My incredibly in depth review of Kyoto Animation’s 2015 anime “Hibike! Euphonium”.

So I was definitely riding some sort of emotional high while first watching season one. I was loving pretty much every second of it. But that feeling was very much muddied and confused by some of the later content in the series. I still definitely believe this to be a good show overall. I’m not about to completely trash it or anything. I can just no longer say that I’m as in love with it as I was in the beginning. I’ve now watched through the entire series twice, and to explain my complicated feelings, I’m going to give my thoughts on the entire series in several divided sections. This is gonna be a long one.

Season 1:

I think I like this season more than the 2nd. That is if I were forced to choose between the 2. Even though the feeling has now diminished, I have to acknowledge how much I LOVED this season on my first watch through. Like I was absolutely adoring it. Let’s get info why.

The pacing is excellent, barely a moment wasted. Everything contributes to something. The plot and stakes of this season are also really engaging. It sets up a very simple goal for every character to achieve and the tension never stops building in anticipation of that event. And it was always incredibly satisfying to see the payoffs from everyone’s struggles to improve.

I also just really appreciate how entrenched this show is the very idea of music. It’s so incredibly detailed. All the music here is really well done. However I’m not really a fan of the S1 intro or outro. They’re pretty annoying imo.

But I should now probably talk about the true epicentre of this show’s greatness. It’s fantastic characters.

I’ll start with Kumiko who really is an excellent protagonist. You totally believe every second of her journey from an aimless and apathetic high schooler to someone with a staggering amount of determination and fierce passion. And this is probably just me projecting, but I found her somewhat relatable as someone who is neurodivergent. I definitely lightly head canon her as ASD. But either way, she’s a fantastic character. Season 2 deconstructs who she is a lot more, and I’ll talk about that when we get there. She’s also very funny. Her typically deadpan and/or nervous demeanour lends itself to some really great comedy. The show in general is quite hilarious. This is the first time I can think of in my whole anime journey so far where a boob joke was actually funny and not just distractingly stupid and awful.

Reina is an incredibly fascinating character as well. I like how she’s fully aware that she’s kind of an asshole for wanting to be better than everyone. But that desire for absolute greatness is still what drives her in everything she does. This is by far the most compelling “I just wanna be the best” character that I can think of. She’s excellent in this first season.

Hazuki was also another favourite. She strikes that great balance of being naive but definitely not stupid. And much like many of the other characters, she’s just super funny. And I loved her secret 14th episode. It was really cool to see a story in this universe that’s not at all focused of Kumiko. (LATBB foreshadowing). And that moment earlier on in the season where she said something along the lines of “I used to dismiss the idea of love entirely. It’s just… so hard…” That was a great line. Very emotionally impactful. I’ll also say that I do very much like Midori. But she just doesn’t really get any sort of significant character development. Hazuki gets something of a mini-arc, but Midori is pretty static for the most part. I still like do her though. She has a great dynamic with all the other characters.

I also immediately loved how insane Asuka was. But she’s a lot more important in S2 so I’ll wait until then to talk about her.

Natsuki was really good as well. Her arc is sort of a micro-chasm of Kumiko’a arc. Starting out as extremely lazy but turning into someone who is noticeably more driven. And the fact that it’s mostly Kumiko that inspires this change in her is another great detail. I also just loved her general demeanour and constant torment of Yuko. That dynamic is definitely one of the funniest things in the whole show. Especially because I found Yuko rather annoying in this first season.

Taki was yet another fascinating character. I like how he’s very clearly a nice person, but is also frighteningly unrelenting in the criticism he gives to the ensemble. But again. I’ll talk more about him come season 2.

So yeah. This is still a great season of television. There’s a lot to like here. My first time through with this season specifically was absolutely enthralling. This season gets a strong 8/10. Onto the next one.

Season 2:

Right of the bat I’ll say that this season’s opening is SO MUCH better than season one’s. “Dream Solistar” was always super skippable and kind of annoying to me. But “Soundscape” is an incredible song. It’s energy is absolutely infectious and I adore it.

One of the best parts of this season for me was the first 4 episodes and their focus on Nozomi and Mizore. It was very engaging to watch unfold. And the confrontation that they finally have in episode 4 is the closest this show ever came to making me cry. And Yuko blowing up at Mizore shortly before hand was also a really good moment. Probably the only one of Yuko’s outbursts that felt totally justified. It’s all super effective on an emotional level. The relationship between Nozomi and Mizore is so incredibly compelling and I love everything about it. But I’ll talk more about that when we get to “Liz and the Bluebird”. Yeah, I loved this subplot.

