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Year: 2014-2015
Genre: Drama, Romance
Episodes: 22
Rating: 5 out of 5
Have you ever told a little lie? A lie that was innocent but would help you get what you want or out of something. We have all told a lie at some point in our lives. Some are innocent, and some are completely major and earth-shattering. What happens if you told a little lie to get closer to someone you really like, but, in the process, saw that they were missing out on the world and life? That lie you told helps the person realize there is so much more in the world. I have an anime for you that will make you cry, too. Get ready with those tissues.
Overview
Kousei Arima is a boy who lost his genius musical ability. Growing up, Kousei was a child prodigy known around competitions as the “Human Metronome.” He played the piano with precision and perfection, but without emotion. His strict mother gave him intense training, and Kousei dominated every competition he entered, earning love and respect from his musical peers and audience members. Kousei tried his best to please his mother, but when she suddenly passed away, the trauma that Kousei endured made him lose the ability to hear the sound of a piano. Kousei does the unthinkable and decides to never take the stage again.
Now in junior high school, Kousei stays out of the spotlight. He leads a simple, quiet life. His best friends are Tsubaki Sawabe, a long-time neighbor and sports star, and Ryouta Watari, the ladies’ man and another sports star. As the years have passed, Kousei continues to struggle to get over his mother’s death and clings to music to cope. Kousei’s life suddenly turns upside down when he meets a beautiful, highly energetic violinist, Kaori Miyazono, who pushes him back into the spotlight as her accompanist. With a little lie, Kousei and Kaori grow closer together as Kaori believes that Kousei has so much to offer the world rather than disappear from it.
Review:
This anime will hit you right in the feels. At the end of the anime, I cried HARD. I am not ashamed to say this. I cried because it was sad and sweet at the end. This was on par with Angel Beats for me. I cried during that one. This anime is more emotional and coming-of-age than the action anime I usually watch.
Okay, so why did I cry? This anime story is touching and life-giving for anyone. It touches on many themes. To review, we are introduced to Kousei, who seems like a normal kid, going to class and listening to music. He has two best friends, and one day he meets his boy, Watari’s girlfriend, and he is smitten. We learn that Kousei was a world-renowned pianist but quit after his mom died. We thought he lost his drive from his mom’s death, but his mom was extremely abusive and pushed him to levels a kid should never be pushed. It was sad to see because this caused him to lose his ability to hear piano music. I have seen it many times: kids get burned out or lose their love for what they are doing. The trauma is intense for Kousei. This is the show’s first theme. How to deal with trauma and the effects of it. Kousei is messed up in the head. When he tries to play the piano and really gets into it, he sees a project of his mother and then crumbles. He states that it feels like he is floating to the bottom of a pool.
The second theme of this show is healing from trauma and growth. Even though Kaori is dating Watari, she spends a lot of time with Kousei. She pushes him to play with her at a concert. She is balling out on the violin, being erratic, but not having a care in the world. At first, Kousei has no idea what he is doing, but he takes a small step forward. As the pair grow together, you see Kousei letting go of the pain that his mother had caused. The main proof of this is when Kousei goes to a piano competition. He plays the piece in almost three different emotional feels. He sounds panicked and angry at first. Next, he is sad and terrified. The third section is when he finds his peace. He thinks about Kaori and how she makes him feel, and that emotion spreads through the crowd. It was touching to see him grow. Another scene was when he became a piano teacher. When his student played a duet with him, he didn’t hold back, and it also showed that he seemed to have gotten over his fear.
What goes up must come down, as life isn’t a straight line. Kousei is at the top of the world and loving life. When Kaori ends up in the hospital, his world almost ends because he thinks the same thing is happening again with his mother. Just like a normal person, he gets depressed and doesn’t know what to do. When he gets up the courage to play in the championship round of the competition, he lets it all out. Let’s out all his emotions and let the crowd know how he feels.
The final theme is LOVE. As Nat King Cole said, “It’s all about love.” Kousei loves Kaori and wants to spend as much time with her as possible. The reason this anime is called Your Lie in April is that Kaori tells a lie to Kousei, and when she writes that letter, you will start bawling your eyes out. There is also a love triangle in this show, where Tsubaki Sawabe develops strong feelings for Kousei and becomes jealous of the friendship Kousei has with Kaori. Lots of high school drama, but damn it’s good.
The freakin soundtrack and music to this anime is AWESOME and beautifully put together. What I like about the music is that it features some of the best musicians ever alive, and Kousei plays their music. Each episode had a different primary song that was played. For example, we got Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Mozart’s “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” Chopin’s “Wrong Note” Étude,” Rachmaninoff’s piano arrangement of the Waltz from Tchaikovsky’s The Sleeping Beauty and many others.
The animation was damn good in this anime. You get the standard okay feel with it at first, but when the episodes go on, the animation and look become better. The highlights are when Kousei finally finds his love for playing again. As he plays, the scene changes to what he is feeling. It shows a cherry blossom tree and the rays of the sun. These feelings are shown as little bubbles going to each member of the audience. With each performance, the animation shows crisper emotions and colors. Another way the animation is great is when Kousei sees his dead mom. She has this darkness about her from the pain and sorrow Kousei feels about her.
As for the characters, I want to talk about the two main ones. First, Kōsei Arima is a great character. I feel for him and know what he was going through. A child star who is pushed repeatedly by his mother. He seemed emotionless as a child, but when his mom died, dude became numb to music. He is a quiet person who keeps to himself, but you see his significant growth when he meets Kaori Miyazono. Dude instantly falls in love with her.
Kaori Miyazono is AWESOME! I love her character. I love that she is a free-spirited violinist who gives zero care about judges and how competitions roll. She goes out there and plays the way she wants and how she feels. I love how her character was the driving force in showing a down-and-out boy what life is truly about. She was honestly the best character in the entire anime, and you are drawn to her from her attitude and way of thinking.
Your Lie in April is a fantastic anime that will hit you right in the feels. The story is terrific, the characters are compelling, and the music is top-notch. You will need some major tissues after watching this anime. How a simple little lie can change lives.
