Sound! Euphonium: The Kitauji High School Concert Band's Fiercest Summer, Vol. 2

The band from Kitauji High School passed the audition, but the hardest part is still ahead: the Kyoto Regional Competition, exhausting rehearsals, and the arrival of two new mentors. Kumiko Oumae and her friends must not only master challenging parts, but also confront echoes of the past that still keep the group divided. A touching and honest continuation of the well-known story about music, friendship, and learning how to let go of grudges.

You are reading the continuation of popular Japanese novelist Aya no Takeda’s story about the band at Kitauji High School—on which manga, an anime series, and a feature film have already been released. After a successful audition, the orchestra begins preparing for the Kyoto Regional Competition: the opponents are serious, and time is catastrophically short. Two new instructors—one for percussion and one for woodwinds—come to support curator Noboru Taki, and with them the students face punishing training and work at the very limits of their abilities.

This summer, Kumiko Oumae has plenty of bright events in store: new friendships, a trip to the pool, a training camp, and memories that will last for a long time. But behind the bustle of summer lies an unresolved story from last year—a conflict that split the orchestra from within. Its effects are still felt, preventing many from fully coming to terms with what happened. And yet, despite the pain and doubts, friendship, persistence, the desire to win at the Kyoto Regional Competition, and the dream of reaching Nationals become an inexhaustible source of strength for the orchestra.

For a wide circle of readers.