The Kansai competition was really satisfying to experience. I love how the intro was black and white for the first 5 episodes, and then after the Kansai competition they finally inject colour into it. It’s a super small detail but it’s so effective at marking a shift in the season. Giving the whole show a massive energy boost, and making “Soundscape” an even better song.

The festival day in episode 6 was hilarious and delightful. I especially liked Witch Asuka and Maid Mizore. Kaori being that massive mascot was also pretty funny.

I liked the bits and pieces of Taki’s past that we got in this season. It’s pretty standard tragic backstory stuff but it’s still pretty effective characterization. And his unwavering dedication to his students as shown with him refusing to budge to Asuka’s mom was also very admirable. I like him a lot. He’s one of the slightly more unique teacher characters that I can think of.

Speaking of Asuka, let’s talk about her now. The complete deconstruction of her character in episode 7 was actually kind of terrifying. It really does shock you to your core to be reminded that such a seemingly infallible character is, at the end of the day, just a normal teenager with very normal problems. To be informed that this childishly ridiculous yet “demanding of respect” persona she exudes is really just a facade for the truer parts of her self is weirdly unnerving. That ridiculousness isn’t a lie exactly. She still is genuinely like that when she’s in a good mood and it’s definitely a part of who she is. But there’s so much more to her than the Asuka we got to know in S1. And they portray that excellently. It’s just as shocking a revaluation for us, the audience, as it is for the characters.

And learning more of her backstory in the following episodes was also incredibly compelling. The scene at the river where she actually plays Sound Euphonium for Kumiko is definitely one of the best scenes in the show. And I love the emotional confrontation between the 2 of them in Episode 10. Asuka deconstructing and exposing exactly who Kumiko is, only for Kumiko to do the exact same thing right back at her while also not denying that what Asuka said about her is true. And this confrontation cutting deep enough to the point where it actually convinces Asuka to rejoin the club. It’s an amazing scene. And when she finally gets some sort of recognition from her father in episode 12; You could really feel her joy, and I felt so happy for her. Asuka is just an amazing character. Perhaps the best one in the whole show.

I’m also a big fan of Haruka in this season. Her going from someone who feels like she doesn’t even deserve the position she has, but then stepping up and truly owning her role when it is most needed of her. That was a great mini arc for the character. I love how easily emotional she gets at everything, and I loved her saxophone solo in episode 7. That whole song was just great. The band doing that little dance was adorable.

Another highlight of this season was Kumiko and Mamiko. I love the resolution they come to in this season. It’s a great sibling relationship, and you really do feel for Mamiko when she says that she’s always felt restricted and trapped by her parent’s expectations of her. And I love her line to Kumiko “Make sure you don’t live with any regrets either.” It’s a very simple moral, but it’s also very powerful. And I’m doing my best to apply that moral to my own life. The scene on the train where Kumiko suddenly breaks down crying because she realizes that she’s actually going to really miss Mamiko is an incredibly powerful moment. And that scene in episode 12 where they finally say that they love each other is perfect.

One problem I had with this season though is that Kumiko herself didn’t really have much of tangible arc that I could see. Her relationship with many of the other central characters changes dramatically. But Kumiko herself kinda felt like the exact same person at both the beginning and end of this season. She went through a lot more change in season one. But maybe I just missed it. Can anyone tell me what her arc was this season? Genuinely. I’d like to know.

And I know that it was in service of larger and usually fantastic plot lines, but I wish that this season didn’t split up Kumiko from Midori and Hazuki so much. They feel like so much less of a unit this season which sucks because that was one of the best parts of season 1.

But now we get into my biggest gripe with this season. I could never, for the life of me, get invested in Reina’s crush on Taki. And for a couple of reasons. One reason being that it’s blatantly obvious that it isn’t going to go anywhere. Because if it did, it would be disturbing. And it was especially hard to sit through on my first viewing because it interfered with a different relationship that I really wanted to see progress. But I’ll rant about that later. The fact the Kumiko kept that secret from Reina for so long was really frustrating. And not exactly in the way that I think the writers were intending. Reina being flustered by Taki was like… occasionally cute, but not cute enough to ever come close to redeeming this subplot for ms. It’s not like a massive drop in quality or anything. This show always tells it’s stories in a very masterful manor. It’s just the very fact of what this subplot is that made it impossible for me to care about it.

