How Warm It Sounds | Why Hibike! Euphonium Is My Favorite Anime 

Commenting years later. Season 3 episode 12 just aired and this show is still just as moving as it was in its first season

Guys, I think UTS might be a Kyoto Animation fan.

I didn't think I'd watch the entirety of a 20 minute love letter to Hibike Euphonium, but I did, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

This video is a piece of art.

oh my god this probably sounds weird but I started tearing up when the music began playing at "I want to improve" and the two segments near the end, this message really hits home. I'm just here watching an anime review-- no, review isn't the right word for this, I don't know how to describe this video-- and I'm tearing up this is so weird

My heart is broken for Kyoto Animation.

I'm not a person who normally comments on RU-vid videos. The amount of comments I have made on RU-vid I could count on my hands, but I need to speak my mind here. This is the best video I've seen on RU-vid hands down. The passion you have for Eupho, the beautiful editing, and the way you connect Eupho to your own life makes me invested in this video, and I can feel your love for Eupho flowing through the screen. I remember last year I was at Anime North, and someone asked Tomoyo Kurosawa something to the effect of "What were your thoughts when voicing Kumiko, was there anything special that you did?" to which she responded "I just voiced her like a normal high school girl." At first I didn't understand this comment. How could she be just normal? I could hear the passion behind her voice when she wants to improve, and when she confronts Asuka. In what way is that normal? A few months later I watched Euphonium and I realized something. Kumiko is the most normal and human character I've seen in anime. Kumiko at the beginning of the show is just like me. Unmotivated, just going through the motions of life, not confrontational, and taking an emotional backseat. At the time I watched Euphonium I was going through some bad mental health. It wasn't anything super serious, but I wondered what the point of doing the things I was doing was. I tried to do too many things at once, not because I wanted to but because I couldn't say no, and that's what I was expected to do. I think I've changed a little bit since then. My mother tells me how much more I exert my opinion, and how much more assertive I am being. I'm quitting my part time job soon, because I don't really enjoy it. I've realized now that you shouldn't do things because you are expected to, but because you want to. Kumiko grew because she did what she wanted, and so should I. I don't think I've finished changing and becoming better than before. Hell, I don't think I ever will. But little by little, I'm starting to take my life in my own hands. I've been watching this channel for a bit over two years now, and it's so interesting to see how much you have changed now. I had found you from the Clannad Ending is not a Deus Ex Machina video, and back then while you had just started making these opinion piece videos, you were still very much doing the standard seasonal videos and reviews. Now, over two years later you have grown so much, and you have made one of my favourite videos ever. Thank you.

Season 3 is on the way guys, I love this anime so much I didnt think I would find a video that captures my feelings about it so well

This video essay is one of the sweetest love letters to an anime I’ve ever heard. Well put and edited my dude

I am literally crying. Kumiko is such an important character for me too, this video inspired me a lot

Ah...coming back to this video after they've announce season 3 in 2024....watching back this video bring back so much memories...

Now that it's over I'm here to weep

I stopped playing the Euphonium for 2 years and struggled to motivate myself to practice again (you know how boring it is to just do the basics). But you know what? You got it all right about the Euphonium. I love the Euphonium, I love how warm it sounds, I love that the Euphonium can stand on its own and yet be that warm, strong, "round" support to the other instruments. One of the reason I lack motivation was that I'm not in any band and it IS kinda boring to only practice on your own. But that should not stop me, it's about whether I want to do it and whether I do love it, and I do! I am going to find a way to force myself to practice, to get better, to be more than where I am now. In my late 20s, there isn't much time left after the usual 9-5 job, but one gotta find a way, any way, if one is serious on pursuing their interest. THank you for this video.

I think Kumiko is my favourite anime character of all time. I find her so extremly relatable, we have a very similar personallity and a very similar place in the world. I'm only 14 so I'm not very old yet and I get the feeling that I'll be able to relate to Kumiko even more once I grow older, but at the moment her struggles and issues resonates with me on a very spiritual level. Everything she goes through just feels so human... Hibike Euphomium is my favourite Kyoani show, and I think it will stay that way for a very long time. Great video, keep it up!

