Your lie in April anime review
Spoilers for your lie in April and tw for death, trauma and family issues
“Even in the depths of the darkest oceans, some light always pierces through,” - Kousei Arima
Genre: tragedy, music (piano/violin), slice of life, romance, high school
Where I watched it: Netfilx
Characterisation: 9.5/10 ( The characters are all given very distinct, yet believable, personalities, as well as flaws - all of them hesitate and make mistakes, and all of them learn something about what they actually want in the process. Even Kaori, who is always impossibly cheery and energetic, and Watari, who has a light hearted and humorous demeanor, are shown slipping up and getting discouraged. All characters have detailed backstories and well explained motives, which only get better as the series develops them)
Setting: 8/10 (The high school where all the characters go is a pretty standard anime setting. The more noteworthy things include Kousei's house, with the dusty piano room, ever present even when he tries to forget, the hospital where a lot of Kousei's grief is set, and the various very grand theatres where the piano competitions are held and where Kousei makes, breaks and rebuilds his reputation, as well as developing a relationship with Kaori)
Plot: 8.5/10 (One of my favourite anime ever. The plot is full of twists and has quite a few mysteries and side plots, which all link together beautifully in Kaori’s letter in the end, offering Kousei, and the viewer, closure. While some episodes are heartbreaking as the viewer finds out more about the abuse Kousei was forced to endure from his mother, others are quite comforting and romantic, as Kaori makes him realize he can play because he enjoys it and as himself, and that he’s much more than his mother’s tool.)
Comfort: 5/10 (This anime really is a roller coaster to watch- Kousei goes through depressing life situations, which are executed in a way that makes the viewer feel the pain or fear too. However, there are also several feel good scenes at the start of Kousei and Kaori’s friendship, with her helping him find himself and move past his mother’s death and abuse. Their playing together is also pleasant to watch, but soon, their relationship starts to be tinged with loss and sadness as well. There are quite a few humorous scenes with Kousei’s friends, particularly the playboy and captain of the football team, Ryota Watari.)
Art style: 9.5/10 (I absolutely adore the way the characters are drawn! They all look realistic and developed, with the eyes truly reflecting their personalities. The setting is drawn in a very aesthetic way too, with cherry blossom trees, grand halls for competitions, and starry skies on shimmering waters. This alone made it truly a pleasure to watch! The colour pallet goes from vibrant when Kaori enters Kosei’s life and helps him to move on from everything that happened, to muted and dull when things begin to deteriorate for him, reflecting the mood. Sometimes, in flashbacks about Kosei’s mother, she is shown in black and white, or with no eyes, which makes her appear all the more wicked and terrifying. References to colour are also often made to symbolise emotions and outlook on life)
Addictiveness: 10/10 (The series is very addictive, with constant twists and urgent mysteries in the plot, as well as mysteries and developments with all the characters. This made it impossible to stop watching- there are major cliffhangers. Luckily, at 24 episodes, it is not too demanding to watch.)
Philosophy: 8/10 (This anime is quite psychological, with Kousei’s mother abusing him for most of his childhood and dying when he’s 14. This leaves him unable to play the piano- he sees the ghost of his mother whenever he does and can’t hear the notes as a result- and forces him to abandon his career as a piano prodigy. Because of this, much of the anime is about recovery- Kousei discovers himself and his own love for playing, separate from the metronome-like style his mother had forced him to adopt. He also gains more insight into his feelings as he does so, realising that, in a twisted way, his mother ways trying to help him have a livelihood and support himself after she passed. With this realization, he’s finally able to move past the ghost of his mother and look at life from another perspective. All the characters fight their own mental battles, some putting up cheerful fronts and falling apart later on in the series, and others making mistakes and questionable decisions to find their happiness.)
Originality: 9/10 (I have never seen an anime combine so many elements so beautifully: there’s the music aspect, with the rivalries between the top players and competitions, the romance aspect, with Kousei’s feelings for Kaori, who is dating his best friend and the two growing closer, as well as Tsubaki’s chaotic romantic discoveries, and there’s a more tragic aspect, with the relationship between Kousei and his mother, her death, and what later happens to Kaori)
Consistency: 8.5/10 (The series keeps up a consistently high quality throughout. There are some seemingly less relevant aspects, like Kousei becoming Nagi’s piano teacher and helping her perform for a school concert, but I think these help us build a picture of Kousei recovering and making his piano playing, as well as his life, his own)
Kousei Arima used to be a piano prodigy- he was one of the most promising young pianists in Japan, winning every competition he entered and shocking the judges with his seemingly impossibly accurate replications of the score. However, after his abusive mother died, he found himself unable to hear the notes, and remembering her and the physical and mental abuse he went through whenever he played. As a result, he resigned from his career as a pianist. Two years later, his best friend, Tsubaki Sawabe, forces him to come along to a date she arranged between her friend, Kaori Miyazono, and Kousei’s other best friend, Ryota Watari. He gets there earlier than the other two, and is instantly stunned when he sees Kaori. The group later goes to see her perform at a concert, which is also deeply shocking to Kousei- she plays with skill and passion, but instead of sticking to the score, she changes the pieces she plays to her liking. Afterwards, Kaori manages to persuade Kousei to accompany her on the piano at her next competition. Initially, Kousei bails, saying he can’t hear the notes, but after seeing how much Kaori needs him and how nervous she is, he changes his mind and the group rush to the concert hall together. The performance starts off good, but then Kousei stops hearing the notes, resulting in a catastrophic second part. This is just the beginning of his new piano career- with Kaori by his side, he soon falls back into performing, entering competitions by himself and meeting old industry rivals who have all but forgotten him. As Kousei continues playing and starts moving past the scars his mother left him, realising her ghost is just a figment of his trauma and her actions were a form of twisted and misguided love, his relationship with Kaori becomes stronger and the two grow very close. However, Kousei soon learns something life changing about Kaori, which causes him to deteriorate all over again, and this time there is no one but his mother’s old collegue, Ms Seto, to force him out of the dumps and make him carry on playing.
