Table of Contents#
- Minister Huang Qian
- Leader Takasaka Rina
- Asuka has disappeared from the world
- Nakagawa Natsuki - The Willful and Deep Vice Minister
- Kazuki Kasaumi - The Unfortunate Rebel
- Acknowledgements
- References
1. Minister Huang Qian#
During the internal reforms of the Nanaka faction in the North Uji Wind Orchestra, Kumiko was cultivating her own faction.
As the future successor, Huang Qian Kumiko held an important position in handling relationships with new members. Although the new members of the bass section were all unique individuals, after experiencing the battle of wits between Huang Qian and the cunning Azusagawa Asuka for fifteen years, Kumiko's political skills had been honed. She was able to handle people like Kashiwagi Kanade with ease, and after a chase in the rain and heartfelt confessions, she successfully conquered her. In the subsequent political struggles, Kashiwagi Kanade, who belonged to her faction, would definitely become her capable assistant. Kumiko respected and liked the powerful and respected senior Asuka; she would also devote herself to nurturing Kashiwagi Kanade, who currently lacked power and position. In the sixteen years of Huang Qian's leadership, Kumiko had established a solid foundation for her future as the minister, believing that after experiencing two years of trials and tribulations, she could handle any difficulties that lay ahead, until a transfer student with power but no position appeared before her.
Kumiko, full of confidence, taken in the sixteenth year of Huang Qian
2. Leader Takasaka Rina#
The belief in strength alone has always been Rina's doctrine.
This can be seen from the solo incident in the fifteenth year of Huang Qian. Regardless of social hierarchy, she directly challenged the third-year student, Nakatani Midori, with a simple reason: whoever plays better should solo, which would benefit the Wind Orchestra. On the other hand, Rina has always had a fondness for the newly appointed conductor, Taki Masahiro. Amidst the various doubts about Taki's appointment, Rina has always been a staunch supporter. In the ensemble competition of the sixteenth year of Huang Qian, Takasaka Rina gathered a group of strong members to create the strongest galaxy battleship in North Uji. However, the result was lamentable. It can be seen that Rina, like Kaito Yume, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of North Uji, has outstanding strength but is politically naive. They would be an unstable factor. Once Rina becomes part of the power center, this instability will be magnified, leading to a series of events. As Himegami Kanako, the chief flutist in the fifteenth year of Huang Qian, said, wind music is not just about strength, the bonds between members are the most important part.
3. Asuka has disappeared from the world#
In the snowy graduation season, Asuka's footprints are clearly visible.
If the North Uji Wind Orchestra in the fifteenth year of Huang Qian had a soul, it would be Tanaka Asuka. Although Asuka was not the minister, her powerful political skills were deeply imprinted in the hearts of every member. By using the fictional minister, Ogasawara Haruka, as a mascot and manipulating everything behind the scenes, she achieved her goals. In the fourteenth year of Huang Qian, she advised Kazuki Kasaumi not to start the Nanaka Rebellion, demonstrating Asuka's far-sightedness. In the fifteenth year of Huang Qian, she discovered the talented Huang Qian, laying an important foundation for the North Uji Wind Orchestra to win the national gold medal, showcasing Asuka's discerning eye. Asuka was highly popular among the members, giving people a natural sense of security. As long as senior Asuka was there, the future would be bright. Compared to Asuka, Kumiko tried to establish her rule in a more gentle way. As long as her connections and glorious image spread throughout the Wind Orchestra, there would be no turmoil. However, the lack of a little bit of courage resulting from this gentleness prevented Kumiko from establishing a strong reputation, effectively restraining other members of the power center, and preventing potential problems. This indirectly led to the disqualification incident of the seventeenth-year leader, Takasaka Rina. Asuka's departure caused the North Uji Wind Orchestra to lose its focus, become unstable, and eventually fall into chaos.
4. Nakagawa Natsuki - The Willful and Deep Vice Minister#
Amidst the banter, Nakagawa Natsuki secretly harmonizes everything.