I initially really liked the scene at the graveyard because I thought it was the end of this subplot. It was a powerful scene and now we could finally move on from this ridiculous crush and onto more important things. But then Reina “confesses” in episode 12. Which again, did lead to some cute moments of her losing her mind afterwards and the others supporting her as soon as they realized her feelings. But still. This subplot really felt like nothing more than a hindrance to me. Reina’s character was so wasted this season.

I actually have no problem with them losing the competition here. In isolation it’s a good subversion, and they do actually manage to make episode 12 feel happy and triumphant despite them literally losing. But the events of Chikai No Finale kinda make it less poignant. I’ll get to my deeper thoughts on that movie in a minute.

I’m a little mixed on episode 13. The performances were wonderful to listen to as always. Hearing Crescent Moon Dance one final time was especially fulfilling. The reveal that Yuko and Natsuki are now the new club leaders was amazing. Their constant frenemies dynamic was one of the best things about this show. But the part that has me very conflicted and confused is Kumiko’s “confession” that she loves Asuka. Because for one, it feels kind of out of nowhere, and two, I genuinely don’t know what she actually means when she says “I love you.” A Deep Respect? A Romantic Passion? A Strong Friendship? A Sisterhood Type Thing? It’s VERY unclear and it makes for a bit of a strange ending.

The emotions are made slightly more focused by the handing off of Sound Euphonium itself. That’s a powerful moment, and regardless of what kind of love Kumiko is talking about, it’s clear that she’s going to miss Asuka very much. And I guess that I can count that as enough to make a decent bittersweet ending. Despite the confusion. It still is emotionally stirring.

So yeah, I have far more problems with this season than the first, but it still does has some insane high points. Most of the absolute best moments in the show can be found in these episodes. They’re just a little less consistent.

Liz and the Blue Bird:

This very well might be the best thing in the whole franchise. Liz and the Blue Bird is simply wonderful.

I would never have expected them to make a spin off movie for Nozomi and Mizore but I’m very happy that they did. Their subplot and their characters in general were some of my favourite parts of season 2. And to see it further developed here is such a joy.

This film cemented these 2 as probably my favourite characters in the franchise. I love the way their friendship is explored, strengthened, and deconstructed here. And in the end, it draws a very interesting conclusion about their relationship. They’re both holding each other back in one way or another. Even though they didn’t realize it at first.

They can’t be together forever but they don’t need to outright abandon each-other either. Their resolution that they’ll always be friends but can still have completely different paths in life is a beautiful and very mature conclusion. And it’s shown perfectly with that shot near the end of them walking in opposite directions.

And it’s amazing how their development is represented and contrasted with the actual story of Liz and the Blue Bird. I love the ways in which their perceptions of who is “Liz” and who is the “Blue Bird” change throughout the film. It’s all simply genius.

But it’s not just the characters and plot that make this film so great. There’s also everything else.

This film’s pacing is kind of hypnotizing. The fact that it’s so seemingly slow moving but still so engaging is truly a marvel. It’s never boring or extremely enthralling. It’s just the best kind of neutral. That probably didn’t even make any sense but still. I love it.

The animation and music are also fantastic. Those 2 elements are what make this film really stand out. I love this new art style and most of the characters look great in it. Mizore specifically is vastly improved. I always found her character design in the main show to be just a little strange, but she looks great here. The only one who looks kinda strange in this style is Kumiko. But she’s not at all important here so whatever.

I’m also in love with the sheer juxtaposition of the school scenes looking so real and grounded, whereas the “Liz” scenes look straight out of a Ghibli movie. It’s wonderful.

Kensuke Ushio’s incredible score really elevates this movie as well. It’s the same sort of style that he used for “A Silent Voice”. A perfect aesthetic choice for this movie. The music in that first scene with the protagonists simply walking to school was especially enchanting.

And this is a totally random note, but I just loved seeing Mizore make friends all on her own; without Nozomi’s help. It’s was just so heartwarming and adorable.

So yeah I love this movie. While I don’t think I would call it “perfect”, I also don’t have any significant problems with it. It really is a fantastic movie. By far the most unique “franchise film” that I’ve ever seen. Strong 9/10.

