STORY
I don't think I need to introduce the whole show, but since it's quicck: Hibike Euphonium tells the normal story of a high school girl playing in the orchestra of her school. This season develops Kumiko's third high-school year. Just like the previous years, she plays in the band in order to get to the Nationals and win the Gold. Only this time, she is the President of the band!
Thus, she has to manage the people on top of playing an instrument. And that is an absolute delight! If you've had to manage people (for a school project, or for a business, or even just family matters), you'll heavily relate to Kumiko's struggles with her classmates. She often gets called to solve dramas within the band, and it's often childish or unconsequential matters, but she still has to do it, because that's her role now. Her doubts about her leading skills are also very relatable and interesting.
On top of that, she still has her kohais! All the characters introduced in the movie are here, and we get the follow-up of their stories. We finally get Motomu's full story. Kanade is still here, still cute but as stinging as ever.
Since it's a new year, there are brand new freshmen. But also... a transferred student! Mayu, a euphonium player, transfers and is recommended to play in the band. That makes her Kumiko's first true rival.
And it's the red herring of this season: Kumiko struggles because Mayu is just as talented as her. Mayu, being an absolute cream of a girl, asks several times if she should just drop out. She doesn't want to make enemies. But Kumiko, being kind herself and also the President, must think of the best scenario for the band... even if it includes losing her place as the euphonium player. This ties in with a major theme in the previous stories: "should we select the best players even if it means pushing away people who are already well rooted in the band?"
And, of course, since it's Kumiko's last year of high-school, she has to think about her future. This is relatable and could be interesting.... but frankly, it didn't work for me here. The dialogues about that are very repetitive, and Kumiko doesn't seem to really find her path, despite the season being almost finished. We only know what she DOESN'T want to do because she has said it multiple times.
For the rest, it's the same as ever: we see those teens spend time together, have fun but also shed tears or get mad at one another. All that, in a very realistic mood. I said it before, but Hibike Euphonium is the anime with the most realistic vibes imo. It just really feels like normal days!
There is one thing to note though: despite being as short as the previous seasons, it tells an entire year (whereas it used to be one semester per season). As a result, the year goes by quickly. It doesn't mean it's rushed though. The pace is basically the same, it's just that the year is a bit more empty compared to the others.
Note that there is much more dialogues than before. Even when a character is playing an instrument somewhere, other characters talk over it whereas, in the previous seasons, we used to see and hear them play a full piece.
They also decided to skip the major yearly events, namely: the march and the regionals. We literally don't see them. They happen, but they are skipped. I believe the author felt it could be a tad repetitive.
VISUALS
KyoAni is AT ITS TOP LEVEL! The pandemic? The arsonist? They overcame all of this! This season is MAGNIFICENT. Hibike Euphonium has always looked very good, but this one.... there's literally HUNDREDS of shots that I wanted to capture and save because it's just this good. I might go through the episodes just to find a bunch of them because, really, it's just that good.
One thing is weird though, and it's the lack of complete performance (although we likely will hear the Nationals in the last episodes). There is much less shots focused on characters playing instruments, which is a shame. One can wonder if it's a matter of budget, or if they weren't confident in animating something this hard again.
SOUNDS
Orchestral OST, beautiful voices, soothing audio mood. Nothing to complain about here.
CONCLUSION
This season is worth the others in my opinion. I was just as invested in this as I was before. The only disappointment is the lack of performance. But it makes up for it with even more stunning visuals than before!
I wonder if it will end the story altogether. If it does, I'll really miss it. Hibike Euphonium is a very soothing show. And it's a treat for anyone who loves music too!
I feel so thankful to Kyoto Animation for their splendid works throughout the years, and I can't wait to see what their next projects will be.
