Before any of this, I'd like to point out that there are SPOILERS in this, so whether or not you'll be prepared for that you can't say I didn't warn you. However, I do suggest that you watch it anyway so you know what I'm talking about. :P So with that out of the way, let's start.
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KyoAni is known for its usual Comedy-slash-Slice of Life animes often telling us stories born from experiences most notably in the High School setting and then bringing them to life using eye catching animation that more often than not has some good attention to detail. (i.e. music animes with instrument handling) That being said, it's been a while since they came up with another anime and this time it's another "music-centric" one: Hibike! Euphonium/Sound! Euphonium.

Now it's already a given in anime that not only should they be "entertaining" but also somewhat "relatable" one way or another,give for example your usual "high school setting" or if not that then those personalities you seem to empathize with. Well...this anime seemed to exceed my expectations of this in that sense, the producers turning it at an angle that at one point could make a rather large group stick with it and another to just drop it once the flair is gone to them. I'm one of the former.

And so, this brings us to our topic for today: How relatable is this anime? What makes this great to some people but at the same time fail for the others?

Well before that let's have a synopsis...
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After swearing off music due to an incident at the middle school regional brass band competition, euphonist Kumiko Oumae enters high school hoping for a fresh start. As fate would have it, she ends up being surrounded by people with an interest in the high school brass band. Kumiko finds the motivation she needs to make music once more with the help of her bandmates, some of whom are new like novice tubist Hazuki Katou; veteran contrabassist Sapphire Kawashima; and band vice president and fellow euphonist Asuka Tanaka. Others are old friends, like Kumiko's childhood friend and hornist-turned-trombonist Shuuichi Tsukamoto, and trumpeter and bandmate from middle school, Reina Kousaka.

However, in the band itself, chaos reigns supreme. Despite their intention to qualify for the national band competition, as they currently are, just competing in the local festival will be a challenge—unless the new band advisor Noboru Taki does something about it.

From the studio that animated Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuuutsu, Kyoto Animation's Hibike! Euphonium is a fresh and musical take on the slice-of-life staple that is the high school student's struggle to deal with their past, find romance, and realize their dreams and aspirations.--Synopsis courtesy of myanimelist.net
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And there you go...sounds like the usual "club life" in anime right? Haha, you might want to think back on that one, because this isn't the usual "have fun" kind of anime that puts training montages from time to time. This anime actually shows what it takes to make it to Nationals, from the teacher roasting his students, to the slackers actually putting themselves up to the task instead of the usual "effort"--and this resonates to me because I've BEEN there, sure not in the "wind/brass band" perspective but it really does a great job in showing how you can empathize with both the situation and the fellow students. To better understand, let's list this out one by one:

Setting/Situation- Whether it's the actual place or the situation that they're in, I think it's very possible that you would be able to relate with either one of the two or both. After all, that's almost a part of a big group of anime (the highschool setting I mean). You might find yourself in place of the "almost hopeless" band of students when it came to actually trying to make it to Nationals or maybe just that you're also part of a group similar or the exact same. I found this decision from KyoAni positive for me (and possibly others as well)because yes, while they have dealt with anime that involves competitions and clubs already...it just doesn't cut it for me that well, I mean sure they have fun and such but it doesn't really feel that relatable to someone like me who doesn't do club regularly to have tea parties and stuff. (sorry K-on, I love you)However, I do believe they could be interpreted differently for other people seeing as "having fun" isn't exactly limited to "Tea Time".

That being said, with how the anime presented the whole band club's struggle to improve their performance, I was once again reminded of my experiences here in Junior High with my own "club/organization". The way that they actually pin point character's strengths and weaknesses then go ahead from there to planning out training schedules for improvement was reminiscent of my own advisors when they go from the initial roasting and criticism to the actual strategies on how we could do better. Heck, I could even relate to the school "band" because my cousins play trumpet and saxophone in our local Elementary's ensemble. My younger sister used to be in the Marching band as well. So there were plenty of times that I felt sucked in the anime because of these alone.

