Ryouta Watari

Kousei Arima

Tsubaki Sawabe

Kaori Miyazono

Saitou

Nao Kashiwagi

Takeshi Aiza

Emi Igawa

Saki Arima

Hiroko Seto

Koharu Seto

Nagi Aiza

Piano prodigy Arima Kousei dominated the competition and all child musicians knew his name. But after his mother, who was also his instructor, passed away, he had a mental breakdown while performing at a recital. This resulted in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano playing. Two years later, Kousei hasn’t touched the piano and views the world without any flair or color. He was content at living out his life with his good friends Tsubaki and Watari until, one day, a girl changed everything. Miyazono Kaori is a pretty, free spirited violinist whose playing style reflects her personality. Kaori helps Kousei return to the music world and show that it should be free and mold breaking unlike the structured and rigid style Kousei was used to.

~~~img320(http://www.wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2015/03/31/651457/689897e1936d9686d5ffd3c916ea50b8.jpg)~~~

##~~~Your Lie In April~~~
~~~There is a reason why almost everyone who's watched this anime loves it.~~~

Since I absolutely SUCK at summarizing anime, here’s the official one:
>Once an accomplished child pianist, musical prodigy Arima Kousei lost his drive to play the piano after a traumatizing event involving his mother at the tender age of eleven. Now a regular middle school student, Arima spends his days with his two best friends Watari and Tsubaki devoid of music. However, his life changes dramatically after meeting Miyazono Kaori, a pretty violinist every bit as brash as the way she plays.

This anime is beautifully, heartbreaking. ‘Your Lie In April’ takes you on an emotional rollercoaster from the very beginning, and doesn’t stop until the moment it ends. _Especially when it ends_. It’s the type of show that will tear you apart, almost piece you back together, and then just utterly destroy you. But, I couldn’t seem to stop watching. It’s cheerful, but also agonizing, filled with heavy themes and dark backstories that will make you want to break down and cry for these kids. Which, in my case, I did. 

The animation is beyond stunning, consistent, smooth, and able to portray the characters emotions perfectly, and the music, oh sweet baby jesus, the MUSIC. The opening/closing songs, elegant and precise piano playing, and emotionally-appropriate background music were breath-taking and absolutely magnificent. It was some good shit. 

The relationship that the main characters shared was inspirational, loving, almost familial. It was so tight-knit, and you really see throughout the series just how much they depend on one another. 

>“Truth be told, Kousei never says those three little words to Kaori nor does Kaori say them to Kousei's face. But like all of the other musical performances throughout the anime, they didn't have to. Because their music did the talking for them. Emi's passionate pleas resounded from her piano; Aiza's determination to defeat his long-standing rival echoed throughout the stadium; and Kousei's farewell to the mother he's always feared emanated in a way that only a son could play. Therefore it is only fitting that the final performance be not one filled with selfishness, anger, or goodbyes; it's a duet from the heart of the couple that never got to be.”
~~~-Quote by BanjoTheBear on Reddit.~~~

The overall thing that the creators of ‘Your lie in april’ wanted you to take away from the anime was that music can change lives. Sometimes, life can be really hard, too hard to carry on, but you still gotta live it. You got to give it your best, and __live with no regrets.__

~~~img320(http://e-shuushuu.net/images/2015-03-31-722937.jpeg)~~~

If you haven't watched this anime, do it. Don't let the music tag scare you. It left me speechless, also crying... HARD

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

It’s up there with anime like Clannad AS, Angel Beats, and Anohana in terms of making most people cry. One of the saddest, sweetest, most touching and moving anime of all time. 
Umm…

I’ll just start out with this. Most people jabber on and on about the ending, and how it’s a beautiful finale to a masterfully told story. Sorry guys. The ending didn’t really touch me. Maybe it’s because I’d just finished reading ‘A Monster Calls’ by Patrick Ness, and nothing can compare to that in terms of touching the reader’s soul. 

That’s not to say there weren’t any touching or emotional moments, and these moments were mostly due to Kousei. He was a brilliant MC, his struggles and breakdowns were so perfectly and realistically portrayed that I was amazed at the way he handled each situation, and was really rooting for him by the end. The way he dealt with his mother’s memories was especially moving. 

As for Kaori, I do understand the train of thought that she doesn’t really seem to be anything but a plot device until the final episodes. In a way, I can understand her, and her desire to make a mark on the world. But the way it was done felt quite pretentious, and ticked me off for some reason I can’t quite put my finger on. Death isn’t a grandiose melody on the stage. The person’s there, and then they’re not. They die, and then they’re gone. You forget sometimes and think ‘oh, I’ll call them’ or ‘I need to tell them this’ or even call out their name before realising no one’s gonna answer. You can play music and do wonderous things in that person’s name, but those things aren’t for the person. They’re for you, and they’re to help you move on. ~!That’s why I felt the anime handled the response to the mother’s death far better than the response to Kaori’s death. Playing after his mother’s death gave him closure, playing whist Kaori died felt like it was for her, not for him, and so lacked the same depth.!~

The ‘ordinary’ parts of the story – love triangle, fierce rivalry – were good. I didn’t like Tsubaki much at the beginning but grew to like her much more because of her character development. She became a good person, and a better friend than she had been. Watari, on the other hand, remained totally one-dimensional the entire series. Having him there had no real purpose except to show that A) Kousei did have at least one male friend B) to be Kaori’s ‘love interest’ and bring Kaori and Kousei together. The other side characters were quite decent, they all not only served a purpose in pushing the story along but also became quite interesting characters themselves.

The music was beautiful. The openings and endings were stunning, and the instruments all sounded superb to me. I don’t really play any, (at least not on this level,) so couldn’t really tell the difference when the tone of the melody changed or whatnot.  I mean, I knew it changed when the anime said so, but wouldn’t have attributed any real significance to it without being told. Regardless, it was good to listen to.

Now to conclude. Like I said earlier, it’s hard for me to sort out my feelings about this anime. On the one hand, there were parts I did find moving and powerful, particularly mid-way through the series. On the other hand, there were parts I felt were just pretentious and mentally draining to watch. Not in a tear-jerking way, either. I literally had to push myself to watch the next episode at a couple of parts. So, no 80+ from me, because, no matter how beautifully an anime is done, if I don’t enjoy watching it or care about it deeply almost the entire time, it’s not getting a top score. 

Nonetheless, I can’t deny that it was a work of art with deep aspects and there were parts I was invested in. And the art and music were gorgeous, after all. 75 which is still a very high score - was my compromise.

Remember, though, this is just my opinion. Now go and watch Shigatsu Wa Kimi no Uso, and form your own. 

Some honest thoughts about one of the most beloved anime out there

Your Lie in April
Such a title seems trivial, almost whimsical, and that's probably exactly what the liar would have you believe in this case. Who is saying this title though? The answer to that, when fully comprehended, adds numerous layers of meaning to the simple phrase. The lie turns into a ruse, the ruse, into a tragedy, the tragedy into acceptance, healing, and catharsis, all of which are told through a compelling story of love, music, and the interactions of the two. Your Lie in April may have created "the most beautiful lie of all." It comes close, anyway.

Story/Themes 9/10 — Here is where Your Lie really shines. There are themes throughout the show of love and music, along with dedication, pulling various people through various personal issues such as childhood trauma and young love, and illness, not to mention the stresses of being a competitive musician. As a musician personally, I am biased towards this. However, it also gives me license to say that many things presented were, very, very powerful. There were also symbols everywhere (not just the obvious black cat, though it is one), such as cherry blossoms for transience (played here to a more potent effect than what it usually is in school dramas), as well as individual pieces of music. Speaking of the music, it also helped with the themes, but that's covered in sound. 

Characters/Writing 6/10 — This is... not where Your Lie shines. While there were some very strong, well developed characters (Arima, Kaori, Tsubaki, etc.), and most others were characterized to the point of at least humanization (the two competing pianists), the way the show develops them was not always the best. Arima, for one, is developed painfully repetitively in the early episodes, and though this holds some thematic significance in the kind of development he was going through (it's hard to get over that kind of trauma, I get it), it was not enough to redeem just how repetitive it was (I CAN'T HEAR THE NOTES!!). Kaori, on the other hand, was generally developed well, if possibly only because she wasn't developed as often as Arima. The writing throughout the show, though very flowery (sometimes even beautifully poetic), often detracted from the power of what was going on through written cliches and myriad flashbacks, ultimately detracting from the characterization experience. This is all mostly redeemed, of course, simply by how characterized the important cast (especially the lead duo) was by the end of the show. (Kaori is definitely one of my favorite anime characters now)

Sound (Music/Acting) 10/10 — Not much to be said here. Voice acting was great. Music was a huge thematic element here, and played so much importance that it was almost used in place of traditional characterization. In fact, the music 9 times out of 10 did a better job developing characters and plot than the script did. I really can't speak highly enough of how well this was done. Very few other show can claim to use music to an equal or greater effect. If you want shows that do, see Cowboy Bebop, Nodame Cantabile, and ep. 3 of Angel Beats.

Animation 9/10 — Again, managing thematic importance in an area it doesn't normally come from, Your Lie shines again. It has been praised for it's exceptionally colorful palette and fairly smooth animation, not to mention a wonderful art style, and it certainly gets points there. What really sets it apart though, is how the animation was used. Mention of Kaori was almost always accompanied by even more color, and that is important. The animation even loses color to an extent when the characters lose color themselves or remember a time of less color. However, the occasional jumpiness and noticeable CGI in the animation slightly lower its score.

Enjoyment 7/10 — Your Lie in April was a roller-coaster of enjoyment for me. Though there were times that I truly connected with it, there were others where I had to force myself to continue the show. I swear I almost dropped it sometime early on, but I am glad I didn't. Ultimately, it was fulfilling. 

Through and through, this anime deserves plenty of recognition. Kaori asked, "Do you think you'll be able to forget?", and my answer is a resounding "no". To everyone out there, just remember, "Even in the depths of the darkest oceans, some light always pierces through." 

By weighting the scores above in my way I do, the final score comes out to be...

8/10, or 4 hummingbird stars.

 Thank you for reading this, if you did. Please feel free to comment on my profile and give any feedback at all, be it about the review or the show itself.  Have a nice day!

NOTE: This review is a bit outdated, and I would since have changed the character score to be a little higher, and the overall score to 8.5/10

Phenomenal, touching, but held back at times by the dialogue writing and reliance on flashbacks and repetitive scenes. 

Your Lie in April is an anime about classical music. This is enough to garner interest in the show.

Digging a bit deeper (and I do mean _a bit_), you'll discover that Your Lie in April is so much more than simply an anime about music. It's an anime about loss, it's an anime about love, it's an anime about friendship, it's an anime about being passionate, it's an anime about strength. All of these combine, making Your Lie in April one of the most compelling and beautiful shows I have ever had the fortune of  watching.

Kousei Arima is a child prodigy pianist. As a result of his mother's tragic death, Arima has found himself unable to hear the notes of the piano he was once able to play so well and because of this, he retired two years ago. The anime does a great job of holding the viewer's interest in the first episode (though it certainly helps that a song from _this_ reviewer's favorite movie had a beautiful rendition in the first episode) and an even better job of ending the episodes in a way that the viewer craves for more. 

The anime doesn't take too long to get the ball rolling, which I appreciate - a slow start can sour good stories. What I appreciate even more, however, is how the anime never has the ball rolling too quickly. There were times when I feared the problems were going to resolve themselves too quickly, and I was always pleasantly surprised to find that the anime treated the situations in a realistic manner. To some of you, this may sound like the anime drags, but believe me when i say that it doesn't - the pacing is nigh-perfect, in my eyes. A-1 pictures really knew how to make the most of their two cour show.

Another aspect of the show that I originally feared was going to ruin it was the love triangle. I was so exasperated when I first realized that this show had a love triangle - after all, it's the biggest reason I hate _Fuuka_ and it's often the low point of many a romantic anime for me. I envisioned making a large section of the review where I explained how love triangles are inhernetly bad.

Maybe for another review, I suppose, assuming this hasn't changed my view entirely. I'm pleased to say that Your Lie in April handled the love triangle very well. And no, I'm not saying that I got the outcome I desired, I'm saying that whether I did or didn't Your Lie in April handled the situation remarkably well. The love triangle also didn't feel that intrusive to me, though it's important to note that it did play a non-insignificant role, it's just that other matters were given adequte focus.

And __how__!  Your Lie in April is a _heavy_ anime. Sure, it might not be _Grave of the Fireflies_, but one shouldn't discount how sad of an anime this can be. It will test your tear ducts, it will make you uncomfortable. I'm generally a pretty dry-faced reader/gamer/watcher, but I will admit that Your Lie in April made me cry. I think Your Lie in April's heaviness makes it a better anime - it handles it well and isn't dark for the sake of darkness.

The music is top-notch. There's not much more I need to say about it.

The character designs are unique and pleasing. The character's eyes look full of life, the backgrounds are vibrant, and the characters actually have consistent __lips__! The art direction is so good that any criticism I have in this department is mere nitpicking like the fact that puberty hit most of the characters like a truck (seriously, why is Arima and the gang so small two years ago while Nagi is as old as they were, yet looks normal?) and the fact that Takeshi uses so much gel that I'm hard-pressed believing he's not trying to look like someone going Super Saiyan 2.

Last, but not least, the characters and tone. Arima is written perfectly, in my opinion and this is fantastic considering he's our primary persepctive throughout the anime. Unfortunately, I cannot say the same for Kaori and Tsubaki. Don't get me wrong, they're good characters, but the writers seem to fumble with them often. In less serious moments, they're kicking at Kousei and screaming at him, and I just don't feel it does the show any favors. Even when the show is being a bit less goofy, they're a bit too aggressive towards a character who is the living embodiment of "Handle With Care" packages. Given that they're distinct characters, it's strange that this particular character trait is the exact same for both of them. Fortunately, they get better, Kaori in particular. These more comedic moments often feel out of place in such a serious anime. Making it worse is that a lot of the comedy is slapstick. Unfortunately, these scenes never go away entirely and it's ultimately what keeps me from giving the show a higher score.

Despite this minor hiccup, I still stand by Your Lie in April being one of the best anime in recent years, and I couldn't recommend this anime enough. Both the journey and the destination are a spectacle of beauty.

9.4/10

Music, love and sadness combine to make an anime that hits nearly all the right notes.

