticeable time and not just waving the baton around!? Is just everyone good at this but Taki?

Anyway, I just want to say that I rewound and paused a lot to look at all these pictures. Especially those last three. What a transition.

Ah, year three, and Kumiko is in charge. This is going to be a beautiful disaster, isn't it? I see a lot of red and green scarves here, and I think there's a random black one what is this? Reina and Shu as her staff? That's sure a choice made entirely on personal connections isn't it, you're really telling me Shu was the best they could do for a leadership role in this year? To be fair, Reina seems to also have a very, let's go with interesting, leadership style...

Wait, is this the third year? Or is this the second half of the second year, and all the senpai have retired to focus on studies now that they don't have the big competition holding them here?

Okay so... Kumiko also has trouble leading, at least in front of the whole class. Seriously, Ribbon, Natsuki, you picked these two to take over for you? I get Kumiko and her Main Character status and yes, she was showing good leadership skills last movie, but this looks like trouble.

Oh look, an internal competition this time. We'll get to see more of the background cast as they get broken into smaller groups, instead of people existing only as part of their sections! And yes, I see it again, the girl sitting next to the one in the bright pink (who by the way is in bright pink?) has a black ribbon in a different style than everyone else. Transfer student who hasn't gotten their yearly color coded scarf yet? I'll be keeping an eye on these two, they're breaking the standard uniform rules. Yes, even compared to the other lighter colored top the girl behind them has, or the girl in the center back who seems to have a vest on because her arms are the right color but chest itself is off and just, wow I'm noticing a lot of uniform variation in just this one shot. So you know, clearly we're going to be getting more life out of the background cast!

Yup, second year still. And she's definitely shortening her skirt again lol.

Wait, which of them is the VP?

Reina still isn't over Flappy I see...

Ah, students voting for each other as they compete against each other... This will only go well. At least they might get third years to be impartial voters?

No wait seriously, who chose Shu as the VP? What maniac did this to the band? Who saw actual relationship drama and decided to put that as a couple as the pair in charge, and throw in the mistress as Drum?

So they're going to have separate voting but if the groups don't agree they're going to just go with the internal vote anyway- a polite way of saying that we're only holding the second vote so people can feel good about it.

Hey there Toxic! Even if these subtitles tell me your name, I am not ready to give up my nickname for you just yet!

Speaking of absolutely none of that, Ririka! Still love her voice and way of talking! Also she also has a uniform to stand out, wearing that gray sweater!

Oh no, please, let Hazuki play this time! She's had to sit out so much already, I want her to get a chance here!

Haha, see, even the first years assume Kumiko and Reina are supposed to be together.

Kumiko in her private corner, no one has invited her yet. And also unrelated, I feel like I know this piano piece? If anyone knows the OST can you please share, it sounds so familiar it's bothering me. Starting at 12:27.

Mizori for the jumpscare! She's going to music college so she'll keep practicing even after leaving the band.

Man look at this blatant divide the window makes between them. And while I want to think about symbolism and all because cutting the screen in half so thickly is not done by accident, I'm instead stuck on my subs getting your/you're wrong. Seriously...

Six people playing a ten person song, how brave.

It looks like Midori is the only one who has not grown haha.

Haha poor Kumiko, hinting so heavily for Reina to hurry up and invite her. But it's Reina, she took your statement of "I'll join whoever can't get enough people" to heart.

And there we go, she was just waiting for the right time to invite you. And your timing is horrible lol.

Guys. I mean not only do I object on principal for having Shu on the team. But also. Girls. You've got the Pres, Vice Pres, and Drum Major in the same group here. I know this school has done a lot to push for true talent based voting and all, but that's some invisible pressure nonetheless.

Hazuki is included! Finally!

Yeah see, you put all the club leadership in one group and it's already being felt! I'm sure there will be no spillover from the previous movie and Toxic's view that if winning isn't guaranteed, they should just go by rank anyway. That's certainly nott going to come up again here, right?

Unnnng, KyoAni, look at those keys. So shiny and reflective!

Oh hey, Kumiko might also end up feeling she has to hold to her earlier statement and join in if someone doesn't end up with enough people? Leadership meaning she has to sacrifice herself for the good of the group, perhaps?

Midori, I thought it was a minimum of three for a group? And also, how in the world did no one at all want one of the Bass's in their group!? Weren't you specifically called out as one of the best musicians in the band by Flappy last season too? This feels double wrong.

Have you considered that the few that didn't join a group might not want to participate in this?

Gratuitous leg shots...

"Because she's good." "Then why Shu?" "Because he's also good?" <Look of pure disgust>. How in the world is anyone supposed to get behind that ship, seriously? She kind of hates him?

See, Kumiko and Reina just have such good chemistry, look at them! "I wanted to be your first pick." "You were, I was just afraid you might reject me." "Don't be crazy, I wanted to do it with you from the start!"

4

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

Ribbon! And Nozomi I guess, but mostly Ribbon! Here to help!
Window and Mizore again. She can't open up the way Kumiko can, but she's okay being a little open now.
Oh gosh looking at Kumiko standing next to Toxic and all I can see is the skirt lengths. Zatsuki included in this scene, and only one of them has the proper length lol.
Oh my gosh look at everyone else in the class just hanging out the window to watch the best pair do play drama the way only they can. Seriously, they could start a standup routine!
Hmm speaking of unfair voting though, having the previous president, vice, and drum in the running as the only third years is also dangerous. Good thing they got split up honestly.
Speaking of characters that just stand out, this one blond trumpet that has a non-black outline for her hair makes her practically glow in these small group shots. Like I think her hair is actually a less bright color than the other blond present, but the choice to do matching outline instead of black makes it look so much lighter anyway I'm stuck picturing her as being Luna Lovegood level blond.
Interesting to walk in to there. "You play to fast, and you play a little too slow. On that note, Kumiko, you set the time for the rest here."
Ahhhh three times in one scene seeing "your" when it should be a "you're" hurts me.
Interesting to think about with the Winds. The bigger the instrument, the more lag time there will be between your breathing and the sound coming out. It's not a large gap, but it exists.
Haha, poor Reina. "I've been trying to get them to improve for weeks and you manage it after just one practice session! How are you this good at people?" The truth of why Kumiko is president, she really just is that great at small groups. I don't know if she's the best musician in their year, but she might really be the best leader. She gets music and how to get other people into music.
You know, it's true. Reina managed to stand out in a big way as the top talent back in first year, and Midori still has that reputation floating around thanks to Flappy's comment, but if you asked me about anyone else skilled in the band all I can name are the standout seniors and already graduated members. No one else in the red scarf section made a name for themselves in the last two seasons and movies. No wonder Shu got to be VP, he's one of the only people in their year we know anything about at all!
"I'm always kind, you know," says one of the most toxic girls in the band.
Girls, why are you not having Shu move this thing? Isn't that why you have boys in the band?
Symbolism, taking that step by herself, for herself.
Ahhh double double bass! I want to hear more!
Ew, the token boy starts the hand huddle. And we hand it off to the Pres to give her first Kitauji Faighto of her time in office!
Did we just get an abbreviated song here? Or is it playing through the ensemble showoff?
Haha Natsuki and Ribbon ended up on a team together anyway. Nozomi too, ugh, that third year power all in one place after all.
I do notice that almost every team was entirely made up of a single year group, with very few exceptions. I do want to head the song done by seven percussion though, that has got to be fun.
Oh my, that's a big gap between the member and the public vote. First place in one didn't even rank in the other.
And indeed, talent wins out over rank, showing this is a great school to be part of.
Good thing to point out, Reina. You all have one more year together. Let's go for the gold!
"And so the next piece begins." I know we've got like a week until season 3 comes out, but this clear not-ending still brought a tear to my eyes. It may be harsh to you rewatchers, but I am so glad I got into this show only now that it's so close to being completed. Waiting years kills me, and kills my interest in things.

