Oh jeez, Sound! Euphonium was really good this week? How friggin’ predictable.
Yeah, this episode was great. Given a cohesive thematic center through Kumiko’s repeated reflections on competitions, full of sharp conversations featuring some as-of-yet underutilized characters, it basically did everything I’d want from a Eupho episode. And that gorgeous performance by Asuka at the end was basically a cherry on top – the show didn’t need that moment, but it’s sometimes those accidental encounters that end up the most meaningful. Euphonium is a hell of a show.
You can check out my full review over at ANN, or my notes below!
We finally understand the intensity of their practices
Kumiko finally gets the okay to do the hard euphonium part. Just a small moment, but so important to her
“Yoroizuka, what do you feel when you’re playing?”
Yoroizuka lacks passion in her performance
Pretty gazey shot while Reina’s changing
The framing of this conversation with Asuka is terrific
Asuka’s reasoning makes sense – Yoroizuka is sickened by the presence of Nozomi, so Asuka is happy to be the wall in order to keep Yoroizuka playing
This sequence really demonstrates Kumiko’s will through the framing, as her need to do this is cut short by Asuka’s answer
This one was directed by Takuya Yamamura from the Do studio. Apparently their best director
Taki-sensei’s wife passed away five years ago
Another wonderful little conversation here. This is a quiet and lovely episode
Lots of great little pillow shots for the scene changes
Niiyama-sensei is apparently married
Hiding from Yuuko is amazing. What a great joke
Yuuko getting a solid conversation with Kumiko is exactly what I was hoping for
Yuuko saying that Natsuki wouldn’t know what to do if she heard the truth. The characters have to be a little harsh to be kind here, and not all of them can do that
Plus we’re also getting more compelling thoughts on the competition. Like everything else, Euphonium examines its competitions extremely closely
Reina has the Reina answer, of course. And Kumiko is shocked by that, as she always is
Kumiko’s VA performance is so terrific
The warm nature colors are so good here
“A warm, lonely piece.” Like Asuka herself
I’ve heard some comments made about the “gazey” Reina shot.
The shot didn’t really go out of its way to be particularly sexual, and I’m thoroughly convinced that the purpose of that shot was to show that Kumiko can’t process her increasingly inconvenient feelings for Reina.
Also–the part where Kumiko grabbed Reina’s face was such a perfect callback to S1. It’s like the two of them have developed their own language.