You know, on the one hand you make a good case for how much Kumiko and Reina are growing.

On the other hand, one of the things I actually thought was super interesting about season 1 was how much it actually rejected a lot of the typical communal social values that you usually see in anime. The band as a group gets better, but not everyone likes everyone, and Kumiko and then Reina cause waves by competing for solos and parts in the band instead of just valuing what their seniors want. Kumiko and Reina both want to be great, and part of that quest for improvement isn't just improving themselves but being better than others, beating them out for the top spot, even if they're on your team. And we'd get that in the personal drama too, like when Reina gets really annoyed at that twin-tails girl she goes outside and yells to herself about what a bitch she is. It's easy to overlook but it's really pretty subversive, that's not how most Japanese fiction values behaving in a group.

Kumiko's quest so far in season 2 seems much more typical, she's trying to find a solution that'll settle everyone down, soothe hurt feelings, and help the group. It'll be interesting to see how the story handles it and if it plays with Kumiko's role as peacemaker at all.

Ah, I wasn't thinking of the social expections/rules part, just the casual ish interactions, but yeah, half or more of the drama was built on that.
Ah but yknow, one doesn't exclude the other. Even if Kumiko's like, a 'warmer' person now, it doesn't mean that she's adapting to the general values, it doesn't change that she'd still challenge that line of thought (like when it seemed like Nozomi-senpai was disapproving of Kumiko and Natsuki's position 'reversal'). Idk what Kumiko did before, when the salty senpai in middle school bitched her out. I can't imagine that she'd actually give up her position for an angry senpai, just like, maybe avoid her and awkwardly and silently take in that bitterness without retorting a word, because she felt like it was in a way, wrong of her, to get a spot. I think she felt guilty, and when it happened with Natsuki-senpai again, once again felt dread. She knows she worked hard for it, therefore it makes sense, she earned it, but that overwhelming feeling of fear is still there. Natsuki inviting her out and personally speaking to her was great, it helped soothe her angst about it, so much she legit cried of relief. It was such a huge pressure on her.

But Reina didn't get the same 'route'.
Reina didn't have it as easy (not that Kumiko had it easy, it was still quite harsh) and received such discrimination. Kaori is a third year, and was probably the best trumpeter before Reina joined. We know it isn't so, but from Yuuko (ribbon-senpai)'s pov, especially after finding out that Taki-sensei knew Reina beforehand, it could have very well been "favouritism". Even at the actual audition, Reina was clearly better, but it was still super awkward for everyone, and they voted/applauded according to what they felt was 'right'/what they should do.
Kumiko being more open around others now won't make her a sheep/aim for general peace, seeing her give Reina an actual standing ovation is a good example at that. It's most like, perhaps previously, she would've gone with the herd, lie low like she always did, but she really stood for what she believed to be just. I remember when she had a private talk with Yuuko, and was honest about to her about her support of Reina. The Kumiko before wouldn't have admitted that, maybe even would have tried not to form an opinion about it at all.
It's interesting that while some opinions/positions are obvious conflicts and create tension among the members, no one is like, an actual/clear antagonist. Like the closest was Yuuko being really emotional and salty about the audition, but even now, thanks to episode 1/Mizore asking about it, we see that there aren't any hard feelings left, which I thought was refreshing.
Kumiko was still super awkward tho, but that's just how she is, and idk, how ppl can be. Sometimes things are just awkward, and it's normal to want to avoid that.

I think Kumiko trying to find out what she can do for Nozomi-senpai, has more to do with sympathising with her passion for flute and concert band. Even if she is, technically, aiming for settling people, I think what's most important is that given that she feels this way, that she's really going through with it. She doesn't have to, plus like, how everyone she has to talk to is like, a senpai. She's still going against the current for her personal beliefs/feelings.

last edited at Oct 12, 2016 9:54PM

Btw, did anyone else notice that basically, every time Reina shows up in a "special" outfit (or is just animated in a way that highlights her beauty/is important to the scene), Kumiko reacting to her is like, a must?
It's like whenever Reina is being drop dead gorgeous, (except that time with the swimsuits, cus Midori reacted too), Kumiko's the only one there who witnesses it, or, regardless of if they're alone together or not, she's the only one who visibly reacts and her behaviour is like, one of the main "hints" to the viewers that yes Reina is being especially gorgeous during this scene.
You know when sometimes, there's something happening (how vague..) and there's like, a character people identify/relate with more? Hmm, the first thing I have in mind is what I heard some call "self inserts", in those ecchi harem anime. A really plain and boring mc, but a dude among the girls, so the male viewers identify with him.
Well, the impression I get sometimes/most of the time is that Kumiko reflects the wonder we're supposed to feel, during those Reina scenes. Like, we feel "whoa", and she also feels "whoa", and before we even feel that, her reacting that way is like, an indication that Kyoani was trying to go for a feeling of "whoa" when they made that scene.
I think it's interesting that, rather often when I'm just admiring Reina's face, Kumiko's likely doing the same.

