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Yesterday, 9:22 AM
#1

Offline
Nov 2011
129327
The NHK cup is definitely not going to be easy.

Episode did its job at building the relationship between Mizuki and Hana. At its core, it feels like their friendship is more than just a character bond. Both characters bring out the best out of each other and especially Hana could learn a lot from Mizuki. The Hana/Mizuki scenes together were the highlights imo.
Yesterday, 9:45 AM
#2

Offline
Mar 2021
349
ryoko is such a cool character as the vice president of the broadcasting club she really stands out

it's nice to see hana wa saku shura no gotoku has attracted a dedicated following this season

the floating moment with kana-chan was too adorable she definitely stole the spotlight

the story development is intriguing the show is really shaping up to be one of my favorites

episode four coming soon can't wait to see what happens next with these characters
Yesterday, 10:10 AM
#3

Offline
Apr 2016
18794
Man, our Hana-chan just wanted to read to people and have fun with it, but then the guy whos the club advisor but actually wants to be a drama club advisor showed up and told her she should go full esport level reciting or pack it up.

:(
Yesterday, 10:31 AM
#4

Offline
Mar 2021
2011
Really loving this series so far I especially love seeing Hana and Mizuki and their growing friendship and how you can tell that they truly support each other.
Yesterday, 10:32 AM
#5
Offline
Sep 2015
6874
A little bit of yuri moment, not my cup of tea though.
Yesterday, 10:47 AM
#6

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Aug 2020
4002
another great ep

hard to not feel something when you are watching it

i love how we can feel the emotions, the seiyuu are really good, i'm impressed
otakuweek (100k Followers) on insta for News /best recom etc

just have a look, you won't regret it...

Link below:

https://www.instagram.com/otakuweek?igsh=em5kY3Q4NTVtNXlh
Yesterday, 10:48 AM
#7

Offline
Aug 2020
4002
Reply to phantomfandom
A little bit of yuri moment, not my cup of tea though.
@phantomfandom i was asking myself and hoping that they will not cross the line,real friendship exist,specially for girls, they don't always need to fall in love...
otakuweek (100k Followers) on insta for News /best recom etc

just have a look, you won't regret it...

Link below:

https://www.instagram.com/otakuweek?igsh=em5kY3Q4NTVtNXlh
Yesterday, 1:28 PM
#8
Offline
Jun 2024
61
otakuweek said:
@phantomfandom i was asking myself and hoping that they will not cross the line,real friendship exist,specially for girls, they don't always need to fall in love...

this isn't yuri for what I heard
Yesterday, 2:13 PM
#9

Offline
Jun 2012
232
This anime makes me want to read more poetry
Yesterday, 4:32 PM
Offline
Aug 2018
47
The teacher really put the kids into their places lol
I wonder what Hana really wants. Does she really only wants to read for fun... or?
I do not like them pushing her too much if she just wants to have fun reading, but maybe they see something in her we don't?
Also, why are they standing so much. My back hurts just watching them. xD
Yesterday, 5:05 PM
ザクシャ イン ラブ

Offline
Aug 2016
140
I love how they added Takeda Ayano's own work "Aoi Haru wo Kazoete" into the selection of pieces, but the highlight piece of this episode was Natsume Souseki's "Yume Juuya". Wow is this series beautiful.

Yesterday, 7:56 PM
Offline
Feb 2024
198
I feel like episode 3 was stronger than episode 2, which is a good sign for the anime. I also got much better headphones between episodes 2 and 3 and I feel like they really help me appreciate the whole recitation parts, they bring more depth and detail to the lines so it comes across as more powerful.
Yesterday, 8:05 PM

Offline
May 2019
2826
So Hana lacks self-confidence and is concerned that if her recitations are not good enough she has nothing left but luckily Mizuki has her back and will support her so that she can excel. I think Hana has a great shot at nationals and even the NHK cup if she gains self-confidence and works on the things the teacher said.
Yesterday, 8:31 PM

Offline
Apr 2021
2947
I know there are other characters are other people are going to read, but I really wanted to hear the female MC read again, it was captivating in the last two episodes.
Note: I don’t lazily watch 3-5 episodes, biasedly compare to other anime, or unfairly judge by surface level similarities. With every anime I start, I watch the entire series, both Japanese Sub & English Dub, then judge each anime based on what they present, to give an honest and fair rating.

Yesterday, 10:43 PM

Offline
Jul 2013
2093
When you're really into something, don't you just naturally want to get better? You want to learn more, experience more, and your brain automatically tries to find the best approach.

Even if you don't go on full competitive mode, gaming the meta and whatnot, you still would push yourself because it's what you love doing
10 hours ago
Offline
Oct 2024
33
At this point I'm really getting tired of this anime if it doesn't win me over I mind have to drop.
7 hours ago

Offline
Nov 2023
309
A moving episode. I feel for Hana.
She loves reciting, but when people are telling her she's been doing it wrong and that she will be judged for it, she can't help being scared of losing the one thing she has based her love and her life on.
Going to competitions is dangerous, because they can can make you feel that you will never be good enough to compete with someone who has been practicing seriously before you knew you enjoyed doing it, or even knew it existed.
Since Mizuki was a first-year, she was also told she couldn't do it and she has made a promise to herself to prove Kichijōji wrong.
But then she says, that if she dies along the way, Hana should be the one to bury her.
And her grave must not be saddening, it must be dug with the oyster of one of Hana's big beautiful pearls.
She must place on her tombstone for everyone to see, the remains of the stars she knocked down.
She asks Hana to wait by her grave, because she WILL come back, as the red sun restarts it's loop and comes back on a new day.
"Hana, could you wait for me?"
For a moment, she was silent.
"Please, wait a hundred years. I WILL come and see you."
"I just replied. I WILL be waiting for you."

