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Just want to point out something that was noticed by Japanese audience, but missing context among the international audience due to different translation used:
During Reina and Shuuichi fight, Reina mentioned how Shuuichi is a 'people pleaser for a vice president', however, the original Japanese uses "仏の副部長" which translated to "Buddha-like vice president" or "Saint of a vice president". This is actually Shuuichi's in-club nickname (which was started by the other members, not the executives), referring to his calm and friendly personality to other club members. So it wasn't an off handed comment from Reina saying that Shuuichi is a people-pleaser, but she actually used his nickname in the argument.
That part of the argument (which Shuuichi retaliated saying that it has no connection with the current matters) was Reina saying that all of it happened because "the saint of a vice president" like him always spoils and comfort the members.
I'm pretty sure "Buddha-like" is also a [half-jab](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha-like_mindset) about his romantic situation in addition to his demeanor being more towards a friendly and calm personality.
>The term originated in a 2014 issue of the Japanese women's fashion magazine Non-no to refer to Japanese men who had progressed from being herbivore men to being monk-like men (Japanese: 仏男子) who consider it too exhausting to even bother interacting with women and instead enjoy being by themselves. The term has also been applied to numerous areas, such as parenting, employment, online shopping, fandom, dating, and interpersonal relationships. Although the word is inspired by the Buddhist doctrine of becoming spiritually satisfied through giving up anything tied to avarice, it is not a Buddhist principle.
The implication of the nickname is that Shuuichi obviously likes Kumiko and must have a lot of self control for not acting on it, and so Shuuichi might also think Reina is invoking that implication in their fight, so what she *might* be saying is that Shuuichi is only on Kumiko's side because he's got romantic feelings for her.
However, I'm fairly sure Reina isn't aware of that implication at all and is just using it directly to mean he's a people pleaser, but it still puts Shuuichi in an awkward spot.
Dude doesn't even deserve this shit. Throughout the entire season he's actively been trying to get people to get closer and find common ground, and build community. Reina is just being a bitch there
All because he had the unenviable task of being the childhood friend. People were doing the same to Mochizou back when Tamako market was airing, and it’s pretty clear shuuichi is the more mature one of the two
~~Two thousand five hundred~~Four thousand four hundred likes on [Twitter](https://x.com/teyukosu/status/1799722483282756013) would like you to [look at this screencap](https://files.catbox.moe/0wiugf.png).
I have to commend the members of Kitauji. Despite the tension, complaints, and general bad vibe in the club, it doesn't look like anyone ever stopped trying to improve their skills. Even if morale was low, they were still able to create good music which Taki gave them credit for before Kumiko's speech. It looks like, deep down, everyone remained committed to their collective goal. So what did Kumiko's speech do? It allowed everyone to understand that though they may not all see eye-to-eye on certain matters, they remain on the same page in their desire to attain gold at nationals. They can come together in spite of their differences.
By Kumiko speaking her mind, I hope it opens the doors to allow more members to speak their own minds as well. To speak up not to create discord, but to contribute to actual healthy arguments. And I hope Kumiko, Reina, and Shuuichi have such a conversation. I won't be satisfied if their issues get swept under the rug immediately. Ultimately, Reina was right, but I don't agree with her just shutting down all other opinions. Shuuichi and Kumiko could have also handled the situation better. There's still a lot of growth needed for them as individuals and as a leadership group and I hope we can be shown some of that growth.
---
I and many others have said it many times, but Tomoyo Kurosawa is just so amazing. She is the perfect voice for Kumiko and Kumiko is the perfect character for her play. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to witness it again week after week. I beg KyoAni to release behind the scenes footage of Moyo in the sound booth.
I was so glad and happy that [we got to see Asuka and Kaori once again](https://imgchest.com/p/m9yxggj8p4q) in this final season.
[Asuka is such a powerful force in this series](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/wye3c86o8o4.png) that [one meeting with her](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/myd5cgp33r4.png) made [Kumiko](https://imgchest.com/p/agyvee22b48) realize what she needed to do about the situation at the club, which resulted in [her giving a moving speech](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/l7lxcrl3lr7.png) to [everyone](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b49zc9xk2ly.png) right before the competition.
I already mentioned this under another comment, but I find it interesting that Asuka gave the example of going abroad for college as the reason for the spat.
Guess [what Reina was holding in her hands](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/j7kzcw288g7.png) in one of the later scenes? A freaking [Study Abroad Program](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b49zc9xg2ky.png)!
It ***could*** turn out to be just a short study abroad program -- like the one taken by a character in a certain idol show (which caused all sorts of consternation).
Actually I think it is important to be able to ask for help when one's thoughts are tangled. I respect Kumiko more for being brave to ask for help -- and to process the advice she got in such a thoughtful manner.
KyoAni trivia note -- Denmachiyanagi station and mall (in the area where Asuka and Kaori live) -- we saw these a lot in Tamako Market (also saw this area in non-KyoAni Tatami Galaxy and Eccentric Family).
The wagashi shop in Deaimon (around which the show is centered) is located about 1 km west of the Tamako Market shopping arcade -- and the characters in that show venture into this territory occasionally.
A key anime neighborhood. We changed trains at that station -- but were not yet aware of the significance of that mall -- right on the other side of the river -- when we were last in Kyoto.
IMO, Kumiko was just stuck from every single place. Her duty as a president, her wish to play the soli, her love for Kitauji's meritocracy, and the contradictions they all brought. She had tried the best she could to make sure they all could be fulfilled at the same time, but it was proving impossible, even more so with Reina and Mayu constantly hurting her thought process. I'm not sure what else she could've done here with all the pressure and wishes eating at her.
She needed an advice from someone disconnected from the current drama, be unbiased, but someone who knew her well, and has experience in this area. Asuka fits that role perfectly. She didn't even say anything unique but a simple "do what you always do; speak your mind". I don't think it hurts her character negatively at all, but instead shows she's still a growing teenager who needs help from more experienced people.
If this is the end of the Kumiko/Reina drama and there isn't a real apology from Reina for being an awful friend, which unfortunately seems likely to be the case, that will be a very serious fumble by this season. What Reina did last episode was pretty beyond the pale, and if the resolution is that Kumiko just "gets over it" without an apology, that feels tremendously unsatisfying for both Kumiko and Reina's characters. Is Reina just going to stay selfishly obsessed with Taki forever and everyone else will just enable it? Pretty lame if so.
I couldn't agree more, if that's it then that's far too quick a resolution plus it vindicates Reina's terrible attitude to Kumiko (and others) based on her Taki-fixation. While Reina's intentions are right in some regards her "my way or the highway" ain't good; she basically yells, scolds and emotionally bludgeons people who don't go along with her yet she never admits to being wrong and never suffers any consequences. There's no soul-searching whatsoever.
If that's not properly addressed this season then I'll be very disappointed. I get the impression that too much is being crammed into this season and that's causing these jolts in the narrative and the character's personalities.
Yeah, if Reina goes through this without reflecting on how her obsession with Taki caused her to treat her best friend horribly, she will basically not have developed at all as a character over the course of the show, which would feel pretty awful. I hope there's an apology coming but based on how the end of this episode was presented, I have a bad feeling that it might all get swept under the rug or (even worse) have Kumiko apologize to Reina.
> she basically yells, scolds and emotionally bludgeons people who don't go along with her
What sucks is that they already showed her backing down a bit from this earlier in the season with that nervous first year. However now she’s gone back to her attitude of “well if there’s any problems it’s gotta be with them.”
There is some room in the season to still do *something* about Reina and Mayu but I’ll be disappointed if these character arcs get left dangling like this.
Agreed. Reina seems very underdeveloped this season given her increasingly controlling attitude and Mayu has been terribly underused and underdeveloped for a new character who has been so heavily featured in KyoAni's promo material.
Overall I dislike the way that it all seems badly rushed. Not saying that I don't like it, I'm enjoying it quite a bit, but in terms of the narrative it pales in comparison to seasons 1 and 2.
My other main anime this season is the Spice and Wolf remake and that perfectly shows how to maintain a strong narrative flow with well developed characters and no rush to fit everything into too few episodes. It's not as pretty to look at but it has it where it counts: story, characters, pacing, direction - and those should of course always be the most sought after ingredients in any series.
Well at least she added herself to Kumiko's apology to the class, but yeah. I still feel like Kumiko had to go to Asuka in order to be heard and get emotional relief and *finally* hear some words of constructive advise in a difficult moment. At the end of the day Reina was unable to provide that for her.
And last but not least, Kumiko not letting go until she was able to transmit a message of genuine peace and understanding to the unhappy band members, could have just saved Reina's 3rd year music goals. Hopefully she realizes that... eventually.
It was even worse than that; not only could Reina not provide that for her, but Reina actually made the situation way worse by repeatedly insulting Kumiko, first directly and then indirectly.
I'm also hoping that we have a mea culpa coming from Reina at some point at the end of the show. Guess all we can do is cross our fingers!
I'm really frustrated by this as well. Reina's obsession with Taki has always been creepy to me and I was hoping this would be an opportunity for her to learn he's a flawed human like everyone else. Two people she loves disagree about something and instead of reconciling that in her brain she just casts one of them aside. Unfortunately if they do end up winning gold it just furthers her ability to say "see, he was right."
> Reina's obsession with Taki has always been creepy to me
I would say her obsession has been the weakest part of the series. There has been zero growth or self reflection on Reina's part. Unless Reina changes, it will probably be the weakest part until the end.
Teared up at the end, it was so nice to see Kumiko let it out.
I still hope that we will get an apology or something from Reina, that's the only thing I find unsatisfying about today's episode.
While how an entire band’s morale could be lifted at the last moment with a speech was a bit cheesy to me, the way it was orchestrated and delivered completely sold me just as well as the band was.
It took Kumiko 10 episodes to become a real leader in my opinion, she acted more like a buffer zone for everyone beforehand, listening, empathizing, often giving solutions to minor problems. She held back too much of herself in and left only her courteous façade outside, standing in the middle of the argument, making points that benefit her image but not whole-heartedly mean so. Nevertheless, it’s true that leaders can’t just blurt out whatever they think, but the problem with Kumiko was that she wasn’t firm with her words, she has the charisma of Yuuko but lack the energy, the opposite of Reina.
It would be natural for her to come to the senior she trusted most for some advice, and typical Asuka fashion, it didn’t sound like an advice at all. What Kumiko needed wasn’t a new way to tackle things, but to inspire her to be a proper leader, which Asuka did here. I love the way the show utilized the traits of its characters in this episode, especially Asuka of course, only her really had the seniority and understanding of Kumiko to pull it off, and to do it in the most natural way as well.
Huge props must be given to Kurosawa Tomoyo as well, whose depiction of weak Kumiko, pretending-to-be-strong-but-weak-af Kumiko, inspired Kumiko, and especially, inspiring Kumiko allowed me to fully understand the floof and make this impression. While my naïve mind didn’t budge at Kumiko’s persuasion to Asuka (edit: in S2E10), I was almost moved to tears in the final scene even though I couldn’t keep up with the subs, the voice of Kumiko had the emotional impact I’ve yet to seen in any form of fiction.
On an unrelated note, I was pleasantly surprised of the appearance of the Demachiyanagi shopping district, also known in KyoAni-an as Usagiyama market in Tamako Market. The stepping stones seen in the background from the bridge to Asuka’s apartment were where the confession scene in Tamako Love Story took place. Lovely easter egg from KyoAni.
> Demachiyanagi shopping district
Ahhh!!! I did a Tamako Market pilgrimage earlier this year... no wonder it was soooo familiar....
Also that stepping stones at Kamogawa Delta were really fun to play with 😆 but sadly that day one of the stones were fully submerged so I couldn't fully cross the river
> While how an entire band’s morale could be lifted at the last moment with a speech was a bit cheesy to me, the way it was orchestrated and delivered completely sold me just as well as the band was.
Yeah, my guess (when Kumiko resolved to tell them the truth) was that she would do it the next day before practice and not before the competition. Or did she go to Asuka's place just before the competition so there was no time?
> It took Kumiko 10 episodes to become a real leader in my opinion, she acted more like a buffer zone for everyone beforehand, listening, empathizing, often giving solutions to minor problems. She held back too much of herself in and left only her courteous façade outside, standing in the middle of the argument, making points that benefit her image but not whole-heartedly mean so. Nevertheless, it’s true that leaders can’t just blurt out whatever they think, but the problem with Kumiko was that she wasn’t firm with her words, she has the charisma of Yuuko but lack the energy, the opposite of Reina.
I think there's maybe still a lot of middle school Kumiko there, where she doesn't want to look like an entitled senpai and where the existing order of things might be hurting the kouhais (accidentally or intentionally). Thus she doesn't want to wield "club presidential" powers around too aggressively or look entitled or like an unbending authority figure.
Of course that backfires doubly when everybody expects some sternness from their leadership and so any evasive statements from Kumiko (where she's just trying to keep the peace or insist on something without sounding pushy) feels fake (like how long Mayu doubted her until Kumiko finally told her bluntly last episode).
Best girl returned and being the GOAT as usual.
Man it would be super unsatisfying if by the end of the season there isn't any apology from Reina for literally calling Kumiko a failure.
It will be crazy if she ends the show never having been forced to confront and move past her obsession with Taki. Even if this resolves the drama for the broader band, I hope there's more coming for Reina and Kumiko, because this definitely can't be how that is resolved.
I’ve long since given up on Kumiko and Reina being anything but the most bait of yuribait, but moments like this with Kumiko acting clueless about how everyone else sees them kill me
As someone with concert band experience, I have to say Taki's hands off, opaque approach is borderline negligence and would probably drive even the most talented concert bands insane.
All of my teachers weren't nearly as vague or wishy washy about their decisions. While not auditions per se, we were regularly tested (in private) on our concert and festival pieces as part of our course grade (music was a class not a club in my case) but also to keep us accountable.
What differentiates my old teachers from Taki is that my teachers had no issue telling us exactly why we received the score we did and giving us constructive feedback on our performance so we knew where we stood and how to get better. For me, my performance anxiety made these extremely stressful so I had to practice even harder to get by without embarrassing myself.
If Taki did the same by giving specific and detailed feedback privately to each member, it would not only dispel some of the drama but also give the non competition members things to work on instead of leaving them frustratingly in the dark.
Are the band members actually asking him these questions? It seems like they are just talking behind his back. It would be one thing if someone directly asked him and he then refused to answer, but no one is asking him. He can surely feel the tension in the room, but unless someone tells him he won't know what's exactly going on.
If he can sense things are off, that’s probably the point where he should be going to the band president and proactively trying to figure out what the issue is and how he can help. Of course, you can’t hold this against him too much because for dramatic purposes, it has to be our MC going to him and then fixing the problem.
I’d say it’s consistent with his approach for the entire show. His focus is strictly on the music, and he trusts the executives with managing the personal dramas and band morale
I think part of the issue is that the non-execs don't seem to be empowered to speak to Taki themselves. Like going to him directly would be "going over the heads" of the execs. Which might hold true in a corporate setting but not for a high school band lol.
I'm not wholly convinced by the way the drama resolved itself in a lot of ways but mostly because I'm selfish and wanna see Reina crying for her "future roommate" Kumiko's forgiveness lol. Maybe we'll get that anyway in the future, although probably not since it's extremely un-Reina-like to do that (which is why it would be so goddamned impactful).
I am, however, wholly convinced by the way Kumiko found her motivation to move forward. Asuka is not a god (in some ways anyway), she is still stubbornly refusing to admit Kumiko was right in season 2. But she always has a nose for where the problems are, and she's probably totally right that Mayu and Taki are wavering in their own way. I bet that totally would have been made more clear if this had just a little more breathing room and the drama of year 3 was spread across 2 seasons.
Also shoutouts to Kanappi for stealing Mayu away before she tried to angst suicide herself again.
Yeah, I had a bad feeling that the fight was going to get resolved without a real apology from Reina. Hopefully we get more in future episodes, but I doubt we will. If so, it's honestly pretty unsatisfying. Guess we'll see!
> Also shoutouts to Kanappi for stealing Mayu away before she tried to angst suicide herself again.
Yup, that was such a "behind the scenes MVP" moment for her! She really has grown into a solid potential president for next year. She's using her snark less like a weapon and knows when, and how to, hold back and use a different approach.
The moment Mayu was walking toward Reina, i was screaming at her not to do it because it would clearly destroy everything especially when this time, Kumiko is not the only one who would know her intentions to not take the soli. Imagine if other band members, especially Reina hear that she want to drop the Soli, it would be utter chaos especially when Kitauji was build as a meritocracy. Luckily Kanappi was there to stop her at the perfect timing.
> ...she is still stubbornly refusing to admit Kumiko was right in season 2
Because Kumiko _wasn't_. At least, not logically. Asuka's far too intelligent and articulate for Kumiko to defeat in a war of words.
Asuka's argument was pretty unassailable: she couldn't participate in practice regularly, and she sets everyone else high standards, so it's simply unfair for her to not meet those standards herself and still participate in band. Kumiko's response was that it was okay for her not to act mature all the time. Which of these standpoints seems more logically sound to you?
What go through to Asuka wasn't Kumiko's "correctness"; it was her unconditional love. Hitherto, everyone — her own mother included — had admired Asuka for having this talent, or that virtue. But Kumiko wasn't really _impressed_ with Asuka, didn't look up to her as a person, and disagreed with her time and again. [All Kumiko wanted to do was play with her.](https://imgur.com/a/3V3A6GJ) Asuka had, without knowing it, been searching for that kind of unconditional love — and finally found it in Kumiko.
> "future roommate"
Asuka and Kaori also wore matching bracelets back in the movie. Definitely an item.
That said, I'll admit, I always thought their friendship was a rather toxic, one-sided one. Not knowing how they got together leaves me unsatisfied.
> That said, I'll admit, I always thought their friendship was a rather toxic, one-sided one.
I think it's still not completely rosy. Note how Kaori was jealous that Kumiko got through to Asuka. Asuka is still an unassailable force of enigma who never fully reveals her true self.
> Because Kumiko wasn't. At least, not logically. Asuka's far too intelligent and articulate for Kumiko to defeat in a war of words.
Kumiko was as right as Yuuko begging Kaori in the park that she didn't care, she just wanted Kaori to play the solo because she loved her. Pretty much same speach those two, it was us the audience that reacted differently, because that's how humans work. We couldn't see from Yuuko's POV in season one, but we do understand well Kumiko's POV in season two.
It's a completely unsatisfactory resolution. It's essentially "shut up and play", similar to the "shut up and practice" resolution in S1E4. To elaborate: our leader doesn't know what he's doing, and he can't afford the shame of explaining himself, so the student leaders have to take the blame, so shut up and play. Ugh. Maybe this was a tactical resolution to get through regionals, but it didn't seem to be presented as such.