Not a spoiler: I found it very good, despite probably having too much expectations. It didn't make me cry like other anime (ok at the end a bit), but it is a good watch indeed, even must watch if you're an artit whatsoever, it says something about art and not only personal relationships.<div>
~! I think that Arima's reactions are a bit exaggerated sometimes. Also no way a kid like this hasn't gone through some theraphy, and his father being completely absent without a plausible reason, not seen even once to characterize him, for me is a bit of a plot hole. 
Ok reviews must be longer, so let's break it down further.

Tsubaki: best character. It has a very great personal evolution, its relationship with kousei is one of the best written in anime, a very well described personality 

Kousei: second best charachter. Ok you're tormented, but beside the cliché (eheh) of the tormented artist, there's nothing beyond the (obvious from the start) conversion to the sentimental pianist opposed to the human metronome. Still second best because however that is avery good part of the show. 

Emi: third best one. She doesn't feel a sense of competition in her approach to music, but truly wants to do her best (only if Arima also plays, it seems...). It's sad that she has so little space in the show. 

Kaori: ok, why only fourth? I truly didn't see any development in this character whatsoever, it's very good at the beginning, playing with children, schoking everyone at the concert, it seems that she wants to shake the ambient of classical music, that is in reality too much concerned in how precisely things are done rather than how good thay are interpreted sometimes. Yes, I could have placed her higher in my ranking, but I didn't feel very much so. Tsubaki is the real hero here. She can't move Kousei from his state of depression, of course, but this are only children, aren't there psychologists in Japan? She's still a good character however, well, being one of the main characters...

Spetial mention: I was joking, Nagi is the best character. Is a little loli a cliché? I don't think so.

I feel like I've been too harsh, so let's highlight what's very good of this show. The little moments of quotidianity between Tsubaki and Arima, or Kaori. That's the really cool things. The all theme of memories is great. The lemonade in winter, canelé, the starry sky (the three different skies, very well played authors), etc. All this is what really kept the show together. Oh, and very good classical music. I didn't dig too much into who played what, but it really makes you feel exactly how the shows describes it, here "wrong" when Arima can't play, there in Emi style, there again in Takeshi's fierce approach. I musts admit, as I like classical music, that I was a bit skeptical about this point before watching, but everything went fine
!~

My review of the anime Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

I did like it quite a bit but not as much as I thought I would. I am a sucker for the stories of youthful romance stories. Your lie in April fits the bill. However, I do have some complaints about its narrative around explaining the music. I think all that explanation and exposition about the music were bit overdone, especially in the beginning. I am not a classical music buff but I have studied music and theory. In my past experience, classical music and its ability to narrrate and emote have always been limited for me. It is usually very subtle but the show kind of blew that way out of proportion, more so than what I could relate to. Of course, it is really hard to show the impact of music. 

The other thing I didn't quite like was how much melodramatic moments there were. I prefer a more subtle way of story telling. I prefer the story being shown rather than narrated. For example, in Tsuki Ga Kirei, all the subtle emotions were shown through very little words. When I saw the animation, facial expression, I immediately understood what was shown. In your lie in April, the writers relied too heavily on explicitly telling the emotion which detracts the emotional impact at times in my opinion. 

__Now to the good parts about the anime. __

What I really like about the show in terms of its themes is its way of handling grief and death. The mother was portrayed as evil in the beginning only later to reveal her human side. The reason she was so strict was that she was running out of time. Her frustration and her helplessness in guiding Kousei further materialized into strict parenting. That only made her all the more human. Really try to empathize with her. What would you have done? You are dying and you have couple of months to live and your son is so young to know anything. You know you can't protect him further and see him grow up further. How would you feel? You love your son and you want your son to be strong and be independent but there's very little, so little that you could have possibly done for him further. The only thing that you could do is to teach him all you know - playing piano. That's the only thing that you can leave him with. What would you feel at that very instance? How would you feel at that instance? Even as I am writing this, I cannot but feel that sheer amount of helpless ness that she was going through. Life sucks man. Life really blows sometimes. The mother's strict parenting was misunderstood by Kousei who couldn't deal with it. It became his guilt. All these nuances were very natural and relatable. 

The second theme I really like was how the show explored the helplessness people go through. Kao chan was beautiful and we all want to see her and Kousei together in some way shape or form but because of the inevitability of her illness. We weren't able to see that in the show. Something is lost and felt not satisfying but something beautiful was born at the same time. I don't know how to put that in words but given their circumstances, it was the most beautiful rendition of how the story should be told. Imagine if Kao chan was able to be saved or she and Kousei were able to be a couple before the show, none of the alternatives in my imagination would do the couple justice. None of these other options would feel as beautiful. When Kao chan was able to live on further in Kousei and help him elevate and discover his music, that's where the show hit the perfect note. It was sad that Kao chan had to pass away but beautiful because they were elevated to a higher level of existence, a spiritual one. That was so good. 


Overall, I enjoyed it. 

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (aka Your Lie in April), an anime that will stay in my heart forever. No matter how many times I watch this it always brings me to tears. It's not about the romance, it's not about the love for music, it's about the effects of PTSD, the chronic illness, the child abuse...the effects they have, how they twist people. No, the creators don't put any beauty to these. The beauty lies in how you will learn how to heal, how to move forward despite the struggles you went through, how to learn to take the first step towards greatness (whatever that is). This is reality not over-drama as I heard from some. PTSD exist and so everything else. How you are going to move on is UP TO YOU! Each character has its own depth and you will realize it once you start watching it. That being said, the story moves slow but it's not boring at all. It is very pleasant to watch. The truth at the end is painful and makes you think how short life can be if you don't enjoy every moment of it. 

The artwork is colorful and amazing. It shows how alive these characters feel, yet how much they hide inside themselves. Their expressions show the emotions. There are many scenes of symbolism that will take your breath away.

If you are a fan of classical music then this anime is a MUST for you to watch. You can hear the passion the characters put when they play, the despair they fall into...it's their moment. The background music matches the emotions perfectly on every scene, emotions you are going to feel deep.

If you have checked my profile you will see that I put enough high ratings on some anime. It's not because I do it randomly, it's because I was just satisfied watching them. Yes, even 10/10 but many of them aren't on my favorites list. They were missing something, but that something wasn't bad enough for me to reduce my ratings. What that is don't ask me. I can't explain it. This anime though deserves a gold star and not just 100/100. It gives you something more than satisfaction. It's a masterpiece that shows you how some people come for a short period in our lives, yet they can change us forever. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso will satisfy you both visually and aurally.                        

''Did I reach you? I hope I did.''

Breathtakingly beautiful and heartbreaking...an anime you will love!

This is the first anime I’ve watched in a very long time. I chose to watch this because I like things which are pretty and emotional and beautiful, and this show just clearly advertises itself as that, so it seemed like a good choice to start me on my journey of watching more anime. And you definitely get exactly what you see on the box here.

I have a lot of thoughts about this show. This will contain spoilers.

To begin, the art and music are just phenomenal all throughout and it honestly feels like practically every screen in this show is a painting. The colors are exactly my thing too, particularly the super rich blue that’s all over the opening credits. Just pure visual bliss.

In terms of the story, I feel like I have learned something about my taste in fiction, which is that even though I do really like stories about characters going through tragic emotional growth, I prefer it if this growth is obtained while tying in to some other main plot or mission. This felt sort of like “You signed up watch characters go through sad things and be sad, so here you go, here’s your emotional catharsis” but it’s just sad for the sake of being sad? Which is fair enough and I get that that’s a genre too, but it’s not my preference, I don’t think.

My favourite characters were Tsubaki and Emi for sure, though the latter was sadly underused and underdeveloped and didn’t really get a conclusion to her arc other than “she got past her funk and played piano better”. Tsubaki was just the most relatable for me and her unrequited love is the saddest and hardest part of the show to watch. Her feelings of self-hatred because she knows what she’s doing is wrong are so understandable and really well written. The way she ultimately deals with the situation in such a messy way and nothing really gets resolved is perfect as well. Her segments were definitely my favourite. I also really like the way the show’s own narrative frames her story – she gets long segments in some episodes about her plight, and then the episode moves on and becomes all about Kousei and Kaori. Because she is just the side character. In Kousei’s life, and in the show. It’s a cool narrative device which I’m sure the writers intended. He never even thinks about her much in the scenes she’s not in, and even when she tries to admit her feelings, his first thought is “Was she joking?” which is painful but honest to life. Her plot where she also leads on that other guy because she can’t admit she is in love with someone else was also really sad.

In comparison, I didn’t find Kaori to be very interesting at all. In fact, she feels to me like just a collection of tropes. Her character felt like it was intended to make me think “Wow, isn’t it awesome how she is so pretty and wise and mature? But also she has a funny side where she gets all comedically angry, haha?! What a paradox, am I right?” but it just doesn’t feel realistic. These characters are, like, 14, and she already has all the wisdom of life, love, and the universe. Now, I don’t think this is unrealistic – someone can be capable of being extremely wise while also having a childish side. In fact, I think most people do. And I think teenagers can be super smart too. It just feels a bit forced here, and it feels like the writers were trying too hard to make me think this character was some sort of beautiful enigma. This is not a Mary Sue from my understanding of that term, but it’s still a character that seems to be designed to just be as perfect as possible. (Including her comedic side which is often referred to as being a negative, but you’re clearly meant to think of it as a positive)

So for me, she was not very relateable, which is what I look for in fictional characters. And part of that is that you never understand her motivations. This only gets revealed at the very end in a monologue, but for me, that’s a little bit too late, even though it does make things make more sense retroactively. But during the series, and particularly the final stretch, I was just constantly thinking “Why do I have no idea what Kaori really wants? Who does she actually like? Why is she dating Watari? Does she know who she is in love with?” and etc. When all the other characters have inner monologues that help you relate to them, it just further made her a weak spot in my ability to relate to the storyline, especially because she just felt unrealistic overall.

Now, the ending does explain things, but I’m not sure this actually makes things better. And I’ll say the reason for this is because I can’t tell how the show wants me to feel about her. The final segment is written, acted, and composed, as if I am meant to feel bittersweet and sad and grateful about her, complete with a credits montage of shots of her meant to make me think about how much I love her. When in reality, I am thinking “Oh, okay, so she actually did some really fucked up things” I mean, she strung along one guy who she didn’t like, she lied to him and said she liked him and dated him for a year while she was just using him to get to another guy who she also lied to and pretended to friendzone even though she was in love with him and she knew (did she?) that he was in love with her to. She forces him to go through all sorts of self-doubt by not admitting she loves him.

Now, that’s all well and good – I understand it, love is hard to deal with, we all tell lies, we all do immature things. But it’s not portrayed that was? Or is it? The show doesn’t feel like it wanted me to view her in this complicated light where I can see how many bad things she did. It feels like it wants me to gloss over all that and just think “Aww, she was beautiful and she loved Kousei, yay” Maybe I’m interpreting it wrong, but it left me with very mixed feelings. In concept though, her character is great. The idea of it is good. Dying girl wants to take control of her remaining years, falls in love with boy, can’t admit, deals with her own issues, etc. Just in execution I wish I could have related to her more. Nagi is another character I ended up really liking, and is another example of a character who was easier to relate to because she was a lot messier. Like Tsubaki, she had a lot of conflicting emotions and we get to go through that journey with her, and I ended up growing quite attached to her by the end of it. Opposite of Kaori who we just don’t get to go on the journey with her, so she always feels foreign, and not in a good way.

Kousei’s arc is really well done as well, in particular the parts about his mother. This was really painful to watch at times because it’s a very brutal depiction of abuse, and not just abuse, but the kid’s reaction to it where he still loves his mother and doesn’t know how to feel about it, and thinks he is the one who has done something wrong. Really tough stuff and the show dealt with it really well. I also liked the nuance they gave and how they also had times where they showed that his mom had another side, where she was capable of being a good person and a loving mother. They brought this duality back a bit with Kaori later, to remind us that everyone has the capability of being good and bad. The show as a whole also just has a general theme of people being able to have two sides, because each character can flip between being super serious and emotionally mature sometimes, and being immature at others.

I think that was done because they wanted to keep the show from being too heavy. They couldn’t have only sad emotional things, they needed to mix it up by constantly having all the over-the-top comedic moments, or else it really would just be sad for the sake of being sad. So, I do like that and it helped make the show more relateable as a whole, since like I said, I want the sad moments and the character growth to be intertwined with other parts of the character’s journeys. But I am a big believer that the serious parts of life and the, uh, non-serious parts of life are a lot more intertwined than people let them be, and it’s actually quite realistic for people to go from talking about life or death situations to discussing baked goods in the span of a minute, so I do like this aspect of the show and it feels like it is encompassing the full range of human experience.

The piano competition stuff was always quite funny. Even without having seen much anime, I am used to the classic formula of big action scenes happening as the characters go through inner monologues, and the observing characters monologue about what’s going on in the action and how it represents characters feelings, but they converted it into piano competitions which is hilarious, but it works. I am a big believer in art being used to express people’s feelings so I liked all the motifs there, the “Let it reach them” stuff, the final performance where he is performing with Kaori’s spirit as she says goodbye. I would like to believe it wasn’t just a metpahor – maybe a person’s spirit really can reach another person in this way. I like to believe that life is more about the soul than the physical body, so this is all good stuff to me.

The other area I had some confusion about how the show portrayed it is the idea of how people’s mental health can be affected by competition and pressure. I had a very hard time relating to the first dozen episodes where Kaori was forcing Kousei to participate in competitions even though he clearly has PTSD regarding the piano. Yes, there is some merit to people having to just dive in and face their fears, but also, this kid is having breakdowns over his abusive mother and you want to put him on a stage in front of hundreds of people when he’s just going to crumble because he can’t hear the notes. It really didn’t feel safe. Ultimately, it works out because this is an anime, but it just felt irresponsible. The show also continues to make me think about how bad these competitions must be for people. Kids or adults – making people stress out, unravel their whole lives practicing for something, only to deem them failures if they don’t reach the #1 spot, with everything riding on this, they won’t make it into a school they want if they fail, etc… This all feels quite wrong, especially when music and any art form is meant to be a celebration of life and we should all be able to appreciate others, not compete with each other. I like competition, but only when it is done in good spirit and you are able to appreciate everyone’s efforts whether they win or lose. I don’t know anything about the music competition scene but if the show depicted it accurately, it really seems like a dismal place. If kids are actually going through this stuff in the real world, it just seems like a recipe for disappointment and feelings of inadequacy.

