Sound! Euphonium

In the first half of this season, this show is mostly about the music and almost nothing else. There are no subplots, no complex relationships to deal with, no romantic storylines, and when there are, they are only very peripheral. However, in the second half of the season, it is as if the anime’s producers suddenly decided that it was time for a change, so they managed to shove a love triangle (or rather a love rectangle) into the narrative. They also put a ton of emotional, romantic, and other kinds of scenes into just a few episodes. This seemed to take the show’s attention away from the music for a while. While this change was quite unexpected, I personally found it made the show feel more human because as a musical philistine I am just not going to get too worked up over a narrative around what it is like to be in a band. Unfortunately, some of the storylines had a rather unsatisfactory outcome, and in the episodes after, the focus returned to music (and nothing but music) again, so there was just a flicker of emotion, like a summer breeze in the leaves and then it disappeared again... The animation is really nice, however, that is unsurprising really, since the Kyoto animation studio is behind it, and the show’s soundtrack is also pretty good, although I would have expected this aspect to have been a little better in case of a musical anime. Despite that, it is quite interesting to see how the band gradually improves over time. The finále is quite satisfying and on the whole the impression I got was pretty good. However, if I compare it to Nodame Cantabile, which I think is the perfect music anime series, Sound! Euphonium basically could not get near my imaginary "musical anime throne". So I think it is an inferior four stars, even though I would recommend it to aficionados of both music and musical anime. 7/10. (2020-01-24)

The animation in this season of Sound! Euphonium is once again very good. The soundtrack is quite a respectable affair, so there is not really any big change from the first season. Plus, everything is much more focused on the relationships within the band, dealing with various major and minor problems, and goes along with the build-up to the different gigs. So the music and everything else ends up much better balanced. Plus, the style of how the female protagonists deal with their problems feels quite realistic, so this anime series comes across as quite believable. The main thing is that it is not about the main female protagonist attempting to solve all the problems in the band by herself. The issues are resolved by her only when deemed reasonable, and with the help of various other band members when not. The main female protagonist goes through all sorts and comes out the other end, and you can see everything through her eyes. Plus, she also gets involved in a lot of situations on her own. So this show is very realistic; each problem is revealed slowly, just as Kumiko gradually finds out. In addition, all the feelings and emotions that get stirred up, the affection between the characters, are also very complicated and ambiguous at times, just as it probably should be with the feelings of young people who are just getting to know each other. So this anime series strikes me as a very realistic, sophisticated, and well-crafted show. In the end, I definitely feel satisfied, and this is how I imagine a "slice-of-life" anime series. So, mainly due to the more balanced ratio (compared to the first season) between everyday life and the life in the school band, where it is all about the music, and also due to the very good ending, I got a very good overall impression. 8.5/10. (2016-10-12)

So, I’ve finally finished the last season and the entire series of Hibike! Euphonium, and I had to take a moment to decide whether it deserved a gold medal from me or not. Honestly, I'm a bit disappointed. This final season flew by way too quickly for my taste. The whole school year went by like a wave of a magic wand (or rather a conductor’s baton, given the musical theme). I expected a deeper dive and a grand finale similar to the second season, perhaps a movie or at least an extended episode to wrap things up in a grandiose manner. That didn’t happen, and I feel like the hype surrounding the second season’s finale, including the movies, either set the bar too high or this season didn’t get enough hype from the creators. There seemed to be less focus on the music. We had three competitions, but we only really saw one – the main one. The longer musical numbers were mostly in the last two episodes. Personally, I think Kumiko outplayed Mayu in their duel! This season reaffirmed that Kyoto Animation remains at the top of the animation industry. Visually, it was stunning, with exceptional detail, color work, and reflections – all top-notch. The dramas within the school orchestra, the emotions of the students, and even Mr. Taki were all conveyed excellently. The series taught us that life doesn’t always go as planned, and in large groups like the school orchestra, individual wishes must often yield to the group’s goals. Group dynamics are crucial, and Hibike! has always excelled at portraying this. Psychologically, I enjoyed everything that happened. Some decisions and outcomes were pleasantly surprising and defied the expected clichés. I also continued to enjoy the relationship between Kumiko and Reina, which still feels like the biggest fake yuri bait in anime ever. The finale was good but didn’t feel as grand as a series finale should. The final musical performance aimed to tug at the heartstrings of viewers who had followed the three seasons, but it didn’t quite manage to move me. In the end, while I’m fairly satisfied, it didn’t deliver the kind of performance that would earn it a gold medal from me – it’s more of a silver. But I can wholeheartedly recommend the series to anyone who loves music, drama, or simply beautiful animation. 8/10 (2024-06-30)