When Prelude Replay first came out I watched a recording of it and cried and now after reading it in English I wanna say will it ever not make me cry? Even the 2nd Band Stories didn’t make me tear up like this hhh it really hits too close to home

As someone who used to play at eisteddfods and study at a conservatorium I remember having the exact same experience baby Rinko had on multiple occasions and it’s just the worst . . . embarrassing yourself whenever sucks but there’s a special kind of horror I associate with piano competitions/exams, maybe because if you have the misfortune of forgetting what to play you’re met with complete silence and you can picture everyone cringing in their seats, maybe because I never had a good grasp on harmony and memorising music and every note was like “oh god what comes next muscle memory don’t fail me!!”

I threw in the towel but Rinko. This girl. This girl is a heckin beast. That flashback? I felt that in my bones. So when she says, “I’m anxious about performing but that’s okay” and goes on to give the performance of her life—and wins—I just?? Cry??? This kinda story isn’t particularly unique or anything but it still feels super real and personal to me and Bandori is just . . . good at achieving that

Can we also talk about how wonderful Yukina is for listening to Rinko and helping her find her answer? To think I once had her in my bottom tier . . . my 3rd favourite keeps changing but right now it’s her take that past me

In other news I’m v excited for 3rd anni hoo boy