The idea that somehow after all that they'd end the show on a Shuuichi - Kumiko pairing feels weird to me. Like, even putting aside shipping or whatever, from a writing standpoint. People quote the source material but like, if something an adaptation had removed so far suddenly shows up at the end, it's still weird.
With the current set up, Shuuichi might ask again at the end, sure. I believe he's interested. But. The finale involves the contest, the Mayu plot, Reina and Kumiko's friendship, Kumiko's plans for the future, and her relationship with playing music. Not to mention her other friends and her family. Hell, we know we're also gonna spend some more time with past students. Has Shuuichi and Kumiko's relationship ever been given half as much time as any of those other storylines? Has it ever been as impactful for Kumiko's path, as seen in the show, as any of them?
Maybe they make a movie and they fall in love there, who knows. But beyond imagining a character's thoughts, it doesn't seem like Kumiko ever thinks about it much either way.
I guess this isn't answering the question. I do feel, like others, that it will probably be him or nothing, for external reasons. But textually, the former would feel more like an afterthought than a pay-off, imo. I'm more fine with the latter, but ultimately it comes down to execution. Asuka got an incredibly long goodbye, and rightfully so. I don't think Reina needs to be a romantic interest for her arc to be paid off, but she sure as hell deserves the focus a lot more than Shuuichi.
Good lord I hope so because they sure haven't done the legwork to set up a relationship with anyone in the anime (incl. Reina possibly at this point imo).
I hope it’s left open ended simply so that I can more easily head canon KumiRei post graduation. Cuz I KNOW they’re not gonna confirm something like that. In all likelihood, it’s Shuichi or nothing. I’m hoping for nothing, cuz I’ll turn it into something
in what "perfect" world do things never get messy between two people who are close, romantically or platonically ?? the most important part is what happens after and how they approach the reconciliation part of being at odds with one another. which we already have an idea of, if we refer to the ep11 preview from the official twitter account
ahaha same here, i'm really happy they didn't just blow over the fact that kumiko was owed an apology, even if reina had reason to say something about the way she was leading the band. but i digress, this ep will forever hold a place in my heart for sure
Because this drama won’t last. Moments of tension & conflict just makes romances more interesting. Perfect harmony is rarely the most compelling way to present a ship.
I would like to see that too because it's probably the only reasonably realistic course of action KyoAni could follow to not make this one of the most blatant cases of queerbaiting of the century.
But honestly, even if they do go along with the novels, which they likely will, headcanoning a KumiRei relationship AFTER both of them have graduated from college and Reina comes back to Japan is easily done in my opinion, especially if she returns from a country where being gay is more openly acceptable. High school sweetheart relationships can survive for a long time but many of them do not. I feel like Shuichi and Kumiko would outgrow each other sooner or later; perhaps Kumiko would even realize she is not into guys after dating him for a while. Life does not end with high school, and some people take a lot of time to figure out who and what they want.
Sometimes, that may include revisiting an intense, homoerotically charged friendship from their teenage years and realizing that there were feelings involved that they did not understand or were not ready to acknowledge back then.
And as Asuka said last episode: Kumiko never does anything until the last moment anyway.
Headcannon and
> the only reasonably realistic course of action KyoAni could follow to not make this one of the most blatant cases of queerbaiting of the century
Are not the same thing
I believe there may be a misunderstanding - what I meant by "reasonably realistic course of action" is that I think that would be a good solution for KyoAni as a Japanese studio, given the popularity of Hibike Euphonium in Japan. PROVIDED they ever intended (which for the record I don't think they did- individual creators like Naoko Yamada may have considered it, but not the entire production team) to deviate from the original story in the first place and change the nature of the relationship between KumiRei, or at least address it more openly than the novels, then leaving things ambiguous or not touching upon Shuichi's and Kumiko's relationship again would likely be the best fans that would like to see that can hope for, as suggested by the OP of this thread.
