Story of girls in high school music club premieres this spring

The official website for Kyoto Animation's anime adaptation of Ayano Takeda's Hibike! Euphonium (Sound! Euphonium) novel posted character profiles and the anime's story on Sunday.

The anime begins when Kumiko Ōmae, a girl who was in the brass band club in junior high school, visits her high school's brass band club as a first year. Kumiko's classmates Hazuki and Sapphire decide to join the club, but Kumiko sees her old classmate Reina there and hesitates. She remembers an incident she had with Reina at a brass band club contest in junior high school...

The characters include:



Kumiko Ōmae

Instrument: Euphonium



Kumiko enrolled in Kitauji High School after long hoping to wear the uniform. She wasn't particularly dead set on it, but decided to join the brass band club and continue playing the euphonium. She has a habit of immediately saying what she's thinking and changes her mind easily. She is very preoccupied with something she said to Reina at a contest in junior high school.



Hazuki Katō

Instrument: Tuba



Kumiko's classmate. She was in the tennis club in junior high school, and is a beginner in music. She admired the trumpet and joined the brass band club, but ends up playing the tuba. She's a bright and perky mood-maker.



Sapphire Kawashima

Instrument: Contrabass



Kumiko's classmate. At an elite junior high school for young ladies, she learned to play the contrabass. She joined the brass band club to continue to happily play music. She has a positive personality, but worries about her name.



Reina Kōsaka

Instrument: Trumpet



A girl who graduated from the same junior high school as Kumiko. Influenced by her dad, who is a pro, she has been playing the trumpet since she was little, so she continues at the brass band club in high school. She is stoic and cool.

The original novel's story follows the Kitauji Music club, which used to always advance to national competitions. Ever since the adviser changed, though, it has not advanced past the Kansai tournament. However, thanks to the newly appointed adviser's strict instruction, the students are steadily improving. The club members' daily lives are full of ups and downs including fights over solos and the decision to resign club activities to focus on studies.

Tatsuya Ishihara is directing the anime, and Jukki Hanada is in charge of the series scripts. Shoko Ikeda is designing the characters, and Naoko Yamada is the series technical director. Mutsuo Shinohara is the art director, and Akiyo Takeda is color key artist. Hiroyuki Takahashi is in charge of the musical instrument designs, and Kazuya Takao is the director of photography. Yota Tsuruoka is directing the sound, and Akito Matsuda is composing the music. Kyoto Animation, Pony Canyon, Lantis, and Rakuonsya make up the Hibike! Production Committee.

The anime will premiere this April.

Images © Ayano Takeda, Takarajimasha / "Hibike!" Production Committee