Made in KyoAni, this unique anime is not only beautiful, it also has a realistic touch to it: believable characters with natural behaviour and dramatic (but not over-the-top) stories.
I was pleasantly surprised, although the first season ends quite abruptly, leaving me unsatisfied.
STORY
We follow a whole orchestra that trains in order to become competitive. Their goal: being selected for the Nationals. The anime makes it clear that this goal will be hard to reach, and all the characters struggle to level up to the top, which makes the series tense. They also have to deal with their natural feelings and their relationships with the rest of the group.
For the rest, not much events actually happen. Count only 2 competitive events in this first season. Of course it is normal, but it's still few...
The rest of the events are not useless as it deepens the characters a bit, but I do feel like it's lacking something. Maybe the second season will make up to that.
ART
This anime is a candy in the eyes... except when it tries to use 3D. The end of the opening is a perfect example of how not to use 3D, as it feels totally off and distorted.
Fortunately they don't use that much 3D in the episodes, so it's still a minor sitback.
Then, personally I have an issue with the colored highlights in the eyes. It is kind of moe, but as this anime is not actual moe stuff, it just feels off.
SOUND
The music itself is very good, and it uses a classical style that fits the theme. Sadly... the OST doesn't always fit the scenes. I remember one particular scene which is supposed to be sad and dramatic, but a joyful sound plays that just breaks the drama...
So objectively, the music is good, but sometimes it doesn't fit the scenes. To me, that's the most important point of an OST, and they definitely failed that sometimes. It's still nice to hear though.
CHARACTER
The orchestra counts over 60 characters. Of course most of them aren't very deep, even those who have some screentime.
But they did manage to make the group believable. It definitely feels like following the life of such a big group, and seeing their organization was really inspiring.
As for the MC, she's unique just like this anime. She's one of the most believable characters I've seen in a long time, especially because of her struggling with her complicated feelings.
ENJOYMENT
"Hibike! Euphonium" is unique, and that alone made me enjoy it. The visuals are great most of the time, which is yet another good point. But the best part to me was how believable it felt. The characters are realistic, the events are realistic.
I did feel like they shouldn't have tried to add 3D because it was not only bad, it was also unnecessary.
Also, even though the music is great, I wish it would fit the mood a bit better, as it actually destroyed the impact of some scenes.
Now I just wish the second season will offer more, because in the end, I did feel like not much happened in this season 1.
