#hibike euphonium: chikai no finale

[yukisubmarino]

Some thoughts on the Hibike! Euphonium movie

I watched the Hibike! Euphonium movie for the first time a few years ago and liked it just about as much as I expected to like it. It showed greatness in the same way the show does with delightful characters, gorgeous animation, and a grounded storyline, and it suffered in the same way a season-long storyline condensed into a 100-minute movie would. Mostly hits, a few misses—overall a solid 9/10.

But there was something bugging me about it that I couldn’t quite identify, and after rewatching it for the first time yesterday, I think I’ve figured it out.

Hibike! Euphonium: Chikai no Finale finds a central theme in the struggle between talent and seniority, mostly with our new friends in the bass section. First-year Kanade recognizes the strife instantly, noting how much easier of a transition the bubbly Satsuki has over the surly Mirei despite Mirei’s superior tuba talents. This struggle bites her as well when she decides to throw her audition in the hopes that Natsuki, now the vice-president, will make the performance ensemble for the first time. Caught in the middle of everything is Kumiko, who despite her natural talent for mending fences, still hasn’t quite found comfort in using her voice.

It’s a solid premise, especially in both a performance culture and a country that still reckons with the value of seniority. The trouble with the movie is that it treads over material it already laid out much more effectively in the show.

The strongest theme in Hibike! Euphonium Seasons 1 and 2 also happens to be the struggle between talent and seniority, as best displayed in the conflict between Reina and Kaori. Ace trumpeter and first-year Reina clearly has the chops to take the solo in the ensemble performance, but most of the band wants beloved third-year Kaori to play it. She’s smart, pretty, popular, and yes, she has seniority over Reina. But the motivation doesn’t just come from the obvious.

Kaori found herself in Reina’s shoes in a previous year, losing out the solo to a more senior member despite her superior talent. The decision was justified based on the idea that Kaori would be a shoe-in for the solo in a later year, honestly a reasonable compromise for a high-school band to make. No one legitimately thought that anyone could challenge Kaori for her rightful solo, after all.

That was all before Reina blows everyone out of the water with a noticeably better performance than what Kaori could bring. And so the dilemma repeats: Should the band kick the can one more time and allow Kaori to benefit from the seniority she suffered from earlier in her tenure? Or should the newly refocused band give the solo to Reina, rewarding talent and potentially upsetting most of the group?

The most fascinating aspect I find in this scenario is how Taki-sensei allows the group to decide for themselves. In every other decision, Taki-sensei has no qualms about making an absolute judgement. He is the band’s dictator, and he will happily call you out in public and step on your soul if it makes the band sound better. But even he knows that he can’t come to a unilateral decision here without incurring a harmful reaction from his students. And he also knows that allowing the band to decide for itself will cause the departure of the best shot they have at making it to nationals. So, how does it resolve?

Thankfully, Kaori decides to break the cycle herself, ceding the solo to Reina despite the band electing Kaori to the position. It’s a selfless act from the band member who has already lost the most, one that justifies how popular and beloved she is already. How cool is that?

It’s important to lay out all that nuance from the show, because the movie shows no nuance with the same topic. First-years arrive, immediately vocalize their fears of losing out to senior members, and then complain about it some more as the movie progresses. Kanade shows at least a little bit of dimension by saying that she wants to throw her audition as a defense mechanism because of Natsuki’s reputation, but that resolves quickly when Kumiko, Natsuki, and Kanade all get chosen for the performance ensemble. It revisits the same theme from before, only without all the juicy stuff that made the Reina/Kaori arc so satisfying.

And if that’s a fault of the source material, I guess I’m glad that KyoAni decided this year of Kumiko’s band experience would best be presented in movie form. The story itself is not as strong as the story presented in the first season, and while there’s still quite a bit of fun stuff in the movie (Midori and Motomu’s sempai/kohai dynamic, Asuka returning, more discussion on Liz and the Blue Bird), it very likely would have dragged on if this was a 500-minute package instead of a 100-minute package.

The best part of the movie is undoubtedly the final 20 minutes, all dedicated to Kitauji’s ensemble performance of Liz and the Blue Bird. It’s the best performance scene in any Hibike vehicle, and it feels like the rightful conclusion to both this movie and Liz and the Blue Bird (a superior movie in every way to this one). It kinda sucks that a lot of the movie’s scenes feel rushed (and storylines likely taken out altogether), but it’s 100% worth it to see an unblemished final performance.

I don’t feel any differently about this movie upon a rewatch than I did the first time through—it’s still a solid 9/10 because it’s freaking Hibike! Euphonium. But it’s also the least essential Hibike we have.

[wondrousmay]

Hibike! Euphonium: Chikai no Finale continues Kumiko’s second year at Kitauji High School! On its own, it was a good movie but when compared to the tv series, the story definitely feels rushed. There were many plot points that I wished were expanded on.

For example, Kanade’s character and her relationship with Natsuki, Suzuki’s tension with Hazuki and Satsuki and even Kumiko’s relationship with Shuuichi. I did loved the focus on Kumiko’s relationship with Kanade though. Kanade was such an interesting character too!

