P.S I'll try to keep i spoiler free as possible![/b]
When I first heard about Hibike! Euphonium, I was not entirely excited. I've heard of how K-On wasn't much of a sight to behold (perhaps bias opinion) so when I heard this anime was going to be released, well my thoughts were that of...eh.
What I got in the end was a surprise however. I was taken on a journey, one might say. Whilst having little knowledge about classical musical, I found I could quite easily understand this anime. However, lets move on.
[b]Story:[/b] 9
I felt the story in this anime was well-developed in the 13 episodes we were given. It was realistic whilst being well-paced; It didn't drag on, as you might say. The information in my opinion was not dumped on us, as many anime do. It was clear, concise and easy to understand especially if you are like myself and lack knowledge of the classical music genre. The story was well-rounded and gave us realistic perspectives from characters that didn't seem forced (however, I'll talk about characters later.) Overall, I rate the story a 9 due to the short amount of episodes and whilst I did say it was well-paced, I believe if it was longer, maybe 24 episodes, we may have seen more development in terms of the characters improving etc.
[b]Art:[/b] 9
The art in this anime was quite outstanding. I don't have much more to say. The scenery was lovely; I especially love the scenes where it featured the shrines. They were gorgeous. It was bright and colourful, however in situations it still kept its colour whilst setting the tone. The only downfall I had was with character design. While I did like the characters looks, they were fresh and bold, I felt they were slightly unoriginal (but that'd be due to same companies working on it.) Overall, I rate the art 9 because the scenery was beautiful but the character designs to me seemed a bit lacking.
[b]Sound:[/b] 10
An anime about music? You'd expect the sound to be good right? Well in this anime I felt it was indeed. From the classical music they were playing to the background tone, I felt as a viewer I was enticed by pleasant melodies we'd often hear. The instruments themselves seemed very clear and crisp, allowing, me again as a viewer, to feel like I was watching something more realistic. The sound helped me feel 'more in-depth' with the anime, giving the scenes nice ambiance. Overall I gave the sound a 10 due to my absolute love for it. I can't say much else.
[b]Character:[/b] 10
I have to say the characters in this exceeded my expectations. I was expecting it to be just 4 or 5 girls playing music and then winning a competition, however it was not. It showed characters such as the protagonist, Kumiko Oumae, , and her growing passion and love for the instrument she played. The characters to me, seemed, within the given time-frame, well-rounded, developed characters with their own sense of personality I have not seen in many other characters. Among them, Reina Kousaka had to have been my favourite as (possible spoiler) she was originally seen as being cold, however developed into a character with genuine feelings. Overall I gave the characters a solid 10 due to their development, personality and the way they interacted with each other. (Reina and Kumiko pls :P)
[b]Enjoyment & Overall:[/b] Both 9s
My enjoyment of this anime was quite high. I watched all 13 episodes in one sitting xD I'd say it was a sweet anime, that was pleasantly surprising. My overall score is 9 due to just 9 being the majority score :P
I'd say in the end this anime was well worth the watch, even if you're not interested in music. It's a short, pleasant anime (that needs a second season) that will please many viewers.
Hibiki! Euphonium: 9
