Who wants to talk about Kyoto Animation?

Mostly a Hibike! Euphonium rant blog 😝#kyoanistrong

[kyoanilysis]

Haven’t been on in a while. College and work and internships are really occupying my time atm. On a more serious note, as I’m sure you all know by now, KyoAni is facing something unspeakable. When I woke up and heard the news about the arson yesterday, I cried my eyes out. Not only for me, but for so many people around the world, this animation studio has had such a huge influence. KyoAni has made unique and brilliant stories that have changed lives, influenced genres, and brought communities together. It’s awful to even think it, but recovery is going to be a long and hard process. I still get tears in my eyes thinking how this is going to change our beloved KyoAni forever. I don’t want to assume how things are going to go from here, but it won’t be the same as it once was. And I’m still trying to accept this. In the next few months, when Chikai no Finale comes out (missed it in theaters), I’m probably going to cry as much as I have been lately, knowing that it will stand as a tribute to the KyoAni of before. As we all come to grips with this horrible reality, remember KyoAni as it was. Remember the important lessons we learned from their works. It’s already been amazing seeing the online community come together out of solidarity for what we love. So I’ll close this post by saying: I’ll be here for KyoAni, no matter what. To the studio that saved me when high school seemed almost impossible: thank you. 心から祈っています。

[kyoanilysis]

Idk how to reply to replies on my own post but @rueno I was super unexpectedly surprised by Ririka, I just thought she’d be kinda an irrelevant character or just someone hanging around Mizore BUT I LOVE HER NOW. Also I do want to say that Nozomi sees Mizore’s oboe as such a big part of her, it’s something she’s incredibly talented at and something she hasn’t given up on for all this time. While it wasn’t a straight up confession of love, if you consider that Nozomi actually felt a bit envious of Mizore’s oboe playing, then what Nozomi says is that she loves that Mizore has what she lacks, what she’s devoted herself to for years, something that really is a part of her. Nozomi says what she does because it’s what Mizore will understand (plus, Mizore has repeatedly played her oboe for Nozomi, keeping with it because of her, so this is how Nozomi realizes it).

[kyoanilysis]

Liz to Aoi Tori first thoughts!

This isn’t going to be an in-depth post and I’m not sure if I’ll do a longer one later because I have final exams coming up (;_;) but I wanted to say that I just saw Liz today! Here’s what stood out to me:

The Visuals

*THE BACKBONE OF THE MOVIE*

From the first PV, I knew Kyoani was going in a different direction with their visual style (it seems we’ll be getting the old one back for the new movie, not to worry) and I wasn’t disappointed by it

Actually, a lot of the characters looked super cute in this style. Also, it made sense in a narrative/standalone movie kind of way, so no complaints here!

EVERY FLASHBACK SCENE. DRAWN IN WATERCOLOR/PAINT STYLE??? YESSSS

One thing that kept striking me: the super super sweet nostalgic artstyle for the Liz scenes. It felt like they’d taken an anime from the 70s or 80s (or from my childhood cause I ain’t that old) and magically transformed it into the Kyoani Standard of beautiful animationTM. I could pretty much feel through the screen how much it’s influenced by childhood stories and coughGhiblicough

Also the lighting!!!!! For so many scenes!!!!!! Whoa!!!!!!

I literally had no words for the flute catching the light scene. Like, not only is that gorgeous, but it’s also SO CLOSELY RELATED TO NOZOMI’S PLACE IN MIZORE’S LIFE

There were probably a million more little things in this movie, like the FACIAL EXPRESSION ANIMATION (looking at you, last scene) and of course, Naoko Yamada’s classic leg-and-foot shots. But I will say that every scene that had some sort of character interaction was packed with so much emotion, I literally could not

Also, the way they showed the instruments. Carrying on the legacy of Hibike, but this time, showing us the specifics of oboe care. The detail in the way Mizore does this is amazing

THE VISUAL EFFECTS DURING MIZORE’S OBOE SOLO LOOKING LIKE SOME LIVE ACTION CAMERA BLURRING EFFECTS. I NEED TO REWATCH THAT ENTIRE SOLO

The Characters

If you thought the main show was a character drama, this was 90 minutes of that on steroids

Since this was a movie that focused on characters we’ve explored before in the Hibikeverse, I was already on the lookout for references to the events of the main series. However, I was really glad that they didn’t take up the whole movie. This is a story about facing the future, after all

For those of you sighing over this movie because it doesn’t have the plot of Koe no Katachi or other Kyoani films, what I think is important about this movie is that it’s very character-driven. It’s giving us characters with an already established backstory and dynamics they carry with them from the show. This is touching on them moving forward

In that respect, this movie, to me, is like the opposite of a “facing the fact that we’ll be apart soon” plot (which is what I was expecting). The idea of letting someone go for their own sake plays out so much in this movie, and to me, the ending seems to suggest that Mizore and Nozomi aren’t going to pursue the same path, that they’re going to move forward, but in different directions

BUT THAT’S OKAY. The fact that they were able to clear up their misunderstandings and be honest with one another is what brings them closer together, so even if they have to be apart someday, they’ll still stay connected <3

Speaking of the future, I love how they’re taking charge of the club. I love how Mizore and Nozomi are being called the “aces” of the wind section. Ah, first years, if you only knew what happened the year before...

