(CR) Hibike! Euphonium Season 2

[Stark700]

Episode 4:

First, I'm glad to see that Reina is doing a lot better and found out that Taki isn't dating Satomi sensei. Although I don't think she knows about his past yet..

Kumiko on the other hand found out quite a bit from Hashimoto.

Idk how I feel about Kumiko's conversation with Asuka regarding Nozomi though. Obviously Natsuki wants her back..so it'll be interesting to see what Kumiko will do next. Interesting drama stuff this week.

[Marina2]

Ep.4

That's good conversation between Kumiko and Yuuko. Yuuko is still deeply want Kaori to play solo but she now understand that what is the best for competition.

Anyway, I find two of them similar in that both of them like to help people they care about and both can speak out their mind directly. Yuuko is like the very aggressive version of Kumiko.

[R.LocK]

Hmm, I'm not sure if I agree with CR on Kumiko and Asuka's conversation. I'd think that "だめですか" would be standing for Kumiko questioning whether or not Asuka's okay with telling her about Nozomi rather than what they went with.

[zeross87]

i don't really like asuka reason. i thought she would be with the more talented player.
at this point i think nozomi is more talented than mizore who have the technique but lack the will and motivation. its bad its their only oboe, but i dunno coul'nt they do without her at all ?
saying X can stay because she is the only instrument seem conter intuitive with what taki sensei want the group to be and how he held the examination last season.

i think kumiko will help solve mizore probelm and that will improve her mental, but currently i dislike her.


i laughed at taki sensei past bomb being droped on kumiko, poor girl is learning too much for her sake this episode. i really hope more focus will be put on taki.

i liked a lot the difference in answer to kumiko's concert question between yuuko and reina. reina is really shown to be a step ahead in determination and that is why she come out at the better player; i liked it a lot.

[Anh_Minh]

I find the percussion teacher increasingly creepy. Telling the students what his type of woman is, getting involved in love talk with them after possibly eavesdropping on teenage girls...

Originally Posted by zeross87

i don't really like asuka reason. i thought she would be with the more talented player.
at this point i think nozomi is more talented than mizore who have the technique but lack the will and motivation. its bad its their only oboe, but i dunno coul'nt they do without her at all ?

When it comes to motivation, Mizore's the one who stuck it out. Nozomi left. There'd also be the problem of integrating her when she didn't go through the ordeal the other members went through to earn their places, in the competition orchestra and then in the regional concours.

As for who's the better player... Who knows? But isn't it a bit irresponsible to be as harsh as the teacher was when he didn't even have a specific complaint?

[Arya]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

As for who's the better player... Who knows? But isn't it a bit irresponsible to be as harsh as the teacher was when he didn't even have a specific complaint?

Well, i think that as harsh as he has been someone had to address it, and it's not that he didn't have a specific complaint, Mizore is soulless. And they are at a stage where they have to refine their way of playing, and that was what the teacher was trying to do. Harshly in her case.

On Asuka's motivation I like that the matter is not clear cut. She made a decision but it's not that it is the only right one. I'd say that it's the safest. Of course Mizore actual way of playing is strictly tied with her issue with Nozomi. Until she won't solve it she won't find her passion back.

The question is if it is worth taking the (high?) risk to have Nozomi back. And on the matter I suppose Taki should be the more entitled to that decision. Actually, I'd be pretty curious to hear what he think about it. Considering what Kumiko knew about him the answer seems predictable, on the other hand if music is healing him, it's the opposite for Mizore when Nozomi is involved.

Poor Kumiko, she is learning too much, for a brief instant I thought it was the right moment to reintroduce Shuuichi in the show. Like, she needs someone to speak about stuffs that are not related directly to him, considering that Reina is not an option. There were two opens to it, but no way. Poor boy. Well, can't complain about the last one since it was reserved to Asuka.

[AB079]

Episode 4 was a good episode overall, a bit slow and with nothing too important but good enough.

Kumiko and Asuka discussion showed how the last one wasn't trying to be rude or an ass against Nozomi, at some point I feel like Kumiko is really doing something out of place because the problem itself needs to be fixed on its own and she's pushing the strings, Asuka was clear about what is going on and this can be summarized in only 1 sentence, Nozomi was the one who fucked up.

Now what was really good is how we saw more about Taki's past, losing his wife and being in the darkness because of that for some time but I'm glad to see someone like him moved on and improved his situation by turning into a teacher and going back to the music. Reina really loves him and even if is a childish love I think she has the chances to win Taki's heart.

[Wandering Soul]

It's understandable why Asuka can't just come right out and tell Nozomi the exact reason isn't giving a decisive answer. It's clear that Asuka is thinking about what's best for the band, but leaving this Nozomi thing unresolved can affect the band too. Mizore's soul less way of playing is probably tied to her trauma so that needs to be resolved, so she can find her own unique sound along with the rest of the band.

[blakstealth]

I get that Natsuki's been the biggest role in helping Nozomi, but I wonder why we haven't seen Nozomi reach out to Mizore, yet. They seemed to be decent friends if the flashbacks mean anything.