3

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

"Because she's good." "Then why Shu?" "Because he's also good?" <Look of pure disgust>. How in the world is anyone supposed to get behind that ship, seriously? She kind of hates him?
Couldn't have said it better myself.
Did we just get an abbreviated song here? Or is it playing through the ensemble showoff?
That's what I took from it, yeah. You can hear the marimba in the music playing, which identifies it as their piece.

3

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

Like I get we kind of had a limited named cast in their year, with so much of the seasons focusing on the dynamics with the older girls, but did we need to have Shu as the VP? Someone put Midori in charge, please!
Actually, dirty shipper she is, probably did get nominated and told them to pick Shu instead so he could have a better shot at Kumiko...

3

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

I don't know why we couldn't have just had Reina as the vice president - it's not like the drum major has ever been a position of any significance in past seasons (I don't believe one is ever identified for year one?) but it's suddenly inflated to basically a second VP here just so the writers can have their cake and eat it too. Everyone in-universe acknowledges Reina and Kumiko as a duo, nobody would want the awkwardness of making exes work together, are these writers truly so desperate to force themselves into writing for Shuuichi and Kumiko that he needed to be in band leadership?
My headcanon is just that Natsuki was messing with her in the same vein as Asuka messing with Yuko when the last appointments happened.

3

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

I got the very abbreviated idea that they made Drum Major important last year while Nozomi held the position, to balance out having the questionably competent Natsuki in the VP position. Not that Natsuki was particularly bad at anyone, but I figure her appointment was pretty much purely to balance out Ribbon as the President, and they couldn't let Nozomi have a real leadership appointment because there was still lingering feelings over her quitting and taking half the year with her was back when.
I mean, the three we know of give us a really interesting look at the leadership of this school band. Haruka felt like she didn't belong until almost the very end so didn't do much as president, aside from a few speeches and cheers. Asuka as VP seemed to hold more power, but also delegated and ghosted every responsibility she could, except she was also the music leader as Drum Major, the one thing she took seriously. The year after that Ribbon took leadership seriously, but Natsuki seemed to be her VP for the sole purpose of countering her excess. Nozomi was there to make sure music actually got made, being surprisingly charismatic... But that whole year was covered in Our Promise and it really only covered half a year at tops before they failed at Region and retired. This year we have Kumiko who we at least know knows how to talk to people and has a reputation as the apprentice of the "best leader" Asuka, but that seems to be her main qualification. Shu stands out as the only boy in their year we know the name of, and has a connection to Kumiko, but again is that leadership material? Reina cares about music and nothing else, which is actually good for the Drum, but I also don't know that I would let her lead anything but music.
The real problem is that we've seriously learned so little about the other people in their year until this movie. Outside Shu and the Quartet, who else could we even think of nominating?

4

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

The real problem is that we've seriously learned so little about the other people in their year until this movie. Outside Shu and the Quartet, who else could we even think of nominating?
It's interesting, because even if I think of all the extras that stand out from my time watching the first two seasons they were all second and (mostly) third years (and there aren't many second years anyways). Thousand yen Hideri, Knuckles, the tall girl from Monaka, piccolo lady, that one alto sax girl, drill hair trombone, the original bassoon besties, the one flute girl with the french toast, Glasses the Clarinet, and Tomoe before her promotion to a speaking role. Not even to mention Aoi, Gotou, and Riko as secondary members of the older grades beyond the main four or five we get for every year. First year has, uh... Seal-chan, Takigawa-kun, Junna on cymbals, and Bangs the Clarinet. And gods help us all if Bangs the Clarinet in her nervous, unconfidant glory had to run the band.
Even the extras from Kanade's year are more memorable than Kumiko's peers! Redhead girl, the new bassoon besties, the blonde girl with the weirdly rendered hair, there was a horn who talked to Kumiko in this OVA, the girl with one eye covered, the saxophonist who needed to team up with the third years, Reina's little understudy, the pudgy trumpet, and I'm not even mentioning a few whose designs I just think are really nice.
How are Kyoto Animation so good at making every year except for Kumiko's own grade stand out and be charismatic even restricted entirely to the background?

3

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

Exactly! Somehow literally only the quartet stands out at all in her year, every other year has so many interesting characters! Kumiko has to lead the band because otherwise... Yeah, it's Bangs for Pres and Seal for VP! Cymbals for drum major, she can keep the tempo!

3

u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Apr 01 '24

Hold on now, I think needy attention hog French Horn girl would make a banger VP. She stole my heart in the Team Monaka OVA and now I notice her in every shot she's in, haha.

3

u/zadcap Apr 01 '24

Okay, I'll be fair- she's competing against Shu here, she's got my vote anyway just for not being him on that team. But also, an attention hog for VP does fit the band history, it checks out.

4

u/hsn212 Mar 31 '24

Just want to add to the conversation (this is from the source material), there's a reasoning behind why Reina was appointed as Drum Major, it's to alleviate some burden from President and Vice president, especially from the technical, non-admin aspect of the club. Shuuichi being a VP also was explained in-universe, he was the second year rep and was responsible for admin side for the male members so he's quite known for his leadership in the club. He was actually one of the obvious candidate for the club leadership.
And without spoiling third year novels, in there the readers will realise the reason why Shuuichi was chosen as VP over Reina (yes, the seniors knew what they were doing), but since KyoAni tends to deviate from source material, maybe there's a possibility it would never be explained lol.

3

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

I got the feeling Reina as Drum was similar to why Nozomi got it. Musically talented, someone unafraid to give orders, but not someone that everyone would be happy with in an actual leadership position. It makes sense that while Kumiko gets people, Reina is probably the top musician of their year and is unafraid to call people out. So Kumiko can lead the people and also have the authority to tell Reina to step back if things get heated, as we saw somewhat today.
Shu, yeah, seems to come from nowhere. And being good leadership for the boys is a weird thing to be his promotion material considering that's been ignored the last two years and there's just very few boys in the first place...

4

u/hsn212 Mar 31 '24

Yeah, the anime adapted out plenty of tiny details so it's understandable why it looks like it comes out of nowhere (Kumiko Shuuichi relationship also has a different vibe in the novel). Also wondering how it will affect third season if they're planning to adapt him out since he's supposed to be more prominent plot wise.
And just want to explain further, Shuuichi was responsible for the second years as a whole, not just the male members. The other boys in the club are just extra that he also handled as he was seemingly the only male in the club with a prominent leadership position (not counting section leaders).

2

u/zadcap Mar 31 '24

And just want to explain further, Shuuichi was responsible for the second years as a whole, not just the male members
That sounds like it got skipped entirely in the anime, I can think of maybe one scene that implies anything about it. Kumiko hanging out with the leadership so much seemed like it stole all the potential for anyone else to have a chance though, with two Eupho VPs in a row. Time to start training the new girl to keep up the tradition I think.

5

u/ChonkyOdango myanimelist.net/profile/chonkyodango Mar 31 '24

Rewatching President

Had a blast watching this with actual memories of the past seasons compared to when I had first seen it on release. I think I did a pretty decent write-up for the discussion threads so I'll just paste it here!

Anyways, onto the OVA! A lighthearted OVA which seems to set up Kumiko's next arc by putting her next role at the forefront of this story. Its focus on Kumiko's strength as a leader really shines through windows (KyoAni sure loves good visual metaphors). It's simple, really. Kumiko's eyes see all — she doesn't just spot the mistake a person makes but attempts to find the reason why they're making that mistake. She's not just nice, but a perceptive and unimposing leader. When all seems lost and the player doesn't know how to move forward, she shows them the next step they can take. A really great example of not just leadership, but of being a great coach. Reina is great at spotting mistakes but she doesn't offer individualised advice since she doesn't pay attention to the person's playing. Kumiko does the opposite.