What I remember:
Marching band outfit
The hair flip
Marching band day
Mountain hike part 1
Mountain hike part 2
Second confession
Yukata/Second festival
Swimsuit

It's just that so often, we see Kumiko stare at Reina with such wonder and fascination, and I feel the same, and I'm just ??? Does no one else within the story see this??? (see how gorgeous Reina is, but I guess that 1. They really are mostly alone and 2. someone would have spotted Kumiko staring at her that way by now) And I guess that swimsuits one is kinda an exception, Kumiko's (and Midori's) reaction is more like comic relief. The rest of the time, Kumiko just stares at her like time had stopped. She's legit so not subtle, Reina's aware of like, every time she did this (except during the day of the marching band thing I guess, they were like, really far apart yet Kumiko still spotted Reina and stared)

last edited at Oct 12, 2016 10:50PM

Yeah, the whole romance angle has really been done through like how scenes are shot and arranged, it's less about the things they actually say.

Like one of the visual things that was simultaneously subtle yet really, obviously purposeful has been Reina and Kumiko's body language when they're alone vs. when they're with Kumiko's friends.

When they're with friends, they maintain the same (rather distant, actually) personal space as everyone else. And the way the images are composed really intentionally highlight that separation - 1 2 3

But when they're alone, there's an immediate difference, no separation of personal space at all 1 2 3

And like you mentioned, the show makes heavy use out of perspective shots to push Kumiko's attraction to Reina. That's typically something like an A-B-A sequence - A: we see Kumiko looking at something, B: we cut to what she's looking at, A: we cut back to Kumiko's response to what she's looking at. Pretty much all of the "objectifying" shots in the whole first season aren't just done for fanservice, they're the B shots of Kumiko checking out Reina (and occasionally vice versa).

Which I mean, like, that's all really normal visual language to use in a romance. The weird thing with Hibike is that the script itself is rarely admitting a thing, while the visuals themselves seem to have a completely different idea about matters.

last edited at Oct 12, 2016 11:20PM

Ahh that's really cool, the screenshots comparing the distance between them, Like, in a way I've noticed, but it was more of a vague impression, and not as concrete as to demonstrate it through those shots.

Which I mean, like, that's all really normal visual language to use in a romance. The weird thing with Hibike is that the script itself is rarely admitting a thing, while the visuals themselves seem to have a completely different idea about matters.

Yeaahh I feel the same. The most "factual" thing you could state about them would be like, that they're close friends. But that just makes it feel so odd, because the way their entire relationship is built up in the anime, is often deeply romantic connotation. You can argue that there's a playfulness and casualness in their relationship that friends in general have ofc, but it doesn't magically make all those other more "ambiguous" scenes disappear.
It really begs the question of what extent is this queerbaiting, or just the usual subtext that's pretty often seen between some female characters.
What has me pretty puzzled at times tho, is why. Why did they even write it/animate it this way? Rather than Shuichi being the one Kumiko holds hands with at the end of ep 13, they even went out of their way to replace him with Reina. Like, that's a very significant change. I just wonder what the director/writers/storyboarders must have thought. Can you imagine, picking up a novel series for adaptation. They must like/believe in the potential of the story/series (the people who proposed it, the people who gave the ok, they must've, yknow, read it, liked it)
To think that they took the canon main pairing and...? Made Kumiko significantly more indifferent to Shuichi than she was likely written as, in the novels.
I don't know how close Reina and Kumiko are shown to be in the novels, but wow, the way it's shown in the anime tho. They're really... intense friends sometimes.

last edited at Oct 13, 2016 2:01AM

Like, the thing to me is that if you read them as just friends you're just left with a ton of questions. If you read them as yeah, they're totally dating, or at least in sort of that teenage not-quite-officially-dating-but-definitely-a-thing relationship? They totally make sense. Kumiko's got her friends, and she acts one way with them, and she's got her girlfriend, and she acts more intimately with her. Remove like, two lines from Reina about Taki-senseii and the entire rest of the story works on that interpretation. Add in those two lines, and Kumiko's (lack of) reaction to them, and it's like... What the hell is this relationship exactly?

last edited at Oct 13, 2016 1:55AM

It's just a phase.

