Sound! Euphonium

Sound! Euphonium
Cover of Hibike! Euphonium novel
響け! ユーフォニアム　北宇治高校吹奏楽部へようこそ (Hibike! Euphonium Kitauji Kōkō Suisōgaku-bu e Yōkoso)
Genre	Music, Drama, Slice of life
Novel
Written by	Ayano Takeda
Illustrated by	Nikki Asada
Published by	Takarajimasha
Published	December 5, 2013
Manga
Written by	Ayano Takeda
Illustrated by	Hami
Published by	Takarajimasha
Magazine	Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Web
Original run	November 28, 2014 – present
Volumes	1
Anime television series
Directed by	Tatsuya Ishihara
Written by	Jukki Hanada
Music by	Matsuda Akito
Studio	Kyoto Animation
Licensed by	NA: Ponycan USA
Original network	Tokyo MX, SUN, KBS, TVA, BS11, AT-X
Original run	April 7, 2015 – scheduled

Hibike! Euphonium Kitauji Kōkō Suisōgaku-bu e Yōkoso (響け! ユーフォニアム　北宇治高校吹奏楽部へようこそ, lit. Sound! Euphonium Welcome to Kitauji High School's Musical Instrument Club) is a Japanese novel by Ayano Takeda, published on December 5, 2013 by Takarajimasha. The story focuses on the Kitauji High School Music Club, which is steadily improving thanks to the newly appointed adviser's strict instruction. A manga adaptation illustrated by Hami began serialization on the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Web website on November 28, 2014. An anime adaptation, produced by Kyoto Animation and directed by Tatsuya Ishihara, will begin airing in Japan in April 2015.

Plot

The Kitauji high school concert band club had at one time participated in national tournaments and was a champion school, but after the club's adviser changed, they have 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 contest arrives.

Characters

Kumiko Ōmae (黄前 久美子, Ōmae Kumiko)

Voiced by: Tomoyo Kurosawa

Kumiko, who is her first year of high school, is the protagonist of Hibike! Euphonium. She speaks standard Japanese, a rarity in Kansai. She is easily swayed by the opinions of others and is an indecisive person. She dislikes her character because she cannot make her wishes known to others. She is in charge of the euphonium. She lives near Byodoin Temple and is a friend of Shūichi's family. Her school bag is plain, and it seems that she is not interested in over the top, fancy stuff. It looks like she does not know what to do with Asuka, who is a difficult woman to manage. Kumiko and Shūichi are childhood friends, and they get along so well they do not talk to each other using the polite form of speech, except for public places. She likes novels, which contain extreme matter that contrasts her character. She is an in-door type of person and she does not get along with sports-oriented people, except for Hazuki.

Hazuki Katō (加藤 葉月, Katō Hazuki)

Voiced by: Ayaka Asai

Hazuki is a friendly girl who talks innocently. She is Kumiko's classmate and looks a bit suntanned because she belonged to the tennis club when she was a junior high school student. She is a beginner in music. She admired the trumpet and joined the concert band club, but ends up playing the tuba. She's a bright, perky mood-maker, and the type of person who prefers standing out to supporting others.

Sapphire Kawashima (川島 緑輝, Kawashima Safaia) / Midori (緑)

Voiced by: Moe Toyota

Sapphire is a girl who has soft hair and a delicate constitution. She is often timid due to her lacking self-confidence. Because she is embarrassed of her own name "Sapphire" (緑輝, Safaia, lit."green brilliancy") , she tells people around her to call her "Midori". She is from a junior high school named Seijo which has a competitive concert band club. She is in charge of the double bass, which she endearingly calls "George".

Reina Kōsaka (高坂 麗奈, Kōsaka Reina)

Voiced by: Chika Anzai

Reina is a beautiful girl with long black hair. She was a member of the concert band club at the same school as Kumiko. She is highly regarded as a good scholar by others. She is a full-scale trumpeter who goes to the music classroom even outside of club activities. Though she has a polite manner, she is told that she is not taken so well by others because she usually takes on a surly expression. She lovingly uses her trumpet, which was given to her by her parents when she was a junior high school student.

Asuka Tanaka (田中 あすか, Tanaka Asuka)

Voiced by: Minako Kotobuki

Asuka is a third-year high school student. She is the vice president of the concert band club, and also leads the bass section. Like Kumiko, she plays the euphonium. Her standoffish nature has brushed people off time and again. Her red-rimmed glasses are her trademark.