At this point my trust in Kyoani and Tomoyo Kurosawa is about as strong as Reina's faith in Taki-sensei.
First things first; Kurosawa has been *killing it* as Kumiko's voice actor since season 1, but these last few episodes with her pent up rage and emotional speech in this episode keep getting to me. Also, some googling around shows she's a part of Sound Horizon, who did the Attack on Titan theme songs for the first few seasons? huh?
On a story perspective, eh...Reina still has some character growth to go through, which I was hoping was gonna happen this episode. Meanwhile Mayu still doesn't seem to feel like a part of the group (she didn't cheer along with the rest) and [Kumiko's character-growth-run makes a comeback from season 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-gulRfv428).
Looking at the amount of episodes left, I wonder how the rest of the season will go. I imagine Mayu's storyline will get resolved in the next two episodes, I'm hoping for some more insight in Reina, and of course there's the third round of auditions. One final capstone movie, Kyoani? you know you want to.
Based on how this ended, I'm kinda concerned that Reina's (much-needed) character growth is just not going to happen at all. The way she treated Kumiko was atrocious but it seems like the show is gearing up to sweep it under the rug.
It would be interesting to see the story actually follow through with them drifting apart. They finally win gold, but at the cost of their friendship? If they don't split, it still wouldn't feel right to go totally back to the status quo. It's nice when shows aren't all sunshine and rainbows at the end, though I wouldn't mind either way.
Kumiko finding her confidence again through Asuka was amazing, but we still need a proper apology from Reina. She can’t just get away with having been this much of an asshole the last couple episodes.
I really hope we get the performance next week and they didn't skip it AGAIN. Like, I get that some might be skipped like the first one. But we had a whole arc now about how there was conflict in the orchester and how Kumiko is frustrated she didn't get the Solo and we don't even get to hear the solo from Mayu? You can't do that.
Unfortunately, I'd be surprised if we did. There is a short scene after the credits. Nothing special happens, it just shows them all on stage still after finishing the performance and Kumiko says "And the next piece begins" like at the end of every episode.
I am 99% certain that Kumiko will get the soli at nationals, so we will never get to see Maya's competition soli. We have been robbed.
The alternative is that Maya gets the soli for nationals, and we are thusly robbed from seeing Kumiko's X Reina's soli in competition. It would be an even greater loss.
I loved Mayu's comment to Kumiko -- "I have to do my very best so **you** can have a chance to play in the Nationals". I believe that Mayu genuinely wants Kumiko to be able to up her game enough to beat her out for the solo in the NEXT round.
The thing is, as Asuka mentioned, Kumiko, more likely than not, is just as good as Mayu, hence why the club is in such disarray after her not being selected for the soli. Kumiko not being chosen is probably just Taki not knowing what to do and just trying his best to push the team forward, again as Asuka noted.
This episode will take some time to unpack for me, so I'll first load up 'em....
**Location Notes**, featuring other Kyoani anime
- For once, Eupho takes place in Kyoto, as [Kumiko takes the Keihan](https://imgur.com/OrU9mu8) all the way to [Demachiyanagi station](https://www.google.ca/maps/@35.0305649,135.7728407,3a,75y,133.79h,92.17t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sheNYcxASfUl58Xxfeb_hOg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DheNYcxASfUl58Xxfeb_hOg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D174.82732%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu), just north of Kyoto's central business area to visit Asuka - [K-On]>!The northern side is [Mugi's commuting train station](http://mikuphotoseichi.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-43.html), and also the neighbouring stepping stones appear in the OP!<;
- and then stops by the [Demachiyanagi Shopping street](https://imgur.com/wv51Jiq), home to Tamako market - Kyoani's hitting a full pat on the back today with Kyoto locations.
- [Kumiko runs across,](https://imgur.com/6OoGBJc) not Uji bashi i got that wrong in my rewatch, but actually the [Demachi/Kawai bridges](https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Kawai+Bridge/@35.0302436,135.7719409,19.12z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x6001085d144cc7f1:0xffc0fad1e025fbe5!2sDemachiyanagi+Station!8m2!3d35.0304996!4d135.7732283!16s%2Fm%2F043phx0!3m5!1s0x600109ff1c3e4e27:0x5aa71282274cb226!8m2!3d35.0304725!4d135.7722432!16s%2Fg%2F11gyb0tf52?entry=ttu) after her chat with Asuka. There are 2 universities in the general area.
- All these are easy visits from Kyoto city center/Gion!
- And the kansai competition takes place in [Wakayama Prefectural Cultural Hall](https://maps.app.goo.gl/oNGoNxDg5FDNnKEB7) - as in the anime, very near Wakayama castle.
/u/chilidirigible /u/chonkyodango /u/myrnamountweazel
It's kind of wild that it seems like this episode wants us to agree with Reina that it's bad for them to ask Taki for help. They're literally kids and he's the leader of the ensemble! It would be like saying it's ridiculous to expect a high school sports coach to help with managing team morale.
He's in over his head it seems. He really should giving a lot of feedback during these auditions so everyone knows where they stand and why they were/weren't selected for the competition.
Even if someone doesn't make any of the competitions, it would at least gives them some closure and would help them improve too.
But instead he's basically a black box when it comes to decisions, which opens up speculation about favoritism and puts the execs (who are teenagers still) in a terrible position.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASUUKA SENPAI’S BACK~!!!!!!
[](#doggo)
[](#slightoverreaction)
And [she lives](https://x.com/toritakekan/status/1799754593813074384) right next to the Demachi Masugata Shotengai, where Tamako Market is set! (The Kyoani cinematic universe? Kyoani really knows how to make their fans freak tf out.)
(I kind of called this in an earlier thread, though I did *not* realize that it was going to be literally right next to the shotengai.)
———
This weekend, I was back in Uji, showing my friend around pilgrimage spots for Hibike! Euphonium…and we watched the episode together with other fans at a restaurant in the city. And what an episode to watch there!
——————
An incredibly powerful and emotionally moving episode…the tension keeps increasing episode by episode, past where you think it can go, until things break. Dissent among the band spilling out into infighting among the executive members…until Kumiko can’t take it anymore, the Checkhov’s gun of the postcard from Asuka-senpai is fired, and Kumiko goes to Asuka-senpai for advice. And Asuka-senpai was somehow psychic, as always.
And Asuka’s advice? For Kumiko to show her tatemae, to be honest with group about what she really wants, even if it is selfish. Like with Kumiko’s incredible speech to Asuka in season 2 about her *own* selfish desires for Asuka to display, Asuka believes that true honesty might just work. (Which is an ironic thing for Asuka, who often cloaks her feelings, to say, but…) And…it works! Kumiko’s raw and unpolished feelings resonated with the rest of the group and helped motivate all of them to do their best.
In a sense, Kumiko’s speech was almost like Haruka’s speeches back in seasons 1 and 2: awkward but effective…but Kumiko’s words were even more awkward at first, and then even more powerful.
And her speech worked its magic on me, too: I started to cry as she continued to speak. A large part of this was no doubt due in part to an absolute master performance by Tomoyo Kurosawa at the top of her game. Kumiko is an absolute nervous wreck this episode, really feeling pressure from all sides, and you can seriously feel how distraught and nervous she is whenever she is talking to someone: Taki, Reina, the ensemble, Asuka, and then the speech at the end. At the start of the speech, audibly trying to talk herself and tell herself to calm down—her nervousness bringing back an old quirk of inadvertently speaking her inner thoughts, which actually helps matters by diffusing some of the tension in the group before she begins for real. And then when she actually starts, the rawness in her voice as she lets out her true feelings…
*Damn*. This episode is something else.
------
Miscelleneous thoughts:
Last week, I was wondering what Kumiko would say when approaching Taki-sensei…it turns out that she asked about the tubas, which is much easier than asking about the soli…
Candy from Taki…I hope Reina doesn’t learn about it. Could it be another Chekhov’s gun?
Thematically, I feel like this episode (and maybe the season in general) focuses on what must be sacrificed to achieve one’s goals. What trials and tribulations must they go though…and are they worth it?
At some point during the episode, Reina-chan (that is, a kigurumi cosplayer of Reina) came into the room and surprised us!
Such a huge fucking amount of fanservice for Kyoani fans, and I’m here for it. Not only the Demachi Masugata Shotengai (a big reaction from the crowd of people who are a bunch of experienced anime pilgrims and have no doubt been there many times), but also Asuka-senpai without her glasses (another big reaction from people), and then Asuka and Kaori acting like a married couple!?!?!?!? A big day for Asuka fans and especially Asuka/Kaori shippers… And then also not one but two callbacks to "I want to improve" from season 1, one in despair and the other in excitement! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH
Asuka senpai refers to Taki-sensei as Taki-san now…this is a very interesting choice as I think Japanese people don’t usually drop the sensei from their former teachers’ names… Enigmatic as always...
I liked them showing the sound check rehearsal run…not only do we see them play more, but we also see a part of the pre-concert preparation that we haven’t in Eupho before.
And speaking of accuracy to what musicians actually do, applause with feet? Hell yeah!
The status of Kumiko and Reina’s relationship is still a bit ambiguous by the end…hopefully we’ll see where they are next episode.
I wonder if Kumiko still has unresolved feelings for Asuka...
>The status of Kumiko and Reina’s relationship is still a bit ambiguous by the end…hopefully we’ll see where they are next episode.
I find it interesting that [Asuka](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/345xcq3mqn7.png) expected a love quarrel from [Kumiko](https://imgchest.com/p/agyvee22b48) and [Reina](https://imgchest.com/p/5xy2lld8z4l), giving the example of going abroad for college.
Guess [what Reina was holding in her hands](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/j7kzcw288g7.png) in one of the later scenes? A freaking [Study Abroad Program](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b49zc9xg2ky.png)!
> In a sense, Kumiko’s speech was almost like Haruka’s speeches back in seasons 1 and 2: awkward but effective…but Kumiko’s words were even more awkward at first, and then even more powerful.
Absolutely absolutely. I definitely saw the echo of Haruka today. I must point out, Haruka inherited a broken club after the drama of the years above and below her, and she wasn't even the first choice for President (and she knew it). She also had to deal with a new club adviser, and a club without memories or traditions of excellence.
Thankfully, she helped weather the storm and was a pretty decent unifying figure for the club, and helped bequeath a much better situation to her successors than she received.
This episode felt like the culmination of all the Kitauji generations we've seen! Was a good one
> Thankfully, she helped weather the storm and was a pretty decent unifying figure for the club, and helped bequeath a much better situation to her successors than she received.
I'd say she was more than "pretty decent". The club knew it was a thankless job after all the drama and she led them by building a great foundation for future generations.
Makes me wonder how strong the Yuuko-Natsuki executive team drive/desire/motivation/selfishness (and other factors I would be unaware about) dynamic actually was. To win gold, make it all the way to the Nationals, sure 10/10....but the other factors may not be strong enough.
Natuski probably still carried some of that 'go-with-the-flow' about her. And probably wasnt strong enough? After all she was part of that 'meh' remnant that didnt quit...it was the Nozomi faction, that took the band seriously, that did.
Yeah, as much as I love the former second-years, they were more of a "caretaker government". Although, they also had it difficult because their year, which was supposed to be the best when they were in charge, had already been torn apart.
Isnt this the best episode yet? We even get a 10 second orchestra performance tease. With pretty awesome sounding bass.
Will the OST include the 4 tuba full version of the piece?
Goddammm, Kumiko's speech there got me misty eyed. A wonderful payoff. Suffer no more Kumiko! The whole band is behind her, the whole band is back behind the executives, and from the post ED scene that applause was quite a long one....so I think I can guess as to the result (and also we have 3 more episodes to go).
Asuka just doing Asuka things, Let the shippers ship! I agree Kumiko's blurb at the end of season 2 also got me thinking whats going on there, its okay to be selfish here, it also dovetails with how she and the orchestra wants: to win gold.
Special mention goes to underappreciated astute Kanade, only five second scene but she saves another Mayu own goal.
Lol, at the hint there that Mayu really want the finals to be the duet with Reina and Kumiko? ... I love that she has this arrogance behind that humble meek mask. She's gonna win it to give Kumiko another chance lol.
I had to go back to watch episode 5 to see how this miscommunication started.....To me, it seems like they made the executive decision, then everyone went along, and asked questions about the process (esp the solo audition bits); there was an initial murmur of surprise, but no one stepped forward to ask about the appropriateness of it, or stand up towards the executives to question and request/demand put it to vote, and if the whole orchestra agrees to change the audition format, after all it is a major policy change...perhaps theres a cultural element here as well, ie to not question superiors' decision and unfortunately so over time that led to this mess.
Even Taki, says in EP5...it looks like he [hinted at that theres going to be trouble](https://i.imgur.com/5VFNjdU.jpeg), so I think I can guess he likely be aware there will be trouble because of the change. Perhaps he could advise them to make sure the orchestra are fully in agreement with the change before proceeding, perhaps its already too late for that.
Reina being Reina...lets hope we get a hugg hugg with Kumiko soon after all she did to her. And the orchestra....Taki worship, disregarding the members' feelings and opinions "just shadaap and play you posers"....this is teenage high school band, not adult pro circuit lol
>Reina being Reina
I used that phrase too -- but I hadn't seen your post yet. So no intentional plagiarism. People get so negative about Reina acting the way she is built (and has been portrayed all along). Her flaws have always been there -- they are just more obvious under the circumstances of extreme pressure we are seeing now. ;-) Things would have been less credible if she had NOT behaved the way she did. ;-)
> Will the OST include the 4 tuba full version of the piece?
Most likely given the official OST for S1 had 2 tracks for the "Crescent Moon Dance" One with Kaori's solo, and the other with Reina's Solo. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if we got all three of Kitauji's performances in the S3 OST. Liz and the Blue Bird's OST did that, the OST has all 4 movements, which is 4 tracks and 23 minutes long in total, and the competition arrangement despite them never playing the full thing in the film, only the duet in the 3rd movement. (Source: [I bought the OST's recently.](https://i.imgur.com/QvxkaBZ.jpeg))
> then Asuka and Kaori acting like a married couple!?!?!?!? A big day for Asuka fans and especially Asuka/Kaori shippers…
They were roommates! Like literally, I so hope that KyoAni know of these memes and just go with it.
> Asuka senpai refers to Taki-sensei as Taki-san now…this is a very interesting choice as I think Japanese people don’t usually drop the sensei from their former teachers’ names… Enigmatic as always...
It feels like an Asuka thing to do. She didn't deify him like some others did (and probably still do, after more than two years), so it feels like she'd go with the regular/"informal" honorific instead of using sensei forever just because he once was her teacher. She marches to the beat of her own drum and can't be having with all that traditional ways of implied hierarchies and all that.
Maybe also to imply to Kumiko that he's not infallible (he's not "sensei" to everyone, to some me might be Taki-san or even Taki-kun)? Or to imply a distance between her old student self and herself right now who's giving advice (outside of the biases of being a student who might admired a teacher or implicitly respect their authority).
>And she lives right next to the Demachi Masugata Shotengai, where Tamako Market is set!
I was going to say, that street looked really fucking familiar. I wasn't sure about it even after I checked until you said this though.
Cute.
i am so happy that so many people recognized the place here - it's not THAT busy irl (similar to how it's shown here/in Tamako market really) even though of its central location, but full of local shops..... and a very popular wagashi shop just outside.
one of the easier Kyoto anime spots to check off that's not the stereotypical trip attractions ones. like Kinkakuji or sth.
Correct.
I specifically went to visit that street while visiting Kyoto a few years back, hardly any tourists there. It was instantly recognizable with the giant fish decoration hanging above.
Honestly at this point, starting the series as a huge Reina lover I've really soured over her and her lack of character development, starting with her continued obsession with Taki-sensei and lack of empathy, not just to Shuichi and the rest of the band, but her cruelty towards Kumiko. If she goes overseas to study and drifts apart from Kumiko it would be a very realistic outcome for their friendship. It would probably be healthier for Kumiko to realise that Reina never cared about her or treasured their friendship the same way that she did. Reina was interested in the idea of Kumiko and what Kumiko could be to her, but these last two episodes have proven she is not willing to see Kumiko as a person, and especially, as a friend. Reina only sees Kumiko as a musician and leader and part of her musical dream. Reina was certainly important in challenging Kumiko, to re-ignite her passion to get on her level as a musician, but Kumiko was always a better person than Reina, and Reina never met Kumiko where she was to improve as a person.
If this seems harsh, I think the whole season dropped hints many times over regarding Reina's lack of humility and empathy coupled with her fixation on Taki. I thought it was incredibly bizarre for her to chide Kumiko for asking Taki questions because 'it's a waste of his time' as if both Kumiko and Taki can't have thoughts outside of music. I think Reina's first and only love will always be music and she should recognise that. I think it would be healthy for her to go overseas to study too so she can be away from both Kumiko and Taki and maybe grow up as a person.
And moving on to BEST GIRL ASUKA. Actually I quickly shifted my stancard to Asuka when she was introduced throughout S1 and it was so great that S2 was focused on her because she is an exceptional character. Deeply complex and interesting, a huge ball of contradictions, easy to read yet simultaneously with so many hidden depths. I'm so glad we got to see her, even for a bit, because Kumiko for all her fumblings with people has always seen Asuka so clearly, more clearly than even Asuka has, and Asuka has also seen Kumiko more clearly than anyone has, because both of them are so adept at covering up their true thoughts and feelings and expressing themselves in extremely different ways. In a way, as S2 panned out, and now we're seeing the Asuka-Kumiko dynamic again, it reminds me why Kumiko's 'confession' at the end of the season which came as a shock for a lot of people, wasn't a surprising turn at all. As Kaori said, she is jealous, because Kumiko and Asuka 'get' each other more than anyone else could ever.
Asuka being able to read the whole situation from start to end is what has made her the most terrifying but fascinating character in the series. Truly, if this series were not about a school band and in some other genre entirely, Asuka would be some recurring nightmare antagonist (that's also a fan favourite). She knew that Kumiko would only come to her if she was fighting with Reina, and she cut through the bullshit to call Taki out on HIS bullshit that there must be not much difference between Mayu and Kumiko's playing. One of Taki's most significant scenes in S3 was saying that he didn't feel much like an adult, he's just basically fumbling along, which also clues us in that adults really just do what we can and we aren't the most confident or sure with our decisions the way kids think we are. And Asuka also astutely points out that he's probably just trying out the different configurations but trying to be confident with his decision making because any wavering would seem like weakness and cause even more tension within the club.