So this is my first youtube comment where I speak my mind. There are so many anime youtubers that talk about an anime but never go past it. They make videos on how an anime is good, judging them by their visuals and story but never what it means to them. Your channel is different. When I saw this videos, it was like I had found someone who taught the same as me. When I wanna watch something I wanna look at the philosphy and importance of that something. Just like for you it's Hibike Euphonium for me it's "One Tree Hill". A TV show where I found my self relation to the character Nathan Scott. I still find myself thinking about that TV show when I'm going to sleep. Watching that TV show I would always try to go past it judging every scene like I would never see it ever again. The same can be said when I read a book, everytime I read a book, I go to sparknotes or find an analysis of it because I love seeing past from what is given to me. (Note: I have so much more to say I feel like I can keep writing but then this comment will become an essay, Under The Scope you have a talent of being able to use your words so beauifully I hope i can someday be able to talk to someone's soul with words like your able to.) PS. YOU SHOULD TOTALLY WATCH ONE TREE HILL I THINK YOU'LL LIKE IT.

rewatching this cuz the show just ended also one of my favorite anime, resonates me so heavily

This is going to be a vent of sorts. When I first watched Sound Euph, I thought it was just a simple slice of life with beautiful animation - which it is, but that’s not all there is to it. I watched this video a year ago, and the way you described the series like it meant everything to you struck me hard. I wanted to understand this love you had for it, but I couldn’t feel it myself. During that time, I was starting to enter one of my worst ruts of all time. Everyday felt so painfully sluggish, with nothing for me to live for. I had realized that I had no passion in my life - nothing I was willing to work so hard that I could die for. The hours and weeks blended into each other until half a year had past and I felt like complete and utter garbage. I was falling behind my peers, and to climb out of the hole I had built myself would require clawing out with bleeding nails. I kept asking myself ‘What is the point of living?’ ‘Why do I need to try?’ ‘When will this all just end?’ ‘When will I finally be happy?’ The thoughts kept spiraling until it was all I could think of. It was unbearably painful, so much so that I felt like dying was the only option for me at that point. I hated the way I thought - the lazy and ugly person I was was so fucking apparent to me that I didn’t want to bother dealing with it, so I turnt to unhealthy coping mechanisms. I binge ate and spent my days sleeping and watching anime. It felt like shit, but it was better than wanting to die every single fucking moment. During this time, I was also being pressured into choosing a career path. Originally, I thought going into science and research would be a relatively decent job. I wasn’t passionate about it, I just liked science and didn’t want to go down the business and 9-5 cubicle desk job. I chose it out of avoidance, not out of love. I think my dad picked up on it, and asked me seriously one day if there was anything else I wanted to do. To humor him, I listed out potential jobs I could do that I wouldn’t absolutely hate, with no real intention of changing my choice of science research. I vividly remember; we were in the car, a couple blocks away from our home, when I jokingly said “A doctor, maybe”. He laughed, asking if I was scared of blood, which I replied to with a no. Then, why couldn’t I be one? A nagging thought popped up. I considered it. Medicine was never really an obvious choice for me. It required sacrifice and passion, two things I absolutely didn’t have. Yet, the idea of being a doctor in that moment struck me so hard, that I think it was a sign from whatever gods were up there trying to give me a nudge forward. I spent weeks mulling over this thought, wondering if I had it in me to commit to being a doctor. I made spreadsheets and diagrams and racked every single brain cell I had, to come to no conclusion. I didn’t know. Around this time, I was still in that god forsaken rut. My performance in school was at an all time low, to the point that one of my teacher had to call me over zoom for a one on one because I was missing classes and has unfinished work. I cried for days because of that. The feeling of rotting from the inside out consumed me whole. I wanted to either end this feeling, or end myself. I wanted to improve, I wanted to get better, I wanted to change. I wanted so badly to change myself whole, to shed my skin away and try again. But I also wanted to stop living, to stop whatever pain I was feeling and give up. I was caught between two extremes, balancing precariously between the choice of reliving life or ending everything. It is here where I can quite confidently say that sound euph might have changed my life. After discovering your video, I decided to give sound euph another watch. Almost everything was the same; I watched with a detachment from the characters and never tried to put myself into their shoes. But I found myself inexplicably drawn to Reina. On my first watch, she was just a pretty character to me; nothing more, nothing less. This time, she felt like a black hole, drawing me in. Her words weighed heavily in my mind, making me hate the strange way she tugged at my heart strings. I felt like she was sucking me in, like she did for Kumiko. I didn’t realize until the one episode where Kumiko failed to make the cut for the euphonium section despite pouring her everything into it. I remember the heart wrenching pain I felt when she ran across the bridge, tears in her eyes, like she was running away from something but that something didn’t exist. The months of self hatred and anxiety and godawful pain burned in my chest, ripping and tearing my heart into pieces. Then: “I WANT TO IMPROVE!!!” I didn’t realize I was crying before that moment, but I had tears running down my face and an enormous weight in my throat. I remember having to pause the episode to just cry. I wanted to improve. I wanted to improve. I wanted to get better, to be better than the sorry state I was in. I wanted to change so badly that it was ripping my chest apart from the pain. I understood why I was so drawn to Reina, why I was so hurt by kumiko’s pain, why I was sobbing over an anime at 2am on a school night. I wanted to improve. It’s been a year since then. There are still times where I think I’m falling back into the spiral, or when I think I’m not making any progress at all. I always come back to euphonium when I feel that way. I’ve decided that I’m going to pursue medicine, that I’m going to commit my life to it, just because I like it. I still feel like dying; but not from the pain of my own thoughts, but from the pain of wanting to be better.