Haruka Ogasawara (小笠原 晴香, Ogasawara Haruka)

Voiced by: Saori Hayami

Haruka is a third-year high school student. She is the president of the concert band club, and also leads the saxophone section. She plays a baritone saxophone. She has a kind heart and strong-minded as she leads the concert band club.

Kaori Nakaseko (中世古 香織, Nakaseko Kaori)

Voiced by: Minori Chihara

Kaori is a third-year high school student. She leads the trumpet section, and she leaves the impression of a beautiful girl who has deep black flowing hair, like a short-lived flower. She has a gentle character and is madonna of the concert band club, who everyone yearns for.

Shūichi Tsukamoto (塚本　秀一, Tsukamoto Shūichi)

Voiced by: Haruki Ishiya

Shūichi is a first-year high school student. Tsukamoto, who is slim and is bad at sports, is Kumiko's childhood friend who often interferes with her and went to the same Junior high school with her. He and Kumiko do not become classmates because their course of study differs, but he goes to the same high school as Kumiko. Shuichi and Kumiko had a falling-out, due to Shuichi having made a snide remark about her when they were in the third year of junior high school. He used to be a horn player, but by winning in rock-paper-scissors, he gets to play the trombone, which was his hearts desire. He notices minor internal conflicts within the concert band club and tells Kumiko, because a second year student had trouble with a third year student, who did not practice and wasn't good at playing, by which the number of second years dropped drastically.

Takuya Gotō (後藤 卓也, Gotō Takuya)

Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda

Takuya is a tall, serious second year who does not talk much. He plays the tuba.

Riko Nakase (中瀬 梨子, Nakase Riko)

Voiced by: Miyuki Kobori

Riko is a second year who offers guidance to Hazuki. She is in charge of the tuba.

Natsuki Nakagawa (中川 夏紀, Nakagawa Natsuki)

Voiced by: Konomi Fujimura

Natsuki is a second year who rarely works hard at club activities. She is in charge of the euphonium.

Yūko Yoshikawa (吉川 優子, Yoshikawa Yūko)

Voiced by: Yuri Yamaoka

Yūko is a second year who adores her upperclassman Kaori. Like Kaori, she plays trumpet.

Aoi Saitō (斎藤 葵, Saitō Aoi)

Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa

Aoi is a childhood friend of Kumiko, and she is 2 years older than her. Kumiko used played together with Aoi often, who was living in the neighborhood, but for a while after entering the junior high school, she didn't have contact with Kumiko, however she meets her again in the concert band club, where she is Kumiko's senior. Like Kumiko, she is in charge of tenor saxophone.

Noboru Taki (滝 昇, Taki Noboru)

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai

Noboru has good looks and a slim body, is 34 years old and is popular among the school's girls. He is new music teacher in Kitauji High School and serves as the adviser to the concert band club. He is a teacher who is in charge of the Class 5 of the second grade. He is polite and has a methodical personality. Because the independence of the students is his motto, he supports with every effort towards their goal, which is to go to the national convention.　

Michie Matsumoto (松本 美知恵, Matsumoto Michie)

Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa

Michie is Kumiko's homeroom teacher and is the vice-advisor of concert band club. She is well known as a frightening teacher.

Mamiko Ōmae (黄前 麻美子, Ōmae Mamiko)

Voiced by: Manami Numakura

Mamiko is Kumiko's older sister and a third year in college. An experienced trombone player.

Azusa (梓)

Azusa goes to Rikka high school and is Kumiko's greatest competitor.

Media

Print media

Hibike! Euphonium is a 319-page novel written by Ayano Takeda, and features cover art drawn by Nikki Asada. Takarajimasha published the novel on December 5, 2013. A sequel novel titled titled Hibike! Euphonium 2 Kitauji Kōkō Suisōgaku-bu no Ichiban Atsui Natsu (響け! ユーフォニアム2　北宇治高校吹奏楽部のいちばん熱い夏, lit. Sound! Euphonium 2 The Hottest Summer of Kitauji High School's Musical Instrument Club) was released on March 5, 2015.

A manga adaptation illustrated by Hami began serialization on the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Web website on November 28, 2014. The first tankōbon volume was released on April 3, 2015.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation, directed by Tatsuya Ishihara and produced by Kyoto Animation, will begin airing in Japan on April 7, 2015. The opening theme is "Dream Solister" by True, and the ending theme is "Tutti!" (トゥッティ!) by Tomoyo Kurosawa, Ayaka Asai, Moe Toyota and Chika Anzai.

External links

• Official website Template:Ja icon
• Manga official website Template:Ja icon
• Anime official website Template:Ja icon
• Sound! Euphonium (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia