Raw emotions are hard to convey over text or speech. That might be why Your Lie in April relied so much on sound and music throughout its story, and why it will be hard to really do these anime justice in a simple paragraph of review. Each episode holds a significant emotional impact; overflowing with love, passion, and sadness. Music is often touted as a way to really unlock someone's heart. A key to emotions.

Your Lie in April might be the first time that's really truly resonated with me. Coming at a time when I'm concerned about some occasional heart palpitations I've been having, I realized - while watching this anime, with exceptions, it wasn't heart palpitations that I was experiencing. My heart didn't beat fast due to poor health. The music, without my noticing, had a consistent impact on me and my heart. A cliché, for sure, but for all the gratuitous talk about the musicians in Your Lie in April pouring their hearts/motivations/lives out into their music, I felt it.

For once when hearing people talk of a song resonating with a certain color, a certain emotion, a certain 'message', I was able to hear that message myself. Your Lie in April could be summarized as a story of the power of music. The effect it has on the musicians and artists that work with it, on those that hear it, and the relationships that stem from it. Music is a constant in all of our lives, and can come in many different forms. It can be a vent for pain or an expression of love; noise to fill a quiet and lonely life or a song to further the bonds with those one loves. It's hard to define music and what it means when it comes in so many forms, and each form can hold different meanings to different people.

Could you tell if someone was playing just for the sake of 'performing' and reading a sheet of music? Or if someone was playing with their heart on behalf of someone else? Not always, but you might not be meant to. Not every message and not every performance is meant for your ears. Music can transcend the notes on a piece of paper; its emotions and messages can reach past the ears of those listening and into the hearts. Your Lie in April lacked a single bad episode, or one that I could really see as anything short of fantastic. A special series which showcases just how powerful feelings and music can be in tandem. One that easily served to completely redefine my perspective on classical music as a whole, as well. It's a special kind of anime, and one worth re-watching when spring comes again. From the dynamic and compelling character cast to the journey to keep moving forward in the face of loss and hardship, I'll remember this anime.

Of course I can't write a review of this series without mentioning that the opening is absolutely beautiful, though;

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