History YMMV / SoundEuphonium

* MemeticMutation: Kumiko noises [[labelnote:Explanation]] Thanks to Tomoyo Kurosawa's performance of Kumiko's awkward character, the obscure noises Kumiko makes with her mouth in every episode ever has become a hit among the fandom, to the point where there are several Website/YouTube videos dedicated to it, calling it "God's work".[[/labelnote]]

** The [[SenpaiKohai social hierarchy among the students]] is key to a great deal of the club politics and drama. Clubs around the world all have their politics (and Japan is hardly unique in expecting younger students to defer to the older ones), but as The Incident that took place last year is based around the slacker third-years bullying and harassing the younger members who wanted to play properly, you might expect that they would be disciplined for it or told to leave the club. Instead, nothing is done, most second years quit out of frustration and, rather than being angry at the bullies, the remaining then-second (now third) years seem to blame themselves for not shutting up and tolerating it until the bullies graduated. Upon hearing the story, Kumiko is more scandalized that Natsuki openly challenged them and called her seniors a bunch of divas than that the older students ganged up against the younger ones. Apparently, no teacher saw fit to step in and protect the younger students, even when they ended up with a pile of resignations from the club. The seniority system is also the reason there's so much debate over who gets solos and who gets into the competition team -- some members assumed that third years would get automatic entry, then the second years, and the first years would be picked last, if there were any spaces left. When their new teacher holds auditions, many second and third year students are shocked.

* SecondSeasonDownfall: The general reaction of the ''Hibike'' anime's second season is decent to mediocre. They note that the drama seems forced, the first halves of the episodes don't match up in tone with the second halves, and the arc with Asuka is a little spotty. Overall, it doesn't match the quality the first season brought to the table.

** Natsuki was fairly forgettable at first, but now has quite a fanbase.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: After [[spoiler:Reina retains her solo position for the performance]], Yuko got better with the fans thanks to her amusing interactions with Natsuki. The fans would go on to ship them together. The second season portrayed her more sympathetically, further improving her standing.

** Some fans find Yuko to be annoying for being a ClingyJealousGirl and a BitchInSheepsClothing. Her asking Reina to ''throw the audition'' was the last straw for many.

** The [[SempaiKohai social hierarchy among the students]] is key to a great deal of the club politics and drama. Clubs around the world all have their politics (and Japan is hardly unique in expecting younger students to defer to the older ones), but as The Incident that took place last year is based around the slacker third-years bullying and harassing the younger members who wanted to play properly, you might expect that they would be disciplined for it or told to leave the club. Instead, nothing is done, most second years quit out of frustration and, rather than being angry at the bullies, the remaining then-second (now third) years seem to blame themselves for not shutting up and tolerating it until the bullies graduated. Upon hearing the story, Kumiko is more scandalized that Natsuki openly challenged them and called her seniors a bunch of divas than that the older students ganged up against the younger ones. Apparently, no teacher saw fit to step in and protect the younger students, even when they ended up with a pile of resignations from the club. The seniority system is also the reason there's so much debate over who gets solos and who gets into the competition team -- some members assumed that third years would get automatic entry, then the second years, and the first years would be picked last, if there were any spaces left. When their new teacher holds auditions, many second and third year students are shocked.

* FanPreferredCouple: While Reina canonically has (albeit unrequited) feelings for Taki and Kumiko hooks up with [[spoiler:Shuichi]] in the book. Fans greatly prefer the Kumiko/Reina ship over either pair, feeling they have the greater chemistry overall. It helps that the two have plenty of LesYay and HomoeroticSubtext between them. Especially in the anime, which ramps up the subtext by tenfold (to the point that it has been accused of [[BaitAndSwitchLesbians baiting]]).

