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I mean, it said they got gold, but was it a dud gold like in the beginning? And the announcer didn't even specify whether then will be entering the Kansan competition or not. Maybe I'm just dense but is the ending supposed to be open like that, or did they get through.
There wasn't a whole lot to this episode, but I don't think there had to be. The characters already had their trials and drama worked out and now it was finally time to lay out the fruits of their sacrifice. I came out of this with a smile on my face since I don't think the show could've stuck the landing better so this finale gets a gold from me.
As a musician, the attention to detail in this anime was fucking fantastic (all the instruments looked right when they were being played, with maybe an exception for trumpet as they all looked like they had relaxed facial muscles as they were playing). I'm guessing they used professional musicians for the music, but the way they played was pretty realistic for high school students (which is to be expected, but you notice things that most others wouldn't if you know the normal mistakes of high school students). I kinda cried a bit, but really because coming third in nationals in high school was the best feeling in my life and I kinda relived it here. Awesome stuff.
Also, that crisis that Kumiko had with trying to get better and struggling at it? Every musician goes through that, and if they go professional then they will likely go through it hundreds of times. The dispute and politics over who should play solo trumpet? That always happens in high school bands.
I was pretty iffy about watching this anime but I loved it! The finale was exactly what I needed. Overall this anime had beautiful artwork and I loved how they were able to realistically portray how bands works. I give this a solid 9/10.
I feel sooo emotional now, my hands are trembling... It legitimately made me feel like I was right there. KyoAni is so good at what it does, damn. Everything else was... I can't put into words. This is a masterpiece, no doubt.
So happy that there will be a second season (and a movie?), but this would have been an amazing finale either way.
10/10
i guess it was pretty decent. the best parts of the anime were when taki-sensei smacked down the band as a whole or individual students and, of course when they actually played music.
nodame cantabile is still unmatched in the music genre.
Really enjoyed this episode. The whole anime had a nice pacing through it, very chilled out for the most part, but I felt nervous for the band just before they started playing! All in all pretty nice. Lovely to see that the animation quality stayed superb until the end.
Tyestor said: ...
nodame cantabile is still unmatched in the music genre.
Had an other look because of the specials and I think the creators of Hibike have done a good job. The -unfinished- series has already taken a place not that far behind Nodame although I too prefer that series (In all its forms).
Nodame, you may have noticed but I only just did, will be getting a new one-shot manga chapter, to be released February 25, 2016. Really excited about stumbling onto that news...
Tyestor said: ...
nodame cantabile is still unmatched in the music genre.
Nodame, you may have noticed but I only just did, will be getting a new one-shot manga chapter, to be released February 25, 2016. Really excited about stumbling onto that news...
Wait, what? No, I did not notice. This is music to my ears.
This show made me want to play my sax, which I have not touched in years. It's cute, and easy going. The pain is real with practice and cuts. However I think it needed something. Some more dramatic elements, or reveal, just something. They posed this tension between Oumae and her sister but never developed it which made it feel unnecessary to even be included. But I guess now that it's getting a second season maybe they will touch on it.
I enjoyed myself, even though it was pretty basic. I'll give it a weak 7/10
Glad they made it to nationals, it would have been nice to hear some of their competition a bit though.
And yes GREAT ANIME
one of the music genre anime i can get on with like hella
op and ed are good
characters are also great
art is as always very beautiful
I actually cant wait for the next season and stuff
just finish all of eps in 2 days and this series is freaking awesome. i was so sad that i didnt watch this masterpiece from kyoani last year. I cant say anything after finish last ep. just one word to this anime.... PERFECT!!
nodame cantabile is still unmatched in the music genre.
6/10
Have to agree and I think I realized it within the first few episodes but I continued watching in case it developed into something. Being a big fan of Nodame Cantabile & a musician I watch a bunch of music themed anime. This was a little too slice of life for my taste and hinted at a few things that never came to fruition. It never really made me feel anything but it was cute. 5/10
I've never been in any sort of band but now I really want to... i got an electric guitar and a classical one but now I want to play something like.... a tubacabra
hope this goes away i'm 28 for gods sake
really loved this animay. music, art, story... characters Kumiko, Reina and Asuka are unique and truly precious. i also really cherish realistic and unusual for anime moments
Very very good series, loved the character interactions, how each character was their own person, how the mood in various groups could change without it seemingly affecting other random groupings. I think it's done very well in capturing that spirit of bands in high school without focusing too much on just one thing, keeping relationships kinda murky, and possibly setting up for a bit of interpersonal drama later. After all, they're still in high school and feelings are plentiful there, overflowing in many different manners. I'm glad there will be a second season and looking forward to the group getting to the nationals. Most likely, they might get bronze or silver but it will still be an amazing achievement for the group!