Which brings me to THE NEW CHARACTERS. Hibike itself definitely addressed the idea of how underclassmen interact with their upperclassmen and how these dynamics change, as well as the idea of leaving something behind for your underclassmen. However, this movie gave us some reverse dynamics: how it feels to have these new kids come along

AND I REALLY LOVE HOW THEY DID IT

Even if the underclassmen weren’t a big part of the main duo’s story, they still had enough screentime to show me how the band is starting to change (in a good way!!) and the legacy that the third-years will leave behind just as the main series’ third-years did

Ririka is so precious, I went in expecting her to be annoying and found her super adorable and charming and a perfect calm balance for Mizore. The oboe duet they did together was perfect <333

The way this movie really shines is through showing the groups within the club interacting, how high school girls actually hang out and chat, pointing out to us that high school life is about the small things and the people we see every day (and not just big emotional outbursts, NozoMizo)

Also our main cast from the show just chilling and playing music and having fun just made my day. They deserve to not be tangled up in drama all the time

And they were so in character!! Do NOT tell me kumirei wouldn’t do that solo themselves in the main series

MIZORE OPENING UP TO PEOPLE (especially Niiyama-sensei and Ririka) THATS CALLED GROWTH, EVERYONE

Seeing Nozomi be vulnerable around others. Also, seeing her be dense did get a little frustrating at times, but it’s showing us that she isn’t perfect; she struggles, just like Mizore

There’s honestly so much more I could say, but the last scene was just. Oh my god. There is so much imagery of Mizore following Nozomi, watching her back, waiting for her. And finally, finally, Nozomi turns around to look at her. She doesn’t just see Mizore the way she did when they were in middle school or even before she quit the club. She sees her differently, as a girl who is amazing in her own right, even when Mizore doesn’t see it herself

BOTH OF THEM SUDDENLY CHANGING VIEWPOINTS WHEN IT COMES TO THE OTHER (and the scene where their faces are mirrored)

All the ties to the story of Liz. I knew it was coming, but it went even deeper than I thought. This wasn’t a one-sided thing; both Mizore and Nozomi were really closely connected to the story

Also, you cannot tell me that that story of the blue bird was completely platonic. Oh, no. Dropping that “aishiteiru” cemented it among the “ai no kokuhaku” moments of the show

There’s honestly so much I could talk about: the cute grouchy librarian girl (Mayaka!!), the NATSUUKO SCENES, the tiny background dramas in the lives of the flute girls, the super emotional reactions to Mizore’s solo, the mentions of familiar Hibike staples like the auditions, the Agata Matsuri, and going to the pool. I felt like I was back in high school watching the show all over again, and it was amazing

The Music

Amplifying the everyday with a new approach

I say this because to me, the music was blended so easily with the rest of the sounds in the movie. Probably because of Kensuke Ushio’s minimalistic soundtrack that uses background sfx constantly

And most of this music tends to play in the scenes of ordinary things, like at school or in the library (the titles of the tracks themselves show this)

I will say that the background music didn’t stand out to me as much as the previous composer’s tracks did, but I’m not complaining because this isn’t a Kumiko-centric Hibike, it’s a whole different story, so it makes sense that the music might be a little more subdued from the perspective of Mizore

I definitely loved the Liz background music, though. Again, the somewhat simplistic, gentle feel of it connected to that childhood nostalgia aspect of Liz’s story (also some of these piano tracks give me Hibike soundtrack vibes)

THE OBOE SOLO. I got chills I haven’t had since Reina’s trumpet solo in the very first competition episode. I know that it overpowered the flute part, but that’s part of the story: Mizore coming into her own and realizing her talent at the oboe

This is random, but the harp. Like, I was not expecting that to come up, but I’m all for it now. That was super pretty, and props to Kyoani for animating it

And because the music in this movie is so intertwined with the everyday, I’m actually GLAD that we didn’t have a Hibike-style concert scene. It isn’t so much about competitions for Mizore and Nozozmi, it’s about their own music (not that it wasn’t for Kumiko and Reina, but they were so drawn to competitions in a way that NozoMizo aren’t). Hibike covered the competition aspect of music. This movie is much more emphatic on music within one’s life and one’s future, especially when Mizore is faced with the prospect of music school

The fact that Mizore was somehow freer when she was practicing alone in the end was great. She was able to be herself and pursue her own sound. It doesn’t mean she’s leaving Nozomi behind, but it means she’s found something for herself :)

I really have to cut myself off there to refrain from further ranting, but I will say that this was an exceptional film. While it might not be what we’re used to from Kyoani, it’s an artistic masterpiece, and I really respect that. While it doesn’t have a huge action-driven plot, it is still showing us something about these characters, about the place they’re in right now, about their inner turmoil, and about their relationship with one another, so it isn’t by any means a story about nothing. Yes, it’s a continuationto a story that’s definitely said and done more in its two-season run than this 90-minute film has, but don’t think of it as just that. It’s a new take, a new perspective, a re-imagined style of Hibike! Euphonium that takes it slower than the original series does. And it was worth the wait.

I may answer some questions on the film if you have any, but any analyses I might do won’t be for a while. I’m still a bit unsure about doing analyses again, but there’s so much about Liz that I still haven’t said, and I’d be happy to talk about it some more. Just be on the lookout~

[kyoanilysis]

I’m getting nostalgic over the Kitauji Quartet PV, especially when we see how their looks are starting to change. I know they’re not the focus of the new movie, but it feels good to see them again 😭

[kyoanilysis]

Introducing a new first-year in the Hibike universe: Ririka Kenzaki, the new oboist! She shows up in some of the longer Liz to Aoi Tori PVs, but this is the first one dedicated to her (even though it’s a short one) and her relationship with “Mizo-senpai”.