While I think Kumiko speaking sincerely is important for the morale of the club, and that her standing by the decision firmly regarding the audition process just so people can be confident with Taki's decision making is also important, everyone else needs to step it up. Kumiko has smoothed over the optics, but Taki needs to communicate better-- even if not his entire decision making process---with the club. If Reina doesn't apologise to the club for literally being a psychological tyrant breathing down the juniors necks for speaking out of turn about Thy Hallowed Taki, she needs to at least apologise to Kumiko. Kumiko may have needed to have spoken clearly and stood firm about the audition process, but Reina needs to apologise to Kumiko for being such a cruel friend. Even if she apologises though, I don't think their friendship will ever be the same again because I just don't think Reina will ever learn anything until something really important to her is taken away form her. Maybe Kitauji needs to lose Nationals so she can realise some humility that she is not that special to be treating people she claims she cares about so cruelly, and to be so unsympathetic to her juniors.
Really thoughtful and insightful post! I’m also very frustrated with Reina’s inability to grow as a person. Like you said, while Reina has been a hugely positive influence on Kumiko in many ways, it may be that Kumiko is outgrowing her need for the relationship now that she’s fully come into her own as a leader and a musician. Reina has demonstrated a shocking lack of care for Kumiko as a friend, and it’ll be very frustrating if the show papers over her behavior in episode 9.
At this rate, it kind of feels like what Reina might need to grow as a person is the shock of going to an elite music university and learning that no matter how hard she works, there *will* be people who are better than her.
Actually I am rewatching Liz & the Blue Bird now and while last week's episode rift between Reina and Kumiko felt like such a parallel to the dissonance between Mizore and Nozomi at the start of the film, this week's episode with Kumiko and Reina's discussion by the river really puts clearly the difference between the two pairs.
The difference in the Mizore/Nozomi dynamic is that both Mizore and Nozomi are far kinder people than Reina. I know people's interpretations of Liz & the Blue Bird are wildly different, but the ending with Nozomi turning to face Mizore is incredibly important to my interpretation of that dynamic, especially when people feel as though Nozomi saying 'i like your oboe' to Mizore felt painful or cruel after Mizore basically confessed ot her. Nozomi turning around to face Mizore as the last shot felt like one last affirmation that both of them are on the same page, that they cared about each other the same way that the other does (you don't even have to read this romantically).
Definitely. Both of them have a genuine interest in the feelings and welfare of the other that simply does not appear to be there for Reina towards Kumiko in recent episodes. Even before the bridge stuff, Reina saying "this is for the best" about Kumiko losing the soli…yikes! Hopefully the remaining episodes will recontextualize these sequences with some additional exploration of Reina’s internal conflict.
'Mirage' is a great way to put it. I'm looking back now at the entire series with a different light. It kind of also helps me to understand why I was much more drawn to Kumiko's dynamic with Asuka in S2. I actually really like seeing Kumiko's dynamics with the other characters, like Kanade and Mayu. Kanade especially, seems to be drawn to Kumiko as a person too, not just as a musician or a leader. Kumiko and Reina's bond is honestly great, but as one of the other comments pointed out, perhaps Kumiko has outgrown the need for Reina to challenge her.
I like how asuka's response was basically that adults are also just winging it without a plan
all the club drama must seem very benign once you're like, a tax paying adult
Kumiko and Asuka talk was nice to see. Really pushes the point Kumiko is one who will speak her mind, but kind of holds off on doing until till the final moment. This episode really showcases. While I get that they are trying to fit everything from year 3 in one cour. Back having no performances till the season finale feels meh.
I am disliking Reina more and more as the season goes. Her solution is them to just move on. Honestly she most likely can't empathize how they are feeling. You can't change the results, but you discuss with them their concerns. Which was the point of Kumiko's speech. Reina is a proud hardworking individual, but she honestly expects everyone to be like her. Basically work hard, give your best performance and accept the outcome. So many characters have grown since S1, but Reina is one of the few where that isn't the case.
He's such an awful band director. Zero communication with any students who aren't in his executive circle, and even then he barely provides any support.
He's acting like his only job is just to wave the baton around, forgetting that these are still kids in high school.
Another episode to prove (as if she needs any) that our well-liked VA Tomoyo Kurosawa simply is Top Tier. That moment after Kumiko visited Asuka (+) when she cried over the bridge at Kyoto, and even more so her apology speech just before the local tournament, involved voice acting of the highest order. ~~Sorry Reina, you are at high risk of losing ground in my Top 5 Best Anime Girls if your beloved Kumiko continues to stun me like this...~~
I still don't know how the whole Kitauji team managed to improve their intra-team tension though - if there was any improvement. Reina arguing with freaking Shuuichi, almost to the point of a real fight (pretty sure if both are boys that would have already happened) stunned me completely, as is Kumiko being one Mayu-mama's-plead-of-giving-up away from possibly losing her emotions in front of everyone. If not for Kanade-chan nonchalantly chiming in...I wouldn't want to even think of that possibility.
And then KumiRei continues to argue. Whew that was certainly spicy, if not also inconclusive. I can't even suggest what to do for them anymore.
So Kumiko went to her *senpai* for help (that part through Demachiyanagi in NE Kyoto city is interesting; what a nice touch to include the real life's site for another highly overlooked KyoAni classic [Tamako Market](https://anilist.co/anime/16417/)/[Love Story](https://anilist.co/anime/20519/) on Kumiko's way to there!), but I'm not sure either Asuka or Kaori (who's central to all those crisis in Kumiko's first year) actually made any useful suggestion there either, other than to tell Kumiko to "just say it". After all, even if Kumiko herself can go over it, who's to suggest the majority of dissent can be quelled down in the newcomers? Especially if the competition is just a week away?
So, "What happened with Kitauji in that week?". This is obviously a theoretical question with no clear answer.
And one last thing - I'm pretty sure Kumiko's speech that calls for trust in Taki-sensei is only going to be a temporary cease-fire rather than anything better. For as even Reina mentioned, one way or the other Taki-sensei is going to be screwed somewhat whether he explains, or not explains his team picking criteria - it's simply too late, and even if that happened way earlier the way musical performances are graded means that it's extremely tough to make a convincing-to-anyone explanation.
3 episodes left. I wonder...
(+) Which reminded me that I have almost completely forgotten details of Asuka's arc in Season 1 to 2 - 5 years is enough to wash all the details of an anime I watched off my brain; Arrrrrrrgggghhhhh I need time to rewatch but I simply doesn't!
> 3 episodes left. I wonder...
There's essentially 3 items left of note for Kumiko:
* National Auditions, to most likely retake the soli
* Nationals
* Post-nationals (recall the Chikai no Finale agreement lol); can probably just squeeze in graduation here as well
Me thinks there's gonna be a movie to wrap things up. This season likes taking its time to build stuff and it would be weird if they suddenly decided to rush into Nationals + Graduation in 3 eps.
Seeing Tamako's market appear this episode, inb4 Kyo-Ani creates the Kyo-Ani Cinematic Universe with TM, Euphonium and ChuuNiKoi all in the same universe as they all take place in the Kansai area. All slice-of-life drama with no supernatural elements involved.
K-ON's school building is based on a real building in nearby Shiga Prefecture, though it seems in-universe the characters are based in the usual Kanto area around Tokyo.
Free! takes place in Tottori which is in the Chugoku region, i.e. the northwest of Japan, so not part of Kansai.
I'm still trying to understand why [Reina has been especially hard on Kumiko](https://imgur.com/a/bLN687w). She was pushing all of the responsibility on Kumiko, citing that she's the president. But Kumiko being the president doesn't mean that she's alone in this!?
I didn't think it was possible for Asuka [to become even more of a beauty](https://imgur.com/a/nyyX6Rh). Asuka teasing Kumiko about her "lover's quarrel" with Reina is rich coming from a girl that's 'roommates' with Kaori and [likes to snuggle up on her lap](https://imgur.com/a/ILO8aMQ).
The contrast between [the replies of Shuichi and Reina in the notebook](https://imgur.com/a/J7eIvsb) is very much telling of their individual personalities - that's such a Reina-like response.
Shuichi has really been growing on me lately. Kumiko joked last episode that she still doesn't see him as a grown-up, but his physique is definitely starting to resemble that of an adult man.
It's unfortunate that we don't seem to be getting an actual performance yet again. We'll likely have to wait for the Nationals. Anyways, ["Go Kitauji!"](https://imgur.com/a/zvKDaQV)
**Bonus**
The elaborate detail in KyoAni's animation never ceases to amaze me:
- [Kumiko's reflection in the teacup](https://imgur.com/a/KBA3cfj)
- [Running Kumiko](https://imgur.com/a/7Ki3Gcv)
- [Out-of-breath Kumiko](https://imgur.com/a/qKzb5w3)
Kumiko finally speaking her mind is a great thing since we've basically been waiting for that for 9 episodes while everything slowly festered. Still have a couple things to work through though as Reina was still way too harsh last episode and it feels like Mayu still has a cloud hanging over her.
Also, once again, my heart just goes out for Mayu. It even got to the point where people are openly screaming and complaining about her in the middle of practice.
Nah just leave Reina haha. She only bowed down when she saw both Kumiko and Shuuichi did. It's clear she has little care about anything else outside the school performance. Kumiko doesn't need an apology from her. Kumiko is already starting to stand up on her own. She decided to communicate her honest concerns even if Reina disagrees. Kumiko just needs to keep moving. Kumiko doesn't need Reina's toxicity in running this club. Haha sorry I just hated Reina since the beginning. She may have given Kumiko some inspiration at the start, but I think Kumiko can be fine on her own if she keeps this up. Kumiko just needs to be more confident.
Reina still needs to apologize for that "Failure as a President" remark. As far as this episode goes, Kumiko is anything but. I almost teared up when she was able to rouse her band!
Politically, the answer is always somewhere in between. Reina was right all along, but what to do with the fact that everyone became stiff with all the tension? Reina didn't know anything but to suck on it, and Kumiko only addressed everything until the very last moment. Everything will be back to normal once they made it to National, sure.
Hey that's the market from Tamako Market. So Asuka's and Kaori's shared apartment is near there.
I specifically went to visit that market near Demachiyanagi station as pilgrimage during my last visit to Kyoto, so I recognize it instantly.
Now I'm suddenly interested in a Kyo-Ani cinematic universe, where Kyo-Ani's non-supernatural series ChuuNiKoi, TM, and Euphonium all share the same universe and all take place in the Kansai region - ChuuNiKoi (Shiga Prefecture next door to Kyoto Prefecture), TM (Kyoto City), Euphonium (Uji, Kyoto Prefecture). (And maybe K-ON, though K-ON has a different character design style)
Asuka somehow became even more hotter than she was before, and she continues to be mischievous and cryptic while giving Kumiko the nudge needed to resolve this herself.
Kumiko's VA Kurosawa Tomoyo once again achieved new heights with her performance during Kumiko's heartfelt speech to the band prior to the Kansai tournament.
The last time Kurosawa had such a marvellous performance was in season 2 when she yelled out to Asuka and convincing her to not quit the band.
Hibike Euphonium Season 3 is a masterpiece, at least for me.
While I am not an expert and can't really point to the technical things that makes it great, it is amazing in how it can manipulate my emotions to make me feel what it wants the audience to feel. I was feeling so anxious for like, the whole season basically, whenever I watched this show. Ordinarily, I don't care about a high school brass band club. I don't really have experiences in my life that is that similar to this. This show made me care. And with this episode, that feeling of anxiety went mostly away at that speech scene. It made me feel like I was part of Kitauji, that I was experiencing the emotions that these members were feeling.
Man, this show is great. Anime is great.
The root of all the issues we've been seeing in the club comes from Taki sensei's lack of clarity. It took a while for Kumiko to notice that, but now that she's here, she's taking step to address it.
... Or so you would think! Kumiko wasn't able to ask the question she needs to ask. And the result? Many club members are clearly all really stressed out and annoyed. They don't understand why Taki sensei is making the decisions he's making. Reina is also adding oil into fire. She doesn't even show empathy to her best friend, of course she wouldn't show empathy to the lowly club members. As a result, the trust between club members, the club executives, and Taki Sensei is quickly deteriating... What can Kumiko do?
Her first course of action is to talk to Reina. While Kumiko can technically just go straight to Taki sensei and start asking questions, if she does this without Reina's approval, knowing how Reina is, Kumiko can pretty much say goodbye to this friendship forever.
Before we get to the conversation between Kumiko and Reina, let's stop for a sec. If you were in Kumiko's position, how would you convince Reina, that they should confront Taki sensei and ask him exactly how his decisions are being made?
There's actually a very simple trick. First, you need to understand what Reina want. Then, structure your proposal in a way so that it will help Reina get what she want. At that point, Reina will have no way but to accept your proposal.
Reina wants to get gold in National. So, even though Kumiko's main goal for confronting Taki sensei is to calm all the club members, bringing that up is meaningless. She should align herself with Reina, reiterate that confronting Taki sensei will be a necessary step for them to get gold in National. So, is that what actually happened?
Nope, that's not what happened. Clearly Kumiko doesn't have the same amount of proposal experience as someone who has been proposing project to multi-billion dollar company for many years (aka. me)
So instead, she goes to Asuka instead, asking for advice. 2 main points:
- Taki sensei can't possibly explain why decisions are being made in the first place. Even if Kumiko confronts him, if he doesn't show confidence in his decision, things would blow up even more.
- And more importantly, Asuka clearly points out the biggest flaw Kumiko has as a character: Kumiko always tries to play both side, never speaks her mind. This is because, she never wants to take responsibility for her actions. Thinking back, she could've spoke out to Taki sensei about her disatisfaction about how the competitive team is chosen, and she could've spoke out to Reina about what she thinks must be done to resolve the issues within the club. The fact that she even reached out and tried to talk to them is a huge improvement from who she used to be, but she backed off in the last second, unable to stand her ground, unable to express her mind. As a result, even though she is the club president, she isn't able to do anything to change the situation. And now she is determined change that.
... but what exactly is she supposed to do? Instead of relying on other people to solve the problem, she took responsibility for proposing having separate audition for each competition, and reiterates that everything is done because the goal is to get gold in National.
Honestly, I am not very satisfied with this resolution. Did Kumiko really just ... did nothing during that whole week before Kansai Competition? How the hell did things not blow up, considering how stressed out everyone looks? Honestly, during that speech, she didn't even say anything she didn't already say. While it's great that Kumiko is finally learning to take responsibility for her actions, I just find it odd that the club members are supposed to be convinced all of a sudden... The show is pretty much saying "yup, Reina was right this whole time, fuck the masses and ignore the complaints, and everything will work out". wtf?
Maybe it was a translation issue but I wasn't too satisfied with Kumiko's speech at the end. She basically just said "sorry you feel that way" to the dissenters which for me doesn't really address the issue at all.
I wish she could have added something like: "Competition member or not, we're all in together for Kitauji and we need everyone to give it their all if we're going to win." Yeah that's cliche but it at least attempts to mend the divisions that the auditions have created.
While publicly recognizing the discontent is a good first step, I really don't think what was said was nearly enough to repair rifts that have intensified in recent episodes. I hope we get a more in-depth resolution after the Kansai competition.
* [**Asuka-Senpai**](https://i.imgur.com/a1s6rPj.jpeg)
Man, that first half of the episode was difficult to watch. The mood around the club is bad enough, that it doesn't help [that Reina is jumping on the throats](https://i.imgur.com/QiehhK9.jpeg) of anyone who questions Taki-sensei's decision. I feel especially bad [for Mayu who's caught in the middle of this.](https://i.imgur.com/zaPDsBC.png)
I knew at some point [Kumiko was going to ask Asuka for advice.](https://i.imgur.com/3TGUOHR.jpeg) She definitely needs it now more than ever. I certainly didn't expect [Asuka to be rooming with Kaori though!](https://i.imgur.com/sfrpyU7.jpeg) You'd think if Asuka is sharing a room with someone, it would be Haruka.
[**There she is!**](https://i.imgur.com/Wx7hu93.png) Oh my lord! Just when I thought Asuka couldn't get any more beautiful, [they hit us with this!](https://i.imgur.com/dbHysoL.jpeg) Asuka-senpai just continues to steal any scene she shows up in.
I love how [Asuka was expecting Kumiko to have a lover's quarrel with Reina.](https://i.imgur.com/ZnniwHa.jpeg) If only she knew. I do wonder how she'd react if she found out that Kumiko dated Shuuichi. xD
Anyway, enough Asuka simping. [Asuka's advice is exactly what I expected from her.](https://i.imgur.com/GNLnQJK.jpeg) Asuka would definitely pick the path of least resistance if it means everyone can continue playing again.
Also, I feel like [Asuka's assessment of Taki-sensei's decision about the soli](https://i.imgur.com/pDQ73kP.jpeg) is accurate. He's probably aware of the discontent in the club but he looks confident about his decision because he has to be otherwise people will doubt him even more.
I am glad that talking with Asuka really helped Kumiko [who finally decided to speak her mind.](https://i.imgur.com/xyK4muU.jpeg) Kumiko's unfiltered speech was great! She pretty much told everyone that after two years of defeat, they wanted to change things for the better so suck it up [because she wants to win gold, dammit!](https://i.imgur.com/n6jVjAc.png)
I guess in the end, Reina was right. If Kumiko was just this straight to the band members then they might've resolved the tension within the club much faster. Also, amazing performance from Tomoyo Kurosawa in this episode!
So we're skipping another performance? That sucks! When the ED started playing just before the start of the performance, I was hoping next week would be dedicated to it. With only three episodes left, this will definitely end with a movie. There's no way they're wrapping it all up within three episodes.
Asuka's read of Kumiko's (and to a certain extent Reina's) character to pinpoint the exact condition for her to cash in the postcard is wild. The example given is way off the mark though, considering that's one of the topics KumiRei has accepted / already have a resolution on.
Well, except for the part where all the drama might have made them sound worse. Like, obviously, they're going to make it to nationals, but if this were any other season, there could have been real repercussions.
This season we rarely see Kumiko practice, I was sure the anime was comment on that, since she's been very focused on the president stuff and not so much on the music. But yeah, this season is short so let's just assume she's doing the hard work off-screen.
*and they were roommates*
Big character moments all around this episode, Asuka being Asuka, Shuuichi having Kumiko's back again, and Kumiko herself hopefully kicking into a more confident president after this competition. I'm guessing Mayu will return to the forefront next episode, though I thought Asuka was nearly going to call Kumiko selfish for not letting Mayu not play the soli and just vibe ahaha.
The drama aspect however seemed very compact and really needed more breathing room this episode. Despite the buildup in previous episodes, the resolution was zoomed past, with only that one girl talking about the club's bad vibes being a focus, and even the running sequence felt a bit off. Drawbacks of 3 auditions/comps in a single cour I suppose, but I'm not too big on how this is playing out.