-*prod* *prod*
-Seems like the band members are wearing different uniforms whether they're performing or not
-The scene of the band members who weren't playing in the competition handing out good luck charms to the actual performers felt very band-like
-Even Taki is getting fired up
-The Azusa girl makes a cameo, and it wasn't until after I watched the episode that I remembered that the last time Kumiko and Azusa ran into each other was during SunFes when Kumiko declared that she got the new start she was looking for. Back in episode 5, when she said that, I wasn't convinced that was true at all, but since Reina and Kumiko were on much better terms at the end of this episode than they were during episode 5, I can actually believe that Kumiko found what she was looking for.
-That's a crazy detailed pre-performance tuning session
-Small speech from Taki reminding them where they all came from
-That was a super detailed performance sequence, and it was pretty breathtaking both aesthetically and musically
-Playing a wind orchestra version of the OP during the end credits was cheating since I'm a total sucker for instrumental covers of vocal songs. I loved even more because it was thematically appropriate to the show.
Pretty nostalgic episode overall with all of the preparation for the Kitauji concert band's most important event so far. The effort that was put into animating and recording their competition performance (compared to the other scenes in the show) was a testament to how important the competition was to the band members. The rest of the episode leading up to the performance also generally had a culminating feel to them, which is fitting for the last episode of the season. The ending wasn't as flashy as I'd hoped, but I think it totally nailed the whole atmosphere behind their competition performance.
General comments about the show:
One of the things that consistently impressed me about the show was the realism behind a bunch of people trying to play together in a concert band ensemble. The realism came from two things that I thought the show did pretty well: the technical musical stuff and the actual personalities of the people within the Kitauji concert band.
The thing that I noticed right off the bat when I first saw the OP was how detailed all of the instruments were drawn. In fact, the detail that went into that art is what made me decide to finally start watching this show. As I watched the show, my expectations for the static instrument drawings were pretty consistently met, but the way that KyoAni animated the instruments during some scenes (and especially during their final performance of the season) came as something that actually exceeded my expectations. From what I’ve seen out of the brass instruments that have pistons, the vast majority of the fingerings that were animated were actually musically accurate. I was also pleasantly surprised by the types of things the Kitauji band members were doing in their solo practice sessions, especially toward the beginning when the beginners in the band were still learning their instruments. In a bunch of my replies to episode topics, I described those introductory exercises as pretty nostalgic because I actually had to do a lot of them when I was learning how to play the trumpet. Because of this it made the whole thing seem more realistic from a personal standpoint.
Another component of this show’s realism was the progression of the concert band’s drive to succeed. Their general attitude toward music back at the start of the series was generally pretty consistent with their track record of performing at the regional competition, but there were some exceptions. It wasn’t until Taki became the club advisor that the general attitude of the band became one of improvement rather than lethargy. And with someone like Taki at the helm of the concert band helping to unify them toward the same goal, the change in their general attitude makes complete sense. His strict and sometimes harsh methods were exactly what the band needed to pick them up out of their usual competition bronze slump, and he also seemed to believe in their potential from the beginning.
The band’s progression through the season was pretty logical, but what surprised me about the show was that I didn’t hate any of the characters that had names. It wasn’t until after I saw episode 11 that I actually realized this. All of the named characters either had very down-to-earth ambitions that they actually tried to work toward, or they acted as great supports in helping other characters reach their goals. The band setting did wonders for making these character dynamics work out in the end, and one particular scene that came to mind that really exemplified this was the one-on-one talk involving Reina and Kaori before they went to the re-audition. It was pretty great to see the band as a whole influence its individual members positively, and vice versa, which is the type of stuff I love seeing. It was also pretty great seeing the individual characters interact with each other and build each other up as they prepared for the culminating performance. In addition to the character dynamics themselves, the show seemed to give some pretty nice screentime for pretty much all of the named characters, which is a lot more that can be said from some of the other shows I’ve seen.
The show also had some really impactful scenes, but it was mostly limited to one per episode at most. One really good scene that comes into mind was the one during episode 9 where Hazuki scarfs down that thing she bought from the bakery. It was really simple on the surface but really shows her resiliency after being rejected by Shuichi. The scenes that stood out to me when watching the show were in the same vein as the bakery scene: they served to reveal something central to or very important to a character through the use of visuals, music, or a combination of the two. The impact in these kinds of scenes came from how few spoken words were needed to convey a pretty significant message about the character.