Teachers- Now, there are currently two teachers presented in the anime: Michie Matsumoto (both Kumiko's Homeroom Teacher and Vice Advisor for the Concert band Club) and Noboru Taki (Concert band Advisor and apparently a teacher to second year students). Now why are the teachers important here? Well, because in terms of our current topic they show personalities/ quirks that you might find in your actual "real life" teacher. The way your usual teacher might scold you for being "childish even though you're already in High school"...y'know that intimidating type, the kind that always reminds you of your responsibilities as a "young adult/teenager" to show how much they care for your well being (and rightfully so) and those teachers that encourage independence amongst students by actually "letting their students decide" and making them stick to it to the end.

Yep, I could totally relate to that since I experience this for more than 9 years of going to school and I don't know about you but I can even relate to Taki-sensei's "cute demon mode" when he roasted his band students for wasting his time, making him listen to their playing even though it didn't even scratch the surface for being worth it in the Nationals (as of their current goal). It reminded me of my own teacher when we tried to show him how much progress we've made for an event at school given the time he gave us(which shamefully wasn't much since we pretty much slacked off--that was a tongue twister.)and let me tell you...the punishment was like a "collar of shame" for all to see. So in other words...Taki-sensei was downright terrifying for me since he reminded me of the shame we felt back then, it's like I could feel the rage he felt through Taki-sensei's smile.*shudders*

That aside, I can somewhat agree with what the teachers are saying/doing because,again,it was the students that chose what to do in the first place.They have to see it through and take responsibility for what they chose. (Compete in the Nationals instead of just Enjoying Club)This way, the teachers are really encouraging students to not slack off and instead push them to carry their words with them.

Students/Band Members- Hibike! Euphonium's cast is a rather large one and that's why I thought that the poster was a lie, seeing as--for me--the anime is not centered on only those four but instead shows bits of the others in the ensemble as well (i.e.showing each member of the section in between episodes)and for that whole reason, there is a handful of characters you might find yourself empathizing with: the devoted Reina (which btw means "Queen" in our language as well as Spanish apparently-which doesn't count as a surprise),the "normal" Kumiko,the pretty laid back Natsuki-senpai, the seemingly "perfect" Asuka-senpai...and so on. Which by the way, doesn't summarize their whole character as you may find out--all the more reason why some people may find to resonate with others while others don't.

With this I could relate to Kumiko (and Natsuki-senpai by extension)with her "It's not like we're going to win anyway." attitude given that even though she has been dreaming of competing in Nationals and even has books and manuals in her room for it, she's pretty much nonchalant because she doesn't even expect to win at all and even acknowledges that she was "all talk and no work". Even when she finally finds it in herself to practice seriously and ends up being upset for not improving--finally realizing how Reina felt when they got Dud Gold before (that's worse than bronze or silver)I found myself relating to her since I've dealt with a similar situation in a school competition myself; we barely got through Regionals with group contests let alone individuals.So in this sense, I could see myself as either Kumiko/Natsuki at one point then to Reina when I actually put some effort in my trade. Furthermore, like with both Kumiko and Reina, I could also relate to them being "special" or special in a sense that they allow themselves to get close to people but not "too" close; for a better understanding of this, just think back on Reina's explanation about why she chose to not get into certain friendships. And by no means does that mean that I'm picky with who's worthy of being my friend, It's just sorta natural for me to get along with people but at the same time distance myself a bit from them (i.e. not close enough that you would be fine going on sleep-overs at each other's houses from time to time,in jokes and secret "languages"),kind of like Kumiko.

I could also relate in the "seniority priority" situation with Kaori-senpai and Reina/Kumiko because I've been in those shoes. Like their club having a number of contests/awards almost the same as Sports clubs...Campus Journalism in our school has the same situation. That's why having a pretty high position/part is important to students; and while teachers tend to decide having an audition of sorts, it's more often than not that they give priority to seniors. So again, I've dealt with being in an audition as a junior as well as a senior who only has a limited time left for club contests. And with that, you may find yourself being able to relate in a certain character's situation/personality.


