Hibike! Euphonium 3 Episode 9 Discussion

People need to realize Kumiko has no one to open up to about these issues/situations because she has to play the role of president best to her abilities. She's doing what's best for the school but again has no where to go to voice her frustrations. And when she does FINALLY open up to one of her best friends she gets told something horrible. Reina is actually a bad friend in that instant because she put her personal feelings for Taki-sensei before putting herself in Kumiko's shoes.

Mayu is such an introvert anxious person that she can't stand being the center of attention, regardless of Kumiko she seems to just dislike the pressure of being the solo.
It's fitting we're ending with a Kumiko-Reina conflict. We'll see how Taki comes into play here and how Kumiko handles the final hurdle of pressure thrown at her, because this episode she was trying to hide from it as much as she could. She's frustrated by how everything was playing out and having to also balance Reina's authoritarian leadership style.

Beyond drama, this is kinda good at exemplifying leadership styles and the right answer is somewhere between those three:


Reina = Authoritarian style
Taki = Delegative style

It's clear why Taki chose Kuroe this time for the soli. If they are both equally capable, then clearly he is testing them both out before nationals and seeing who works better as the soli euph. Why is everyone so oblivious to this? Gotta agree with Reina that they are whining, but she was way too harsh to Kumiko for her simply listening to their bandmates' concerns.

After Reina said that, I really hope Kumiko can prove Reina wrong that something is not processing right with Taki Sensei, something in his decision making isn't adding up I'll be honest. Because if Mayu and Kumiko are on equal footing, that's very much true what they said, why would you choose the player that's gonna cause nothing but tension throughout the entire band and not pick Kumiko, the club president and the one who's been in the band all 3 years?? I hope to God Kumiko says something good and stands up to everyone!

After Reina said that, I really hope Kumiko can prove Reina wrong that something is not processing right with Taki Sensei, something in his decision making isn't adding up I'll be honest. Because if Mayu and Kumiko are on equal footing, that's very much true what they said, why would you choose the player that's gonna cause nothing but tension throughout the entire band and not pick Kumiko, the club president and the one who's been in the band all 3 years?? I hope to God Kumiko says something good and stands up to everyone!

Because Kumiko is president and is generally liked by club members.

It's the same situation with the trumpet solo conflict between Kaori and Reina in Season 1. Even back then, "everyone" claimed to be aiming for the gold in the Nationals, but Reina getting picked was met with silent disapproval.

It doesn't help matters that Kumiko and Reina are generally accepted as an "item" within the club (romantic or otherwise), and everyone seems to accept that Reina will be picked for the trumpet part of the solo. I think most club members thought Kumiko becoming the other half of the solo "made so much sense."

As you mentioned yourself, the high school context is also important here, I think. They're all friends and classmates, and how much they "like" someone will always get in the way of the business at hand, even if they're trying not to.


Agreed. But Hazuki's always been the strong and reasonable one, despite her cutesy mannerisms. I loved how she just kept taking losses in Season 1, how she repeatedly didn't make the competition team and was rejected by Shuuichi. She handled those like a champ and had the presence of mind to look after others, like Midori, Kumiko and Shuuichi himself. Not surprised in this case either.


Did they ostracize Mayu? I'm sure a lot of people thought Kumiko deserved the solo part, but I don't think we saw any hostility towards Mayu, other than general awkwardness. Tsubame (?) even approached Mayu during camp and voiced her support.

Mayu has always been somewhat of an outsider even before the auditions, largely due to her own actions. She's been pleasant with people, but she's always kept her distance and avoided inserting herself into existing relationships.

Also, you absolutely can stand by "fairness" and "meritocracy" and still disapprove of Mayu's pick... if you believe Kumiko is better. It's unclear how many in the club think that, however.


Agreed that Kumiko really messed up here, but I think the problem is Kumiko not being more assertive in taking charge of the situation, whatever her true emotions are.

Actually, I don't think Kumiko even knows what her true emotions are. She's been a jumble of disappointment, acceptance and a sense of responsibility, which I find very realistic and relatable.

Going back to the trumpet solo from Season 1, Kaori acted on her desire to play the solo by requesting a second audition, but accepted her defeat afterwards, and endorsed Reina in front of the entire club. Which was very mature and shrewd of her. Her "true emotions" were probably of bitter disappointment, which she hid well and eventually got over.

I can also picture Asuka not breaking a sweat in lightening up the atmosphere, making friendly banter with her rival (as you suggested), and turning the club's focus towards their goal.