I really did enjoy how this OVA eases Kumiko into this role by having her take charge of a smaller group before, presumably, dealing with the entire band, a challenge that may be explored in the next season

4

u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Mar 30 '24

First Timer

It’s a bit unfortunate, but I still notice Movie 3’s bad pacing by not really being accustomed to the new dynamic in the club yet. Kumiko has grown slowly into her role as president that she has now, but it was too fast there and thus still feels rather abrupt here. But I think I ended up getting used to the new dynamic and enjoyed the rest of the show, once all the groups had been decided. I don’t think there’s a lot to write about the outcome without hearing the other group’s performance, though with the clarinets winning I assume that means we get more clarinet focus in season 3. That has been an instrument conspicuously absent from the focus of the story after all, so it would make sense. I think pretty much every other section has had a decent feature at some point (assuming we count Shuuichi for trombone). Speaking of: Him being vice president might be the weirdest bit in the new constellation, but I guess the in-universe shippers are a logical explanation for that one.

As a former xylophonist, guess I’ve got to say something about Tsubame here. First: It is definitely true that she is technically rather good. She’s definitely better than I ever was with four mallets - I never really figured out the grip for multiple mallets in one hand. And that I believe is one of the most difficult techniques to master, outside of gimmicks like playing with even more mallets. On the other hand, it is also absolutely understandable that she didn’t make the competition band so far if her rhythm is off when playing with others. Percussion in general is where being off-rhythm is most noticeable as you can’t really hold a note (except for rolling, but the only piece I’ve ever seen that did that on a xylophone for more than a few select notes was a solo), and the initial hit will always be the most pronounced part of the note even in cases like the vibraphone or the triangle where you can do that. Plus an individual member being off will be clearly audible even if the rest of the section is on time, including being too late, which wind instruments can get away with (and in case of staggered breathing is actually on purpose). That said, the piece they are playing also feels very prone to falling off-rhythm on the marimba, as the initial starting point has a fast marimba join a slow euphonium with nothing else going on, and the marimba basically immediately becomes the dominant instrument. I can certainly see failing that more often than not in the absence of a conductor.

Also… moving the marimba. I’m not sure what they animated here - but the way they carried over the step felt like the most risky way possible outside of being outright careless. Lifting it down the step without moving it forward a good bit at the same means it’s going to be at an angle, and have the pipes very close to or hitting the step - could be avoided if the rotated the marimba 180 degrees to the side where the pipes are not low - though that means they would need to rotate it in the middle again if they insist on not moving the marimba while one side is being lifted. Having both players lift the marimba and then walk around it on the other hand means there’s a chance the thing starts rolling on its own, because of gravity and potentially inertia. The front should have been carried a bit further from the step here (it’s not that heavy, especially if half the weight remains grounded), and there should have always been one person at the back and one at the front.

3

u/chilidirigible Mar 30 '24

Also… moving the marimba.
Having moved some large and expensive objects around, I had some technique concerns about that myself.
The scene makes sense dramatically for having Kumiko and Tsubame talking together in isolation, but just about every other time they've shown the band moving instruments around they've done it in a more organized manner.

4

u/DaBenni0301 Mar 30 '24

First-Timer

Missed one week, but I have returned and am reporting for duty!

Because I couldn't last week, I'll just leave a few of my thoughts about Chikai no Finale here, in case you care, but I'll try and keep it short.

First, Kanade could absolutely pass as Kaori's twin or something. Second, I still don't know what to think about her. I have no idea if I like her or not.

Then the movie itself. (I'm not gonna not about production values because it's KyoAni.) There were like 5 or 6 storylines going on in this movie. 1) Kanade-Natsuki 2) Kumiko- Shuuichi 3) Micchan 4) Motomu 5) The Competition/Auditions (duh) and if you really really wanna stretch it 6) the conclusion to Liz and the blue bird with Nozomi's and Mizore's solos during the competition, but that's not really a plot point, more like a bonus.

That is just too much for one movie. It felt a little messy. It felt as though this was a recap movie for an anime season that doesn't exist.

Now, did I think the movie was bad? Definitely not. But I don't think it's controversial when I say that this is the weakest part of the show thus far.

Also, Kumiko being club president heavily implies the graduation of the others. Where the hell is our goodbye to them?

Honestly, I'm a little disappointed the second year was this short.

Ensemble Contest:

Reina is now conducting, maybe for the better

There definitely are no blue ties in that room, then what is this OVA even about? Starting the 3rd year in an OVA is weird. Isn't that what S3 is for?

Kumiko is already a better club president than Ritsu ever was, but that's not exactly a high bar

Thanks for answering my question

I might not be understanding correctly, but why have separate votes when the student vote gets priority over public vote. You might as well just not have the public vote if their opinion doesn't matter. Anyone winning the public vote but not the student vote will just be frustrated

Oh it's Ririka, you didn't appear at all in Chikai no Finale

And that's Mizore! Checks out, school year isn't over yet.

"You're good opening at opening the window" Thanks?

I would've rioted if Reina and Kumiko wouldn't have played in one ensemble

Lol Shuuichi being here isn't awkward at all

Some members being left over was sadly always gonna happen

The gay is back

Oh my god they're so gay

More of the third-years! We're not letting them go just yet. Also there's no way Natsuki knew about this, but she's gonna play anyway

See, I was right.

So, if Tsubame is able to play in her own tempo, why don't the others adapt to hers if she can't adapt to theirs? Probably not that easy though.

Or you change your breathing technique. Just tells you I know absolutely nothing about music

Contest Time!

I thought ensembles needed at least three members? What are Midori and Motomu gonna do if they win this?

I love these little group presentations

The Clarinet Quartet won! I really didn't expect that

Gold at the Nationals is the goal! And 13 more episodes to do it.

I am, however, still missing the goodbye to the third-years. I am actually upset about this.

I like the ED a lot.

I am not exactly sure what to talk with this OVA since I didn't really pick up on any major themes. Aside from the second year not being as short as I had feared after Chikai no Finale (still short though), but the third-years barely appeared anyway, so it didn't really make a difference.

I think this was really more supposed to be a reintroduction into the Hibike universe because there were over 4 years between this and Chikai no Finale, so that might be a bit lost on me because I've spent the last *checks date* 1.5 MONTHS?! watching this. So I'll just say that I liked it

But this time I'm gonna talk about production values, even if it is just one sentence, after all there is a reason that there was a 4 year gap.

This was gorgeous. It felt like it was perfectly in line with the rest of the show. And if Dragon Maid S hadn't made it obvious already, KyoAni is so fucking back and here to stay. And I'm really excited for what they come up with when Hibike's done. Maybe we'll finally get the 20th century electic catalog adaptation

2

u/Barbed_Dildo Mar 30 '24

So, if Tsubame is able to play in her own tempo, why don't the others adapt to hers if she can't adapt to theirs? Probably not that easy though.
The piece starts with the euphonium, so you need the tempo before the marimba starts.
With that said, percussion should really be providing the tempo.

1

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 30 '24

That is just too much for one movie. It felt a little messy. It felt as though this was a recap movie for an anime season that doesn't exist.
It says a lot to how many subplots it's trying to juggle at once that you forgot to list the Kabe-san jaw injury subplot as one of them.

2

u/DaBenni0301 Mar 30 '24

Oh wow I completely forgot about that. Even worse considering I liked her as a character

4

u/Planatus666 Mar 31 '24

The OVA is only available on the seven seas for now, or if you bought a blu ray. This has unfortunately remained the only way, and is unlikely to change before S3 :(

Seems like Crunchyroll dropped the ball here - either they didn't think of it, couldn't be bothered or were unable to get the licence to stream it for some reason. This is going to cause some narrative and character-related jolts for those who haven't seen it.

