It’s been eight years—and I mean eight years to the freakin’ day—since I first watched and wrote about Hibike! Euphonium. It comes as no surprise for a top-flite operation like KyoAni that it hasn’t missed a beat in all those years. After an introductory episode that kicks off Kumiko’s third year and introduces us to some new band members, it’s clear this is seiyu Kurosawa Tomoyo’s—show.
Change is the one constant in the universe, and Kumiko, who wasn’t sure she’d even join the band when she first arrived at Kitauji, is now the president, supported by Reina and Shuuichi. Unfortunately I never got around to watching the movies, meaning I missed her and Shuu confessing, dating, almost kissing, then breaking up so Kumiko can focus on band. D’oh!
Oh well, at least they’re not that awkward here, as Kumiko left open the possibility of getting back together when she’s done band. The first three minutes in particular are a perfect reintroduction to the look, vibe, and above all sound of the show. Kumiko wakes up with a band rehearsal playing in her earbuds. Her dad says to her mom that she really should be quitting band at some point to focus on her future.
It nails home the fact that it’s Last Dance time for Kumiko and the third years. The task falls to the third years to market the concert band and recruit first years and other interested potential members. As usual, the trumpet is the most popular group, while the bass attracts a bunch of colorful weirdoes (Speaking of, the movies also introduced her cute and quirkily confident fellow Eupher, underclassman Hisaishi Kanade, voiced by Amamiya Sora).
Kumiko may still struggle with her confidence and communication skills, but there’s no doubt she’s a lot better at it now than as a first year. There’s an added level of maturity to all of the third years, including Hazuki and Sapphire, who are all tasked with teaching first years, most of whom have limited to no experience playing their instruments.
The concert band swells to ninety members, but as Reina points out more than once, it’s not quantity but quality that matters. The difference between season one and this one is that Kumiko has caught up to Reina’s mentality of Real Gold or Bust. She makes clear to Reina that the frustration that churns deep inside her won’t be quelled unless they claim First Place at Nationals. Their bond has never been closer, by the way, exemplified by the symmetry of their playful bumping into each other in the hall.
Throughout this episode, Kumiko also hears an unfamiliar but unmistakably skilled Euphonium on the air. It’s not her senpai Asuka, but someone mysterious. After Kumiko gets through her first big speech as president to the newly convened band and gets them to unanimously vote to go for Gold, she hears the sound again and rushes to the roof to find its source: Kuroe Mayu, voiced by another titan in Tomatsu Haruka. Her different uni suggests she’s a transfer student.
The stage is set and the stakes have never been higher. While I feel a little FOMO about skipping the movies, this premiere warmly welcomed me back like the second season ended last week instead of in 2017. KyoAni also demonstrates a high degree of restraint and elegance in its production, in contrast to the almost try-hard glitzy kitchen-sink nature of Jellyfish. In short, it makes it look easy, which makes it easy to be totally engrossed. Let’s Go Band!
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