[otakunews01]

Liz to Aoi Tori movie main cast & character desigs revealed!! Opens april 21th. 

CAST

Atsumi Tanezaki

Nao Touyama

Konomi Fujimura

Yuri Yamaoka

Shiori Sugiura

Tomoyo Kurosawa

Ayaka Asai

Moe Toyota

Chika Anzai

Houko Kuwashima

Yuichi Nakamura

Takahiro Sakura

STAFF

Director: Naoko Yamada

Screenplay: Reiko Yoshida

Character design: Futoshi Nishiya

Art director: Mutsuo Shinohara

Color design: Nana Ishida

Musical instrument setting: Hiroyuki Takahashi

Director of Photography: Kazuya Takao

3D Director: Tetsuro Umezu

Sound Director: Yuta Tsuruoka

Music: Kensuke Ushio

Music production: Lantis

Music production cooperation: Senzoku Gakuen Music University

Supervision of brass band: Masahiro Owada

Animation Production: Kyoto Animation

[urakeion]

To be fair, College/Highschool are just as good as the rest of the K-On manga since very little actually happens in the manga. A bit of Kyoani magic could make it the sequel we deserve

“Tis very true. KyoAni does know how to extend a story like K-On! where little happens in a 4-panel style manga. I think the problem I’ve heard people say they’ve had with College/High School is that they introduced way more characters than they expected, like Sumire, Nao and Akira. With only one volume apiece to get to know these new characters, given that Azusa, Jun and Ui are all seniors by that point and would graduate, the entire 3rd season would be around the same length as the OG squad’s first year. Which ISN’T a bad thing at all, it’s just that once that’s finished, we’ll have next to zero K-On material left, which is kind of depressing for avid watchers of the show.

[urakeion]

The other problem I’ve seen is that K-On doesn’t get much promotion nowadays from kyoani. I remember seeing some new promotional art (I FORGET where I saw this, it’s bugging me) featuring some of their main girls, like Rikka and Tamako, Mirai and from Hibike, but K-On isn’t there. K-On! is a chill series comparable to ones like Tamako Market and Hibike Euphonium, and especially like Hibike with the whole after school music genre. It’s been hella years too since kyoani has made the series and the movie, so unless they find it profitable enough, or if fans can get it to the attention of the animation company, idk if we’ll be seeing any new content for a long time. Which is why I turn to artists and fanfic writers to fill in the gaps and open new AU possibilities, myself included.

[superjacbee]

It’s really weird, considering the supposed hype it generated when it was broadcast, that K-On was never continued when the college and high school arcs came out (wasn’t it like the fifth anniversary a few years back? it would have been the perfect time to do it then). Kakifly hasn’t really been seen since the release of college/high-school as well (is he now jobless, still riding off that k-on money, or did he just fade away into obscurity? who knows really). The fact that K-On was (well currently) has not been touched on again could come down to Kyoani not being able to contact Kakifly to continue it, them seeing more potential in series like Hibike (the fact that that is getting three new movies should be telling) or simply they don’t like making season 3 for things (but in saying that the college and high school arcs are short enough to be fit into a movie). On the flipside, the story in the K-On anime felt complete after the movie so maybe they aren’t going back to it because it might ruin the narrative they have for it already (tbh the college/high school arcs seem inferior to the originals but then again they haven’t received the anime treatment so we can’t really tell for sure). It’s an interesting topic to think about I suppose because the answer isn’t as clear as something like why Nichijou flopped and probably won’t be getting a season 2. I love Nichijou, but it seemed too niche with little to no fanservice, had expensive BDs iirc and aired during the 2011 earthquake. On the other hand, K-On had a huge hype train behind it (as evidenced by stuff like phones and instruments featured in the show being sold out IRL, the live concerts and Toyasato becoming a K-On shrine) so it’s strange that they never kept the ball rolling once new content came out.

Also here’s what I think is the poster you were referring to. I think it only included shows from 2012 onwards but with that said, why wasn’t anybody from Hyouka included while a character from a show that isn’t even out yet was? 

[superalicat]

Just gonna add my input here.

The protag from Violet Evergarden has actually already been a part of the KyoAni group since 2015 (so since before Phantom World and Koe no Katachi came out), which is when the first Violet Evergarden novel was published by KyoAni. Imo, she has as much right to be there as Rikka from Chuunibyou, Mirai from KNK, Haru from Free!, and Mai from Phantom World, since those four were also from novels published by KyoAni (and a Tamako Market novel was published after the anime finished airing). So you’ll notice there’s actually a trend when it comes to series that KyoAni likes to continue, especially in the case of Free! and Chuunibyou, which are getting new movies within the next year: they’re based on series that KyoAni has the publishing rights to, all of which were chosen by KyoAni itself in its Kyoto Animation Awards. I will admit that Hibike! Euphonium isn’t licensed by KyoAni’s publisher (here’s a link to all the novel and LN series that KyoAni is currently publishing, but it’s in Japanese), but it’s still a huge hit and it’s recent.

