For today, we will be reviewing Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso or Your Lie in April, a music anime that was very touching to me.
Story:
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (Your Lie in April) is about a teenage boy named Kousei Arima, who was known to everyone, as a piano prodigy. He has descended into despair as his mother, also his music teacher, has passed away. Since his mother's death, he was unable to hear the notes and sound of the piano, and he has quit playing the piano, but that one faithful day in spring under cherry blossoms, he met a girl named Kaori Miyazono, who changed his life completely.
Throughout the course of the story, Kousei's friends, Tsubaki and Watari along with Kaori rebuild him as a whole person and to ultimately return to play the piano. The story was really well-paced, as we were able to easily see what experiences and feelings that he was going through and how he develops from them. We are able to see what sufferings, emotions and events that musicians have to go through before they excel. As a pianist of over 11 years, I can perfectly relate to Kousei's feelings, which causes a feeling of the story being pretty realistic. Not to forget, Your Lie in April really opens a new perspective of music (especially classical music) to many. Some of these are: "Who are we playing music for?" or "What message are we trying to say from our playing?". All of these questions makes music a huge impact on the audiences.
A major theme of Your Lie in April is coming of age. Throughout the series, we don't just focus on Kousei, but also the other characters. This allows us to see how others around us make an impact on our life. Your Lie in April perfectly shows how our life would be, such as the moments of joy and happiness and then the moments of sadness and loss. We could flawlessly relate this to the piano. The black keys represents sadness, while the white keys represent bright times, which both create music. The up and downs that we experience, creates our life.
To sum up the story section, the plot was executed really well. Even though the plot was simple in general, behind the plot's mask, we see a whole list of things that we could relate to in our own lives, which causes a huge influence on the audiences.
10/10
Art:'
In this series, the art and animation is being done by A-1 Pictures.
I have to say that the art and animation is really well done and absolutely beautiful to the eyes. The unique design of the characters enables us to distinguish them from one another. The visuals, especially in the piano performances scenes, does a great job expressing how each characters are feeling, such as bright and vivid colours in the cheerful moments, while dark and gloomy colours are used at the depressing points.
10/10
Sound:
For the soundtracks of Your Lie in April, I have to say that it is very outstanding. The OPs and EDs in both sections of the anime were very memorable and all of the concert pieces were really well-chosen to be used at the right scenes. As the music was done at the right moments, it helps the audience see what the anime is trying to exude. It just makes your feel trip even better and more emotional.
10/10
Characters:
The characters would have to be considered as the 'foundation' of Your Lie in April. Each character in the series plays a certain part, which contributes to the main plot. The character that stood out the most would definitely have to go to Kousei. In the beginning, Kousei is depicted as a depressing and tedious person, but as the series progresses, we begin to see Kousei developing a lot. One major ways of him developing is the gradual journey to re-playing the piano, but playing in a completely new way, comparing to his past.
Then we have Kaori Miyazono. She is depicted as a violent, demanding and needy girl, but if we dig deeper, we can see that these personality traits create a deep character, as Kaori is a perfect replica of Kousei's mother. Kaori's main purpose in the series is to be the main inspiration for Kousei's journey of rebuilding himself. Throughout the series, we see Kousei and Kaori grow closer together through their conversations and their times playing music together. Through their interaction, we were able to know more about them and their backstory.
For the other two main characters, they were Watari and Tsubaki. Generally speaking, their main role was to support Kousei and Kaori, but it was a agreeable addition to the main characters, which creates significance into the plot. As for the side characters, there was a pretty good cast. Some of the outstanding side characters would be Hiroko and Takeshi. Even though the side characters have small roles, they actually play importance towards Kousei in a certain way.
10/10
Enjoyment:
Overall, Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso was an emotional, but exceptional anime.
As a pianist myself, I was very indulged into the music in every single moments and they all gave me those strong feeling, which leaves me a feeling of happiness and also crying. The story was well-carried out and the pacing was at a suitable rate. The art perfectly fits the mood of every scene and the animation was smooth. The characters were memorable and developed very well. The audience are able to connect with the character through their emotions.
Conclusion:
Story: Well-executed and connecting to the audience (10/10)
Art: Appealing and suitable in every scene (10/10)
Sound: Well-chosen and emotional (10/10)
Character: Great cast (10/10)
Enjoyment: Made me went on a feel trip (10/10)
OVERALL SCORE: 10/10 (Wonderful and impacting)
