- It’s become blatantly obvious now that things have turned very serious now. Sensei has now decided to come out of his cave and help the club out……by taking them out on the track, and making them blow at tissues, and forcing them to breathe their lives out into school windows. Even the rest of the school have picked up on what’s been happening. One other thing that has also become very obvious is how much of a push-over Haruka can be with her band. The events of last year go and happen, and yet all she and her section leaders could do is talk, with precious little action taking place. Cute as she may be, would this lead to suggest that she is a poor leader? Perhaps. The band like her fine enough, but with members refusing to budge and deciding not to pull their weight, she could surely do more.
- …and if I discovered my daughter was being reduced to tears after someone with no formal teaching experience calls her time spent at the club a complete waste, I would issue a formal complaint too. I was, in fact, very surprised at how they all decided to work together in the end, and push the boat out to impress the hipster after his outlandish teaching skills.
- Reina has finally shown her true colours in this episode, I feel. With a background of playing the trumpet with her father, as well as the failure of middle school, it seems that she has made this mission of reaching SunFes and the Nationals too personal. After impressing her section in Episode 2, she has now started to anger them and make them feel somewhat inferior. It is true that, in a lot of classrooms and school clubs, not everyone likes the snob, show-off and know-it-all…well it seems that Reina has landed herself squarely in this position (whether it be intentionally or unintentionally remains to be seen). Her knowledge has, of course, impressed Sensei…
- …and Reina seems to be the only one actually defending him. But despite the fact that the band now have an ensemble ready, her cold and stoic manner will still be very prevalent in the band. She may be the one who will stand out…for the wrong reasons, more likely. Sensei has enough sense to see everyone should work as a team (something he brought up indirectly last week), and while he has already noticed Reina’s extraordinary talent, will he notice how Reina is acting too much like a lone wolf? Or will he merely leave it for the band to sort out for themselves? Reina won’t change, I think, Haruka doesn’t have it in her to change her, the trumpet section may well refuse to play with her, and as for Kumiko?
- …well I think she has fallen into the daydreaming schoolgirl section. She’s in the position where her past with Reina is still troubling her after well over a year. Kumiko has had approximately a month at high school and she still doesn’t have it in her to face Reina head on. More the opposite, in fact; fear has now gotten in the way.
- This week’s episode has brought a change in the band, for the most part. They still hate the sensei, they still have some drama between each other, and Kumiko, Hazuki and Midori have now, it seems, turned from three slightly different people into one moeblob girl. I haven’t noticed the possibility of filler episodes in Hibike! Euphonium; I still want some progress in this show, and an actual story as opposed to beach/water park episodes or strung-out episodes about secondary characters is something Kyoto Animation are after. Which is…good?