hearing you talk about anime is always a great time for me since you always talk with such passion about your thoughts!

I'm not a massive anime watcher in general, but I fell in love with this one. Yesterday I finished the second season, and felt so inspired and emotionally affected. I haven't played Trumpet in almost 10 years, but I'm buying one tomorrow. I haven't attempted to learn how to play my guitar for 4 years, and I started last night. I have sang for fun for years on end, and now I want to improve upon it. I want to make music again, for real, for the first time since childhood ended and since my cycnical and hard teen years began. I'm an adult now and I feel a need to create once again. I am so thankful for this anime, I hope others feel what I now feel. Bless you all.

Criminally underrated, I come back to watch this and remember why I love Hibike Euphonium so much. For very similar reasons as you do, but a little more. To me it represents my band experience and adolescence. By the time the last season comes out I will be graduating and it will truly be the end of my adolescent life. Around the time I become an adult.

It's been a while since the last time I cry, literally, I just love this anime so much

This is my "ideal video". I also have Hibike! Euphonium as my favorite anime, I mean, it's actually my favorite work of fiction. I watched the anime when I was in my second year of high school (I'm in my second year of college rn) and by the end of that year, it had affected me more than any movie, series or game in my entire life. This video actually annoys me because it's exactly the kind of content I would love to create if I ever try to make a video, it perfectly explains why I love it and how it affected me, which is also why I LOVE this video. It's really great to know I'm not the only one who felt that way, this shows how powerful the messages and characters are. I would like to add something to the video, but I can't, everything I had to say about the show is already in the video. Thank You! André Yudi, 18 years old, Brazil

I started crying about 15 minutes into this video, Hibike! is such a special story, and I can't believe how much Kumiko resonates with me too. The whole non-confrontational, safe choices and also Asuka, who keeps people at a distance while acting smart and mature. Ahhhh. This was a wonderful love letter to Hibike! and breaking down the characters and relationships and how, why it resonates so powerfully despite "just" being a story about a high school band.

I just finished the first season and I must say that this, this is one of the most beautiful animes I've seen in my life. Honestly, I thought this couldn't match k-on, but how wrong I was. This is KyoAni, this is why they are my favorite animation studio. I don't know how to put this in words, but if I had to, I'd say that KyoAni not only has changed my life, has changed the way I see the world, the way I enjoy things, and above all, has teached me along all these years, that life can be hard, but always beautiful.

I just felt like watching this again... Thank you for this video.

R.I.P Kyoto Animation members 😔 We will miss you

"Trumpet Straight" my ass. This is the most bent trumpet ever. This anime is so beautifully made. And UTS made the perfect video to explain my feelings for it.

Hibike is such an underrated masterpiece

The meaning of this anime to you must be immense and it's reflected in this video. Being able to look back at any story and seeing how you've changed due to that story and the difference in how you interpret that story rewatching it is always an inspiring eye-opener.

Today's episode made me come back once again, just 3 weeks after commenting on this same video. Today I got reminded about why I love this anime so much, but it also reminded me of this youtuber, how he talks about Kumiko's resolve and her determination to find what she wants. That just made me think how much I would love for under the scope to make one final video for the franchise once the season ends. It would be amazing. For reference in the future, today's episode was #5 for season 3 of Sound Euphonium.

The way you analyse anime is something else. Your word choice and how you describe your thoughts is always pleasant to listen to.

I have no idea how many times I've watched this video

" I'll never forget how warm it sounds "

This video is genuinely one of my most favorite video of all time just like the show itself. I love to comeback to this video every few months for some reason. It somehow inspires me in a weird way.

