is a Japanese

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

series written by Ayano Takeda. The story is set in

Uji is a city on the southern outskirts of the city of Kyoto, in Kyoto Prefecture, Japan. Founded on March 1, 1951, Uji is between the two ancient capitals of Nara and Kyoto. The city sits on the Uji River, which has its source in Lake Biwa. ...

Kyoto Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...

and focuses on the Kitauji High School Music Club, whose

concert band A concert band, also called a wind band, wind ensemble, wind symphony, wind orchestra, symphonic band, the symphonic winds, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of members of the woodwind, brass, and percussion famil ...

is steadily improving thanks to the newly appointed adviser's strict instruction. A

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

adaptation illustrated by Hami was serialized on the ''Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Web'' website.

Kyoto Animation , often abbreviated , is a Japanese animation studio and light novel publisher located in Uji, Kyoto Prefecture. Founded in 1985 by Yoko and Hideaki Hatta, it has produced anime works including ''The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'' (2006), ''Cla ...

was in charge of its

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

adaptations: it produced two seasons of a television series adaptation in 2015 and 2016, depicting the first high school year of the main character, Kumiko Oumae. Two animated theatrical films titled ''

Liz and the Blue Bird is a 2018 Japanese animated drama film directed by Naoko Yamada and written by Reiko Yoshida, based on the ''Sound! Euphonium'' novel series written by Ayano Takeda and its eponymous anime television series adaptation by Yamada and Tatsuya Ishiha ...

'' and ''Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day'', both taking place during Kumiko's second high year, were released in premiered in 2018 and 2019 respectively. A third season focused on Kumiko in her third year of high school has been announced for 2024, preceded by the theatrical OVA ''Ensemble Contest'' in Q3 2023.

Plot

The Kitauji High School Concert Band Club had at one time participated in national tournaments and was a championship-caliber school, but after the club's adviser changed, they had not been able to even participate in the qualifying tournament. However, thanks to the newly appointed adviser's strict instruction, the students are steadily improving and build up their strength. As they fight over who plays solos, some students give priority to studying and quit club activities. Finally, the long wished-for day of the competition arrives.

Characters

Main characters

; : :Kumiko, a first-year high school student, is the

main protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...

of ''Sound! Euphonium''. She speaks standard Japanese, despite growing up in

Kansai The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...

. She is easily swayed by the opinions of others and is an indecisive person. She dislikes her personality because she cannot make her wishes known to others nor have the courage to interfere with social affairs. She is a

euphonium The euphonium is a medium-sized, 3 or 4-valve, often compensating, conical-bore, tenor-voiced brass instrument that derives its name from the Ancient Greek word ''euphōnos'', meaning "well-sounding" or "sweet-voiced" ( ''eu'' means "well" ...

player in the concert band. She lives near Byodoin Temple with her elder sister and parents. ; : :Reina is a beautiful trumpet player with long black hair. She was a member of the concert band club at the same junior high school as Kumiko. She is a dedicated trumpet player and goes to the music classroom even outside of club activities. Though she has a polite disposition, she is not viewed so well by others because she usually has a surly expression. She cherishes her trumpet, which was given to her by her parents when she was a junior high school student. She has feelings for her teacher Taki. ; : :Asuka is a third-year student and vice president of the concert band club. She plays the euphonium and leads the bass section. Whenever the club is marching, she leads the band as drum major. She is a natural beauty with glasses and has a playful personality. However in the second season, this is revealed to be mostly a facade to hide her true feelings from her classmates. ; : :Taki is the new music teacher in Kitauji High School and serves as the adviser to the concert band club. He is also in charge of Class 5 of the second-year students. He is polite and has a methodical personality. He emphasizes independence in his students, and to this end he pushes them to reach their goal of going to the national competition.

First-year students

; : :Hazuki is a friendly girl who talks innocently. She is Kumiko's classmate and is suntanned because she belonged to the tennis club when she was a junior high school student. She is a beginner at music. She admires the trumpet and joined the concert band club, but ended up playing the

tuba The tuba (; ) is the lowest-pitched musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, the sound is produced by lip vibrationa buzzinto a mouthpiece. It first appeared in the mid-19th century, making it one of the ne ...