But anyway, more Asuka is welcome. And her playing in the open field at the end was easily the best moment of the episode for me. It was absolutely breathtaking.

[DragoonKain3]

"Didn't you sneak out yesterday too?"
"Umm... choto-nee."
"Tsukamoto?"

With one word, Reina went from 'the competition' to 'best grrl in the show'. Yes even over Kumiko, whose eyes are still a wee bit clouded at this moment (which is understandable)... Reina at least thinks there's more to Kumiko/Shuuichiro than meets the eye. XD

As for the story itself... man, for someone who doesn't really care about things outside of band, Asuka seems to be awfully considerate of Nozomi's feelings, who isn't even in the club. I personally hate all this politics to be honest, and if I were in Asuka's shoes I'd just tell her the cold hard truth. I've heard the term 'osananajimi' describing Nozomi and Oboe girl in this episode, and if it is really true, I think Nozomi would, in the best interest of her childhood friend, understand the reason and just back away. But eh, that's just me I guess...

[Top Sergeant]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

"Didn't you sneak out yesterday too?"
"Umm... choto-nee."
"Tsukamoto?"

With one word, Reina went from 'the competition' to 'best grrl in the show'. Yes even over Kumiko, whose eyes are still a wee bit clouded at this moment (which is understandable)... Reina at least thinks there's more to Kumiko/Shuuichiro than meets the eye. XD

Or maybe she was just teasing Kumiko. That is a possibility.

[RobotCat]

Originally Posted by zeross87

i don't really like asuka reason. i thought she would be with the more talented player.
at this point i think nozomi is more talented than mizore who have the technique but lack the will and motivation. its bad its their only oboe, but i dunno coul'nt they do without her at all ?

You can't just remove the oboe, especially if there's a solo. They already picked the piece and are this far in, losing the oboe now would pretty much cost them the competition.

Also, would Nozomi even be playing if she's let back in? Imagine how people would feel if Nozomi got to play when she quit last year. If she made the oboe quit too morale would be shot.

So if Nozomi wont' be playing there's no benefit to letting her back in.

[GMT]

Originally Posted by DragoonKain3

"Didn't you sneak out yesterday too?"
"Umm... choto-nee."
"Tsukamoto?"

With one word, Reina went from 'the competition' to 'best grrl in the show'. Yes even over Kumiko, whose eyes are still a wee bit clouded at this moment (which is understandable)... Reina at least thinks there's more to Kumiko/Shuuichiro than meets the eye. XD

It'd be perfectly normal for her to think that. After all, she's hot for teacher, is awkwardly chasing the teacher, and has Kumiko's apparent support; so she probably assumes that Kumiko's got the hots for her childhood friend, and just hasn't admitted it to anyone else, or herself, yet.

(Of course, the alternative explanation is that Reina's jealous; but the show's going out of its way to sell us on Reina's crush on Taki, and is taking steps to normalize it (eww) as much as possible. At the same time, they've seriously backed off on the other cues that would've lent any support to this alternative explanation.)

As for the story itself... man, for someone who doesn't really care about things outside of band, Asuka seems to be awfully considerate of Nozomi's feelings, who isn't even in the club. I personally hate all this politics to be honest, and if I were in Asuka's shoes I'd just tell her the cold hard truth. I've heard the term 'osananajimi' describing Nozomi and Oboe girl in this episode, and if it is really true, I think Nozomi would, in the best interest of her childhood friend, understand the reason and just back away. But eh, that's just me I guess...

I think Asuka really doesn't care ... or, at least keeping Nozomi and Mizore separate is merely the best option she has for avoiding getting any more drama splashed on her. She sees that Mizore has a visceral reaction to Nozomi, but doesn't care to explore the hows or the whys of it. Telling Nozomi what she's observed would only invite Nozomi to simply barge in and try to fix things, or worse, try to get Asuka to help her fix things. Being blunt with Nozomi is not likely to make the Nozomi problem go away.

Although it's fascinating that she's apparently decided to saddle Kumiko with the problem instead. Kumiko is appallingly bad at keeping her nose out of things ... Asuka herself remarked on it in the first series. She probably also knows that Kumiko's pretty tight with Natsuki, and certainly realizes that Kumiko's pretty invested in the whole situation if she's throwing around promises. If maintaining the status quo was Asuka's goal, telling Kumiko her observations on the situation probably wasn't the way to go about doing that.

[Anh_Minh]

Originally Posted by Arya

Well, i think that as harsh as he has been someone had to address it, and it's not that he didn't have a specific complaint, Mizore is soulless. And they are at a stage where they have to refine their way of playing, and that was what the teacher was trying to do. Harshly in her case.

Maybe it's because I'm not a musician, but I don't think "you're playing too accurately" and "make it sound like a crescent moon" are very specific. Or helpful. If all he can say is "try harder", without actual direction, when she's already trying super hard, the least he could do is take gloves.

Originally Posted by GMT

(Of course, the alternative explanation is that Reina's jealous; but the show's going out of its way to sell us on Reina's crush on Taki, and is taking steps to normalize it (eww) as much as possible.

