There is a sense of wonder and grandeur that hit upon witnessing the first episode of Hibike Euphonium. Perhaps it was due to the outstanding score or the sheer glow the characters had. Perhaps it was how its main character Kumiko was immediately presented. Its hard to quantify such a feeling but its an undoubtedly great feeling as you discover that youre going to fall in love with a show that is confident in its own greatness. Perhaps the most immediate aspect to hit me was the soundtrack composed by Akito Matsuda. Several of the shows background pieces convey a sense of tenderness and swelling emotion that few OSTs can truly match. Hajimari No Senritsu stands out as the first piece to provide that intimate and wondrous feeling the soundtrack wishes to convey and others such as Shintenchi Iroasenu Kako Ichiho Zutsu Mae and especially Unmei no Nagare also excel in this regard. Its impossible for me to do this monumental OST justice as its become one of my favorites in the medium to date and there are several stunning tracks yet to be mentioned such as Tsutaetai Omoi Ishiki no Houga and Ao Haru no Kunou. This also fails to include the pieces played by the Kitauji High School band over the course of the show such as the jazzy Starting the Project Big Band ver. and the centerpiece of the second half: Mikazuki no Mai Reina Trumpet Solo ver.. On top of that the show does a wonderful job at cueing the audience into the differences in quality of a character or bands performance over time and when something sounds perfectly cohesive or disorganized. The epic expressive and swelling vocals and instrumentals on the OP DREAM SOLISTER by TRUE is another great song that keeps up with the OST. The ED Tutti by Kitauji Quartet is also amazing with wonderfully cheerful vocals from the seiyuu of the main 4 characters and how everything swells up in the climax of the song. It might even be preferable to the OP which just further highlights how outstanding the shows music is. Another fascinating aspect of the show is its unique sense of lighting. Kyoto Animation is generally known for its outstanding attention to detail in its animation and artwork and this show is no exception. There are several wonderful facial expressions and pieces of highly detailed animation to be found. However outside of a few slideshow dips this isnt what caught my eye the most about the shows wonderful visuals. The character designs by Shoko Ikeda are beautiful adaptations of the original designs by Nikki Asada as theres a sense of shininess to them that takes full advantage of the shows lighting. Unlike shows such as Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei and The Asterisk War which just have gaudy oversaturated lighting for no reason this show has a natural sense of lighting complemented by its beautiful art direction. Water and sweat glisten more vividly than any other show Ive seen and whenever characters or their instruments are surrounded by street lights or any other light source theres an organic glow that radiates from them. Instruments shine intricately during major performances for similar reasons and these scenes are all sights to behold. The direction by Tatsuya Ishihara only enhances this as it rivals his work on The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya. The presentation feels so intimate and tender which brings the most out of the shows mesmerizing music lively lighting and wonderful writing. Everything feels so organic and lovely that its astounding. This organic nature is also what makes the writing so much better than it could have been. Melodrama has become a dirty word in the anime community describing an overdramatization of conflict which several fans deride. This is most common in high school dramas which this show happens to be. There are certainly melodramatic characters in the show which drive a lot of the conflict in the latter half of the season such as Yuuko and Reina. However the show highlights them in contrast to a lot of the more grounded characters such as Kumiko and Asuka. Kumiko is a wonderful main lead as she feels particularly natural. Her penchant for thinking out loud and accidentally letting things slip is such a rare trait in anime that the show explores and the character herself is very expressive yet down to earth. Perhaps more so than anyone else she feels like a genuine complicated person with her own welldefined feelings towards others. Others such as Hazuki and Midori have their own fun quirks and struggles with how they play or whenever Midori finds herself catching hopeless feelings for someone with his own complicated relationship with Kumiko. The last 7 episodes feel especially great at managing a careful tenuous balance between its drama and the shows tender more down to earth nature. Melodramatic conflicts such as love triangles rumors and competitions for a specific spot that a competitors adoring friend escalates are all handled tactfully and are never overplayed in this second half. Even events that Kumiko is haunted by that seem like they might repeat have a wholesome resolution that feels earned and natural to every character involved. Even those such as Asuka and Natsuki who clearly have their own somber sides that the former hides and the latter exudes at first feel natural and multilayered when contrasting those sides with their more understanding cheerful and goodnatured selves that we see them as most often. Even more minor characters have their own personal struggles and layers that are made abundantly clear such as Kumikos sister and events such as the audition tryouts and reminders of the turbulent year had before presentday bring out the most in them with how everything is explored so tactfully and earnestly. Its hard not to feel sorrow or joy in several moments in the show because of that. Everything feels earnest and natural rather than forced. This isnt even mentioning every character and subplot that gets intricately woven together and addressed otherwise wed be here all day with spoilers throughout. The first season of Hibike Euphonium is an astounding show that is far better than I could have anticipated. Its uniquely lively sense of lighting is matched only by its tender and resonant nature exemplified by its direction and music. The natural character writing and drama that rarely feels overplayed only add to how lovely this show is. Sure there are minor issues such as Kumikos narration sometimes feeling unnecessary or there being a few slideshow moments but they mean little in the face of such a great show. Heres hoping season 2 matches the quality of this first outing.