Chikai No Finale:

So at first I really didn’t like this movie that much. Mostly because I thought it was the ending. But now that I realize it was more meant as a middle chapter, I’m a little more forgiving to it. That said, it’s still nothing special.

First what I liked.

All of the characters who were great in the main show are still great here. The leads are all still likeable and interesting to watch. I especially liked Kumiko’s arc of being forced to become a better leader and role model for the new first years. Its a cool new side of her.

I received great joy from trying to spot Nozomi and Mizore in the backgrounds of several scenes. Mizore poking her head out from under the water at the pool was just so incredibly precious. And I love that the cinematography really took the time to focus on those 2 during the film’s final performance. This is all really just my love for “Liz and the Blue Bird” showing.

This film is also surprisingly good at compressing it’s plot. It covers roughly the same length time frame as the first season and it rarely ever feels rushed or too short. It knows how to balance its story and for the most part it feels very focused.

But I have 2 main problems with this movie.

Firstly, I don’t really care about anything involving the new first years. They’re decent enough characters, but they just aren’t very interesting as of right now. Mirei, Satsuki, and Motomu certainly aren’t bad. But I don’t quite have a reason to care about them yet. Kanade does have some rather interesting motivations behind her actions. But said actions also make her a little bit hard to like. She’s kind of annoying if I’m being perfectly honest. She’s mean to people and not in a way that’s fun to watch. But she definitely has the potential to become super interesting later on.

My second problem is that the Kumiko X Shuichi romance is trash. I’ll better explain my position on that matter closer to the end of this post.

But on the whole, this is a very OK movie. I just hope that it’s not the ending, because even as a middle chapter it does feel just a little pointless and repetitive at times. Decent 7/10.

The Shorts:

These didn’t really need their own section but what the hell. They’re kinda cute and occasionally funny. That’s it though. My favourite was definitely the one focusing on Yuko, Natsuki, and Riko. But I have basically nothing to say about these. Moving on.

Overall thoughts:

So despite some problems that I may have with it, this still is a very good show. The animation is great, most of the characters are fantastic, it’s occasionally very emotionally impactful, it’s incredibly engaging and often times funny, it’s a wonderful concept for a show, and the music is all really well done. That’s probably the most crucial element of this show. The music

I just love how detailed this show’s soundtrack is. There’s so much to unpack whenever the ensemble plays. You can actually hear the subtle differences in when they’re a just little off or when they’re totally nailing it. Even something like the differences between Kaori’s and Reina’s trumpet solo auditions. They’re both playing it perfectly, but there’s something that’s far more evidently striking about the way Reina plays. This show is a masterclass in musical sound design. At least in regards to the ensemble’s performances.

The non-diegetic music in this show is also pretty good. Not quite as indescribably beautiful as something like Violet Evergarden’s OST. But there are still some excellent compositions to be found here and it’s a real shame that you can’t stream these songs on anywhere other than on YouTube.

As for my favourite characters. I have 3 that immediately come to mind. Asuka is my favourite on the basis of her just being an incredibly compelling, complex, and layered character. Kumiko is my favourite on the basis of her just being very relatable. And Natsuki is my favourite on the basis of me just really loving her general personality and demeanour. But there are so many other characters that I also love. Reina is amazing in the first season. Mizore and Nozomi have a wonderful shared story. (As a unit, those 2 are my absolute favourite characters in the show. Just not so much individually). Mamiko got a lot better as the show went on. Haruka was precious. Hazuki and Midori formed an excellent trio with Kumiko early on. Pretty much everyone here was great.

And while there is certainly nothing quite cry worthy, this show is really good at making me emotional. Lots of scenes throughout this show made me smile from ear to ear. And the whole “I want to improve” scene on the bridge was just insanely powerful. The moment where Kumiko suddenly realizes that she now fully understands exactly how Reina feels about music and success is one of the best scenes in the whole show.

But it is here, at the very end, where I am going to rant about what is by far my biggest frustration with the show. The one problem that clouded my mind so heavily that I was basically unable to enjoy the last 2 episodes on my first watch through. A problem that persisted as so large in my mind, that for the first few days after having first finished the show, I was genuinely unsure if I even liked it or not. The disappointment was that insanely resonant. I am of course talking about some of the greatest missed potential in television history. Why the hell did Kumiko and Reina not develop a proper romance?