That was perfect. I took a peek into this discussion and the latest comment I see is "it's just a phase." That couldn't have been more perfectly timed.

Aaaaand episode 2 goes right back to, "teehee, what, no, we're just friends!"

Goddamn it KyoAni

Yeah... I think the same. To put it in a few words, last season was more romantic than "just a friends", but the "I love Taki sensei" thing was a bit weird, so the relationship was ambiguous. In this second season, the last chapter first half was ambiguous and the second half their relationship was romantic 100% (can't read the mood the other form) and zero platonic. In this second chapter, without any doubt the romantic mood zeroed, their relationship down to in a friend zone without reasons, as if they had been always just friends. And so the next piece begins... lol

I think Kyoani have nothing clear how to adapt this novel. They go through all to nothing. Novel was at least more homogeneous. Hibike! Euphonium has a several identity crisis.

I think this episode was purely fan service with little development on the side. The cliché we need to go to the beach and Wear bikini episode just like every single anime in existence. Plus when kumiko recalls her conversation with the girl that wants to rejoin on the beach; the "camera" focuses from that girls boobs and then upwards. Unless, Kyotoani confirm that kumiko is gay and has things for girls boobs that camera shot was completely unnecessary.

After this episode I lowkey ship Mizore and Nozomi. Also Mizore has now replaced Reina as the best kuudere in school.

I don't know how close Reina and Kumiko are shown to be in the novels, but wow, the way it's shown in the anime tho. They're really... intense friends sometimes

They are almost as close as they are in anime. All this yuribait is not just made up out of thin air. It is well based on the novels. Also in the novels at that bed scene they ended up interlocking their hands. In the anime they just high fived.
Only thing that is gayer from the anime is how indifferent Kumiko is to Shuichi. In the novels there are hints she is inerested but doesn't want to admit it.
Reina's crush on Taki is treated like a joke in this episode though. Makes no justice for her character tbh.

I feel like the author of the novels just wrote this as a way to prove that even the seemingly gayest girls are actually straight and it's just a phase. Well, that's the most frustrating thing of the novel. If you wanna go straight, good for you, great. Just don't try to pretend this is how straight friends act.

It's just a phase.

It's just a bait.

last edited at Oct 13, 2016 5:37PM

It's just a phase.

It's just a bait.

It's not a tumor!

Episode 3 more taki-sensei crap, please hurry up and break reina's crush so we can get more ReinaXKumiko. I did hear a rumour that kyotoani wanted yuri but the author of the light novel wanted the het so season 3 will be het out of the arse. :(

Episode 3 more taki-sensei crap, please hurry up and break reina's crush so we can get more ReinaXKumiko. I did hear a rumour that kyotoani wanted yuri but the author of the light novel wanted the het so season 3 will be het out of the arse. :(

Nah I don't think this is true. KyoAni never said they want yuri. If they really want, they are not obligated to make it het, since this is their production.
It's just that the author was insisting about it being not yuri on the novels, not the anime.
I don't think this will be yuri anyway, but since they cut a lot of Shuichi moments so far, I think it might be open ending. Which I'd prefer instead of het.
Truth to be told, a lot of viewers watch this for Kumiko x Reina, even though the show has a lot of other good qualities. I think Kyoani knows that too. Also Ratings in episode 2 dropped lol. Wouldn't be suprised if that's because of the Taki plot lol.
Besides, that makes Reina's character seem silly. The way she acts about her crush is just making her look funny in a bad way. She doesn't have a chance with him anyway, and it's a turn off from her usual cool character.

Episode 3 was good. I don't know why some people say Asuka is a b!tch, she is one of my favorite characters. I liked the reason why she wouldn't allow Nozomi to enter again in the band. And I also like Kumiko, which is refreshing since I see a lot of bland main characters. She is a good leading character and keeps the story flowing, not a boring self insert.
Also it's interesting to see why Mizore actually hates Nozomi this much. Seems like some type of trauma.

