Hibike! Euphonium 3

With the ensemble contest behind them, the members of the Kitauji High School concert band now aim to win a gold medal at the national competition. For third-year club president Kumiko Oumae and her friends, it is their last chance before graduation. Filled with anticipation and anxiety, Kumiko worries if she can successfully lead the band.

Amid her struggles, Kumiko encounters transfer student Mayu Kuroe. From her gentle demeanor to her talented euphonium skills, Mayu was a member of the Seira Girls' School concert band—a regular at nationals. While Mayu is friendly, Kumiko cannot help but have an indescribable feeling from their meeting.

As new members arrive and plans are set in motion, the club, with an insatiable hunger for a gold medal, learns what it truly takes to propel themselves to reach the national level.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Oumae, Kumiko Main

Kurosawa, Tomoyo Japanese

Kousaka, Reina Main

Anzai, Chika Japanese

Tanaka, Asuka Supporting

Kotobuki, Minako Japanese

Yoroizuka, Mizore Supporting

Tanezaki, Atsumi Japanese

Nakagawa, Natsuki Supporting

Fujimura, Konomi Japanese

Tsukamoto, Shuuichi Supporting

Ishiya, Haruki Japanese

Kasaki, Nozomi Supporting

Touyama, Nao Japanese

Hisaishi, Kanade Supporting

Amamiya, Sora Japanese

Katou, Hazuki Supporting

Asai, Ayaka Japanese

Yoshikawa, Yuuko Supporting

Yamaoka, Yuri Japanese

Usukura, Ryuutarou Producer

Yarimizu, Yoshifumi Producer

Ishihara, Tatsuya Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Tsuruoka, Youta Sound Director

Reviews

Jun 30, 2024

Mcsuper

Recommended

Kyoto Animation, almost without fail, has time and time again showed us the gold standard of anime production. It is clear to see just like many of their shows, it was done with passion, love, and most importantly, they had ample time to work on it. This is the result.

Sound! Euphonium Season 3 is divisive, and it is easy to understand why. KyoAni and the staff made risky decisions in how they adapted the source material, making a critical change towards the end of the season, which really divided the community. Of course, there was also the issue of there not being enough performances in ... the season, because previous seasons showed the performances, whereas this season did not do the same. The thing I appreciated the most though, was that with all the themes that the season provided throughout, the end result stayed consistent with the themes presented.

Kumiko’s encounter and relationship with the new transfer student, Mayu Kuroe, was no doubt, a turbulent one. Mayu plays the same instrument as Kumiko, and needless to say, there are only so many spots available in a performance, or in the soli. Now, with Kumiko in her third and final year at Kitauji, and with Mayu being the new kid on the block, there is some pressure on who should play and who should not, and while Kitauji has adopted a variety of ways to decide such things, Kumiko, along with vice presidents Reina and Shuuichi, decide that for each performance during the school year, there would be an audition. Managing a band is not an easy job, and Kumiko saw that firsthand. The thing I love about the series is how well it understands school life and music. In a band, there are always clashes of personalities, people who push others harder than they are used to, people who want to just have fun playing with their friends, and people who take winning competitions very seriously. Being the president, you always have to have your ear to the ground on how the band’s morale is, and for the majority of this season, it is not good at all, with the tension at a fever pitch due to the auditions and their results.

The relatability of the characters is another massive reason why I love this series. Kumiko in particular, is someone that I am sure many of us can relate to on some level. She is a graduating high schooler with a very common problem that many of us might have faced before, not knowing what to do after graduation. By being the president of the school band this season though, she learned a lot about how to deal with people, how to motivate people, but most of all, she learned that a lot of the time, you reap what you sow, and that there will always be someone better than you at something, and I’m glad that this theme was hammered home in the end.

