- I know KyoAni’s the studio to go to when it comes to filler episodes, so would I label this as one? To be honest, I don’t really know. Sure this week has been the Hazuki episode, but at the same time we’re shown a lot about the other characters, may they be miniscule or large.
- This week in Hibike! Euphonium, Hazuki was the one feeling the woes. Why? Because after their surprising popularity at the Sunrise Festival, the school now have to work their behinds off to get even a slightest hope of passing the Prefecture contest and going to the Nationals. Hazuki has, for the most part, been the comedy character; I saw a lot of Ritsu Tainaka (K-on!) in her. But while Ritsu seriously knew how to play the drums, Hazuki is a total noob with a tuba, and knows precious little about the instrument she chose to play. Even knowing how to blow into the tuba properly is difficult for her.
- Any other KyoAni show and we’d see this as pure comedy, but this topic has been taken more seriously. While she herself admits to loving tennis (and was even that close to joining the school club), she knows that she’d never actually be any good at it. This also relates right back to episode 1, when we first saw her. She wanted a fresh start in high school too, just as Kumiko did. So choosing not to join the tennis club and then having difficulty with her Tubacabra…is Hazuki a defeatist? Someone who, after realising she’s no good, just throws the towel in? So why did I compare her to Ritsu? Well both of them were getting depressed with the instrument they chose, believing that they could do better in their club…then after realising that, in an ensemble/song, the drums/tuba play a very important part, they accept their decisions.
- And perhaps just in time too, when an arrow has just pierced her heart.
- Unlike other KyoAni shows, Hibike! Euphonium has shown its strength by, instead of a small bunch of waifu-level characters, bringing in a relatively large amount of characters, all with various traits and views on life, and all of whom are people we can easily relate to. From airhead Sapphire/Midori to the shy and reserved club president Haruka, from the bitchy teacher to Kumiko’s mean (so far) older sister. And so at this point, as Sensei has proposed a controversial decision to hold solo auditions for everyone (without giving priority to the third-years), I’ve realised why Aoi made the decision not to go for the Nationals: it’s because she doesn’t care anymore. We don’t know why yet; it could be because she’s decided to give up, or has noticed that Kumiko is better than she could ever be, or something else entirely. But while Aoi is a very minor character, I’m feeling a lot for her too. She loves her childhood friend dearly, even if she doesn’t show it at school. She still can’t see herself as a senpai, so defeatism is something Aoi is showing too…not just Hazuki. I don’t have any doubt that she can play her tenor saxophone well, but Aoi’s defeatism is contrasting to Hazuki’s. Realising that graduation is the only thing that faces her, I believe she doesn’t see the point in carrying on playing; unlike her fellow seniors Haruka and Asuka. People change, sure, and so do their interests, and Aoi just looks like her passion for the saxophone has just disappeared entirely. So can her passion come back? Who knows? This is a KyoAni show, so happy endings happen more than a lot. I think that if we were to see anymore about this, it would be Haruka and Asuka who would help her; Kumiko already has poor Hazuki, cutie-pie Sapphire/Midori and tsundere Reina to deal with…
- While reading a lot of other reviews for this show, I was starting to think that I was missing something they saw. Well now I can finally see it. Call me a hypocrite, but I am still comparing this to that other KyoAni musical show. The combination of solid character design, excellent animation and fine story has won me over. And I was worrying so much in the last couple of weeks that this show was going to disappoint me.