Episode 3 was good. I don't know why some people say Asuka is a b!tch, she is one of my favorite characters. I liked the reason why she wouldn't allow Nozomi to enter again in the band.

Her reason for not allowing her in the band is a legitimate one, what annoyed people was the condescending attitude she showed when asked about it.

Her reason for not allowing her in the band is a legitimate one, what annoyed people was the condescending attitude she showed when asked about it.

Her attitude was condescending, but this is not a reason to get disliked so much. Everyone has a bad side in them, and I prefer this instead of the naive moe type of characters we often see. Makes her feeel more realistic instead of cartoony.
I think some people are a bit sensitive in this particular type of attitude, it automatically makes Asuka the worst. I've been reading this for her during season 1 too. But I still don't see why she is so bad.
She just cares for the competition and music more. It's not bad to not get too involved in other people's drama.

Episode 3 was good. I don't know why some people say Asuka is a b!tch, she is one of my favorite characters. I liked the reason why she wouldn't allow Nozomi to enter again in the band.

Her reason for not allowing her in the band is a legitimate one, what annoyed people was the condescending attitude she showed when asked about it.

If you mean towards Nozomi, I think she had to, to mislead Nozomi into thinking it's personal, when it's actually unrelated to Asuka's personal feelings at all. It actually has nothing to do with Asuka, but Nozomi insists on her acknowledgement, which puts her in a bad position, because she knows that Nozomi legit joining will compromise the band.
I really wonder what Mizore's issues are though, it's really interesting. From the flashbacks, they do see to be good friends, just as Nozomi remembers. It's especially striking that it isn't something Nozomi is aware of, that likely from their promise, Mizore is still in the band from some kind of leftover feelings from that time. Ep 3 was juicy af in terms of gossipy drama =w=
Agh, the ship is pretty much dead tbh. Reina liking Taki-sensei doesn't change anything, we know she's gonna get rekt'd, but what really got to me is Reina assuming that Kumiko's been sneaking out to go see Shuichi the whole time.
When they hiked up the mountain in season 1, Reina asking if her interest in the festival was related to 'Tsukamoto', and then smiling when Kumiko denied it was pretty ambiguous. On one hand, you could easily interpret it as ship fuel, that Reina is happy/relieved that it isn't about the guy, but on the other hand, it could be Reina smiling cus she thinks that Kumiko's 'denial' is cute ==
Gdi Reina no ew, Kumiko hasn't been sneaking off for that fuck, she's been advancing the plot for fuck's sake
It super tilted me, Shuichi got legit one line this entire episode, just some unimportant remark, yet his presence was the heaviest that one time Reina mentioned his stupid ass. So much salt tbh

I'm still enjoying the show tho. I feel like I've pretty much accepted the het/possible open ending, and as of now, I'm freely enjoying the characters, the humour, and the drama. The drama's good shit too, it isn't intense, it's just like, this passive, sometimes aggressive feeling in the background, and it's interesting. Oh, I almost didn't understand it but Kumiko being asked to play the part in the piece is great, I had forgotten that Taki-sensei had initially asked Asuka to play it on her own cus Kumiko wasn't good enough. Hazuki, Midori and Reina looking at her, smiling in support was a super nice touch. I'm super proud of her too :') Kumiko's friendship with Reina was still sweet in this ep, it was endearing. Reina is still gorgeous ofc

I'm surprised no one mentioned how fucking hilarious episode 3 was, the shit Kumiko did lmao
Not only did she eavesdrop, but she completely failed at it and just

Plus the "I don't hate you, I just don't like you..."
I swear I was just burying my face in my pillow at this point, practically wheezing
I'm surprised that Yuuko still thinks Kaori should've played, which sorta rubbed me the wrong way, but in a way, I respect her feelings, her determination. It's how she is after all.
Even if some characters enter in conflict with other, I like that fundamentally, there aren't any antagonists, just obstacles at most, along with how they work through their issues too.

I don't know much about music, the way it can sound, but when the new male teacher was criticising Mizore, I felt so much frustration. I felt like his criticism contradicted his initial praise. She plays well but she doesn't play with feeling or something? So, idk about music, but why does it just sound like such bullshit? I feel like he's saying all these pretty inspirational words, but that fundamentally, it doesn't mean anything at all, even though, regarding the one character that is super expressionless, I wouldn't be surprised if she happened to play 'like a robot'. I know they always do that, but it feels really awkward/humiliating to me tbh, every time someone is called out and criticised in front of all the others.

