Natsuki-senpai ;_;
Impression
In this audition, I was fixated on two things: (i) whether Natsuki-senpai would make it, and (ii) whether Reina would get the trumpet solo. My feelings are so confused now.
I’m heartbroken, on one hand. I’ve been rooting for Natsuki-senpai ever since she went from being sleepy based senpai to hard-working based senpai. And she’s really cute. It’s like a slap in the face to learn that she didn’t make it through – especially as they’ve been subtly hinting all along that she’s turned over a new leaf and is seriously trying her best to the point that she takes her euphonium home for extra practice. I guess she wasn’t able to triumph in the face of Kumiko’s experience and Asuka’s skill – but was there really no place for her in the band? I know Taki-sensei is exactly as Kumiko says he is, and would not hesitate to drop someone if they aren’t good enough, but there are few bass players to begin with. Kumiko even mistook Natsuki-senpai for Asuka when overhearing her practice. I really hope both Natsuki and Hazuki won’t stop appearing here and there, especially as they’re practically not needed in all future band practices if they’ll be focusing on the competition – the biggest problem to that is of course with Hazuki, who is supposed to be a main character. I suppose this is how the cookie crumbles, just in like in real life – but I really don’t think Natsuki should have taken the fall.
And on the other hand, I’m very happy for Reina and her success in landing the trumpet solo. I knew she could do it! An issue with this going forward is of course the tensions this creates with the rest of the band – a lot was at stake for Kaori, and tensions were high. I don’t think Kaori bears any ill will, but sometimes this sort of thing manifests itself subconsciously or in minor ways – she’s bound to be disappointed, seniority issues aside, and it will show in some way or another. It’ll show much more obviously through ribbon loli senpai, at least. In a band which used to place seniority first, it must be jarring to have Taki-sensei swoop in and change the status quo so drastically – Kumiko in particular was rather shaken up by it all, and I hope there’s an impending explanation for that recurring flashback of a girl that isn’t Reina whom she clashed with back in middle school.
I was actually feeling quite nervous myself before the audition. It really reminded me of my time in band and doing piano, both in and out of school. Kumiko managed to transmit her nerves across rather effectively, as well – even though I know she’s pretty much a shoe-in for the competition, I still felt kind of queasy during her audition. I also get the feeling that Taki-sensei made them play a part they weren’t so good at, completely on purpose – to test how they’d react in an unfamiliar situation. It sounds like a Taki-sensei sort of thing to do, and if I had to guess, it’s here that Natsuki-senpai messed up. A piece of the puzzle surrounding him has also been revealed, and the fact that it’s Kumiko’s sister who reveals it implies that Taki-sensei might actually be the real deal – as the son of someone who worked at a really good school, he’s apparently famous for those in the know. The theory that Reina joined Kitauji for his sake, and because of his reputation, is now a very plausible thing.
I don’t think there were any other notable casualties – and people like Asuka must have had a positively fun time in there. I remember mentioning how my view on Asuka had changed a couple of weeks ago, and this episode really cemented it for me. I actually couldn’t tell whether she was messing around or was seriously pissed at Midori – and from what Gotou and Natsuki-senpai said, it sounded like the latter. I know she is dedicated to band, but it’s odd that someone so cheerful and friendly would end up being so disinterested and uncaring over someone’s personal issues. It might disrupt their practice, but Midori is worried about something – as her senpai, I think Asuka should have at least been willing to hear her out. In comparison, Reina is all too willing to help Kumiko out – I do wish we got more than them squeezing each other’s cheeks together, though. After last episode, the bar has been raised. A lot.
Finally, I’d like to just mention the whole romance aspect of things. Last week was brilliant, but we’ve gone back to yuri baiting – and I especially dislike how they follow up with it all by having Hazuki prod the notion of Kumiko x Shuichi, and saying that Kumiko was ‘backing off’ so that she could have space to confess. I never thought she was backing off at all – I’ve been assuming that Kumiko never approached to begin with, and Kumiko herself seems to think so as well. But Hazuki stating her supposed attraction to Shuichi clearly has now planted an idea in Kumiko’s mind, and I really don’t like where this is heading. I hope this isn’t one of those situations where she ‘gradually realizes her feelings’, because after how far they’ve gone with Kumiko x Reina, it would be super lame to back out now. I’m not saying they’re now the most intimate of lovers – but it’s clear as day that their dynamic together is more than just friends, or even best friends. I like seeing them interact, there’s everything from banter to sexual tension and they’ve shown that the two of them really click in an intimate way – in comparison, Kumiko x Shuichi is boring. I find more amusement in watching Kumiko treat Shuichi with distaste than I ever will in watching them in a romantic setting. I’m not getting vibes that Kumiko feels anything more for Shuichi beyond neutrality. Not cashing in on what she has with Reina would be a real waste, in my opinion.
Boring thought it may be for now, Kyoani may not see it as worthwhile to lose out on the rest of the story by further changing the chemistry. Granted, I don’t know how much of an impact on the central plot there would be if Kumiko and Reina were to love each other romantically and be together. It just may be that it’s still too early to deviate from the source material that much.
Why again does Kumiko treat Shuichi like she did from the start? I feel as though I missed something, nor do I remember getting much on their past. Is it just because he’s an old face in her “new life”? I mean, Reina is as well and was almost terrifying to her at one point, but mistakes were made up for!
But KyoAni loves to deviate wildly! Chuunibyou was practically anime-original beyond its initial premise, and they still haven’t saved the park in the Amaburi novels. If the main plot is the competition, then as a side plot any changes to the romance should not be too radical. At any rate, they will have to put in some serious work to make a romance with Shuichi work. In anime, it’s more than common to have obvious indications where characters have romantic attraction, i.e. blushing, suggestive lines and the like. All of these have been towards Reina so far, and anything of the sort with Shuichi has apparently been omitted from the adaptation. So even objectively, it’s hard to support Kumiko x Shuichi when all their interactions, as well as Kumiko’s treatment of him has suggested anything but romance.
In the first episode, Kumiko reminds Shuichi that the reason she’s acting coldly towards him is because he did the same to her in middle school. Kumiko approached Shuichi when he was with his friends, and to avoid being embarrassed he called her ugly and told her not to talk to him. So she didn’t. Now he’s more mature and is probably a bit more interested in girls, and is thus trying to make amends towards his lovely, if cynical, childhood friend.