I don't think it's cringeworthy for Reina to have a crush on Taki. What would be awful would be him responding to her advances.

(Also, since he's a long time family friend, wouldn't Reina know he's a widower? She was 10 or so when his wife died.)

[Kamieichi]

Originally Posted by R.LocK

Hmm, I'm not sure if I agree with CR on Kumiko and Asuka's conversation. I'd think that "だめですか" would be standing for Kumiko questioning whether or not Asuka's okay with telling her about Nozomi rather than what they went with.

Yeah. You're right. How come the translator of this episode interpreted it in such a way?

[Tormenk]

It would be interesting if Asuka's perspective on competitions is shown, since it does feel she's hiding her own thoughts and feelings beneath her usual cheery self. Between the glimpses from last season and this season Asuka's real stance is still pretty unclear.

[zeross87]

Originally Posted by RobotCat

You can't just remove the oboe, especially if there's a solo. They already picked the piece and are this far in, losing the oboe now would pretty much cost them the competition.

Also, would Nozomi even be playing if she's let back in? Imagine how people would feel if Nozomi got to play when she quit last year. If she made the oboe quit too morale would be shot.

So if Nozomi wont' be playing there's no benefit to letting her back in.

For me, I think the drama of last year is still not totally solved and finding a way to peacefully accept nozomi back into the team without anyone being hurt as a result would put the final dot on the drama.

This would increase moral of the third year like goto who still have regrets from last year.

For me moral is the more important thing for them right now. So finding a peaceful solution would help the band even if she doesn't play in the national

[MeoTwister5]

Ignorance isn't necessarily bliss, and knowing the truth isn't exactly liberating.

So Kumiko get's some metaphorical bombs being dropped on her, and it clearly troubles her that she's keeping a whole lot of inconvenient truths from a whole lot of people. She's been playing the show's straight arrow from day one, and all the lines within and without the band all tie back to her one way or another.

She's basically the tangled up focal point within this messy web of club drama and politics whether she likes it or not. The character dynamics of this season is becoming quite fascinating.

[Arya]

Originally Posted by Anh_Minh

Maybe it's because I'm not a musician, but I don't think "you're playing too accurately" and "make it sound like a crescent moon" are very specific. Or helpful. If all he can say is "try harder", without actual direction, when she's already trying super hard, the least he could do is take gloves.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he was totally right, I liked the fact that he addressed the problem, because someone had to start doing it, but the way he did it was not necessary right. And i liked that too, since I felt it in character with him, unrefined and tactless as he seems to be. As seen later when he dropped the bomb on Kumiko, that was totally inappropriate (similarly to Reina going to ask Taki about his personal relationships, with the difference that the teacher is an adult).
On the other hand I suppose that "make it sound like a crescent moon" makes sense to her since she is the one who brought it up.

Originally Posted by zeross87

For me, I think the drama of last year is still not totally solved and finding a way to peacefully accept nozomi back into the team without anyone being hurt as a result would put the final dot on the drama.

This would increase moral of the third year like goto who still have regrets from last year.

For me moral is the more important thing for them right now. So finding a peaceful solution would help the band even if she doesn't play in the national

mmm, I'm having the feeling taht who knows about Mizore/Nozomi agrees about Asuka's solution. Ribbon-chan came to the same conclusion by herself.
But yeah, the show very likely is aiming for the better, even if more risky, resolution.

Anyhow, I see it as a twofold issue, because they are competing for the national and that's not something you can overlook since it could easily be a once in a lifetime event for many of them. That's especially true for the actual third years who had their efforts got wasted by their own previous third years.

Passing from the collective perspective to a more personal one, the possibility that having Nozomi back could push Mizore away is very high. And that would be very unfair for Mizore to end up to be the one left out at the end of the day.
First because she was the one who didn't give up, not Nozomi; second because she is the one with a more serious problem, again not Nozomi. Leaving her out, leaving her alone would be the worst outcome for her.

I think Asuka is considering all of the above while sticking with her decision. Mixed with the fact taht probably she would be unable to handle the whole issue since she seems to be sincere to a fault and that could become a problem as seen with Kaori, leaving her with the only option to stay away, as maybe she is partially doing now.

[Sixth]

Nice episode.

I was actually surprised that Asuka willingly to tell Kumiko's her full reason of her action. I thought that she will at least drag the issue for another episode. I found it was hilarious that Kumiko was bombed by millions of revelations just in one episode. And her stealth mode is at ULTRALISK level just made this episode so enjoyable to watch.

I guess each people has their own view on the competition means. Reina was completely embraced it. Yuko was in the middle of it, and Mizore was completely hate it.

I actually found that Kumiko was rather a refreshing lead. She doesn't really care about romance, and boy when even Reina who is a super serious type cannot stop herself from thinking about opposite gender. Reina keep making the assumption that Kumiko's recent strange behavior were related to a man but Kumiko was simply brushing it away. It seems that Kumiko really has the potential to become a career-driven woman when she grown up.

If Kumiko and Reina really ended up as couple, I can see that Kumiko is the one who wear pants in their relationship.