Introduction
Beautiful music, heart wrenching plot, deep characters and a beautiful art style wrapped in a 22 episode Anime. Your Lie in April can be enjoyed by all audiences from seasoned anime veterans to anime newbies. Your Lie in April is an intense look into the lives of musicians from all the joy and despair that comes with being a musical prodigy. Your Lie in April draws upon awkward romance that gets the audience to fall in love with the show the minute it turns on. This anime ranks as one of my favorite shows of all time, as it takes a romantic comedy genre that is oversaturated in anime and provides twists and turns that even opposers of the genre can thoroughly enjoy. For this review of Your Lie in April I’ll be discussing the plot, characters, and music/art. After the analysis, I will be using my review and trusted anime reviewing websites in the community to come up with an overall rating for the show out of 10 and my recommendation.
Story
The story revolves around prodigious pianist Arima Kousei who in his early childhood days dominated every piano competition in his region. As his mother, Saki Arima’s health was deteriorating he started to be abused by her and eventually her passing led to Kousei being unable to play the Piano. Every time he plays he feels like he is underwater and his piano does not produce any sound to him. However, this all changes when he meets Kaori Miyazono, a cheerful violinist, that slowly pushes him to enjoy music again. The story revolves around Kousei and his development of musical maturity through the help of Kaori and his friends, Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryuota Watari. All four of them go on a musical journey full of euphoric highs and heart crushing lows that stick with the characters for ever.
For a romantic comedy anime, the premise of the story is quite unique. There are almost no anime out there that intertwine the impact of music on relationships. The intense look into the lives of musicians even for a non-musician like myself was captivating because it opened my eyes to a new perspective that I could never even imagine. The general plot line is smooth with carefully woven plot twists and scenes of intense emotion that keeps the audience at the edge of their seat while also feeling all the emotions that the characters are feeling.
In terms of actual plot structure, I believe that Your Lie in April is extremely effective. The pacing of the show is almost always perfect with the right amount of speed to keep the audience engaged while also slowing down the moments that really need to be drawn out emotionally. However, what holds this section back from a 10 is the world building aspect of the show could have been developed slightly better because some relationships and character interactions can seem contrived. However that is a very niche criticism that gets overshadowed by the intense and elegant plot progression.
Characters
The character development of the main characters are predictable but that absolutely does not take away from the impact that the character development has on the audience. Arima Kousei underwent possibly the biggest character development out of all the main characters in the anime. He started out as an awkward middle schooler who could not play the piano anymore, to a happy, and beautiful pianist that inspires the next generation to come. He was always an outstanding pianist, but by the end of the anime you gain a new understanding and respect for the skill that Kousei shows. He went through quite a predictable and cliché coming of age but the way this coming of age is told resonates with audience so strongly that it completely outweighs the clichés that may come about.
Another character that undergoes a deep character development is Tsubaki Sawabe. Tsubaki was Kousei’s childhood best friend and always stuck by his side through thick and thin. As they progress through middle school and their lives, she slowly starts to be uncertain about her feelings towards Kousei. It slowly starts to bud into a crush and created a dichotomy where Kousei was interested in Kaori and Tsubaki was interested in Kousei. As she came to terms with her feelings she came to terms with herself and decided that she wants to stay with Kousei no matter what. It presents a coming of age that is heartfelt and genuine with all the relationship building in the world to back it up. Overall, the characters undergo heavy character developments due to what happens in the story but for spoiler reasons I will have to stop there.
Art/Music
I can not begin to describe the beautiful artwork and breathtaking music A-1 pictures uses in Your lie in April. The classical music performed during competitions and the way each competition is portrayed is absolutely breathtaking and anyone who even remotely enjoys a well animated art style will fall in love with this show instantly. The animation of each performance is accurate to the notes that are being hit on the keyboard and the emotion behind the music makes all of the vibrant colors pop out of the screen. Every scene is animated with such detail that the audience could get attached to the show just based on scenery alone. Out of all of the anime I have watched, the art style in Your Lie in April is almost unforgettable no matter how many anime I watch. The wave of emotions that the animation coupled with the story presents makes you wonder who is cutting onions in your room. The raw emotion the music and animation presents is almost unlike any other show and it just sends this anime over the top.
Conclusion
Your Lie in April’s story, character and thematic elements lend itself to be one of my absolute favorite anime of all time. On the top 100 international anime list it came in at 8 all the time and it was very well deserved. The integration of the romantic comedy genre with the fantastical life of musicians creates an anime that resonates with all audiences no matter the background. Overall, I would rate this anime a 9.5/10 because to me, the ability to invoke intense emotions in the audience while also following a unique plot line. If I had to recommend an anime to someone who wants to get into anime this would definitely be it.
Story 9.5/10
Characters 9/10
Art/Music 10/10
Overall: 9.5/10