Unfortunately the fact that KyoAni was the studio meant that they felt compelled to put a bunch of detail into basically all of the animation and art, even when the added artistic detail contributed nothing to the show. There were a bunch of overly detailed scenes that did just that, which made a lot of the show feel like empty space. They were probably put in to set up the mood, but I just saw a lot of the non-musical artsy stuff as redundant. All the empty space led to a lack of impact in a few of the episodes that were really light in content. I rated 5 of the episodes as average or below because of the total lack of impact that came from excessive use of these types of empty scenes.
TL;DR: Realistic progression, nostalgia value with the musical stuff, and the atmosphere of a bunch of characters working together toward a common goal were the merits of the show, but a bunch of unnecessary scenes made the show feel empty pretty often.
This series, looks real imo. the character interaction, character personality and character development although they made it a bit rushed sometimes imo. but overall, i really enjoy it a lot especially with dat kind of animation.
This finale episode, i can even feel the nervousness xD
But even tho all of them were nervous, i like it that they can still keep calm and play it with a very smooth sound. especially dat solo xD i'm getting to like it xD
tbh, i'm very surprised to see something that looks real like reality from kyoani. kinda rare to see something like that. i mean, the moment when the teacher got mad, when other student clashed between each other opinions, arguement, fights, and some other more, how they made that, it looked real in my eyes. basically, i have seen something like that in real life, thus why i said it looked real. although i don't kinda like that kind of situation or atmosphere when they clash each other with opinions, fight, teacher got mad, the atmosphere is getting terrible, rather than i don't like it, more like i hate it a lot. but if i put that aside, i think they made it very well. even some of the characters have rather unique personality in my eyes. for example the main character. i don't know how to describe it but she is kinda uniqe to me.
talk about the song, personally, and honestly, i'm not that interested in that kind of song (it's a song right ?) but from watching every episode from episode 1, well, i think it's kinda nice to hear it view times. lol, the first song in the first episode, i think the name of the song is "heaven and hell" if i'm not wrong ? man...i really like that one. i was hoping they will play it again but obviously nope xD but i really want them to play it xD
and last, i want to talk abou the romance which what i was talking about, the part where it got rushed. yeah....it's sweet and i like it a lot but i still think it was rushed. i didn't even expect her to confess suddenly like that...XD but somehow i'm glad that he rejected her. lol, that's cruel xD cause tbh, i want him to end up with the main character xD nice match xD
well, overall, i enjoyed the show. the animation is superb. seriously, it's one of the best animation from kyoani since hyouka. just a little bit different on the atmosphere. 9/10 from me. spesifically, 8.6/10
Decent series. Taki sensei moments were great, but seriously annoying teen drama somtimes for romantic subplot. Liked how it ended, matching up with ep 1. A solid 7/10 from me, career themed anime are always welcome.
StevenHu said: This show might have had a very rocky start balancing its cast of characters as well as its variety of tones and atmospheres, but it really stood on its own two feet by the last few episodes with each exceeding the previous in quality.
Yeah, gotta agree with this. Frankly the first half of this series was painfully boring at times, and it took forever for the characters to get off the ground; however, the second half was almost everything I hoped the show would be in the beginning. I went from thinking that skipping the second season would be a foregone conclusion to kinda looking forward to it. Go figure.
Overall, this is pretty hard to evaluate. It's either a 6 or a 7, but I have no idea which. I'll let it sit for a while. Hoping the second season takes all the good parts of the first and makes them into the great series I know this can be.
I started watching season 1 because season 2 was airing now.
The show really struck a chord with me. I have always wanted to be in a band but i never had the talent to unfortunately. (went for tryouts before)
At the same time, i have a close friend who has been in band since the equivalent of middle school and we have always been very supportive of him.
All that coupled with the fact that i am an audiophile who deeply respects music and is at the same time a yurifag, this show easily made it to my personal #1 of all time.
Finally, a show where we get a full performance where the music really shines, unlike Shigatsu with its endless inner monologues. Reina's solo was breathtaking.