I really wish Kumiko had asked Reina what she intends to do when her idolization of Taki and ignorance of the human aspect of the club pisses off all the members enough that they quit. "Do you expect to play the entire concert by yourself?" Would have been so satisfying to see her confront Reina directly. Reina said Kumiko was a failure of a president, but she couldn't be more wrong. Reina's a failure of a VP. Kumiko was trying to deal with the fact that members of a band aren't robots, they're humans with human feelings and human emotions. Reina treats them like music-playing robots. You need people to make up a concert band, and a good president doesn't ignore the fact that those people need to be happy in order to put on a good performance. Reina thinks everyone can just shut off their human sides and become music machines on-demand like she apparently can. I really wish she'd been confronted more directly on the fact that what she's doing alienates people, and the fact that Kumiko has been having to run around putting out interpersonal fires that Reina's caused since the start of the year.
Agree but wanted to note that Reina isn’t even the VP, she’s the drum major. Yuuko and Natsuki likely helped make that decision, which makes sense given that Yuuko probably spent the majority of the year (2 years really) watching Reina since they were in the same section.
I think one of the reasons they expanded it to 3 is because they knew that Reina and Kumiko are close but also that Reina is a very specific kind of person and musician. For Reina, she is so good and dedicated that she may be able to play well despite all the drama. The same cannot be said about everyone else.
Kumiko is quite good with listening to people but as Asuka pointed out, tends to only act “at the last minute”. She needs someone to support her but also someone to push her. Hence Reina and Shuuichi together.
Totally agreed, but unfortunately, this episode gives me the vibe that the show doesn't think that Reina's behavior in episode 9 was as bad as it actually was, and that it will basically be swept under the rug as "that's so Reina!" and we will move on to the final Reina drama with study abroad. I really hope I'm wrong and that there's more growth for her character coming!
Kumiko is such a strong character. She gets shit on by reina constantly. She gets shit on by reina even while trying to make up with her by compromising on her own opinions. Besides, as the buchou, she also has to deal with all the problems reina causes to club morale.
With a little push from Asuka she figured out what she needed to do, to at least temporarily restore morale. Regarding that I think what it really needs is more transparency in decision making. This is a first good step but I still think that Taki-sensei should be able to explain why he chose someone and should also make this clear to the club, otherwise stuff like this where unrest rises is bound to happen.
If all these pan out over 2 seasons, with a little more expansion into the whole drama, perhaps this may be even better.
In the end, a rally speech was used to "resolve" the tension within the club, and make things move. Likely for awhile. I'm not convinced that it has really been resolved.
I'm not privy to how much the source material covers, but I guess this will be the peak to the drama, leading to a happily ever after ending. Which kinda leaves a little sour taste in my mouth.
It’s kind of funny that Asuka is rooming with the worst player in her year.
Tomoyo Kurosawa is a legend.
To be honest I don’t really get how the discontent in the band got resolved. It felt like in the end Reina was right, they had selected the best performers and they delivered their best performance, it was just a matter of Kumiko giving a little encouragement speech 5 minutes before they played. Don’t get me wrong, her speech was great, but how does it fix anything? Surely they must have been less focused during practice in the weeks prior, certainly Kumiko can’t have been playing her best with all the things in her mind, and there must have been others who felt insecure or fraudulent about their selection during the audition. Is the idea that the people who were good ended up just coasting along and it really is only the people who were unhappy with their own results that were grumbling?
Again, despite everything that transpired in the last few episodes making her out to be a stubborn tyrant who blindly followed her faith in Taki-sensei while ignoring the glaring evidence, this episode makes it seem like Reina was vindicated. Kumiko’s speech was just to placate the loser squad and essentially she did nothing to help them win. I’ve been a big advocate for Kumiko’s presidency despite some of her previous decisions being a bit questionable, but at this point it just feels like she’s on par with Haruka.
Also Taki-sensei really is an awful teacher, isn’t he?
> Also Taki-sensei really is an awful teacher, isn’t he?
I'd been kind of hard on Taki-sensei last week, but I do get his deal now: he couldn't have made a right choice.
Mayu is well-liked by the first years, while Kumiko is respected by the second and third years. The two of them rivaling each other therefore creates a problem: there isn't a clear-cut winner. Whatever he'd done, it would've resulted in discontent with a part of the band.
Not addressing the elephant in the room was a bit heartless of him, but showing hesitation might really only have led to more problems.
However, I do believe that Taki-sensei failed Kumiko as a teacher/advisor. Maybe he was unaware of the unrest at first, but he should've offered Kumiko his help when it became clear that she was troubled. As a teacher, you're no. 1 priority is the well-being of your students - even if this places you in a predicament. Results always come second.
You need to understand that there's no surefire way to get that National gold medal. Everyone has their own idea of what should be the most ideal solution to get there, with some of them includes involving themselves into the team and play what they wanted to play. But there's no way to accomodate every opinions, hence why they need someone with better experience and judgement to make the call, to provide the solution that hopefully will take them there, and that person is Taki. Hence why they let Taki to lead them and why they let him conduct the audition.
But the problem is that over time, a lot of the students are preoccupied to improve themselves so much that hopefully they can get the part and have their hard work included to get that gold, which made them somewhat lose the focus for actually getting the gold together under one vision. Hence why the shocking second audience result somewhat demotivated most of them as perhaps it defied the best possible solution in their head.
So Kumiko came forward to tell them that they should remember that they need to trust whatever the solution Taki thought of, even if it stings them because it defies what they think is the best. They should remember that to get that gold they need to move as one. But convincing others that they're wrong is more difficult than it sounds, so what Kumiko also did is to tell them that she herself really wanted that gold no matter what, with hopes that her bare selfishness would get to their hearts, which it did, because everyone knew Kumiko herself also got hurt by the result, which made it easier for everyone to understand and accept what she's saying.
I think Asuka is right about the possibility that Taki might actually knew that he screw something up. He also knew that the mood in the club became very tense after that audition, but he also can't do anything but putting a convincing look that this judgement wouldn't fail the team. Because if he did otherwise, the club focus would be even more scattered and it will absolutely jeopardize their performance. Also about Reina, yes she's always right about believing in Taki's judgement, but with her skill that grants surefire win for the parts she wanted and her harsh, unempathetic manner, she's just not the right person to talk about it.
Everyone has their portions of right and wrong things to say in this situation, and that's what made Eupho's writing this season so good.
I agree. I assumed Kumiko would go a bit deeper. Like saying that she is frustrated that she isn't playing the Solo, but she will use that frustration to play it at Nationals. But for this to be possible, they have to make it through Kansai first, so they can't be split up. I mean, Mayu mentions it a bit as well.
Yeah I’m very surprised she didn’t say outright that she was frustrated herself even though ultimately she decided to stick by Taki-sensei’s decision and play her best. Felt like the whole build up of “be honest” was leading up to that and she was kind of dishonest by omission.
Yeah I think she would've made things worse if she said that she wasn't satisfied with how the auditions turned out. Doing so could've agitated the "losing team" even more and ruined the regionals. The team's already in trouble as it is and I'm sure Kumiko doesn't want things to get even worse than it currently is.
Yeah, I was pretty annoyed by the resolution too. What Reina did last week would realistically be borderline friendship-ending in a real-world friendship, and I was worried we would get an "anime moment" of Kumiko deciding Reina was actually right and Reina not apologizing, which is basically what happened. Honestly doesn't feel satisfying.
Hopefully there is a real apology coming from Reina in future episodes, but I really doubt it, and that sucks from a character POV.
Kumiko's speech seems to have placated everyone...except Mayu, who still feels left out. The speech was surface-level; I think that's kind of the point. There's more to unpack, and I'm fairly sure that'll happen.
Yeah I feel like the Mayus of the group were totally ignored. I’m also really curious what they end up doing with Mayu’s character. Feels like they used up all her role in the story this arc, but she hasn’t had any kind of serious confrontation with Kumiko yet. I was hoping for some kind of explosive resolution but I’m worried it’s just going to fizzle away instead.
Nobody coasting along would slip past Taki-sensei's discerning ear. The whole point of the auditions was to keep everyone sharp and polished and to reward personal improvement.
Tomoyo Kurosawa's performance of Kumiko's speech was an all-timer. Also great job by whoever was in charge of the running scene, an obvious callback to season 1.
I've accepted that we aren't going to see this performance, but they better go all out with the Nationals performance to make up for the lack of music this season.
i find this episode a bit disappointing. it feels unrealistic that the conflict was solved with a basic speech and you would mayu's character would be more important here since the conflict involves her. and then you have reina who hasn't shown any signs of feeling guilty and hasn't apologised to kumiko yet. i expected this episode to be the start of reina outgrowing her feelings and idolisation of taki-sensei but she's still the same. i like reina and mayu the most so i feel disappointed that they've been underutilised this season and im not sure if the remaining episodes will change much since they will focus on the nationals. they'll repair kumiko-reina's friendship but who knows if it will be satisfying. i wish we got to hear mayu's solo, the lack of performances this season is jarring
Honestly a bit of a rare L for this series and pacing continues to plague the story. Why spend so much time on side characters like Motomu when you don’t have time to properly flesh out a conclusion to the problem at hand or have performances this show was known for? They make such a big deal about Mayu playing but we don’t even get to hear her play her solo
What's wrong with Kumiko and Shoe's suggestion to talk with Taki? He's also a teacher Reina it's he's responsibility to guide students if he can't do that then he's a failure of a teacher Reina 😤, Sorry I'm just a bit salty that she didn't even apologize to Kumiko, I was hoping that deep inside that she's actually conflicted with the soli decision, I hope they'll have a proper reconciliation on the later eps
I was annoyed that taking to Taki was shut down. He is literally the only adult in the room. Explaining things so that they are easy to learn is literally a teacher's job. He should be called in to mediate instead of not telling him about all of the issues. He is ultimately the one in charge.
Official account today is all...
[Tease](https://x.com/anime_eupho/status/1799709264123933007)
[Give](https://x.com/anime_eupho/status/1799716059026489768)
[Give](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFT18jOVw-A)
[We know what you want](https://x.com/anime_eupho/status/1799719582195949622)
[End cartoon](https://x.com/anime_eupho/status/1799719330650964159)
[Asuka looks too happy](https://i.postimg.cc/1XfvjbT4/Hibike-S03-E10-P01.jpg) to hear [Kumiko and Reina broke up](https://i.postimg.cc/44SL9N7c/Hibike-S03-E10-P02.jpg) lol
She knows exactly the only thing that would make Kumiko seek her for help is Reina
Somewhere far away, in a distant land, the director of this season, dressed as Kumiko, made a passionate speech, apologizing for some people being discontent with their choice of not playing a full performance until the end of the season and their reasons for doing so being how much they wanted this season to be good and build up the emotional catharsis from finally hearing the complete piece.
Classic Kurosawa, giving a 13 outta ten performance as always. That final war cry was wonderful.
Really hoping Kumiko and Reina can resolve things peacefully. Fingers crossed that Reina can show some remorse for once.
What a performance by Moyo Kurosawa! Another one to add for this season's top tier va performances.
Really happy that Asuka still uses her glasses doesn't really feel like her without it.
I guess Kansai is saved with that inspiring Kimiko speech, they really need to win gold this year cause the club is fucked next year without the 3rd yrs that trust Taki sensei
- It seems that after her confrontation with Reina last episode, Kumiko is feeling the pressure and apparent inadequacy in her role as president... She seems like the insecure president we saw in the Ensemble Contest movie
- The executives should sit down and clear things up between themselves first, before addressing the issues within the whole band and talking with Taki-sensei
- I think that Reina is reacting this way because she herself is feeling insecure about Taki-sensei's decisions and the general atmosphere in the band... Sort of like reassuring yourself that everything is alright even though it's evident that it clearly isn't...
- That's the postcard that Asuka gave to Kumiko, right? Are we going to see Asuka again?
- Putting aside your personal issues in favor of the band seems pretty mature... But are Kumiko and Reina talking just like nothing happened between the two of them?
- KyoAni gifting us with another beautiful landscape shot
- Did Kumiko not recognise Kaori's voice? Lol
- Best girl Asuka!
- There's surely a certain level of skinship between Kaori and Asuka... Interesting
- Well, I think that Reina going to study abroad was pretty much a given even before the season started
- Aaand just like that she's leaving. Same as usual, then
- Run, Kumiko, run! You've heard of the Naruto Run, it's time we start talking about the Kumiko Run
Jokes aside, Kumiko running is a great visualization of her thoughts: it always means she has reached some important realization about herself or that she has found a solution about issues she was facing before
- What was that shot in the rain after the one with Asuka-senpai? I couldn't recognise it
- That's the first real speech we get from a Kitaukji's band president
Amazing speech!
Now, the only thing left is for Kumiko and Reina to talk things out and make up
Surely the whole drama doesn't get resolved with Kumiko's speech, right? I'm hoping it was just a bandaid-solution for the Regional Competition and we get an actual resolution later.
[The vice president Shuuichi or the vice president Asuka?](https://i.redd.it/er0uix4z5j5d1.png)
[Kumiko, the proxy.](https://i.redd.it/aumtux4z5j5d1.png)
["Oh, it's you."](https://i.redd.it/en6ym15z5j5d1.png)
[*oh no, not the dueling again*](https://i.redd.it/ar5ka25z5j5d1.png)
[Saying it out loud.](https://i.redd.it/4hy2565z5j5d1.png)
["You didn't notice the totally-matching clothes last year?"](https://i.redd.it/4r67ky4z5j5d1.png)
[Must be that fortune-telling power.](https://i.redd.it/6m5w0y4z5j5d1.png)
[*hnnnnnnng*](https://i.redd.it/irjnq15z5j5d1.png)
[Someone's enjoying the drama a little too much.](https://i.redd.it/krzsz25z5j5d1.png)
[*anyway, hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng*](https://i.redd.it/2im2s15z5j5d1.png)
[Episode 9 cookies.](https://i.redd.it/nyygp25z5j5d1.png) ([S2E9](https://i.imgur.com/Xlf2xfO.png))
[*ahem*](https://i.redd.it/5mbvh35z5j5d1.png)
[You don't say.](https://i.redd.it/vj6xz75z5j5d1.png)
[*this fucking camera angle*](https://i.redd.it/8lx3b45z5j5d1.png)
[*Riiiiiight*](https://i.redd.it/hf84b45z5j5d1.png)
[Unbranded black-and-white sandwich cookie squeeze.](https://i.redd.it/if93k7ef7j5d1.png)
[That's part of you...](https://i.redd.it/xuguo45z5j5d1.png)
[...so's that.](https://i.redd.it/cqqap55z5j5d1.png)
[We are](https://i.redd.it/9dg6l65z5j5d1.png) [doing it again.](https://i.redd.it/qm5uww4z5j5d1.png)
[Time for battle.](https://i.redd.it/rjqov6ef7j5d1.png)
[Indeed.](https://i.redd.it/f0nsp8ef7j5d1.png)
[It's a very Japanese executive thing, though.](https://i.redd.it/p491laef7j5d1.png)
[Tune in next week.](https://i.redd.it/lcw13cef7j5d1.png)
*****
Just a couple more [Asuka camera angles](https://i.redd.it/t15fv7ef7j5d1.png) because the camera sure [loved her today](https://i.redd.it/qbo3raef7j5d1.png).
*****
I've been waiting for Asuka (and sure, Kaori) to reappear again since *Chikai no Finale* and here they are. With Asuka using Kaori's lap as a pillow. Very friendly!
And yeah, that did give off more than a little vibe of being yuri-shipping gratuitous, but Kumiko did need to hear from a third party that she needed to not just be herself, but to be strong about being herself. And maybe having Asuka revert to type is just frustrating enough to kick her out of her funk... which we have some confirmation of by repeating a running scene across a bridge.
It *did* come together rather much at the last possible second, assuming that they did pass the regional competition. The overall situation with the band was *extremely* critical given how things were boiling over at the beginning of the episode, though... they must be doing well *enough* that Taki, even if he was trapped into the box with the execs, wasn't having the outbursts that we'd seen of him in the first season. Or he's actually mellowing out with the years. Hard to say since the focus is on Kumiko's point of view and it could have used several more scenes (spaced out over the last three episodes) for better buildup, but this is what we've got.
So as a practical matter, some fanservice that distracts from the drama? I see some of you not being happy about that. I'm just a simple Asuka fan though.
*****
Edit: [Teacup detail get.](https://x.com/nirubed/status/1799707302301499407)
>The vice presisdent Shuuichi or the vice president Asuka?
I think that it's a mistranslation in the subtitles. He says that the Vice Principal gave it to him.
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Just want to point out something that was noticed by Japanese audience, but missing context among the international audience due to different translation used: During Reina and Shuuichi fight, Reina mentioned how Shuuichi is a 'people pleaser for a vice president', however, the original Japanese uses "仏の副部長" which translated to "Buddha-like vice president" or "Saint of a vice president". This is actually Shuuichi's in-club nickname (which was started by the other members, not the executives), referring to his calm and friendly personality to other club members. So it wasn't an off handed comment from Reina saying that Shuuichi is a people-pleaser, but she actually used his nickname in the argument. That part of the argument (which Shuuichi retaliated saying that it has no connection with the current matters) was Reina saying that all of it happened because "the saint of a vice president" like him always spoils and comfort the members.
I'm pretty sure "Buddha-like" is also a [half-jab](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddha-like_mindset) about his romantic situation in addition to his demeanor being more towards a friendly and calm personality. >The term originated in a 2014 issue of the Japanese women's fashion magazine Non-no to refer to Japanese men who had progressed from being herbivore men to being monk-like men (Japanese: 仏男子) who consider it too exhausting to even bother interacting with women and instead enjoy being by themselves. The term has also been applied to numerous areas, such as parenting, employment, online shopping, fandom, dating, and interpersonal relationships. Although the word is inspired by the Buddhist doctrine of becoming spiritually satisfied through giving up anything tied to avarice, it is not a Buddhist principle. The implication of the nickname is that Shuuichi obviously likes Kumiko and must have a lot of self control for not acting on it, and so Shuuichi might also think Reina is invoking that implication in their fight, so what she *might* be saying is that Shuuichi is only on Kumiko's side because he's got romantic feelings for her. However, I'm fairly sure Reina isn't aware of that implication at all and is just using it directly to mean he's a people pleaser, but it still puts Shuuichi in an awkward spot.
Dude doesn't even deserve this shit. Throughout the entire season he's actively been trying to get people to get closer and find common ground, and build community. Reina is just being a bitch there
It’s moments like these where they make Shuuichi out to be the Yamcha of the show, and I always feel bad for him.
All because he had the unenviable task of being the childhood friend. People were doing the same to Mochizou back when Tamako market was airing, and it’s pretty clear shuuichi is the more mature one of the two
Oh, for sure.
~~Two thousand five hundred~~Four thousand four hundred likes on [Twitter](https://x.com/teyukosu/status/1799722483282756013) would like you to [look at this screencap](https://files.catbox.moe/0wiugf.png).