* FanPreferredCouple: While Reina canonically has (albeit unrequited) feelings for Taki and Kumiko hooks up with [[spoiler:Shuichi]] in the book. Fans greatly prefer the Kumiko/Reina ship over either pair, feeling they have the greater chemistry overall. It helps that the two have plenty of LesYay and HomoeroticSubtext between them. Especially in the anime, which ramps up both by tenfold.

* FanPreferredCouple: While both of them are heterosexual, with Reina canonically having (albeit unrequited) feelings for Taki and Kumiko eventually hooking up with [[spoiler:Shuichi]]. Fans greatly prefer the Kumiko/Reina ship over either pair, feeling they have the greater chemistry overall. It helps that the two have plenty of LesYay and HomoeroticSubtext between them. Especially in the anime.
* {{Fanon}}: You'll be hard pressed to find a fanwork that doesn't depict Kumiko as a lesbian. Even many fans consider her book incarnation to be gay, or at least bisexual with a heavy lean towards girls, due to [[spoiler:the fact she's so {{oblivious|ToLove}} to her feelings for Shuuichi that she needs others to tell her of them.]]

** Anime!Shuichi gets this label from some anime watchers. Because his role was [[DemotedToExtra reduced to a minor supporting character,]] thus leaving out any opportunity for significant character development, his cruel rebuttal of Kumiko's offer to spend Graduation Night with her family has earned him some fans' loathing. It doesn't help that he barely shows remorse for having done this.

* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
** Taki-sensei's teaching methods have two prominent interpretations among the fans: either he subtly manipulated the club to choose nationals so he could pursue his own ambitions and justify his instruction methods by saying it was their choice, or he's really just doing what he was told to do while balancing politeness and honest harshness to actually get the club to work properly. Similarly, there's a lot of debate on whether or not his methods are effective, plain [[{{Jerkass}} Jerkassery]], or an odd combination of both. And ''then'' episode 9 reveals that Taki-sensei is apparently well-known among the musically-inclined in Kumiko's hometown. Even Kumiko's older sister mentions that she predicts an upsurge in band-interested students enrolling in Kitauji simply because Taki-sensei is there. This sheds a whole new light to his teaching methods.

** The [[SempaiKohai social hierarchy among the students]] is key to a great deal of the club politics and drama. Clubs around the world all have their politics (and Japan is hardly unique in expecting younger students to defer to the older ones), but as The Incident that took place last year is based around the slacker third-years bullying and harassing the younger members who wanted to play properly, you might expect that they would be disciplined for it or told to leave the club. Instead, nothing is done, most second years quit out of frustration and, rather than being angry at the bullies, the remaining then-second (now third) years seem to blame themselves for not shutting up and tolerating it until the bullies graduated. Upon hearing the story, Kumiko is more scandalized that Natsuki openly challenged them and called her seniors a bunch of divas than that the older students ganged up against the younger ones. Apparently, no teacher saw fit to step in and protect the younger students, even when they ended up with a pile of resignations from the club. The seniority system is also the reason there's so much debate over who gets solos and who gets into the competition team -- some members assumed that third years would get automatic entry, then the second years, and the first years would be picked last, if there were any spaces left. When their new teacher holds auditions, many second and third year students are shocked.

* RelationshipWritingFumble: The way the relationship between Reina and Kumiko is handled in the anime caused a lot of viewers to expect a romantic payoff. The novels fare a bit better, even though a lot of fans think that [[spoiler:Kumiko's decision to date Shuichi]] doesn't make much sense either, considering the [[StrangledByTheRedString utter lack of chemistry between them]].

** Given the increased focus on Kumiko and Reina's friendship in the anime, especially the [[RomanticTwoGirlFriendship romantic side]], it should be no surprise that Shuichi, whose romantic interest in Kumiko is reciprocated in the books, has become quite the hated character.

** [[spoiler:Kumiko confessing to Asuka in the finale. Sure, their dynamic was highlighted far more than in the books, but it still feels almost comically abrupt, with her quite literally literally interrupting what was being set up as [[DieForOurShip Shui]][[OfficialCouple chi's]] resolution. Even Asuka seems mildly confused before brushing it off in her usual wishy-washy manner.]]