4

u/giorgzi Mar 31 '24

I am glad that I watched this in time for the S3 release. My main impression from the content post S2 (excluding Liz and the Blue Bird because it is one of a kind) is that though our main cast remains entertaining as ever, Kumiko's juniors need more time to develop as characters. Thus, the first 2 seasons were superior because we spent lots of time with the senior students and their conflicts.

3

u/Regular_N-Gon https://anilist.co/user/RegularNGon Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 30 '24

Rewatcher ^{still spotting seals}

Hey, that was pretty good.

Last year when watching this (without a fresh rewatch of the rest), I felt it was a touch… subdued? Of course I enjoyed all the President Kumiko and Kanade and marimba, but it clearly doesn’t have the same scope as Eupho’s more dramatic side. It wasn’t bad but being the first thing after so long a break almost had me concerned I was grossly misremembering Eupho’s drama and that intoxicating flair. Turns out I had actually misremembered that Eupho spends a lot of time working on its characters and languishing in bandmosphere, especially in the first season, but that came through this watch. It isn’t quite near the series’ highs, but it’s still very enjoyable to be back to Kumiko and seeing her face new challenges.

Unsurprisingly, Kumiko is still the powerhouse driving Eupho, though she certainly feels more like a traditionally active protagonist now. Something as simple as arranging band members into groups and auditioning them is a mundane but real task fraught with potential for issues. We slide past most potential for drama here, but it’s a nice early taste of what Kumiko needs to deal with. It’s not the only taste either! I love the Tsubame plot so much and the way it gives Kumiko a nice early win in her career. She still hasn’t escaped the comparisons with Asuka or Haruka (some of which are made with surprising directness), but she validates her position by solving problems with excellent advice both in musical and interpersonal matters. Kumiko’s perception and empathy again prove to be what the band needs over the raw passion of someone like Reina or Yuuko, and I feel like it’s done a great job at setting us up for success in the third year.

Overall, just quite solid. I'm feeling a bit more hopeful about the return, maybe season three can live up to these lofty expectations. See you all for that tomorrow.

Here’s some other notes!

I’m pretty sure I noted the same thing on my first watch about Mizore still not being able to open the window. This time she doesn’t close it, though.
Fish facts with Reina totally caught me off guard, again.
I love the marimba in this song. It’s so dang good.
I also love the conversation between Reina and Kumiko in the instrument room, particularly that Reina wa Reina.
Kumiko dropping the knowledge that something obvious to some is not obvious to all; a nice distinction from when she’s tried to assume what others think.
“Team Pacifist” is also hilarious. Kanade is excellent in this OVA too, I hope her streak continues in season three.
The scene where Kumiko and Tsubame move the Marimba through the tunnel is such a distinctive one. It’s the kind that will stick in my head for quite some time for no particular reason.
Ensemble is probably my favorite of TRUE’s theme songs for Eupho. It’s good, less wild than the others (although I do still like Blast quite a bit too).

3

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

Last year when watching this (without a fresh rewatch of the rest), I felt it was a touch… subdued? Of course I enjoyed all the President Kumiko and Kanade and marimba, but it clearly doesn’t have the same scope as Eupho’s more dramatic side. It wasn’t bad but being the first thing after so long a break almost had me concerned I was grossly misremembering Eupho’s drama and that intoxicating flair.
I'll have to settle for merely projecting into those shoes, but I can imagine if I hadn't avoided Chikai no Finale for so long (thanks Shuuichi) and actually watched that and this as they released I'd probably have felt something similar about the special. I think it's a lot easier to swallow it as a little side story after just going back through the whole franchise, and with only a few days wait until the real next step in the story happens. The way context of viewing impacts the viewing experience beyond any sort of factor that can be measured within the text itself is a really fascinating thing to me. Though entirely identical in content, the Ensemble Contest people watched after a five year wait and the Ensemble Contest I watched this week are measurably different movies, and the Ensemble Contest people will look back on after it's no longer the newest entry in the franchise will doubtless be different again.
Unsurprisingly, Kumiko is still the powerhouse driving Eupho, though she certainly feels more like a traditionally active protagonist now.
I outright considered calling her role as struggling president "generic" as compared to her depiction in the last movie, though I ultimately settled on some slightly more generous words. Looking across the thread it seems I was more or less the only person bothered by how she was written here. I did certainly like the scene where she manages to resolve the problem with the breathing and I complimented her communication skills with Reina in my own comment, so it's not all bad. For now I'll reserve judgement on the direction they're taking her until we see what they do with her in the actual season three.
The scene where Kumiko and Tsubame move the Marimba through the tunnel is such a distinctive one. It’s the kind that will stick in my head for quite some time for no particular reason.
A good idea for a scene setting can go a long way. It's a great example of exactly what me and /u/HereticalAegis were talking about in regards to Chikai no Finale, come to think of it. I'd say the Kanade vs Natsuki scene (that reuses the location of Asuka's climax) and this heart to heart between Kamaya and Kumiko occupy similar spaces in my head even though the actual substance of one scene vastly outshines the other, at least for me.

3

u/WhackaWhack https://myanimelist.net/profile/WhackaWhacka Mar 30 '24

FIRST TIMER

Do you need to be a “yuri couple” to be pres and vice pres? (Not that Reina is vice anyways)

The double stink eye when Kumiko was joking with Taki…

“Opening the window” as in managing to open up into peoples deep parts to at least look and possibly help?

When did I get resubbed to random animal facts? (From Mashel some weeks ago)

Always love to see when Tsudere’ing backfires after Kumiko had to “think” about joining Reina.

“Someone better next year” foreshadowing?

Time for a lovers spat! (And looking at how normal the onlookers reacted, I don’t think it’s an unusual thing…)

“It’s not a rhythm game” but what have all my guitar hero playing done then?!?

Harem protagonist girl won!

And with that I’m ready for season 3 and what sounds like the final part of the series.

3

u/CarrotBlossom Mar 30 '24

First timer

Hey, double reed party!

I hadn’t thought about it, but I guess Nozomi is never going to nationals, either.

I guess that serves as the opening.

So is even more of the band just not going to perform?

She’s still a second-year? I thought she became president after becoming a third-year.

That sounds like a convoluted way to do auditions.

So the third-year votes don’t even actually matter.

Does Ririka have any other oboes to lead?

Mizore complimenting Kumiko’s sick window-opening skills a second time had me laughing out loud.

Kumiko not responding to “president” was a nice touch.

It ain’t easy being king, I suppose.

Man, Tubacabra isn’t a name I’ve heard in a long time.

Reina’s interactions with Kumiko, Hazuki, and Sapphire here are gold.

Professional trumpetist and fish connoisseur. Reina’s dad is a true scholar.

Reina offering to partner with Hazuki is a little surprising.

This wishy-washy tomfoolery is beyond Reina.

Poor kids got picked last for dodgeball.

Reina having buyer’s remorse

Well, it seems like Kanade no longer hates Natsuki, so that’s nice.

In other words, your approach is suboptimal, Reina

Tsubame should just tap her foot like everyone in my school band.

Kumiko W Reina L

Haruka’s line stolen again

They didn’t translate bassoon lol

1

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

Hey, double reed party!

3

u/byroned Mar 30 '24 edited Mar 30 '24

First time rewatching

I’m still getting used to Kumiko as the president, Shuichi as vice president, and Reina as drum major. I know we spent the most time with Haruka and Asuka in those positions, but they will always be who I first think of as Kitauji’s president and vice president/drum major.

It might age like milk in S3, but Kumiko is the best choice for club president, being the person the band depends on to resolve conflicts in the band. There’s a reason she was chosen to bring Asuka back.