There were so many obvious and seemingly intentional moments that would have contributed wonderfully to a romance. This ship was half the reason that I was absolutely adoring season one so much on my first watch through. A fun and engaging overarching story with a beautiful romance at the centre of it is MY. SHIT. And that’s exactly what I thought I was getting in Season 1 and in the first half or so of Season 2.

This ship was the main reason why I hated Reina’s obsession with Taki so much. This ship was the main reason as to why I found Kumiko’s confession to Asuka so utterly confusing on my first viewing. This ship was the SOLE reason as to why I could not for even a second entertain the idea of Shuichi and Kumiko being in a relationship. It just felt so utterly incompatible when Kumiko already had exponentially more chemistry with Reina. Kumiko and Shuichi had awkward platonic chemistry AT BEST.

If they were only trying to make Kumiko and Reina seem like really close friends and nothing more then they failed spectacularly. Nozomi and Mizore is how you write 2 very close friends. Mizore may have been a little obsessed but their chemistry was never romantic. It was squarely platonic.

There is no platonic explanation for the scene on the mountain where Reina puts her finger to Kumiko’s forehead. There is no platonic explanation for all of the times they held hands in a way that suggests something far more than just friendship. Kumiko falling asleep on Reina’s shoulder in that one scene is something that I THOUGHT had clear romantic implications. Even something as simple as the ways in which they talk about each-other just all felt so obviously romantic to me. And above all, there is NO platonic explanation for their extreme intimacy before the 2nd trumpet audition.

“I’ll be a villain with you.”

”You won’t abandon me?” ”If I do you can kill me.”

”This is a confession of LOVE after all.”

The word love is seemingly meaningless in this universe. It feels like the only characters who never say it are Riko and Gotou. You know… the 2 characters who are actually in a relationship? This whole thing is just so frustrating. How could they insert those pieces of dialogue there in episode 11 and expect us to not see them as incredibly likely romantic partners?

Again. Mizore and Nozomi. THAT is how you develop an incredibly close relationship between 2 girls without it feeling romantic. They care about each-other very deeply but they obviously don’t have that kind of chemistry. For them it’s a lot more innocent while still being very beautiful. But everything about Kumiko and Reina’s relationship just screams romance to me.

So my only question is why didn’t they go for it? That very clearly seems like what they were setting up so why didn’t they go through with it? Were they afraid of making it gay? I would think KyoAni is better than that. Are they just following the original source material?

(DON’T tell me anything about the original source material. I want to find out for myself sometime).

If that’s the case, why did they make Kumiko and Reina so gay when Shuichi was going to be endgame?

If this show had actually made them a thing, it would be an easy 10 from me. My other problems are just nitpicks compared to this. But because they failed to deliver on something so blatantly obvious, it’s more like an 9.

This is so weird because I’ve never let a mere ship so significantly bring down my enjoyment of a show before. This is absolutely a first in my case. Simply unprecedented.

HOWEVER. With all of that out of the way… I still do really like this show. It’s my 3rd favorite out of the 7 anime that I’ve seen so far. (yeah I’m sorta new to this) “Hibike! Euphonium” nails basically everything that it sets out to do… Except of course it’s romances. With which it utterly fails. But still, this is a great show on the whole. Light 9/10. If nothing else, I’ll always have “Liz and the Blue Bird” to look back on as a genuine masterpiece.

This show has also somewhat motivated me in real life. I’ve been learning guitar somewhat apathetically for nearly 5 years now. But this show has really inspired me to improve. Every time that I’m frustrated or bored while playing guitar, I’ll just repeat the mantra “I want to improve” under my breath. Or rather I’ll repeat the original phrase in my very poor attempt at Japanese. Either way. It has kinda helped me. And I’m thankful for that. It also may have catalyzed some sort of shift in gender identity for me. Don’t ask how. I’m still figuring it out myself.

The Future:

A 3rd season really has the potential to make this show a masterpiece.

Again. No one say ANYTHING about what happens in the manga from this point forward. But if this show could end with Kumiko and her friends actually winning their 3rd year, that would be perfect. I would also want them to make Kumiko X Reina officially a thing. But I’m enough of a realist to know that that is probably never going to happen. They’re probably just going to further cement Shuichi as the love interest.

Again again. Don’t tell me ANYTHING about what happens in their 3rd year in the source material. I want to find out myself.

If you actually read all of this and got to the end. Thank you so much for putting the time into it! You’re almost as insane as I am for writing this damn thing. But again…

Thank you.