Sound! Euphonium 8
This show is making everything else look bad.
Other posters have talked about the difficulty the show has in juggling its large cast, and I can agree that some characters suffer somewhat because the spotlight doesn't have much time for them. But the sort of 'upside' of the challenge KyoAni undertook in this adaptation is that they're forced to be very economical in their storytelling. Only the most important points have time to be hammered home, so everything else is, for once in this medium's life, shown and not told. Reinforced by a strong script and working from great source material, the naturalistic dialogue is buttressed by subtle character performances that bring everyone to life. They're actually able to say one thing and mean something else, and the viewer's ability to pick up on these things is actually respected.
Goto's feelings are belied by his ears, not his words.
The climb up the mountain that works as the centerpiece of this episode is a beautiful example of all these great qualities. Kumiko's conversation with Kousaka is at turns admiring, introspective, and teasing, all without breaking mood. The romantic framing is acknowledged and subverted by the characters, and it feels more like friends gently poking fun at a weird turn of phrase than like something just for the benefit of the audience. Their mutual trust, Kumiko's admiration of Kousaka's conviction in her own ability, Kousaka's respect for her friend's awkward bluntness, both their struggles with the pressures of school and life, all come out in an organic, multilayered way without being hit too bluntly. It's so great.
Maybe firehawk would appreciate how the female characters here are actually treated as having adolescent romantic and/or sexual desires if he actually watched the show.