I know that Jacob and Andrew were talking about how popular K-On! was back in the day, but it’s kind of crazy to think that it first started airing in 2009, which was already eight years ago, and the movie was at its peak in 2011-2012 iirc. Yes, I know that Chuunibyou’s on here despite it being from 2012 (though Hyouka, aired in the same year, isn’t, but I’d assume that’s because it never got licensed and its novel was never published by KyoAni), and KNK hasn’t gotten any more movies and is still on this poster, but that’s because KyoAni’s still selling their novels. When it comes to the older series, like K-On! and Hyouka and even Nichijou, KyoAni isn’t able to make more money off of them because they haven’t licensed their series. Nichijou and K-On! are manga, and that means they have completely different publishers to begin with (plus, K-On! definitively ended, and the reboots didn’t do so great, but I’m not sure if Nichijou’s still going or not). And, yes, both Dragon Maid and Koe no Katachi are also manga, but there’s this emphasis that the poster has on recent shows–since they can still make KyoAni money because their BluRays are on sale. So since K-On! has ended, it isn’t considered the cash cow that it once was (like Haruhi, which I also doubt will ever get revived), which sucks, but it’s just what it is with the industry.

This turned into a long rant, I’ll probably cut it off here. But yeah, tldr, Violet Evergarden’s already making KyoAni money as a novel, so that’s why they’ve got its protag up here (also I am very pumped to see the anime adaptation and hope it’s as well done as the PVs, but we’ll see!).

[lady--k]

What Reina found on Kumiko

I like the musical part of their relationship, specially for Reina. We see clearly how Reina affects Kumiko, driving her foward and inspiring her, but what does it means for Reina? Let´s go back to when she was a child.   

This little girl here, probably one of her first friends, feels frustrated because she´s not as good as Reina, even when she cheer her up to be better her response is this…

“You are better because you have an advantage”, she’s jealous and angry to tears so she just choose to leave.

So what does it means to Reina? Been talented also get you kinda lonely, personally I too had friends who keep their distance because I improved faster than them and began to hang out with people more less to their artistic level, hell… even my boyfriend got jealous cause of that. Later Reina tells Taki-sensei how she doesn´t get along really well with the other band members, but moving foward to when Kumiko is strugling with her piece…

Then again, Reina wants to help her friend 

“It´s getting better but not enough for the competition” a rather direct statement, not so soft and encouraging like when she was a kid, but Kumiko’s response is so different

She´s not jealous, he’s not threatened by Reinas talent, she’s inspired and wants to be with her instead of giving up and leaving her cause she would never reach her.

So she smiles, most likely Reina hasn´t had a close friend for a long time, cause she intimidates people, but not this girl. Kumiko loves about Reina what most people finds threaten and for Reina that must be gold. 

She now feels that she won´t be alone anymore in the path that she´s taken. 

And later she came back again, “Let´s ´play together”, we know how serius Reina takes it and she´s taking time from her own practice to be with Kumiko, also… at the begining we see that Kumiko goes out side because she was ashamed she couldn´t play the piece like Asuka did, so she went to practice somewhere no one could hear how she was struggling, buuuuut she doesn´t care Reina hears her,  cause she trust her. 

I don´t know, I thought very much about this and how much it means to someone when you find not just your personal but you’re artistic soulmate too. They love eachother in a romantic way but they´re also really good friends.

[whocaresdesuka]

“これは愛の告白”

”だってこれは愛の告白だから”

”お姉ちゃん、大好き！”

”だって今は、大好きですから”

So….what am I trying to say… This has been beaten to death really, but despite the second half of season 2 - I still think KumiRei is the canon ship. I would have killed for more interaction between Kumiko and Reina, and straight up died if KyoAni had been more explicit in the end (although I’ve seen convincing enough arguments that their relationship is unambiguous). The interaction between Kumiko and Asuka at the end mirrors the Kumiko-Mamiko scene after final competition. Kumiko even says she wants to play like Asuka. I honestly love how their relationship changed - Asuka really became a sister-like figure and inspiration to Kumiko, and Asuka confided so much in Kumiko…it’s great, but not romantic as far as I can see. 

[thatnerdyrunner]

Hibike! Euphonium and the girl named Kumiko

(SPOILERS FOR THE SHOW)

So I’m gonna start this off by saying, I was never a band kid in high school, it never interested me and I have no musical talent whatsoever. However, around the Spring Season of 2015 a show started about a high school music club, and that show was called Sound! Euphonium(Hibike Euphonium for purists) and after just before writing this watching the final episode of its second season wrapping up the series, I can proudly say its become one of my favorite Anime ever.

I could go into all the reasons why I hold that opinion, obviously this shows animation and music are breathtaking and just invoke a world I’d love to be in, and yes the characters are wonderfully designed and the shows direction is top notch, but it wasn’t all that that made this show what it was for me, for me what made this show was the character of Kumiko Oumae, our main lead and narrator throughout the series

What makes Kumiko such a standout to me is that she is one of the most realistically developed leads I’ve ever seen in fiction. She begins the series as someone who has fallen out of love with music and struggles to find her motivation for it, and what I love is that throughout both seasons she slowly not only sees what makes those in the band want to play, but also she falls back in love with music and discovers why she loved it in the beginning. 

