Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Sound! Euphonium
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darkchibi07
 Posts: 5469 |
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That entire last episode made me as anxious and nervous as the characters were before the performance (seriously, KyoAni has this uncanny effect that pulls the viewer into the show)! There's something really satisfying where you've grown to know these characters, saw them through their hardships, and now seeing the fruits of their labor. They're a FAR outcry from what they were in episode 1.
I feel reluctant of having a season 2 especially with all these satisfying feelings. What else can they do? Kumiko pretty much found her passion with the euphonium. Maybe change the point of view to say Asuka or Taki-sensei or another band member? Have more Kuimko and Reina go all lovely-dovey with each other? 
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RosaBatata
Posts: 36 Location: Israel |
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Well, they opened a few new questions in the last episode, so I'm hoping they'll answer them. Asuka's reaction both before playing and after was very odd, I hope we'll get another season explaining what's wrong with her.
Also Taki's picture was, if I understand correctly spoiler[Kumiko's sister]. That was another plot they didn't really expound upon, but hinted at a lot. In episode 12 we learned that Taki's father was apparently the adviser and conductor of the concert band club in the past and possibly quite stern like him. We also learned that Kumiko's sister quit the club after she couldn't keep up. This was apparantly not a pretty goodbye, as she started really being anti-music, she keeps getting mad at Kumiko whenever she plays, etc. This was also traumatic for Kumiko who at that point was mostly playing due to following in her sister's footsteps and was one of the main traumas she dealt with in episode 12. We also learned that Taki didn't want to become the adviser for the concert band club, but ended up in that position anyway. Combining that with the picture Taki has, and I'd say there's a reasonable plot we can figure out from all these hints. Notice though that Taki is 34 and Kumiko's sister is roughly 21 I believe, so I wonder what the connection is exactly. |
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darkchibi07
Posts: 5469 |
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Oh, I thought that was Taki's spoiler[dead wife] because why not go for the obvious!
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Bobduh
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For the record, I (the writer of these reviews) found Amagi to be a reasonable comedy but nothing too special, Free! and Chuunibyou Ren to be straight bad, Kyoukai no Kanata to be an okay show that completely fell apart in its second half, and I dropped Tamako Market. So I'd hesitate to say the thinking here is just "it's KyoAni, therefore it's good." |
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Hyperdrve
 Posts: 276 |
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Recently I tried watching K-ON! and some other KyoAni shows but they didn't hold my attention. IMO a lot of KyoAni's shows don't age well. And one of them is rotten from day one. As in rotten (blank).
The thing is that these were high schoolers who had minimal adult guidance. Given the goal they set for themselves, there was supposed to be turbulence. This is just the initial phase of their road to nationals after the school not having won a prefectural competition in the last 10 years (or more). |
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Valhern
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Can't say more than anyone here, I really loved this finale, it's not what everybody hoped for, but it's satisfying enough and has enough hints for a second season, which I'd love to see. I think that Asuka has had an influential and important yet passive role so far, even though it was ready to explode in something as dramatic as the solo trumpet audition. Also after seeing the girls listening to everyone and hoping to someday play there, it made me hope to see them playing there too.
I agree with you on some points but I don't understand how you can judge an anime based solely on how it's perceived by most people (in this case it's a whole studio) and also comparing it to previous, unrelated works, you may use it to say that KyoAni in itself is overrated, but the show alone is a different matter. If I used your logic, I shouldn't have liked Hibike! as much as I did, considering that I only actually like Tamako Market and K-ON! from KyoAni, most of the other shows were okay or decent (Free! Amagi Brilliant Park), these were not shadowed by their own great production and had to held up by itself a total trainwreck like Kyoukai no Kanata or Hyouka. |
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zensunni
 Posts: 1293 |
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First things first: Excellent review, as always! Nick did a bang-up job reviewing this show and he deserves every ounce of praise he is getting from his readers and, I hope, the folks at ANN. Bravo!
As for the episode... Radiant... Beautiful... Soulful... The most striking thing I found about the episode was the way it displayed the character development that had occurred over the course of the story. That development was highlighted from the first moments, with Kumiko getting up for school and looking both alert and determined, a sharp contrast to her waking behavior from earlier in the series. The train scene showed even more, with the normally stoic Reina initiating some playful fun with her... we'll call them best friends for now... Then we got to see Asuka's mask slipping, Natsuki's playful side teasing her ... close friend. (Let's face it, folks, there is yuri here even if Reimiko doesn't happen!) Then finally the mirror of the middle school flash-back scene, with tears and embraces and entwined fingers between our two main characters as they celebrate the joy of not only succeeding together, but being on the same page emotionally and mentally, regardless of the outcome. And, of course, there was the music. The band pieces were so well played and so well animated that they stand by themselves as something to be watched, just to appreciate the craftsmanship. The cutaways to the rival band preparing to go on stage and the sub-members listening at the door, straining to hear their comrades and praying for them to succeed, were well timed and added to the tension. Then, of course, the climax of the entire series really: Reina's ethereally beautiful solo. Hearing it with the support instrumentation... it brought a tear to my eye and sent a chill down my spine. Really wonderful! I found the series really well done as a whole and I loved the characters. If there are more seasons, I will trust that the author who originally told this wonderful story was able to draw from the well again and make more of this little slice of high school band life. If not, I will get to continue to ship Reina x Kumiko without being disillusioned. Sounds like a win-win situation to me. |
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Hyperdrve
Posts: 276 |
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Like the user before me already pointed out, I think this was just Asuka's mask slipping a bit. Given the amount of effort she put in, the competition seemed really important to her. Also, I think Asuka is a tiny bit more selfish than what she seems. There were a couple of instances in the anime which suggested this to me. I think this is what Shuichi and Kumiko were getting at when they were discussing how they don't 100% trust Asuka yet (or something like that). |
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RosaBatata
Posts: 36 Location: Israel |
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I really agree about Asuka being selfish and playing for herself. But that just makes me question her reaction even more. I thought she would be thrilled at the results. But look at 21:38, she seems to be sadly accepting her fate, and she doesn't appear in the celebration group shot afterwards. And before playing in 13:13, her conversation with Kumiko... It's not clear whether she really wants to continue. She says she wants to continue and is sad that it's going to end, but when Kumiko reminds her that they're going to the nationals she says "Oh right... That was our goal I guess..." and averts her gaze. Maybe she just can't believe it.
Oh wow, it seems you are right. I didn't know this. Was it mentioned in the show? |
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