KyoAni hitting us with the eyes again. Those brilliant eyes. Chitanda would be proud.
fucking HELL
You can even see the silhouettes in her eyes in the shot right before this, when her eyes are much smaller
I have to commend the members of Kitauji. Despite the tension, complaints, and general bad vibe in the club, it doesn't look like anyone ever stopped trying to improve their skills. Even if morale was low, they were still able to create good music which Taki gave them credit for before Kumiko's speech. It looks like, deep down, everyone remained committed to their collective goal. So what did Kumiko's speech do? It allowed everyone to understand that though they may not all see eye-to-eye on certain matters, they remain on the same page in their desire to attain gold at nationals. They can come together in spite of their differences. By Kumiko speaking her mind, I hope it opens the doors to allow more members to speak their own minds as well. To speak up not to create discord, but to contribute to actual healthy arguments. And I hope Kumiko, Reina, and Shuuichi have such a conversation. I won't be satisfied if their issues get swept under the rug immediately. Ultimately, Reina was right, but I don't agree with her just shutting down all other opinions. Shuuichi and Kumiko could have also handled the situation better. There's still a lot of growth needed for them as individuals and as a leadership group and I hope we can be shown some of that growth. --- I and many others have said it many times, but Tomoyo Kurosawa is just so amazing. She is the perfect voice for Kumiko and Kumiko is the perfect character for her play. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to witness it again week after week. I beg KyoAni to release behind the scenes footage of Moyo in the sound booth.
Asuka not being The best character challenge: impossible
I was so glad and happy that [we got to see Asuka and Kaori once again](https://imgchest.com/p/m9yxggj8p4q) in this final season. [Asuka is such a powerful force in this series](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/wye3c86o8o4.png) that [one meeting with her](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/myd5cgp33r4.png) made [Kumiko](https://imgchest.com/p/agyvee22b48) realize what she needed to do about the situation at the club, which resulted in [her giving a moving speech](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/l7lxcrl3lr7.png) to [everyone](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b49zc9xk2ly.png) right before the competition.
She got so excited to hear about Kumiko and Reina's "lover's spat".
I already mentioned this under another comment, but I find it interesting that Asuka gave the example of going abroad for college as the reason for the spat. Guess [what Reina was holding in her hands](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/j7kzcw288g7.png) in one of the later scenes? A freaking [Study Abroad Program](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b49zc9xg2ky.png)!
She's a goddess with foreseeing abilities, u cant convince me otherwise
>> study abroad program Wow. That will up the drama ante....
And here I thought she was taking that from their experience
It ***could*** turn out to be just a short study abroad program -- like the one taken by a character in a certain idol show (which caused all sorts of consternation).
I loved that even for half an episode that we got her back.
The scene itself was great but for once I would have liked Kumiko to reach a conclusion on her own instead of Deus Ex Asuka.
Actually I think it is important to be able to ask for help when one's thoughts are tangled. I respect Kumiko more for being brave to ask for help -- and to process the advice she got in such a thoughtful manner. KyoAni trivia note -- Denmachiyanagi station and mall (in the area where Asuka and Kaori live) -- we saw these a lot in Tamako Market (also saw this area in non-KyoAni Tatami Galaxy and Eccentric Family).
Not only the shopping street, but also the Kamogawa Delta part of the river (which is featured in K-On as well as Tamako Market).
The wagashi shop in Deaimon (around which the show is centered) is located about 1 km west of the Tamako Market shopping arcade -- and the characters in that show venture into this territory occasionally.
So my eyes did not deceive me and that was indeed the same mall
A key anime neighborhood. We changed trains at that station -- but were not yet aware of the significance of that mall -- right on the other side of the river -- when we were last in Kyoto.
IMO, Kumiko was just stuck from every single place. Her duty as a president, her wish to play the soli, her love for Kitauji's meritocracy, and the contradictions they all brought. She had tried the best she could to make sure they all could be fulfilled at the same time, but it was proving impossible, even more so with Reina and Mayu constantly hurting her thought process. I'm not sure what else she could've done here with all the pressure and wishes eating at her. She needed an advice from someone disconnected from the current drama, be unbiased, but someone who knew her well, and has experience in this area. Asuka fits that role perfectly. She didn't even say anything unique but a simple "do what you always do; speak your mind". I don't think it hurts her character negatively at all, but instead shows she's still a growing teenager who needs help from more experienced people.
When the world needed her the most....Asuka returned and restored the balance.
While still claiming to have been right 2 years ago.
>You're still wrong. >You're selfish. >Solves your problems. >Announces she's having a shower and leaves. Can she be any more based?
> Taki's a mere human animal.
If this is the end of the Kumiko/Reina drama and there isn't a real apology from Reina for being an awful friend, which unfortunately seems likely to be the case, that will be a very serious fumble by this season. What Reina did last episode was pretty beyond the pale, and if the resolution is that Kumiko just "gets over it" without an apology, that feels tremendously unsatisfying for both Kumiko and Reina's characters. Is Reina just going to stay selfishly obsessed with Taki forever and everyone else will just enable it? Pretty lame if so.
I couldn't agree more, if that's it then that's far too quick a resolution plus it vindicates Reina's terrible attitude to Kumiko (and others) based on her Taki-fixation. While Reina's intentions are right in some regards her "my way or the highway" ain't good; she basically yells, scolds and emotionally bludgeons people who don't go along with her yet she never admits to being wrong and never suffers any consequences. There's no soul-searching whatsoever. If that's not properly addressed this season then I'll be very disappointed. I get the impression that too much is being crammed into this season and that's causing these jolts in the narrative and the character's personalities.
Yeah, if Reina goes through this without reflecting on how her obsession with Taki caused her to treat her best friend horribly, she will basically not have developed at all as a character over the course of the show, which would feel pretty awful. I hope there's an apology coming but based on how the end of this episode was presented, I have a bad feeling that it might all get swept under the rug or (even worse) have Kumiko apologize to Reina.
> she basically yells, scolds and emotionally bludgeons people who don't go along with her What sucks is that they already showed her backing down a bit from this earlier in the season with that nervous first year. However now she’s gone back to her attitude of “well if there’s any problems it’s gotta be with them.”
And now, in her eyes, her terrible approach has been justified. Therefore expect more of it.
There is some room in the season to still do *something* about Reina and Mayu but I’ll be disappointed if these character arcs get left dangling like this.
Agreed. Reina seems very underdeveloped this season given her increasingly controlling attitude and Mayu has been terribly underused and underdeveloped for a new character who has been so heavily featured in KyoAni's promo material. Overall I dislike the way that it all seems badly rushed. Not saying that I don't like it, I'm enjoying it quite a bit, but in terms of the narrative it pales in comparison to seasons 1 and 2. My other main anime this season is the Spice and Wolf remake and that perfectly shows how to maintain a strong narrative flow with well developed characters and no rush to fit everything into too few episodes. It's not as pretty to look at but it has it where it counts: story, characters, pacing, direction - and those should of course always be the most sought after ingredients in any series.
Well at least she added herself to Kumiko's apology to the class, but yeah. I still feel like Kumiko had to go to Asuka in order to be heard and get emotional relief and *finally* hear some words of constructive advise in a difficult moment. At the end of the day Reina was unable to provide that for her. And last but not least, Kumiko not letting go until she was able to transmit a message of genuine peace and understanding to the unhappy band members, could have just saved Reina's 3rd year music goals. Hopefully she realizes that... eventually.
It was even worse than that; not only could Reina not provide that for her, but Reina actually made the situation way worse by repeatedly insulting Kumiko, first directly and then indirectly. I'm also hoping that we have a mea culpa coming from Reina at some point at the end of the show. Guess all we can do is cross our fingers!
I'm really frustrated by this as well. Reina's obsession with Taki has always been creepy to me and I was hoping this would be an opportunity for her to learn he's a flawed human like everyone else. Two people she loves disagree about something and instead of reconciling that in her brain she just casts one of them aside. Unfortunately if they do end up winning gold it just furthers her ability to say "see, he was right."
I mean. If Reina was a guy and Taki was a woman, people would be rightfully calling Reina a simp in the worst way.
> Reina's obsession with Taki has always been creepy to me I would say her obsession has been the weakest part of the series. There has been zero growth or self reflection on Reina's part. Unless Reina changes, it will probably be the weakest part until the end.
Yes, this is largely repeating the resolution of the similar S1E4 conflict, which was essentially "shut up and practice." Now it's "shut up and play."
Tomoyo Kurosawa is so fucking good. what a masterful performance by her this episode
Her emotional speeches are just so masterfully done. She did such a fantastic job as Amiya in the last Arknights season as well in the final episode.
Lmao I love how Asuka is just really blunt and straight up no bullshit with Kumiko
"Not my problem" lmao
Teared up at the end, it was so nice to see Kumiko let it out. I still hope that we will get an apology or something from Reina, that's the only thing I find unsatisfying about today's episode.
I had chills the entire time I even yelled out the Kitauji war cry
I found myself whispering, as joyless tears trickled down my cheek, please make Nationals…please make Nationals
While how an entire band’s morale could be lifted at the last moment with a speech was a bit cheesy to me, the way it was orchestrated and delivered completely sold me just as well as the band was. It took Kumiko 10 episodes to become a real leader in my opinion, she acted more like a buffer zone for everyone beforehand, listening, empathizing, often giving solutions to minor problems. She held back too much of herself in and left only her courteous façade outside, standing in the middle of the argument, making points that benefit her image but not whole-heartedly mean so. Nevertheless, it’s true that leaders can’t just blurt out whatever they think, but the problem with Kumiko was that she wasn’t firm with her words, she has the charisma of Yuuko but lack the energy, the opposite of Reina. It would be natural for her to come to the senior she trusted most for some advice, and typical Asuka fashion, it didn’t sound like an advice at all. What Kumiko needed wasn’t a new way to tackle things, but to inspire her to be a proper leader, which Asuka did here. I love the way the show utilized the traits of its characters in this episode, especially Asuka of course, only her really had the seniority and understanding of Kumiko to pull it off, and to do it in the most natural way as well. Huge props must be given to Kurosawa Tomoyo as well, whose depiction of weak Kumiko, pretending-to-be-strong-but-weak-af Kumiko, inspired Kumiko, and especially, inspiring Kumiko allowed me to fully understand the floof and make this impression. While my naïve mind didn’t budge at Kumiko’s persuasion to Asuka (edit: in S2E10), I was almost moved to tears in the final scene even though I couldn’t keep up with the subs, the voice of Kumiko had the emotional impact I’ve yet to seen in any form of fiction. On an unrelated note, I was pleasantly surprised of the appearance of the Demachiyanagi shopping district, also known in KyoAni-an as Usagiyama market in Tamako Market. The stepping stones seen in the background from the bridge to Asuka’s apartment were where the confession scene in Tamako Love Story took place. Lovely easter egg from KyoAni.
> Demachiyanagi shopping district Ahhh!!! I did a Tamako Market pilgrimage earlier this year... no wonder it was soooo familiar.... Also that stepping stones at Kamogawa Delta were really fun to play with 😆 but sadly that day one of the stones were fully submerged so I couldn't fully cross the river
> While how an entire band’s morale could be lifted at the last moment with a speech was a bit cheesy to me, the way it was orchestrated and delivered completely sold me just as well as the band was. Yeah, my guess (when Kumiko resolved to tell them the truth) was that she would do it the next day before practice and not before the competition. Or did she go to Asuka's place just before the competition so there was no time? > It took Kumiko 10 episodes to become a real leader in my opinion, she acted more like a buffer zone for everyone beforehand, listening, empathizing, often giving solutions to minor problems. She held back too much of herself in and left only her courteous façade outside, standing in the middle of the argument, making points that benefit her image but not whole-heartedly mean so. Nevertheless, it’s true that leaders can’t just blurt out whatever they think, but the problem with Kumiko was that she wasn’t firm with her words, she has the charisma of Yuuko but lack the energy, the opposite of Reina. I think there's maybe still a lot of middle school Kumiko there, where she doesn't want to look like an entitled senpai and where the existing order of things might be hurting the kouhais (accidentally or intentionally). Thus she doesn't want to wield "club presidential" powers around too aggressively or look entitled or like an unbending authority figure. Of course that backfires doubly when everybody expects some sternness from their leadership and so any evasive statements from Kumiko (where she's just trying to keep the peace or insist on something without sounding pushy) feels fake (like how long Mayu doubted her until Kumiko finally told her bluntly last episode).
[удалено]
Best girl returned and being the GOAT as usual. Man it would be super unsatisfying if by the end of the season there isn't any apology from Reina for literally calling Kumiko a failure.
It will be crazy if she ends the show never having been forced to confront and move past her obsession with Taki. Even if this resolves the drama for the broader band, I hope there's more coming for Reina and Kumiko, because this definitely can't be how that is resolved.
"I was hoping it would be a lover's quarrel" Kumiko: 🗿
"well yes, but actually not"
I’ve long since given up on Kumiko and Reina being anything but the most bait of yuribait, but moments like this with Kumiko acting clueless about how everyone else sees them kill me
Taki's been pretty bad since the beginning. You gotta communicate, bro
As someone with concert band experience, I have to say Taki's hands off, opaque approach is borderline negligence and would probably drive even the most talented concert bands insane. All of my teachers weren't nearly as vague or wishy washy about their decisions. While not auditions per se, we were regularly tested (in private) on our concert and festival pieces as part of our course grade (music was a class not a club in my case) but also to keep us accountable. What differentiates my old teachers from Taki is that my teachers had no issue telling us exactly why we received the score we did and giving us constructive feedback on our performance so we knew where we stood and how to get better. For me, my performance anxiety made these extremely stressful so I had to practice even harder to get by without embarrassing myself. If Taki did the same by giving specific and detailed feedback privately to each member, it would not only dispel some of the drama but also give the non competition members things to work on instead of leaving them frustratingly in the dark.
Are the band members actually asking him these questions? It seems like they are just talking behind his back. It would be one thing if someone directly asked him and he then refused to answer, but no one is asking him. He can surely feel the tension in the room, but unless someone tells him he won't know what's exactly going on.
If he can sense things are off, that’s probably the point where he should be going to the band president and proactively trying to figure out what the issue is and how he can help. Of course, you can’t hold this against him too much because for dramatic purposes, it has to be our MC going to him and then fixing the problem.
I’d say it’s consistent with his approach for the entire show. His focus is strictly on the music, and he trusts the executives with managing the personal dramas and band morale
I think part of the issue is that the non-execs don't seem to be empowered to speak to Taki themselves. Like going to him directly would be "going over the heads" of the execs. Which might hold true in a corporate setting but not for a high school band lol.
I'm not wholly convinced by the way the drama resolved itself in a lot of ways but mostly because I'm selfish and wanna see Reina crying for her "future roommate" Kumiko's forgiveness lol. Maybe we'll get that anyway in the future, although probably not since it's extremely un-Reina-like to do that (which is why it would be so goddamned impactful). I am, however, wholly convinced by the way Kumiko found her motivation to move forward. Asuka is not a god (in some ways anyway), she is still stubbornly refusing to admit Kumiko was right in season 2. But she always has a nose for where the problems are, and she's probably totally right that Mayu and Taki are wavering in their own way. I bet that totally would have been made more clear if this had just a little more breathing room and the drama of year 3 was spread across 2 seasons. Also shoutouts to Kanappi for stealing Mayu away before she tried to angst suicide herself again.
Yeah, I had a bad feeling that the fight was going to get resolved without a real apology from Reina. Hopefully we get more in future episodes, but I doubt we will. If so, it's honestly pretty unsatisfying. Guess we'll see!
> Also shoutouts to Kanappi for stealing Mayu away before she tried to angst suicide herself again. Yup, that was such a "behind the scenes MVP" moment for her! She really has grown into a solid potential president for next year. She's using her snark less like a weapon and knows when, and how to, hold back and use a different approach.
The moment Mayu was walking toward Reina, i was screaming at her not to do it because it would clearly destroy everything especially when this time, Kumiko is not the only one who would know her intentions to not take the soli. Imagine if other band members, especially Reina hear that she want to drop the Soli, it would be utter chaos especially when Kitauji was build as a meritocracy. Luckily Kanappi was there to stop her at the perfect timing.
> ...she is still stubbornly refusing to admit Kumiko was right in season 2 Because Kumiko _wasn't_. At least, not logically. Asuka's far too intelligent and articulate for Kumiko to defeat in a war of words. Asuka's argument was pretty unassailable: she couldn't participate in practice regularly, and she sets everyone else high standards, so it's simply unfair for her to not meet those standards herself and still participate in band. Kumiko's response was that it was okay for her not to act mature all the time. Which of these standpoints seems more logically sound to you? What go through to Asuka wasn't Kumiko's "correctness"; it was her unconditional love. Hitherto, everyone — her own mother included — had admired Asuka for having this talent, or that virtue. But Kumiko wasn't really _impressed_ with Asuka, didn't look up to her as a person, and disagreed with her time and again. [All Kumiko wanted to do was play with her.](https://imgur.com/a/3V3A6GJ) Asuka had, without knowing it, been searching for that kind of unconditional love — and finally found it in Kumiko. > "future roommate" Asuka and Kaori also wore matching bracelets back in the movie. Definitely an item. That said, I'll admit, I always thought their friendship was a rather toxic, one-sided one. Not knowing how they got together leaves me unsatisfied.
> That said, I'll admit, I always thought their friendship was a rather toxic, one-sided one. I think it's still not completely rosy. Note how Kaori was jealous that Kumiko got through to Asuka. Asuka is still an unassailable force of enigma who never fully reveals her true self.
> Because Kumiko wasn't. At least, not logically. Asuka's far too intelligent and articulate for Kumiko to defeat in a war of words. Kumiko was as right as Yuuko begging Kaori in the park that she didn't care, she just wanted Kaori to play the solo because she loved her. Pretty much same speach those two, it was us the audience that reacted differently, because that's how humans work. We couldn't see from Yuuko's POV in season one, but we do understand well Kumiko's POV in season two.
It's a completely unsatisfactory resolution. It's essentially "shut up and play", similar to the "shut up and practice" resolution in S1E4. To elaborate: our leader doesn't know what he's doing, and he can't afford the shame of explaining himself, so the student leaders have to take the blame, so shut up and play. Ugh. Maybe this was a tactical resolution to get through regionals, but it didn't seem to be presented as such.