As for Mayu, she was also quite relatable, but to many, very frustrating to watch I would imagine. As a transfer student, especially if they are a very capable one, they will very likely shake the morale of the existing group, because all of a sudden, there is someone that plays better than most of the band populace. Therefore, she adopts an attitude of just going with whatever the majority wants, whether it is to play a certain way, to go somewhere together, just whatever would allow her to fit in, to not influence the pre-existing relationships in the band. Man, she just needs a hug…

Mayu and Kumiko's interactions throughout this season were tense, and understandably so, because not only do the two play the same instrument, they also had clashing viewpoints toward how Kitauji should operate. Kumiko wanted meritocracy, in that the best players should play, regardless of their status. Mayu, however, did not want to rock the boat that is the band, so it seemed like she wanted to forfeit her role in the band to Kumiko, as that was probably what their bandmates wanted, for their president to play. That is another sign of Mayu’s tragic character, where she just cannot bring herself to affect the band in any substantial way. Kumiko, for a good chunk of this season, avoided her, because it reminded her of herself in the past, the one that Reina “hated” for not caring about the result of a competition.

As controversial as Mayu’s addition to the cast might be, I personally loved her role in the story. She can be seen as an antagonist, but she really isn’t, as she is the catalyst that made Kumiko a better person. Kumiko can lament the missed opportunities to tell Mayu what she really felt about things, but in the end, Kumiko and Mayu helped each other, with Mayu pushing Kumiko to confront conflicts within herself, and Kumiko told Mayu something she needed to hear all her life, which was to play for what she believes in, and not “lie to the performance”.

I also loved Kanade’s role in the story, with her bluntness. In a way, she might have voiced how the viewer was feeling towards a certain moment, and that again, is relatability, in a different light.

Kumiko and Reina’s relationship was also incredibly interesting, and it tackles a similar theme to Kumiko and Mayu’s relationship, which is that people have conflicting opinions. Reina was always one of the best talents that the band had to offer. It created tension in earlier seasons of this series, and it also created tension in this season, with how her and Kumiko’s relationship was. One of Reina’s biggest flaws was trusting Taki as wholeheartedly as she did, leading to a sense of coldness toward members who were unhappy with Taki’s decisions on the auditions. Was she an antagonist? Also no, because these conflicts in a band are natural, because there will always be conflicting philosophies, and when someone as successful as Reina is questioned, it feels like an insult. Again, after being put down by Reina, Kumiko grows for the better, and shows why she was the president, and that Reina was not chosen for such a role, as seen in the eventual success in the band’s subsequent performance.

Even if there are reconciliations to be had, another theme of school life is that friendships can also disappear in the blink of an eye. Reina parting ways with Kumiko is another theme in more ways than one, from the meaning on the surface, to what it means in a musical sense. It reminded me of how Mizore and Nozomi’s relationship in Liz in the Blue Bird, my favourite anime, felt like, with one holding back the other. It is difficult, but sometimes, if you truly love your friend, you also have to let them go, and it is another theme that stayed consistent to the end of the series, which is excellent.

Common arguments about why this series was not living up to people’s expectations included the fact that the performances were for the most part, skipped. That may be the case, but I found the tension in the band just as entertaining, if not more. There were no antagonists in the end, leaving the tension as natural, yet as strong as it can be, which is what the performance was to me, the characters interacting, arguing, and in the end, thriving, under Kumiko’s leadership. The other thing was the pacing, and that one I agree with, as it slightly drags the build up to the pay-off, but made the pay-off happen a bit too quickly at the same time, which is an odd place to be in. There is an argument to be made about that, but to me, I found what we got to be extremely rewarding and inspiring to watch nonetheless. I do wish the second year of Kumiko’s high school career was a full tv season though, that would be the thing to lament about for me.

Overall, this season left me breaking down at some of the tension that was so palpable, and left me in awe of how gorgeous KyoAni’s animation and directing was, possibly even superior to the last two seasons. It’ll be a series that will stay with me for a long time to come, and one that I’ll remember fondly.

Each piece along the way was beautiful. For Kitauji, there will always be a next piece, and for Kumiko, Reina, and everyone else, there will also always be a next piece.

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jul 9, 2024

DarkVoyagerx

Mixed Feelings

Sound! Euphonium is my favorite anime of all time. I mean, it doesn't have the genius writing of other shows I've seen or the crazy action sequences of some of my favorite animanga. 
But at the same time, I could never imagine talking about my favorite anime without mentioning this show. Sound! Euphonium is human, I relate to the characters, I'm moved by the soundtrack, and I admire the life in the art style; it's astounding.