Ultimately, Kousei’s arc shows something which I believe is inherently true about not just music, but other art, and anything in life really – when you get out of your own head and put your focus on other people, things go much more smoothly. For the first half of the show, when he is playing and practicing, he is only thinking about himself and his past and his problems. In the second half, he is spending all his time teaching someone else, and this helps him get over himself and focus on the music. And he is also dedicating his performances to Kaori, and by putting his thoughts on her, he gets out of his own way. Ultimately, life is about other people and your connections with them and you do a lot better when you get out of your own head and realize that. It’s a lesson I could stand to remember more…

Anyway, I mostly wrote my complaints here because those are the things I had on my mind that I wanted to hash out, but my feelings about the show are mostly positive. It handled its themes really well and I definitely come out of this show really wanting to use it to motivate me in my own life and learn the lessons it wants me to learn about how life is short, and creating art is worthwhile if you pour your heart into it because you will never forget it, and how you should be striving to form real connections with the people you care about, whether through words or through art, and how you expressing your true self can then inspire others to do the same.

I think that is all I had to say… Ultimately a very beautiful show in every way and despite my issues with the main heroine, I still really enjoyed it and definitely got quite emotional at many points. Even if I wasn’t particularly invested in her, you can’t help but have your heart pulled apart by many of the events in the final episodes. The final episode was really well done too, very bittersweet ending and I like how simple they kept it. In the end, it really is, like I said, exactly what you see on the box: pretty and emotional. And sad. Despite some narrative issues I have, the production as a whole is just top tier.


Beautiful show, highly emotional. I have narrative issues with the main heroine but ultimately loved the themes.

This is my first review in this format. The length requirement typically dissuades me from making these because I don't typically have a lot to say (and I'm usually quite succinct), but I have a LOT to say about this one so here I am.

---
#__~~~How I Rate~~~__
It is important to understand that I don't have a system like 10 is perfect, 5 is so so, 1 is bad. What I instead do is compare everything to other anime I have watched.

- A 10 is significantly better than everything I rate a 9
- A 9 is significantly better than everything I rate an 8
- And so on

Although you can loosely think a 10 means I have no complaints this doesn't always hold up. Sometimes a 9 means it doesn't stand out as much as other anime I rate a 10, depending on the category.

---
#__~~~Overall Impression~~~__

This is a very emotional show, (most of you that haven't seen it yet are likely aware of this). I do not believe any musical background is required to enjoy this show, it has a story to it that should resonate with everyone. The art style is beautiful and the cast is easy to fall in love with.

There is (what appears to my untrained eye to be) some cgi animation that I'm not particularly fond of but there are a lot of points in the animations favor as a breath of fresh air for a musician (I play the violin) who is tired of seeing anime royally screw up animating musicians.

---
#__~~~Spoiler Warnings~~~__

In this review I will mention themes from other series

- A Silent Voice
- Violet Evergarden

These only come in to play in the "Characters and Story" section. Also from here on out expect spoilers for _Your Lie in April_

---
#__~~~Musicality and Interpretation~~~__

As a musician, I find it strange this idea (particularly in eastern cultures, or just eastern entertainment I guess) surrounding musical performance: that it's about not making mistakes, "playing the notes exactly as they're written" being a phrase that comes up a lot in the early episodes of _Your Lie in April_.

It happens quite often in TV shows as well, consider the following (Watch 10:45-12:45):
~~~youtube(https://youtu.be/_uVN5Fb_Z44?t=645)~~~

Obviously as a musician I have spent a lot of time practicing many pieces and phrasings to get the notes right and in my fingers. But ***after that*** it has been common occurrence for my orchestral director to make small and subtle changes to bring out certain things in our orchestra that are strong. As a soloist, there is often opportunity for improvisation and musicality and bringing something new to the piece you're performing.

Heck even when "sticking to the score as it's written" there's a lot of interpretation involved in the phrasing and how the orchestra/soloist "breathes" life into a piece. To hear other violinists talk about this idea I reference the same youtube channel but they also had a guest, Hillary Hahn (I remember going to one of her concerts as a teenager, I think I have her autograph somewhere...) to give you their perspective as well on the topic

~~~youtube(https://youtu.be/c3zPDL6ZghA)~~~

In short it just feels odd and forced sometimes the way the judges harp on the musicality of the musicians. At the end of the day music is meant to invoke feeling and inspire. But I get this is anime and it's bound to be melodramatic.

This anime is essentially the music equivalent of a sports anime, so I should have expected something more akin to this (albeit replacing some of the humorous tone with a more tragic one)

~~~youtube(https://youtu.be/kRBdP8GepyQ)~~~

---
#__~~~Animation~~~__

This point is mostly quite good. I cannot adequately convey the level of frustration I feel in most scenarios watching violinists in anime. Their bow moves, no sound comes out. Their bow doesn't move, sound comes out. The bow changes direction in the middle of a long note instead of on the note changes. The fingers don't move or don't move in a logical way. The bow is over the fingerboard instead of between the bridge and fingerboard. The bridge is not shown. Training tuners are shown on all strings for someone who is clearly a professional. Big dramatic bow movements are paired with small and short notes while little bow movement is paired with quick and accentuated notes. The bow hold is wrong, the right wrist doesn't bend with the bow. The left wrist isn't arched and collapses under the neck of the violin. The list of common sins goes ON AND ON

(Here's proof, I've tweeted about this before, though it never garnered much attention, this LEGITIMATELY bothers me every time!!!)

~~~img220(https://imgur.com/SozhTUs.jpg)~~~

#__~~~BUT~~~__

_Your Lie in April_? IT HAS NONE OF THESE SINS (except maybe a couple weird angles from kaori's bow that should have probably dragged over the fingerboard but didn't, but in light of EVERYTHING they got right, this is SO easy to forgive) and it is truly **A BREATH OF FRESH AIR**

I had some piano training as a 5yo but that's about it, so I can't comment as much about that, but this is where the cgi (at least I am pretty sure it's cgi) came in to play. I would have really liked to see well drawn hand animation here, but it did seem to convey accurate piano hand movements (though I don't actively notice those sins as much cause my primary instrument is the violin). I wish I could peg down better what it was, but all I can say is it seemed off, and didn't quite fit.

There were plenty of times where I noticed they used stills to avoid animating some things but hey they got a budget I get it. I'll take what I can get!

To top it off the art style is beautiful and colorful! Absolutely gorgeous!

---
#__~~~Characters and Story~~~__

One tidbit I gotta bring up. I'm not really a fan of the "abusive tsundere" trope, I didn't really like it when Kaori did it but at least she was kinda cute about it. Tsubaki though...what was her problem? The only moments that stood out to me where she did something supportive to her "love interest" were in flashback and it made the ending implied ship with her seem really forced and unsatisfying. That's all I have to say about that, so moving on...

I LOVE tragic and heart-wrenching tales. I don't know why, I just do.

In September 2019 I suffered multiple strokes that affected the right side of my body. I woke up feeling numb in my arm then it shortly subsided. Then it came back full force and shortly after my leg went numb and a few moments later my face. It was without a doubt the most terrifying experience of my life. I was only 27, far too young to be having strokes.

Violet Evergarden was an anime I had started the night before I had the stroke, and it made me feel something different seeing her struggle adjusting to mechanical fingers after the stroke compared to before. This anime hit home much the same way, in fact even more-so.

When Kaori showed signs of paralysis that hit home way too deep. It brought me back to that first morning when I tried to take a step forward but couldn't for some reason and my dad (we were at a convention together) looked at me and asked "Do you think you're stepping forward with your right foot? Look at it" and it was well behind me and almost slanted on my ankle.

Also when Kaori later couldn't grip the "water bottle" (or whatever kind of bottle it was), that just cut me deeply. To this day I still feel awkward about how I grip glasses and bottles (albeit that has greatly improved, but I have spilled on myself many a times)

Actually, I haven't yet picked up my violin, I hadn't played it much for a few years prior to the stroke and I've been somewhat nervous to pick it up again afterwards (hopefully soon heh...my bow hand is gonna be a wreck) so I guess I could relate to Kousei as well in that regard.

__~~~Hospitals~~~__

The scene where Kaori falls in the hospital is very emotional, but also an oversight that I find hard to ignore considering my recent-ish hospitalization. They treat falling down VERY SERIOUSLY. Even though after a few days of in-patient therapy I was able to walk pretty well, the did not let me walk around unsupervised. Especially considering my condition and the concern for a potential future stroke while they were doing testing. It makes absolutely NO sense that kaori was unsupervised considering her condition left her vulnerable to weakness and full-blown paralysis. It makes even less sense that there was no one in the hall or around the corner nearby to notice that she fell or hear her struggle to get back on her feet or even scream.

__~~~Themes of Suicide~~~__

There is a point where Kaori says "Want to commit a double suicide with me?" I became really worried when this happened that Kaori would abandon Kousei after rescuing him from his demons over the loss of his mother and it would leave him in a worse place. I would have absolutely HATED that kind of turn in the story. Fortunately that's not what happened.

I actually really hated when this occurred in A Silent Voice. Themes of suicide are difficult to process for me. I have never contemplated it myself, but I don't know how I would handle my friends or family saying that to me. My reaction might be a lot like Kousei's I dunno. I personally don't like how easily it used as a struggle when life is bleak and it seemed a break in my relating to Kaori. I'm sure anyone can have that moment of weakness and vulnerability, and I don't want to minimize that. I'm just saying it doesn't always need to be there and I think this is one of those times. It actually made more sense in A Silent Voice tbh (not that suicide makes sense)

When I had my stroke, I was outwardly chipper, and hopeful. Much like Kaori. Inside I was a tumultuous mess. So much of my life I had cultivated skills with my hands. Skills in the violin, soldering, working with electrical components, typing really fast (120 wpm average, peaking at 160 wpm) which is useful for programming, playing video games, and just everyday life. Losing all that in my right hand has truly been devastating and I've had many tear-stained nights. I've questioned what life would be like, how much I'd be able to do the things I enjoy, or would my life be hollow and empty and "not worth it". Somehow "not worth it" didn't translate in my mind to "let's end it" thankfully. I personally would have liked to see a character deal with those challenges at that level without going all the way to suicide, as there is still plenty of baggage to unpack. And Kaori was the perfect candidate. In short, missed opportunity.

But since she went all the way to suicide how did she unpack that baggage? So much so she was asking someone she loved to join her? Well, Kousei just kind of brushes it off and she moves on. This would have been fine but we're dealing with someone who went from suicidal to determined to live a little longer instead of depressed and resigned to their fate to determined to live a little longer.

---

#__~~~The Ending~~~__

This anime had so much potential for emotional depth that just felt rushed through at the end. By all rights I should have been bawling my eyes out with what they laid the groundwork for but I only came to misty eyes. The death of Kaori did not have the impact that I think it should have on Kousei. Even if he reconciled the death of his mother, it doesn't make it easier the second time. We could have seen him struggle to cope with this loss. There could have been opportunities for Tsubaki to actually be supportive instead of just abusive, and actually appeal to her being a love interest (the implied final love interest no less).

I can appreciate the anime not wanting to end on a depressing note, but there were so many feelings left unexplored it left me wanting more. The bittersweet melancholy air did not match the degree of trauma the proceeded in the previous 30 minutes of the anime. It simply wasn't as satisfying as I had hoped for.