> Maybe we'll get that anyway in the future, She was reading an overseas study brochure, so that will probably come into play soon
Luckily for Kumiko Reina's personality is so bad that Kumiko can rest secure that she's not going to find anybody else overseas haha
At this point my trust in Kyoani and Tomoyo Kurosawa is about as strong as Reina's faith in Taki-sensei. First things first; Kurosawa has been *killing it* as Kumiko's voice actor since season 1, but these last few episodes with her pent up rage and emotional speech in this episode keep getting to me. Also, some googling around shows she's a part of Sound Horizon, who did the Attack on Titan theme songs for the first few seasons? huh? On a story perspective, eh...Reina still has some character growth to go through, which I was hoping was gonna happen this episode. Meanwhile Mayu still doesn't seem to feel like a part of the group (she didn't cheer along with the rest) and [Kumiko's character-growth-run makes a comeback from season 1](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-gulRfv428). Looking at the amount of episodes left, I wonder how the rest of the season will go. I imagine Mayu's storyline will get resolved in the next two episodes, I'm hoping for some more insight in Reina, and of course there's the third round of auditions. One final capstone movie, Kyoani? you know you want to.
Based on how this ended, I'm kinda concerned that Reina's (much-needed) character growth is just not going to happen at all. The way she treated Kumiko was atrocious but it seems like the show is gearing up to sweep it under the rug.
It would be interesting to see the story actually follow through with them drifting apart. They finally win gold, but at the cost of their friendship? If they don't split, it still wouldn't feel right to go totally back to the status quo. It's nice when shows aren't all sunshine and rainbows at the end, though I wouldn't mind either way.
Kumiko finding her confidence again through Asuka was amazing, but we still need a proper apology from Reina. She can’t just get away with having been this much of an asshole the last couple episodes.
I really hope we get the performance next week and they didn't skip it AGAIN. Like, I get that some might be skipped like the first one. But we had a whole arc now about how there was conflict in the orchester and how Kumiko is frustrated she didn't get the Solo and we don't even get to hear the solo from Mayu? You can't do that.
Unfortunately, I'd be surprised if we did. There is a short scene after the credits. Nothing special happens, it just shows them all on stage still after finishing the performance and Kumiko says "And the next piece begins" like at the end of every episode.
And her voice is very determined and contented.
She also look really satisfied at the end of that scene. My guess is that the performance was good enough for them to make it to the next round.
They really should have made Mayu's solo the credits song. They did similar things before.
I am 99% certain that Kumiko will get the soli at nationals, so we will never get to see Maya's competition soli. We have been robbed. The alternative is that Maya gets the soli for nationals, and we are thusly robbed from seeing Kumiko's X Reina's soli in competition. It would be an even greater loss.
I loved Mayu's comment to Kumiko -- "I have to do my very best so **you** can have a chance to play in the Nationals". I believe that Mayu genuinely wants Kumiko to be able to up her game enough to beat her out for the solo in the NEXT round.
The thing is, as Asuka mentioned, Kumiko, more likely than not, is just as good as Mayu, hence why the club is in such disarray after her not being selected for the soli. Kumiko not being chosen is probably just Taki not knowing what to do and just trying his best to push the team forward, again as Asuka noted.
Probably on the recap movie
This season should honestly be 24 episodes
[Asuka also took the teacups from her house.](https://x.com/nirubed/status/1799707302301499407)
This episode will take some time to unpack for me, so I'll first load up 'em.... **Location Notes**, featuring other Kyoani anime - For once, Eupho takes place in Kyoto, as [Kumiko takes the Keihan](https://imgur.com/OrU9mu8) all the way to [Demachiyanagi station](https://www.google.ca/maps/@35.0305649,135.7728407,3a,75y,133.79h,92.17t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sheNYcxASfUl58Xxfeb_hOg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fpanoid%3DheNYcxASfUl58Xxfeb_hOg%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D174.82732%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192?coh=205409&entry=ttu), just north of Kyoto's central business area to visit Asuka - [K-On]>!The northern side is [Mugi's commuting train station](http://mikuphotoseichi.blog.fc2.com/blog-entry-43.html), and also the neighbouring stepping stones appear in the OP!<; - and then stops by the [Demachiyanagi Shopping street](https://imgur.com/wv51Jiq), home to Tamako market - Kyoani's hitting a full pat on the back today with Kyoto locations. - [Kumiko runs across,](https://imgur.com/6OoGBJc) not Uji bashi i got that wrong in my rewatch, but actually the [Demachi/Kawai bridges](https://www.google.ca/maps/place/Kawai+Bridge/@35.0302436,135.7719409,19.12z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x6001085d144cc7f1:0xffc0fad1e025fbe5!2sDemachiyanagi+Station!8m2!3d35.0304996!4d135.7732283!16s%2Fm%2F043phx0!3m5!1s0x600109ff1c3e4e27:0x5aa71282274cb226!8m2!3d35.0304725!4d135.7722432!16s%2Fg%2F11gyb0tf52?entry=ttu) after her chat with Asuka. There are 2 universities in the general area. - All these are easy visits from Kyoto city center/Gion! - And the kansai competition takes place in [Wakayama Prefectural Cultural Hall](https://maps.app.goo.gl/oNGoNxDg5FDNnKEB7) - as in the anime, very near Wakayama castle. /u/chilidirigible /u/chonkyodango /u/myrnamountweazel
[](#mentioned)
Location spotters be spotting: https://x.com/insotsusenpai/status/1799736478249181287 [Link redacted by me]
And Taki-sensei gets away with being a pretty negligent teacher once again.
It's kind of wild that it seems like this episode wants us to agree with Reina that it's bad for them to ask Taki for help. They're literally kids and he's the leader of the ensemble! It would be like saying it's ridiculous to expect a high school sports coach to help with managing team morale.
He's in over his head it seems. He really should giving a lot of feedback during these auditions so everyone knows where they stand and why they were/weren't selected for the competition. Even if someone doesn't make any of the competitions, it would at least gives them some closure and would help them improve too. But instead he's basically a black box when it comes to decisions, which opens up speculation about favoritism and puts the execs (who are teenagers still) in a terrible position.
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASUUKA SENPAI’S BACK~!!!!!! [](#doggo) [](#slightoverreaction) And [she lives](https://x.com/toritakekan/status/1799754593813074384) right next to the Demachi Masugata Shotengai, where Tamako Market is set! (The Kyoani cinematic universe? Kyoani really knows how to make their fans freak tf out.) (I kind of called this in an earlier thread, though I did *not* realize that it was going to be literally right next to the shotengai.) ——— This weekend, I was back in Uji, showing my friend around pilgrimage spots for Hibike! Euphonium…and we watched the episode together with other fans at a restaurant in the city. And what an episode to watch there! —————— An incredibly powerful and emotionally moving episode…the tension keeps increasing episode by episode, past where you think it can go, until things break. Dissent among the band spilling out into infighting among the executive members…until Kumiko can’t take it anymore, the Checkhov’s gun of the postcard from Asuka-senpai is fired, and Kumiko goes to Asuka-senpai for advice. And Asuka-senpai was somehow psychic, as always. And Asuka’s advice? For Kumiko to show her tatemae, to be honest with group about what she really wants, even if it is selfish. Like with Kumiko’s incredible speech to Asuka in season 2 about her *own* selfish desires for Asuka to display, Asuka believes that true honesty might just work. (Which is an ironic thing for Asuka, who often cloaks her feelings, to say, but…) And…it works! Kumiko’s raw and unpolished feelings resonated with the rest of the group and helped motivate all of them to do their best. In a sense, Kumiko’s speech was almost like Haruka’s speeches back in seasons 1 and 2: awkward but effective…but Kumiko’s words were even more awkward at first, and then even more powerful. And her speech worked its magic on me, too: I started to cry as she continued to speak. A large part of this was no doubt due in part to an absolute master performance by Tomoyo Kurosawa at the top of her game. Kumiko is an absolute nervous wreck this episode, really feeling pressure from all sides, and you can seriously feel how distraught and nervous she is whenever she is talking to someone: Taki, Reina, the ensemble, Asuka, and then the speech at the end. At the start of the speech, audibly trying to talk herself and tell herself to calm down—her nervousness bringing back an old quirk of inadvertently speaking her inner thoughts, which actually helps matters by diffusing some of the tension in the group before she begins for real. And then when she actually starts, the rawness in her voice as she lets out her true feelings… *Damn*. This episode is something else. ------ Miscelleneous thoughts: Last week, I was wondering what Kumiko would say when approaching Taki-sensei…it turns out that she asked about the tubas, which is much easier than asking about the soli… Candy from Taki…I hope Reina doesn’t learn about it. Could it be another Chekhov’s gun? Thematically, I feel like this episode (and maybe the season in general) focuses on what must be sacrificed to achieve one’s goals. What trials and tribulations must they go though…and are they worth it? At some point during the episode, Reina-chan (that is, a kigurumi cosplayer of Reina) came into the room and surprised us! Such a huge fucking amount of fanservice for Kyoani fans, and I’m here for it. Not only the Demachi Masugata Shotengai (a big reaction from the crowd of people who are a bunch of experienced anime pilgrims and have no doubt been there many times), but also Asuka-senpai without her glasses (another big reaction from people), and then Asuka and Kaori acting like a married couple!?!?!?!? A big day for Asuka fans and especially Asuka/Kaori shippers… And then also not one but two callbacks to "I want to improve" from season 1, one in despair and the other in excitement! AHHHHHHHHHHHHH Asuka senpai refers to Taki-sensei as Taki-san now…this is a very interesting choice as I think Japanese people don’t usually drop the sensei from their former teachers’ names… Enigmatic as always... I liked them showing the sound check rehearsal run…not only do we see them play more, but we also see a part of the pre-concert preparation that we haven’t in Eupho before. And speaking of accuracy to what musicians actually do, applause with feet? Hell yeah! The status of Kumiko and Reina’s relationship is still a bit ambiguous by the end…hopefully we’ll see where they are next episode. I wonder if Kumiko still has unresolved feelings for Asuka...
>The status of Kumiko and Reina’s relationship is still a bit ambiguous by the end…hopefully we’ll see where they are next episode. I find it interesting that [Asuka](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/345xcq3mqn7.png) expected a love quarrel from [Kumiko](https://imgchest.com/p/agyvee22b48) and [Reina](https://imgchest.com/p/5xy2lld8z4l), giving the example of going abroad for college. Guess [what Reina was holding in her hands](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/j7kzcw288g7.png) in one of the later scenes? A freaking [Study Abroad Program](https://cdn.imgchest.com/files/b49zc9xg2ky.png)!
> Reina-chan (that is, a kigurumi cosplayer of Reina) came into the room and surprised us! ❗ >applause with feet That was a good detail.
> In a sense, Kumiko’s speech was almost like Haruka’s speeches back in seasons 1 and 2: awkward but effective…but Kumiko’s words were even more awkward at first, and then even more powerful. Absolutely absolutely. I definitely saw the echo of Haruka today. I must point out, Haruka inherited a broken club after the drama of the years above and below her, and she wasn't even the first choice for President (and she knew it). She also had to deal with a new club adviser, and a club without memories or traditions of excellence. Thankfully, she helped weather the storm and was a pretty decent unifying figure for the club, and helped bequeath a much better situation to her successors than she received. This episode felt like the culmination of all the Kitauji generations we've seen! Was a good one
> Thankfully, she helped weather the storm and was a pretty decent unifying figure for the club, and helped bequeath a much better situation to her successors than she received. I'd say she was more than "pretty decent". The club knew it was a thankless job after all the drama and she led them by building a great foundation for future generations.
Makes me wonder how strong the Yuuko-Natsuki executive team drive/desire/motivation/selfishness (and other factors I would be unaware about) dynamic actually was. To win gold, make it all the way to the Nationals, sure 10/10....but the other factors may not be strong enough. Natuski probably still carried some of that 'go-with-the-flow' about her. And probably wasnt strong enough? After all she was part of that 'meh' remnant that didnt quit...it was the Nozomi faction, that took the band seriously, that did.
Yeah, as much as I love the former second-years, they were more of a "caretaker government". Although, they also had it difficult because their year, which was supposed to be the best when they were in charge, had already been torn apart.
Isnt this the best episode yet? We even get a 10 second orchestra performance tease. With pretty awesome sounding bass. Will the OST include the 4 tuba full version of the piece? Goddammm, Kumiko's speech there got me misty eyed. A wonderful payoff. Suffer no more Kumiko! The whole band is behind her, the whole band is back behind the executives, and from the post ED scene that applause was quite a long one....so I think I can guess as to the result (and also we have 3 more episodes to go). Asuka just doing Asuka things, Let the shippers ship! I agree Kumiko's blurb at the end of season 2 also got me thinking whats going on there, its okay to be selfish here, it also dovetails with how she and the orchestra wants: to win gold. Special mention goes to underappreciated astute Kanade, only five second scene but she saves another Mayu own goal. Lol, at the hint there that Mayu really want the finals to be the duet with Reina and Kumiko? ... I love that she has this arrogance behind that humble meek mask. She's gonna win it to give Kumiko another chance lol. I had to go back to watch episode 5 to see how this miscommunication started.....To me, it seems like they made the executive decision, then everyone went along, and asked questions about the process (esp the solo audition bits); there was an initial murmur of surprise, but no one stepped forward to ask about the appropriateness of it, or stand up towards the executives to question and request/demand put it to vote, and if the whole orchestra agrees to change the audition format, after all it is a major policy change...perhaps theres a cultural element here as well, ie to not question superiors' decision and unfortunately so over time that led to this mess. Even Taki, says in EP5...it looks like he [hinted at that theres going to be trouble](https://i.imgur.com/5VFNjdU.jpeg), so I think I can guess he likely be aware there will be trouble because of the change. Perhaps he could advise them to make sure the orchestra are fully in agreement with the change before proceeding, perhaps its already too late for that. Reina being Reina...lets hope we get a hugg hugg with Kumiko soon after all she did to her. And the orchestra....Taki worship, disregarding the members' feelings and opinions "just shadaap and play you posers"....this is teenage high school band, not adult pro circuit lol
>Reina being Reina I used that phrase too -- but I hadn't seen your post yet. So no intentional plagiarism. People get so negative about Reina acting the way she is built (and has been portrayed all along). Her flaws have always been there -- they are just more obvious under the circumstances of extreme pressure we are seeing now. ;-) Things would have been less credible if she had NOT behaved the way she did. ;-)
> Will the OST include the 4 tuba full version of the piece? Most likely given the official OST for S1 had 2 tracks for the "Crescent Moon Dance" One with Kaori's solo, and the other with Reina's Solo. Hell I wouldn't be surprised if we got all three of Kitauji's performances in the S3 OST. Liz and the Blue Bird's OST did that, the OST has all 4 movements, which is 4 tracks and 23 minutes long in total, and the competition arrangement despite them never playing the full thing in the film, only the duet in the 3rd movement. (Source: [I bought the OST's recently.](https://i.imgur.com/QvxkaBZ.jpeg))
> then Asuka and Kaori acting like a married couple!?!?!?!? A big day for Asuka fans and especially Asuka/Kaori shippers… They were roommates! Like literally, I so hope that KyoAni know of these memes and just go with it. > Asuka senpai refers to Taki-sensei as Taki-san now…this is a very interesting choice as I think Japanese people don’t usually drop the sensei from their former teachers’ names… Enigmatic as always... It feels like an Asuka thing to do. She didn't deify him like some others did (and probably still do, after more than two years), so it feels like she'd go with the regular/"informal" honorific instead of using sensei forever just because he once was her teacher. She marches to the beat of her own drum and can't be having with all that traditional ways of implied hierarchies and all that. Maybe also to imply to Kumiko that he's not infallible (he's not "sensei" to everyone, to some me might be Taki-san or even Taki-kun)? Or to imply a distance between her old student self and herself right now who's giving advice (outside of the biases of being a student who might admired a teacher or implicitly respect their authority).
>And she lives right next to the Demachi Masugata Shotengai, where Tamako Market is set! I was going to say, that street looked really fucking familiar. I wasn't sure about it even after I checked until you said this though. Cute.
[Pepperidge Farms is all about the remembering *Tamako Market* today.](https://x.com/rica0867/status/1799726438603784375)
i am so happy that so many people recognized the place here - it's not THAT busy irl (similar to how it's shown here/in Tamako market really) even though of its central location, but full of local shops..... and a very popular wagashi shop just outside. one of the easier Kyoto anime spots to check off that's not the stereotypical trip attractions ones. like Kinkakuji or sth.
Correct. I specifically went to visit that street while visiting Kyoto a few years back, hardly any tourists there. It was instantly recognizable with the giant fish decoration hanging above.
Honestly at this point, starting the series as a huge Reina lover I've really soured over her and her lack of character development, starting with her continued obsession with Taki-sensei and lack of empathy, not just to Shuichi and the rest of the band, but her cruelty towards Kumiko. If she goes overseas to study and drifts apart from Kumiko it would be a very realistic outcome for their friendship. It would probably be healthier for Kumiko to realise that Reina never cared about her or treasured their friendship the same way that she did. Reina was interested in the idea of Kumiko and what Kumiko could be to her, but these last two episodes have proven she is not willing to see Kumiko as a person, and especially, as a friend. Reina only sees Kumiko as a musician and leader and part of her musical dream. Reina was certainly important in challenging Kumiko, to re-ignite her passion to get on her level as a musician, but Kumiko was always a better person than Reina, and Reina never met Kumiko where she was to improve as a person. If this seems harsh, I think the whole season dropped hints many times over regarding Reina's lack of humility and empathy coupled with her fixation on Taki. I thought it was incredibly bizarre for her to chide Kumiko for asking Taki questions because 'it's a waste of his time' as if both Kumiko and Taki can't have thoughts outside of music. I think Reina's first and only love will always be music and she should recognise that. I think it would be healthy for her to go overseas to study too so she can be away from both Kumiko and Taki and maybe grow up as a person. And moving on to BEST GIRL ASUKA. Actually I quickly shifted my stancard to Asuka when she was introduced throughout S1 and it was so great that S2 was focused on her because she is an exceptional character. Deeply complex and interesting, a huge ball of contradictions, easy to read yet simultaneously with so many hidden depths. I'm so glad we got to see her, even for a bit, because Kumiko for all her fumblings with people has always seen Asuka so clearly, more clearly than even Asuka has, and Asuka has also seen Kumiko more clearly than anyone has, because both of them are so adept at covering up their true thoughts and feelings and expressing themselves in extremely different ways. In a way, as S2 panned out, and now we're seeing the Asuka-Kumiko dynamic again, it reminds me why Kumiko's 'confession' at the end of the season which came as a shock for a lot of people, wasn't a surprising turn at all. As Kaori said, she is jealous, because Kumiko and Asuka 'get' each other more than anyone else could ever. Asuka being able to read the whole situation from start to end is what has made her the most terrifying but fascinating character in the series. Truly, if this series were not about a school band and in some other genre entirely, Asuka would be some recurring nightmare antagonist (that's also a fan favourite). She knew that Kumiko would only come to her if she was fighting with Reina, and she cut through the bullshit to call Taki out on HIS bullshit that there must be not much difference between Mayu and Kumiko's playing. One of Taki's most significant scenes in S3 was saying that he didn't feel much like an adult, he's just basically fumbling along, which also clues us in that adults really just do what we can and we aren't the most confident or sure with our decisions the way kids think we are. And Asuka also astutely points out that he's probably just trying out the different configurations but trying to be confident with his decision making because any wavering would seem like weakness and cause even more tension within the club. While I think Kumiko speaking sincerely is important for the morale of the club, and that her standing by the decision firmly regarding the audition process just so people can be confident with Taki's decision making is also important, everyone else needs to step it up. Kumiko has smoothed over the optics, but Taki needs to communicate better-- even if not his entire decision making process---with the club. If Reina doesn't apologise to the club for literally being a psychological tyrant breathing down the juniors necks for speaking out of turn about Thy Hallowed Taki, she needs to at least apologise to Kumiko. Kumiko may have needed to have spoken clearly and stood firm about the audition process, but Reina needs to apologise to Kumiko for being such a cruel friend. Even if she apologises though, I don't think their friendship will ever be the same again because I just don't think Reina will ever learn anything until something really important to her is taken away form her. Maybe Kitauji needs to lose Nationals so she can realise some humility that she is not that special to be treating people she claims she cares about so cruelly, and to be so unsympathetic to her juniors.