The production value of the movie was wonderful as expected from KyoAni. The stunning performance sequence was definitely the highlight for me!

8/10

[pinkie-satan]

Hibike! Euphonium: Chikai no Finale

and

Hibike! Euphonium 3 final episode

[egsoon]

انمي دراما كوميدي انمي Hibike! Euphonium 3 الحلقة 7 مترجمة | إيجي سون

:القصه -تتمة أحداث فيلم Hibike! Euphonium Movie 3: Chikai no Finale-بعد قسمها للتوقف عن أداء الموسيقى بسبب حادثة وقعت في مسابقة الفرق خلال حفل إقليمية في المدرسة المتوسطة، دخلت عازفة البوق “كوميكو اوماي” إلى المدرسة الثانوية على أمل بداية جديدة.ليؤدي بها المصير إلى أن يحيط بها أشخاص مثيرين للاهتمام في “الفرقة النحاسية” الخاصة بالمدرسة الثانوية.بمساعدتهم، تجد “كوميكو” الدافع الذي تحتاج للعودة إلى…

[sleepylion]

The Worst Speedrun I've Ever Seen - Hibike Euphonium: Chikai no Finale

[whisper-ofthe-heart]

KyoAni Month ~ Day 4

Favorite KyoAni Movie: Hibike! Euphonium Movie 3: Chikai no Finale

[brocoliholy]

Did she just,,, call em gay

[notsosuperkonoha]

the last hibike! euphonium movie's ending really just went and destroyed me like that huh

[nozomijoestar]

More observations on the apple sharing scene @2:40 onward bc it won't leave my head but 1. Reina is the one who takes the candy apple with a broken stick- perfectionist Reina accepts something broken from Kumiko in the same conversation where she fears they'll one day leave each other thus break their relationship but this leads into

2. When Reina plays L&tBB Movement 3 we then get shots of the other band members enjoying the festival below the mountain wherein anxious, thoughtful, and hesitant Mizore chooses to shoot blind at a rifle game beside Nozomi (if I remember right Chikai no Finale is set after Mizore's time in the Liz movie but feel free to correct me- but it explains her growing confidence with this action after confronting her greatest fear in Nozomi) and then another shot of Hazuki and friends where Hazuki bites off more than she can chew in singlehandedly buying stuff for herself & them at one of the stalls...then we also get Shūichi and Kumiko making up over text messages as she listens to Reina play

I don't think those scenes were just for filler/resolution but double as expressions of how Kumiko feels listening to Reina play a piece that specifically tackles love and is titled 'A Decision for the Sake of Love' (also called 'The Things We Do For Love' according to my Liz Blu-ray translation) she feels rising confidence emerging from old uncertainty, ambitious, and healed- it reflects her mental state regarding the question Reina has posed in worrying over their possible separation so that as much as the idea bothers her it doesn't matter because she's got the drive to keep going and want to stay with her, and should it not work out then she'll still have her own life to live

There's also a shot of a bird taking flight along with tree brush rustling that isn't just signaling Kumiko bumbling up the mountain to Reina but is symbolic of Reina's Bluebird (again recalling Liz) returning to her once again, and another shot of a bird flying away as the scene ends and Reina's playing fades- Kumiko is the bird but she's not taking flight to escape, she takes flight to continue journeying beside the person she loves (Reina) rather than smother them just as Mizore and Nozomi worked out in their own way

[senjo]

[yukisubmarino]

Kanade’s reverse heel-turn is my unquestioned favorite part of Hibike! Euphonium’s third season (so far).

Her introduction in Chikai no Finale felt a little half-baked…like, here’s this little stinker who’s gonna make drama out of everything because she can’t think before speaking. Good for conflict, sure, but in a story as dense as Hibike she felt a little one-dimensional. Also, she was irritating without much reason to be. Basically, she sucked.

She most definitely does not suck now, and what’s incredible is how indispensable she has made herself to the story without changing anything about her personality. She is still whip-smart, self-centered and unfiltered, and girl, does the band need her right now.

The trick Hibike is pulling off is making us believe its third season deals with the same fundamental as the first two: A choice between talent and seniority. That’s certainly how it starts, and the mid-season twist has that same flavor, but its Kanade who swoops in and re-frames that argument.

This season is really about the value of blindly trusting authority, a more advanced version of the first theme. It’s Kanade who processes the twist and goes “actually, this is bullshit” while her senpai are wrestling with the merits of old values.

That’s presidential material if I’ve ever seen it. She becomes the president, right?? She certainly deserves it.

[prof-kenny]

[kirachira]

Ya fools, playing with my kokoro.. with all the fan service.. but WHY?!

[peachie5000]

Don’t Leave Yet

I just finished watching Chikai No Finale a few days ago and was really inspired to do a picture about Asuka and Kumiko! Their relationship is so interesting!

[tophee]

[intardistellar]

hibike! euphonium chikai no finale is all about repressed gay feelings and fear and anxiety for the future and i'm so proud of the girls!! they've grown so much. eupho still means a lot to me it hurts.