So this episode managed to cover SunFes - from 'practice' to the real thing. Another fun, enjoyable episode!

Lots of posing in this episode (a few of the girls seem quite self-conscious) and plenty more fancy animation shots as well (not always for the better). It was nice to hear some playing and marching too even if it did seem quite brief.

The pace is making me think this will only be 13 episodes long - while this episode didn't feel too rushed, each episode is making a point of wrapping up the points it raises - there's no sense of story arcs or sub-plots - and it does feel like wee're on track to see whether they at least get to Nationals within 13 episodes.

The whole Kumiko and Reina scene was (again) cute and weird. Reina's reactions when talking about their teacher are... odd... and I'm not surprised if anyone thinks she may have a crush on him.

It's quite frustrating that the stories of the whole main ensemble of characters have not been fleshed out because I'm a fan of each one of them. >.<

(This post was last modified: 11/05/2015 07:42 AM by S7*.)

EP Anime Club
Sound! Euphonium Episode 6 Discussion

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Anime info, how to watch and previous episode discussion

EP Anime Club
Sound! Euphonium Episode 7 Discussion

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Anime info, how to watch and previous episode discussion

EP Anime Club
Sound! Euphonium Episode 8 Discussion

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Anime info, how to watch and previous episode discussion

The wind ensemble prepares for "The All-Japan Bank Competition"!

A nice episode that addresses practice and motivation - the difficult bits to deal with when learning an instrument, or pretty much anything new that takes a bit of effort really.

Hazuki is the one having difficulty with her unwieldy tuba but her friends found that playing music with her is the way to do it. The obvious solution in retrospect! It's great that she managed to find a way that way, it's a true testament to how it can be easier to get through trouble with motivation when you have friends.

Meanwhile the chemistry is getting rather interesting between Kumiko and Reina - what's to become of that I wonder?

Wee're plunged into the gloom of the darkness of a day of grey skies. Wait, what are wee watching?

The show proves the degree of maturity often not found in KyoAni productions has not been a fluke with this episode. Kumiko is blue, Haruka is upset, Aoi gives up pretending to care, yet wee're not faced with the melodrama wee typically get with anime - a more "wee're going to have to get through this" attitude rather than whining and the convenient resolution of problems.

It's balancing the classic happy-go-lucky feeling associated with KyoAni productions with real issues which are typically omitted. This is no simulation of reality, obviously not, but it does make a change.

A lot was crammed into this episode too! Lots of scenes, fairly dense dialog, flashbacks. I wasn't overly keen on the pace of the episode but it was fine.

Some depth was given to supporting characters which was nice, the extra insight into how the club was last term was interesting - the club are certainly on a better path now.

"They say music vanishes once it's played, and that you can never take it back. You always have to play like you mean it."

"You know how concert band isn't like soccer, where someone keeps score and you have a clear winner and loser? Even at a compeition, it's the judges that decide. Being shoved around by such a vague evaluation isn't how music is meant to be enjoyed. That's what the more indifferent senpais would say. I thought so, too. But in the end, it was really just an excuse to avoid enduring the grueling practice."

Oh and get a load of Hazuki! What's with the straight talking? More please! :D

(This post was last modified: 31/05/2015 11:32 AM by S7*.)

EP Anime Club
Sound! Euphonium Episode 9 Discussion

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Anime info, how to watch and previous episode discussion

Where to begin?

This is not your standard fare festival episode, that's for sure, instead wee find ourselves with a couple of interesting situations.

First, Hazuki like Shuuichi who likes Kumiko. I'm not sure this episode spells the end of any scenario yet, but wee did figure out that Shuuichi is both a decent guy for being honest and that he's definitely into Kumiko. Kumiko's feelings however, aren't so clear. They're childhood friends and they act like it but it's not clear whether Kumiko actually has romantic feelings for him. I don't think Hazuki will be able to shake her feelings for Shuuchi easily and wee'll see this play out in the coming episodes.

Alright.

Second, Reina and Kumiko. Now the whole conversation on their ascent was littered with "what" moments but it's clear Reina is very interested in Kumiko. She says she loves her and I don't doubt that - but wee're not talking about your bog standard love here. Kumiko, in a way, has been found out. She's been found out for pretending to be your typical happy-go-lucky school girl with friends - "normal" - when in reality she has a much gloomier sense of reality. Reina picked up on this from the moment Kumiko said to her "did you really think wee could make the nationals?" - Kumiko, who had almost quit, remember, doesn't seem as motivated as her friends let alone Reina, and perhaps that it because she fears what's to come. Wee've gathered that her sister used to play - but she stopped. Does Kumiko carry a sense of hopelessness that she can't shake, and only reveals when she's not pretending to be someone she's not? I'm thinking Reina has latched onto this - and latched onto it from their first meeting after failing to get to the nationals - and now she wants to prove Kumiko's doubts wrong by becoming special - by becoming the best. Reina's making fun of Kumiko's hopelessness when she says she has a terrible personality - but why is Reina in love with that side of Kumiko really? Is it just the drive that she's gotten from her or does she see something more with Kumiko - will she try to get Kumiko on side so they can both become special at what they do?

The scene when Reina and Kumiko reached their destination was just fantastic. The animation, the soundtrack, the dialogue - it was just great. Kumiko was definitely not the only one falling victim to Reina!

Hat-tip to SkyDX for watching the show and theorizing much of the above with me!

(This post was last modified: 04/06/2015 04:29 PM by S7*.)

Some post-festival issues are worked out amongst full on practice from the whole club and then the auditions take place AND results are announced. A whirlwind of an episode!

Poor Midori shows for all the fight she's shown so far even she will feel bad for playing an incidental part in Hazuki's pain. Speaking of Hazuki, she's doing well considering, showing a lot of maturity.

Kumiko is changing, apparently becoming less afraid to be herself, and her evening with Reina seems to have changed her noticeably.

The one-to-one between Kumiko on Reina was something else - they now seem to have complete trust in each other and don't hesitate to speak their minds - an unthinkable prospect early in the show - but now they have incomparable chemistry.

As for the audition results, they weren't surprising but Hazuki not making it is sad, though it makes sense. I hope she keeps at it and aims for the next competition.

My assumptions about Taki-sensei aren't accurate by the looks of things - while not totally disproven I do think I'm wrong now, he instead seems to be some big shot only some people know about. Hmm.

Damn I'm really enjoying this show - can't wait for episode 10.

(This post was last modified: 10/06/2015 04:00 PM by S7*.)

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