Hibike! Euphonium Second Season - Episode 12 - The Final Performance at Nationals

Mizore gives her first fist bump to Kumiko.

Now the big day has come. Did Taki’s band fulfill his wife’s dream of the band earning gold at nationals? We’ll see.

While it’s surprising that they didn’t show the band’s performance, it’s not that important. The band members is trying to aim for gold. This can explain why Haruka only said positive things to not hurt everyone’s spirits. Either way, it seems that everyone is ready to hit it out of the park, or did they?

I like Yuko's reaction when Reina yelled something embarrassing. — I like Yuko’s reaction when Reina yelled something embarrassing.

During the award ceremony, Kitauji High School band didn’t make gold. They only got bronze, which doesn’t come at a surprise given what happened. Have Azuka’s family feud didn’t happen right before nationals, perhaps they would have a shot. Taki wouldn’t have to force the band to do sectionals. Of course, there are always the judge’s biases that are working against them.

It seems that Taki took Reina's confession as a compliment instead. — It seems that Taki took Reina’s confession as a compliment instead.

Moreover, this is Taki’s first year at the school and of course he can’t magically earn gold on the first try. I think the band members realizes this and they are at least happy they can participate in nationals given the circumstances. While the seniors don’t get another chance, for the rest of the band, there is always another year.

On the other hand, it’s surprising that Reina blurted out that she likes Taki in the audience. It seems that Taki didn’t understand it as a confession, so it looks like it had no effect. At least this gives the courage for Kumiko to track down her older sister and share how she feels about her. That last scene where she told Mamiko that she likes her as a sister shows that they finally made up for good. Not to mention, it seems that Asuka’s father complimented his daughter and Kumiko on how they played the euphonium. At least there is something good that came out of it.

With that, the next episode is an epilogue. We will probably see the last performance before the senior’s graduate. Now that all the drama is resolved, the first and second year band members will probably plan on how to recruit new members. Either way, I have to say that this is a good conclusion to the series. ¶