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):
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
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)
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!!!)
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.
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.
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!
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!)