Sound! Euphonium 3 – Episode 9

©Ayano Takeda,TAKARAJIMASHA/Hibike Partners2024

This is the third year's last chance to win at Nationals, the appearance of an intruder like Kuroe, the burden of new leadership—all of these have put enough pressure on the cast member of Sound! Euphonium. Plus, adding auditions only adds to the stress factor, and now the full force of that is being felt. Kuroe's replacement of Kumiko turned out to be a breakthrough for many, as what was supposed to be a way to strengthen the band's abilities now threatened to cause the band to break up. That can be seen clearly in the breaking of Euphonium's most iconic bond at the end of this episode. Even before that, the aftermath was like a car accident, where everyone walked out in silence, trying not to look directly at all the damage while trying to figure out whose fault it was.

Kumiko's reactions around all of this continue to be a highlight in Euphonium's production. Her polite appearance towards Kuroe became more and more tense. The way Kumiko paused for a few seconds when Kuroe tried to talk to her on the stairs was a great moment. Now I'm having trouble understanding their interactions, wondering if this is the moment where Kumiko finally explodes with the new girl. That's too bad for Kumiko, because in years past, she might have been able to get away with giving in to her hostile impulses, but now her position as leader is forcing her must restrain things and show politeness for the good of the group. The irony is that her refusal to question this decision nonetheless leads to discord, as the other band members appear upset on her behalf.

That can be seen when Kumiko interacts with Kanade, relaxing and contrasting with the mask she wears dressing Kuroe. Kumiko was even able to think about herself for a moment, forgetting about trying to comfort Kanade about her loss at first. These interactions help viewers see different aspects of Kumiko's reaction to her decision to audition as she will spend much of the rest of the episode vacillating, trying to manage the emotions of her friends. others.

The biggest upset this episode has, which keeps this aspect of the conflict fresh, is the idea that Taki's decision-making might be flawed. The previous few years had seen the band regroup to accept his guidance; Taki may be strict and straightforward in coaching his team, but that always comes with the implication that he has a greater purpose. Now, it feels like Kumiko and the others have grown up during their school years, Taki remains static, being made more childish by his surroundings. He made plans for periodic auditions but seemed completely unaware of how his decisions about those affected the overall cohesion of the band, regardless of ability the technique of the players he selected. Someone will have to question his authority, and by the end of this episode, it looks like it will be Kumiko.

By the way, everything is fine. Part of growing up is understanding that the adults and authority figures in your life are flawed, flawed, and fallible. Perhaps challenging Taki is how Kumiko can finally overcome her indecisiveness. It all collides under questions of what is truly best for the band and who is qualified to know what that is. I can actually understand the points of view on all sides of this argument, so major points for Sound! Euphonium for helping the characters express themselves so clearly.

Kumiko's dedication to her leadership role initially makes her wonder if she is too close to the decision to allow herself to feel angry about it. Shuichi helps her personally by being the one to voice those frustrations. Reina is on the other side, admitting that she is personally unhappy with Kumiko losing her position, but still maintains her faith in Taki. Reina made a very clear point that something needed to change, something needed to be different if they wanted to win where they hadn't in previous years. For this purpose, the group's decision to hold multiple auditions was a good one. But Reina's love for Taki seems to be making her despise him as a flawed part of that audition process. That turns out to be the breaking point between her and Kumiko, after all they've been through.

As a major dramatic turning point here towards the end of Euphonium as a whole, the Kumiko/Reina breakup is about as big a deal as anything can get. It's funny to see Kumiko trying to downplay the seriousness of the situation when both the people in the story and the viewers at home know how serious this is. Unsurprisingly, that's what drives Kumiko to properly confront Taki — if the two closest players can't even get along anymore, then the whole band's ability to play together is really on the line. danger. So I'm sure Kumiko taking this action will make things work out for the best, and she and Reina will be brought back together stronger than ever. They have to, right?

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Sound good! Euphonium 3 is now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Chris was more involved in drama than band in high school, but he says the motivation was similar. You can follow what he is commanding on Twitter or find your way to blog orchestra.