“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!”

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