(CR) Hibike! Euphonium Season 3

[Marina2]

PV (in 6 hours from the time I posted)

YouTube

https://youtu.be/Lmjt1Jw9sbM

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[blakstealth]

Originally Posted by Marina2

PV (in 6 hours from the time I posted)

YouTube

https://youtu.be/Lmjt1Jw9sbM

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This is my Maestro.

[Marina2]

YouTube

https://youtu.be/dzSh0bjmUVA

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Audition drama must be some kind of curse for this band.

[FlareKnight]

There's definitely more drama around the corner with this bunch . Though I suppose auditions are the perfect source for it. The best way to get the best talent into the competition. But it does lead to conflict and battling for spots.

Can't wait for this. The last real chance for Kumiko and Reina to go for the goal!

[Ragashingo]

Episode 1:

First off, it’s kinda hard to watch something like this with tears of nostalgic joy welling up in your eyes every other shot or scene!

Kumiko as president was interesting. She’s good at it but she’s also still her. So a bit nervous and out of place. Doing things like forgetting she is, in fact, club president even right after giving a speech in that role.

All the old relationships are still here. Our main four are still together and have grown into their roles fairly nicely. It’s sad to see some of the past 3rd year members wave their goodbye, but we still have the 2nd years. Kanade, for instance, is still serving her role as the polite, subversive troublemaker.

The new first years we focused on were fun and varied. I like bandana girl. And then there’s the new eupho player. Oh boy. Although no drama was yet implied, you can still feel it coming. Because, of course there will be drama!

Visually, aside from the blurriness caused by the aforementioned tears, it looked as good as ever on first glance. Film level quality. But I’ll have to watch it a time or two more before I pick up on any deficiencies or high points.

I loved it. I love the series. I can barely see this while typing it! Bring on next week and the presumably new OP & ES!

[Dop]

Can't help thinking with Mayu Kuroe playing Moonlight Serenade that that particular piece of music may end up being the thing they play to win gold at the nationals.

[Master_Yoma]

Well its finely back and with a lot of new characters to and Kumiko really doing good with being the president but kind of fumbling around a bit

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by Ragashingo

Kumiko as president was interesting. She’s good at it but she’s also still her. So a bit nervous and out of place. Doing things like forgetting she is, in fact, club president even right after giving a speech in that role.

If you missed it, there was a Movie set before this season for the Ensemble Contest Arc. It's a short 1h film that already showed us Kumiko struggling to cope with being president

[FlareKnight]

Really solid welcome back to the show.

The tension is just going to ramp up. 0/2 for the Kumiko/Reina duo in chasing their dream goal. This is the last shot at it. Thankfully they are very much on the same page in wanting this badly. But they'll really need to pull the best performance ever from everyone to get there.

Already setting up some tension at home. I'm expecting most of the negative pressure to come from Kumiko's father, but her mother is hardly invested in what her daughter is doing either.

Kumiko is definitely having a bit of a tough time. She didn't magically gain elite confidence upon getting that position. But she's doing her best with it.

I'm sure the girl at the end will be a trump card in all this. Probably also a huge headache for the eventual auditions. Reina already pulled the "you're still better though" card at this point and I'm sure she'll still be in Kumiko's corner if there is audition drama. But at the same time they need every good player they can get. Is this Mayu a transfer student (thus the different uniform)?

It's great coming back to this show though. I can't believe both how long it's been since the last TV anime (movies were great though) and just all that's happened since that aired. Going to be emotional saying goodbye to this cast.

[FlareKnight]

Spoiler for Ep2:

Good episode. Sure seems like time is racing forward and we're running towards the real drama of the show .

I like the idea that Taki had them choose their free piece this time. He did make some good suggestions so they weren't acting blindly of course. But he always seems ready to present challenges. Do they want to take it a bit easier and choose technical ability vs expressiveness? Or do they want to go all in and try something that requires both but will sound awful if they miss the mark? For the sake of the dreams of chasing gold there's really no question about what to do .

For some reason I didn't think Mayu would be a third year. But it makes sense why she's set to be a huge opponent for Kumiko in terms of ability. She's from a top tier school and in Kumiko's age bracket. She'll be a huge asset. But at the same time she could easily take the top spots in terms of their performance and in Kumiko's last year too. But it's a worthy risk to have a better shot at the gold.

And I'm always happy with Kumiko/Reina moments along with Kumiko/Kanade moments. Both get cute moments with her.

[Master_Yoma]

So there all ready getting ready for the march and putting there kohais through their paces

[Infinite Zenith]

Two quick remarks after two:

• The Venus-Jupiter Conjunction people mentioned years ago was an astrological sign of not just romance, but luck in creativity. This third season focuses on the latter, showing that the conjunction was meant to foreshadow not love, but a desire to create and excel
• The choice to pick Hitotose no Uta is meant to mirror Kumiko, Reina and Shuuichi's commitment to winning

We're off to a strong start, and I'm having fun with this third season. I'm also glad that discussions are more peaceable now, I recall a time when one couldn't move without running into the yuri analysis, which was quite unrelated to Hibike! Euphonium itself.

[scififan]

Originally Posted by Infinite Zenith

Two quick remarks after two:

• The Venus-Jupiter Conjunction people mentioned years ago was an astrological sign of not just romance, but luck in creativity. This third season focuses on the latter, showing that the conjunction was meant to foreshadow not love, but a desire to create and excel
• The choice to pick Hitotose no Uta is meant to mirror Kumiko, Reina and Shuuichi's commitment to winning

We're off to a strong start, and I'm having fun with this third season. I'm also glad that discussions are more peaceable now, I recall a time when one couldn't move without running into the yuri analysis, which was quite unrelated to Hibike! Euphonium itself.

