Do we give life to music, or does music give us life?
I've written about Hibike! Euphonium before, but only specifically about Season 01 Episode 06. Now that I have watched everything in the series so far (S01 and its OVA, S02, the sidestory Liz To Aoi Tori, and the movie Chikai no Finale, well... I have to share some more.
Because the plot revolves around the club for a Wind Ensemble, there many characters in the series, and I was happy to see that a number of them got their own spotlight, to see their own stories and development.
S01 focused on Kumiko, Midori, Hazuki, and Reina.
(Even S01's OVA had a core focus on Hazuki's point of view, set in the time of the last episode of S01.)
S02 focused on Kumiko, Mizore x Nozomi, and Asuka.
Liz to Aoi Tori focused absolutely on Mizore and Nozomi's friendship.
S03 focused on the new characters as a result of a new school year, therefore, having new club members.
I enjoyed Season 2. I think it was because in Season 2, things felt more... personal. While pretty much everyone in the club had the same goal of performing well to be in the national competition, different people had different reasons for performing, or even simply playing an instrument. Kumiko was inspired to play the euphonium because she wanted to play with her sister. Asuka was inspired to play the euphonium because of his father. Both Mizore and Natsuki were inspired by Nozomi's skill in the flute. Natsuki reached a point wherein she was severely discouraged to practice at all, but eventually picked herself up again because of... Kumiko's passion. Man, what a circle of emotions.
I think I should re-watch Season 1 again sometime. I am assuming that a lot of things will make sense with my current hindsight.
I wish Chikai no Finale was an entire series instead of just being a movie. I feel like so many things happened there which I personally think should be explored, such as Kumiko and Shuuichi dating. I did not see that coming.
I don't know if this is common for Anime with musical instrument playing as a theme, but one of the nice things I liked was, instead of "inserting" background music to scenes, they use the characters that play instruments and "let them play the background music." I think it's an awesome way for the instrument players to convey an emotion while setting a mood for us, the audience. It even also conveys something based on how the characters listen to the player.
The sidestory Liz to Aoi Tori is a waaayyy different creation, both in terms of art style and mood. (At a glimpse, I thought that Kumiko's hairstyle looked more like Mirai Kuriyama's) While I was watching it, I felt... what I felt while watching Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice), despite the two movies having different plots. I've read some reviews, and I think the similarity is due to the fact that they share the same directors?
Oh, I forgot to mention - Hazuki Katou is a motherfucking unit. Not only can she carry heavy instruments (like her tuba) with ease, but she has tanked her way through a total of three major rejections in a span of two years. One of them was a romantic rejection from Shuuichi, and the other two were rejections from performing in the competition as a result of auditions, despite the fact that she has been practicing a good lot. But she takes them in stride.
I know I said this The characters of Hibike are really pretty. Everyone looks beautiful and sparkly. The characters' eyes look like rounded gems. Kumiko's hair is really pretty and fluffy. Compared to the other anime I've watched (maybe except Kyoukai no Kanata), I've taken more screenshots than usual, and I will share some pictures below.
Asuka Tanaka is an S-tier meganekko.
Also, I think I have a favorite character in the Hibike series. It's not Kumiko. It was a... slow burn for me (I think that slow burn also applied to the entire series), and was kind of surprised that I ended up liking this character. I will probably discuss this at another entry.
So! Pictures.
Reina Kousaka, Kumiko Oumae, Midori Kawashima, and Hazuki Katou
Hazuki, Natsuki, and Yuuko
Reina and Kumiko (this is the art style in Liz no Aoi Tori)
S-tier meganekko Asuka Tanaka
Because the plot revolves around the club for a Wind Ensemble, there many characters in the series, and I was happy to see that a number of them got their own spotlight, to see their own stories and development.
S01 focused on Kumiko, Midori, Hazuki, and Reina.
(Even S01's OVA had a core focus on Hazuki's point of view, set in the time of the last episode of S01.)
S02 focused on Kumiko, Mizore x Nozomi, and Asuka.
Liz to Aoi Tori focused absolutely on Mizore and Nozomi's friendship.
S03 focused on the new characters as a result of a new school year, therefore, having new club members.
I enjoyed Season 2. I think it was because in Season 2, things felt more... personal. While pretty much everyone in the club had the same goal of performing well to be in the national competition, different people had different reasons for performing, or even simply playing an instrument. Kumiko was inspired to play the euphonium because she wanted to play with her sister. Asuka was inspired to play the euphonium because of his father. Both Mizore and Natsuki were inspired by Nozomi's skill in the flute. Natsuki reached a point wherein she was severely discouraged to practice at all, but eventually picked herself up again because of... Kumiko's passion. Man, what a circle of emotions.
I think I should re-watch Season 1 again sometime. I am assuming that a lot of things will make sense with my current hindsight.
I wish Chikai no Finale was an entire series instead of just being a movie. I feel like so many things happened there which I personally think should be explored, such as Kumiko and Shuuichi dating. I did not see that coming.
I don't know if this is common for Anime with musical instrument playing as a theme, but one of the nice things I liked was, instead of "inserting" background music to scenes, they use the characters that play instruments and "let them play the background music." I think it's an awesome way for the instrument players to convey an emotion while setting a mood for us, the audience. It even also conveys something based on how the characters listen to the player.
The sidestory Liz to Aoi Tori is a waaayyy different creation, both in terms of art style and mood. (At a glimpse, I thought that Kumiko's hairstyle looked more like Mirai Kuriyama's) While I was watching it, I felt... what I felt while watching Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice), despite the two movies having different plots. I've read some reviews, and I think the similarity is due to the fact that they share the same directors?
Oh, I forgot to mention - Hazuki Katou is a motherfucking unit. Not only can she carry heavy instruments (like her tuba) with ease, but she has tanked her way through a total of three major rejections in a span of two years. One of them was a romantic rejection from Shuuichi, and the other two were rejections from performing in the competition as a result of auditions, despite the fact that she has been practicing a good lot. But she takes them in stride.
I know I said this The characters of Hibike are really pretty. Everyone looks beautiful and sparkly. The characters' eyes look like rounded gems. Kumiko's hair is really pretty and fluffy. Compared to the other anime I've watched (maybe except Kyoukai no Kanata), I've taken more screenshots than usual, and I will share some pictures below.
Asuka Tanaka is an S-tier meganekko.
Also, I think I have a favorite character in the Hibike series. It's not Kumiko. It was a... slow burn for me (I think that slow burn also applied to the entire series), and was kind of surprised that I ended up liking this character. I will probably discuss this at another entry.
So! Pictures.
Reina Kousaka, Kumiko Oumae, Midori Kawashima, and Hazuki Katou
Hazuki, Natsuki, and Yuuko
Reina and Kumiko (this is the art style in Liz no Aoi Tori)
S-tier meganekko Asuka Tanaka