Notes of Hibike! Euphonium Episode 5

Yup, you guessed it.

Well I’d like to start off at how very different this week’s episode has become. I don’t want to think that Sensei has become the creator of miracles because the actions in this episode are starting to show that, and that makes me want to punch him in the face, for some reason. Maybe now he’s accepted that the band is worthy enough (xP!), he can let Haruka and Asuka take the lead and whip the rest of the band into shape in a way he can’t. Since…well here’s what I think…this band seem to be more willing to listen and pay attention to the two people that have tried to help them the most (factually and emotionally). They may not always have been successful in the past, what with the second-year mutiny, but that shouldn’t stop them. As shy and retiring Haruka may be, she’s not a quitter. Well, not only are we shown that the school band are finally starting to work as a unit (without so many complaints), but that a lot of the conflicting characters have, in a way, kind of acknowledged their faults and are thus doing what they can to better themselves.

Then again, that last one is debatable. Hazuki is still a ditz, Midori is also a ditz (but she’s cute), and Kumiko is still the uber moeblob girl. But it’s Reina that has changed a lot this week; so much in fact that it became almost scary. After being the cold-hearted teacher’s pet of last week, she’s now turned her gaze on Kumiko. Her reasons why? Well read every piece of Hibike! Euphonium fan-fiction that’s come out so far and I guarantee most of them will say Reina has suddenly developed an odd crush on her…something I find quite ridiculous, to be honest. Saying that though, this is a KyoAni show, where romance is barely ever shown, and confessions never come to fruition. Kumiko came to this high school looking for a fresh start, but we only learn later on that Reina rejected plans to go to a top-end high school to go to this school specifically. I can only say their reuniting is pure coincidence. But yeah, perhaps Reina has figured out that she is standing out for the wrong reasons too, so is making some kind of conceited effort not to be a lone wolf…and starting with the only person she knows at school.

By flirting with her?? Hahaha, well I don’t know. The excessive lens flare certainly made it look that way. Reina starts the episode with stares that look almost tsundere, she decides to take the same train home Kumiko is on, and actually smiles and laughs for the first time. Well her sudden U-turn on current events at school has hit home, and while Kumiko is still stuck in that little dreamworld of hers, she still thinks reconciliation is coming soon.

As for the big day itself? The Sunrise Festival? Very predictable. While the school were panicking because the bands before and after them were famous for putting on a good show, they triumphed…….of course. Sure after all the blood, sweat and tears the band had gone through in the last couple of episodes, something good had to come through, although this being a drama, a part of me really wanted something to happen. Like a couple of the members would freak out and make their performance look terrible, or something.

So was I disappointed? Well I don’t know. On the one side we have Reina kind of flirting with Kumiko, and on the other we have other tiny little events that are extremely dull, like Kumiko moaning about her chest size, Kumiko and Shuichi huffing at each other…again, the genuine facts of how instruments are transported to events, and Hazuki behaving like a school clown. Hibike! Euphonium is a KyoAni show that is driven on a continuous story, so if there ever were any filler episodes in this show, this would have to be one of them. Even while the Sunrise Festival was highly important and covered here, there wasn’t quite enough that grabbed me like past episodes.