(If your just wondering if you should watch it absolutely you should go watch it right now.)
Going into Hibike Euphonium (HE for short) I didn't expect much and it had been on my planning to watchlist for a year. However HE soon became my favorite anime thus far in my life. I could account it to many things whether it be the loving effort put into it by the staff at Kyoto Animation such as Naoko Yamada or the enthralling visuals and animation but where HE ultimately shines above all else is the characters. ( I will only be touching upon the characters for if I were to delve into all aspects of the show this review would be too long
Kumiko Oumae
I will attempt to do a mostly spoiler free analysis on Kumiko and therefore it will be relatively brief. HE ultimately is about Kumiko's journey to finding her true self and what that even means. It is this struggle of self discovery and betterment that truly affected me like no other anime character. Kumiko as a character and her flaws I find in myself and have struggled to combat. It is through Kumiko that I found a path in which I can take to find what I love in life and give it my all so I don't have any regrets. Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide
The most touching scene with Kumiko for me was her wanting to improve when struggling to perform a section for their upcoming competition. I am a deeply flawed individual and I will admit in the face of adversary I have given in many times often pondering what the point is if I still fail anyways. However Kumiko represents the better choice to make when facing adversary even if you might fail still nonetheless give your all because it is better to give everything you have then to give up.
Brief Analysis of Hibike Euphonium's Cast
For those who may not see yourself in Kumiko HE has a wide range of other characters to such an extent that I believe you will see yourself in at least one character. Whether it be aspiring for greatness above all else, overcoming your inner struggles as an introvert, coming up short no matter how much effort you put in or being burdened with the pressures of being an older sibling the characters imbedded within the cast. The characters within HE are inherently human with realistic struggles that we all as humans face. Being a fantasy fan I understand the draw of characters in far off worlds doing amazing feats I can only dream of however HE has taught me how heartfelt stories about normal everyday struggles can fell. What you will find within the wide range of characters within the story of HE is mirrors of yourself whether in the past or present. These stories will touch you on a personal level and leaving you full of emotions and by the time you reach the end of HE you will be wanting more while also left with a plethora of inspiration and memories.
I will never forget Hibike Euphonium and the characters I met throughout this story I look forward to the upcoming movie this year and the third season in 2024. I hope by the time of the third season I will be in a better point in life through the lessons I learned in this anime. The words of Kumiko "I want to improve!" will live with me forever as I push to truly become great just like Reina and Kumiko.