Jack continues to make videos that speak to the heart and mind of what makes these series so special. It's wonderful, the blend of personal stories intertwined with the reliability of the show. I always appreciate videos that give insight to the person behind them just as much the series themselves. In short: Oumae god it was perfect! :)

I had been thinking, prompted by the release of Violet Evergarden, among the many Kyoto Animation works I had been enjoying over the years, which one was my actual favorite. K-ON! was an early front-runner, as was the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Maybe Hyouka, the dark horse that seems so ordinary on the surface but inexplicably pulls you. But it always felt like Hibike! Euphonium was the perfection of the studio's emotional, character-driven slice of life story, the culmination of all their previous work. A story about a large group of characters working towards a common goal through all their struggles and different points of view. But also a story of personal growth, self-realization and fighting through hardships and setbacks. And let's not forget about the masterful production with breath-taking visuals, outstanding sound design, Tomoyo Kurosawa's incredible performance and quite frankly an obscene number of characters that get fleshed out over the course of the series.

My life is now lonely again that I finished the anime.

What I love about the scene when Kumiko plays Asuka's Hibike! Euphonium, is that her classmates mention that she sounds like Asuka, like she is somehow closer to her..., maybe it's just me but that always moves me to manly tears...

This anime is beautifully mundane and gorgeously sincere.

Best video essay I've ever seen. You're not alone in relating to Kumiko so much.

I come back to this everytime I need some motivation lol

PEAK CONTINUES WITH S3. WATCH IT. Kyoani really upped their game in the wake of a terrible tragedy, pouring their heart and soul into sound euphonium. Much like Kumiko, through trial and tribulation, they toiled away at their passion, and we are finally seeing the end result. And there’s only one word that comes to mind to describe it. Beautiful.

It has been years and here i found myself listening to this again... I remembered my first year of senior year (gr11) I'd listen to this while walking on my way home... not remembering how i exactly felt but i know for sure this was my comfort during those times... Now I'm (supposedly in 2nd yr of college) in another crossroad... the pandemic really Really left me into nothingness. I feel rather shallow, lost my drive. the motivation, ambition to be something... I'm still (slowly) trying to get myself back together, and listening to this really is an aid to feel okay. : )

One of the best animes out there..this anime needs a lot of appreciation

I come back here often.

The side arc with Natsuki going from lazy to trying is my favorite thing kyoani has done

i watched this anime as i was writing my final uni thesis, i came upon it by mere chance, and everything you said - i understand it completely. this is a perfect anime for a crossroad in life, it pushes you to go forward. it has something truly special that makes a person want to achieve everything in life while being proud on how far they've come, all while telling you everything will be alright and you will grow even more. it certainly is one of the most meaningful pieces of fiction i have ever watched in my life.

I always come back to this whenever I finish rewatching hibike

This is the 4th time I come back to this video; I don't really know why, TBH. It's like I always find something here, like this is what I need to hear sometimes

I started watching Eupho when I was 3rd year College, at an incredibly low time in my life. I had just learned I wasn't going to graduate in time due to failing my majors. I lost motivation with my studies and gradually my grades got worse and worse. One day I decided to pick the anime up and devoured every single episode of Season 1 in half a day, endlessly rewatching it over and over and over again. I loved it. I related to Kumiko so much because I saw myself in her; aimless, purely content with mediocrity, avoiding trouble and attention. Following her journey to discover her passion, I was inspired and saved up money to buy myself a flute, something I've always wanted to learn how to play. Even now I practice, but I'm still so far away from being good. Currently, I'm one more year away from graduating, and can confidently say that this anime saved my life.

And so your next piece, as well as ours, goes on. I really appreciate this video, as I had the same feelings for Hibike! Euphonium. There's not many anime that inspire me with the drive to do better and contain the same character growth that Hibike has. You put into words what I could not, and made an amazing videos. Kudos well deserved.

響け！ユーフォニアムが大好きで、何度も繰り返し観ました。ストーリー構成が素晴らしいのは言うまでないものですが、特に人間の心理描写が素晴らしく、観るたびに新しい発見があり、共感するものがあります。私も自信を持ってこの作品が一番好きだと、と言い切れます。このビデオも何度も拝見させていただきました。分かりやすい作品紹介に加えて、映像の選択、更には音楽のチェイスまで非常にこだわりを感じ、感動致します。素晴らしいビデオをありがとうございます。This is the best video of Hibike!euphonium I've ever seen.Thank you for all of your time and work.

