Part one focused on some recent music anime which aired this year, specifically Ave Mujica – The Die is Cast, You and Idol Pretty Cure, and Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty, along with those which aired in previous years: Love Live!! Sunshine (season 2) and K-On! (season 2). This post will focus on two series. One is Sound! Euphonium, an anime adaptation of Ayano Takeda’s fourteen-volume novel series of the same name. The latter had seasons 1 and 2 air from 2015 to 2016, and season 3, eight years later, in 2024. The other is Nana, an animated adaptation of Ai Yazawa’s manga. It aired from April 2006 to March 2007. As a warning, this article will discuss abusive relationships, smoking, emotional manipulation, drug addiction, trauma, and other mature topics.
Sound! Euphonium is a clearly controversial. I’ve described it before as “infamously queerbaiting” viewers, “yuri bait,” or noting that some criticized it for “queerbaiting romantic feelings between Kumiko Oumae and Reina Kousaka.” However, after an Anime News Network discussion directly questioning the claim that the series queerbaited, I decided to give this series a shot. Last year, I watched the first season and really enjoyed it, even buying the first season official Blu-ray (which contained a dub) and the 2019 movie entitled Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day. I began watching the second season, which got a cool reception on some sites. I was interested to see where it went in the third season. The series has received mixed reviews, especially from yuri fans, who are divided on it. Some really enjoy it and others do not.
The first season follows the Kitauji High School Concert Band Club which is led by a strict club advisor named Noboru Taki (voiced by Takahiro Sakurai). He helps those in the club build and improve their strength as a band. In the process, some students quit and prioritize their studying, and the competition arrives. Two main characters are the aforementioned Kumiko and Reina, who are voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa and Chika Anzai respectfully. They play the euphonium and trumpet.
Kurosawa and Anzai voice characters in Locodol (Tsubasa Tsurugi), The Girl in Twilight (Asuka Tsuchimiya), O Maidens in Your Savage Season (Hitoha Hongō, Niina Sugawara), Skip and Loafer (Mitsumi Iwakura), Metallic Rouge (Naomi Orthmann), My Roommate Is a Cat (Nana Ōkami), Lycoris Recoil (Chisato Nishikigi), Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night (Mion), Mayonaka Punch (Kikka), Train to the End of the World (Shizuru Chikura), and Whisper Me a Love Song (Hajime Amasawa). Other key characters are euphonium players Asuka Tanaka (voiced by Minako Kotobuki) and Mayu Kuroe (voiced by Haruka Tomatsu), tuba player Hazuki Katou, bass player Sapphire Kawashima, and trombone player Shuuichi Tsukamoto (childhood friend of Kumiko). Others play tenor saxophone, trumpet, French horn, clarinet, oboe, flute, harp, snare drum, with each character having their own personality.
The second season continues where the first one left off, with continued drama, clashing personalities, and focus on music, while the music remains tip-top. Begins with the aftermath of the school’s wind ensemble doing well at the regional competition, and they begin to practice in hopes they will get to the nationals. There’s trauma from a lot of members leaving. Nozomi explains what happened the year before and why she didn’t rejoin the concert band. Kumiko asks Asuka the reasons why which leads to some fissures. Reina remains fascinated by her teacher, Taki, for some reason. Through it all, Kumiko and Reina remain close friends.
Their friendship is punctuated with ups and downs. Kumiko clashes with her sister Mamiko (who is leaving home). Asuka departs from the concert band. Kumiko and Reina contemplate the role of music in their lives. This is heightened with the reveal that the Asuka’s mother is emotionally abusive, possessive, and wants to control her daughter’s life, demanding she drop the concert band and not letting her see her father (her ex-husband). Through it all, Asuko and Kumiko have a great friendship. Kumiko lets down her mask, revealing parts of herself she wouldn’t show others. At the same time, Reina is devastated to hear that Taki still loves his wife.
The season ends with the band playing their hardest but only earning bronze, disappointing them as they hoped they’d earn gold instead. There’s an emotional scene of Kumiko and Mamiko reconnecting. Reina embarrasses herself by publicly confessing her love for Taki, the third-years say their goodbyes, with other band members giving them a musical sendoff. Kumiko seems to get closer, possibly romantically, with her school friend Shuuichi while Kumiko says she loves Asuko, presumably in a platonic way. Asuko gives her a song book from her father, with the first song within it aptly entitled “Sound! Euphonium.” When this aired back in 2016, it was considered the series finale. The season’s ending has that feel. The third, and final season will be covered in another posting.
Sound! Euphonium differs in many ways from Nana, an anime series streaming on Hulu/Disney+ and HIDIVE, and has seen renewed interest as of late. Who can’t resist a character like Nana who can “smoke sexily,” drawing parallels to the drug-adled Rei Asaka in Dear Brother or Kodama Miyako in Bloom Into You (in the final episode)? Some time ago, I started watching Nana, an anime which is well-known for its drama, musical elements, and romance. It centers on two chaotic protagonists, punk rocker Nana Osaki and sweet everygirl Nana “Hachi” Komatsu. They are drawn to each other and live in the same apartment. As the series goes on, troubles with love, and fame test the strength of their friendship, leading to emotional strains along the way.
While this series may be too dramatic for some, the characters are fleshed out. The series focuses on the tumultuous nature of the music business and rock and roll itself, including the tabloid-nature of media, almost akin to the Lillian Ledger in Marimite. For this series, I enjoyed many aspects, including different rock music openings and closings of the series, which kept you engaged, and the series aesthetic itself. This has been emphasized with the recent anniversary release of manga’s first volume by Viz Media.
