This anime series is, like many others, set in a Japanese high school; this time it follows the members of the school's concert band. The school had once had a successful band which won competitions but as the series starts we see that now it is more casual; playing for their own enjoyment. When they get a new instructor he asks them if they want to carry on the way they have been or try to reach competition standard again; they vote for the latter and the hard work begins. It won't be easy to reach the required standard and not all of them will come up to the required standard. The series is centred of first year girl Kumiko Oumae who plays the euphonium however there are plenty of others in the band.
One could be forgiven for expecting this to be yet another series about girls in a club at school with a largely comic tone; in fact it is handled in a much more serious manner. There is a fairly large cast but the characters are still fairly distinctive and interesting; especially trumpet player Reina Kousaka. One can't help feeling for the band's members as their strict instructor tells them they aren't up to standard; he isn't portrayed as unpleasant though; we know he is acting this way because they asked to compete despite his warnings of hard work. The animation is of a high quality; especially the brass instruments which look amazing. The ending was such that we got a satisfying conclusion without removing the possibility of further seasons. If you are looking for something different this series is definitely worth checking out.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.
One could be forgiven for expecting this to be yet another series about girls in a club at school with a largely comic tone; in fact it is handled in a much more serious manner. There is a fairly large cast but the characters are still fairly distinctive and interesting; especially trumpet player Reina Kousaka. One can't help feeling for the band's members as their strict instructor tells them they aren't up to standard; he isn't portrayed as unpleasant though; we know he is acting this way because they asked to compete despite his warnings of hard work. The animation is of a high quality; especially the brass instruments which look amazing. The ending was such that we got a satisfying conclusion without removing the possibility of further seasons. If you are looking for something different this series is definitely worth checking out.
These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.