An Excellent Ensemble- Sound! Euphonium

 

When it comes to anime that has music as its central theme, “Nodame Cantabile” springs immediately to mind, and encapsulates a wonderful tale of two music school students whose eccentricities bring them closer together as individuals and eventually, as a couple.  This franchise spans 3 different anime series, several live action movies, a manga series, and a television drama series.  Classical music had previously been an interest of mine, though thanks to a combination of circumstances (mainly the incompetence of my second high school music instructor and my family seeing practicing music as a way of relaxation instead of dedication) my interest had waned by the time I entered college.  I had heard great things about the series “Sound! Euphonium” but did not have the chance to watch it until it was shown in anime club.  Did they make a right choice by selecting it as one of the shows in their lineup?

 

 

“Sound! Euphonium” differs from “Nodame Cantabile” in that it focuses on an entire group of musicians rather than two main characters, and romance is very much second fiddle rather than a central element of the series.  Now, since “Sound! Euphonium” takes place during high school rather than college like in “Nodame Cantabile,” this series holds a much stronger connection to me due to my aforementioned background.  However, even had I not had this background, the series would have grown on me, as when viewed from a technological standpoint, it is easy to became entranced by the series.  Despite slightly above-average drawings and character designs and details, the time spent with the series allows one to really appreciate and become entranced by the gorgeous backgrounds.  Brilliant lighting with excruciating details in the most unexpected settings allow them to pop and become truly expressive and alive.  The shading and lighting pair very well with the series’ wavering and transitioning mood, from frozen distrust to warm sympathy to outright anger.  While the musical score of the series is the complete opposite of “Nodame Cantabile” in that it does not focus on the classical pieces and composers themselves, the mood also is put on center stage in “Sound! Euphonium” through the tone of the band’s music.  One can hear things such as emotion and drama through the difference in technical skills of each student, and one does not even need to be a music student or major in order to hear and realize the difference.

 

The characters worked very well with each other, with solid and consistent personalities.  The character who leaves the strongest impression is the upbeat euphonium player Asuka, who serves as section leader to the main character, the very soft-spoken Kumiko.  However, due to the focus on characters throughout the series and the way “Sound! Euphonium” stacks character development, both the side characters and Kumiko are able to stand out from each other yet still maintain a great sense of balance between main and side characters.  The story itself makes excellent use of past events, dishing them out steadily so that one keeps needing to watch the series to get the full picture of what caused the band to fall from grace, and past events are revealed at just the perfect interval to coincide with events in the current timeline.  Now, this is not a series where each episode focuses on a specific character or a specific instrument, but instead the series pursues a more complex method of storytelling and is able to weave each character in by having him or her (3/4, if not more, of characters in “Sound! Euphonium” are female) interact with others throughout the series, which results in more solidified characters through the use of reinforcement.  Dialogue is woven into the series in a way that allows it to move along at a steady, but somewhat slow, pace, and in taking its time, the series allows one to be encapsulated and become appreciative of the series’ mood and individual struggles of each character.  It comes naturally, with each line being able to build off what came before it, so the plot is able to be subtlely steered.  Practice makes perfect, of course, and despite the inherent gradual improvement rather than sharp plot progression of the band itself, the series does manage to come up with moments of drama and shock.  For instance, during accusations of favoritism from the instructor, Mr. Taki, or outbursts from trumpet player Reina.  The events that create the angst and drama are extremely relatable and realistic so just the dialogue itself is enough to accentuate the feeling, but what the series also does well is in the follow-up.  Angst and drama are resolved in realistic and sensible manners which do not feel anticlimactic or over-the-top but one can still feel the tension previously there.  This is a series that rides on desires and passions that manifest themselves organically in the characters:  the sense of desire, passion, righteousness, hard work and struggles to turn around a group that was previously scarred and torn apart by infighting.  Each episode is timed so that it ends on a hanging note that leave the viewer wanting for more, but lo and behold, there is a proper ending at the series’ conclusion!

 

Well, yes and no.  See, “Sound! Euphonium,” at least the first season, is 13 episodes long and packs a lot in, despite its somewhat leisurely pacing.  The first season definitely does end on a conclusive note and is definitely worth a watch and even a buy, despite its high costs of $70 for each of the 3 boxsets.  But hang on, there’s more.  A second season more.  Except this season has been in licensing limbo so that while one can still watch the entire first and second seasons on Crunchyroll, discs are not yet available for the latter.  Nonetheless, the local anime club made an excellent decision by showing “Sound! Euphonium” and I am seriously hoping that the second season is a worthy successor to the first.