Kyoto Animation has released the first still image of episode 12 of Hibike! Euphonium earlier today, which consists of the characters Kousaka Reina and Oumae Kumiko in an empty classroom on the floor with their legs locked.

When Anime Maru reached out to Kyoto Animation to inquire as to whether this image indicated a lesbian relationship between Kumiko and Reina, KyoAni representatives were surprised. “Where did you get that idea? This image takes place after Reina walks in on Kumiko practicing in an empty classroom, and in her surprise Kumiko bumps into Reina and they wind up on the floor. See how their clothes are askew since they’ve just fallen? And look here at Kumiko’s face, how she has her eyes closed and she’s gasping, that’s because she’s in pain.”

“Honestly though, even without context I’m not sure how you took this as a romantic moment,” Hibike! Euphonium director Jukki Hanada said to reporters. “We’ve made it very clear that both of these characters are straight. Kumiko is very obviously in denial about her love for Tsukamoto, and Reina has outright stated that she loves Noboru Taki, so I’m not sure where you’re getting the lesbian vibes from. Kumiko and Reina are simply very close friends who do things like go out on long walks together, comment on how hot the other one is and touch each other closely because they’re so comfortable with their friendship.”

At press time, Kyoto Animation has released a preview clip from episode 12 of Hibike! Euphonium, which consists entirely of a two minute scene in which Reina licks peanut butter off of Kumiko’s face like a good friend trying to help their best buddy get clean.

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