spoiler
It’s a good while after the competition and Kahoko is taking violin lessons now, which is nice. The competitors are invited to a retreat with a theme – “The Search for That Singular Sound”. I liked how Kahoko’s friends urged her to enjoy a summer romance.
Kahoko arrives at the retreat and decides to look around, but encounters Hihara. He takes her to a park with a view of the ocean. The lovely park inspires them to play together again. Afterwards, Hihara says that his playing has become more fun because of her. Later, Kahoko gets lost, but is rescued by Osaki. He compliments her violin playing and she suddenly becomes nervous. She asks him about the “Violin Romance” and gets to hear a little about the competition he once participated in.
Back at the house, Yunoki greets her and whispers in her ear to meet him after dinner. Kahoko does so and he guides her to a beautiful moonlit garden with a unique fragrance that turns out to be Queen of the Night flowers which only bloom for one night every summer. He plays a song for her as thanks for making the competition fun, but deep down, he’s really thanking her for giving him the courage to go against his family. As Yunoki plays for Kahoko, the surrounding flowers bloom and when he finishes, he tells the blushing Kahoko that she’s cute.
Later that night, Kahoko can’t sleep and finds Kanazawa in the kitchen, making midnight snack. I liked that he was humming an aria. Maybe that’s a good sign. Kanazawa asks Kahoko if she’s interested in anyone. She blushes, thinking of the guys, but answers him with a no. Then he makes her all self conscious when he tells her that she’s “special”. The next day, everyone has a great time at the beach and back at the house, Shimizu asks Kahoko to listen to him play. He leads her to a chapel in the woods and plays his baroque cello for her. Shimizu tells Kahoko that she’s taught him something important and as he plays, Kahoko feels as if she’s “surrounded by a sea of sound”. Shimizu has found the score inside of him and feels that he can play his best when he thinks of Kahoko.
Kahoko later ends up at the aquarium where she bumps into Tsukimori. He’s doing a favor for a friend and intends to play his violin for a depressed dolphin. The day before, it didn’t work, but today, with the presence of Kahoko, the dolphin responds to the music. Tsukimori knows that Kahoko puts her all into everything she does and he wonders if he can do the same. The happy dolphin seems to thank them afterwards and Kahoko praises Tsukimori’s playing, but he lets it slip out that it was because of her and thanks her in his own way.
Sitting in the house’s garden, Kahoko agonizes over the theme of the retreat. Ryotaro finds her and invites her to go with him. He takes her to a piano that has been played by famous pianists, including Tsukimori’s mother. Ryotaro plays for Kahoko in thanks for helping him to find his music again. As the sun sets outside, the room darkens and the constellations appear on the ceiling. The enchanted Kahoko gasps as she is transported to the stars.
On the final night of the retreat, there is a barbecue and Kahoko reflects on how she got to hear her friends perform again. Her pleasant reverie is interrupted when Amo appears and asks her about a summer romance. Kanazawa later asks Kahoko if she’s found the answer to the theme and Kahoko tells him that it’s still vague, but has decided that it’s “the sound you can only hear in that particular instant” when someone plays their music. Amo again teases Kahoko about a summer romance as Hihara asks Kahoko to play. They others would also like to hear her and Kahoko agrees. Shoko accompanies her on the piano as Kahoko plays a small part of something that she is only just learning and it ends with Kahoko hoping to again play with all of her feelings someday.
I did have a couple of problems with this show. First of all, it was about a competition but no final winner was ever announced. I know the story evolved to make them all winners in their own way, but it would have been nice to see who the judges chose as a final winner. I also didn’t really enjoy Kahoko’s up again, down again guilt trips. I did understand her dilemma and the story presented it well. However, I think too much time was spent on it and it became a bit overpowering – especially since there were parts of the story where they could have shown a little more depth, such as Yunoki having to deal with his grandmother and having older brothers that he was not allowed to best. I would have like to have seen more about Kanazawa, Osaki and Shimizu too. In fact I wish they had expanded a bit more on all the other characters, rather than focusing on Kahoko feeling guilty all the time. But I also have to say that listening to all of the beautiful music in this anime more than made up for what was lacking in the story. I also enjoyed how Kahoko influenced the others towards improvement, making them look at music differently and causing them all to play from the heart.