---

#__~~~Misc Thoughts~~~__

I had heard the first opening several months, maybe even a year, before watching this anime. I loved it, always have. It is always talked about and well loved. But why does no one seem to talk about the second ending?! I think it's my absolute all-time favorite ending!

~~~youtube(https://youtu.be/Jyy6qZ9Xf6c)~~~

---

#__~~~Final Verdict~~~__

Characters: 9/10

- Mainly cause Tsubaki

Story: 8/10

- The missed opportunities in ending, the weird view on musicality, the themes of suicide, these drag it down a bit for me

Art / Animation: 9/10

- I really just can't get over how awkward the cgi piano hands are

Adaptation / Flow: 9/10

- I think more time was needed at the end to really explore these characters and make them feel more real

Voice Acting: 10/10
Soundtrack: 10/10

Charm: 9/10
- This category is mostly the unexplainable catch all for how much I like this show overall compared to other anime. I use it because sometimes I really love shows in spite of atrocious art or bland soundtracks. (ie I LOVE Railgun but it has a violin scene, and it drives me CRAZY!)

#__~~~Overall: 9.1 / 10~~~__

Exceptional, sad that it wasn't yet so much better

When it comes to animation in anime, I don’t pay as much attention as I should. That might not make much sense for the majority of this review’s readers, but currently, I’m much more interested in the storytelling and narrative possibilities of Anime. Including, how Anime portrays real-world situations; especially highly impactful events in people’s lives, rather than less consequential events or issues.

High-stake events and issues are particularly relevant to Your Lie In April, which deals with themes of abuse and plays with the idea life and death and the mental toll that being aware of death can and does have upon the psyche.

I find it difficult to comment on the overall ‘essence’ of a studio and the standards that a studio would normally bring to the table because of my lack of interest regarding studios. For an Anime so absolutely interwoven with music, I won't be talking about music. I don't think I'm qualified enough to talk about a subject which I have very little knowledge about nor interest in.

Given that the series is infamous for being a tragedy, it's only natural to start picking away at any hints that You Lie In April may give off of what's to come. However, while doing this, Your Lie In April commits a grave offence; i.e. that this show completely lacks any subtlety. Any subtlety it shows is completely undercut by one of the characters ruining the scene and over-explaining the crucial subtle parts that are a necessary step in building an excruciatingly beautiful show. Shows that perfect subtly tend to bring on large fan bases and an almost god-like status because of their ability to stay forever new. Fandoms thrive in environments that keep giving no matter how old the show is. It gives off the same feeling as if you were to get a joke you were told forever ago. Being able to rewatch the show and see all the details that you didn't get or notice and only make sense after watching a show keeps fan bases alive.

A-1 Pictures did an astonishing job drawing lush backgrounds with colour rich palettes ranging from gorgeous bright pastels to dark and moody greys, and through their enchanting use of animation pictures the viewer is able to distinguish the exact emotional disposition of the situation. This might have been its saving grace when it came Kousei’s past and the dilemmas Kaori has been presented.

This of the few Anime I have seen that uses lips in an appropriate and thus believable manner. Not only does this Anime pull off this difficult to achieve look, but it also avoids racially demeaning characterisations which are often employed in other popular Anime. I have to applaud this.

Tsubaki's character lacks individuality and structure. Tsubaki is one of Kousei’s oldest friends and as the classic trope entails, she begins to question what her feelings towards Kousei really are. The show was idealistic in the way it illustrated the moral conundrum that comes with having goals that intersect. Predominantly, those related to the heart. Having said that, Tsubaki never truly had Kousei’s feelings in mind, rather she felt that without him she would be lacking.
Even after having said that I feel the scene almost idealistic, this is one conflict which had no place in a show such as Your Lie in April.

Instead, the show would have gained even more successes if it had either:
 1. Fewer episodes.
 2. Focused more on Kaori and Kousei by further building on their character & others.

Kaori’s mood changes drastically and often, but always in a believable manner, making her an interesting and dynamic character. Kaori tries her hardest to bring joy into people's lives but this desire blooms into a gruesome and ugly creature. Her broken perspective of Kousei leads her to believe that the only way for him to be happy is for him to be reunited with the piano. ~!The piano was his source of pain and that pain had transformed into the deafness he faces. I would argue that the only reason Kousei even returned to playing the piano is because her selfish act was enough to replace another.!~ 

I am not the least bit surprised that this Anime caught on. However, it’s unfortunate that the troubling and possibly glorified actions that Kousei faces aren't talked about more.

An Enchanting Show With Major Issues: Lack Of Subtly and Issues Of Abuse.

Holy fuck I just rewatched this anime after years and for those reading this please do yourself a favor and go WATCH IT (netflix & gogoanime go look for it!) 

img220(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/d4/98/0c/d4980ce4cd902d5cfd80ad4e61a6ff0e.jpg)
“The saddest moment is when the person who gave you the best memories becomes a memory”

my summary WITHOUT SPOILERS: Growing up Arima Kousei (MC)  was a phenomenal pianist. The definition of  child prodigy who obliterated all the competition. However he stopped playing the piano after an incident with his mother occurred that left him traumatized. 2 years go by without him competing. He is left without a purpose. Until one day in April he meets Miyazono Kaori, a violinist who sparks the necessary change needed in Arima’s life.

Animation-  The animation is beautiful. Point blank period there’s not going to be a review that says different. The array of colors was stunning and captured real emotions. The scenes where they play the piano and the world just changes mwah *air kiss fuckin beautiful. I personally enjoyed the chibi animations too for the comedic relief. The only thing some may say is lacking is the CGI for the hands when they play the piano.  

Soundtrack- Opening 1 “Hikaru Nara” is an absolute BANGER. Don’t get me wrong everything else is great, I just have to point out the opening because I literally vibe in the car to that song. Continuing, the playing of the piano throughout the anime is soothing and entertaining. It has made me enjoy listening to piano especially to relax. The ending songs are solid, specifically ending 2.

Characters- I love Arima and Kaori so much. Arima seems like a simp until his backstory is shown. Witnessing his character development and seeing him blossom is so satisfying. It’s also very realistic because his growth wasn’t consistent. You see him falter and fall back which is what happens in real life. Kaori made me laugh often and cry even more. She’s inspiring and beautiful in every way. I enjoyed all the other characters as well. Tsubaki ( super funny) Watari (an actual Chad) I just wish Emi and Aiza would have gotten more time. They were so cool.

How Your Lie in April Impacted me- I have to do what I want. I have to do what I know I should do yet still choose not to do. I need to do what I am scared of because living with that regret scares me even more. This anime hit me hard. Seeing the fear of Kousie before he performs, seeing him fail and get back up, seeing him give up on himself and just break down but still continue. Goddamn that's inspiring to me. Watching Kaori choose to impact the world with the time she has left. Seeing her devote her time to help Kousie shine is beautiful. Hearing her say “I’m going to struggle as hard as I can” to survive, brought me to tears. Honestly I love this anime. This anime impacted me, and makes me want to lead with ambition and attack life with all I got like Kaori. This anime also reassures me that I will break down, have bad days, and want to give up, but I must continue just like Kousei. Thank you Naoshi Arakawa, for creating this masterpiece. Thank you A-1 pictures for doing a spectacular job of producing this. Thank you Kousei and Kaori. To anyone reading this I leave a message from another reviewer, “Sometimes, life can be really hard, too hard to carry on, but you still gotta live it. You got to give it your best, and live with no regrets”-Animefangirl.

 if you are in some sort of shlump or lacking motivation give this a watch. Don't be afraid to live your life. 

# ~~~ Intro
~~~
__EDIT: When I originally wrote this review, the top review was a highly critical piece that rated the show a 3.1/10, but it has since been deleted from this site or set to private. However, you can still find it by google searching the sections I quoted (it's on MAL if you're curious at all). Regardless, I still hope you enjoy this review.__

I haven’t felt motivated to write a review for a show in quite some time, but after reading the highly critical and low scoring top review for this show, I felt it necessary to provide some a counter-arguments against what I believe is a travesty. A score below 5/10 is, by definition, a below average score. To score this work 3.1/10, is to say it is well below average and is beyond mediocre. Everything considered, I just can’t see this work being below average.

Below, I will write what my thoughts on the show and counter arguments for anything I feel was misunderstood. This review is filled with spoilers so reader beware.

# ~~~In Defense of the Characters
~~~

Straight out of the gate, you, the viewer, immediately know this is a tragedy. Anyone who has read or watched any number of works can immediately tell that Kaori is going to die and that her story will be a tragic one. It’s telegraphed from so early on, that I would be shocked if _you_ were shocked that she died, but as they say, it’s not about the destination, it’s the journey.

First, I’ll tackle the weakest point of this show: the characters. The friends that Kousei has surrounded himself with are by no means perfect. Afterall, they’re 14 years old and in middle school. That’s one fundamental issue I have with the top review, it places enormous expectations and standards on what are basically children. Their imperfections, be it rampant jealously, envy, anger, or sadness are what one can expect to see out of kids going through puberty, it’s what makes them human. 
I’ll start off with the character assessment I disagree with the most, the one painting Kaori as a vile, repugnant, and disgusting individual worthy of any and all malice towards her. From what I can assume, Kaori knows from a young age that she is destined to die very young. At an age where all one can think about are their dreams, be it a dream of marriage, a career in something they love, travelling the world, or any number of fantastical realities, Kaori knows she will never have that. She knows she will die very young, never getting to marry, never having her dream career as a violinist, and knowing full well each and every day could be her last. Knowing this, she has one dream and one dream alone: to play with the boy who inspired her music career, Arima Kousei. The only way I can see her being worthy of contempt was if she leveraged her health to bend Kousei to be with her, but she didn’t. We the viewer don’t even know any specific health problems she has, not only that, but she puts on an unbelievably brave face in spite of that.

>“He keeps telling her no, but she won't listen.”

>“To the shock of absolutely nobody, Kousei has trouble playing towards the halfway mark because of his trauma and he can't hear the notes, so he stops playing for a bit, and so does Kaori. After that, they play like they don't care anymore, so they play to their heart's content. They obviously lose and could've avoided this whole scene if they listened to him and allowed him to explain why he can't”

This is an immense misunderstanding, the whole point of why Kaori played and wanted to play with Kousei is not grasped at all. It wasn’t about winning, putting on a good show, or expecting Kousei to play perfectly, it was about Kaori being able to simply be on stage with Kousei and leave a mark on the audience. You can see her behavior before becoming crippled entirely focused on that, leaving a mark. She doesn’t want to be forgotten, she doesn’t want to fade away, and she wants to make the most out of her rapidly ending life. Put yourself in her shoes, would you simply let go of your lifelong dream simply because that individual said no? Just pack it all up and say, “well I asked and got a no, oh well. I’m dying soon anyway just might as well give up,” and just carry on until you die? One can counter all they like about how Kousei didn’t like playing piano, it reminded him of his mother, or any number of things, but you cannot sit there and say that Kousei getting back into playing piano was a net negative impact on him. With playing, he not only pushed passed his mother-related PTSD, but he grew from it as a person. Not to mention that Kousei, at his core, loves playing piano. Afterall, he was playing before his mother even taught him a note. He was a complete natural, a prodigy even. 
I don’t understand how one can state this:
>“The scene is actually great, with Kousei and Nagi playing in sync until Kousei changes tempo to become faster and more aggressive, to which she ends up adapting and plays in sync with him again. He did this to push her out of her comfort zone and get her out of her nervous issues.”

and then so heavily criticize Kaori getting Kousei to pick the piano back up again. With playing, he recovered from associating it with his mother, matured from the fetal position crying boy he once was, and was able to play a beautiful farewell to the first girl he truly loved. To expand on that first item, Kousei at no point fundamentally hates playing piano. Even in the beginning, he was still playing to transcribe songs to sheet music. Without Kaori pushing him back into the limelight, Kousei would’ve never grown beyond the crying little boy he was, afterall, he had no parents to guide him and he obviously wasn’t going to get better by himself. You can disagree and say that she should’ve been considerate of his PTSD, but again, you cannot say that falling back in love with the piano was a net negative on Kousei.

I also disagree on how Hiroko is also labeled a grotesque and morally repugnant individual. There’s a distinct lack of empathy in the summation of her character. Picture this: you are Hiroko, your piano friend from college Saki has a little boy, and one day, you see the boy’s potential and strongly encourage your friend to put the boy on the path of music, something your friend jokingly said she didn’t really want to do. As time goes by, you see how your friend is becoming increasingly demented as her life is rapidly approaching its close. You see what was a casual remark turn into the boy having bruises up and down his body and even seeing your once bright and happy friend strike the only mark she left on the world, drawing blood even. Shortly after, your friend dies, and the boy is left all alone in the world. Should she have stayed and nurtured Kousei? Absolutely, but was her feeling so much guilt over what her suggestion turned into and keeping distance out of fear of hurting the boy again bad writing? Was it not human of her? 

Picture this now: your husband is frequently absent, you have one little boy who is your world, you’ve finished college, and are an aspiring and locally well-known pianist, but you are dying. You suddenly will never get to play in the great concert halls of Europe, you will never leave your mark on music, and you will die early, making all of your life’s efforts for naught. Knowing full well that your death in imminent, you train your little boy to accomplish what you could not, a boy who has already shown signs of musical prodigy. As the clock ticks down, you worry that not even he will be able to complete your dream and you become exponentially more violent and desperate to see your dream come true, like a cornered and wounded animal lashing out near death. Was what I said a justification for her actions? Absolutely not, she shouldn’t have forced her dream on her child, but can you say it was bad writing? Did it not make any sense? Was her role as a villain badly done? Did her actions distinctly lack humanity? Obviously not, her character’s writing spurned you so much that you felt it was an insult to people with PTSD and a variety of other things. You can hate her, revile at what she did, and go on and on about any number of things, but that’s the point. You’re supposed to feel that way. Her character is not a likeable one, that’s the entire the point of why she’s in the story. Can you imagine how boring stories would be if every single character was likeable, had no flaws, and did nothing bad to another character? Your Lie in April, at its core, is a tragedy. It’s supposed to have dark themes such as PTSD and child abuse, morally repugnant characters, and tragic circumstances. If anything, feeling, “disgusted,” is a good thing, this story was so well done that it elicited that much of a reaction from you and even caused you to write a lengthy review about what it made you feel. If it was truly a 3.1/10 story, you would have disregarded it as trash not even worth writing about.

Lastly, I’ll touch upon who I thought was the most dislikeable character: Tsubaki. Like the others, she is also only fourteen and in the midst of puberty. She does a number of terrible things, like getting with Saitou purely to fill the void in her heart and deny the feelings she has for Kousei, tells Kousei that Kaori doesn’t love him, she loves Watari, and only she can really love him. After which, she kicks him so hard in the shin that he limps the next day. She is a toxic character yes, but can you say that she isn’t human? Can you say that no fourteen-year-old girl would act the way she did? Even more so, she felt bad about how she hurt Saitou, how she hurt Kousei, and a many number of other things. Did she learn from them? No, she never changed her behavior. Do I think she should be with Kousei in the end? Absolutely not holy hell man run far and run fast from that girl and get with the pianist Emi. See how I have a passionate opinion about that? That means Tsubaki did her job as an unlikeable character. You could counter and say that the ending implies that Kousei ends up with her, but there is no evidence that definitively takes place. If anything, who Kousei ends up with is up to the watcher’s interpretation. Additionally, it’s absurd that one would say that Kousei should actively hate some characters instead of forgiving them. What is he supposed to do in the show, hate them the entire time and never move on from that? His character is an immensely forgiving one, that’s just his nature. One last thing I’d like to counter is:
 >“The problem is that no one goes to take him to see a doctor to see if this issue can be helped, and it simply goes away after Kousei forgives Saki. It just feels gross to see this happen.” 

I disagree with this assessment because it wasn’t a medical issue in the show. Never at any point is this a permanent medical issue, it was purely repressed childhood trauma that was allowed to snowball.

# ~~~Fantastic Presentation~~~
Moving on from the characters themselves, I’ll move onto the show’s presentation. I loved the themes of this show, how it gave imagery to music, and gave so much life to beautiful Chopin pieces. As a music-type person and as someone who loves to play instruments, this show was such a breath of fresh air. Every time there was a performance, where you could see these people putting their heart and soul into their playing, it made me itch to do the same with one of the instruments I play. It was beyond inspiring, beyond breath taking, and such a great portrayal of musicianship. The weight of playing on stage, the harsh criticism from the old codger judges, how everyone has such high expectations for your playing, they’re all so realistic and relatable. Touching on some of the darker themes of this show, I found Kousei’s recovery from his PTSD remarkable and inspiring. He went from being a crying child in fetal position, begging for help, and just passing through life as a grey blob of nothingness, to not only pushing past his image of his mother, but he became the master pianist he was always destined to be. There is not a doubt in my mind that Kousei never playing piano again because of his mother was something that just wasn’t fated to be. Some people are destined for certain things and Kousei was destined to be a master pianist. 

As someone with poor health, seeing Kaori struggle through physical therapy, trying with every fiber of her being to re-learn how to walk, and putting on such a brave face in spite of so much hardship resonated with me deeply. I am not near death currently, but I have crawled back from the brink of it and it was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. Most people have no idea how soul crushing it is to not only not be able to walk, but know your life is forever changed and you will never be physically “normal” ever again. In this story, she never once complains about her health, never becomes an empty husk at the reality of her situation, and she fought to live to the very end. From the beginning you know Kaori will die, but the journey of how she handled that resonates with me so much. A commonly missed story element here as well is that Kaori and Kousei’s mother Saki are foils to each other. They both were musicians, they both knew they were going to die early, they both knew that they would never achieve their dreams, and they both placed their hopes on Kousei. The enumerable ways you can compare and contrast Saki and Kaori is such a great story element, some of the best writing in anime I’ve seen in a while. It goes back to what I was stating earlier that you’re supposed to hate Saki, that’s the whole point of her character.

# ~~~Breathtaking Animation~~~

I honestly don’t understand the criticism for using CGI for the finger movements for the piano playing. Have you seen the sheet music for some of those pieces? Here's a section from Chopin's Etude in A flat major, Opus 25 no. 1
~~~img(https://chopinandmysaucepan.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Chopin-Etude-Opus-25-No-1_thumb.jpg)
~~~
It’d be immensely costly to animate each and every key stroke of a five minute plus piano piece. Not only that, but it wasn’t even badly done CGI. It wasn’t jarring, it didn’t detract from the work, and it was well animated. Even if one were to take off points for that, the beautiful imagery from the music is more than enough to compensate for it. The cherry blossom scene conveying a loving goodbye, the dark underwater scene portraying a state of panic with the sound of the keys even being muted, and the scene where he remembers his mother for what she once was, playing a nostalgic forgiving piece shrouded in sunshine was beyond breathtaking. As a musician, this so accurately portrays the emotion and imagery music can bring. It’s beyond words how beautiful the music scenes in this show are.

# ~~~Final Thoughts~~~

Overall, this show was an amazing ride from beginning to end. One of the few shows that has so much more depth the more you think about it. I can’t think of another musician-based show that exemplifies what it’s like better than this.

If you disagree with my assessment, feel free to write a counter review. I’ll read anything that comes my way and will comment on it if you’d like. However, even as opinions go, there is no possible way that this show is anything below average, it’s just too good to be.

A counter-review to the top review for this show: an exemplary work with great writing that is commonly misunderstood

Music is a universal language, it can be used to create bonds with people you've never known, and it can be used to deepen bonds you never knew you had. 

Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso, or Your Lie in April, is a fantastically created musical masterpiece that uses a piano and a violin to convey all the feelings in the world, and being someone who was fortunate enough to play both these instruments, I couldn't be touched more. Few anime reached my heart, even fewer made me cry, and this, is one of them.

Story
Our story is a sad one, there's no denying it. Anyone who's heard of this anime knows it has a tear-jerking end, but just how sad. I won't tell. A fated encounter between a pianist struggling with the ghost of his past and a violinist struggling with visions of the future collide, and slowly, they come to terms with their issues using the one thing they can both do: Play music. 

Overall, the story goes just as you'd expect it, in fact, any watcher can tell that you can see the final showdown from a mile away. It's just that no matter how much you prepare for it, trust me. It will not help. The intricacies, the character interactions, even the damn piece our main man Arima Kousei plays will make you rain harder than a hurricane.

Characters
Arima Kousei is the aforementioned pianist. A virtuoso by birth and a master of the keys. His playing has gained him both recognition and fame starting just at the young age of 3. Unbeknownst to most people... He can't hear the piano. He's not deaf, he's just traumatized. Even though he spends his recesses in front of a piano, even though he is known literally to sleep under the piano, he still can't play it. He'd start, and then... it would come. That is where Kaori Miyazono comes in.
Outgoing, Outrageous, and Overconfident, Kaori is anything but a perfect violinist. The anime says that itself. In the eyes of judges, she plays atrociously, disobeying the notes at every turn and instead pouring her emotions deep within the reverberations of her violin. A wild card, if they would say. But, compared to the slave-to-the-notes Arima, she's the perfect match, This unlikely duo is what slowly starts to heal Arima's wounds, and as they play their pieces, they only get stronger together. Any musician would know a good melody needs a good support, and a good support needs a better melody. This show highlights the important cooperation of virtuosity and tonality, and together, their melodies shake people to their core. It's because of this unlikely bonding, that our characters cross-develop and become so very rich that it is an insult to call them flat. 

Art and Sound
In the most heightening moments of this anime, the art and sound come together to display brilliance at their core. We've all seen the wonderful splash painting of the two protagonists. On top of that, the anime is brightly colored, and the art is sharp and crisp, leading to a happy, warm feeling. The music supports this too, the OP is happy as can be, and the ED is calming. The ambient moments scream nothing but positivity as well. 

But since this is a music anime, that's not the star of the show. When ever there is a performance going on, the show instantly laser-focuses on the performers and their instruments. Arima and Kaori's initial debut? They were drawn with the utmost detail and the color as reflective and broad as the horizon. And the music? Wonderfully executed, while I don't know if it was recorded in studio or pulled from some video, but it synced so well with each character. My personal favorite was Chopin's Op. 25 No. 11, the infamous "Winter Wind", when it was performed, character's hands came alive just as any performer would, their voicelines sound edited so that they support the music instead of hindering it, and in Winter Wind's peak moment you could literally feel the aura flowing from the performer. It was so mind-blowing that it inspired me myself to play Winter Wind after seeing the anime. 

Enjoyment
Overall, in its happiest moments, you feel nothing but warmth and happiness, as if you were the 5th member of Arima's small friend group, and in its peak moment, you feel all that connection coming to a climax as you look forward to the spectacular combination of musical timing, animation, and storywriting come to a close. One of few anime I have given a 10/10, and one of even fewer that I have genuinely shed a tear to.

A High Note within a Long and Vivid Melody

The sound of a piano can be quite beautiful, but there are those who can't hear that beautiful sound. If there was a pianist like that, he may stop being a pianist, but there also may be a violinist who will get that pianist back on his feet. I know that's a very specific hypothetical situation, but there is an anime that explores that possibility. I first heard about this anime from being one of those anime that aired during the Fall 2014 season, but I forgot to watch it until pretty much immediately after it ended. I guess I wanted to see what all of the hype it got was all about. (Plus, I completely fell in love with the first opening theme before I actually started watching the anime.) I'm glad I decided to, as this turns out to be a beautiful anime.

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, also known in English as Your Lie in April, is about a young pianist named Kousei Arima. He was well-known among child musicians, but after his mother died, he found that he was unable to hear the notes when he plays his piano. As a result, he has a break-down at a performance and ultimately gives up on the piano. In the two years that passed after that, he hasn't played the piano. One day, Kousei meets a young, aspiring violinist named Kaori Miyazono. Albeit against Kousei's will, Kaori helps him return to the piano and bring color back into his gray life.

The thing I loved most about Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is obviously its music. As I mentioned toward the beginning of this review, I listened to the first opening, "Hikaru Nara" by Goose house, before I even started watching this anime and ultimately fell in love with it; it's become one of my all-time favorite anime openings. It's not just that, though; the second opening and both of the endings are quite beautiful as well. It's the same thing with the piano and the violin performances, especially the one in the last episode. That was REALLY beautiful!

The story was a rather excellent one, with a good amount of character development. It was so nice to see each character grow, especially Kousei. However, with this warning being as spoiler-free as I can manage, the ending is pretty sad, so beware! The characters are all very likable.... well, except maybe Kousei's mother; in the flashbacks that she appeared in at the beginning, she came off as such an awful person! Finally, the animation is very beautiful. A-1 Pictures has done some wonderful animation before, but the animation in this anime is just plain stunning!

Overall, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is a great anime. If you like beautiful anime in nearly every way possible, I would recommend that you check out this one. I hope my review has reached you!

A beautiful anime in nearly every way possible.

>~~~_“Maybe there's only a dark road ahead. But you still have to believe and keep going. Believe that the stars will light your path, even a little bit. Come on... Let's go on a journey!”_~~~
~~~_~ Kaori Miyazono_~~~