, which she calls . She is a bright, perky mood-maker, and the type of person who prefers standing out over supporting others. ; : :Sapphire is a girl with soft hair and a delicate constitution. She is often timid due to her lack of self-confidence. She is embarrassed by her own name , so she tells people to call her "Midori". She is from a junior high school named which has a competitive concert band club. She plays the

upright bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...

, which she endearingly calls "George", and electric bass. ; : :Shuuichi is a first-year high school student. He is Kumiko's childhood friend, and the two went to the same junior high school. He and Kumiko are not classmates in high school because they are studying different courses. They previously had a falling out, due to Shuuichi having made a snide remark about Kumiko when they were in their third year of junior high school. He was originally a French horn player, but he gets to play the

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

after winning a game of

rock-paper-scissors Rock paper scissors (also known by other orderings of the three items, with "rock" sometimes being called "stone," or as Rochambeau, roshambo, or ro-sham-bo) is a hand game originating in China, usually played between two people, in which each p ...

. ; :A first-year student and Shuuichi's friend. He plays the tenor saxophone. ; :A first-year student who plays the trumpet. ; :A first-year student who plays the French horn. ; :A first-year student who plays the clarinet.

Second-year students

; : :Natsuki is a second-year student who plays the euphonium. She is lazy and often found sleeping, but she works hard when something motivates her. She becomes the band vice president in her third year. ; : :Yuuko is a second-year student who plays the trumpet. She adores Kaori and has a begrudging friendship with Natsuki. She becomes the band president in her third year. ; : :Mizore is a quiet second-year student who plays the oboe. She was friends with Nozomi in middle school. ; : :Nozomi is a second-year student who plays the flute. She dropped out of band in her first year. ; : :A second-year student who is a tall, calm, and taciturn youth. He plays the tuba and

sousaphone The sousaphone ( ) is a brass instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was designed to be easier to play than ...

. ; : :A second-year student and Takuya's girlfriend. She also plays the tuba and sousaphone. ; : :A second-year student who plays the trumpet. In her third year, she was tasked alongside Kumiko to instruct and manage the new first-year members of the band. ; :A second-year student who plays the trombone. In her third year, she plays the bass trombone and becomes the trombone section leader. ; :A second-year student who is a percussionist as the

timpani Timpani (; ) or kettledrums (also informally called timps) are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum categorised as a hemispherical drum, they consist of a membrane called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionall ...

player. She can also play the

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has a number of individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orche ...

Third-year students

; : :Haruka is a third-year student and president of the concert band. She plays the

baritone saxophone The baritone saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of instruments, larger (and lower-pitched) than the tenor saxophone, but smaller (and higher-pitched) than the bass. It is the lowest-pitched saxophone in common use - the bass, contra ...

and leads the saxophone section. She is a strong-minded character, but has low self-esteem. ; : :Kaori is a third-year student. She has deep black hair and a gentle character, making her quite popular in the band. She plays the trumpet and is the section leader, in addition to being the band accountant. ; : :Aoi is a childhood friend of Kumiko, and she is two years her senior. The two often played together, as they lived in the same neighborhood. She and Kumiko drifted apart in junior high school. They are reunited in the concert band, although they do not talk much. She plays the

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (while th ...