Which is why it crushes me to not be able to rate this a 10 like previous seasons. 'Cause don't get me wrong, this season is great; but it just doesn't ... stand a chance when compared to the beauty and marvel of the previous seasons. 

There were two HUGE problems with this season, one: there was no music in a music-themed anime. This show is definitely about a bunch of other important things as well: friendships, love, recovering from trauma, overcoming difficulties, and finding yourself. But the main theme is still music, which is why it was foolish of this season to skip almost every major performance and only show parts of minor performances. Aside from this though I must say that the overall soundtrack was great since it was mostly new songs that had not been used in the previous seasons. 

Problem number two: the pacing and drama were off. What could've been some interesting drama within the club was ruined by poor pacing, which in turn led to this season suffering and becoming consumed by the drama that took way too long to resolve. In any normal 12-episode show the drama would be resolved within a few episodes since there wouldn't be any episodes to waste, in this season however it just kept dragging on and on until the end. But in all honesty, it's also a little understandable since the writers most likely wanted to emphasize the "beat around the bush" personalities of the characters involved in the drama. But even so, slower pacing only worked in the previous seasons since they were both dedicated to Kumiko's first year, there were enough episodes to waste on slow pacing, unlike in this season. And in the end, it just made A LOT of this season feel like a sequence of awkward moments without any resolution/explanation. 

With that being said, I do still think that this season is worth watching, because like I said it’s still a good season all things considered. It may not be the same as the previous seasons, but it is still charming in it's own way and definitely a good watch.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jan 1, 2025

Nox---

Not Recommended

Preliminary (11/13 eps)

Yeah, i dropped a KyoAni... I completely lost any kind of interest for this at the end of episode 11. Although i know how it ends, since i read summaries. Just to make sure i was right to drop it. And yes, i had guessed everything (which isn't too hard), so good for me. I spared myself some torture.

We already know what Hibike is like. This is season 3. So, i will cut to the chase and try to explain what i disliked in there. Let's note that i rated Season 1 and 2 10 out 10. Only "Juuni Kokkuki" and "Madoka" did that well ... in my animelist. I loved Hibike's first year. But after that, to me, it spirals down to hell, and i actually genuinely regret spoiling my good memories of "Hibike" with whatever followed. So, let's go...

Kumiko starts off as an interesting character. Dispassionnate, frank to a fault, she didn't care to smile to people when she didn't feel like it, and had a non typical take on many things. A good way to illustrate this, is the fantastic dialogue she has with Reina the first time they climb Daikichiyama in Season 1. When she asks Reina if her feets hurt (they bleed), Reina answers: "yeah, but i don't hate pain". To which Kumiko replies: "Nanka eroi" (sounds kind of sexy). Say, how many anime girls did you see have that kind of dialogue in animeland, especially in an anime that is not an ecchi, nor an edgy comedy ?

Same episode of Season 1, Reina explains to her that she dreads normalcy, and wants to become special, and that Kumiko ought to understand that much. Reina states that she wants to become special through playing trumpet. Kumiko lunges at her, asking if it is really possible to do so, clearly interested. And by the way, during seasons 2, she states herself that she wants to become special, too. Obviously, nobody really knows what they mean by that. I mean, you can top the charts and be a walking stereotype at the same time.

So, after this necessary reminder of the characters' context, here is the list of my gripes:

* Here comes my top gripe with this season. Gradually, Kumiko loses what made her special. She stops speaking her mind. She stops dreaming. She stops having ambitions. This is not a writing mistake. The author made her change to fit more the 'norm'. In "Chikai no Finale", Kanade asked her: "and what are you going to do when you get good at playing euphonium ?". "I don't know, i didn't think that far yet" she answered. Gosh, i should have seen the red flag. I don't want to spoil you too much, but by the end, i feel like Kumiko became a boring mess. I can't relate with her choices at all. And other character's reactions seriously annoy me too, like Reina. I couldn't believe what i heard: All this for that? I am sure some of you will feel like this is a great way to finish off Ku... eurgh... no, that's not the right expression in english i guess... a great way to [u]further develop[/u] Kumiko as a character. If you do, i simply am the perfect opposite of you. I consider it to be the second most boring option in the universe. Actually, i wouldn't have had much of a problem with it if they didn't hardcore tease what i considered to be the best option. But i had seen it coming: "Ok, i can see that they do that because they want to do the opposite for the sake of a cringe surprise that is not surprising in the slightest". Unfortunately, i was right.