Both Nanas are possessive in their own way. Each Nana has different relationships with their families and femininity, and they form a close bond. It has been interpreted by some as queer even though such subtext isn’t shown directly. Some could even say, with strong evidence, there is a serious case of compulsory heterosexuality present, when it comes to the relationship of the leading women to men. Though it all, Nana O. rebels against societal expectations, embracing punk culture, leading to an aggressive and dominating personality at times. The story has emotional depth, romance and complicated relationships, and interwoven characters.
All of the female characters are complex and complicated characters. This is certainly the case with the Nanas, Junko “Jun” who can be a voice of reason but overly cruel and abrasive in what she says, and Reira, a bad and morally reprehensible person who is in a romantic relationship with an underage kid (Shin). None are perfect. Nor are the male characters. They are almost universally trash and controlling. Some engage in cheating (Shoji). Others are emotionally manipulative and abusive (Takumi), drug-addicted (Ren), have distorted views of women (Nobu), or are promiscuous (Nobu). Additional male characters support those which are awful to women or give them a pass. Somehow some anime fans sympathize with them, which is bizarre and messed up.
The drama between the characters keeps the viewers engaged, including showing how the female characters (like both Nanas) are flawed, emotionally vulnerable, and relatable. Many of the early episodes of Nana are flashbacks which note how the two Nanas met each other, what their lives were like before they met one another, and their impact on one another. There’s more than punk rock songs by the two competing bands (Trapnest and Black Stones/Blast). The emotional distress is palpable. It gets to you, especially when it comes to the yearning of Nana O. for Ren, or Hachi’s romantic feelings for various men (like Takumi or Nobu).
Both Nanas are pulled toward men, whether Shoji, Takumi, and Nobu for Hachi, or Ren and Yasu for Nana O. This keeps them apart as the series goes on, especially after Hachi begins to get more seriously involved with Takumi. At the same time, Nana O. has flings with Ren (in a rival band aptly named Trapnest). This makes the series that much more tragic, with very few healthy relationships to speak of apart from the one between Kyosuke and Jun. The latter hosts the special “Junko’s Room” recap episodes. Both Nanas are pulled toward different men to alleviate their loneliness, with Hachi even having a child and marrying Takumi.
The series ends in a bittersweet way, leaving open the possibility that the two Nanas may meet again. The manga went on extended hiatus, due to the health problems of author Ai Yazawa, in May 2009. However, there’s always the possibility that the manga will pick up again. Yazawa has hinted this time and time again over the years since the series went on hiatus. Most recently, an anniversary version of the manga’s first volume was released by Viz Media, as mentioned earlier. It sold out, showing continued fan interest.
In the year ahead, there will be a host of music series releasing. This includes Scenes From Awajima. That series, based on a manga of the same name by Takako Shimura, who is known as the creator of Aoi Hana (adapted in an anime entitled Sweet Blue Flowers), the manga Even Though We’re Adults, and Wandering Son (anime adaptation had the same name), has Morio Asaka and Kunihiko Hamada, who worked on Nana. As I noted in a newsletter back in May, when the series was known as Awajima Hakkei (the English name was later revealed), the series director, Asaka, directed various episodes of Nana and Cardcaptor Sakura. Hamada, the character designer of this series, did animation for Cardcaptor: Clear Card and Nana. Additionally, the script writer for Scenes From Awajima, Yasuhiro Nakanishi, previously worked on Shy, as a series composer on seasons 1 and 2.
As I wrote in May, the series may have “Nana-like elements to it (like complex female characters).” This is exciting although Nana can be “a rough watch at times” due to the “emotional and mental pain the characters go through.” This is reinforced by the series focus. It follows a number of different young women who attend Awajima Opera School, “with each chapter centering around different girls.” Friendship, jealousy, competition, and admiration will come to a head with the girls flocking to the school in hopes of becoming stars, with their precious feelings coming to a head, according to a description. Premiering in April of next year, this series likely will not only have female friendship, but slight yuri themes as Erica Friedman noted in reviews of volumes one and two.
Otherwise, news articles on Anime News Network point out that Harue Ono will be the color designer, known for her work on Cardcaptor Sakura, Bibliophile Princess, and Zenshu and other series. The voice actors Niina Nakabayashi, Yō Taichi, and Ai Kayano are confirmed. These voice actors are known for their roles in series such as The Flying Witch, Gargantia, Girls und Panzer, Is the Order a Rabbit?, Somali and the Forest Spirit, Love Live!! Sunshine!, Yuyushiki, Mono, I Have a Crush at Work, and Princess Principal.
Apart from this, the same month next year, the Sound! Euphonium: The Final Movie will premiere. It is a theatrical film version of Sound! Euphonium season 3. There will also be the premiere of Oshi No Ko season 3 in January, with music idol elements, and a one-episode OVA for The Idolmaster Million Live!, an idol series, in March, on a Blu-ray disc.
There are reports that an anime entitled BanG Dream! Yume∞Mita (also known as BanG Dream! Yumemita), following the group Mugendai Mewtype and produced by Nichicaline, will premiere next year.l Love Live! Hasunosora Girls’ High School Idol Club Bloom Garden Party, which adapts Link! Like! Love Live!, will air in the spring. A sci-fi music series named Ghost Concert: Missing Songs will air at some point next year. Cosmic Princess Kaguka film will air in January. Season 2 of Bocchi the Rock! and the anime adaptation of The Guy She Was Interested in Wasn’t a Guy at All may premiere next year. Akane-banashi, a comedy-drama and coming-of-age story somewhat similar to My Master Has No Tail, and premiering in 2025, may have musical elements since it focuses on rakugo.