. She quit the band to focus on her college entrance exams. ; :A third-year student who is the concertmaster and leader of the

clarinet The clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The instrument has a nearly cylindrical bore and a flared bell, and uses a single reed to produce sound. Clarinets comprise a family of instruments of differing sizes and pitches ...

section. ; :A third-year student who leads the

flute The flute is a family of classical music instrument in the woodwind group. Like all woodwinds, flutes are aerophones, meaning they make sound by vibrating a column of air. However, unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is a reedless ...

and

piccolo The piccolo ( ; Italian for 'small') is a half-size flute and a member of the woodwind family of musical instruments. Sometimes referred to as a "baby flute" the modern piccolo has similar fingerings as the standard transverse flute, but the so ...

section. ; :A third-year student who leads the

horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

section. ; :A third-year student who leads the

section. ; :A third-year student who leads the percussion section. He plays the

snare drum The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used ...

and the drum kit. His nickname is "Knuckle". ; :A third-year student who leads the

bassoon The bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family, which plays in the tenor and bass ranges. It is composed of six pieces, and is usually made of wood. It is known for its distinctive tone color, wide range, versatility, and virtuo ...

and

oboe The oboe ( ) is a type of double reed woodwind instrument. Oboes are usually made of wood, but may also be made of synthetic materials, such as plastic, resin, or hybrid composites. The most common oboe plays in the treble or soprano range. A ...

section. She plays the bassoon. ; :A third-year student who is the band's photographer. She plays the clarinet. ; :A third-year student who is the band's sheet music librarian. She plays the piccolo. ; :A third-year student who is the band's alumni coordinator. She plays the flute. Her nickname is "Chabudai" (ちゃぶ台, lit. "Small table"). ; :A third-year student who plays the alto saxophone. Her lucky charm is written "L.O." ; :A third-year student who plays the bass clarinet. ; :A third-year student who plays the trombone. She and Hideri are dating.

New first-year students

; : :A new first-year student who plays the euphonium. She gives off a good impression to everyone who sees her, but there is a hidden side to her always-polite personality. ; : :A new first-year student who plays the tuba and is quite tall. She takes everything very seriously and is a bit antisocial. ; : :A new first-year student who plays the tuba and is quite short. Like Hazuki, she is very friendly. ; : :A new first-year student who plays the double bass. He hates being called by his surname.

Others

; : :Michie is Kumiko's homeroom teacher and is the vice-advisor of the concert band. She is known as an intimidating teacher. ; : :Mamiko is Kumiko's older sister. She is a college student and was a trombone player. ; : :Akiko is Kumiko and Mamiko's mother. Her given name is not mentioned in the original novels. ; : :Akemi is Asuka's mother. She tried to make Asuka quit the band. ; : :Azusa is Kumiko's friend from junior high school. She admitted to , known for its

marching band A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. Most marching bands wear a uniform, ofte ...

. She plays the trombone. She is the protagonist of the Rikka-centric spinoff novels. ; : :Kohaku is Sapphire's little sister. She is a character created for the anime television series and appears in the eighth episode. Her name means "

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In Ma ...

" in Japanese. ; : :A percussion specialist and longtime friend of Noboru Taki's. ; : :A woodwind specialist and longtime friend of Noboru Taki's. ; :Shindo is Asuka's father. Asuka's parents divorced when Asuka was two years old. He is a prominent euphonist and author of book for beginner euphonists. When Asuka was in first grade, he sent her the euphonium she now plays and a notebook full of euphonium pieces entitled .

Media

Novels

''Sound! Euphonium'' is a 319-page novel written by Ayano Takeda, and features cover art drawn by Nikki Asada.

Takarajimasha is a Japanese publishing company based in Chiyoda, Tokyo. It is known for publishing subculture-oriented fashion magazines aimed at teens, fashion magazines in general, as well as guide books. History The company was founded on September 22, ...

published the novel on December 5, 2013. Two sequel novels were released on March 5 and April 4, 2015. In addition, a

short story collection A short story collection is a book of short stories and/or novellas by a single author. A short story collection is distinguished from an anthology of fiction, which would contain work by several authors (e.g., ''Les Soirées de Médan''). The s ...

was released on May 25, 2015. In 2016, a spin-off novel was released in two volumes on August 4 and September 6. Another spin-off novel was released on October 6, 2016. A two-part sequel to the novels was released in August and October 2017; the story takes place in Kumiko's second year and Mizore's third year of high school. Another short story collection was released on April 5, 2018. Two follow-up novel volumes focused on Kumiko's third and final year on high school were released in April and May 2019.