I wasn't really going to watch this, as I had a less than optimal experience with recent musical anime, but I'm glad I did. The yuri (or, implied, whatever) was a little sudden and over-the-top for me, butt I really loved everything else. 8/10
I usually don't watch this kind of anime but this was highly enjoyable, especially since I used to play an instrument in a small orchestra in secondary school. I played the alto saxophone but I was nowhere near as serious or good as the members of the Wind Ensemble but still, it makes me feel nostalgic.
A LOT better than I expected (I'm talking about the series)...
And as someone who DID play in a concert band in Middle/High School....I can tell you that they got a lot of things right.
Although....there are a few things I can say that they also got wrong.
But overall, this was much more enjoyable than I expected.....and that's that it also has the ONE thing I absolutely hate from anime (Teenage Angsty melodrama).
In the end though....they did an amazing job....especially the art and animation, but that's to be expected from Kyoani.
A very solid 8/10....I hate the fact I didn't watch this series as it was airing.
I never thought this anime is actually about music, i mean, actual music lol
pretty surprising and great since I'm also musician, even though brass band is foreign to me
everyone likes reina x kumiko but for me it's really weird. their relationship went from 0 to 100 out of sudden. and reina never actually joined kumiko gang and stayed anti social emo for the entire of series smh
best guy: arima kousensei lookalike
best girl: natsuki senpai
no-epilogue ending is pissing me off, fortunately i can go straight to season 2
CrossAnge
Hey guys check my profile for current airing season anime recommendation (guaranteed best taste)
Beautiful and specting episode ;) GOLD!!!!!! and with the gold arrive the second season!!!!
In general is a beatiful series, very complicated, more characters with a normal plot, but a nice draw, and complicate too because draw instruments is very difficult!!!!
yess loved this episode many iconic moments, nothing felt rushed or out of context everything fit perfectly congrats kitauji time to move on in the competition and time for season 2 woop this gets a 8.5/10
The show was Absolutely Magnificent. The build up of the story was really good.
What I liked the most about this anime was the development of the characters, all the characters were good but Kumiko-chan was just exceptionally good. Honestly I cannot appreciate this Enough. Thanks Kyo-Ani for such a Wonderful Experience.
The animation throughout the entire series was just omg. Seriously the best I could ask for in any anime.
The ending was so nice, I was confused on if they had won or not but then it became clear. I'm so watching the next season to find out if they go to nationals.
I have small reviews for almost ALL anime I've seen. Unlike any regular MAL page you've seen.
Ever wondering what I've watched and what I think about it? Check my List out below!
Well this was a very enjoyable feel-good ride. There were still some imperfections of course.
The first conflict resolution, (ambitious people vs laid-back ones) didn't feel very fulfilling. There were some weird transitions between scenes, especially in the early episodes. Episode 5 felt rushed and its ending lacked the impact I feel it was supposed to have. The whole drama for the trumpet solo was unnecessary and redundant.
However it never felt tedious to watch at any point. Most events were foreseeable but still satisfactory. Characters were very fleshed out, definitely the strong point of the show. Also, I liked how half of the last episode was just an uninterrupted representation that called back every conflict that appeared throughout the show and showed its resolution with subtlety.
The episode of payoffs and new beginnings. Couldn't really top episode 8, but that would have been extremely difficult. Gorgeous looking finale to a gorgeous looking show, that lets you go with a smile on your face. This is one of those times where the journey was a lot more important than the destination, and in a way, the journey is not over yet. In fact, it's only just begun.
To those anime creators this is how an anime is made with spectacular visuals, great plot and great characters. I am really really over the moon they made it to nationals, now no more that dud gold she experienced at middle school. My favorite was Reina she set the anime for me with a clear objective from the first episode and that is to make it to nationals and be special, that inspired Kumiko to follow after she heard her at the solo re-audition.
I loved this anime so much that I will place it in the favorite and no need to ask me if I will watch s2 because HEELLL YEAH. 9/10.
lihle808Oct 25, 2017 3:24 PM
How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb --- Dr Strangelove
This was highly enjoyable and an easy recommendation. The art was beautiful as always, the OST was nice, and the characters are cute. I think I somewhat preferred this to K-On season one.
Probably my favourite Kyoani series to date, it's just insane how incredibly detailed everything was. Everything was depicted perfectly from start to finish; from tuning to heading out the door, seeing the massive audience to the twinkling dust on the stage.
It was also fitting for kyoani to set the venue at the Kyoto Concert Hall. Hope the good vibes continue with s2.
2nd rewatch freakingg lovee itt great characters lovely atmosphere kyoto thank you for making hibike now to rewatch s2 so i can get to le new movie airing soon