As far as musical anime series I’ve seen this year goes, I liked Kids on the Slope more than Your Lie in April,
probably because I like jazz more than classical music; but also because I
found that the former has a deeper and more meaningful drama. But between Your Lie in April and Sound! Euphonium, the former has a far richer quality.
Your Lie in April (also known as Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) tells the story of a junior high student
named Kousei Arima who used to be a child prodigy in piano. However, he stopped playing after he was
traumatized by the loss of his mother (who also served as his piano teacher) to
a terminal illness – which caused him to be incapable of hearing the sound of
his piano playing. A few years later, a damaged
Kousei meets a free-spirited, quirky girl named Kaori Miyazono, who happens to
play the violin. And from the moment on,
with Kaori as his muse, Kousei begins an emotional and colorful journey of
healing, learning, coming to terms with loss, first love, and rekindling his
deep affinity for music and performing.
It took me until the end of the very last episode before I could conclude that I really like this anime. The climactic last episode really moved me
and made me misty eyed, but, as all the pieces laid on place, I still needed a moment after watching it to let everything sink in… and
only after some reflecting did I fully grasp how well-made Your
Lie in April truly is.
The music is delightful, the animation
is gorgeous, and the script is well-written.
But what makes it magical is how these three – music, animation, and
script – seamlessly collaborate and complement each other in delivering an
emphatic impression in every sequence and enhancing the storytelling. It’s likely to be an indication of how great the direction
is, I guess, so kudos to the director.
The romantic angles are a bit annoying
at times, for it features teen romance clichés.
However, it turned out to be more profound than it was letting on, and I
was satisfied on how the love story played out in the end. However, Your
Lie in April is not only “teen romance” at all; it actually explores a wide
range of deeper themes, which make this anime more worthwhile and insightful
than other teen dramas.
In summary, Your Lie in April is a first-rate production in all fronts. Benefiting from strikingly vibrant visuals
and eargasmic musical pieces and well-directed storytelling, it overcomes its
choice of familiar teen drama tropes to tell a beautiful, tragic story with an
optimistic message.
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