Story & Characters: Sound! Euphonium - Ready, Set, Monaka gives us some neat little story snippets that wasn't included in the thirteenth episode of the Sound! Euphonium season. The ten girls who did not make the cut for the Kitauiji Concert Band form a new team. First, we learn how they came up with their team name. It was interesting, even if it ends up being somewhat uncreative. However, the rest of the episode explores not just what they can do for the concert band, but what Hazuki can do. While the concert band is on their way to the concert hall, Team Monaka has their own agenda with everyone being on board with being the best support for the band that they can be.
Hazuki is basically the centre of attention for this episode, and even though I didn't completely love her in the first season, this episode does a fantastic job at tying up some loose ends that I greatly appreciated. She wants to show that she can be a good sport about not making the cut and she does that with her head held high in the sky. The rest of the Sound! Euphonium characters aren't shown a ton here. Shuuichi has a very interesting role in this episode, something that probably should have been included in the original series. Natsuki also ends up with some interesting lines. It almost feels like some of Hazuki's optimism rubs off on her, something many audiences likely didn't see coming when the first season aired. (Story: 8/10, Characters: 8/10)
Art & Sound: It's hard to fault any of the graphical animation or sound works here, but they still do put emphasis on the nice moments here, which is always appreciated. Kyoto Animation truly does put their heart into this season and this episode didn't falter. The same OP and ED remains from the first season here. (Art: 9/10, Sound: 8/10)
Overall Enjoyment: Sound! Euphonium - Ready, Set, Monaka gives us a lot of fun little details that I really did appreciate. I am proof that you really didn't need to watch it to watch the rest, and is really just an addition to what already is a great series. I recommend watching this if you've already seen the first season and are enjoying the series. (8/10)
