Hibike! Euphonium - Episode 5

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To Kumiko high school is a new beginning, a way to make new friends and perhaps to experience the concert band club in a more gratifying way. In the scene where Kumiko gets reacquainted with an old bandmate, her pursuit for a new beginning was demonstrated in a way that earnestly expressed her feelings.

When Kumiko was invited to meet with other former bandmates, she stopped and looked back at her new band club and new friends. As Kumiko looks on you might notice a slight shaky cam effect and shimmering movement in her eyes. The shaky cam and shimmering effect were obviously done for dramatic effect but more importantly the similar movements visually connected the close-ups of Kumiko and the shots of her new bandmates. This visual connection conveyed her attachment and commitment to her new bandmates and to this new experience.

The sequence above is when Kumiko finally told her old bandmate that she attended Kitauji to have a new start. This sequence made use of centered and off-centered shots in an interesting way. Often times centered shots are used to add emphasis to character reactions and lines but in this sequence it was the opposite. The centered shots along with inserts were used for the build up and the off-centered shots were used for emphasis. Off centered-shots were used to emphasize Kumiko’s delivery of “Afresh, from scratch” and the emotional looks the two were exchanging.

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