This hits really hard. That was perfect

As a eupho player, I was introduced to this anime by my brass teacher,I didn’t have time to watch it when he introduce to me and I forgot about it soon. But after a year, my teacher left the school I’m studying in and I suddenly remembered about ‘Hikibe Euphonium’ and give it a try. I wasn’t very talented at music and didn’t practice hard so my eupho skill is just average, but the eupho solo just changed my whole attitude of play euphonium. For the first time ever, I play the euphonium in my free time, not because of lesson or school band, I play it just because I love euphonium. Now is my second year of learning eupho and I can play the solo ( not as good as asuku and komiku of course) and my life with eupho just started. Finally, if somehow the teacher who introduced this anime to me click into this video and see this comment ( and remember he had this student lol). I just want to say ‘ Thank you,

It is exciting to find someone who feels the same for you, who watched this when you were lost and found yourself on it years later - and it resonates harder than ever. I think I could have never expressed well enough what it meant for me, so thank you for putting it into words!

this has and always will be my favourite video on youtube

This video, even though it only appeared to me in 2024, easily managed to be one of the best I've ever seen in my entire life. Hibiki Euphonium manages to be one of the best works within what it proposes, it is an anime that you can have a mix of emotions, tension, relief, happiness and even sadness, I myself have seen myself in several moments of the work because of very complex and emotional moments, it is not a work that I want to forget any time soon in my life, I think it is incredible that little by little it is influencing my life, the feeling of wanting to improve and find something you like may take time and for me it has already taken a lot, this video even after 6 years of its release is a work of art as already said and one of the phrases that caught me during these 20 minutes of pure mix of emotions was "the lazy girl finding willpower". I can't put into words how much this anime brings me peace, no other has managed to do so, I feel that every time I see something related to Hibiki Euphonium I end up crying, it is a very human and genuine work in the characters' thoughts. I want to be a better person just for having seen this work.

I don't have the words to express how I'm feeling, but the first 50 seconds of this video convinced me to start Eupho a few years ago. I'd later revisit the video (the next day) after I finished the first 2 seasons. And here I am after the finale. All I can say is thank you for exposing me to Eupho. I'm privileged to have been through this journey.

Where I think this show resonated me is how Reina and Kumikos interactions matched the thoughts going on in my head on a daily bases, and it really helped put things into perspective and helped my decide my path. Truly one of the greatest works of all time.

As a band kid and as a baritone player, this has become a favorite of mine .not only does it show how people settle for minimum effort but also how important picking electives is for your future self, its not just some class it’s a community that you will have to work with. When I first picked my electives I wanted to have art , but there were too many people, so I got put in band , not expecting anything, but there I found a friend, a family , and over all a hope , it’s not the best band group but it doesn’t have to. At the beginning I couldn’t play a single note right even if I knew what the notes were I just couldn’t make the right noises, but over time I’ve become one of the best (if not best)baritone player in my class.❤

I wish I could explain to my friends everytime they ask me why this is my favorite anime like you did. You explained it deeply and very well. I think I'm gonna watch Hibike again for the 3rd time.😍 Really enjoyed your video, thanks.😉

It's been at least 4 years since I first watched this anime and this video, and until now I've realized what this really means to me. Sound Euphonium has been my favorite anime ever since I watched it, and since that exact moment, I've always thought of Kumiko not only as someone I can relate to but also as someone I aspire to be. Now that season 3 is airing I decided to give the anime another rewatch, and just a few hours ago after finishing season 2 I realized that I no longer look to become someone like Kumiko, but rather learn from Kumiko's growth to find my own path. Season 1 Kumiko is someone I still see myself in, someone uninterested in the world around her who slowly learns what she enjoys the most, but season 2 Kumiko is a different story. Her growth and interactions with the people around her are things that despite being beautiful, mean almost nothing to me. I always thought of becoming like Kumiko in that aspect, breaking that shell she's trapped in and supporting others when needed, after all, Asuka says it, she's an Euphonium. But now, I realize that that's not how I would do things, that wouldn't be me. I always thought of Kumiko's development as moving from an undesired personality to an ideal human, that's why I loved her so much and that's why I wanted to be like her. Now, I've realized that seeing myself in how she was at the beginning of Season 1 doesn't mean I need to be like her at the end of Season 2, heck, now I even see bits of myself in other characters like Reina and Asuka. Now, Kumiko is to me what Reina means to her, I no longer look at Kumiko as someone I need to become, but as someone who inspires me to do better. In the past 4 years, a lot of stuff has happened and thus I've changed from who I was when I first watched this anime, the fact that my love for Kumiko has changed is proof of that, but it's thanks to Hibike Euphonium that I've changed as a person and is also thanks to Hibike Euphonium that I've found out about those changes. Each individual is different, I cannot aspire to be like someone else fictional or not, but finally, after 4 years, I can say that I've found a new meaning not only for my favorite media of all time, but also, my favorite character of all time. I always come back to this video when I think about hibike euphonium but I've never actually written a comment. If anyone took the time to read all of this crap then thank you, because despite not knowing who I am or what I do, you took the time to read an entire essay on how a character made me realize I've changed. Still, the main reason I'm writing this here is because I know that every time I rewatch this anime, I'll come back to this video, and have the opportunity of seeing how much I've changed over the years.

