Arya Senior Member



Join Date: May 2004

Quote: Verso Sciolto Originally Posted by Now that the name of the lake has been pointed out, does that change your ideas about the possible nature of the bird and its potential symbolism? I think most viewers agree that the bird didn't just fly in front of he lens by accident but that it has some symbolic meaning, open to interpretation.

I also find the idea of Reina trying to communicate with Taki's wife quite endearing and wise in many ways(especially in comparison to Kumiko "detached" approach). Also, the scene before the dam fits so nicely with that Eagle symbolism, having also the winds rising at the end, that I'll need some strong hint to make me change my interpretation of the whole Reina step up.



Quote: Verso Sciolto Originally Posted by Personally, I also found the possible connection between phoenix and Taki quite interesting, from a mythological perspectives - especially given his name. (Containing the radicals for water and dragon to form waterfall) and Taki's constant traversing of different mythological traditions, if the music can be considered one guide in that.



I'm curious where the line is drawn in these situations. What do you do with the information once someone points out that the music playing on Taki-sensei's phone is from Offenbach's satirical opera about a musician whose wife dies young?



The traditional version of the story has this musician trying to retrieve her from the underworld. The underworld is located on the opposite side of a mythological river separating the realms of the living from the realms of the dead - in several story telling traditions. Unsuccessful in his attempt to revive her from the dead, sometimes explained as an act of hubris, insolent refusal to accept his lot in life, in defiance of the gods, he settles on the banks of the river and lives in her memory.



Taki-sensei, a Japanese man, driving an imported car and listening to French music performed by Japanese students who he'll be instructing for the rest of the story. Set in a town that was once the capitol of the nation. Is it unreasonable to see Orpheus in him or to point out that Orpheus has equivalents in Japanese creation stories? If that is not in itself unreasonable, when does peeling layers or finding additional ones, go too far?

Going a bit further the phoenix came back to the very last lines he exchanged with the other teacher who told him, in response to a complain, how what she likes about the work is how it starts again from square one each year. So in a way Taki could (reborn) dedicate all his life to win (or try to) the gold over and over again. That would be very Taki like, but if you ask me I'd prefer to see him find peace at a certain point of his life.



Quote: Verso Sciolto Originally Posted by In the same scenes introducing Taki-sensei to the audience he is also shown explaining the various possible results found on Omikuji to -what appears to be- a young couple. A hierarchy in which Daikichi is the best fortune that can be drawn. Some of the best scenes in the series take place going up to and at the top of Mt Daikichi (kakekotoba).



One summer night, before going up that hill, Reina, on the face of it appearing to be one of the most fortunate people in the story, pauses and asks her companion that evening which shrine she prefers as they banter their way to the top together. Along the way Reina also tells her companion that she isn't content with her situation. Wants to escape her lot but settles for this hill, but only because it is a school night.



Quote: Verso Sciolto Originally Posted by It is quite possible to see Hibike! Euphonium as a slice of life drama in which students are asked to perform musical composition that have no additional meanings to them or their story. In which one composition is exchanged for an other based on the way it sounds in adaptation - but I think we all recognise that there are some symbolic elements in this slice of life story. Too many shots of bridges to think these animators are just drawing what is in front of their eyes.



Is Offenbach's music no more than a flag, a tiny hint at the introduction to let us know that Taki might be widower, or not even that, a random piece of music that could have been any other tune? If it is more than that, could the same be said for the other compositions as well? For Daphnis and Chloe, for example? Or the poetic significance of the moon in Japanese poetry, possibly linking Crescent Moon Dance with Murasaki Shikibu's compositions? Where to draw the line?

Not a critic in any way, just a feeling. Even because they did use a lot of symbolism, I found the Asuka's episodes (but also Reina's episode) full of content hidden behind any details that I can see why they couldn't follow everything and had to give priorities (bar Shuuichi). Not really, it still can be seen as Reina rebirth from her idealistic life to her new realistic one. It was her rite of passage from being a kid to the adolescence. It's not by chance she later confessed, twice, to Taki. A clear mark of her new status from before. Still being true to herself.I also find the idea of Reina trying to communicate with Taki's wife quite endearing and wise in many ways(especially in comparison to Kumiko "detached" approach). Also, the scene before the dam fits so nicely with that Eagle symbolism, having also the winds rising at the end, that I'll need some strong hint to make me change my interpretation of the whole Reina step up.I missed the Offenbach part back then or I just forgot, but I agree that it's very fitting Taki and the way he has always been depicted, someone who severed himself from the others and so especially against romance. The final bits when we got confirmed how he dedicated all his efforts to his wife memories complements perfectly with Orpheus dedication. In a way even to the very last bit since they both failed in their goals.Going a bit further the phoenix came back to the very last lines he exchanged with the other teacher who told him, in response to a complain, how what she likes about the work is how it starts again from square one each year. So in a way Taki could (reborn) dedicate all his life to win (or try to) the gold over and over again. That would be very Taki like, but if you ask me I'd prefer to see him find peace at a certain point of his life.Reina as a sort of reversed Euridice? Seems quite interesting,even I still latch it to Reina's immaturity so I cant really see such a implied meaning.What I meant in my previous post, that was too confused, is that the passage from one medium and the other probably lost its consistency due to the team giving priority to other aspects, like a more intelligible music piece over a complex one or adding additional parts to other characters from one other. While the way they downplayed Kumiko and Shuuichi fits with the change of piece from Ravel to Brodin that's a sign of it. So that's what I meant before, I felt like the show didn't willingly follow the meta musical path, the one you are still reading, the novelist set on her writing.Not a critic in any way, just a feeling. Even because they did use a lot of symbolism, I found the Asuka's episodes (but also Reina's episode) full of content hidden behind any details that I can see why they couldn't follow everything and had to give priorities (bar Shuuichi).



The meaning of things lies not in the things themselves, but in our attitude towards them.

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