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