Sound Euphonium Season 3 Review – Goddamn it, KyoAni
Article at a glance:
- The series finale brings full circle the character arcs and plotlines from previous seasons, delivering a powerful and emotional ending.
- Exceptional character growth, particularly Kumiko’s journey from a timid girl to a capable leader, is highlighted by interconnected and well-developed supporting characters.
- Kyoto Animation’s expressive animations, strong voice performances, and fitting soundtracks enhance the emotional investment and overall enjoyment.
Just a quick warning before I begin. I try to keep my reviews concise and to the point. But today, there is a terrific possibility that this review may devolve into a rant about how and why this series is peak fiction so please forgive me. There was a reason I waited until the last episode to review Sound Euphonium Season 3. It wasn’t just going to be the last episode of Season 3, it would also be the conclusion of the whole series and I am glad I waited.
And now that I have watched the last episode, there is just one thing in my heart. I want to watch this series for the first time again. I want to forget all about it and experience it all over again. And then cry like a baby all over again appreciating how many things lead up and come full circle at the ending. This isn’t just a single season of greatness. The conclusion of Season 3 had been in the works since Episode 1. If the previous seasons didn’t exist this ending would not hit this hard.
I am sorry- I already told you this review may devolve into a rant. You know what? I hate you KyoAni. I hate you for bringing this curse into my life. Now I will spend a whole week thinking about how good this ending was as I get my teeth kicked by Messmer the Impaler for the 400th time. And then I will probably start rewatching the series. Before I diverge any further, let’s just start with the review for Sound Euphonium Season 3.
Plot
There is not much to comment on in terms of the plot. It’s a slice-of-life anime, in the end, it won’t have a super complex plot like Evangelion or something. But what plot there is executed extremely well, As I was describing earlier, the finale wouldn’t hit as hard as it does if it wasn’t for the previous seasons. And the way the show brings around all the previous elements and how they build up to the climax is very well done.
The plot for the most part is character-driven. Whenever there is a significant moment, it is related to at least one character. But even then, the show can pull out some very unexpected plot twists. For example, we had a pretty huge plot twist that almost no one saw coming in last week’s episode. So while the plot itself is not complex, the plot is very well-executed for what it is. The narrative structure is very solid and it utilizes things like foreshadowing, setup/payoff, etc. better than most animes do.
Also, once again, the ending was perfect. I knew it would be good but it surpassed all of my expectations. I can barely stop myself from cussing out loud and crying right now, that is how good the ending was.
Characters
I made a whole separate article about how good the character development in this show is. Sound Euphonium is known for its incredible character development and of course, a significant part of this Season 3 review will also be dedicated to that.
First of all, seeing Kumiko grow from a timid, indecisive girl to a capable leader and then an adult feels very personal. Given her circumstances, you can’t help but be invested in her character arc. And what I like about her character arc the most is that it is influenced by so many other characters. I won’t reveal what job Kumiko picked a the end because that was a really cool revelation but just know it was very in line with her character arc and it put a huge goofy smile on my face.
But that doesn’t just apply to Kumiko. The great thing about Sound Euphonium is that every single character’s development is affected by and plays off of another character’s development. As I said, setup and payoff. So while it is initially Reina who starts Kumiko’s development, in this season Reina’s character is affected by Kumiko. And just like that, I could go on all day listing off characters who had good development in this season itself, Kanade, Mayu, Motomu, and more. Even minor characters have such good character arcs,
Lastly, Kumiko passing down Asuka’s song to Kanade so that it may be passed down to future band members and stay in Kitauji is just… that is so fitting. It just feels right.
animations and Soundtracks
One of the biggest reasons why it is so easy to be emotionally invested in this anime is because of the animations. Kyoto Animation pulled no punches. The emotions are so clearly visible on the characters’ faces. It is rare to see characters this expressive. Combine that with fantastic voice performances across the board and awesome writing. Those three things together are more than enough to get people invested in the characters. Also, the instruments look so damn good.
Of course, the soundtracks are pretty good as well. It is an anime about music, after all. It would be weird if the soundtracks were bad. But no, it is Kyoto Animation so the production across the board is consistently good. And the opening and ending themes are charming as well.
Summing Up
Here are my final review scores for Sound Euphonium Season 3
- Plot – 10/10
- Characters – 11/10
- Animations – 10/10
- Soundtracks – 10/10
- Enjoyment – 10/10
- Overall – 10/10
This is only the 2nd perfect 10 rating I have given in recent memory. The last one was Frieren. Am I being a little biased here? Maybe, but I don’t care. I just loved Sound Euphonium Season 3 that much. And reviews are subjective at the end of the day too. If you are still here, I thank you for reading and I think I have ranted enough about Sound Euphonium Season 3 at this point. So let me know what you think in the comments and I will take my leave here. See ya!
Also, check out my thoughts on Ranger Reject here!
Edit – tl;dr:
