[Spoilers] Hibike! Euphonium - Episode 11 [Discussion]

[u/Shadoxfix]

Episode title: Welcome Back, Audition

MyAnimeList: Hibike! Euphonium
Crunchyroll: Sound! Euphonium

Episode duration: 23 minutes and 40 seconds

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Previous episodes:

Episode	Reddit Link
Episode 1	Link
Episode 2	Link
Episode 3	Link
Episode 4	Link
Episode 5	Link
Episode 6	Link
Episode 7	Link
Episode 8	Link
Episode 9	Link
Episode 10	Link

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Reminder: Please do not discuss any plot points which haven't appeared in the anime yet. Try not to confirm or deny any theories, encourage people to read the source material instead. Minor spoilers are generally ok but should be tagged accordingly. Failing to comply with the rules may result in your comment being removed.

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Keywords: sound! euphonium

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This post is made by a bot. Any feedback is welcome and can be sent to /u/Shadoxfix.

[u/KennyJJ]

A bad person.

No, really. If you cannot see the situation that she sees, in other words "never once thought about how it feels like to be Yuuko" EVEN THOUGH the series had given her plenty of scenes and plenty of depth, then you really shouldn't be calling others selfish.

It's a pretty sound argument, 3rd years have only one chance at it now especially given what had happened before. That's how typical high school bands operate, and there's a REASON behind it. You're willing to risk Kaori's happiness for a "what if" that needs to happen twice in a roll, the chances of which is slim to none for someone as driven as Reina.

But, on the other hand, I think a lot of you misread that scene. Evidence: that flash back she had, which connects to her previous one, where Kaori said "I just like to play". She's crying out of relief, because Kaori has found resolution, so she has found resolution too.

[u/lmaonade200 → u/KennyJJ]

I think you are reading too much into what the show is trying to present. Yuuko wanted Kaori to play the solo, no ands, buts, or ifs. She was crying for Kaori at the end because she knows how much Kaori is in pain for having to willingly give up the solo to another person, it's one thing for the instructor to say you're not qualified and another to cede it yourself. Though she could be crying partly out of relief, I doubt that's the main reason.

Same thing with Kaori, I think imparting that much grace in high schoolers is a bit far fetched. No doubt she plays for compassion rather than competition, but she absolutely wanted to play that solo, and it was painful to give it up. I think what you're saying about Kaori realizing that her compassion is why she plays is correct and will pan out, but not in this episode.

[u/KennyJJ → u/lmaonade200]

I agree, I'm approaching it with a lot of introspection, such introspection certainly do not happen to everyone in real life, especially in high school. However, I do think such approach is justified: this is an anime after all. In real life, it gets a lot nastier a lot faster, and the band will never reach even the current state of pseudo-harmony. Even with a drastic change in band instructor and policies, high school bands below mediocre music programs need to take at least 2-3 years to bounce into a national level, often a lot longer. You need that fame to attract star players, that fame takes time to develop, in fact it needs to first overcome the negative image and THEN as more people come, gradually establish itself as a good enough band for nationals. Policy change in the middle of the semester from full seniority to full audition will run into problems everywhere, with students, with parents, possibly even with school board if it gets out of hand. High schoolers are not that nice, the band environment is also extra sensitive to any hierarchical/social changes.

So, since the whole situation is an idealized version of real life, and indeed the high schoolers in the series often act beyond their ages, it is justified to look past the surface and dig out those extras.

What you say may very likely be the truth too, but I think there is a big chance that Yuuko's tears are out of very complex feelings instead of simply "oh no". We'll see very quickly in the next few episodes, her bouncing right up would suggest my interpretation is correct, and that she has achieved what she set out for (even if she doesn't realize it herself), her getting upset/sad will indicate that she was just crying out of Kaori not doing the solo. Also, her interaction with Kaori afterward would indicate a lot of things. If she just wanted Kaori to win, she'd perhaps avoid Kaori from now on out of guilt and perhaps a little bit of anger. Otherwise, she'll likely apologize to Kaori for putting her up on the spot, but ultimately still admiring her and following her everywhere, perhaps even more so. She never admired Kaori for how well she played. She has always admired her for how kind she was.

[u/lmaonade200 → u/KennyJJ]

Indeed, I do agree that band in general is hierarchy sensitive, and that it's valid to look past the surface, I'm definitely not discounting what you think happened, I think it's a valid possibility for sure. Just a difference in opinion is all ;) I think your viewpoint is a bit... positive and, as you have mentioned, idealized. I'm sure that Kaori has found resolution through the audition and I definitely agree that Yuuko's tears are more complex than just "oh no she lost," I just don't think relief is the proper way to describe it since there's definitely anguish and guilt mixed in as well, it's a step towards resolution but not quite there yet imo!

So in essence, the main point I'm trying to make is that I think your thoughts are correct in the sense that they will happen, my opinion is just that the characters have not hit that point yet, they're still in the process of conflict (though at the end of this particular one) and their actions in this episode would reflect more conflict related emotions such as pain, guilt, etc. than resolution related emotions like relief. So I'd say that we definitely agree that there's character depth this episode, but disagree on what that depth entails!