Doing High School Anime Correctly
A Video Essay examining Hibike! Euphonium and how I related its story to the high school experience at large and my own viewpoint of my time in high school.
This is yet another show that I really had no expectations going into but was pleasantly surprised by once I got a few episodes in. I didn't watch season 1 when it originally aired, so watching the first couple of episodes and binge-watching it going into season 2 was naturally the way things turned out.
Kumiko is now one of my favorite protagonists now, and her funny and cute noises aren't the only reason why. She's among the most realistic yet earnest characters I've encountered in any show. I say "yet" because earnestness - despite how great I find it - is somewhat synonymous with being extremely bubbly and fun. Yet Kumiko isn't those things at all. In fact, she's rather reluctant to be open in that regard. Ultimately though, she's a people person, constantly wanting to be involved in her friends and classmates lives, and I admire her genuine desires to be as helpful as she actually ends up being. Even if she doesn't always understand the consequences of prying into other people's business.
This video is ultimately about exploring how Kumiko handles her first year in high school through joining the band and making friends there. Through that, I relate it back to my own view of high school. And even if my initial outlook might not be too great, there's always something valuable to be gained by taking the time to formulate connections.
Keep in mind this isn't a review. As always, I just enjoy sharing why I like the stuff I like. Hopefully you'll enjoy it, too!
Thanks to everyone for continually being patient in waiting for new videos. I'm always out to keep the quality of my videos ever higher and to really push my skills, so that makes it extra rewarding when these connect well. Not only that, but seeing as I'm back in college that will take priority over videos at times.
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Music Used:
Fat Jon - Spacesuit Proper
Fat Jon - Kissed in Shadow
Nujabes - Rainy Way Back Home
Vanilla - Arrow
Jinsang - Genesis
Jinsang - First Luv
Jinsang - Dusk