I finish this show yesterday and OMG! I did not expect to like this show so much. It’s so beautiful and the is amazing! You can feel all their energy putting into the competition

you just made me watched this 20min of video, about how hibike! Euphonium is so good, but I was like 'yeah I know it's good', and then you were reminding me to do what i should do and head first. I'm not the type of person that write comments, but for me it's one of the thing I need to do right now, writing this comment to tell you how good this description, and philosophy and like, everything we need to know about it. You did a great job. You might not be the same today, but the old you was already so awesome to lead you in something worse than being incredible.

I always come back to this to get therapy session: )

I honestly cried during this video Thank you, Jack, for all your hard work and I hope you will discover your own path and stick to it.

Every once in a while i remember this video, just as i remember hibike euphonium, kumiko, and the wonderful message this show provides. This might straight up be my favorite in this whole website, and ive been watching youtube for a few years. Thank you, thank you for putting everything i felt about this show in perfect words and a little bit more.

I almost cried after you said "well, you know"... Damn your videos are like extra episodes of the shows for me.

I still think about this show a lot, and this video still does the show the greatest justice

This is the only anime that actually get competitive bands down correct, for the US at least in my state the top bands worked like this during marching season, every day after school, 3-4 hours, and every other Saturday, 12 hour rehearsals. And the who do you play for, they are right, it's very different, for me it was at first because I loved marching band, and I was playing for myself, and then my boyfriend at the time committed suicide after marching season, and then it shifted towards making my sound go towards him, playing as dark, rich, and warm as I possibly could, and at the end of every state finals retreat I always had a rose of some sort in my bibbers, and I'd leave one at the end of the Air Force Academy Falcon Stadium tunnel. Yeah, sure, staff of CBA marchign picked it up, and I knew that, but I knew how much he loved marching band, so I left a flower for rest of the 3 years of my high school marching band time at the end of the season, in his honor, so I agree, this anime changed me too, concert band was competitive also, not as competitive as marching band, but making it to State was a goal, we did, and I was happy, the amount of work we put in after marching season just for one goal, making the State Concert Band Festival.

And just like this my dreams disappear. These masterpieces guided me through the worst few years of my life. They are the only feelings of pure joy and sweet nostalgia I have between those painful and directionless times. They make those really bad times look like periods of realisation, redirection, desire, hope, positivity and love and I hope they'll continue to do so.The fire of Kyoto Animations doesn't feel like a tragedy. It feels like losing an old friend who taught me being myself and gaining the strength to look forward no matter how hard it is. But now this friend is gone and all there is left are the memories. #prayforkyoani

Amazing series, and another amazing video from who is, in my opinion, the best anime RU-vidr on the site. Thank you Jack for all the work and raw emotion you put into making these analysis videos. Some of them have truly changed my life.

Once in a while I come back to this video. It really has stuck with me since I first saw it. I have to tell you, you really changed the way I see my life and how important is this anime for me. I must thank you always for that. Hope you are doing good, friend.

Anyone here after Season 3 has been announced?

".., or the slacker finding the willpower to succeed but still coming up short" :(

you literally made me cry over a fucking analysis of a band anime that i watched 3 years ago

SEASON 3 LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Just finished watching this beautiful series! Yeah the beginning was kind of slow, but after that, I just found myself so heavily invested with it without even realizing it. This is when I realized that I love character growth in anime, and this anime did not lack that. Great video! I also relate to Kumiko so much. Tears were shed while listening to this. It's like hearing things that you've wanted to hear for a long time now. Thank you for this.

This video has literally changed my life

Anyone here after watching episode 12 of season 3?

