Absolute cinema. The buildups paid off wonderfully.
Sound Euphonium is more of a Kumiko anime than a music anime. Thematically, Kitauji winning gold in Nationals but Mayu in the soli is the strongest statement of Kumiko's character development. Can safely say that me rooting for this outcome was an unpopular opinion. I thought KyoAni would not proceed thinking (rightfully) it's too risky, but these madlads actually did it.
Damn, glad to see Kumiko having the guts to do the audition blind, despite knowing that she'd probably win if it wasn't. It's sad that Kumiko didn't win, but it is what it is.
Poor Kanade as well...
I actually preferred Kumiko's blind audition. Imo, it had more feel to it, which tbf, might not necessarily be desired in a competition like this.