English Dub Review: Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life: “Reunion”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

As the koto club begins preparing to make a run for the nationals, they have a problem: what piece should they pick to perform? Club advisor Mr. Takinami has a suggestion, but his idea throws Hozuki for a loop. The piece is one she performed as a last-ditch effort to attract her cruel mother’s attention. But listening back now, she realizes it only sounded angry and stressed.

After deciding on the piece, the group realizes they have another setback. Chika and Adachi are both playing the 17th-string for the piece, but they only have one instrument to practice with. Unless they want to take turns, thus cutting their practice time in half, they need another instrument. Hozuki steps up to the plate and goes to ask her mother to borrow one. It takes a lot of courage, and she ends up having to beg for it. In the end, her mother accepts – but her terms are heartless.

Our Take:

Congratulations everyone, we’ve made it past the romantic arc. Kidding, kidding! The last couple of episodes have had their moments. But I am glad to spend more time with Hozuki this week, and get a look at what’s going on inside her head. Having to listen to herself playing the piece that broke the final straw of her and her mother’s relationship had to be tough, but she did it with a helping hand from Chika. Furthermore, she sacrifices her dignity by begging for another 17th-string for him to use. It’s clear from this episode that Hozuki is an entirely new person from the snobbish girl who found her way to the club last season. And it’s a beautiful development to watch.

Hozuki really is the star of Reunion. We haven’t had an episode focused on her this season, and it’s good to be back in her shoes. As the most experienced member of the club, she is crucial to their success or failure. She also has one of the more tragic backstories, with her mother expelling her from her namesake koto school and telling her never to return. Hozuki going back and asking for a favor just demonstrates how committed she is to the high school koto club, even though it’s such a different world from the school where she was the heir. Now, it seems as if her mother has found a new heir, a strange girl named Akira. Though Akira offers to help by loaning her own 17th string, it seems clear that she’s going to be an antagonist in the future. Hozuki continuing to play the koto means Akira’s role as the heir isn’t entirely a sure thing, and it seems like she and her grandmother will do whatever it takes to secure their own future at the Hozuki School. (Before I wrap up Hozuki’s paragraph, I’ve gotta mention her cat pajamas. They’re adorable.)

While I enjoyed most of Hozuki’s parts of the episode, I was a little let down when it came to the actual musical scenes. When Mr. Takinami first sits everyone down to watch Hakuto’s winning performance, all we get is everyone’s reactions to it. Without hearing it ourselves, it’s just off-putting to hear people expositing about it. Talk about the show don’t tell! How about hear don’t tell? Then again later, when the club is listening to Hozuki’s old performance clip, we don’t get to hear it. They talk about how different they want to play it to sound happier, and how Mr. Takinami’s new arrangement is so much of a contrast. But we have nothing to base it on because we didn’t get to hear it! It just felt like a strange omission for such a musical show.

The dub had some excellent lines and performances this week, starting with Hiro’s scolding of herself: “C’mon, brain, we talked about this yesterday!” It’s funny, but it also made me a little scared that the show isn’t moving past this like I thought it was last week. Why does Hiro think admitting her feelings for Takezo will cause problems? At least Hozuki is back on her zinger game against Chika: “Nothing much past your bedhead. That wild mane you call hair. I didn’t know to look like a bum was considered a fashion statement.” “Just because something is right doesn’t mean it’s the best.” Mr. Takinami’ is so wise for someone so angsty. “I don’t know what this piece means to you, or why you haven’t had the courage to face it yet. But maybe we could face it together.” This scene killed me. Chika can be so good sometimes. “Please. You know how much I love sleep. I’d never give it up for this.” Takinami and sleep, name a better combo. “Take whatever koto you want. But in return, promise me you’ll never come back here.” It bothers me a bit that Hozuki is so insistent on seeing her mother when the woman has treated her so poorly. I get that she’s under pressure and Hozuki can’t help but be drawn to her own mother, but when someone treats you as badly as she did, I think that overrides familial obligation.

Reunion is a good episode of Kono Oto Tomare!. It hits a lot of topics, like the club’s strategy for Nationals, Mr. Takinami’s true care for the club, and of course Hozuki’s relationship with her past. Things got pretty dark when Hozuki visited her mom, so I’m glad this episode ended on a hug from Hiro. A+ ending scene.