One of the reasons I started Hibike! Euphonium was because I just found your channel and really love your videos. Your one of the most insightful reviewers of anime I've ever seen, probably my favorite in youtube, and I wanted to now why this was your favorite anime (though it was on my list for a while now). I kind of finished it yesterday... and I almost couln't sleep thinking about it. I can't remember the last time something affected me so much. And your video captures most of the things I thought of this story with an eloquence I think I wouldn't be capable of, at least for now (You and others reviewers inspire me to be that eloquent when talking about the media I enjoy). But this was something else. I think the only thing that comes close to giving such a resonant life lesson through storytelling is HxH, but again this was just something else. Maybe is because the themes resonated with me because I can relate to them more in this precise moment of my life, but I think I'll be coming back to this story for years to come, and I think I will always enjoy it. I sure hope so. Thank you for making this video man. The memory is still pretty fresh in my head, and I did cry with this story in several parts, so it isn't surprising that your video almost made me cry. Seeing this on your channel, just the title, was a recomendation from you, and I can't be more grateful for that. Glad to hear someone talking about this gem and giving it the praise that it deserves. Keep it up, man. And thanks again :)

I just finished my second rewatch of Hibike euphonium yesterday. Definitely my favorite show from KyoAni.

Kumiko is one of my very few favourites anime characters of all time and in this video is exactly why

every once in a while i come back to this video because it just conveys what i feel for hibike so much. thank you

It sounds so warm but always manages to give me chills

I've never seen such a warmhearted work of art, such a video produced with so much effort and care put into it from start to finish to the point I was watching attentively three times each second of your 20 minutes and 8 seconds. 20 minutes turned into an hour of what is a love letter to an anime I'll never forget. You've put into words so much I had intensely felt watching the show and some more. You've made me consciously aware of how much Kumiko's story resonates with me - her being a bystander, trying to mediate yet falling short, blurting whatever first comes to mind yet remaining guarded, never letting her true feelings permeate through her shell. Her scene of crying on the train was especially impactful, finally realizing how she felt by the chasm between her and Mamiko, her sister. This led me to speculate that maybe Kumiko was a touch Alexhymic; she couldn't tap into her true feelings for Asuka and Mamiko. It took an emotional outburst to finally crack her shell, decide for herself, and be okay with what she truly wanted and felt. Touching on your personal anecdotes from life in college, being directionless, or just wading through life waiting to find or stumble upon my passion, this felt highly relatable. I could see myself in Kumiko in more ways than I wasn't able to articulate. Although my family tried to foster freedom of choice in whatever I wanted to pursue, I never felt a specific draw to anything. I've done my best to avoid making decisions for myself, being crushed by the weight of perceived expectations, never being uttered and delineated to me but always there, present like an aura. That's how Mamiko's character resonated with me. On the surface, not specifically being pushed into college but always having suggestions ready. Frequent, nagging questions regarding an uncertain future. Always being silent, bearing the cross on my back, the straightforward route to "success."That isn't what I wanted, yet I have always been afraid to question. It took me years to realize the deleterious effect of expectations, both internal and external, and Hibike! Euphonium is there, laying it all bare, holding a mirror to a particular aspect of life. Hibike! Euphonium had undoubtedly left a mark, a masterpiece of some of the most talented storytellers and animators out there telling one of the rawest emotional stories I’ve ever had the privilege to watch. During this tumultuous period of growing up, those three years of high school, although I have not spent them with the solemn objective of mastering a musical instrument, I still remember the upheavals, the vicissitudes of the life of a high-schooler, the fear of being alone, the introverted nature of some and the extroverted of others, the intense weight of unmanaged expectations, the fear of not measuring up, not being enough, the fear of hurting and getting hurt and thus staying on the sidelines, on the fence, being non-committal. The fear of laying it all bare, committing, and ‘standing firm with both of your legs forward, trying your best and still falling short’ - that’s something I’ve experienced recently; that was something I was not prepared to see in Kumiko and Reina. “It hurts so much I could die.” I don’t believe it was an exaggeration usually attributed to anime. I think this is that painful; it certainly felt that way, and that hit me the most, with full force. I’ll never forget Kumiko’s scene at the bridge, nor Reina’s breakdown over her middle school’s loss in the first season. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, “Under The Scope,” for producing such a moving video essay, a work of art; you’ve moved me to put my emotions “under the scope” ;) To analyze them, to ultimately write and make sense of them. This is the best video I’ve ever watched on this platform, and to me, it says a lot; in what is essentially a video-sharing platform with (I’ll hazard a guess) millions if not billions of hours of on-demand video content, your video stands out from the crowd, this is a hidden gem of an essay, this is something the world needs to see and relate to. This has the potential to change someone’s life and their worldview, as it has mine. It is my most earnest hope that you see this comment and read it, for I want you to know personally how much this means to me, even though we’re complete strangers on the internet - I, some random viewer who’d stumbled upon your video, and you, a content creator who as far as I’m concerned should make more videos. This… This is the epitome of video essays on the platform. Please continue creating more valuable content the way YOU see fit. Lastly, I’d like to thank Kyoto Animation for making an anime masterpiece, for writing such a human story and characters, enabling all of this to be possible, and for planting the seed for more shows like this. I'm looking forward to the continuation of the second season next year and season 3 in 2024. You’ve left a mark; you’ve changed my life. This is the influence that this medium has, that art has. The aperture to the mind and heart.

