'Your Lie in April' is quite possibly the most disappointing anime that I have ever seen. This is because the series brings you in with gorgeous visuals, fantastic sound work, an interesting concept and elements of delicious suspense... and then lets you down with horrible story execution, insufferable characters, and an ending which makes you want to go into "Kyle mode" and punch a hole through the fucking screen. I really, really wanted to like this series... but it just wouldn't let me.
To get it out of the way, here is how I rated the show (out of 10):
Story: 3
Art: 10
Sound: 10
Characters: 2
Enjoyment: 2
Overall: *3/10*
I thought about going into detail on everything wrong, and right, about the series, but I think it would be better if I went into the two things that drag this series down into the pits: Kaori, and the "twist" ending.
Let us begin with Kaori, who is one of the most terrible female MCs I have ever seen. She is selfish, dishonest, manipulative, abusive, self-righteous and histrionic, far more resemblant of a spoiled, ditzy cheerleader than a well-accomplished music prodigy. She spends the entire series forcing Kousei to relive traumatic experiences just so she can get him to play the piano, either as her accompaniment on-stage or simply for her own amusement, all the while leading him on with mixed signals as she is dating his best friend, a popular jock-type who is almost his exact opposite. She constantly belittles him for doing any little thing she doesn't like, hitting him excessively and/or talking down to him like a misbehaving child. On occasion, she will be incredibly sweet & endearing towards him while they're hanging out... before eventually ditching him abruptly to hang out with her boyfriend. This shit is textbook psychological abuse.
Such behavior by itself doesn't necessarily mean the character is poorly-written, but what makes it particularly unpleasant is that her bullshit is presented as though it were a good thing for all parties involved! She is framed as some quasi-tsundere goddess with a heart of gold when she is actually just a sick, twisted, manipulative teenage bitch with a superiority complex. Talk about cognitive dissonance! Had she been portrayed as more damaged and/or morally-ambiguous, which would have been more suited to her actions, the entire series would have been drastically improved as a result, and she would have been, in the end, a far more compelling and even likable character... but that is not what happened.
Which brings us to the abysmal "twist" ending: It turns out that she was in love with Kousei all along and only dated his best friend to get close to him - the titular lie in April: "I like Watari" - claiming that she didn't have the confidence to approach him; however, Kousei doesn't find out about this until he reads it in a note, which she arranged to have delivered to him only after she was already dead.
What. The. Fuck.
So let me get this straight: She spends how many months belittling this poor kid over the agonizing pain he has experienced due to the death of his abusive & overbearing mother by being incredibly abusive herself, playing with his emotions and leading him on the entire time, all while dating a guy she secretly doesn't even like just to subject him to this disgusting behavior... because she was in love with him?! How fucking pathetic! Seriously, it's like watching an eight year-old boy go bully his crush on the playground because he doesn't want the other boys to make fun of him. Oh, and let's not overlook her bullshit excuse about not having the confidence - yeah, as if I am going to believe that a bubbly & outgoing teenaged girl doesn't have the guts to start up conversation with a shy loner, especially since she had no issue with beating & scolding him throughout the entire fucking show. This plot twist, and how it was executed, instantly made Kaori one of the most unlikable characters imaginable, and further ruined what little enjoyment the series could have brought to the table.
Again, had they presented Kaori and/or the revelation differently, this twist could have instantly made her more compelling, sympathetic & endearing, and had you looking at her actions in an entirely different light, especially since harboring such love for Kousei would have seemed more antithetical to her personality. Instead, we get a boring-yet-infuriating resolution to a mediocre story that leaves you feeling anything but satisfied.
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IN SUMMATION: As I said before, this show had a world of potential, and I really did want to like it. I honestly thought it would have everything I wanted in a story like this, and it started out strong enough to make me anticipate the rest of the series... but then it took a watery shit all over my expectations, leaving me annoyed & dissatisfied in the end. Fucking blah.