Narrowing the most important stuff down, I could say that these are almost enough to make a judgement for the anime given that those particular parts are a constant throughout the series and are plentiful enough to get somewhat "enjoyment" out of them. However even with our topic for today, I couldn't help but take highlight to some other crucial parts as well when it comes to enjoying the whole series given that some people may not relate well to those other parts as well. The things I'd like to point out are:

Humor- Now this is totally subjective,depending your taste for certain humor,however, I do find the humor in this anime charming. Sure, that may come partly because of Asuka and her random outbursts (she being sort of the "joker" in the series)however, I do find enjoyment in watching these moments in the anime. From "welcoming hands" to that somehow depressing dispenser for band instrument characters--I find myself chuckling every now and then, probably even when things are not meant to be funny. (that probably sounded weird but trust me on this) All in all, It was a thumbs up for me on this one. However, things could be perceived differently for you different people.


Music- I have encountered/listened through different kinds of music and genre throughout anime but I'm not lying when I say this is the first time I've watched an anime with "Concert Band" as its highlight. I mean, it may have been done somewhat and somewhere before but again, this is coming from a person who has watched Idol and music animes that happened to showcase the usual stuff like guitar, bass,piano...etc. So this came sort of refreshing for me hearing how awesome "band" actually was, especially the intensity at the Regionals. (again Spoilers, I hope you were prepared for that) How the different sectionals/sections blend their different tones into harmony to make powerful music that the conductors guide for the audience. It's just great. So you know what...Go Euph! Go Band!


Relationships/Bond- Now this may be something sort of crucial since there are a bunch of misleading relationships scattered throughout the anime; like how Reina says that she (apparently)"loves" Taki-sensei while Hazuki assumes that Kumiko is with Shuuchi...but in the end it's like that's not the case at all since Reina and Kumiko seemed to have spent more time with each other rather than those with the guys combined--I mean they even said "confessions of love" to each other. However, KyoAni has been known for their dedication for the original material when it comes to making anime adaptations so yeah...basically some ships are going to sail while others will inevitably sink. (then again that's the whole purpose of fanfics/fanart right?) But then that's what makes these bonds interesting right? How these all play out within the band, affecting different stuff like the music and devotion to the club and all that. So really, I don't mind at all after all the stuff I already said I liked about this anime. I personally would like to have their bonds strengthen even more should there be a second season. (which will come, if I have anything to say about it)So yeah,expecting more KumiRei, whether as best friends or not.


All in all, I think KyoAni did a great job on presenting this anime to us and I personally enjoyed watching from the very first episode to the last. I almost felt like I was a part of the band because of the situations I found myself (surprisingly)being able to relate to. Like, I was so immersed that when the characters found themselves in fear, in doubt and even in relief...I felt the same as well. I found myself getting tense while cheering and praying for the characters as they struggled through every obstacle that would lead them to the end--and let me tell you, watching their final performance was so nerve wracking that I almost forgot to breathe! (Not even lying.)That's why when they announced the scores I felt like I was back to that major competition in my own school. I found myself so happy so ecstatic when they managed to get Gold! Not Dud Gold...but actual Gold! Heck Yeah! I found myself trying to hold back my squeals as I settled for fist pumping saying "heck yeah!" in my room while congratulating them all in my mind.

However...In the end, as much as I say how awesome this experience was for me, I can't really promise the same for you since this series depends on some factors that some audience may not be able to empathize with. All of these emotions vary for each person and I can't really say how each experience will go...but for the rest of us, It would be safe to say that KyoAni really took a leap there, and it was a really good one at that. I could definitely say that Hibike! Euphonium did its job right and even exceeded my expectations. So I really hope to get more content for this anime soon. (I heard that season one was just the 1st volume)If I were to make a random prediction/expectation for season 2 based on my own experiences...then I predict that it may or may not include even more roasting. Maybe they get to train with their fellow contenders (probably the 'silver' and 'bronze' groups)in some kind of "concert band boot camp" with the Regional judges/trainers so that each band may be able to improve not just for the competition representing their Region but also for next year as well, for those who didn't qualify. Yeah, that would pretty cool...but again, this is coming from someone who doesn't know a thing about Concert Band competitions in Japan so I wouldn't be surprised if that's not the case. Anyway! That's all for today, I hope that you've somewhat gotten a bit of entertainment out this rant and let's go wrap this up. See ya in the next one! :D