You can't blame people over-analyzing when the signs are suggestive. The show like lycoris and mecury witch had staffs confirming that the heroines got together after the show were over. This story does not have that vibe. One online interpretation of a Japanese website, on astrological Venus(love, wealth, and art) and astrological Jupiter(abundance), is girls are together even they are apart. So, I interpret them as in the form of college fellows or Macedonian companions. The school setting was said based on one real life Japanese high school. Their training for playing music instrument is said to be intense. Logically speaking, the girls in anime will not have time for relationship.

[Jaden]

I also get confused by the girls' interactions in this show, because it's not what I would expect from real high school girls, but also lacking in most anime tropes that I recognize.. Of course, it's not yuri either.

It feels like there's some unique worldview of an author playing out here, and it's fascinating.

[Kazu-kun]

Originally Posted by Jaden

It feels like there's some unique worldview of an author playing out here, and it's fascinating.

It feels like bait, to be honest. Like at this point everyone knows there's no yuri to be had here but the show's still playing up the suggestive interaction all the same. But this show has always been like that, specially the first season. It's the one thing I never liked about it.

[BBOvenGuy]

Originally Posted by Jaden

I also get confused by the girls' interactions in this show, because it's not what I would expect from real high school girls, but also lacking in most anime tropes that I recognize.. Of course, it's not yuri either.

It feels like there's some unique worldview of an author playing out here, and it's fascinating.

Not so unique. Just different. There are many ways for people to love and be loved that don't involve the usual routes of romance and sex.

The closest thing I've seen to Kumiko and Reina is the relationship of laotong or "old sames," as described in the novel Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See. There's also a Chinese donghua series called Feng Ling Yu Xiu that often goes by the English title Soulmate Adventure.

[Infinite Zenith]

I disagree that the choice of imagery in Hibike! Euphonium were deliberate attempts to tease a relationship between Kumiko and Reina; rather, the emotionally charged moments parallel the intensity surrounding music, which is by definition something that needs to have emotional intensity. Likening something to romance is a common literary device: since the feelings involved are especially strong and relatable, it is an effective way of saying a given activity has the same emotional rollercoaster as falling in love. As such, when the justifications posed aren't especially convincing, attempts to call Hibike! Euphonium "baiting" come across as little more than an attempt to impose one's own world-views onto the work.

[Ragashingo]

We're really gonna do this? Re-litigate season 1 stuff in the season 3 thread? Personally, I think it's hard to tell someone "no, that absolutely was not yuri-baiting" because the threshold will be different for everyone. But, at the same time, I think some people try too hard to be baited... to be offended when nothing happens. And then the two sides get all stubborn and have themselves a shipping war no matter if yuri even ends up being present. I think it's ok to acknowledge moments that have yuri undertones, but it's also important to admit when a story goes a different direction and not hold a grudge when yuri doesn't happen.

To me, Reina was always an odd, hardline girl who seeks greatness and has little time for others. Kumiko was an indecisive girl who could pickup on the troubles around her and who may rarely influence things directly, but through her proddings could help solve problems. Kumiko could also, in brief outbursts, be savagely direct about things... a quality that Reina appreciates because it aligned with her greatness at any cost strategy.

The two became friends because of that alignment. And each has changed. Reina has softened her stance a bit as she's seen that she can unintentionally hurt others in her quest for the top. Kumiko has become more decisive and able to directly influence others as she's seen how misunderstandings can linger until they become harmful to everyone. Together, they've become great friends and they look out for each other.

Which is what I have a sneaking suspicion Reina is now doing for Kumiko regarding Shuuichi. I think there's a slight chance that Reina is playing matchmaker (or re-matchmaker) for Kumiko and Shuuichi. Reina's anger towards Shuuichi might be her version of getting him to support Kumiko more and figure out their postponed relationship. Basically, a "I'm going to glare at you angrily and not talk to you until you figure out I'm on your side!"

[Ragashingo]

Great episode. Nice use of the club's past tensions and the disaster the club was dealing with back in Kumiko's first year to drive home the importance of keeping the club together. It was an interesting twist, too, that Sally wasn't so worried about herself, but was feeling weighed down keeping her friends' spirits up.

I think it is interesting that Kumiko isn't doing a ton different from what she's always done. Her greatest strength isn't directly solving problems, it is hearing them out. What has changed is her willingness to insert herself more directly, but more so, her position of authority as club president. Listening to Sally made Sally feel better, and Sally is apparently a mini-leader among the first years so presumably her efforts to keep them around will be bolstered and everyone benefits.

One thing I didn't expect was the little montage while Kumiko and Sally talked. I was thinking we'd see a real change in the club's training for the 1st years. Instead, we more saw the hard work begin to pay off and those who had been faltering now giving a smile as they got some deserved praise for trying hard and improving. It will be interesting to see if Kumiko actually does implement real changes to the way everyone trains to help keep the 1st years happy.

Finally, I think it's interesting that the show is keeping the Kumiko/Shuuichi relationship in mind. Suzume bringing it up was funny, but I again wonder if the show isn't building up to something longer term.

[HandofFate]

Episode 3 was really strong. I think its pretty unrealistic that the 1st years all stay. They voted on if they're aiming for gold or to just have a regular school club experience, though the first years probably just went with the flow when all the 2nd and 3rd years raised their hands.

If the strictness isn't for them, they're free to quit. I agree with what the late joiner said. The ones having trouble seem to want to stick with it, so that's fine too.