While it was fun playing the shipping games as the series went on (I’m a personal fan of Kumirei but thats neither here nor there) I slowly discovered that that wasnt the true relationship this series was developing, oh sure it was there but once I saw the final episode the major arc Kumiko went through finally was clear. It was about reconnecting with her sister through music and connecting with her Senior bandmate Asuka through her music. Kumiko’s love of music comes from her love of her sister and how she wanted to be part of her sisters world with her. And throughout the two seasons the sisters come to terms with their relationship and Kumiko realizes she idolized her sisters music and as she said in the penultimate episode “I love the eupho because of you”. Fully showing that she remembers what made music so special to her.

This perfectly translates to her relationship with Asuka, Asuka at first glance comes across as a cold hearted person who puts walls up to everyone. However, as the series goes on its not through words that Asuka’s emotions reach Kumiko, it’s through the music played on the eupho that they share, and as Asuka finally opens up to Kumiko, their able to express their feelings of admiration through each other through nothing but song. The final scene of the series sells this fully, as Kumiko admits she went from hating Asuka to loving her and having trouble figuring what shell do without her in the band to play with. Asuka simply gives her the notebook with the very song Kumiko was intrenched by and said “see you later”. Now I would personally love to take this scene as Asuka confirming these two will meet again and never truly be gone from eachothers lives, but also I think that through the music they share, Kumiko will never have to say goodbye to Asuka, and will be able to pass on these feelings to her underclassmen one day.

Ultimately Kumiko realizes her love for playing lies in the emotions music can convey and bring to people, and the song that helps her discover this, its literally named “Sound, Euphonium” thus helping us see that this was what the whole show was about, exploring how we as people find our motivation not just in music, but in any pursuit we have and that its those feelings that help define our relationships with others.

Kumiko comes out of this series not a perfect star player, but as one who understands why it is she plays and loves what she does, and to me that is one of the greatest arcs a show has ever given a character and it is one I won’t soon be forgetting

[thecaptainel]

Reina’s all “I finally found you” at the very end of the finale

But it’s more than just in that one moment,

she’s been searching for Kumiko the entire season (figuratively and, of course, literally).

they’ve gotten sidetracked; Kumiko dealt with the second-years, her sister, learning to admire and look up to Asuka, Reina had to get over her crush on Taki-sensei

But now that all that’s been resolved, now that Kumiko’s realised how much Asuka meant to her, now that she’s gone and Kumiko is inspired for the future, Reina can finally find her again, and they can go forward into the future, free of distractions, discursions, or digressions.

[kyoanilysis]

Hibike! Euphonium 2 Episode 12--The Third Years

I’ll be doing something a little different for this week’s episode by not focusing on the first-years, as I usually do, but instead on the conclusions that were made in this episode in terms of the band’s future. Since this was the third-years’ last performance, it definitely had some extra significance for them. 

With regards to the third-year’s final performance, Taki-sensei’s speech right before they go onstage is really significant. This is the last time he’s going to be addressing them before a competition, after all.

Taki-sensei’s speech reminded me a lot of the exchange between Haruka and Kaori in S1 Ep11 just before the trumpet re-audition, where Haruka told Kaori she wanted her to not have any more regrets. A lot of what Taki-sensei’s saying is that it isn’t about winning, but about the band being satisfied with their final performance. And it does take a lot to be satisfied with a performance that may not have had the result you wanted, especially in the case of Kitauji’s bronze-winning performance. However, I think that the third-years were, in the end, happy with what they achieved.

First, let’s look at the complete resolution of the Asuka situation, starting with the competition euphoniums’ interactions. This is Asuka and Kumiko’s last competition together, and by being in the competition group together, they’ve definitely gotten a lot closer (I could honestly cry forever over how great their friendship is). So, even when it’s their last practice, Asuka’s still keeping things light-hearted by messing around with Kumiko.

On that level, at least, Asuka hasn’t changed. To me, it’s definitely a way of showing her affection--she’s done things like this with all of the bass section first-years just to tease them. So it’s nice to see that in this way, Asuka’s still staying true to herself. She does, however, have a little more at stake than the rest of the third-years, who are all facing their last performance as well.

Though she could have chosen to dwell on seeing her father (or at least getting in touch with him), we see that Asuka is more focused on playing her best at the competition. She’s showing us that she’s not just here because of him, but because she wants to play with the rest of the band. Her feelings toward the band also make themselves known in the speech she gives before Kitauji’s performance.

She, like Taki-sensei, isn’t focusing on the idea of getting gold, but instead, being able to perform in a way that they can enjoy and feel proud of. Her emphasis on “all of us” is also pretty important, since she’s not just there to show off on her own, but do her best along with the rest of the band. The speech she made at the Kansai Competition, where she declared that she wanted the whole nation to hear Kitauji (and not just her) closely matches what she says here. And it’s a really good way to encourage the others, since they’re going against a lot of high-level bands and might be feeling a lot of pressure. Even so, the tension within the band, when compared to their first competition in S1 Ep13, is a lot lower. They’ve become a lot more experienced since then, and they’re more able to keep their cool in these kinds of situations like these. Thanks to Asuka’s motivational words, they can retain their confidence and composure during the performance.

With that, I’ll be going to Asuka and Kumiko’s conversation backstage before it’s Kitauji’s turn to perform. To me, it’s really indicative of how things have progressed since the beginning of the show.