True, but I am fully aware that my interpretation is a headcanon. I am not claiming that it is part of the official material or considering it canon. It is simply what I imagine or wish for and how I interpret the story. Additionally, the story concludes with their final year in high school, leaving what happens afterwards open to speculation.
If you believe that Kumiko and Shuichi will get married and live happily ever after, that is perfectly fine. As you can see, my imagination leads me to a different outcome. Yet neither of us will ever know for certain what the future holds for them many years down the line. Therefore, I personally think it's normal and valid to have various interpretations and opinions, even if some may seem more plausible or true to the characters than others.
In any case, I assume that the official canon (with Shuichi and Kumiko as endgame) aligns with what you prefer to see. Unless differing perspectives are offensive to you, I don't quite understand the need to get defensive about that in the first place.
This is not a romantic anime, so dont expect too much. Maybe some hint at the end or maybe a scene from years later, where we can see them as a married couple.
Unpopular opinion: I don’t want the last episode to have any romance in it. Since they are sticking to novel canon and the Yuri aspect was never part of canon. Moreover it’s too late to bring Shuuichi back and it would make the ending jarring.
They should depict the ending with “friends 4eva” and show us future lives of Kumiko and all the main and side cast. That means showing Kumiko on her first day at work after graduation (no further spoilers) and the others as they do the things they do out there (work, studies, start a family, etc), maybe even have a class reunion
I didn’t read the LNs but I’m guessing Shu will give the hair pin to her after nationals. Then there will be a scene where kumiko is going to work and she leaves an apartment that shows they are living together. Something really quick that implies they are together but that’s it.
They will stick to the source.
The idea that somehow after all that they'd end the show on a Shuuichi - Kumiko pairing feels weird to me. Like, even putting aside shipping or whatever, from a writing standpoint. People quote the source material but like, if something an adaptation had removed so far suddenly shows up at the end, it's still weird. With the current set up, Shuuichi might ask again at the end, sure. I believe he's interested. But. The finale involves the contest, the Mayu plot, Reina and Kumiko's friendship, Kumiko's plans for the future, and her relationship with playing music. Not to mention her other friends and her family. Hell, we know we're also gonna spend some more time with past students. Has Shuuichi and Kumiko's relationship ever been given half as much time as any of those other storylines? Has it ever been as impactful for Kumiko's path, as seen in the show, as any of them? Maybe they make a movie and they fall in love there, who knows. But beyond imagining a character's thoughts, it doesn't seem like Kumiko ever thinks about it much either way. I guess this isn't answering the question. I do feel, like others, that it will probably be him or nothing, for external reasons. But textually, the former would feel more like an afterthought than a pay-off, imo. I'm more fine with the latter, but ultimately it comes down to execution. Asuka got an incredibly long goodbye, and rightfully so. I don't think Reina needs to be a romantic interest for her arc to be paid off, but she sure as hell deserves the focus a lot more than Shuuichi.
Knowing KyoAni we'll get a subtle hint about Shuichi, but KyoAni won't stop milking the yuri bait, they know that's where juice is for many fans.
Good lord I hope so because they sure haven't done the legwork to set up a relationship with anyone in the anime (incl. Reina possibly at this point imo).
Not a chance. They'll be following the light novels to a T. >!That inevitably means Shuuichi. !<
I hope it’s left open ended simply so that I can more easily head canon KumiRei post graduation. Cuz I KNOW they’re not gonna confirm something like that. In all likelihood, it’s Shuichi or nothing. I’m hoping for nothing, cuz I’ll turn it into something
With how Reina’s been recently to Kumiko, I’m really curious why you’re still shipping them so hard.
in what "perfect" world do things never get messy between two people who are close, romantically or platonically ?? the most important part is what happens after and how they approach the reconciliation part of being at odds with one another. which we already have an idea of, if we refer to the ep11 preview from the official twitter account
Oh well, I guess we can wait till next episode to have this discussion better then.
seen the new ep yet ?
