10 Second Anime - Hibike! Euphonium - Episode 1



Translated - Sound! Euphonium. Kumiko starts high school ambivalent about continuing her interest in playing for a concert band, but her new classmates drag her reluctantly into joining their school's mediocre club. Kumiko's new friends and old schoolmates create a story about relationships, new beginnings, and most of all, music.

Heh.

KyoAni is back showing cute girls make cute music, but this time in a much more structured way. We don't have afterschool tea time in Hibike! Euhphonium, but we still have quirky girls starting high school.

 

Here's a nice reference for the new foursome we'll be following.

The focus is on Kumiko, a talented Euphonium player who came from the same junior high as trumpet player Reina. They have some kind of history together. Sapphire, who prefers to go by Midori because she's embarrassed by her name, plays bass. Hazuki is the genki girl with no intimacy boundaries who wants to learn to play a horned instrument.

This is not K-On! This is the club with real instruments next door to K-On!

Kumiko came from a musical powerhouse club and already could tell this school's club was mediocre at best. That always means there's a crazy club member who's enthusiastic about recruiting in all the wrong ways. Meet Asuka.

You know she's slightly "off" because her hair's messy. That and the kissing jokes and magic pranks. The club president appears to have her head on straight. She knows the musicians need practice and that Asuka requires "supervision."

 

Early on, we're given some good clues on how talented Kumiko is. Huge lungs and breath control is the takeaway from how she can make sakura petals dance. A flashback tells us she picked these things up from her older sister.

Oh yes, we're going to have a lot of jokes about girls blowing things.

Hazuki tries to play innocent. Okay, maybe she really is innocent.

 

There are actually boys in this show! Kumiko has a childhood friend who seems attached to her, but she's still punishing him for a stray comment in front of his bros from several months back. I hope this doesn't affect the yuri vibe.

See? Reina knows what's what. Keep those gross boys away from their pure love.

 

The first episode told and showed the broad strokes of Kumiko's and Reina's back story pretty well. Now we just have to start the rest of the show to fill in the details with lots of music, comedy and tender feminine affection. Ready, go!

Hmm.

I do have to mention how the first scene of Kumiko and Reina's junior high losing a chance to compete on the national level with their orchestra really set the tone for their history. Kumiko wasn't that affected by their lost opportunity, but Reina was devastated. Although their junior high had won gold in their competitions, they weren't chosen as representatives to go up to the next level. I'm not sure how that secondary selection works, but that's what upset Reina so much.

 

That little scene showed how two great talents can have very different levels of motivation. In Kumiko's case, it may be a lack of maturity, or it might have something to do with not wanting to follow her older sister down the same path. I expect an issue of individuality to be addressed somewhere down the line.

 

That's KyoAni for you. Sticking a few nuggets of heart inside a show that on its surface looks like a slice of life comedy about a music club band. I'm already looking forward to the great reunion between Reina and Kumiko. Kumiko was trying very hard not to be seen, so I can't wait to find out what happened between those two.