Sitearm

“Sound! Euphonium” A Brief Review

I watched Seasons 1 and 2 of “Sound! Euphonium,” a Japanese anime featuring a high-school-sophomore euphonium player protagonist. A euphonium is a bass wind instrument that looks like a small tuba.

I found myself immediately engaged in the character, story arcs, imagery, and sound. I found myself emotionally moved and teary-eyed. Frequently.

One plot arc is that a new high-school student decides to become serious about their instrument, and “get good.” I experienced this through junior high and high school.

A second plot arc is that, while getting good, the student discovers insights working and performing with peers and seniors. The student experiences feeling moved when performing in ensemble with others.

A third plot arc is empathizing with the challenges faced by self and others, getting good at music while preparing for respective post-high-school futures. Sound familiar?

Anime is a particularly Japanese form of multimedia expression using visual animation and cues to identify characters and temperaments. The visual, aural, and narrative art can be incredibly nuanced. I listen to the voice characterizations in Japanese and follow the narrative subtitles in English.

The novel and anime are available in English as well as Japanese.

image courtesy Crunchyroll