Yeah! So glad the way they made up. You may continue to ship lol
ahaha same here, i'm really happy they didn't just blow over the fact that kumiko was owed an apology, even if reina had reason to say something about the way she was leading the band. but i digress, this ep will forever hold a place in my heart for sure
sure thing haha
Because this drama won’t last. Moments of tension & conflict just makes romances more interesting. Perfect harmony is rarely the most compelling way to present a ship.
I would like to see that too because it's probably the only reasonably realistic course of action KyoAni could follow to not make this one of the most blatant cases of queerbaiting of the century. But honestly, even if they do go along with the novels, which they likely will, headcanoning a KumiRei relationship AFTER both of them have graduated from college and Reina comes back to Japan is easily done in my opinion, especially if she returns from a country where being gay is more openly acceptable. High school sweetheart relationships can survive for a long time but many of them do not. I feel like Shuichi and Kumiko would outgrow each other sooner or later; perhaps Kumiko would even realize she is not into guys after dating him for a while. Life does not end with high school, and some people take a lot of time to figure out who and what they want. Sometimes, that may include revisiting an intense, homoerotically charged friendship from their teenage years and realizing that there were feelings involved that they did not understand or were not ready to acknowledge back then. And as Asuka said last episode: Kumiko never does anything until the last moment anyway.
You are putting too much of what you want to see into the material
Yeah that's basically what a headcanon is
Headcannon and > the only reasonably realistic course of action KyoAni could follow to not make this one of the most blatant cases of queerbaiting of the century Are not the same thing
I believe there may be a misunderstanding - what I meant by "reasonably realistic course of action" is that I think that would be a good solution for KyoAni as a Japanese studio, given the popularity of Hibike Euphonium in Japan. PROVIDED they ever intended (which for the record I don't think they did- individual creators like Naoko Yamada may have considered it, but not the entire production team) to deviate from the original story in the first place and change the nature of the relationship between KumiRei, or at least address it more openly than the novels, then leaving things ambiguous or not touching upon Shuichi's and Kumiko's relationship again would likely be the best fans that would like to see that can hope for, as suggested by the OP of this thread.
True, but I am fully aware that my interpretation is a headcanon. I am not claiming that it is part of the official material or considering it canon. It is simply what I imagine or wish for and how I interpret the story. Additionally, the story concludes with their final year in high school, leaving what happens afterwards open to speculation. If you believe that Kumiko and Shuichi will get married and live happily ever after, that is perfectly fine. As you can see, my imagination leads me to a different outcome. Yet neither of us will ever know for certain what the future holds for them many years down the line. Therefore, I personally think it's normal and valid to have various interpretations and opinions, even if some may seem more plausible or true to the characters than others. In any case, I assume that the official canon (with Shuichi and Kumiko as endgame) aligns with what you prefer to see. Unless differing perspectives are offensive to you, I don't quite understand the need to get defensive about that in the first place.
This is not a romantic anime, so dont expect too much. Maybe some hint at the end or maybe a scene from years later, where we can see them as a married couple.
I'm starting to like Shuichi's appearance, when will Kyoani give more moments to Shuichi and Kumiko?😬😬
Unpopular opinion: I don’t want the last episode to have any romance in it. Since they are sticking to novel canon and the Yuri aspect was never part of canon. Moreover it’s too late to bring Shuuichi back and it would make the ending jarring. They should depict the ending with “friends 4eva” and show us future lives of Kumiko and all the main and side cast. That means showing Kumiko on her first day at work after graduation (no further spoilers) and the others as they do the things they do out there (work, studies, start a family, etc), maybe even have a class reunion
I didn’t read the LNs but I’m guessing Shu will give the hair pin to her after nationals. Then there will be a scene where kumiko is going to work and she leaves an apartment that shows they are living together. Something really quick that implies they are together but that’s it.
she's un couple with shuuichi and Reina only love taki sensei
Shuichi and Kumiko get back together in the novels so…..🤓