* FanPreferredCouple:
** Needless to say that thanks to a lot of teasing (or baiting), Kumiko x Reina is the most supported ship.
** Yuko and Natsuki has become popular due to the two's VitriolicBestBuds style relationship. It's a popular {{Ship Mate|s}} to any couple, especially Kumiko/Reina.
** For those of the fans that actually bother to pair up [=anime!Shuichi=] with anyone, he's usually coupled with Hazuki. It helps that he has a bit of ShipTease with her and she has a crush on him. Other possible candidates are his best friend and even Taki-sensei, since he's chummy with both of them.
** Kumiko x Asuka is starting to get support following [[spoiler:Kumiko's confession to Asuka in the finale.]]

* [[SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct She Really Can Act]]: Many people have praised Tomoyo Kurosawa's acting for Kumiko's complex character. Things from the nervous stuttering to the nuances in how she says single-word lines have been commended.

* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Many people have praised Tomoyo Kurosawa's acting for Kumiko's complex character. Things from the nervous stuttering to the nuances in how she says single-word lines have been commended.

** Taki-sensei gets this a bit too but because Reina's interest in him is dropped as soon as it was brought up[[note]]At least in Season 1; it becomes more prominent in the second season[[/note]]. Fan hatred seems more oriented to how he was used just to prove Reina isn't gay then toward Taki himself.

** Some of Asuka's actions could be seen as hypocritical. She is ''very'' unsympathetic when Kumiko is preoccupied, scolding her for losing focus and warning her not to bring her personal problems into the practice room. However, when the Nozomi drama kicks off, she allows Gotou to kick out the first year students so that the third- and second-years can angst and debate among themselves. This not only creates a tense atmosphere and divides the bass section (leaving the first-years feeling isolated for being LockedOutOfTheLoop), but denies the first years precious practice time for days. Particularly noticeable since several people in the competition team get kicked out in favor of dealing with someone who isn't a club member, as opposed to dealing with the matter at another time. On the other hand, it should be noted that when Kumiko and co eavesdrop on the upperclassmen, Asuka herself is very eager to return to practice and tries to end the debates as quickly as possible. She even storms out to go practice alone when it drags on. One of the reasons she refuses Nozomi rejoining the band is because [[spoiler:the disruption would threaten the possibility of Asuka being able to play in the Nationals in front of her own father]], which she admits was her ulterior selfish motive; all this, while she called Nozomi selfish for wanting to rejoin the band now that it's finally in shape for competition.
* BrokenBase: The nature of [[spoiler:Kumiko's]] confession to [[spoiler:Asuka]] on whatever it's romantic, or just simply platonic is debated heavily by fans, with convincing arguments from both sides.
* ContestedSequel: Compared to the warm reception of season 1, opinions on season 2 were more divided. The main problem some people have is that the season feels rushed and cluttered; it combines two novels' worth of stories where the original only worked with one, so the series abruptly shifts in tone after finishing its first arc. It also forces a lot of major characters from the first season into background roles, and reduces Reina's characterization to an independent and headstrong young woman to focusing only on her briefly-mentioned crush on Taki-sensei. From Kumiko/Reina shippers, it also receives heat for shifting the focus to Kumiko's relationship with Asuka, and doing so in a much clumsier manner than Kumiko and Reina's interactions in the first season--see StrangledByTheRedString below. However, it's generally agreed that everything besides the story was on par with the original series, especially the animation. However, season 2 could also be seen as more serious and thematic than season 1, as it sheds the RomanticPlotTumor of the Hazuki/Shuuichi/Kumiko LoveTriangle and instead focuses on the theme of 'Who do you play for?'. It's especially notable how every arc in season 2 ties into Asuka's arc, either to serve as a foil to or to highlight Asuka's own motivations for playing music. Viewers who are less preoccupied with shipping and more interested in character development might be inclined to view season 2 in a more favorable light.