This anime made me feel something, which I had not expected from watching it. All the emotions of the characters, combined with excellent musical performances and great animation, makes this show amazing, while at the same time, also painful and saddening. The series does not shy away from making you feel depressed, while it also teaches you something important about life itself.

This is my review of _Your Lie in April_, and is __spoiler-free__. I will write about my emotions and experiences I had while watching it.

__Introduction__

_Your Lie in April_ (_Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso_), is an anime series comprising of 22 episodes and 1 OVA, which premiered in fall 2014. The show belongs to the genres of Slice of Life, Romance, Music and Drama. The show was animated by _A-1 Pictures_, and is based on a manga.

This show is considered by many to be one of the best Romance anime ever made, and is undoubtedly _one of the saddest shows you can watch_. Please remember: this show deals with many negative aspects of life, and so, if you are not in a good headspace, please proceed with caution, because this show is really tragic and saddening. This does not mean that it is bad; it is good, but it can make you feel _depressed_, as what happened with me.

__Story__

The story revolves around the main protagonist, _Kousei Arima_, who used to be a child prodigy and a genius in playing the piano. This was because of the hard-training and often abusive guidance of his mother, due to which, at such a young age, he was able to literally sweep everyone away from the competition whenever he participated. But, when his mother passed away, he stops playing, and can apparently no longer "listen" to his own playing. His life becomes monotonous, and he is determined to live like this with his best friends, _Tsubaki Sawabe_ (who has been his neighbor and also has feelings for him), and _Ryouta Watari_, until one day he meets a girl named _Kaori Miyazono_, a violinist, and his life takes a dramatic turn, for the better.

The premise of the show is promising. The development of story is done very well. Due to its run of 22 episodes, the plot was given much time to unravel, and this is really a good point of the show. The story is about how Arima moves on from his inability to play the piano, and how he is able to understand the true meaning of being a musician, all thanks to his encounter with Kaori. The show, being a Slice of Life, also deals with the day to day activities of the main characters: Kaori, Arima and Tsubaki. The beautiful animation of the musical performances as well as the musical score combine to strengthen the plot very much.

The show starts off as a tragedy, dealing with the emotions of Arima, who still gets flashbacks of his mother whenever he tries to play the piano. The introduction of Kaori's character makes the show a little-light hearted, and highly enjoyable. But, there is often scenes of characters breaking down, and this shows us that the show is again heading towards something tragic. Tragedy is an important highlight of the show overall. But I must say, that although it made me sad by the end, it also taught me a very important lesson, for which I am thankful.

The ending is very sad; there is nothing that can prepare you for what is coming. Although you will know what would happen, still you cannot be ready for the climax. The finale manages to pull off a very dramatic element of the story, and by the time it wraps up, I am pretty sure it will leave you in tears, if you can relate with the characters. The emotions portrayed in the story are done in a fantastic way.

The story is good, overall, although not incredibly great. But by the end, you will appreciate what they were hiding from the beginning, and it definitely adds to make it even more heart-breaking. The weak points of the story were that it drags a tiny bit in the middle, and Tsubaki's story is not given much time at the end. But still, it is a good one, and it is something that will make you feel despondent by the end.

If the story had been a little less depressing, then I would have loved it even more. But that's just me. Sometimes, we have to watch stories like these to make us understand the problems of life. If the ending had been a little more optimistic, it would have been awesome, but it is what it is. This show is meant to be a tear-jerking tradedy, after all.

__Character Development__

The main characters: Arima, Kaori and Tsubaki are given proper development throughout the course of the story. Our main character, Kousei Arima goes through many hardships, which, seeing myself made me feel like he is indeed very strong. The amount of pain and suffering he goes through is paramount, but he is also able to live a good life, all thanks to the people who supported him. Kaori plays a vital role in his progress through life. Arima changes, all thanks to her, and is able to face his demons.

Kaori Miyazono's character is very likeable. She, despite going through many struggles, is able to live her life the best she could, and this conveys a very important message to the viewers: life is hard, sure, but we should not give up ever, no matter what happens; we have to fight. She is a violinist and soon becomes the musical companion of Arima. Her character was also given good time and development.

Tsubaki Sawabe is Arima's best friend since childhood, and she is also his neighbor. She has seen how Arima's life has been, and is undoubtedly very close to him, as she has feelings for him too. I would have loved to see her character given more importance in the show, and especially at the finale. But anyways, it wasn't bad, and her involvement in the story is highlighted properly.

Other supporting characters like Ryouta Watari are also given required time: not too much, not too short. Character stories are shown properly, including Arima's mother, and due to its somewhat long run, there is a good amount of development. Arima's two childhood rivals are also given proper screen time, and all in all, this aspect of the show was done in a good way.

__Music__

The music in this show was brilliant. You can see that a lot of time and effort was put in to perfect this aspect of the show. The musical performances including the use of piano and violin were stunning! _Western classical music_, including the works of _Bach_, _Mozart_ and _Chopin_ etc. is played by the characters throughout the show, and if you are a fan of this, I am sure you will love this anime.

The score of the show was also good. I absolutely love the first opening. The music in this anime plays out very well with the emotions of the characters, and helps to add depth to whatever they are feeling.

__Animation__

The animation by _A-1 Pictures_ was stunning! _Gorgeous_ and _beautiful_ are the words I can use without hesitation to describe the animation of the show. Just take a look at the parts where Arima plays the piano or when Kaori plays the violin. You will be amazed to look at the consistency of the movement of their bodies. Simply put, the animation was really good, all throughout the 22 episodes. The studio really worked a lot in this one, and I am grateful to them for the same.

__A Personal Note__

When I was watching this series, I was going through a dark phase of my life. This made me depressed after completing the show, and I could not think about it any longer. But now that I have written this review, I have come to understand the most important thing the show tried to convey: _life is not perfect, and things will go wrong when they are not supposed to. But the key is to move on, and fight hard, because life is somehow almost always unfair._

This message can be easily overlooked, as what happened with me. But after a while, I was able to appreciate it, and this persuaded me to write this review. I came to understand that asking the wrong questions about life can be depressing, like I used to do; questions like _"Why me?"_ or _"Why did it happen to me?"_ are particularly saddening, but when you learn to let go and accept life for what it is, you can be at peace. Sometimes, we want to drown in sadness, but that isn't the solution. You have to fight and move on, else life would be pretty hard for you. I am thankful to this anime for teaching me that, and also making me emotionally stronger, just a little bit more.

__Conclusion__

This anime was great, although it made me depressed for a while. But when I was able to understand its intricacies, I was able to appreciate it more. I will definitely recommend it to fans of Romance, Slice of Life and Drama genres. Although please keep in mind that if you think you are not in a good place in life, you should proceed with caution.

All in all, this show, combining good storytelling, character development, music and animation makes it a classic. If you can take in the tragedies, you will love it. I myself have a love/hate kind of relationship with this anime, but I will remember and cherish it for a long time. The depressing parts were surely hard to watch, but when I did, I came to appreciate the hardships of life.

Thank you very much for your time in reading this. Keep watching anime and be happy!

Written by: __Sekhar08__
February 26, 2021

A beautiful and soul-crushing anime which taught me something important in life.

[ENG] (TL;DR at the end)

What gets you up in the morning? What motivates you to keep chasing your dreams? What inspires you? As we are humans, beings that are shaped by emotion, this question has countless answers, it could be a story that touched your heart, a memorable situation or event, or a person who changed your life forever...a person...probably someone like that has already appeared in your life, so can you answer how did that person inspire you?