Yen Press Yen Press, LLC is an American manga and graphic novel publisher co-owned by Kadokawa Corporation and Hachette Book Group. It published ''Yen Plus'', a monthly comic anthology, between 2008 and 2013. In addition to translated material, Yen Press ...

released the first volume of the novel series in English in June 2017.

Manga

A manga adaptation of the first novel illustrated by Hami was serialized on the ''Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Web'' website between November 28, 2014 and October 30, 2015. Takarajimasha published three ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes between April 3 and November 20, 2015. A manga adaptation of the second novel followed, and the first volume was released on September 8, 2016; the second volume was released on October 11, 2016. A manga adaptation of the third novel followed; the first volume was released July 20, 2017, and the second volume on August 26, 2017.

Anime

Season 1

A 13-episode

television series adaptation of the first volume of the novel series, directed by

Tatsuya Ishihara is a Japanese animator, television and film director. Working for Kyoto Animation, he directed ''The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya'', ''Clannad'', ''Nichijou'', ''Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions'' and ''Sound! Euphonium''. Early life and educ ...

, written by

Jukki Hanada is a Japanese anime screenwriter and light novelist. His grandfather is essayist and literary critic Kiyoteru Hanada, who also gave him his first name. Screenwriting * series head writer denoted in bold Television series *''Jankenman'' (1992) * ...

, and produced by

, aired in Japan between April 8 and July 1, 2015.

Naoko Yamada is a Japanese animator, television and film director. Working at Kyoto Animation, she directed the anime series ''K-On!'' (2009-2010) and ''Tamako Market'' (2013), and the anime films '' A Silent Voice'' (2016) and ''Liz and the Blue Bird'' (2018 ...

served as series production director. The opening theme is "Dream Solister" by

True True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * ...

, and the ending theme is by

Tomoyo Kurosawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Chichibu, Saitama. Her major voice acting roles include '' Yuki Yuna is a Hero'' as Itsuki Inubozaki, ''Arknights'' as Amiya, ''Sound! Euphonium'' as Kumiko Ōmae, Rebecca in '' Cyberpunk: Edge ...

Ayaka Asai is a Japanese actress and voice actress who is currently affiliated with Intention. Career Asai became a member of the Seinenza Film Company on January 1, 2013. She graduated from the General Institute of Amusement Media. She voiced Okada in ''N ...

Moe Toyota is a Japanese voice actress signed to Style Cube and a member of the musical unit StylipS. Her major voice roles include Sapphire Kawashima in ''Sound! Euphonium'', Kanon Matsubara in ''BanG Dream!, Vivi Lin in '' idol Memories'', Fumi Kujo in ' ...

, and

Chika Anzai is a Japanese voice actress from Fukui Prefecture.Chika Anzai's official blog
(Ameblo). Accessed: Apr ...

. The ending theme for episode 8 is a trumpet and euphonium duet version of and the ending theme for episode 13 is a wind orchestra version of "Dream Solister". The anime is licensed by Ponycan USA in North America, and by

Anime Limited Anime Limited, also known as All the Anime is a British anime distribution company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It releases anime for British, Irish, French and other European audiences. The company was established in 2012 by Andrew Partridge, b ...

in the United Kingdom. The seventh DVD/BD volume, released on December 16, 2015, bundled an

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the first part of an OVA s ...

(OVA) episode titled . Kyoto Animation produced an anime film retelling the events of the television series, which premiered on April 23, 2016.

Season 2

A second season of the television series began airing on October 6, 2016. The opening theme is by True, and the ending theme is by Kurosawa, Asai, Toyota, and Anzai. The ending theme for episode 9 is a euphonium solo version of (uncredited) and the ending theme for episode 13 is an orchestra version of "Sound! Euphonium". A

short Short may refer to: Places * Short (crater), a lunar impact crater on the near side of the Moon * Short, Mississippi, an unincorporated community * Short, Oklahoma, a census-designated place People * Short (surname) * List of people known as ...

anime, titled , was bundled with the second season's first home video release volume, which was released on December 21, 2016. A second anime film retelling the events of the second season was released on September 30, 2017.

