Hibike! Euphonium S3 — Episode 3 — 10 Second Anime

The concert band starts taking its practice seriously, adding stress to beginners and seniors alike.

Episode 3 — “Blue Prelude”

Hmm.

I saw what KyoAni did. Watching blatant emotional manipulation can be enjoyable if executed skillfully. What was the point of the drama in this Hibike! Euphonium episode? The clarinet.

We must remember two points about the challenging music piece Kumiko, Reina, and Tsukamoto chose for the concert band’s competition performances. First, it starts with a single clarinet piercing the air. Second, the composition needs expressive technical abilities to paint an emotional journey for the audience. The opening note from the clarinet has to convey that first step into the journey. And now we know who will play that note. And why. Sari Yoshii will lead the concert band on its voyage in the Hibike! Euphonium final act.

That’s not set in stone, but KyoAni laid a marker down. The scene between Kumiko and Sari demonstrated how much Kumiko had grown from her first year. And how much influence Asuka-senpai had on her. Kumiko had always been observant, so much so that she felt detached from everyone else. That’s no longer the case. By contrast, Asuka gave off an air of detachment but kept her feelings to herself, relying on her empathic friends to keep harmony within the group. Kumiko can do both. Kumiko usually manipulated and orchestrated events behind the scenes. Now, she can discuss contentious drama with younger students openly. Asuka 2.0 (Kumiko 1.1) is the stronger, faster, and lighter version, but not yet musically more proficient. At least not in Kumiko’s modest self-rating. Can Reina convince her otherwise during the Hibike! Euphonium season? Let’s find out!

Heh.

Does Sari Yoshii live at a shrine? Reina thinks Kumiko should pursue music after high school. Suzume is such a character! Aw. Sari comforts her frustrated classmates who cry from Reina’s criticisms. Here comes more drama. The beginner musicians can’t keep up with the more experienced ones. But they don’t want to quit!

Oho. Mayu “Mama” Kuroe has massive mommy milkers. Kumiko didn’t need to feel a twinge of inferiority at this moment. Hahaha. Midori assigns animal counterparts to her friends. Kanade is a cat, and Reina is a mythical white snake. “Cute but sometimes a bit scary.” Midori’s mind is a mystery in Hibike! Euphonium. How does she come up with alpacas, penguins, and pandas? But she has character insights about Mayu: she’s like a jellyfish, prettily floating along, but will hurt you if she stings you.

Hahaha. Kumiko still lets harsh things pop out of her mouth. “Growing up seems hard,” she accidentally tells Taki-sensei. But the teacher still drinks milk coffee in a juice box. Oh no. Sari is afraid of Reina. Har. Suzume needs answers. Are Kumiko and Tsukamoto dating? Well… Okay, Hibike! Euphonium, putting that aside. The first-years might all quit the concert band. The experienced musicians like Reina’s approach of treating everyone the same, but the ones still learning feel the approach is too harsh. Flashbacks to past drama. How can Kumiko reconcile the groups so they follow her attitude, “We’re not Kitauji unless we’re all there.” How can the non-competition players stay in the club to support their friends? How do they keep the marching band stuff fun?

The eye-catches show a beginner practicing hard as the bassoon section takes its turn.

Uh oh. Too many first-years called in sick on the same day. Mayu still acts as the anti-Asuka. Actually detached instead of giving off the air of detachment. Letting people quit is better for the competitive concert band, right? That’s not the Kitauji brand Kumiko wants. It’s like the first season of Hibike! Euphonium.

Ha! All the absent first-years are at Sari’s home. She does live at a shrine. Hazuki and Ririka know how much Kumiko cares about her club mates, but the first-years have yet to see Kumiko in action. Suzume is such a minx. She “forced” Kumiko to act. Let’s call it a “nudge.” Sari had a cold, but her friends followed her home. Sari had been comforting and keeping the first-years from quitting over Reina’s strict practice. She knows some will be left off the competition team, but she wants them to stay and have fun. It’s not fun now. Sari feels like she did something wrong when she sees them crying.

Kumiko is a mama bear now. It seems harsh at first, but improving is also fun. If Sari needs to talk some more, just come to Kumiko. She’ll lift the whole band up together. Hah! Ririka called it. Kumiko likes people who have talent. That includes Asuka and Reina.