First of all let's present the Anime in question. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, or Your Lie in April, is an Anime produced in 2014 by A-1 Pictures Studios, Naoshi Arakawa's original work, and countless messages are presented in its story in general, either in its plot or with its main characters.

Initially we have Kousei Arima, a boy with dark hair and black glasses that, in a way, highlights his blue eyes. Kousei is a calm, reserved person and, if it weren't for Watari and Tsubaki dragging him around, he would certainly live isolated in his little world.

Tsubaki Sawabe has a delicate and feminine appearance, with short hair that curls at the ends and bright brown eyes, but this does not reflect her personality at all, since, despite being a kind and caring girl with her friends, she has a temperament that is a little too aggressive, even being called “Gorilla” in her childhood.

Ryota Watari is totally the opposite of Tsubaki, because his appearance does reflect the person he is. Outgoing, friendly and always with a smile on his face, he is the captain of the college soccer team, and it is clear that, with all these characteristics, he is very popular, especially with the girls.

The three have lived together almost since they were born, Kousei and Tsubaki are even next door neighbors, and this dynamic between them is shown in the first episode. Kousei is alone in the classroom thinking about his life, until he is approached in a way, not so delicate, by Tsubaki. After a brief talk, Tsubaki invites Kousei to go out in the weekend, because as one of her friends has shown interest and wants to meet Watari, she is not in the mood to be alone while the two get to know each other.

And Kousei, very reluctantly, ended up giving in to this offer, and thanks to having arrived a few moments earlier at the agreed place, he ended up witnessing a scene that would change his life forever, because after finding some black leggings and yellow shoes hanging in a branch, he ends up listening to a sweet sound of a melodica being played and, following this sound, he finds not only some children, but the person responsible for such pleasant music, called Kaori Miyazono.

Kaori is a beautiful girl with blond hair, dark blue eyes and who has an almost opposite personality to Kousei. She is independent, unpredictable, explosive and even aggressive, but above all sincere, in her way of thinking and acting. This meeting is not a coincidence of fate, since Kaori is the friend Tsubaki mentioned before, and the reason they met on that specific day and place is because it is next to Towa Hall, the place where Kaori will perform in a violin competition, since she is a violinist.

Everyone is excited about this news, except one of them, Kousei himself, but before he refuses the offer, he feels a warm touch in his hands, which is precisely from this girl he just met, and she not only drags him like his friends always did during his life, but thanks to that little touch, for a brief moment, his world, which was always monotonous, ended up filling with color.

Considering everything told so far, and the questions addressed at the beginning of the video, you should already have a good idea of what will happen next, but things are never that simple, because as mentioned before, as we are beings that are shaped by emotion, it is very difficult to explain what can inspire us, since besides being something very unique, there are countless different answers to that, but it is right there that Your Lie in April becomes a memorable Anime, which is in the way it presents all these messages, and how it approaches this theme in a very human and real way.

TL;DR

Your Lie in April is a very special Anime for me, and after all presented, I hope you have an answer to the questions raised at the beginning, because I don't have one, and I probably will never have... the only thing I can say is, Kousei and Kaori, from the bottom of my heart, thank you, because you have inspired me in a way that there are no words to describe

Bellow there is a video link, entitled “The Anime That Will Change Your Life”, which better analyzes the Anime and its premise as a whole, making this review even more accurate (Please turn on the English Sub for it).


[PT-BR] (TL;DR no final)

O que faz você levantar da cama todos os dias? O que te motiva a continuar correndo atrás de seus sonhos? O que te inspira? Como nós somos humanos, seres que são moldados pela emoção, essa questão tem inúmeras respostas, pode ser uma história que tocou seu coração, uma situação ou evento memorável, ou uma pessoa que marcou a sua vida para sempre...uma pessoa... provavelmente alguém assim já apareceu em sua vida, então você sabe responder: Como essa pessoa te inspirou?

Antes de mais nada vamos apresentar a obra em questão. Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, ou Your Lie in April, é um Anime de 2014 produzido pelos estúdios A-1 Pictures, obra original de Naoshi Arakawa, e inúmeras mensagens são exploradas em sua história no geral, seja na sua trama ou com seus personagens principais.

Inicialmente temos o Kousei Arima, menino de cabelo escuro e óculos preto que, de certa forma, dá destaque para seus olhos azuis. Kousei é uma pessoa calma, reservada e, se não fosse pelo Watari e a Tsubaki o arrastarem para todos os lados, certamente iria viver isolado em seu pequeno mundo. 

Tsubaki Sawabe tem uma aparência delicada e feminina, com um cabelo curto que enrola nas pontas e olhos castanhos brilhantes, mas isso não reflete nem um pouco em sua personalidade, já que, apesar de ser uma menina gentil e atenciosa com seus amigos, ela tem um temperamento um pouco agressivo demais, chegando até a ser apelida de “Gorila” na infância.

Já o Ryota Watari é totalmente o oposto da Tsubaki, pois sua aparência refrete sim a pessoa que ele é. Extrovertido, amigável e sempre com um sorriso no rosto, ele é o capitão do time de futebol do colégio, e é claro que, com todas essas características, que ele é bem popular, especialmente com as meninas.

Os três vivem juntos quase desde que nasceram, o Kousei e a Tsubaki até são vizinhos de porta, e essa dinâmica entre eles é observada logo no primeiro episódio. Kousei está sozinho na sala pensando na vida, até que é abordado de uma maneira, não tão delicada, pela Tsubaki. Após uma breve conversa, Tsubaki convida o Kousei para sair no final de semana, pois como uma de suas amigas demonstrou interesse e quer conhecer o Watari, ela não está a fim de ficar sozinha enquanto os dois se conhecem.

E Kousei, a muito contra gosto, acaba cedendo a essa oferta e, graças a ter chegado alguns momentos mais cedo no local combinado, ele acabou presenciando uma cena que iria mudar a sua vida para sempre, pois após encontrar uma leggings preta e sapatilhas amarelas penduradas em um galho, acaba escutando um doce som de uma melódica sendo tocada e, ao seguir esse som, encontra não só algumas crianças, mas a responsável pela música tão agradável, chamada Kaori Miyazono.

Kaori é uma linda menina de cabelos loiros, olhos azuis escuro e que possui uma personalidade quase oposta do Kousei. Independente, imprevisível, explosiva e até mesmo agressiva, mas acima de tudo sincera, na sua maneira de pensar e agir. Esse tal encontro não é nenhuma coincidência do destino, já que Kaori é essa tal amiga que a Tsubaki mencionou antes, e o motivo pelo qual eles se encontraram nesse dia e local específicos é porque fica ao lado do Towa Hall, local esse onde Kaori vai se apresentar em uma competição de violino, já que ela é uma violinista.

Todos ficam animados com essa novidade, menos um deles, o próprio Kousei, mas antes mesmo que ele recuse a oferta, sente um doce toque em suas mãos, que é justamente dessa menina que acabou de conhecer, e ela não só o arrasta assim como seus amigos sempre fizeram durante sua vida, mas graças a esse pequeno toque, por um breve momento, o seu mundo que sempre foi monótono, acabou se enchendo de cor.

Considerando tudo contado até agora, e as questões abordadas no começo do vídeo, você já deve ter uma boa ideia do que vai acontecer em seguida, mas as coisas nunca tão simples assim, pois assim como mencionado antes, como somos seres que são moldados pela emoção, é muito difícil explicar o que pode inspirar a gente, já que além de ser algo muito único, existem inúmeras respostas diferentes para isso. Mas é bem ai que Your Lie in April se torna uma obra memorável, que é na maneira como apresenta todas essas mensagens, e como aborda esse tema de um jeito bem humano e real.

TL;DR

Your Lie in April é uma obra muito especial para mim, e depois de tudo apresentado, espero que você tenha uma resposta para as questões levantadas no começo, porque eu não tenho uma, e provavelmente nunca vou ter... a única coisa que consigo dizer é, Kousei e Kaori, do fundo do meu coração, obrigado, pois vocês me inspiraram de uma maneira que não existem palavras para descrever.

Segue o link do vídeo, intitulado de “O Anime que vai Mudar a sua Vida”, que analisa melhor a obra e sua premissa como um todo, tornando essa review ainda mais precisa.


[Link of the Video](https://youtu.be/GAaQpFqVcKQ)

-sPoiLeR WaRnInG & UnPoPulAr OpiNioN-
I'm going to go over most of the plot in this review to unless spoilers make you want to watch the show more (like me) then you should probably go watch the show and then read this. If you can't handle unpopular opinions you should also probably leave :) (this is also my first review)

Also, this review is mainly for people who have already watched this show so I can share my opinion about it

I hate this show. I hate it with all my heart, might, mind and strength. Your Lie in April is literal garbage. Now before you immediately go to dislike this review just because you have an emotional and spiritual connection to YLIA just wait and hear me out.

On a positive note, I will give props to Your Lie in April for one thing. I am a piano player who hates playing the piano with their entire being. I'm forced to continue playing it due to my parents but it's always been an instrument I despised. I always wanted to create music that made the people listening feel something and I never really felt like the piano could do that. I was a piano player who played exactly to the music score. This was the way I thought the piano had to be played, and I have to thank Your Lie in April for introducing me to a new way of playing the piano. I did find a lot of impact in this show for how it taught musicianship and musical interpretation. In fact, it did an amazing job of portraying this. I connect to Arima who was stuck playing exactly to the score. I didn't know there was "another side" of playing an instrument. Now after watching this show, I have found much more joy in playing the piano. I just participated in a Piano Festival where I submitted my interpretation of the piece instead of playing exactly to score like I usually do. So I do have to appreciate this at least a little for how it helped me.

One last good thing before I tear this show apart into tiny pieces and then feed them to the incinerator... I love how this show used character development. However not on any side characters but specifically the MC. Throughout the show, Arima struggles with the same problem. He can't hear the music (specifically the music he is playing). And although it gets both boring and painful to watch Arima not improve at all throughout the show the way his struggles were portrayed was almost refreshing. Real human beings don't struggle to face a problem where they have a 1-minute flashback to a moment back in time, remember something an inspirational person said and POOF character development! and they never struggle with the problem again. Your Lie in April does a great job of showing human development in an honest light. Seeing Arima go through the same problem over and over again is extremely painful to watch. Not just because we as an audience have begun to love Arima as a character, but because we understand how hard it is to overcome our challenges. We don't overcome our problems on one try but it's a series of trying and failing. And You Lie in April does display this surprisingly well.

Now...The fun part

Your lie in April is an anime that I could understand was "supposed" to be sad but it failed to make me feel any emotion. If anything I just felt intense anger for the first time watching anime. Now as an emotionless human being I don't often cry watching shows or anime however I'm good at understanding when something is sad and a lot of the times I associate a sad anime with "I wanted to cry" but because I am emotionless I didn't actually shed a tear. Honestly, I don't understand how anyone can actually cry from watching this, and while I understand that the premise is supposed to be sad, the execution failed in actually completing that task. We will begin with the worst part of the show :)

 
The comedy.... *deep breaths*

What the heck was that slapstick comedy going on the entire hecking show. There would be these beautiful sad moments where I was starting to feel something and understand these characters' emotions and then it was shattered like an elephant running through a skyscraper of glass while simultaneously launching nukes at nearby countries. I mean why ruin these beautiful moments with decently good art and animation with this horrendously obnoxious slapstick comedy that didn't even make me smile god forbid laughing. I mean can't every person that watched YLIA just mutually agree that it was a mistake from the very beginning. And to be honest I'm fine with a little slapstick comedy here and there. But it was just so excessive it was practically unbearable to watch. And to make it worse they put it right smack in the middle of these meaningful moments and as soon as the slapstick comedy elephant was released, the entire atmosphere shattered along with it.
Comedy when used correctly can have an important impact on a story but what this show does surprisingly terribly is its placement and use of comedy. Comedy is not... 'Girl slaps boy and yells bAkA.' Also, I don't think the "comedy" in the show can even be labeled as "comedy." It wasn't even funny. It was only cringe. 

the abuse  -20/10

Okay, one of the main factors that made me mildly despise this show was the abuse. First of all, I was distracted the entire show because I was just thinking constantly "where the cops at?" Like Arima's mom straight up drew blood and literally no cops. Arima is being overworked and bruised in front of adults and his friends and still no cops. In fact, the show has the audacity to try to tell the audience that Arima's mom was a good hecking person. Like wut? 
Now shows handling abuse always need to be careful of how it's portrayed. And shows that portray abuse correctly can be some of the best shows out there. It takes careful planning, study, and execution to be able to accomplish this. And this show fails at all of them. However, I'm mainly going to focus on the end conclusion this show decides to make which is "Arima's mom was a good person." First of all, anyone who abuses their child gets no right to be considered a good person no matter the amount of other good deeds they have done in their life. It's sickening that the end conclusion of this show is that a clearly abusive parent is a good person. What I am most worried about in this message is toward those currently facing abuse. This show is basically telling people "Hey when you're parents beat you, it's okay. In fact, they are a good person for doing so and you should appreciate the sacrifice they are making for you." And that's first absolutely incorrect and just straight up disgusting. 

Art and music 7/10

Ok, the art was pretty good, I think it complemented the atmosphere they were trying to create well and it was generally pleasing to look at. The music too. As a piano player who hates the piano watching this show made me actually WANT to practice for once. The music was pleasing and I think they did a fairly good job with the inner monologue while the characters play except after a while it felt repetitive as Arima was basically going through the exact same inner conflict with no improvement for basically all of the show.

Characters

Arima is a pretty decent and thoroughly built character. He has interesting internal conflicts and his backstory is interesting as well. I honestly have really no complaints with Arima as a character. My real problem is with basically every other character in the show but specifically Arima's friends.
    Arima's friends are some of the worst people and characters I've ever seen. The entire show they are pressuring and bullying Arima into doing something he has already said multiple times that he doesn't want to do. In fact, He has said multiple times that it only brings him pain. Now to an extent, I think that pressuring someone to do something they don't feel comfortable doing can be good. Like making your friend talk to the McDonald's employee to get an extra ketchup packet. There are times when well-placed pressure can encourage someone to try new things and improve as a person. However, the way this so-called "encouragement" is done is more abuse than soft pushes of encouragement. It's sickening to watch these characters completely pressure Arima until he basically has no choice but to play the piano. Kaori straight-up emotionally manipulates Arima by crying because he won't accompany her. And again this show glorifies these actions. It's not okay to relentlessly pressure your friend to do something. They know themselves better than you know them no matter how long you have known them. 

I could probably go on for hours about all the problems I see in this show and all the problematic messages it glorifies and promotes. I honestly can't understand what people see in this show that gives it an 85% I mean bruh.