It is a beautiful scene, showing that Hana is willing to entertain the idea of going to the competition if Mizuki asks her to.
They might need to compete against each other, but if she loses she wants Hana to be the one to beat her.
She is trying to encourage her to go, but Hana is afraid; Hana is afraid of going, she is afraid of wanting to win, she is afraid of losing.
Mizuki knows that, she is reading her like an open book...
"Then, just work hard to make it impossible to lose. You have the talent. I'm sure of it. I have been charmed by it."

It was such a great episode that I basically copied the whole last scene to this comment (paraphrasing to make it more clear).
The competition will be incredible (and emotional), I can already tell.
I'm loving this series so far (if you can't tell).
Can't wait for the next episode!
6 hours ago

Offline
Jul 2023
1820
I did not expect to see the NHK Pitch Accent Dictionary here, and pitch accent is one of those point of debates among Japanese learners.

Also, a new development for the friendship between Hana and Mizuki. Hana is now calling her by her first name.

The teacher at first seems insufferable, but it looks like he will be a mentor figure, and his pieces of advice would be worth gold.
5 hours ago

Offline
Jul 2023
1820
Reply to ejleon
I know there are other characters are other people are going to read, but I really wanted to hear the female MC read again, it was captivating in the last two episodes.
@ejleon I understand the sentiment. I like the segments where Hana reads.

But as their sensei says, she lacks technical skills.

I expect her to improve in the following episodes, and then wow us with a much improved performance. It goes without saying that I expect the visuals to be so great by then, a level far higher than what we've seen so far.
5 hours ago

Offline
Jul 2022
942
Kichijouji is a great character, I liked him more than I expected. Although he may seem strict and narcissistic, it's clear he knows what he's doing, and being a former NHK Cup champion shows that. His ability to read the freshmen so well and guide them to unlock their full potential impressed me, and it was funny how he called An smug.

That and the Yuri bait moments made Hana step up. Her love for recitation is evident, and it was her fear of competition that held her back. Thanks to Mizuki's support, she is now pursuing what she really wants.

This anime is turning out to be more fun than expected. Not only because of the characters, but also because of the club's activities. Reading may seem simple, but effectively conveying a message, with the right intonations and pauses, and capturing the listener's attention, is truly an art.
4 hours ago
Kikuris footrest
Offline
Jul 2022
234
competing in something that you really love doing is a scary thing, i can understand if Hana is cautious about it
its a very interesting dilemma and i hope she can overcome that dilemma with the help of Mizuki and the others
such a great anime so far
4 hours ago
Kikuris footrest
Offline
Jul 2022
234
otakuweek said:
@phantomfandom i was asking myself and hoping that they will not cross the line,real friendship exist,specially for girls, they don't always need to fall in love...

knowing the author it most likely will be what people call "yuri-bait" lol
so they most likely will be very affectionate with each other but wont "cross the line"
personally id be fine with either tho, the chemistry between Hana and Mizuki definetely is there
3 hours ago

Offline
Jan 2024
1426
This recitation scenes are really great, if I understood japanese this would have felt even better.

After seeing her idol I think Hana got additional motivation for NHK competition. I got Hana's pov of being afraid of losing confidence in one thing you are good at. Mizuki really helped her out and built her confidence.
"Don't let go of your feelings because you are afraid to lose"
"You have to prove them you are not useless"
Really wholesome relationship. Now hope Yuri shippers don't ruin it.
1 hour ago

Online
Feb 2019
9746
Fuckkk I didn’t know this was a Tuesday show how’d I miss this dropping ugh. Still learning the schedule. Needed my weekly dose of Yuribait!

Bringing in Kichijoji as an independent evaluator for the broadcast club was a great idea. Everyone was kinda feeling like hot shit, but he humbled all of them including Hana who we’ve been used to as being seen as this prodigy. But she’s still very rough and needs time to develop, giving her someone like Shura to strive to catch up to is great as well. Got a little chuckle when he said Natsue was too smug and that it comes through in her readings lmao

Wouldn’t be a series by Hibike author if we didn’t have the club striving to reach nationals. I reckon he’ll follow the same pattern where they fail on the first attempt and have to continue growing/getting new members. We’ll see though.

Love the hangout sesh with Mizuki and Hana. It’s cute that Mizuki noticed Hana being hung up on Shura’s performance and tried to relax her mind while helping her get some reading practice. They know exactly what they’re doing with those little lean-ins Mizuki does to Hana’s face lol.

Good episode!
Marinate101644 minutes ago

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It’s time to ditch the text file.
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