Thank you so much for making these. You really say what I can't explain in my head about what I feel about these KyoAni shows (specially Hibike! Euphonium and Tamako Market). When I was 11 I watched K-ON! and inmediatly joined a music school inspired by those girls. There, aside from learning music until now, I met all of the most important people in my life right now. It's kind of silly but it was because I watched K-ON! and I wanted to try playing music like them. When I was 18 I started studying something at college which had nothing to do with music (still don't know why). A few months later I became friends with someone who was finishing their last year of college (nothing to do with music as well) and was aiming to join a very important jazz school, but they were still kind of disappointed and tired from lasting so much in college. They were studying so hard for the music entrance exam and also to finish their college exams and projects as well that I was so inspired. After spending time with that person and going to a really inspiring concert, I inmediatly dropped out of college to keep studying music. Last year I rewatched Euphonium and I couldn't stop crying when seeing Kumiko. I never related so much to a character. Right now I can say I'm a musician, and watching myself back makes me so happy to see how much I've grown, like Kumiko.

Coming back to this video in the middle of my third year in college, I find it all the more important than when it first came out and wish more people have seen this. It just hits so home for me. This video has stayed with me as an extension of this show and never ceases to ask me "Is this the life you're working so hard towards?" Coming back to this video, I can't believe the warmth of the writing still lingers, timeless as the best memories are. It brings me back to when I was younger and wrote unabashedly, believing every thought I had mattered. The question of what I should want vs. what I do want is still hard for me to answer but it feels a little closer when I play this video. It's that warmth - that feeling of knowing why I'm here and who I want to spend this time with me. Idk it's what that one person said, this video is a work of art and I'm so grateful that you've shared it with us.

It's been five years since 2015, but my passion for this animation hasn't diminished.

i can relate, for i have played the Euphonium because no one would play it and i loved playing it in the end.

well said. I just finished the anime and waiting for the 3rd season.. I always see this anime and I never thought that this'll be my No.1 favorite anime.

This anime made me want to play the clarinet again. Now, I'll probably regret never practicing.

I'm glad that I found this wonderful work of art. Thank you Hibike euphonium! Sorry if I'm late but it's better than never hehehe I will watch it over and over again. Forever my favorite ❤️

after rewatching this video for the 5th time now i might aswell mark down when it happened 5th rewatch 30.10.2020 6th rewatch 08.07.2021 7th rewatch 11.11.2021 8th rewatch 11.01.2022 9th rewatch 02.05.2022 10th rewatch 22.7.2022 11th rewatch 18.2.2023 12th rewatch 11.01.2024

Finished Hibike about a week ago and stumbled upon this video. Honestly I had no business crying at 2pm. Thanks for conveying my feelings about the show in a way I never could and creating such an inspiring video essay. Masterpiece, both this show and how you have come to understand its deepness in such a clear way, you should be proud.

UGH. you describe my feelings towards sound! Euphonium so well and sparks my sense of passion every time. Thanks for this, seriously

It really is your best video of all time❤️

This has to be one of my favourite videos on this entire platform.

This connected with me on such a deep level and i haven't even watched this show. Its really a testament to your writing how you're able to lay out the narrative themes and convey them in an intimate way, like a relatable reflection of the show. I'm actually graduating from university tomorrow and i've recently had this feeling of aimlessness. I know what i want to do, but im uncertain and afraid of the steps to take to reach my goals. I just gotta keep trying, thats the trick to all this i guess. Life really is beautiful, despite how tough it may seem at any given moment and we've got to realise our own potentital in whatever that may be. Thanks for the video man^^

Thank you for making such a beautiful video on this. I just started watching Hibike Euphonium recently and I loved it. For mostly the same reasons as you do. This video has made me love Euphonium even more and its now one of my favorite anime's.