Well have a good day :)

A sad story that failed to make me feel anything

Even though I may be new-ish to the anime universe, this anime is probably going to be one of my favorites for a long time.

_SPOILERS AHEAD_

__Plot__
Pacing was wonderful. Each event was subsequent to the next and there were many surprises and major events that happened. The beginning scene of Kousei's childhood flashback of him breaking down while playing '_Moonlight Sonata_' was really hooking, and the transition to the story was extremely smooth. The author introduced many human-like characters, all with their own unique conflicts, and tied them all together masterfully. Even though this anime revolves around classical music, you don't have to be a professional musician to enjoy it. As a pianist, I enjoyed the deep musicality of this anime, whereas a person I enjoyed the beautiful and enchanting romance it has to offer.

__Characters__
Kousei was very obedient and calm as a child. He wanted to do anything to make his mother happy, and even when she physically abused him and yelled at him when he practiced with her, he still tried his best to please her. He was always at home practicing on his piano. Whenever his friends wanted to come to visit and to play with him, Kousei always answered the doorbell but told them that he couldn't play because he was practicing. He never told his friends about the horrible things his mother did to him even though he clearly didn't deserve it because he loved her. Every time his friends asked about his bruises and wounds, he always waved it off and told them he just got in a small accident or something. When he wasn't practicing or playing with Watari or Tsubaki, he would always drift off and become absorbed in his thoughts, which is why he never noticed Tsubaki's crush on him nor the rivalry between him and other competitor pianists. Everything seemed to go downhill after his mother fell ill.

As I had said before, Kousei really did love his mother. He went through all his pain because he wanted to make his mother feel better. Even though he was already quite talented, as he had perfect pitch where he was able to accurately replicate a piece that he had only heard once, his mother still tried to make him even better and told him that 'if you don't come in first it means nothing' when she enrolled him in piano competitions. She did all of this because she wanted to give Kousei a foundation in playing piano in order to be able to find his own style. But because she didn't have much time left, she wanted to train Kousei as much as possible and shaped him into a pianist who played everything in perfection, or as the anime calls it, a 'human metronome.' She didn't teach him how to put your own emotions into your performance or about how you should pour your own heart into the piece because apparently just teaching him the basics was ‘all she could do to help him.’ I feel like this anime really did abuse dirty and this whole situation with Kousei and his mother was all over the place. Okay, so the reason why Kousei quit playing piano was that he couldn't hear the notes anymore. He couldn't hear the notes because the voice of his mother still haunts him. To me, he basically used the excuse that he 'couldn't hear his own playing' to try to hide the fact that it was his own fault his mother died. 

And Kaori was the one who helped him out of this precedent. I see so many people here who call her the 'antagonist' or a 'manipulator' and I think that's totally wrong. We all know that Kousei was the one who inspired her to play the violin when she saw him perform as children, and when she found out that he couldn't play anymore, she was devastated. But she couldn't do anything for him. Once she was aware of her illness and how this was the only chance to help him, she decided to take off her glasses and do her hair in a way that Kousei could finally notice her. He did and ended up falling for her once he saw her performance for the very first time. He wanted to be like her, but because he couldn't hear the notes he still didn't give piano a try again. Even though she didn't actually force him to play as her accompaniment, she actually cried and said that he was the only one who could do it for her, so he finally agreed. Even though they had to stop halfway through the performance, Kaori still wouldn't give up on him, no matter how badly he played, which finally changed things for him. He understood. He couldn't hear his mother's voice anymore because he had someone else with him. He could hear the notes when he was with that person. He decided that the only reason he would be playing was for Kaori's sake. He was in love with her. And she was in love with him, too, but never said it until the very end. Why? It was because she wanted to use Kousei's love for her to make him continue to play for her to try to make her love him back. While I don't really see a problem with this, as this really did help Kousei enjoy playing again, I do find it pretty cruel for her to tell him that she loved him all along once she actually died when this entire time he thought that he was just 'Friend A who has a crush on a girl who likes my best friend.' Kaori did teach him so many valuable things, though. Unlike Kousei, who was taught all his life to stick entirely to the score, she was free-spirited and played everything her own way, and he wanted to be like her. He was able to reach into the hearts of the audience when he played at the competition because of her. He found enjoyment in his playing because of her. He was free from his mother's curse because of her.

As I have said before, all of the characters had their own problems that needed to be solved. The same goes with Tsubaki. Like Kaori, she also loved Kousei. But her problem was essentially admitting it. The only thing she was certain of was that she always wanted to be by his side. She didn't want to admit her feelings to him because she knew it wouldn't solve anything, and didn't even want to tell that to herself. She always seemed very possessive of him and was always trying to find a reason to be with him. She only dated that bigshot highschooler because she thought she could use him to forget about Kousei, but it still didn't seem to solve it. Just like Kousei, she was running away from her problems. When she saw Kousei getting closer and closer to Kaori, Tsubaki was more aware of her crush on him but still tried to hide it, no matter what. Before Kaori came, she also wanted to help him out of his situation, but didn't know what to do because she didn't 'understand music.' But because Kousei gave up on piano he had more time to be with her, which made her happy and so she didn't at least try to help him either. She only wanted to be with him, and nothing else seemed to matter to her. And actually, she was aware of this and was pretty embarrassed at herself. That's another reason why she never confessed to him. And even another reason was that he never paid any attention to her. As I have also said before, Kousei was always in his thoughts and didn't really pay attention to his surroundings. Everyone else had already caught on about Tsubaki's crush on him, except for Kousei himself. When Kaori died, it seems like Tsubaki seemed to actually be a bit happy about it, because she could finally be by his side again. And again, she knew that and was ashamed herself for thinking that. That's why when she _finally_ confessed, saying 'since she's gone you have no other choice but to love me instead!', she started to really tear up and ended up running away from him after that. 

I just wanna say Watari is irrelevant because he's just a runt who falls for literally every girl who he finds to be pretty. I mean, when his so-called 'girlfriend' was rotting at the hospital he was running off to some other chicks he knew. 

I'm not really gonna dwell on the other characters that much because even though some of them can be pretty interesting to discuss I don't want to write any more long paragraphs lol. The characters all have their own different problems and you can't really 'hate' any of them because they all have their own fair share of pros and cons, just like a real person.

__Animation__
While I'm not really a big fan of the character designs themselves and how the lips make them pretty unrealistic, I do want to say that I was really impressed about how accurate the positions and the timing of the instrument performances were. The animators managed to get almost every single note played in the soundtrack correctly, and they even drew the scores correctly of an actual piece. 
~~~<img src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/bA8R_f7tiq4/hqdefault.jpg" alt="Chopin Etude Op.25 No.11 (Winter Wind) Audio + Sheet Music - YouTube"/>~~~
I mean, it's pretty dang difficult to animate pieces like these and people are still complaining about them using CGI on them. I don't see a problem at all. They managed to make all of the different snapshots of the performances go extremely smoothly and the addition of extra effects to enhance the overall 'feel' of the music was even more compelling. The emotions of the characters and the way they expressed themselves went hand-in-hand with the colors in the background and the animators just depicted the overall mood so well. Usually when I'm at a concert I start to lose focus on the performances, but this was just different. The soundtrack and the animation simultaneously made me lose track of time, and the emotional conflicts in the performances felt the exact same as your average physical shonen battle.

__Soundtrack__
Both the openings and the endings were suuuuppperrrrrr catchy, I can't help but sing all of them at the most random times during the day. I like how at the beginning of the first episode Kousei was listening to 'Hikaru Nara' and writing the notes of it on a separate sheet of paper. Just like the animation, the background music of the scenes matched with the atmospheres so well, and the classical performances were even more so. I can't imagine what it would take for people to record these kinds of things, trying to, uh, _act_ through the music. You can interpret music in so many different ways, and it's really hard to establish a certain tone that you want your audience to feel without actually feeling it in the first place.

__Problems?__
Well, the only thing that really bothered me in this anime was the frequent tone changes. There were way too many scenes where the author tried to make it funny for some reason, the comedy just didn't feel right at certain times. There were also these cliché anime expressions that you see all the time in anime, and it just destroyed the overall serious theme of this story. It was pretty cringy to see the characters talk about their past trauma at some point, then joke about a random sandwich they don't like immediately after. It didn't really bother me that much, since there were a lot more heartwarming and profound parts, but I think other people might have had an issue with it. 

__Other thoughts__
Ever since I was a kid, my parents always made me practice. I grew up learning music as a crucial part of my life. Since my family always forced me to do this and that, I treated music as more of a chore other than anything else. I didn't think of it as _fun_ or as something I can express myself with. I didn't understand how music wasn't just about reading the score or just playing the notes before watching this. I can't believe how much I related to Kousei, thinking that there's no point in music other than playing it flawlessly with absolute precision and that there's no need to add in extra things that are completely unnecessary to the performance itself; that emotion wasn't needed in classical music, and the score can already tell the audience enough about the message the composer wanted to convey. But this anime taught me that you can say anything if you express it with your music. It really gave me a reason to let the music reach instead; finding enjoyment in playing. That's why this anime made such a lasting impression on me. Just like Kousei, I didn't really have a reason to learn, other than just satisfying my parents. I was just about to give up on piano and thought there was really no meaning for it anymore. But this anime helped me come back to it. I'm really grateful that I watched this. 

Really makes a lot more sense to how even though Kousei never actually said 'I love you' to Kaori in this story, and in the same way she never said those three words to him, they still managed to understand so much about each other just by playing for each other. Screw music theory, if you can make a piece yours, you can do almost anything to reach into the hearts of the audience!

 YLIA is definitely a must-watch. Though there are no actual fights, every performance feels like a real battle.

>_A soft piano resonates in the place ... Sitting in front of him is a boy with his eyes closed, concentrating on not missing the next note, on feeling the melody and, just as he did in the past with his mother, now Kousei plays on all to get the melody to her, to Kaori, the girl who lied to him to change her life into… Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso._

The story of Shigatsu puts us in the footsteps of Arima Kousei, a young student with a magnificent talent for the piano who, however, has not been able to hear any notes since the death of his mother (and coach) years ago. And even worse because after this event Kousei not only lost his ability but also his motivation, being alone and trapped in a colorless and totally monotonous life from which his friends Tsubaki and Watari cannot help him out ... But everything will change. when our protagonist meets Kaori Miyazono, a violinist who is the opposite of Kousei: cheerful, positive and above all passionate about music. And it is she who will be in charge of bringing Kousei out of his lethargy called life, forcing him to return to music and, through many moments, some happy and others sad,

# ~~~img220(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ub2gjScYJyA/YINCwiuw7yI/AAAAAAAALas/J5uoUfFXMbMuQkkoWXnj2G7OO2tdMuj1QCPcBGAsYHg/s16000/capitulo_9976.jpg)~~~

~~~__To the rhythm of Chopin, Mozart and life__~~~
And this is how throughout the series we will see the coexistence between the two musicians, how Kousei is developing little by little but without being able to completely let go of the traumas of his past and the loss of his mother, 2 points that are intrinsically linked and showing the lights and shadows of his life. And this will be shown at the same time as his return to the piano, since the series uses the presentations as key points for the internal changes not only of both protagonists, but also of secondary ones such as Emi and Takeshi, the 2 rivals and at the same time friends by Kousei. The above, of course, is not only shown at the narrative level and it is in these presentations where the value of this adaptation really shines, by giving sound to what we see on screen. And being so,

~~~__The most beautiful lie __~~~

However, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is also sustained at a narrative level thanks to the relationship that is built between its 2 protagonists, being that despite being counterpoints to each other, they have music in common. And this development is enhanced by a simple but very effective idea: Kaori's lie.. And it is that despite being a simple resource and that the affection between the two is quite palpable during the series, it also allows us to stay away from honeyed romantic situations or support based on the "love of one for the other", having instead a relationship of affection, companionship and silent understanding that is transmitted through their presentations. And again, this takes the series away from something empty and presents it as the passion that 2 people share for music. This will change of course in the final moments but the previous development will have enough weight to enhance the overwhelming final without falling into the cliché ... As the saying goes, not all stories can have a happy ending, but not for that. they cease to be significant, to mark our lives. 

~~~img220(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WveuCx6B7cs/YGYUnloD7cI/AAAAAAAAKW4/qB4EE7gRTNUvG_H2AoLbivW0yX47umrZgCPcBGAsYHg/w280-h400/Dise%25C3%25B1o%2Bsin%2Bt%25C3%25ADtulo%2B%25281%2529.gif)~~~

But not everything is rosy and Shigatsu can sin (not much really) in the development of his characters, sometimes rushing or disappearing someone as the series progresses. This does not ruin the viewing, much less the emotional impact of the story (I personally love this series) but it can give fuel for those who do not like it. It is also true that he can abuse the dramatic peaks in pursuit of sentimentality but again, whoever likes those kinds of moments will be more than pleased with the work.

Moving on to technical work, Shigatsu stands out thanks to the work of __Yukiki Aikeiwho__ gives us designs quite attached to the original work, respecting the style and features of each character but adding specific touches to the faces and enhancing the fluidity of movements represented in the manga. And this is vitally important if we think that Shigatsu is a history of musicians, with which the sequences where they play are quite usual and in all of them the level is maintained and a good synchronization is made between the movement and the music. But this is not all and although not always present, the bright color palette is the perfect complement for stage work, having places like the park, school, auditorium or hospital, all with a good work of light and shadow. and with enough detail to enter the atmosphere of the series.

However, the best obviously comes from talking about the sound aspect, courtesy of __Masaru Yokoyama __. And is that Shigatsu not only handles specific themes of the series, but also presents a very good selection of classical themes (most of Chopin and Debussy) highlighting "Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23" , "Étude Op. 10 No. 4 " and " Étude Op. 25 No. 11 (Winter Wind) " by Chopin and the famous " Clair de Lune "  performed by Debussy. But if you don't like openings so much, no problem because we also find songs like "Rondo Capricciosa" by Saint Saens or the cute "Twinkle, twinkle, little star"so it is very likely that you identify with one of the many themes of the series. And it is that also (and returning to animation) each one has the time and moments necessary to shine. And moving on to the main pieces, we have the OP "Hikaru Nara" by Goose House and "Nanairo Symphony" performed by Coala Mode , the first being that famous opening with the Steinway piano and the black cat in the background. 2 quite rhythmic and energetic pieces that manage to introduce us well to each episode but without overloading it with melancholy or sadness. The EDs on the other hand are "Kirameki" played by Wacci and "Orange"and even when I prefer the first, I recognize that the liveliness and rhythm of the second are the best closure to the story. Anyway, despite not being (for the most part) original pieces, the virtue of the series lies in the good selection it made ...

___Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is so many things at the same time that it is difficult for me to pigeonhole it into just one: it is a story of friendship, of loss, a well-posed story of what it means to need and support someone and above all, it is a story of love, love for what we are most passionate about in the world ,how it is that we sacrifice for the sake of success and how that same passion can drive us to fulfillment, to find our place and above all to want to move forward. All supported by a narrative that is built little by little through failures and fears rather than victories, with characters who do not sin to rush or pretend and with a beautiful and delicate technical work full of color;Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is a beautiful portrait of the love of music ... A beautiful lie of what it is to live to the fullest ...___

~~~img220(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ty-9EQcbCYE/YGYTiQv-XDI/AAAAAAAAKWk/mhozBTkIL7o6HzuQqXXL_CvqG6UL5DYWwCPcBGAsYHg/s320/community_image_1426941867.gif)~~~

>___If you liked this review, you can check more content on my personal blog #13Frames
 https://13fotogramas.blogspot.com/___

Your Lie in April is a fantastically written anime, and now that I have finished it, I regret having put it off for so long. I think the music element of Your Lie in April may fool some into suspecting that its a music nerd's dream anime, however, music is just the vehicle that sees the blooming of Kousei, Kao, Tsubaki, and Watari into new people, who mature and transform over the course of the anime.

I think the character development in the main 4 is amazing, and it allows for an intimacy between the viewer and the characters, which can only be achieved with excellent writing. Throughout the course of the anime, there is a personal attachment between the viewer and the characters, or at least I experienced this personally, and I think it made Your Lie in April that much more moving. 

However, I will cede that there were around 1~2 episodes where the storyline lulled a bit and I didn't find it as enjoyable to watch, but I think these were pretty easily overcome, firstly, by the completely gut-wrenching ending, and also the unique storyline and character building. And although some may claim that the ending and a lot of the conflict was somewhat cliche, which I agree with, I don't think it took away from one's ability to enjoy watching Your Lie in April, and that's why I haven't paid much attention to this.

Another thing that I would like to commend the producers on is the score. I think the soundtrack really makes this anime, and apart from the obvious opening that everyone knows, I think that some of the onstage performances are some of the most moving moments in the entire show, and I think that this is driven a lot by the pieces that they are playing. This is where the choice to use music as a narrative device really pays off, and you really don't get that from the manga, so in this case I think that the anime adaptation has really contributed to the quality of the story, as the music adds so much power. 

One slightly concerning thing, if anything, is the innumerable similarities that one could draw to other anime. Personally, I can see a lot in common with Barakamon, whereby someone is struggling with their hobby, but they end up reinventing themselves and their skills and growing as a person along the way. Obviously, we can all see the comparisons to Kimi no Suizou wo Tabetai, but even having watched both of these anime before Your Lie in April, I really don't think that this occurred to me until finishing the anime, as I was so engrossed in the story line that it makes it hard to criticise or compare until finishing, which is why it holds quite a special place in my heart.

Overall, I think its quite a fresh anime that puts a nice spin on the High School/Slice of Life genre, choosing the vehicle of a musician. Although, it is cliché, and had its lulls, I, personally, really enjoyed watching this anime, and as such I think it deserves at least a 9/10, but a little less than a 9.5, which is why I settled on a 92.

Your Lie in April is an immensely moving anime, and you will regret not watching it sooner.

Well, I'm gonna break some hearts here but this is a disappointing anime. I came into this expecting something really good based on all the positive reviews and such a high rating everywhere I looked. And at first, I wanted to believe. Potential is definitely present in the narrative. I kept hoping to feel some kind of enjoyment that never materialized. I looked over initial mistakes for the first few episodes but the mistakes never stopped piling up and at some point I just got tired of working so hard to try to enjoy an anime. I quickly realized how overrated it is. At least, it picked back up in the latter half.

It's very inconsistent, it tries too hard at everything and it's inaccurate. The kids talk like young adults dreading for tomorrow and overthinking about everything. There's too much care, thought and intelligence put into every single word they say and yet they're supposed to be in middle school. The way the production tries to make every single minute special, kind of like Bleach, makes none of them special. So many detail keep you in disbelief that you can't ever focus on the story. This story would be more fitting if all the characters were at least in college and if the main character's trauma was portrayed differently. The depiction of this metaphorical hurdle of his is unambiguously lunatic.

This has been a very frustrating watch. The comedy is pretty bad. The characters were just getting violent and overreacting for a moment to give us some relief from all the heaviness of everything else but it doesn't work. Comedy isn't easy to write but the answer isn't to just half ass it anyway. The writer should've kept to their strengths for this story. It is simply filled with all the worst and most boring clichés you could think of. What it lacks in originality isn't made up for by anything else either.

This doesn't really deserve its own paragraph but god, do I despise the shonen battle style of performances. Those dramatizations we see a dozen times per performance are just too much. The spectators' thoughts are wince inducing. Everything our dear characters do on stage is always either a genius power move or a catastrophic and irrevocable crisis that cannot be averted. Each one of them seems to deal in absolutes in this grey world. All those adults seem to have all the answers. Are they supposed to be an idealization of what kids wish adults were really like? Near omniscient like gods and composed at all time unlike all our little performers. Even in their own minds they always sound so confident and certain as if nothing could escape them.

The main character's convictions are as strong as a glass house. All it takes is one feeble it to make it all crumble. He gives up so easily that you wouldn't believe that it has been years since he last touched a piano but I guess that it made for a more dramatic story so they had to mention that obvious lie. Of course, it's not a lie, it's simply one of the many inconsistencies ruining the story and that keeps you in disbelief, ruining your immersion. This same character seems also quite easy to please despite being a gloomy guy because no matter what another character does to him, he'll be happy as long as he can see her smile and hear her play music. This just seems like an abusive relationship to me. Due to all the aforementioned flaws and many more, his, what feels like fake, mid-life crisis is as engaging as bingo night at a retirement home. So this doormat who can't ever say no with much resolve is taken onto a journey of abstract and quite ridicule plot, of cliché loss and heart aches.

The most realistic and well portrayed part of this whole anime is surprisingly one that I see misrepresented in most animes, love. This kid fell in love with who she is despite her flaws because of her qualities. He just really love how talented and lively she is, making him overlook everything else that annoys him. Obviously, despite all the drama already included, there's never enough drama in a poorly written script so to spice things up even further, making it quite a disgusting meal, our main boy's only friend that isn't a girl is dating the girl he's longing for. To spice things up once again, that friend doesn't mind at all if his gloomy friend tries to win her heart. At this point, it would be normal to wonder if this anime will develop into a hentai. Some of those kids don't even seem to know themselves which again, I believe is accurate for children and yet they can be doing such illogical things that if you were to facepalm every time they do something stupid you would end up in the emergency room. All the lies and this big circle of unrequited love makes you want to look away and roll your eyes all the time.

Finally, something more realistic when it comes to children, they can't communicate when it matters. They jump to conclusions, they keep to themselves, they wander around in their minds, overthinking everything without so much as attempt looking for the answers because it scares them. They deflect and yell all the time. Still, they yearn for attention from the right person. It's annoying, frustrating and yet completely accurate. It would probably be abnormal to expect middle schoolers to be less emotional but I still wished for it. 

This anime was clearly produced to make you feel something. They want you to feel the sorrow and desolation of the characters but it is so incompetently executed that if you think about anything for just a moment, you realize how hollow the script really is.

The story sort of ends on a high and sour note. Compared to the rest of the anime the last quarter was definitely of higher quality. Some things still don't make too much sense. The characters still don't seem like middle schoolers at all and the writing is pretty bad but it's better. The last episode is pretty good until a character's decisions throughout the series and even before are put into question. You wonder whether they were crazy, stupid or lying. It all makes very little sense but at face value it should stir up emotions from the viewers that won't think about it.

Nothing's more important than a good script and this anime is lacking one.

Simply the best. Yes, you have "heard" me right - the best of all, and I will explain why. Let me begin by analysing the story. You may think it is a cliche, but in a mysterious way, it ressonates with me like no other story does. I don't know why, but I see myself in Arima. A boy that feels the weight of the world on his shoulders and tries to keep smiling. He sees beauty that captures his eyes like nothing did in a long time, but feels he is not worthy of it. He is talented and loved, but he feels alone. And then there is Tsubaki. She is the best friend a lot of us have (or had, or wanted to have). She is the fearless one and stands by her fragile friend. She is energetic, but at the same time her sensibility moves me. To complete the usual trio of anime friends, there is Watari, the starboy that is charming and clearly the "supporting actor" for this story. But he is not that usual himself. He knows what he wants and keeps pushing Arima to his best, not by being less shiny, but the opposite - by shining on his own way! That is very peculiar. Now we have to look into the bright star of the anime: Kaori. At first glance, she is every boy's dream, and you must admit that. At second glance, she is not only that, she is unreal. The perfecction that she brings to the air, even considering her "strong" personality. But, by the mid-end of the anime, we see her true colors, and there resides her real magic.  The side characters are so full of a personality that makes them shine in a lot of moments. The pictures and images and closes are fantastic, the colors make my heart fiell warm, but at the same time, sad. Not any kind of sadness, but the sadness that I kinda need sometimes. No words for the music, that is a central character in the anime. It represents the youth of the children, sometimes rebels, sometimes filled with past troubles and sorrow, and there are times of joy and freedom - intensity at its peak. But there's the innocence. Oh the innocence. It is the trademark of the childhood. And they are so young. There are a lot of drama for their little experience and we suffer along with them. We hope and almost pray for them to get a happy ending, but life is, well... Life. Sometimes the beauty of all rests in the pain. Kaori would never be the icon of bravery with a pink sugar life. Kousei-kun would never be able to perform the collors he performs without the fear. Tsubaki and Watari know that there is something special around them and they "float" with a mix of maturity and raw emotions. Yes, it's not flawless, but that is what makes it sublime! We are all flawed, imperfect, a little selfish sometimes, full of laughs, tears and confusion - full of feelings - and so are the characters. It is a masterpiece,  a childlike one (and that is a compliment) and the only 100 score I've given (and always will).

Simply perfect, specially for it's imperfections - a childlike masterpiece - the only 100 score I'll ever give

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>The heart does not beat anymore when listening to music [...] If this can no longer make me cry, if this can no longer make my heart flutter, perhaps this will be how I die once.

BTS' <a href="https://doolsetbangtan.wordpress.com/2020/01/17/black-swan/">Black Swan</a> can be called the SparksNotes version of Your Lie in April down to the score, with the song having an <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGbuUFRdYqU">orchestra version</a> that could easily join the OST of this great anime. For artists, there is no greater pain than breaking apart from the thing you devote your life to, constantly battling between love and hatred for it and wondering if it's all worth it. Your Lie manages to capture this struggle and portray it in the raw pain and beautifulness of it all.

When doing a show revolving around music, and with such strong emotions to convey, it might be a tough challenge to choose what pieces to include as part of the score. YLIA never once had that problem. It's obvious that every song was carefully chosen to portray exactly the thoughts and feelings of the scene and they all make you feel exactly what the characters—and by extension, the writers—want the audience to. Though this might not be an action anime, every musical performance has the viewer at the edge of the seat craving for more (the best example of this is <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgGuTeP_HOE">Emi's performance</a> of Etude Op. 25, No. 11 in episode 8). And despite being an OP and not an inserted song, Goose House's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeJTNN8_jLI"> Hikaru Nara</a> adds nothing but perfection to this wonderful setlist.

Regardless of A-1 Pictures earning mixed reviews about their works, I cannot help but say Your Lie in April is one of their best projects thus far. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, with one of its fortes being the color palette choice according to the episode's atmosphere. Color theory and the intent behind it is not something that is appreciated enough in animation, and this show makes you appreciate its complexity. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing about this is how Kaori's hair changes as the story progresses, with it being a bright, lively shade of yellow in the beginning and a dull, pale color by the end of it. It's one of those tiny easter eggs barely anyone notices, but it adds a world of difference to the story, especially considering how they emphasize her relation to spring. The color Kosei's life was gaining as the story progressed was the same one Kaori was losing through it.

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While it is understandable why someone might think it can be somewhat boring or dull, Your Lie in April is still a must-watch for everyone. Heart-breaking yet captivating, this is a story that will tug at your heart strings with the same ferocity these characters play their instruments.

Heart-wrenching, beautiful, and painful—what being an artist is portrayed in the most magnificent way possible.

The only thing that makes this anime worth watching are the scenes in which the piano is being played.
The integration of the music and the character's feelings is very well done, and the animation for the piano keys being played was truly incredible to see.

Unfortunately, the good parts stop there, because the rest is an amalgamation of tropes and sob stories.
The worst part that truly left a mark on me was how tropey the main girl was (indeed, I do not care enough to check her name again): we are introduced to her dancing barefoot in the flowery spring, on top of a children playground, naturally  playing a likewise quirky child-like instrument. God isn't this girl the sweetest, liveliest, most lightweight girl of them all. And we, the audience are constantly reminded of her quirky over-positive energy, just in case we forget the miracle of existence of such a pure and angelic being in this wretched universe. Evidently, this girl is there so the audience can feel something when ~!she suffers the most unfortunate fate, that of an incurable illness!~. 
In short, the purpose of this character is~! to die, which makes it frustratingly predictable very early on in the show.!~

Admittedly, the other characters were a bit better, but also not far off from the group that just works too well in overly dramatized story-lines: ~!the depressed boy in need of salvation through romantic love, the adorably dumb jocky friend, and the side chick with unrequested love for our depressed boi. And of course, most importantly of all, the angelic deity that comes onto this Earth with the purpose of blessing our depressed boy and dying in the most stoic and dignified manner (any other way of dying would be unthinkable for this divine creature)!~

All in all, it was a jog to get through, and most of the episodes are only bearable because of the brilliant specs here and there of when they actually play music. Also, there is indeed some credit to the plot of the relationship between~! our depressed boy and his mom. I found his mommy issues quite intriguing and the slow reveal of why his mom was such a bitch very engaging and interesting.!~ Some of the side characters are better than the main character, and I found the portrayal of the music career very engaging. It really is a shame they didn't have such a tragic past so this show could be centered around them instead.

In conclusion, it is obvious why most people like it: the divine entity in this show suffers a most unfair fate (very much like Jesus, except his voice was probably less annoying and he didn't look like the clown emoji), which makes us grieve, and agonize, and to come back for more.

Music parts extremely well executed; Tropey and annoying characters, predictable plot.

Your Lie in April Series Watch Order

Season 1