As the vice minister in the sixteenth year of Huang Qian, Nakagawa Natsuki's work was outstanding. Many scholars underestimated her political influence in the sixteenth year of Huang Qian. In recent popularity polls, Nakagawa Natsuki ranked first, indicating her recognition among the members of the Wind Orchestra. As early as the Nanaka Rebellion in the fourteenth year of Huang Qian, Nakagawa Natsuki gained the favor of many members with her straightforward personality. Two years later, she finally entered the power center of the North Uji Wind Orchestra along with other Nanaka faction members. Undeniably, Nakagawa Natsuki and Yoshikawa Yoko were a good team. They worked hard to maintain the stability of the North Uji Wind Orchestra, arranging their work in an orderly manner through coordination. This prevented major conflicts from erupting in the sixteenth year of Huang Qian. Although it lacked the sense of dominance that Asuka had in the fifteenth year of Huang Qian, Nakagawa Natsuki's approach was more accepted and admired by Kumiko. However, the vice minister in the seventeenth year of Huang Qian, Shuichi Tomimoto, only satisfied half of the requirements. While he was loyal to Minister Kumiko, his leadership and influence among the members were far inferior to Nakagawa Natsuki in the sixteenth year of Huang Qian, and he didn't even pay the membership fee. Losing the key figure who secretly maintained stability, the conflicts that erupted in the seventeenth year of Huang Qian were predictable.
5. Kazuki Kasaumi - The Unfortunate Rebel#
Kazuki Kasaumi, the instigator of all conflicts, the daring rebel, has finally calmed down.
In her first year after returning, and also her last year in the high school wind orchestra, what kind of emotions does Kazuki Kasaumi have? Looking back on her eventful wind orchestra days, her time as the minister in middle school, starting a club from scratch, the failure in the thirteenth year of Huang Qian's prefectural competition, the ambitious declarations upon entering high school, the painful reality, the unwavering struggle, the humble request to return, she has experienced too much and should now reach a temporary conclusion. The tragic color in Kazuki Kasaumi's fate has always been a topic of enduring interest in wind music research. In her final year, after resolving the final issues and her relationship with Kaito Yume, she surprisingly remained calm in the sixteenth year of Huang Qian. She heard the performance of Liz and the Blue Bird by Rina and Kumiko, a part that should have belonged to her and Yume. Its political significance is self-evident: the era of North Uji is coming, let us show you. She didn't mind. Liz and the Blue Bird was her requiem, her final sigh. Kazuki Kasaumi sincerely wishes for the future of North Uji, a North Uji without laziness and vulgarity. She watches them walk towards the light with a smile, grateful that they are unaware of the dark clouds that once shrouded North Uji. With the departure of this influential reformer, it seems that North Uji will no longer experience major upheavals, but it will also not receive any major injections of fresh blood or opportunities to reform the wind orchestra system.
6. Acknowledgements#
Thank you to all the readers who have read this far, thank you to Kyoto Animation, thank you to all the wind music enthusiasts, thank you to all the wind music researchers, thank you to the editors of the Kyoto Wind Music Journal, and thank you to Ayano Takeda. This article may have some omissions, so criticism and corrections are welcome. To this day, Sound! Euphonium is still my favorite anime. As the third season is currently airing, I believe that the research on wind music will continue to flourish.
Lanting Qu Shui
April 5, 2024
7. References#
The Fifteenth Year of Wanli. Huang Renyu. Zhonghua Book Company, 2014.
The Sixteenth Year of Huang Qian: Dawn in the Turbulent North Uji. Kaede Azukawa. Kyoto Wind Music Journal, 2020.
No Miracle at the End of Effort. Inanari Bot-. Kyoto Wind Music Journal, 2020.
Looking Up at Your Soaring Figure. Ayano Takeda. Takarajimasha, 2021.
Original article published by Lanting Qu Shui on April 5, 2024