Back when Aoi quit the band, we didn’t see Asuka acting as concerned as Haruka over her resignation, but we do know that she does still see her as having lasting ties to the band, and also knows that she’s not just a stranger to Kumiko. And although it wasn’t really mentioned more than this, I think there’s a lot of significance in Aoi coming back to watch everyone at Nationals. Even though she voluntarily quit the band, she’s owning up to the fact that, yes, she could have been here too, if only she’d stuck it out. But I doubt she’d harbor any resentment towards the band for accomplishing something she was never able to do; in fact, I think she came because of how much she still cares about the band. Her little appearances throughout the season show that, in some small ways, she’s still connected to it (primarily through those she knew that still stayed in the band). Having pursued music as long as she did, it’s natural that some of it will still remain in her life. In my opinion, there’s two meanings behind Asuka’s comment that a ticket to Nationals “must have been hard to get”. There’s the obvious meaning, of course, but I think she’s also saying that it must have been hard for Aoi to put aside her feelings from when she left the band and willingly come back to see exactly what she missed after she quit. Naturally, this reminds Kumiko of her sister, who also left music behind, but still has ties to it, and who has come to Nationals as well.

Though it’s not that big, Asuka’s reaction to Kumiko’s news is still very sweet. She can tell that this is pretty important to Kumiko, and knows that Kumiko wants to play her best for Mamiko, just as she herself wants to for her father. That’s why she knows exactly what to say to pump Kumiko up. In the beginning of the series, I really doubt Asuka would care about the personal matters weighing on her underclassman’s mind, but now that she’s confided in Kumiko and has been supported by Kumiko, she’s definitely become more open and more caring when it comes to her, especially since Kumiko’s finally confided in Asuka a little in return. I’m anticipating a very emotional farewell between these two because of that. Consequently, Kumiko is able to be a part of this scene and understand how Asuka feels.

Here, we see Asuka’s surprise at her father reaching out to her. It seems as though she wasn’t actually expecting to be acknowledged like that, which ties back to her earlier stance of being at Nationals for the band’s sake, not just for her own. Though she did play for her father, it was only in order for him to hear her, but she ended up getting a lot more than that. Kumiko, who knows why Asuka is so taken aback (in a good way) by this praise, is able to tell just how big of an impact those words had on her upperclassman.

She, too, takes joy from Asuka’s delight, and I think that the acceptance Asuka receives from her playing is what eventually spurs her to go talk to her sister and tell her, the person she was playing for all along, how she feels about her. (I know these analyses are no place for headcanons but) I’ve been thinking that, even though she never admitted to Mamiko that she really cares about her until this episode, Kumiko did have a sister-like figure in her life: Asuka. The way she once called Asuka out on her antics and yet still tolerated her lighthearted attitude reminds me a lot of her limited interactions with her sister, and, as we saw a few episodes ago, she really cared about Asuka not making the same mistakes as Mamiko. Now, after Asuka receives praise from the person she wanted to hear from the most, Kumiko lets go of her replacement sister figure (again, this is just my opinion) to face her true sister. It was a really touching scene, and probably even more so because we know that it will probably be the last time we see Mamiko (then again, who knows?). Next week’s episode looks to be a promising farewell between the two euphonium players, and we’ll finally get to see the end of a friendship that began with Kumiko being dragged into the bass section. It’s been a pretty bumpy ride, but Asuka’s character has been developed really well this past season, and I’m glad she’s finally gotten the ending she deserves.

Now, it’s time to talk about another aspect of the final competition: the third-years’ retirement from the club. Going a little out of order here, I want to cover the bass section first. Like most of the scenes in this episode, it’s a short exchange, but it’s pretty meaningful.

Although the Asuka-Kumiko friendship is much more prominent than Natsuki and Asuka’s, we’ve still seen these two having important interactions. After all, they were together in the euphonium section an entire year more than Kumiko and Asuka were. There’s a small scene in last week’s episode, for example, where Natsuki gets to see Asuka at her lowest in terms of playing (and Asuka confides in her that she’s not doing so well), which showed us that even Natsuki is aware of Asuka’s flaws and still accepts them anyway. By telling Natsuki that she’s counting on her, Asuka also recognizes how far Natsuki has come since the beginning of the year. Though Natsuki wasn’t a part of the competition group, she still accomplished a lot in Team Monaca and made lasting connections with the first-years--and that’s definitely worth making her in charge of the bass section after she graduates. Asuka has shown her trust in Natsuki by giving her the authority she once held in both the euphonium group and the bass section as a whole. In an earlier scene, we also see her relinquishing her status as vice president, with Haruka doing the same.

Though Haruka and Asuka readily admit that their positions in the club are null, we see that Kaori’s a little more reluctant to let go. Though she’s not the president or the vice president, she’s very attached to the club (remember when it was mentioned that she threatened to leave the year before to stop her underclassmen from quitting? That’s how devoted she is to the rest of the band). Once the performance is over, both the president and vice president accept that there’s nothing left to do but wait for the results of the competition, and since they’re not going to be part of a high school concert band anymore, they don’t need to stick around and listen to the other performers. Kaori only realizes this after it’s all over, when Haruka and Asuka tell her, and we see a little surprise on her part when she realizes that her role is over as well. It’s now time for the third-years to leave things to their underclassmen.

Okay, this particular scene is one that I’m not going to go over in full...for obvious reasons. What I want to point out is how the band reacts to situations without Haruka and Asuka (though I’m sure they’ll adjust). Yep, it’s the part right before Reina’s big awkward moment, where Kitauji doesn’t have anything planned for Taki-sensei’s awards ceremony.