** Taki-sensei's teaching methods have two prominent interpretations among the fans: either he subtly manipulated the club to choose nationals so he could pursue his own ambitions and justify his instruction methods by saying it was their choice, or he's really just doing what he was told to do while balancing politeness and honest harshness to actually get the club to work properly. Similarly, there's a lot of debate on whether or not his methods are effective, plain [[{{Jerkass}} Jerkassery]], or an odd combination of both.
*** And ''then'' episode 9 reveals that Taki-sensei is apparently well-known among the musically-inclined in Kumiko's hometown. Even Kumiko's older sister mentions that she predicts an upsurge in band-interested students enrolling in Kitauji simply because Taki-sensei is there. This sheds a whole new light to his teaching methods.
** Some of Asuka's actions could be seen as hypocritical.
*** Is ''very'' unsympathetic when Kumiko is preoccupied, scolding her for losing focus and warning her not to bring her personal problems into the practice room. However, when the Nozomi drama kicks off, she allows Gotou to kick out the first year students so that the third- and second-years can angst and debate among themselves. This not only creates a tense atmosphere and divides the bass section (leaving the first-years feeling isolated for being LockedOutOfTheLoop), but denies the first years precious practice time for days. Particularly noticeable since several people in the competition team get kicked out in favor of dealing with someone who isn't a club member, as opposed to dealing with the matter at another time. On the other hand, it should be noted that when Kumiko and co eavesdrop on the upperclassmen, Asuka herself is very eager to return to practice and tries to end the debates as quickly as possible. She even storms out to go practice alone when it drags on.
*** One of the reasons she refuses Nozomi rejoining the band is because [[spoiler:the disruption would threaten the possibility of Asuka being able to play in the Nationals in front of her own father]], which she admits was her ulterior selfish motive; all this, while she called Nozomi selfish for wanting to rejoin the band now that it's finally in shape for competition.

* ContestedSequel: Compared to the warm reception of season 1, opinions on season 2 were more divided. The main problem some people have is that the season feels rushed and cluttered; it combines two novels' worth of stories where the original only worked with one, so the series abruptly shifts in tone after finishing its first arc. It also forces a lot of major characters from the first season into background roles, and reduces Reina's characterization to an independent and headstrong young woman to focusing only on her briefly-mentioned crush on Taki-sensei. From Kumiko/Reina shippers, it also receives heat for shifting the focus to Kumiko's relationship with Asuka, and doing so in a much clumsier manner than Kumiko and Reina's interactions in the first season--see StrangledByTheRedString below. However, it's generally agreed that everything besides the story was on par with the original series, especially the animation.
** However, season 2 could also be seen as more serious and thematic than season 1, as it sheds the RomanticPlotTumor of the Hazuki/Shuuichi/Kumiko LoveTriangle and instead focuses on the theme of 'Who do you play for?'. It's especially notable how every arc in season 2 ties into Asuka's arc, either to serve as a foil to or to highlight Asuka's own motivations for playing music. Viewers who are less preoccupied with shipping and more interested in character development might be inclined to view season 2 in a more favorable light.

* ContestedSequel: Compared to the warm reception of season 1, opinions on season 2 were more divided. The main problem most people have is that the season feels rushed and cluttered; it combines two novels' worth of stories where the original only worked with one, so the series abruptly shifts in tone after finishing its first arc. It also forces a lot of major characters from the first season into background roles, and reduces Reina's characterization to an independent and headstrong young woman to focusing only on her briefly-mentioned crush on Taki-sensei. From Kumiko/Reina shippers, it also receives heat for shifting the focus to Kumiko's relationship with Asuka, and doing so in a much clumsier manner than Kumiko and Reina's interactions in the first season--see StrangledByTheRedString below. However, it's generally agreed that everything besides the story was on par with the original series, especially the animation.