Kumiko, on the other hand, has never been graceful in social situations and has never had the charisma to mesmerize and convince people. While frustrating for us, I think it would've been weirder if she acted differently here, at least from the get-go. I'm sure she'll take action soon and try to fix this, in her own way.

I just rewatched that part you're talking about, Reina didn't say that Kumiko is bad at all what're you on? She specifically said this when referring to Mayu, "I'm not sure she's good but she has good instincts. She immediately figures out what kind of sound Taki-sensei wants. And she produces that exact sound." That's it.

@perseii
I mean if I want to empathize with Kumiko of course I do. And in adult eyes, they're probably having silly teenaged emotions. It's just that I've been in art school and sometimes Professors do have certain whims in how they judge. So I am more on coming from that POV. Mayu has a lot of faults but even if someone is the President, even Reina was chosen (a first year) versus their old president. Though granted, Reina was a way better choice.

I am not trying to be cold to teenaged woes and I empathize that they all feel sad and frustrated but to say that Taki was suddenly wrong is also kind of a stretch. I agree with Reina's POV of trying something new in order to grab the gold.

But if we are talking about morale, of course Kumiko, Taki and the executives need to be transparent and re-assure their members properly without bias. If you put Mayu as the main character, she is that awkward (lowkey annoying) underdog who too who finally had the guts to perform her best and snag a solo. They're both characters with flaws but I just can't get into the drama of suddenly having this conspiracy theory haha

And of course I understand where are the characters coming from. But these are my own opinions, not forcing fictional characters to do what I want. I mean this can be valuable growth for Kumiko and her shock is very well understandable but others are acting as if Mayu was cunning when she and Kumiko just lacked communication because they're both insecure and maybe competitive in a similar but opposite sense too

Were they? This is the part I don't really agree with.

Club members aren't really claiming Mayu did anything underhanded to get the part. Most of the unhappy members only seem to be taking issue with the teacher's judgment.

It's a little different from the Season 1 situation, because the club found out that Reina and Taki have known each other for a long time, giving people reason to believe that the two of them conspired together.

This time around, there's not even a suspected reason for Mayu getting picked. Tsubame directly states that there may have been more complaints about favoritism if Kumiko had been picked, her being the president and the more "popular" one.


If you're talking about the "teacher losing his touch" theory, I'm kind of with you.

The show did not do a good job of letting the audience feel the discomfort and the concern that some club members seem to be having. Granted, the earlier episodes did lay the groundwork; there was a complaint about a beginner tuba player getting chosen over a more experienced one, and there was that time when a lot of the first years almost quit, one of the reasons being the lack of trust in the instructor and the executives.

But we the audience never got an explanation for why the teacher made those choices. A lot of times we didn't get an explanation of what those concerns even are, other than the vague "something is wrong" and "I don't agree." Maybe they don't know what exactly is wrong (they're not experts, after all). But all of this makes it hard for us to really understand or agree with these concerns.

But I'm sure we'll be getting some answers out of the teacher next episode.


That's really interesting. But students must have had complaints and their own opinions about the professor's judgment, right? If they didn't, I stand corrected, and very impressed.

@perseii Sorry saying Mayu was accused of being cunning is untrue. But I just find the pacing is a bit weird. I mean nothing's perfect and I still love these episodes but it just sounds silly to me as someone who had their college work checked by professors (since both music and art is VERY subjective), them judging whether our works are good enough for exhibits or not.

And of course everyone has their opinions about the professors but as students, you can question your teachers why, what to change, etc. There are annoying professors that demand a lot but you know has little real talent. But when it comes to competitions, you either cater your work to their taste or you create jaw dropping art that nobody can deny. I wasn't correcting you by the way, I was just expressing how I'm kinda confused why some people perceive as Taki and Reina as antagonistic (to an extent). Not Kumiko or Hibike cast mind you, just us irl people watching lol

I totally get Reina's POV because the real world especially in creative or music fields, even the most talented ones need to either bend or work hard to the point of coldness. Only intensely focused people succeed or talented to the point of being outcasts. And I know Kumiko is at the crossroads of trying to follow Reina to that intense world or simply choosing for herself despite creating a rift between them. I'm not a genius in my field but I certainly know that experiences like loss are rooms to grow. I just feel like they upturned the drama a bit haha but since they are kids, they will act more emotionally and have awkward moodswings/miscommunications.

I'm sure Taki will give a good reason to Kimiko, and tbh she is trying her best. I hope she and Reina can mend their friendship sooner

Reina is literally selfish and toxic character.

Reina is literally selfish and toxic character.