Sound! Euphonium 2

Episode 7

I mentioned in last week's review that a lack of narrative focus brought on by general sequelitis was likely the greatest issue holding Sound! Euphonium 2 back. Seemingly just to prove me wrong, this episode returned the show's perspective back to some of the first season's strongest variables, following through on relationships that have been simmering since the very beginning. This episode was a story about Asuka and Haruka, and I couldn't be happier to see it.

Asuka has always been the rock of the Kitauji band, in spite of only being the vice president. She's the one with the inspiring yet lighthearted pep talks, and the one who refuses to accept any lack of focus. Her excellence at everything she does seems effortless, although when you get to know her, that professionalism ends up being echoed in her refusal to let anyone through her emotional walls. Asuka's focus and confidence are infectious, making her a leader in her own way even without the president's title.

But this episode, Asuka demonstrated her vulnerability for the first time. As Kumiko heads to the teachers' lounge, she sees Asuka and her mother in an argument with Taki and the school's vice principal. Asuka's mother clearly wants her to leave the band, but Taki refuses to accept her resignation unless Asuka herself agrees. In her anger, Asuka's mother ends up slapping her daughter, and the two leave in a hustle.

Though it came near the beginning, that scene acts as the dramatic high point of this episode. Asuka would never articulate her own personal drama, but Sound! Euphonium was well up to the task of imbuing her story with urgency and tension. The show's regular use of soft focus was put to great effect here, as shifts in and out of focus emphasized the sense that we were seeing something we weren't supposed to. Euphonium's usual emphasis on bodily extremities here made ambiguous instruments of Asuka and her mother's hands - Asuka didn't respond to the strike itself, but kept her mother from touching her afterwards, and ultimately took the “parental” role in leading her mother out of the room by the hand.

Asuka is in many ways the perfect character for a Kyoto Animation production. Her refusal to express her own feelings means they must be conveyed through body language, and body language is one of the studio's specialties. Seeing her casually perfect hair splayed awkwardly across her face, a state she refuses to adjust, as if to say “you did this.” Her hand reaching up to stop her mother's, conveying the softest “don't you dare touch me.” Or the rapid shift in expressions as she returns to school the next day, waving off her classmates' concerns but clearly working hard to shift between her usual modes.

Asuka refuses to let her bandmates help her with her personal troubles, which reflects how she's treated personal problems all along. Whether it was Kumiko's troubles in the first season or Nozomi's concerns here, Asuka's response has always been “cut the drama. The band comes first.” This is an unhealthy and even cruel approach to resolving things, but in this episode, she demonstrates she's just as willing to cut off her own emotional support, if it means the band will continue undisturbed. Asuka is unreachable, and though that might make her special, it's not always such a good thing to be so far away.

As Asuka withdraws from the band, Haruka is forced to step up and truly become the group's leader. Haruka's role in the band has always been a poignant one - not naturally suited for leadership, her taking the role has been an act of personal sacrifice from the start. There are some lovely moments in this episode between Asuka, Haruka, and Kaori, as the three attempt to navigate incompatible beliefs regarding personal drama. Haruka wants to help her friend, but Asuka refuses to open up even when she's the one that's hurting.

Asuka's beliefs may represent a certain kind of strength, but it's not a strength that helps anyone else. Though her tendency to be the group's rock has worked when the drama is external, when Asuka herself leaves, the group falls to pieces. And when even Taki refuses to direct the group in their sorry state, Haruka is forced to take the stand.

Haruka's pep talk served as the episode's second dramatic peak, and felt like a validation of all she's gone through. In contrast with Asuka, Haruka embodies an approachable and hard-fought kind of leadership. It's not hard to relate to Haruka's strength, because Haruka's strength isn't some foreign concept - it's simply the strength of one girl accepting a difficult role because no one else will. Haruka isn't special, and that is what makes her special. Just like how Kaori was forced to accept a minor role last season, Haruka's strength here reflects how for most of us, the kind of specialness characters like Reina or Asuka embody isn't something that's necessarily attainable. Haruka isn't some summit to aspire to; she's insecure and soft-spoken and only pretty good at her instrument. All she asks is that the band stand by her.

Haruka's speech felt like an echo and validation of all that Sound! Euphonium's first season expressed, and having it followed by a light-hearted concert at a train station felt like an odd kind of victory lap. It was a satisfying performance, and seeing Sapphire play bass was great, but I was more happy to see such a resonant and self-contained episode in the first place. Sound! Euphonium is always a visually impressive production, but it's nice when its story is just as strong as its performance.

Overall: A

Sound! Euphonium 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Nick writes about anime, storytelling, and the meaning of life at Wrong Every Time.