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'Your Lie in April' is quite possibly the most disappointing anime that I have ever seen. This is because the series brings you in with gorgeous visuals, fantastic sound work, an interesting concept and elements of delicious suspense... and then lets you down with horrible story execution, insufferable characters, and an ending which makes you want to go into "Kyle mode" and punch a hole through the fucking screen. I really, really wanted to like this series... but it just wouldn't let me.
To get it out of the way, here is how I rated the show (out of 10):
Story: 3
Art: 10
Sound: 10
Characters: 2
Enjoyment: 2
Overall: *3/10*
I thought about going into detail on everything wrong, and right, about the series, but I think it would be better if I went into the two things that drag this series down into the pits: Kaori, and the "twist" ending.
Let us begin with Kaori, who is one of the most terrible female MCs I have ever seen. She is selfish, dishonest, manipulative, abusive, self-righteous and histrionic, far more resemblant of a spoiled, ditzy cheerleader than a well-accomplished music prodigy. She spends the entire series forcing Kousei to relive traumatic experiences just so she can get him to play the piano, either as her accompaniment on-stage or simply for her own amusement, all the while leading him on with mixed signals as she is dating his best friend, a popular jock-type who is almost his exact opposite. She constantly belittles him for doing any little thing she doesn't like, hitting him excessively and/or talking down to him like a misbehaving child. On occasion, she will be incredibly sweet & endearing towards him while they're hanging out... before eventually ditching him abruptly to hang out with her boyfriend. This shit is textbook psychological abuse.
Such behavior by itself doesn't necessarily mean the character is poorly-written, but what makes it particularly unpleasant is that her bullshit is presented as though it were a good thing for all parties involved! She is framed as some quasi-tsundere goddess with a heart of gold when she is actually just a sick, twisted, manipulative teenage bitch with a superiority complex. Talk about cognitive dissonance! Had she been portrayed as more damaged and/or morally-ambiguous, which would have been more suited to her actions, the entire series would have been drastically improved as a result, and she would have been, in the end, a far more compelling and even likable character... but that is not what happened.
Which brings us to the abysmal "twist" ending: It turns out that she was in love with Kousei all along and only dated his best friend to get close to him - the titular lie in April: "I like Watari" - claiming that she didn't have the confidence to approach him; however, Kousei doesn't find out about this until he reads it in a note, which she arranged to have delivered to him only after she was already dead.
What. The. Fuck.
So let me get this straight: She spends how many months belittling this poor kid over the agonizing pain he has experienced due to the death of his abusive & overbearing mother by being incredibly abusive herself, playing with his emotions and leading him on the entire time, all while dating a guy she secretly doesn't even like just to subject him to this disgusting behavior... because she was in love with him?! How fucking pathetic! Seriously, it's like watching an eight year-old boy go bully his crush on the playground because he doesn't want the other boys to make fun of him. Oh, and let's not overlook her bullshit excuse about not having the confidence - yeah, as if I am going to believe that a bubbly & outgoing teenaged girl doesn't have the guts to start up conversation with a shy loner, especially since she had no issue with beating & scolding him throughout the entire fucking show. This plot twist, and how it was executed, instantly made Kaori one of the most unlikable characters imaginable, and further ruined what little enjoyment the series could have brought to the table.
Again, had they presented Kaori and/or the revelation differently, this twist could have instantly made her more compelling, sympathetic & endearing, and had you looking at her actions in an entirely different light, especially since harboring such love for Kousei would have seemed more antithetical to her personality. Instead, we get a boring-yet-infuriating resolution to a mediocre story that leaves you feeling anything but satisfied.
_______________
IN SUMMATION: As I said before, this show had a world of potential, and I really did want to like it. I honestly thought it would have everything I wanted in a story like this, and it started out strong enough to make me anticipate the rest of the series... but then it took a watery shit all over my expectations, leaving me annoyed & dissatisfied in the end. Fucking blah.