Films

Two new animated films telling the events of Kumiko's second year at Kitauji High were scheduled for release in 2018. The first film, directed by

and written by

Reiko Yoshida is a Japanese screenwriter. She has written and supervised numerous screenplays for anime series, live-action dramas and films. Her major works include ''Kaleido Star'', ''Aria'', ''Maria-sama ga Miteru'', '' D.Gray-man'', ''K-On!'', ''Bakuman' ...

, titled , focuses on Nozomi and Mizore and premiered on April 21, 2018. Theatrical distributor

Eleven Arts Eleven Arts is a film production and distribution company based in Los Angeles, California. The company has Japanese executives and has "a largely Japanese lineup". It specializes in importing anime from Japan to the United States. Company hist ...

released the film in theaters on November 9, 2018 in the United States.

Shout! Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

released it on home video on March 5, 2019. The second film, titled and originally scheduled for release in 2018, is directed by Tatsuya Ishihara and focuses on Kumiko as a student in her second year and premiered on April 19, 2019. The film was released in select US theaters on July 11, 2019, and the English dub debuted on July 15, 2019.

released the film under the title of ''Sound! Euphonium—Our Promise: A Brand New Day''. It has a different voice cast compared to ''Liz and the Blue Bird,'' though

Sarah Anne Williams Sarah Anne Williams is an American voice actress. She currently resides in Los Angeles. In anime, she is known for her performances as Nonon Jakuzure in '' Kill la Kill'', Sayaka Miki in '' Puella Magi Madoka Magica'', Lisbeth in ''Sword Art ...

, Ryan Bartley and

Megan Harvey Megan Taylor Harvey is an American voice actress who is known for providing voices for English dubs of anime for New Generation Pictures and NYAV Post NYAV Post is an American recording studio located in New York City. It was founded by Mic ...

reprised their roles as Natsuki, Satomi and Yuko, respectively. The film was released on a DVD/Blu-Ray set on June 2, 2020 from

Shout Factory Shout! Factory is an American home video and music company founded in 2002 as Retropolis Entertainment. Its video releases include previously released feature films, classic and contemporary television series, animation, live music, and comedy ...

Theatrical OVA

Along with re-confirmation of the third season, the theatrical OVA ''Hibike! Euphonium: ~Ensemble Contest~'', was announced in 2022, slated to be released in Q3 2023. Tatsuya Ishihara is returning to direct the OVA.

Season 3

A new anime project was announced in 2019. It focuses on Kumiko as a student in her third year. In 2022, it was announced that the third season is scheduled to be released in 2024.

Music

Wind ensemble music for both seasons were performed by the 2014 of the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music. Original music was composed and some featured pieces were arranged by .

Reception

In April 2018, it was reported that the novels had more than 1.4 million copies in print in Japan. The series has often been criticized by Western viewers for perceived

queerbaiting Queerbaiting is a marketing technique for fiction and entertainment in which creators hint at, but then do not depict, same-sex romance or other LGBTQ+ representation. The purpose is to attract ("bait") an LGBTQ+ or straight ally audience with th ...

with regards to the relationship between lead characters Kumiko Oumae and Reina Kousaka.

Crunchyroll Crunchyroll is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Sony through a joint venture between Sony Pictures and Sony Music Entertainment Japan's Aniplex. The service primarily distributes films and tel ...

's Twitter account acknowledged the pairing by tweeting a screenshot from the show, which was still airing and being officially simulcast by the service at the time, in the wake of the legalization of same-sex marriage in the United States.

Notes

Director credits

References

External links

* * * * * * {{Jukki Hanada 2013 Japanese novels 2015 anime television series debuts 2016 anime television series debuts Bandai Namco franchises Crunchyroll anime Kyoto Animation Music in anime and manga Novels about music Novels set in high schools and secondary schools Novels set in Kyoto Prefecture School life in anime and manga Television shows based on Japanese novels Yen Press titles Yonkoma