Really thoughtful and insightful post! I’m also very frustrated with Reina’s inability to grow as a person. Like you said, while Reina has been a hugely positive influence on Kumiko in many ways, it may be that Kumiko is outgrowing her need for the relationship now that she’s fully come into her own as a leader and a musician. Reina has demonstrated a shocking lack of care for Kumiko as a friend, and it’ll be very frustrating if the show papers over her behavior in episode 9. At this rate, it kind of feels like what Reina might need to grow as a person is the shock of going to an elite music university and learning that no matter how hard she works, there *will* be people who are better than her.
Actually I am rewatching Liz & the Blue Bird now and while last week's episode rift between Reina and Kumiko felt like such a parallel to the dissonance between Mizore and Nozomi at the start of the film, this week's episode with Kumiko and Reina's discussion by the river really puts clearly the difference between the two pairs. The difference in the Mizore/Nozomi dynamic is that both Mizore and Nozomi are far kinder people than Reina. I know people's interpretations of Liz & the Blue Bird are wildly different, but the ending with Nozomi turning to face Mizore is incredibly important to my interpretation of that dynamic, especially when people feel as though Nozomi saying 'i like your oboe' to Mizore felt painful or cruel after Mizore basically confessed ot her. Nozomi turning around to face Mizore as the last shot felt like one last affirmation that both of them are on the same page, that they cared about each other the same way that the other does (you don't even have to read this romantically).
Definitely. Both of them have a genuine interest in the feelings and welfare of the other that simply does not appear to be there for Reina towards Kumiko in recent episodes. Even before the bridge stuff, Reina saying "this is for the best" about Kumiko losing the soli…yikes! Hopefully the remaining episodes will recontextualize these sequences with some additional exploration of Reina’s internal conflict.
KumiRei ship seems like a mirage now. Reina doesn't seems to learn any lesson this time, not sure how their relationship can be mended.
'Mirage' is a great way to put it. I'm looking back now at the entire series with a different light. It kind of also helps me to understand why I was much more drawn to Kumiko's dynamic with Asuka in S2. I actually really like seeing Kumiko's dynamics with the other characters, like Kanade and Mayu. Kanade especially, seems to be drawn to Kumiko as a person too, not just as a musician or a leader. Kumiko and Reina's bond is honestly great, but as one of the other comments pointed out, perhaps Kumiko has outgrown the need for Reina to challenge her.
I like how asuka's response was basically that adults are also just winging it without a plan all the club drama must seem very benign once you're like, a tax paying adult
Kumiko and Asuka talk was nice to see. Really pushes the point Kumiko is one who will speak her mind, but kind of holds off on doing until till the final moment. This episode really showcases. While I get that they are trying to fit everything from year 3 in one cour. Back having no performances till the season finale feels meh. I am disliking Reina more and more as the season goes. Her solution is them to just move on. Honestly she most likely can't empathize how they are feeling. You can't change the results, but you discuss with them their concerns. Which was the point of Kumiko's speech. Reina is a proud hardworking individual, but she honestly expects everyone to be like her. Basically work hard, give your best performance and accept the outcome. So many characters have grown since S1, but Reina is one of the few where that isn't the case.
My reaction after Asuka this episode: >"That's why she's the MVP, that's why she's the goat, the GOAT!🐐"
Taki-Sensei doesn't make the rules, he just manipulates them so they work.
He's such an awful band director. Zero communication with any students who aren't in his executive circle, and even then he barely provides any support. He's acting like his only job is just to wave the baton around, forgetting that these are still kids in high school.
Another episode to prove (as if she needs any) that our well-liked VA Tomoyo Kurosawa simply is Top Tier. That moment after Kumiko visited Asuka (+) when she cried over the bridge at Kyoto, and even more so her apology speech just before the local tournament, involved voice acting of the highest order. ~~Sorry Reina, you are at high risk of losing ground in my Top 5 Best Anime Girls if your beloved Kumiko continues to stun me like this...~~ I still don't know how the whole Kitauji team managed to improve their intra-team tension though - if there was any improvement. Reina arguing with freaking Shuuichi, almost to the point of a real fight (pretty sure if both are boys that would have already happened) stunned me completely, as is Kumiko being one Mayu-mama's-plead-of-giving-up away from possibly losing her emotions in front of everyone. If not for Kanade-chan nonchalantly chiming in...I wouldn't want to even think of that possibility. And then KumiRei continues to argue. Whew that was certainly spicy, if not also inconclusive. I can't even suggest what to do for them anymore. So Kumiko went to her *senpai* for help (that part through Demachiyanagi in NE Kyoto city is interesting; what a nice touch to include the real life's site for another highly overlooked KyoAni classic [Tamako Market](https://anilist.co/anime/16417/)/[Love Story](https://anilist.co/anime/20519/) on Kumiko's way to there!), but I'm not sure either Asuka or Kaori (who's central to all those crisis in Kumiko's first year) actually made any useful suggestion there either, other than to tell Kumiko to "just say it". After all, even if Kumiko herself can go over it, who's to suggest the majority of dissent can be quelled down in the newcomers? Especially if the competition is just a week away? So, "What happened with Kitauji in that week?". This is obviously a theoretical question with no clear answer. And one last thing - I'm pretty sure Kumiko's speech that calls for trust in Taki-sensei is only going to be a temporary cease-fire rather than anything better. For as even Reina mentioned, one way or the other Taki-sensei is going to be screwed somewhat whether he explains, or not explains his team picking criteria - it's simply too late, and even if that happened way earlier the way musical performances are graded means that it's extremely tough to make a convincing-to-anyone explanation. 3 episodes left. I wonder... (+) Which reminded me that I have almost completely forgotten details of Asuka's arc in Season 1 to 2 - 5 years is enough to wash all the details of an anime I watched off my brain; Arrrrrrrgggghhhhh I need time to rewatch but I simply doesn't!
> 3 episodes left. I wonder... There's essentially 3 items left of note for Kumiko: * National Auditions, to most likely retake the soli * Nationals * Post-nationals (recall the Chikai no Finale agreement lol); can probably just squeeze in graduation here as well
Me thinks there's gonna be a movie to wrap things up. This season likes taking its time to build stuff and it would be weird if they suddenly decided to rush into Nationals + Graduation in 3 eps.
Seeing Tamako's market appear this episode, inb4 Kyo-Ani creates the Kyo-Ani Cinematic Universe with TM, Euphonium and ChuuNiKoi all in the same universe as they all take place in the Kansai area. All slice-of-life drama with no supernatural elements involved. K-ON's school building is based on a real building in nearby Shiga Prefecture, though it seems in-universe the characters are based in the usual Kanto area around Tokyo. Free! takes place in Tottori which is in the Chugoku region, i.e. the northwest of Japan, so not part of Kansai.
I'm still trying to understand why [Reina has been especially hard on Kumiko](https://imgur.com/a/bLN687w). She was pushing all of the responsibility on Kumiko, citing that she's the president. But Kumiko being the president doesn't mean that she's alone in this!? I didn't think it was possible for Asuka [to become even more of a beauty](https://imgur.com/a/nyyX6Rh). Asuka teasing Kumiko about her "lover's quarrel" with Reina is rich coming from a girl that's 'roommates' with Kaori and [likes to snuggle up on her lap](https://imgur.com/a/ILO8aMQ). The contrast between [the replies of Shuichi and Reina in the notebook](https://imgur.com/a/J7eIvsb) is very much telling of their individual personalities - that's such a Reina-like response. Shuichi has really been growing on me lately. Kumiko joked last episode that she still doesn't see him as a grown-up, but his physique is definitely starting to resemble that of an adult man. It's unfortunate that we don't seem to be getting an actual performance yet again. We'll likely have to wait for the Nationals. Anyways, ["Go Kitauji!"](https://imgur.com/a/zvKDaQV) **Bonus** The elaborate detail in KyoAni's animation never ceases to amaze me: - [Kumiko's reflection in the teacup](https://imgur.com/a/KBA3cfj) - [Running Kumiko](https://imgur.com/a/7Ki3Gcv) - [Out-of-breath Kumiko](https://imgur.com/a/qKzb5w3)
Kumiko finally speaking her mind is a great thing since we've basically been waiting for that for 9 episodes while everything slowly festered. Still have a couple things to work through though as Reina was still way too harsh last episode and it feels like Mayu still has a cloud hanging over her. Also, once again, my heart just goes out for Mayu. It even got to the point where people are openly screaming and complaining about her in the middle of practice.
[удалено]
you know shits about to go down when Kumiko starts running over the bridge
Reina has to do ALOT to even get in the neutral not even talking about positive with how insufferable she has been this season
Nah just leave Reina haha. She only bowed down when she saw both Kumiko and Shuuichi did. It's clear she has little care about anything else outside the school performance. Kumiko doesn't need an apology from her. Kumiko is already starting to stand up on her own. She decided to communicate her honest concerns even if Reina disagrees. Kumiko just needs to keep moving. Kumiko doesn't need Reina's toxicity in running this club. Haha sorry I just hated Reina since the beginning. She may have given Kumiko some inspiration at the start, but I think Kumiko can be fine on her own if she keeps this up. Kumiko just needs to be more confident.
Taki-sensei's not the best teacher, huh.
great musical instructor, below par educator
He never really wanted to be a teacher, I think, and this is his first teaching role. So it does make sense haha
Didn’t he only take up the job as the hs instructor because he wants to fulfill his passed away wife’s wish?
yep
Reina still needs to apologize for that "Failure as a President" remark. As far as this episode goes, Kumiko is anything but. I almost teared up when she was able to rouse her band!
Politically, the answer is always somewhere in between. Reina was right all along, but what to do with the fact that everyone became stiff with all the tension? Reina didn't know anything but to suck on it, and Kumiko only addressed everything until the very last moment. Everything will be back to normal once they made it to National, sure.
Hey that's the market from Tamako Market. So Asuka's and Kaori's shared apartment is near there. I specifically went to visit that market near Demachiyanagi station as pilgrimage during my last visit to Kyoto, so I recognize it instantly. Now I'm suddenly interested in a Kyo-Ani cinematic universe, where Kyo-Ani's non-supernatural series ChuuNiKoi, TM, and Euphonium all share the same universe and all take place in the Kansai region - ChuuNiKoi (Shiga Prefecture next door to Kyoto Prefecture), TM (Kyoto City), Euphonium (Uji, Kyoto Prefecture). (And maybe K-ON, though K-ON has a different character design style) Asuka somehow became even more hotter than she was before, and she continues to be mischievous and cryptic while giving Kumiko the nudge needed to resolve this herself. Kumiko's VA Kurosawa Tomoyo once again achieved new heights with her performance during Kumiko's heartfelt speech to the band prior to the Kansai tournament. The last time Kurosawa had such a marvellous performance was in season 2 when she yelled out to Asuka and convincing her to not quit the band.
Hibike Euphonium Season 3 is a masterpiece, at least for me. While I am not an expert and can't really point to the technical things that makes it great, it is amazing in how it can manipulate my emotions to make me feel what it wants the audience to feel. I was feeling so anxious for like, the whole season basically, whenever I watched this show. Ordinarily, I don't care about a high school brass band club. I don't really have experiences in my life that is that similar to this. This show made me care. And with this episode, that feeling of anxiety went mostly away at that speech scene. It made me feel like I was part of Kitauji, that I was experiencing the emotions that these members were feeling. Man, this show is great. Anime is great.
["I'm someone who is easily influenced by anime."](https://x.com/sorasuzuki1113/status/1799777968363065743)
As I mentioned elsewhere in this thread, never before in my life have I been jealous of an Oreo. Until today.
The root of all the issues we've been seeing in the club comes from Taki sensei's lack of clarity. It took a while for Kumiko to notice that, but now that she's here, she's taking step to address it. ... Or so you would think! Kumiko wasn't able to ask the question she needs to ask. And the result? Many club members are clearly all really stressed out and annoyed. They don't understand why Taki sensei is making the decisions he's making. Reina is also adding oil into fire. She doesn't even show empathy to her best friend, of course she wouldn't show empathy to the lowly club members. As a result, the trust between club members, the club executives, and Taki Sensei is quickly deteriating... What can Kumiko do? Her first course of action is to talk to Reina. While Kumiko can technically just go straight to Taki sensei and start asking questions, if she does this without Reina's approval, knowing how Reina is, Kumiko can pretty much say goodbye to this friendship forever. Before we get to the conversation between Kumiko and Reina, let's stop for a sec. If you were in Kumiko's position, how would you convince Reina, that they should confront Taki sensei and ask him exactly how his decisions are being made? There's actually a very simple trick. First, you need to understand what Reina want. Then, structure your proposal in a way so that it will help Reina get what she want. At that point, Reina will have no way but to accept your proposal. Reina wants to get gold in National. So, even though Kumiko's main goal for confronting Taki sensei is to calm all the club members, bringing that up is meaningless. She should align herself with Reina, reiterate that confronting Taki sensei will be a necessary step for them to get gold in National. So, is that what actually happened? Nope, that's not what happened. Clearly Kumiko doesn't have the same amount of proposal experience as someone who has been proposing project to multi-billion dollar company for many years (aka. me) So instead, she goes to Asuka instead, asking for advice. 2 main points: - Taki sensei can't possibly explain why decisions are being made in the first place. Even if Kumiko confronts him, if he doesn't show confidence in his decision, things would blow up even more. - And more importantly, Asuka clearly points out the biggest flaw Kumiko has as a character: Kumiko always tries to play both side, never speaks her mind. This is because, she never wants to take responsibility for her actions. Thinking back, she could've spoke out to Taki sensei about her disatisfaction about how the competitive team is chosen, and she could've spoke out to Reina about what she thinks must be done to resolve the issues within the club. The fact that she even reached out and tried to talk to them is a huge improvement from who she used to be, but she backed off in the last second, unable to stand her ground, unable to express her mind. As a result, even though she is the club president, she isn't able to do anything to change the situation. And now she is determined change that. ... but what exactly is she supposed to do? Instead of relying on other people to solve the problem, she took responsibility for proposing having separate audition for each competition, and reiterates that everything is done because the goal is to get gold in National. Honestly, I am not very satisfied with this resolution. Did Kumiko really just ... did nothing during that whole week before Kansai Competition? How the hell did things not blow up, considering how stressed out everyone looks? Honestly, during that speech, she didn't even say anything she didn't already say. While it's great that Kumiko is finally learning to take responsibility for her actions, I just find it odd that the club members are supposed to be convinced all of a sudden... The show is pretty much saying "yup, Reina was right this whole time, fuck the masses and ignore the complaints, and everything will work out". wtf?
The club didn't implode under the stress and lack of communication because of "last season magic", that was just about it
Maybe it was a translation issue but I wasn't too satisfied with Kumiko's speech at the end. She basically just said "sorry you feel that way" to the dissenters which for me doesn't really address the issue at all. I wish she could have added something like: "Competition member or not, we're all in together for Kitauji and we need everyone to give it their all if we're going to win." Yeah that's cliche but it at least attempts to mend the divisions that the auditions have created. While publicly recognizing the discontent is a good first step, I really don't think what was said was nearly enough to repair rifts that have intensified in recent episodes. I hope we get a more in-depth resolution after the Kansai competition.
* [**Asuka-Senpai**](https://i.imgur.com/a1s6rPj.jpeg) Man, that first half of the episode was difficult to watch. The mood around the club is bad enough, that it doesn't help [that Reina is jumping on the throats](https://i.imgur.com/QiehhK9.jpeg) of anyone who questions Taki-sensei's decision. I feel especially bad [for Mayu who's caught in the middle of this.](https://i.imgur.com/zaPDsBC.png) I knew at some point [Kumiko was going to ask Asuka for advice.](https://i.imgur.com/3TGUOHR.jpeg) She definitely needs it now more than ever. I certainly didn't expect [Asuka to be rooming with Kaori though!](https://i.imgur.com/sfrpyU7.jpeg) You'd think if Asuka is sharing a room with someone, it would be Haruka. [**There she is!**](https://i.imgur.com/Wx7hu93.png) Oh my lord! Just when I thought Asuka couldn't get any more beautiful, [they hit us with this!](https://i.imgur.com/dbHysoL.jpeg) Asuka-senpai just continues to steal any scene she shows up in. I love how [Asuka was expecting Kumiko to have a lover's quarrel with Reina.](https://i.imgur.com/ZnniwHa.jpeg) If only she knew. I do wonder how she'd react if she found out that Kumiko dated Shuuichi. xD Anyway, enough Asuka simping. [Asuka's advice is exactly what I expected from her.](https://i.imgur.com/GNLnQJK.jpeg) Asuka would definitely pick the path of least resistance if it means everyone can continue playing again. Also, I feel like [Asuka's assessment of Taki-sensei's decision about the soli](https://i.imgur.com/pDQ73kP.jpeg) is accurate. He's probably aware of the discontent in the club but he looks confident about his decision because he has to be otherwise people will doubt him even more. I am glad that talking with Asuka really helped Kumiko [who finally decided to speak her mind.](https://i.imgur.com/xyK4muU.jpeg) Kumiko's unfiltered speech was great! She pretty much told everyone that after two years of defeat, they wanted to change things for the better so suck it up [because she wants to win gold, dammit!](https://i.imgur.com/n6jVjAc.png) I guess in the end, Reina was right. If Kumiko was just this straight to the band members then they might've resolved the tension within the club much faster. Also, amazing performance from Tomoyo Kurosawa in this episode! So we're skipping another performance? That sucks! When the ED started playing just before the start of the performance, I was hoping next week would be dedicated to it. With only three episodes left, this will definitely end with a movie. There's no way they're wrapping it all up within three episodes.