* Speaking of unsurprising surprises... Mayu... All it took to me to guess everything was 3 things. 1) You could see Taki and Matsumoto speaking to someone in a box when Kumiko came to bring back the key. It made sense that it was a student. And they talked to this person until after the bell had rang. 2) There was an empty seat in Kumiko's classroom. And 3) Reina and Kumiko heard someone "talented" playing euphonium near the station when going back home. With this, it became easy to guess everything regarding Mayu and her role in the story up to the end, as soon as by the middle of episode 1... And i remember clearly thinking... "No... You are not going to do that, right? That would be SO DAMN ANNOYING". Mild spoiler: they did. Worst part is: when you know what is coming, it is even more annoying when you are proved right. Mayu, as a character, only exists to bring frustration. And because KyoAni rewrote the end, the frustration is never released. That's an awful thing to do in my opinion.

* My 2nd gripe here is that Reina turned into a psychopath. That was so damn annoying and clearly overdone. No human behaves like this. Unless they are one of my ex and straight out of a psychiatric hospital. Actually, this brings me to another of my major gripes with this 3rd season...

* The drama. It is everywhere. Reina is a device to introduce shitloads of it. This season screams: "I am a drama and i want you to know it". Again, it appears that KyoAni even rewrote parts of the original story (part of the end) so that it would be even more dramatic and overdone and senseless. And i mean... that's... who wanted that? They really made Reina into a sociopath for the sake of emphasing more drama. It is detrimental to the character. You don't use established characters to add more drama. It is because the characters ar who they are that drama may naturally follow. This is the other way around. They got it backwards. And it is glaring.

* And by the way. While in the first two seasons, you had a pretty good balance between drama, slice of life and music, here, the result resembles more an expertly crafted mix between drama, drama and drama. What, where is the music you ask? Simple: they needed room for more drama. So, there is no music. SunFes is skipped. Kyoto Premlims are skipped. And even Kansai is skipped. The school Festival? The gigs they are meant to play and that you saw during their first year? This time around, they ae not even mentionned. No. music. whatsoever. I watched that for the music and character driven story, first and foremost. That they got rid of it for the sake of more exaggerated, noisy and hollow drama is beyond me.

* Somewhat related to the first point, here is the story-related part of it. Part of the story is something i genuinely abhor. The part where Kumiko struggles to find what she wants to do after high school becomes rapidly overwhelming. I mean, many of us probably struggled to know what we would do after high school. That wasn't the most entertaining part of our lives, i am sure. In my case, these were very bad memories. I came to see an anime about music. Not a cumulated 1+ hour long drama about the most petty, uninteresting and unfulfilling struggles life has to offer. Because this is THE overarching story of this season 3. Even more than the nationals. I watched it. I didn't want to, but i did. Because i hoped for this anime to bring something only an anime can provide. Something that life does not offer that often. I knew this series was about 'real life'. But i wished they wouldn't be 'that' real to the end. I should have expected it. This is a common trend when it comes to japanese animation MCs. Yes. After this last dialogue at the end of episode 11, all the drama fell flat. And it was then that i realised that any emotional tie i had to this series had just been cut clean. In a split second, i lost all investment i still had towards these series. That's miraculous. At this point, i totally stopped caring about whether she would get her solo or not. I stopped giving a damn whether they would get gold or not, too, as it suddenly felt totally meaningless to know. I couldn't even be bothered to care what would happen of their various relationships.

To conclude, if you are there for the music, to see how Kumiko's destiny will turn out, a developped romance (any), if you have some ships that you want to see sailing towards the setting sun, if you were there for the music (again), to see how Kumiko achieved becoming special through playing euphonium, or if you are expecting to see no annoying character-slash-plot devices in a KyoAni anime... turn away fool ! You will only hurt yourself.

If, on the other hand, you crave for character drama, to see them struggle without having a clue what to do. If you like when a detail can snowball into an atomic apocalypse for the sake of drama. In short, if you watch animes "for the feels", you will love that. This was made for you specifically. A shame i was never part of this club.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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