EDIT: Someone commented on how, when Reina asked about 'Tsukamoto', it could be jealousy. Well, lol that'd be funny. My hopes for the ship is pretty much rock bottom, where the ship had sunk, but like idk, that'd be kinda funny. I did think that, when Kumiko sneaked back to bed, how Reina was actually awake (low key waiting for her? We see how tired she was after she falls back asleep super fast, she could've been waiting for Kumiko) and asked her where she went, that it was low key clingy-gf-behaviour, tho it is pretty normal to wonder where she went. Funny interpretation nonetheless

last edited at Oct 21, 2016 2:27PM

Agh, the ship is pretty much dead tbh. Reina liking Taki-sensei doesn't change anything, we know she's gonna get rekt'd, but what really got to me is Reina assuming that Kumiko's been sneaking out to go see Shuichi the whole time.
When they hiked up the mountain in season 1, Reina asking if her interest in the festival was related to 'Tsukamoto', and then smiling when Kumiko denied it was pretty ambiguous. On one hand, you could easily interpret it as ship fuel, that Reina is happy/relieved that it isn't about the guy, but on the other hand, it could be Reina smiling cus she thinks that Kumiko's 'denial' is cute

I don't think a couple of episodes of unrequired schoolgirl crush are enough to forget all the moments between KumiRei. Reina asking about Shuichi seems actually good to me regarding the ship, especially between these episodes of Taki-crushing. I don't think she is trying to push Kumiko with him. If it means anything, it could very well be mild jealousy.

Gdi Reina no ew, Kumiko hasn't been sneaking off for that fuck, she's been advancing the plot for fuck's sake

Lmao. I find the Taki-crushing frankly ridiculous, though perhaps important just to inject a little more drama into the plot. Shuichi's continued inclusion is laughable. I mean just from a writing standpoint I don't think male characters really belong in this story outside of the teacher.

Agh, the ship is pretty much dead tbh. Reina liking Taki-sensei doesn't change anything, we know she's gonna get rekt'd, but what really got to me is Reina assuming that Kumiko's been sneaking out to go see Shuichi the whole time.
When they hiked up the mountain in season 1, Reina asking if her interest in the festival was related to 'Tsukamoto', and then smiling when Kumiko denied it was pretty ambiguous. On one hand, you could easily interpret it as ship fuel, that Reina is happy/relieved that it isn't about the guy, but on the other hand, it could be Reina smiling cus she thinks that Kumiko's 'denial' is cute

I don't think a couple of episodes of unrequired schoolgirl crush are enough to forget all the moments between KumiRei. Reina asking about Shuichi seems actually good to me regarding the ship, especially between these episodes of Taki-crushing. I don't think she is trying to push Kumiko with him. If it means anything, it could very well be mild jealousy.

They can easily brush everything off tbh (｡•́︿•̀｡)
I'm keeping my hopes as low as I can, het becoming canon would hit me so hard

Tatsuya Ishihara ( The director of the anime ) said in an interview that Kumiko & Reina might get together in future episodes. He goes on and says he want's to "Expand" on their relationship on how it could "evolve into something more"
You can read the interview right here

last edited at Mar 13, 2017 7:49PM

Tatsuya Ishihara ( The director of the anime ) said in an interview that Kumiko & Reina might get together in future episodes. He goes on and says he want's to "Expand" on their relationship on how it could "evolve into something more"
You can read the interview right here

Just because the anime didn't meet your expectations, doesn't mean you should mock those who do enjoy it.
You don't have to be such a dick about it

last edited at Oct 23, 2016 12:16AM

Tatsuya Ishihara ( The director of the anime ) said in an interview that Kumiko & Reina might get together in future episodes. He goes on and says he want's to "Expand" on their relationship on how it could "evolve into something more"
You can read the interview right here

Yeah, okay. That's a dick move, considering.

Stay out of this discussion from here on.

Tatsuya Ishihara ( The director of the anime ) said in an interview that Kumiko & Reina might get together in future episodes. He goes on and says he want's to "Expand" on their relationship on how it could "evolve into something more"
You can read the interview right here

Just because the anime didn't meet your expectations, doesn't mean you should mock those who do enjoy it.

It wasn't intended to be a mockery of those who enjoy the anime. If people enjoy this anime thats fine, They can enjoy it if they want to. It was just a rick-roll, Damn