English Dub Review: Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life “Champions’ Resolve”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

The Qualifier for Nationals has officially begun. Up first are the reigning champions: the Himesaka Girls Academy Koto Club. They’ve been a staple at the Nationals for years, but their loss to Hakuto High School in the Kanagawa Prefectural shook them up. As they prepare to take the stage, we’re treated to a flashback of events that transpired between the two competitions.

Everyone is fired up by their loss. Their advisor decides to hold auditions to perform at the Qualifier for the first time, a sign of how competitive they are now. Kazusa and Wakaba are shoo-ins with how much they practice, but Hozumi, a nice second-year girl, can’t keep up with her peers. Despite her hard work, she’s the sole second-year not to make the cut. Together, her club mates vow to move forward for her sake, so they can advance to the Nationals where she can rejoin them.

Our Take:

As we enter the National Qualifier, the show makes a somewhat novel choice to focus mainly on one of Tokise’s competitors this time around. We don’t even see our usual protagonists until about halfway through the run time. Instead, we get to spend a lot of time with the girls from Himesaka, mainly experienced through Kazusa’s viewpoint. I’m not sure it does the pace of the finale any favors, as things really slow down once we’re treated to almost an entire episode in flashback. But it was an interesting look into the proceedings of a rival club, and all the girls at Himesaka are worthy main characters in their own rights.

As we enter the Himesaka portion of the episode, the screen ratio widens and we join Kazusa as she experiences the letdown of their first loss in a long time. Their defeat at the hands of Hakuto was not something they ever expected, but it does a great job of motivating all of the girls to be at their best. The overall plotline of their arc is one of disappointment and hard work. An upperclassman who doesn’t make the cut due to the club prioritizing talent over history isn’t very new. Sound! Euphonium has done it before, in its usual outstanding style. But this episode does a good job of characterizing the girls at Himesaka quickly. Even though this is the first time we’ve really met Hozumi, we still feel for her as no amount of hard work and practice can prepare her for the shock of being the only senior club member not to make the cut. Still, the waters ahead look a lot clearer for her, since her club’s performance was outstanding and she seems to be looking ahead to the future rather than dwelling on the disappointment of the past.

Once Himesaka’s stellar performance of ‘Three Paraphrases’ ends, the episode splits our focus away from Himesaka and lets us rejoin our old friends, as well as get a peek at Hakuto as they enter the tuning room. It’s a bit disconnected and makes the episode feel more like a mishmash than a full-length look at Himesaka, but it also gives the ending a little bit more forward momentum that it might not have if it ended with Himesaka’s piece. Mr. Takinami’s run-in with Mr. Yamamoto hints at more development for him in upcoming episodes, and his history as a math teaching music lover turned koto club advisor is ripe for drama.

This episode had a dub that definitely shines. We haven’t spent much time with most of the Himesaka girls before, so their dubbed voices are key to selling us on them quickly. Mostly, everyone does a fantastic job with this. “It wasn’t some freak accident that we lost. We let our reputation get to our heads.” The newly-appointed club president of Himesaka has a point which tells us right up front who she is. “I’ve never played it before, but if I recall, it’s difficult.” I think Kazusa’s line here should’ve been worded a little differently so it doesn’t sound like she’s has and hasn’t played the piece before. “Really? Then why can’t you play it well enough?” Kasuza’s response when a clubmate says they already practice too much is brutal. “I said she wasn’t good, not that I hated her. The only person I hate is you.” Wakaba is tough, but not unfair. She and Kazusa have some great chemistry here.

Champions’ Resolve gives us an in-depth look at Himesaka and all the things that make them as good as they are. We know our kids at Tokise have been practicing their butts off, but after today’s episode, it’s clear that it’s still going to be tough to pull out a victory from Kazusa and co’s grasps. I’m excited to hear what goes on next episode (along with the hilarious magazine editors and Mashiro, who came to hear Tokise!).