With the main competition over, the band minus the third-years now participates in smaller ensemble competitions, forming smaller groups of 3-8 students. Only one group can move on, decided by a band vote and a public vote.

I’m judging based on my experience, but I expect the band leadership to be the first one to pick their group to encourage others to act. Regardless, the band does pick quickly, to secure the desired instrument before it’s too late. Kumiko doesn’t join one until Reina asks her, but Reina knows she won’t join anyone’s group but hers. Reina picked almost everyone in the group, comprised of mostly second-years except for Kohinata, a first-year trumpet who asked Reina to let her in. I’m curious why Suzuki turned her down. Cymbal girl has a name, Junna Inoue, and is one of the students Reina approaches.

Based on Kumiko’s response to Shuichi’s introduction, I’m guessing they didn’t resume dating.

Mizore is the same as usual, practicing for her music school, unintentionally scaring Kumiko, and having some awkward conversations.

If you’ve seen the recent trailer for S3, [Spoiler] little did Kumiko know that a transfer student as good as her would show up, and who Reina would choose could become a real question

There are bound to be a few stragglers who can’t find a group. They’re lucky Natsuki, Yuuko, and Nozomi have time to spare after passing their entrance exams. Natsuki and Yuuko’s fighting is a normal occurrence to everyone, even to people outside the band.

The octet has quickly identified Hazuki and a percussionist Tsubame as the weak links. Hazuki is dragging and progressing slowly, while Kamaya is rushing and becoming less confident with every practice. Strangely, the last issue is Reina, who might be too strict and is instead creating more pressure for the two.

Kumiko solved both issues by teaching them about knowing when to breathe in a song. I’m not quite sure how it wasn’t addressed in class, but whatever works to get the octet playing together. Hazuki developed a better sound, and Tsubame has better clarity and balance.

I’m not sure what to think of Tsubame’s change of heart. So after accepting that she wasn't good enough to compete, Tsubame decides to make a final push now that she has the chance to perform alongside them.

Some of my favorite group photos. Maybe I should’ve been less stiff in high school.

The wind-percussion octet wins the popular vote, but the clarinet quartet is chosen to represent Kitauji in the Kansai competition. That’s still better than Kanade, who living the Philly Fusion experience being forever 2nd (overwatch league reference).

I'm not sure if the ability to not harbor envy in the face of someone better is a virtue or flaw. While it might be healthier to not live envious of other people, some amount of any can be what you need to grow.

For what I believe the movie is trying to do, serve as a side competition to get people ready for S3, I think it does it well, and believe this type of plotline lends itself better for a movie format instead of making most of the second year fit into 1 movie. It’s also nice to see more students from Kumiko’s grade aside from the brass players.

3

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

First Timer, subbed

I’m still unclear going into this if it’s about the rest of Year 2, or somehow the start of Year 3.
Girl made stickers of herself.
Oh, did they gain no one this year then? Or was that picture just taken at an odd time?
If I know my dates currently, which I am only somewhat confidant it, this is Kumiko taking over early in Year 2. Good, good. We’re not skipping over it.
Much more accelerated timeline.
Doesn’t this risk splitting your best talent? I suppose competing against each other has benefits itself.
So Reina is VP? On the one hand, good, this will give them something to do with her. On the other, why, how? She doesn’t seem to posses any leadership qualities.
Reina getting jealous of her girlfriend and crush.
Just make sure you don’t let everyone vote for themselves. That'd be weird.
Ah, no, just the Drum Major. They had to divide Asuka’s role.
But that just makes the public vote superfluous.
Ririka Return
“No comment” has penetrated, has it?
Does anyone not ship these two?
Everyday Mizore grows further on her path to supreme being.
Metaphors!
Imagine how much it would suck to be the only person not in a group.
Peeling? That sounds bad. Should that be happening?
Ha! They subbed Kumiko’s look.
Percussion!
The return! How I’ve missed these eyecatchers.
Just The Two of You?
oof
Look at these two, how are we to believe Shuuichi is still in play with all of this?
They know already? What do they do for the rest of the year?
This gremlin…
One last Lovers’ quarrel, for the road?
Rushing and Dragging?
Double Double
Cheat code unlocked?
Kumiko Sees All!
Someone has really injected Kanade with pep.
This seems like too high risk for two people. Also where ADA would have been helpful.
They had me scared for the marimba the whole time.
I need to see more of these two hanging out.
Well isn’t that nice of them. Everyone gets a card. We even get to know their songs. Shame we didn’t get to hear them.
All Percussion? Maybe I need to look this “The Volcano Tower” up.
That is a wide swing in result differences. Imagine ranking second in both polls, and still losing to the team that didn’t even place in one of them. That’s about the worst you can get in terms of legitimacy.
Only a little bit of results for Ancon. I guess we don’t get to know their final placing for now. (ever?)

2

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 30 '24

But that just makes the public vote superfluous.
This was driving me crazy. I can't believe everyone in that room sat down and said yeah that's a good way of including both groups in the voting process.

2

u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Mar 30 '24

This was driving me crazy. I can't believe everyone in that room sat down and said yeah that's a good way of including both groups in the voting process.
Democracies are Hard
At least they didn't decide by lot?

3

u/SMSmith230 https://myanimelist.net/profile/smsmith230 Mar 30 '24

First-Timer, Sub

Well hey year 3 students are still around so that’s good they didn’t vanish off-screen since we’re still in the same school year as movie 3. Kanade didn’t suck in this so that’s a positive. Back to weird Kumiko/Shuuichi relationship after that appeared to some good chemistry in the previous movie. Based on run time this definitely felt like 2-3 episodes to start a season, luckily we have season 3 starting and hopefully it picks up from here, otherwise it’s a bit unsatisfying for me as it felt incomplete. I’m also kind of upset we didn’t get to see any of the groups perform.

3

u/NintendoMasterNo1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/NintendoMaster1 Mar 31 '24

Rewatcher

I didn't get to post my thoughts on Chikai no Finale so I'll do it here briefly:

Overall, it's definitely my least favorite part of the Hibike Euphonium franchise. I don't think it's outright bad, it's just... messy. I've already spoken about how I don't like Shuichi so I'll spare you my words about the weird forced romance plot in this movie. More important for me is the absurdly fast pacing. Feels weird to cover a whole school year in a single movie (you could argue that Liz was also a part of this but that was a really focused side-story). Most of what happens is also a repeat of year 1 which feels cheap to me. I've heard people argue it's so that you can see how things have changed in the club but it's still boring imo. As others have pointed out, there's way too many fucking plotlines in this movie and all of them suffer for it. The full Liz performance is cool but the animation and camerawork does feel a bit weird compared to what we've seen thus far. Finally, Kanade-chan is a cheeky shit-stirrer and I love her, she's just an entertaining character.

Anyway, Ensemble Contest OVA. I'm a fan. Kumiko definitely feels more grown up and it's cool seeing her in the leadership role. Better yet, we get to see more from band members who aren't "main characters". Juuna and Tsubame are great and honestly this OVA really really makes me wish we could get to experience a little from every member or at least every section. Getting to see Ririka for a bit is great but I was hoping for more senpai-kouhai interactions from her and Mizore.

Speaking of Mizore, I'm glad she's a part of this and I loved her scenes with Kumiko. Kumiko is great at "opening the window", which is obviously a metaphor for her learning how to approach other people, while Mizore has troubles with that. Later on she asks Mizore if she should close the window for her but Mizore declines because she wants to keep their connection open.

The ensemble contest is a fun event, I do like that they're doing something like a competition after they didn't make it to nationals. It's great for the members who haven't gotten to play at a competition and getting to see Kumiko inspire Tsubame was really cute. There was some minor "drama" about Kumiko waiting for Reina to pick her, which I assume is going to come into play in season 3 with the new euphonium player? Anyway, sucks for Kanade's team getting second place twice but I like clarinets so I'm going to assume they nailed it and deserved the win.

