[REVIEW] ‘Sound! Euphonium: The Movie’

Even if it is only for a few days, it is always exciting when we get a new anime film released here in the United States. The latest entry comes out this week for a 2 day engagement on July 11th (subtitled) and 15th (dubbed) with Fathom Events and is called Sound! Euphonium: The Movie. Just like last year’s Liz and the Blue Bird, this film is part of the anime TV series Sound! Euphonium, which is all based on a manga of the same name.

While I have not watched the anime series, I did see Liz last year, and the overall concept is simple enough I didn’t have any trouble following the plot of this film (at the Fathom Event they will show an exclusive recap of seasons 1 and 2, which was not made available to me for this early review).  Basically, the film follows a group of students in a competitive high school band over the course of a year. We get the highs, the lows and everything in between.

However, where Liz focused on only 2 students and their relationship, this film introduces us to many students led by series protagonist Kumiko Oumae. She is a sophomore in high school and is responsible for helping the new students feel welcome and included. As in any band or group you have feuds between members, auditions for solos, big competitions to prepare for and lots of difficult practicing. There is also a fair share of romantic entanglements and worrying about what the future will bring for each of these students. Oh the melodrama!

The animation is perhaps not as groundbreaking as it is in Liz but it is still very pretty and the voice actors (I watched the dub) all do a great job creating these teenage characters. I also found the overall message to be less confusing than Liz, so in some ways I enjoyed it more. I’m not sure what fans of the series will think, but I sure enjoyed it, and am interested in now catching up on the series.

If you’ve ever participated in a high school band, choir or any other group you will enjoy Sound! Euphonium: The Movie. I definitely recommend checking it out and attending the Fathom Event on either July 11th or 15th. Tickets can be purchased here.

★★★1/2