A lot of the panic here is coming from the third-years, but this scene shows us that the band still needs to adjust to not having their president and vice president around. It’s only when Reina takes action (in a rather cringe-worthy way, but still more decisively than the rest of the band) that something actually happens. It’s pretty clear that the band is going to have to get used to Asuka and Haruka not being the ones who get things done (particularly because they’re the moodmakers of the band), since this is what happens when they’re left on their own. Still, both Asuka and Haruka have relied on the band a lot in the past, and this is displayed for us in their final speeches at the end of the episode.

Haruka, the more emotional of the two leaders, expresses how she feels to be leaving. As hard as it might be for the rest of the band, it’s also hard for her as well, and she tells the others that it was thanks to them that she didn’t have to worry as much about being a leader as she could have: she was supported by the others the entire time even when she didn’t have much confidence in herself. Despite readily accepting the end of her presidency in the club, as we saw earlier, it still isn’t that simple for her when the time comes for the third-years to retire. As usual, it’s up to Asuka to take over with her usual mix of comedy and seriousness to address her underclassmen.

It could be because of the message she received from her father, but Asuka ends up being a lot more positive than Haruka at the end of it all. As she implied in her earlier speech, it isn’t as much about the results as it is about the effort Kitauji put into their performance, and her praise is genuine. If you think it’s a little contradictory with what she says about their results a little later, it really isn’t. She’s telling the band that she’s proud of how far they’ve come, and even if they didn’t get satisfactory results by winning bronze, they still tried their hardest.

There’s the Asuka humor we all know and love...

With these words, Asuka is able to get the band back on their feet after the disappointment they endured. She’s being pretty serious here, using her leadership abilities to the max, and lets the rest of the band know that they still have room to improve, that it’s definitely possible to improve. The results they got this year might be frustrating, but she’s urging them all to look ahead and aim for an even better victory next year. She’s counting on them to follow her “order” until they’ve truly won at Nationals. This gives the band a lot of optimism and even more determination to do what she says, for both their own sake and to make their upperclassmen proud. Finally, she goes back to being a bit more comedic, letting them know she’ll still be with them (even when she’s supposed to be retiring). So, even though it’ll be tough for the new band without the third-years, Asuka’s confident in their ability to achieve new goals and reach for even more than they already have. As a final speech, I’d say it was definitely a success. Kumiko isn’t the only euphonium who knows what to say at the right times.

That wraps up my analysis on the third-years’ final moments as members of the concert band. Yes, they’ll still be showing up in next week’s episode, but this one definitely wraps things up in terms of their presence in the club and their leadership. And even I admit that it’ll be hard to see Hibike! end in such a short amount of time (if you can’t already tell, I’m very attached to this series), but, like all good stories, it has to come to an end sometime. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing what the final episode has in store for us. Until then, everyone! Thanks as usual for your support, and thanks to all 605 of you for sticking around even when I don’t post anything :) 

[kyoanilysis]

Happy holidays, everyone!

There will be an analysis post this week on Episode 12 (still working on it atm) that’ll probably be shorter than usual. Sorry to make you wait, I’ll have it up before by tomorrow. Aside from that, just wanted to wish you all a merry Christmas/Hannukah/winter in general. Hope you’re having a great day!

[kyoanilysis]

For those of you who aren’t happy that they didn’t include “Crescent Moon Dance” in this ep:

This is one tiny little grievance with Episode 12 that I’ll strive to address, but it’s kinda interesting to notice. Why? It’s the ribbons.

The ribbons are the little red tags that everyone wears (even Hazuki and the rest of Team Monaca have one) to show that they’re competing and probably to give them backstage access and the like. However, this isn’t the first time these tags have shown up before. They were in the OP the entire time.

In the OP, after we see the initial characters having fun and playing their instruments, the chorus starts and we see everyone performing. I’d initially assumed that this was during the Kansai Competition, but...

We’ve been watching them play at Nationals the entire time.

Just kinda wanted to throw this out there for those of you who were dissatisfied with that part of the episode.

[tsunderetiddies]

REACTIONS TO REACTIONS TO HIBIKE! EUPHONIUM 2 EP12

Let’s make one thing clear: I have not read the light novels. I only based my opinions from the anime series (and I couldn’t find translations for them).

One thing is for sure though: just like last year, just like what happened in S1EP10, I will stand to see reason why Hibike! Euphonium’s production staff decided to take Kumiko’s journey as they did until S2EP12. And I think being a little chill on each passing episode despite my rabid desire for Kumiko and Reina to just be WOKE and tear each other’s clothes off and make passionate love, or just fucking confess, I try to set my feelings aside and take their journey like I how I experienced high school.

It is not easy to be so in-tuned with what you want, or with who you really are.

(SPOILERS FOR EPISODE 12 BELOW; I WARNED YOU)

This episode talks about confessions and acknowledgments. These came from different relationships that we’ve seen so far in the series, both subtle and outright: the climactic recognition of Kumiko and Reina’s attraction towards each other’s uniqueness, the tumultuous tension between Kumiko and her older sister, the admiration Kumiko has with Asuka which stemmed from her loss of someone to look up to (her older sister), and the friendship of Kimiko and Shuichii being reduced to somewhat close to a background noise because they’ve known each other for so long that they just know each other and doesn’t need each other’s constant presence to acknowledge that. Plus the apparent one-sided love-love Reina has with Taki.

This is, in fact through the lens that followed Kimiko, and it is evident enough because we know things, we discover things whenever she is around. There are no flashbacks in the series shown what we know before she does. It’s like we’re her shadow, and sometimes we even see what she was thinking.

ON SHUICHII: Of course he knew that she likes that flower hairclip. Of course he knew she’s gonna like it: it reminds her of her sister, that’s why. Shuichii is the only person in the series who knew Kumiko’s past as well as her relationship with her family members. They are in one apartment complex. Their parents were friends; their mothers talked to each other a lot. It is not explicitly shown in the series, but it is there, shown from the dialogue. It can be defended that Shuichii is always present in the background and has somehow active in Kumiko’s life despite lack of screen time, especially during Kumiko’s sister’s arc. 

We acknowledge this, however, it is not the way we think. Being present in someone’s life does not mean that he is warranted to be someone extra special to that person. Shuiichi may be a part of almost all of Kumiko’s life, but that does not secure him a spot for Kumiko to see him in a romantic light. Despite anime tropes, real life doesn’t really work that way. Being childhood friends with Shuichii does not make Kumiko care all more for him being in love with her, or him inviting her for a date in the festival. She even ditched him; that’s how familiar he is in her life. And in the second season, she saw his gesture of gift-giving as a birthday present and a reminder of her sister’s attendance to the concert. 

Kumiko acknowledged that Shuichii knows what she likes because they are childhood friends. She appreciates how he cares for the sisters. Of course they would know that. But this does not guarantee him a spot. Because, first, she doesn’t see him that way. And with us as pseudo-shadow to Kumiko’s adventures, knew that he will always be in the background, until he shows himself. He only appears when he meant for himself to appear. But, that too, his presence, does not warrant him a place for her romantic endeavors.

ON REINA: again, so what if she’s in love with Taki? I appreciate Kumiko much more when she openly understood how sensitive Reina was about them being transparent with each other, that even with Reina’s resentment over Kumiko keeping Taki’s former marriage from her does not waver Kumiko from supporting her. She is a reliable friend. And friendships are not like sand castles; friendships lasts for a lifetime. Marriages last because they consider their partners as best friends who encourage transparency, trust and reliability—apart from love, of course. It makes relationships work so well for so long—that bond of friendship—aside from Kumiko and Reina’s similarities. This fact of life (for most people) makes me grounded and confident about their relationship. This does not make me roll my eyes in frustration,

even if the canon says that Kumiko ended up with Shuichii. Sure, sure, they were a thing in the light novels, but, does that make me lose hope? Nope. Because they had the whole of their adulthood to figure things out. Reina has her whole life to ponder whether pining for Taki is worth it. Kumiko has her whole life to think if Shuichii is who she wants despite logical reasons, like him being dependable and kind.

(Reina and Kumiko have their adult lives to figure out they want each other, and I hope they discover it sooner.)

It’s not like they all gonna die after high school, that they need to be absolutely sure of themselves before graduation. Even Kumiko’s sister couldn’t decide on what she really wanted until she’s less than a year before college graduation.

Hence, Kumiko and Reina isn’t immune to that too. They are still in high school, at tender age of sixteen, and they need not to experience life all at once. They need not happy endings all the time because that won’t make them discover themselves. Comfort makes a person go stagnant; suffering is essential to truly know oneself. I don’t hope for them to have a tragic future, but they need to learn through hardships of life. Taki, despite really being adult, has taken a share of experiences, and he grew as a person from it.

Plus the production does not insult our intelligence because Taki remained a rational adult for Reina: acknowledging Reina’s confession but not indulging it because it is weird to be involved with a student. This show respect realism and does not succumb to their niche audience to pander on relationships that were socially and morally questionable—like being involved with your under-aged student.

This isn’t a show about yuri and lesbian relationships. But it is nice that we see it burgeoning from details about Kumiko and Reina. It may not be at this point when they are sixteen, but maybe someday, when they are ready for it.

Because this show is not about being lesbian, gay, or bisexual or whatever gender you belong to in the spectrum, but about learning from what your life has brought you. Gender and sexuality is part of that, but it does not dominate what life will bring them. 

[kyoanilysis]

Episode 11 stuff

It’s been almost a week since it came out, and I’ve seen a lot of criticism over how things went down. And I’m not saying that I loved how everything ended up, but I didn’t hate it either. Anyway, since the fandom has a lot of mixed feelings right now, I think it might be best if I didn’t do an analysis on it this week. If you were looking forward to it, I’m really sorry. I’ll definitely do one next week (since I’m on break now) when there’s going to be more to talk about. Hopefully we’ll be able to get back on track with Episode 12.

[kyoanilysis]

Can I just say I really enjoy your analysis on the episodes, especially ep 10 that came out today. You posts always makes me realize something I haven't before, especially reasons behind character's actions. Btw have you noticed how amazing the episode was composed? I loved the use of objects in the backgrounds and the colors!! Also the shadows. Anyways this was my way of gushing over your work, thx for making them >:O.

Aww thank you @botmj! The lighting of the entire Kumiko-Asuka confrontation (especially showing Asuka’s face in shadow for a lot of the time) contributed so much tension to the scene and really added to the whole atmosphere. It gives the show the whole documentary-esque style that I personally really love about Hibike. I’m so looking forward to how tomorrow’s Mt. Daikichi confrontation is going to go, visually as well as plot-wise (ONE MORE DAY GUYS!!)