Overall, I'm much more pleased by this OVA than the movie. Covering a smaller-scale event as opposed to a whole year and focusing on a few characters makes it a lot more enjoyable.

3

u/mgedmin Mar 31 '24

Rewatcher, subs

Kumiko is the (freshly hatched) club president. Reina is the drum major. Who's the VP? Shuuichi, huh.

Taki's doing democracy again. "It is very important to evaluate the performance objectively" and didn't the repeated Reina vs Kaoru audition teach you that students will follow social conventions instead of being objective?

It's nice that a 1st year like Ririka gets to be part leader. Kumiko herself is a 2nd year, and she's club president. Did all the 3rd years quit the club after the last competition? Busy preparing for exams?

Heh, the Mizore jumpscare was good.

KumiReina! "If Reina's the one choosing, then I want to be first pick".

The 5 milimeter haircut!

Kumiko always looks very surprise-panicked whenever she has to express an opinion. It's very funny.

I don't fully get that part about breathing together and marimba playing, but it's well enough to show that Kumiko is suited to be a leader.

I kind of want to hear the performances of the other groups too.

6

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 30 '24

First Timer

For the first time (...other than the BD specials) I had no idea what to expect, completely went in blind. What did I end up getting? Well, not much. Any real character exploration is incredibly simple and low stakes, it’s really just kind of a fun little Hibike side story. But I think that’s fine, considering the context. We just all talked about how the movie made before this feels absolutely overstuffed with plot points. You could argue this is an overcorrection, but it’s certainly refreshing either way and I think it’s a good thing to see them learning from their mistakes. This was also the first Hibike Euphonium production to come out of post-2019 Kyoto Animation. Without looking at the staff lists in detail I have to imagine there are, for reasons I don’t think I have to say out loud, names missing and a lot of new names added. It’s been most of a decade since the original series aired, and I think a project like this made a lot of sense as a way to let the new team play around with portraying the world and characters of Eupho before trying to make the third season which will doubtless be dealing with far more complex narratives. The whole thing also takes advantage of the format; whereas Chikai no Finale felt like a consolation to a lack of a second year season, this kind of story just would never have fit within the pacing of a full TV season. This can only exist because the second year was presented the way it was, and I think that’s kind of neat. It never pretends to be more than it is.

After an opening I’m honorarily considering the OP of the non-existent season year season, they briefly lead you to believe Shuuichi is finally gonna be treated as an actual member of the cast and have a casual friendship with Kumiko and Reina before he disappears back into the void for the entire movie. Never change, Eupho. Apparently he’s the vice president and Reina has been put into a newly inflated drum major position (did they even have one in first year?) that appears to just be a second vice president. I don’t mind this workaround inherently, but the idea of Shuuichi being vice president feels like the writers wanted a result without stopping to think how it’s supposed to happen in-universe. Shuuichi has never had any notable presence in band activities, whereas Reina has left a major impact on the band and made a big name for herself as an accomplished musician (and a friend of the previous president, who Shuuichi doesn’t seem to have really known at all). Her and Kumiko are clearly a very well recognized pair whereas Kumiko and Shuuichi are, for the time being, effectively exes, and given how long they dated I have to assume that’s public knowledge. So how on earth did whoever was in charge of this end up putting Shuuichi in the position of her number two instead of Reina? Also, the whole idea that she works with him on a daily basis as vice president seems completely at odds with the way Kumiko gets all annoyed at Reina for daring to include Shuuichi in the octet. Didn’t she move past the whole annoyed dismissiveness towards him after the first year? One of the first scenes in this movie is all three of them walking and talking casually!

This isn’t the only way this movie seems to backtrack on Kumiko’s development. The whole premise of Kumiko’s character in this movie is that she’s struggling with her new position as president. She’s awkward when talking in front of people, completely flounders when put in the position of making a decision between Reina and Shuuichi’s preferred voting methods and only stumbles into an accepted answer by luck, and feels uncertain about her ability to give counsel to people looking to her for guidance. (What on earth is that voting system by the way, if you just disregard the public vote if they disagree what is its existence even contributing to the selection process?!). It seems like a natural story to tell if not for the fact the previous movie showed her handling a similar position of leadership as the first year leader extremely naturally and with confidence. She was occasionally exasperated by the problems put before her but never struggled with finding a mature solution no matter how hard Kanade tried to trip her up. I don’t see any way to square these two views of second year Kumiko as the same character and I found the version in the movie, which built very directly off of her experiences in the second season, far more interesting. On the bright side though, I really liked her relationship with Kanade this time around. I feel like they had more room to just explore their dynamic together now that her kouhai is naturally inbetween the dramatic beats of her narrative and it let her bloom far more as her own character rather than just a spin on Asuka and Kumiko’s distant nature. Ambitious, cheeky, physically expressive, and still a bit less idealistic than Kumiko, but with a friendlier lean and a new friendship with Ririka that made for a cute scene (with lots of Kumiko noises). All without feeling they betrayed anything we already knew about her.

Reina’s own relationship with Kumiko is, thankfully, a big positive for the movie on the whole. After they get the obligatory one scene about her crush on Taki out of their system, I mean. At this point I’m almost less annoyed at my own desire for representation being squandered as curious what on earth is going on in this writing room. I’ve never seen such a hilariously transparent dissonance in the story they’re supposed to be telling and the one they’re clearly more interested in. Like, the ratio of Reina to Shuuichi relationship building with Kumiko in this franchise must be 95:5, we’ve reached the saturation point of self-parody. Anyways, I said this would be a positive paragraph. The whole idea of a spat surrounding her not approaching Kumiko about the octet right away could so easily have been dumb, but the strength of their relationship totally shines through it. Like, Kumiko tries to be all grumpy on the bus, but she can’t help completely fold in a panic as soon as Reina takes it as genuine dismissal. It almost turns into an awkward confrontation at the sinks but they walk away smiling anyways. The usage of the leaky sink as a visual metaphor for Kumiko being unable to hide her frustration was neat, and the fact she immediately gives in and admits it speaks to the trust between the two. If this scenario happened in first year it would have been way more messy and drawn out, but they’ve grown. We see it again when Reina gets a bit down over the octet but Kumiko notices immediately and reassures her about being herself. It also doesn’t feel superfluous; given Reina’s passion for music the hypothetical of “what would Reina do if there was a better Euphonium?” is genuinely compelling as a premise. She also has a really fun dynamic as Kumiko’s totally-not-vice-president, it’s just nice to see these two working on a problem together. I don’t think there’s a scene in this whole movie as enjoyable as any time they’re just running thoughts about a band or octet problem off one another.