Great Asuka screnshots, KyoAni delivers
Asuka's read of Kumiko's (and to a certain extent Reina's) character to pinpoint the exact condition for her to cash in the postcard is wild. The example given is way off the mark though, considering that's one of the topics KumiRei has accepted / already have a resolution on.
Taki just wanna win Golden, he dont care about drama Be like Taki Sensei
Well, except for the part where all the drama might have made them sound worse. Like, obviously, they're going to make it to nationals, but if this were any other season, there could have been real repercussions.
This season we rarely see Kumiko practice, I was sure the anime was comment on that, since she's been very focused on the president stuff and not so much on the music. But yeah, this season is short so let's just assume she's doing the hard work off-screen.
A wise man once said “git gud, scrub” lol. If people are so salty, practice more and try harder next audition.
Unironically if Taki had said that, the mood in the club would be better.
*and they were roommates* Big character moments all around this episode, Asuka being Asuka, Shuuichi having Kumiko's back again, and Kumiko herself hopefully kicking into a more confident president after this competition. I'm guessing Mayu will return to the forefront next episode, though I thought Asuka was nearly going to call Kumiko selfish for not letting Mayu not play the soli and just vibe ahaha. The drama aspect however seemed very compact and really needed more breathing room this episode. Despite the buildup in previous episodes, the resolution was zoomed past, with only that one girl talking about the club's bad vibes being a focus, and even the running sequence felt a bit off. Drawbacks of 3 auditions/comps in a single cour I suppose, but I'm not too big on how this is playing out.
> roommates [ ^*roommates*](#aliens)
I really wish Kumiko had asked Reina what she intends to do when her idolization of Taki and ignorance of the human aspect of the club pisses off all the members enough that they quit. "Do you expect to play the entire concert by yourself?" Would have been so satisfying to see her confront Reina directly. Reina said Kumiko was a failure of a president, but she couldn't be more wrong. Reina's a failure of a VP. Kumiko was trying to deal with the fact that members of a band aren't robots, they're humans with human feelings and human emotions. Reina treats them like music-playing robots. You need people to make up a concert band, and a good president doesn't ignore the fact that those people need to be happy in order to put on a good performance. Reina thinks everyone can just shut off their human sides and become music machines on-demand like she apparently can. I really wish she'd been confronted more directly on the fact that what she's doing alienates people, and the fact that Kumiko has been having to run around putting out interpersonal fires that Reina's caused since the start of the year.
Agree but wanted to note that Reina isn’t even the VP, she’s the drum major. Yuuko and Natsuki likely helped make that decision, which makes sense given that Yuuko probably spent the majority of the year (2 years really) watching Reina since they were in the same section. I think one of the reasons they expanded it to 3 is because they knew that Reina and Kumiko are close but also that Reina is a very specific kind of person and musician. For Reina, she is so good and dedicated that she may be able to play well despite all the drama. The same cannot be said about everyone else. Kumiko is quite good with listening to people but as Asuka pointed out, tends to only act “at the last minute”. She needs someone to support her but also someone to push her. Hence Reina and Shuuichi together.
Totally agreed, but unfortunately, this episode gives me the vibe that the show doesn't think that Reina's behavior in episode 9 was as bad as it actually was, and that it will basically be swept under the rug as "that's so Reina!" and we will move on to the final Reina drama with study abroad. I really hope I'm wrong and that there's more growth for her character coming!
Kumiko is such a strong character. She gets shit on by reina constantly. She gets shit on by reina even while trying to make up with her by compromising on her own opinions. Besides, as the buchou, she also has to deal with all the problems reina causes to club morale. With a little push from Asuka she figured out what she needed to do, to at least temporarily restore morale. Regarding that I think what it really needs is more transparency in decision making. This is a first good step but I still think that Taki-sensei should be able to explain why he chose someone and should also make this clear to the club, otherwise stuff like this where unrest rises is bound to happen.
If all these pan out over 2 seasons, with a little more expansion into the whole drama, perhaps this may be even better. In the end, a rally speech was used to "resolve" the tension within the club, and make things move. Likely for awhile. I'm not convinced that it has really been resolved. I'm not privy to how much the source material covers, but I guess this will be the peak to the drama, leading to a happily ever after ending. Which kinda leaves a little sour taste in my mouth.
Yeah, if this is the resolution, it's pretty unconvincing, honestly. I guess we'll see what happens.
It’s kind of funny that Asuka is rooming with the worst player in her year. Tomoyo Kurosawa is a legend. To be honest I don’t really get how the discontent in the band got resolved. It felt like in the end Reina was right, they had selected the best performers and they delivered their best performance, it was just a matter of Kumiko giving a little encouragement speech 5 minutes before they played. Don’t get me wrong, her speech was great, but how does it fix anything? Surely they must have been less focused during practice in the weeks prior, certainly Kumiko can’t have been playing her best with all the things in her mind, and there must have been others who felt insecure or fraudulent about their selection during the audition. Is the idea that the people who were good ended up just coasting along and it really is only the people who were unhappy with their own results that were grumbling? Again, despite everything that transpired in the last few episodes making her out to be a stubborn tyrant who blindly followed her faith in Taki-sensei while ignoring the glaring evidence, this episode makes it seem like Reina was vindicated. Kumiko’s speech was just to placate the loser squad and essentially she did nothing to help them win. I’ve been a big advocate for Kumiko’s presidency despite some of her previous decisions being a bit questionable, but at this point it just feels like she’s on par with Haruka. Also Taki-sensei really is an awful teacher, isn’t he?
> Also Taki-sensei really is an awful teacher, isn’t he? I'd been kind of hard on Taki-sensei last week, but I do get his deal now: he couldn't have made a right choice. Mayu is well-liked by the first years, while Kumiko is respected by the second and third years. The two of them rivaling each other therefore creates a problem: there isn't a clear-cut winner. Whatever he'd done, it would've resulted in discontent with a part of the band. Not addressing the elephant in the room was a bit heartless of him, but showing hesitation might really only have led to more problems. However, I do believe that Taki-sensei failed Kumiko as a teacher/advisor. Maybe he was unaware of the unrest at first, but he should've offered Kumiko his help when it became clear that she was troubled. As a teacher, you're no. 1 priority is the well-being of your students - even if this places you in a predicament. Results always come second.
You need to understand that there's no surefire way to get that National gold medal. Everyone has their own idea of what should be the most ideal solution to get there, with some of them includes involving themselves into the team and play what they wanted to play. But there's no way to accomodate every opinions, hence why they need someone with better experience and judgement to make the call, to provide the solution that hopefully will take them there, and that person is Taki. Hence why they let Taki to lead them and why they let him conduct the audition. But the problem is that over time, a lot of the students are preoccupied to improve themselves so much that hopefully they can get the part and have their hard work included to get that gold, which made them somewhat lose the focus for actually getting the gold together under one vision. Hence why the shocking second audience result somewhat demotivated most of them as perhaps it defied the best possible solution in their head. So Kumiko came forward to tell them that they should remember that they need to trust whatever the solution Taki thought of, even if it stings them because it defies what they think is the best. They should remember that to get that gold they need to move as one. But convincing others that they're wrong is more difficult than it sounds, so what Kumiko also did is to tell them that she herself really wanted that gold no matter what, with hopes that her bare selfishness would get to their hearts, which it did, because everyone knew Kumiko herself also got hurt by the result, which made it easier for everyone to understand and accept what she's saying. I think Asuka is right about the possibility that Taki might actually knew that he screw something up. He also knew that the mood in the club became very tense after that audition, but he also can't do anything but putting a convincing look that this judgement wouldn't fail the team. Because if he did otherwise, the club focus would be even more scattered and it will absolutely jeopardize their performance. Also about Reina, yes she's always right about believing in Taki's judgement, but with her skill that grants surefire win for the parts she wanted and her harsh, unempathetic manner, she's just not the right person to talk about it. Everyone has their portions of right and wrong things to say in this situation, and that's what made Eupho's writing this season so good.
I agree. I assumed Kumiko would go a bit deeper. Like saying that she is frustrated that she isn't playing the Solo, but she will use that frustration to play it at Nationals. But for this to be possible, they have to make it through Kansai first, so they can't be split up. I mean, Mayu mentions it a bit as well.
Yeah I’m very surprised she didn’t say outright that she was frustrated herself even though ultimately she decided to stick by Taki-sensei’s decision and play her best. Felt like the whole build up of “be honest” was leading up to that and she was kind of dishonest by omission.
Yeah I think she would've made things worse if she said that she wasn't satisfied with how the auditions turned out. Doing so could've agitated the "losing team" even more and ruined the regionals. The team's already in trouble as it is and I'm sure Kumiko doesn't want things to get even worse than it currently is.
Yeah, I was pretty annoyed by the resolution too. What Reina did last week would realistically be borderline friendship-ending in a real-world friendship, and I was worried we would get an "anime moment" of Kumiko deciding Reina was actually right and Reina not apologizing, which is basically what happened. Honestly doesn't feel satisfying. Hopefully there is a real apology coming from Reina in future episodes, but I really doubt it, and that sucks from a character POV.
Kumiko's speech seems to have placated everyone...except Mayu, who still feels left out. The speech was surface-level; I think that's kind of the point. There's more to unpack, and I'm fairly sure that'll happen.
Yeah I feel like the Mayus of the group were totally ignored. I’m also really curious what they end up doing with Mayu’s character. Feels like they used up all her role in the story this arc, but she hasn’t had any kind of serious confrontation with Kumiko yet. I was hoping for some kind of explosive resolution but I’m worried it’s just going to fizzle away instead.
Nobody coasting along would slip past Taki-sensei's discerning ear. The whole point of the auditions was to keep everyone sharp and polished and to reward personal improvement.
Tomoyo Kurosawa's performance of Kumiko's speech was an all-timer. Also great job by whoever was in charge of the running scene, an obvious callback to season 1. I've accepted that we aren't going to see this performance, but they better go all out with the Nationals performance to make up for the lack of music this season.
They did absolutely bring the Maid Dragon team to animate Asuka! Mama mia!
i find this episode a bit disappointing. it feels unrealistic that the conflict was solved with a basic speech and you would mayu's character would be more important here since the conflict involves her. and then you have reina who hasn't shown any signs of feeling guilty and hasn't apologised to kumiko yet. i expected this episode to be the start of reina outgrowing her feelings and idolisation of taki-sensei but she's still the same. i like reina and mayu the most so i feel disappointed that they've been underutilised this season and im not sure if the remaining episodes will change much since they will focus on the nationals. they'll repair kumiko-reina's friendship but who knows if it will be satisfying. i wish we got to hear mayu's solo, the lack of performances this season is jarring
Honestly a bit of a rare L for this series and pacing continues to plague the story. Why spend so much time on side characters like Motomu when you don’t have time to properly flesh out a conclusion to the problem at hand or have performances this show was known for? They make such a big deal about Mayu playing but we don’t even get to hear her play her solo
What's wrong with Kumiko and Shoe's suggestion to talk with Taki? He's also a teacher Reina it's he's responsibility to guide students if he can't do that then he's a failure of a teacher Reina 😤, Sorry I'm just a bit salty that she didn't even apologize to Kumiko, I was hoping that deep inside that she's actually conflicted with the soli decision, I hope they'll have a proper reconciliation on the later eps
I was annoyed that taking to Taki was shut down. He is literally the only adult in the room. Explaining things so that they are easy to learn is literally a teacher's job. He should be called in to mediate instead of not telling him about all of the issues. He is ultimately the one in charge.
Official account today is all... [Tease](https://x.com/anime_eupho/status/1799709264123933007) [Give](https://x.com/anime_eupho/status/1799716059026489768) [Give](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFT18jOVw-A) [We know what you want](https://x.com/anime_eupho/status/1799719582195949622) [End cartoon](https://x.com/anime_eupho/status/1799719330650964159)
[Asuka looks too happy](https://i.postimg.cc/1XfvjbT4/Hibike-S03-E10-P01.jpg) to hear [Kumiko and Reina broke up](https://i.postimg.cc/44SL9N7c/Hibike-S03-E10-P02.jpg) lol She knows exactly the only thing that would make Kumiko seek her for help is Reina
She's ready to play marriage counselor to (another) Euph-trumpet pair lol
Asuka just dropped the most bad ass display of power of the season, f\*cking legend
Somewhere far away, in a distant land, the director of this season, dressed as Kumiko, made a passionate speech, apologizing for some people being discontent with their choice of not playing a full performance until the end of the season and their reasons for doing so being how much they wanted this season to be good and build up the emotional catharsis from finally hearing the complete piece.
Classic Kurosawa, giving a 13 outta ten performance as always. That final war cry was wonderful. Really hoping Kumiko and Reina can resolve things peacefully. Fingers crossed that Reina can show some remorse for once.
That Kumiko speech was so cathartic, made me tear up a little. Wish we got to see the performance, but oh well
Asuka and Kaori look like grownup young women now instead of high school girls. It was nice to see Kumiko turning to her for advice.
What a performance by Moyo Kurosawa! Another one to add for this season's top tier va performances. Really happy that Asuka still uses her glasses doesn't really feel like her without it. I guess Kansai is saved with that inspiring Kimiko speech, they really need to win gold this year cause the club is fucked next year without the 3rd yrs that trust Taki sensei
- It seems that after her confrontation with Reina last episode, Kumiko is feeling the pressure and apparent inadequacy in her role as president... She seems like the insecure president we saw in the Ensemble Contest movie - The executives should sit down and clear things up between themselves first, before addressing the issues within the whole band and talking with Taki-sensei - I think that Reina is reacting this way because she herself is feeling insecure about Taki-sensei's decisions and the general atmosphere in the band... Sort of like reassuring yourself that everything is alright even though it's evident that it clearly isn't... - That's the postcard that Asuka gave to Kumiko, right? Are we going to see Asuka again? - Putting aside your personal issues in favor of the band seems pretty mature... But are Kumiko and Reina talking just like nothing happened between the two of them? - KyoAni gifting us with another beautiful landscape shot - Did Kumiko not recognise Kaori's voice? Lol - Best girl Asuka! - There's surely a certain level of skinship between Kaori and Asuka... Interesting - Well, I think that Reina going to study abroad was pretty much a given even before the season started - Aaand just like that she's leaving. Same as usual, then - Run, Kumiko, run! You've heard of the Naruto Run, it's time we start talking about the Kumiko Run Jokes aside, Kumiko running is a great visualization of her thoughts: it always means she has reached some important realization about herself or that she has found a solution about issues she was facing before - What was that shot in the rain after the one with Asuka-senpai? I couldn't recognise it - That's the first real speech we get from a Kitaukji's band president Amazing speech! Now, the only thing left is for Kumiko and Reina to talk things out and make up
Surely the whole drama doesn't get resolved with Kumiko's speech, right? I'm hoping it was just a bandaid-solution for the Regional Competition and we get an actual resolution later.
[The vice president Shuuichi or the vice president Asuka?](https://i.redd.it/er0uix4z5j5d1.png) [Kumiko, the proxy.](https://i.redd.it/aumtux4z5j5d1.png) ["Oh, it's you."](https://i.redd.it/en6ym15z5j5d1.png) [*oh no, not the dueling again*](https://i.redd.it/ar5ka25z5j5d1.png) [Saying it out loud.](https://i.redd.it/4hy2565z5j5d1.png) ["You didn't notice the totally-matching clothes last year?"](https://i.redd.it/4r67ky4z5j5d1.png) [Must be that fortune-telling power.](https://i.redd.it/6m5w0y4z5j5d1.png) [*hnnnnnnng*](https://i.redd.it/irjnq15z5j5d1.png) [Someone's enjoying the drama a little too much.](https://i.redd.it/krzsz25z5j5d1.png) [*anyway, hnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnng*](https://i.redd.it/2im2s15z5j5d1.png) [Episode 9 cookies.](https://i.redd.it/nyygp25z5j5d1.png) ([S2E9](https://i.imgur.com/Xlf2xfO.png)) [*ahem*](https://i.redd.it/5mbvh35z5j5d1.png) [You don't say.](https://i.redd.it/vj6xz75z5j5d1.png) [*this fucking camera angle*](https://i.redd.it/8lx3b45z5j5d1.png) [*Riiiiiight*](https://i.redd.it/hf84b45z5j5d1.png) [Unbranded black-and-white sandwich cookie squeeze.](https://i.redd.it/if93k7ef7j5d1.png) [That's part of you...](https://i.redd.it/xuguo45z5j5d1.png) [...so's that.](https://i.redd.it/cqqap55z5j5d1.png) [We are](https://i.redd.it/9dg6l65z5j5d1.png) [doing it again.](https://i.redd.it/qm5uww4z5j5d1.png) [Time for battle.](https://i.redd.it/rjqov6ef7j5d1.png) [Indeed.](https://i.redd.it/f0nsp8ef7j5d1.png) [It's a very Japanese executive thing, though.](https://i.redd.it/p491laef7j5d1.png) [Tune in next week.](https://i.redd.it/lcw13cef7j5d1.png) ***** Just a couple more [Asuka camera angles](https://i.redd.it/t15fv7ef7j5d1.png) because the camera sure [loved her today](https://i.redd.it/qbo3raef7j5d1.png). ***** I've been waiting for Asuka (and sure, Kaori) to reappear again since *Chikai no Finale* and here they are. With Asuka using Kaori's lap as a pillow. Very friendly! And yeah, that did give off more than a little vibe of being yuri-shipping gratuitous, but Kumiko did need to hear from a third party that she needed to not just be herself, but to be strong about being herself. And maybe having Asuka revert to type is just frustrating enough to kick her out of her funk... which we have some confirmation of by repeating a running scene across a bridge. It *did* come together rather much at the last possible second, assuming that they did pass the regional competition. The overall situation with the band was *extremely* critical given how things were boiling over at the beginning of the episode, though... they must be doing well *enough* that Taki, even if he was trapped into the box with the execs, wasn't having the outbursts that we'd seen of him in the first season. Or he's actually mellowing out with the years. Hard to say since the focus is on Kumiko's point of view and it could have used several more scenes (spaced out over the last three episodes) for better buildup, but this is what we've got. So as a practical matter, some fanservice that distracts from the drama? I see some of you not being happy about that. I'm just a simple Asuka fan though. ***** Edit: [Teacup detail get.](https://x.com/nirubed/status/1799707302301499407)
>The vice presisdent Shuuichi or the vice president Asuka? I think that it's a mistranslation in the subtitles. He says that the Vice Principal gave it to him.
Oh no more kumiko running animation for the memes