5

The opening made me think I skipped an episode, but the payoff this episode, I can confidently say, was worth it.

I love prodigy series where the main character is surrounded by those of similar or even greater ability so they can all grow and get way too serious about the art in question. Delightful.

The duet at the beginning was super fun, and Akine didn't have to be completely overshadowed. That alone would have made a serviceable introduction to the orchestra club, but they went the extra mile and squeezed Harada's performance in as well, and the music sounded starkly different, in a delightful way. I'm in the zone with this now.