Kumiko Oumae is the protagonist of Ayano Takeda's novel series Sound! Euphonium. She is a plain-looking[a 1] high school student and euphonium[a 2] player who joins Kitauji Brass Band in her first school year. During her tenure as a member, she experiences lots of drama and hardships as the marching band seeks to fulfill its ultimate goal: reach the National Competition.
In the anime fandom, Kumiko's best known traits are her fluffy hair and tendency to make weird noises. And since Euphonium is a character-heavy drama show, Kumiko has been praised by fans for her development; a standout example is the running scene where she screams out her desire to "improve". She is also notable for being heavily shipped with Reina Kousaka, her close friend who treats marching band as serious business; the anime goes out of its way to tease these two together without officially confirming their romance, prompting some people to call their relationship an example of "yuri-baiting".
In saimoe tournaments however, Euphonium is generally seen as one the less successful Kyoto Animation series despite its quality production, female-majority cast, and presence in notable contests, since their characters have only won relatively few awards and deep runs. Kumiko often sees herself exiting the early or middle stages, and is often outlasted by the cooler and sexier-looking Reina.
Icons
ISML[]
| ISML Profile Flavor Text | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written by Momento10
A mistake that may have cost her the close bond she has made with her dearest friend made Omar Kumiko question her position as a musician. Yes, she enjoys music for its sociable aesthetics. To be able to converse with those around her and perform music together is already more than she could ask for. To maintain this friendly atmosphere is something she wants more than anything in the world. Yet, when there are those who are more talented than her reaching farther than she could imagine, Kumiko is forced to change her way of thinking. Yes, forming bonds with your bandmates is key to holding the group together, but when others in the group are seeking more than just a good time start to showcase their abilities, the dynamic of the group starts to shake. With the date of their first competition drawing closer and closer, how much time can be allocated for fun is the question everyone starts to ask himself and herself. However, Kumiko will not give in to the pressure around her. If the going gets tough, she just has to keep on going. She will prove to everyone that there is a way for the band as a whole to have fun and sound like a competitive band to take notice of. And so, she hopes that the sound of her euphonium can reach out to those who hear her music… | |||||||||||||||||||
Main Tournament[]
Overall record
| ISML Main Tournament Record | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season, playoffs, and consolation 1v1 matches only. Preliminaries, gems, exhibitions, and approval / range voting rounds are NOT included. | |||||||||||||||||||
| Edition | Eliminated in | Final pos. | W | L | RS Record | ||||||||||||||
| ISML 2016 | |||||||||||||||||||
| ISML 2017 | |||||||||||||||||||
| ISML 2018 | |||||||||||||||||||
| ISML 2019 | Did not qualify (64th / 56th) | ||||||||||||||||||
| ISML 2020 | Split 2 Groups Top 64 | ||||||||||||||||||
| ISML 2021 | Eliminated in Preliminaries (113th / 72nd) | ||||||||||||||||||
| ISML 2022 | |||||||||||||||||||
| ISML 2023 | |||||||||||||||||||
| ISML 2024 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Total W-L: ??? | Postseason: ??? | RS Record: ??? | |||||||||||||||||
| Opponents played: ??? | |||||||||||||||||||
Match history
Seasonal & Exhibition[]
- Anime: Sound! Euphonium season 1
Nyaa-tan @ Etotama — 2613 - 1492- Megumi Tadokoro @ Shokugeki no Souma — 2432 - 2383
- Haru Onodera @ Nisekoi — 2434 - 2869
ISML 2019: Divine Circlet
- Qualification: Did not qualify to main tournament, but have the highest votes (76 votes, 64th)
- Holo @ Spice & Wolf — 7026 - 6355
- 8-man Range voting: 121,351.9 (1st / 8th)
- Nanami Aoyama @ Sakurasou — 9070 - 8800
- Reina Kousaka @ Sound! Euphonium — 12,093 - 12,371
Exhibition gem record
- Appearances: 1
- 2020: Sapphire (6th)
r/anime[]
| Best Girl Contest history | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Best Girl 2 - seed 88
Best Girl 3 - seed 83
Best Girl 4 - seed 70
Best Girl 5 - seed 106
Best Girl 6 - seed 116
Best Girl 7 - seed 125
Best Girl 8 - seed 144
Best Girl 9 - seed
| |||||||||||||||||||
Honours[]
Total Wins = 1
- Hongkong Golden Saimoe 2017 [link needed]
[]
Notes
- ↑ but given it's KyoAni, there's no such thing as "plain-looking" girls in their anime
- ↑ a low-pitched brass instrument; related to the tuba and baritone horn. Wikipedia EN link
Beware of spoilers and pop-ups.
- Euphonium Wikia
- MyAnimeList
- Baike Baidu (Chinese)
- Moegirl (Chinese)
- NamuWiki (Korean)
| Kyoto Animation Characters | ||
|---|---|---|
| Air | ||
| Kanon | ||
| Clannad |  Tomoya Okazaki •  Nagisa Furukawa •  Kyou Fujibayashi •  Tomoyo Sakagami
| |
| Haruhi |  Kyon •  Haruhi Suzumiya •  Yuki Nagato • Mikuru Asahina
| |
| Lucky Star |  Kagami Hiiragi •  Konata Izumi • Tsukasa Hiiragi
| |
| K-ON! |  Mio Akiyama •  Yui Hirasawa •  Azusa Nakano • Ritsu Tainaka • Tsumugi Kotobuki• Ui Hirasawa
| |
| Chuunibyou |  Yuuta Togashi •  Rikka Takanashi • Shinka Nibutani • Sanae Dekomori
| |
| Hyouka |  Houtarou Oreki •  Eru Chitanda
| |
| Free! | ||
| Amagi |  Isuzu Sento
| |
| Kyoukai no Kanata | AKihito Kanbara • Hiroomi Nase •  Mirai Kuriyama • Mitsuki Nase
| |
| Phantom World | Mai Kawakami | |
| Euphonium |  Kumiko Oumae •  Reina Kousaka
| |
| Dragon Maid | Kobayashi •  Tohru •  Kanna Kamui
| |
| Koe no Katachi |  Shouya Ishida •  Shouko Nishimiya
| |
| VE |  Violet Evergarden
| |