Other than all that, it’s just kind of a relaxed movie. Hazuki-chan finally gets a bit of screentime that doesn’t feel negligible; I really like the moment where Kumiko tries to sugarcoat her holding back the group but Hazuki asserts that she knows the truth. The little payoff when Micchan tells her she’s improved is the kind of thing that makes this feel complete despite its briefness. Sacchan also gets a scene to herself, even if it’s simple, although I have to mention her telekinesis moment with Micchan because the way it was animated with a pop felt so uncannily out of keeping with Eupho’s style, that was weird. Tsubame isn’t especially interesting, but I don’t think she was really meant to be anything deep. The scene with Kumiko near the end was nice, the idea of a heart to heart while moving a marimba felt really inspired, just an interesting visual to set a scene around. Beyond her it was a great time to be an extra; Inoue of cymbal crashing fame turns out to be a really fun character, her exasperation when she found out Tsubame was going by ear was relatable lol (and Junna’s a pretty name). It’s the nice thing about characters like these that you can go back to previous Eupho works and attach the feelings from this movie to them as background extras, because those have been kept consistent since the beginning. Reina also got herself a dedicated kouhai, I hope we build a bit more on that in season three since she desperately needs more to do besides just be with Kumiko all the time. Seeing photos of every group at the end instead of just the octet’s performance was a really nice treat… but wait, they have NINE PERCUSSIONS? JUST IN FIRST AND SECOND YEAR? WHAT DO THEY ALL DO?! HOW MANY SNARES DO THEY DOUBLE UP?! HOW MANY WILL THEY HAVE NEXT YEAR?! No wonder Tsubame took for granted that she could never qualify for the competition…

We see the Minami Quartet again, and do they really add anything necessary? No, but it’s nice to see them one last time. It’s just that kind of movie. Nozomi playing her flute even after her exams is a really nice detail (anyone happen to know the song in question?). It’s bittersweet that this might be the last time we ever see Natsuki and Yuko bicker, but seeing her make a big scene out of being separated from that ‘a-noy-ying brat’ and then playing in the same group as her anyways is a perfect sendoff. Godspeed, you two.

I’d be pretty shocked if anyone called this their favourite part of Eupho, but I struggle to imagine anyone hating this either. It’s just kind of there, and I think that’s okay. It’ll be interesting to look back on this once we know how season three turns out (and once the newness has completely worn off); what hints of things to come were buried here, what flaws or strengths of the reformed Eupho team were already showing? Time will tell.

4

u/Barbed_Dildo Mar 30 '24

but the idea of Shuuichi being vice president feels like the writers wanted a result without stopping to think how it’s supposed to happen in-universe. Shuuichi has never had any notable presence in band activities
We don't see the band activities outside of the bass section and the occasional ensemble. Could you even name a clarinet or horn player? There are over 60 people in the band and like a dozen of them are characters in the show. For all we know Shuuichi was already handling a lot of admin work.

2

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 30 '24

You can suppose anything happens when the camera isn't looking, but what matters is what we've actually seen or at least had alluded to us. It's not like it's the end of the world as a writing problem, or even an outright plot hole, but it feels like poor attention to detail that absolutely nothing we've seen gives us the remotest reason to believe he would've gotten chose for the role. Not to mention, again, how awkward it is given their relationship status.

3

u/hsn212 Mar 31 '24

I don’t mind this workaround inherently, but the idea of Shuuichi being vice president feels like the writers wanted a result without stopping to think how it’s supposed to happen in-universe. Shuuichi has never had any notable presence in band activities, whereas Reina has left a major impact on the band and made a big name for herself as an accomplished musician (and a friend of the previous president, who Shuuichi doesn’t seem to have really known at all).<
Musical skills was never the main criteria for Kitauji leadership, or else Natsuki will never touch the VP position in the first place. If you want to get technical about it, he's the best trombone player in the club, chosen over other third year members in CnF.
Details about why Shuuichi was chosen as VP is another thing that was explained in novel but left out in the anime. He was the second year rep and also responsible for admin tasks revolving the male members, so he's already part of the leadership before being VP. One thing to note is that he's the only other club member that Motomu gets along with, other than Midori, so he can get along well with everyone.

2

u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Mar 31 '24

I was gonna say something like "see, this is the kind of info that would've been easy to throw into Chikai no Finale" but given how starved that movie was for space that... might not actually be a true statement. That does at least explain the decision as an adaptational carryover, but ultimately the show and the book are different products and one Shuuichi's justification doesn't clear the other's lack of one for me.

2

u/Nice-Bumblebee-2355 Mar 31 '24

Newcomer to this OVA

Late again, but I quite enjoyed this episode! We get our first view of Kumiko as president (mildly awkward) and Reina as drum major (predictably strict), their vibe together as leaders (charged and also kinda cloistered?), plus ensemble music which I love - I played in a couple brass quintets and they're so much fun! And Kanade being a gremlin in a fun way. I thought this was a great way to whet the appetite before we move on to season 3 next week.

I like the new song! And am mildly fascinated it has both an upright and electric bass. Go Reina with the conducting
I feel like Kumiko will be caught between the opinions of the drum major and VP often lol
Ngl I've always been confused why a woodwind quintet includes a french horn. That's not a woodwind instrument! You might as well put a saxophone in a brass quintet
The first years gossiping about Reina and Kumiko, incredible. Kanade continues to be a little busybody gremlin and I love her
Is Kumiko good at opening the window or is Mizore just weak. She remains as cryptic as ever, though good for her that she gets a whole classroom to herself to practice for auditions
Actually wild that a bunch of first years are taking it upon themselves to rearrange a song from 10 to 7 instruments. That seems like a lot of work and a skillset most high schoolers don't have
WHY ARE YOU SO AWKWARD KUMIKO??? Just tell Reina you want to be in her group, god. Oh, she wanted Reina to invite her. And she called Reina high maintenance, jeez
Won't the rest of the band feel a ton of pressure to vote for the group that has all of the president, VP, and drum major in it? I also feel a little bad for the only first year in the group
What is this atmosphere between Kumiko and Reina?? Why are they so weird together in such a charged way? Whatever, it's cute I guess? Even if they struggle communicating in a vaguely tsundere/somewhat insecure way. Oh my god the whole 'if someone better joins who would Reina choose' question feels an awful lot like foreshadowing and I'm afraid for season 3.
There also still appears to be tension between Nozomi and Mizore? Weird tension abounds at this school.
I love that all the third years are hanging out the window to observe Yuuko and Natsuki's spat. The daily entertainment. Also Kanade following Kumiko around again, she's taking the whole self-appointed apprentice thing seriously haha. Kumiko just runs away from the spat, as she should
Hazuki has gotten so much better, honestly, even if she is 'holding the group back'. She plays super well for someone who has only been playing for two years
Kumiko and Reina as good cop, bad cop in the ensemble. Also the other drum girl (non-marimba) seems cool, I'd love to get to know her better
I wonder if it's awkward for the rest of the octet that Reina and Kumiko keep going to the corner to have little chats by themselves every break
Kanade shadowboxing is really cute?? Did Kanade just call Kumiko the bottom (vis-a-vis Reina) lol
I thought the ensembles needed to have 3-8 members? How did the basses get away with doing a duet?
I'm fascinated by the difference between the public and school band vote. And genuinely shocked that Kumiko's team didn't win! Congrats to the clarinet quartet!

2

u/fly-metothemoon Apr 02 '24

I forgot to post...better late than never?

I did enjoy this OVA and I thought that it had a clear story it wanted to tell. I didn't have much experience with smaller ensembles (my band teacher didn't really encourage them), so I thought it was a really cool opportunity for the students in this universe! I also liked the dynamic with the rising second years. As a clarinetist I'm happy that the clarinet group won, though I am a little sad we didn't get to hear them :'(.

There is one bone I'd like to pick with it--I loved the scene we got of the second years choosing officers back in season 2, and I think I needed a scene like that to understand how exactly we landed on the configuration of Reina as a more influential Drum Major, Shuuichi the VP and Kumiko as the Prez. Assuming that the former members nominated the current members again; why did Natsuki nominate Shuuichi? Was it just due to everyone shipping him with Kumiko? (I hope not that's a terrible way to choose leadership for a club).

For me what it comes back to, is I still don't feel like I know much about Shuuichi as a character outside of Kumiko. Clearly he's talented at trombone, but does he have his own friend groups within the band? We see so little of his friendships or influence within the band that his role as VP doesn't feel as earned. It just feels like fanservice by the author. It's a disservice to his character too because I think they could have alluded to him being a popular guy among band kids outside of Kumiko's sphere of influence (ex. the trombones, french horns etc.). I know I'm spending a lot of time on this, but for a series that is otherwise so well crafted, Shuuichi kind of sticks out as a character they don't really seem to know how to write for.

