©Ayano Takeda,TAKARAJIMASHA/Hibike Partners2024

Sound! Euphonium has long been a series about teenagers during the turmoil of high school that asks painful questions about that period of life. What will you do in the future? What does it mean to grow up? Do you really like this serious business band club? Thoughts like these had shaped Kumiko's experiences in previous years with the band, but now, as president, she felt the need to direct them to others. To answer one of those tough questions, taking on that kind of responsibility is part of the growing up process.

It turns out that, for all the development, the central characters of Sound! Euphonium has gone through these three years, the club's struggles may simply be cyclical. The pressure to compete is noticeable among first-year recruits, motivated by the desire to win a Gold Medal at Nationals. The band's main trio seem to think they've divided the emotional labor effectively, with Reina clearly taking on the “bad cop” role of being tough and motivating everyone during practice. . She made a girl cry in this episode! While there are signs that Reina is struggling with self-consciousness about how she is perceived, that part of her is left out of some of the evocative reactions and facial expressions. Maybe that will be covered later, but this episode is more about how that affects everyone else in the club and how Kumiko is forced to react to it.

It's clear that the student-versus-student dynamic of their struggles foreshadows a repeat of the scenario that preceded Euphonium's first season: a mass exodus gutted by years of discontent. band. Kumiko is quite familiar with the fallout that led to the club being rebuilt into what it is today, but when she focuses on Sally, the troubled character at the center of this episode, she begins to understand the cracks. How can that be formed? right from the start. Being a seemingly understanding leader contrasts with Reina's tough approach, meaning Kumiko can't ignore the drama and hope someone else deals with it. That's also part of the growing process.

In this episode, Taki contemplates that the process of growing up, the state of maturity, can be determined by one's environment. It touches on everyone's struggles that he confesses that sometimes he still feels like an overgrown kid pretending to be an adult, which is a feeling I think many people can relate to. . Kumiko's need to become president is a case of being forced to feel mature. It is reflected in the other characters and their interactions. It turns out that Sally working with other struggling students isn't a prelude to her push to drop out of first years, but rather she's trying to help keep them there. club—it's an example of growth in an environment. Sally's confidant, Suzume, remembered her interactions with Kumiko in the previous episode, learning the value of just listening, in another case of development.

Still fairly early in the story, Kumiko has barely resolved all the issues boiling up at the end of this episode. She admitted that in her conversation with Sally, even if that simple act of listening helped. Thank Sally for her efforts proving that she has a place in the band and may be what helps her go the extra mile to strengthen the bond. After all, it's important for a band to have everyone capable of working in concert.

Whether Kumiko can handle all the upcoming problems as effectively as she did remains to be seen. For one thing, Kuroe is still an ominous x-factor. Her pragmatic view of students likely to drop out contrasted with the desire to maintain membership espoused by all established members. It fits the theme at the moment, raising questions about what kind of environment Kuroe lived in before that caused her to grow up the way she did. If just the persistence of someone like Sally is now enough to keep students in the club, does that mean that just a few misguided actions from someone like Kuroe can destroy everything?

That will likely be more detailed As the series continues, Euphonium will hopefully also find time to balance its established cast amidst all the new faces. Some of the placement of the characters in this episode is a bit jarring—Shuuichi barely appears despite being the center of an (admittedly funny) conversation between Kumiko and Suzume. You'd think he might have some advice as vice president that could benefit Kumiko in her difficulties here, but there's no more room. Likewise, Reina's role as more of an inciting dramatic device for this conflict than someone with a real stake in it changed her. There are signs that they might analyze her emotions later, but for now she's mainly here to watch students like Sally react to personal fears (the animation is extremely effective).

That kind of character animation exemplifies how Euphonium continues to move in the right direction in the looks department. I almost think KyoAni's approach this week was more gimmicky than usual. The weather, in particular, responds humorously to the characters' struggles, with clouds, rain, and sunshine shifting dramatically depending on the stage of conflict and resolution in which everyone is involved. However, it looks great, providing mood and color to the episode, ensuring that the audience fully feels the vibe of a certain moment. It's said to be an emotional railroad that matches the sledgehammer-like lack of subtlety expected from Euphonium. That also speaks to how strong anime's identity development is. The series, like Kumiko, has evolved significantly within its environment.

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Sound! 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.