English Dub Review: Kono Oto Tomare!: Sounds of Life “Let Our Sound Resound and Reach Them”

They may have joined for different reasons, but all the koto club members play for the same reason.

Overview (Spoilers Below):

After many episodes of banter that crossed the line between teasing and cruelty, Satowa learns the truth about Chika and his motivations for joining the koto club. With all of her spiteful words haunting her conscience, she decides to make an apology. Because this is Chika we’re talking about, it doesn’t exactly go perfectly, but still, they end up in a lot better place because of it.

In the second half, the time has come for the club to perform their challenging piece in front of the entire school. There are a lot of nerves going around, but they suck them up and remember that they’re all in this together. Even when Chika’s traumatic memories try to ruin the song, Satowa comes through with some helpful playing to lead the group to a graceful recovery.

Our Take:

This felt like it could’ve been a season finale, honestly. I’m not entirely sure if that’s a good or bad sign for the show, but it was definitely a feeling I got from Let Our Sound Resound and Reach Them. This is only the fifth episode, so even for a mid-season finale, the events and tone of this week’s outing felt maybe premature? I’ve seen some others comment on how the director of the series is a rookie, and that some of the pacing issues might stem from that. While I haven’t seen too much evidence of this in the series itself, this might be one of the bigger factors leading to this kind of conclusion. With Chika and Satowa in a good place and the resoundingly reassuring performance behind them, it feels like an appropriate place to end the show, almost. Sure, we still don’t know how the vice principal will react to the showing, but based on the crowd’s reactions, it’s safe to say we would assume everything is alright were this the finale.

One of my favorite parts of this episode was how Satowa’s apology to Chika was handled. In any other anime, the main ‘tsundere’ character might not care about Chika’s past, or stew on it for weeks on end after learning the truth. Not this show, and not Satowa! Upon being told of the truth behind Chika’s reasons for becoming involved with the koto club, she immediately has a change of heart. She relives all of her biting words, things like calling him a ‘neanderthal’ and saying he wasn’t ‘fit’ to play the koto. In a welcome breath of fresh air and cutting to the chase, she confronts him about this and attempts to apologize before the day is through. Sure, it may not be a storybook perfect encounter, but it’s safe to say that they understand each other’s points of view a lot better after the last two episodes. It seems like there are hints of romance between them, but who knows if they’ll actually blossom in the future.

As for the big performance scene, I loved how it was crafted, too. Whenever there’s a big scene like a concert or a performance, there are approximately two choices. A show can throw all of its resources (people, time, and money) at it and go all out with motion, or they can show an overly-boring scene with lots of panning over stills. Kono Oto Tomare! chooses to layer the long musical number with flashbacks to pivotal moments in Chika’s life that led him to this night. It’s wildly effective and makes the scene longer and more impactful. In fact, it’s something I wish other shows would take note of – looking at you, Sound! Euphonium.

This week’s dub was above average, which is just the usual for this show. The dub actors continue to impress me, and the dialogue is sharp without being overly comedic or out of whack with the original. Satowa’s excuse for crying is so good: “It’s just seasonal allergies!” I love that we just learn about the koto club’s advisor in this episode, and he’s not here for any of this mess. When asked if he intends to interfere with the vice principal’s nefarious scheme, he sighs: “I’m not, feel free to proceed.” Finally, let’s all take in the wise words of the koto club rookies: “We can’t be embarrassed if we don’t have any shame!”

The fifth episode of Kono Oto Tomare! wrapped things up in a way that felt like the finale. I appreciated the sweet development of Satowa and Chika’s dynamic, as well as the threads of camaraderie binding the koto club members together. I’m just a bit confused as to what’s coming next. Where do Satowa and Chika go from here? How will the vice principal spin such a successful show into a failure?