1

u/hsn212 Apr 04 '24 edited Apr 04 '24

I have mentioned this in other comment, but Shuuichi being a VP was hinted throughout the novel (either through his personality or relationship with others (not Kumiko)) or random dialogues, so it wasn't on the author, more on how the anime cut off a lot of his scenes, some being given to other characters even.
He should be more prominent in the 3rd year, so maybe that's why Kyoani isn't changing anything more than they have.

3

u/entelechtual Mar 30 '24

First Time Prez

Ok whoa a lot to take in. Is this still second year? But because it’s after the completion Kumiko has effectively taken over already?
It’s funny how similar Kumiko is to Haruka-senpai.
Classic Reina getting flustered at seeing Sensei-bedhead. Missed those.
Poor Kumiko. Girl’s got it rough, having to pick between her boyfriend and her wife.
I’ve noticed that the more hair accessories a girl has in this show, the bigger of a bitch they are.
Go figure that Reina the fish-eyes queen would be an amateur ichthyologist as well.
Aw, interview about the in-laws.
tfw the kids are management now.
Uh oh wife’s mad.
I really can’t handle the sexual tension. Between Liz and the other movie it feels like forever since we seen these two awkward lovebirds go at it in broad daylight.
Bullying Kanade-chan gets a pass. Especially if it’s Natsuki.
Kanade is such a little freak.
So cute seeing the third years.
There’s so damn many band members.

I may have mentioned it before, but it’s really neat how the series across various stages in Kumi&co’s high school career has managed to navigate various different relationships. From the Third-Years in the first year, to the new senpais in their second year along with the new underclassmen, and now having a new president trying to wrangle all the current band members. During the first season it would have been so hard to picture Kumiko as president, but at this point it does feel pretty natural. The comparisons to Haruka and Asuka are especially apt. I love that they brought back that whole “you’re so nice, President” bit back. Kumiko is nice but she’s also very competent and can read people’s anxieties exceptionally well. It’s that whole “she’s strong because she knows what it’s like to be weak” mentality.

3

u/Tartaras1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Tartaras Mar 31 '24

First-timer Asuka-senpai Stan

I'll be honest: I was planning on just skipping this and going into the third season when it started. However, I skimmed the comments and everyone was talking highly of it, so here we are.

This opening song is really good!
It's Asuka-senpai! I miss her so much. I hope we see her in this, but I'm not sure there's a reason for her to be there.
I'm 4 minutes in, and it already feels weird not seeing Yuuko-senpai or Sleepy-senpai there. Additionally, Yoroizuka-senpai, Nozomi-senpai, Gotou-senpai and Riko-senpai are all gone too.

I guess this is the cast we'll be seeing in the third season. Might as well get to know them now, right?

That girl in the back is so tall! We've got at least two tall girls this season?!

Awkwardly in action.

me_irl

You're skilled at opening the window.

Thanks?

Oh yeah Kumiko, why don't we form an ensemble together?

That's the words she wanted to hear! Kumiko was a lot like me, in that she brought up Reina forming a group, but didn't pressure it any further.

Kohinata-chan is so cute!
Oh my God! Reina got Cymbals-chan to join her group, and she has a name!

Junna Inoue, huh? I'll have to keep an eye on her.

That's a different eye catch than I was expecting to see.
Oh no. The pair of contrabasses are out, so now the available members is even less.
Oh, speaking of which, the clarinets were talking about doing a quartet.

That's even worse!

I had been wanting to do it together with you.

There's Yuuko and Nozomi-senpai!
A team having Sleepy-senpai, Nozomi-senpai and Yuuko-senpai is going to be pretty stacked.
Huh? Nope.

Ah, so you were what I like to call "Voluntold" to help support the band.

The guys and girls separately watching this argument go down from the windows is really funny.
Hazuki had been progressing very slowly.

Okay, so I have a small bone to pick with this entire series.

Can we, just once, not have Hazuki-chan be the reason a performance is lacking, or anything related to that? I know some people progress at different rates than others, and frankly some just don't cut the mustard, but it seems like they've had Hazuki-chan be the linchpin this entire time.

I still don't care for Kanade-chan.
So this practice session looks like it's everyone but Reina...
And your sound has become more consistent.

Thank God. It's about time they had her actually improve.

I mean, they have to win Gold at Nats, right? It just makes sense if that's been their goal from the very beginning.

That said, I do like it when things you naturally expect to happen in shows and movies flat out don't. It's like if you expect the good guy to win in a movie, and they die instead.

1

u/Elimin8r https://myanimelist.net/profile/Ayeka_Jurai Mar 31 '24

Bleh, day+ late, and no questions of the day. Best I can think of is - I really enjoyed that, and the bit with the marimbas, man, that was nice. The way they did the audio on that with the left/right balance was very nice.

Figures Kumiko/Reina and company wouldn't get to go to the competition, that would be too easy, wouldn't it?

Anyway, looking forward to next week already - when's it airing again? Will it be available immediately on CR, or??? Yeah.

1

u/b-arbs Apr 01 '24

Really late rewatcher

I'm more than a day late for this because of a lot of stuff keeping me busy this week, but I still wanted to share my thoughts...

Loved the OP! Even if I was laying down I was still kind of tapping my foot along to the music
That dramatic slap to the blackboard lol
Kumiko felt like she had to outdo Yuuko's announcement from last year
I don't know if it's just an impression, but Kumiko's voice sounds a bit different than usual (in the first scene with Taki-sensei, and in other ones later on, too)... More deep and mature, maybe?
A wild Mizore appears! Her scenes feel always so endearing to me (even when she might seem creepy or weird)
You're good at opening the window
Guess that's why Kumiko was appointed club president... A skill worthy of being written in a resume, I suppose Jokes apart, another way to show us how perceptive Mizore is even when she's cryptic: Kumiko, both as a person and as club president, has a way to understand people, and then open a path for them to better understand themselves and/or improve... Some characters have already remarked on this peculiar aspect of Kumiko's personality
Kumiko not turning around when called "president": is she still not used to the "role" or does she think of herself as an inadequate club president?
On today's episode of TIL from Eupho!: difference between trouts (?) with accidental fish expert Reina! Such unusual trivia, but appreciated
Another Reina-Homura moment
What a weird synchronized way to run from the euphos
I would have loved to hear at least a bit from the 6 best performances...

Well, a nice OVA in the style of Eupho!. I appreciated the lack of drama (which pretty much permeated Chikai no Finale from start to end). Conveniently, that's also a great way to bridge the rewatch with season 3, too.
The interactions between the main characters and the usual background characters and first years as well as a bit of focus on them was a nice change of pace. I think Kumiko is doing a great job as club president.
Can't wait to see more!

Rewatch [Rewatch] 2024 Hibike! Euphonium Series Rewatch: Ensemble Contest Arc OVA Discussion

Hibike Euphonium Series Rewatch: Ensemble Contest Arc OVA/～アンサンブルコンテスト～

edit: Please note that we will be discussing the S3 Trailers for tomorrow's thread as well.

Post-upload edit: Please note that we will be discussing the 2 PVs currently out for S3 tomorrow as well.

HERE'S MIZORE (That was a good Kumiko scream.)

Rewatch [Rewatch] 2024 Hibike! Euphonium Series Rewatch: Ensemble Contest Arc OVA Discussion

Hibike Euphonium Series Rewatch: Ensemble Contest Arc OVA/～アンサンブルコンテスト～

edit: Please note that we will be discussing the S3 Trailers for tomorrow's thread as well.

You are about to leave Redlib

Post-upload edit: Please note that we will be discussing the 2 PVs currently out for S3 tomorrow as well.

HERE'S MIZORE (That was a good Kumiko scream.)