We are introduced to a cast of interesting characters; Kousei the piano prodigy that cannot hear is piano; Tsubaki, Kousai's childhood friend, Kaori, the free-spirited violinist and the main female protagonist and Ryouta, the footballer that is also a womanizer. Most of the main cast are likable and have interesting character development throughout the show. However one criticism of the characters is that Kaori is treated more like a plot point rather than an actual character, as if her only reason of existence is to allow the story to progress. However her charming personality more than makes up for that flaw. The character development of the protagonist Kousei is one of the highest points of the show as through out the show you see him grow as a person alongside him growing as a musician.
Speaking of music, this anime has one of the best music of all anime ever. The majority of the musical pieces found in the anime are classical pieces. That might sound boring but the pieces are presented beautifully and are full of emotion that complements the story. For example, the emotion of the music changes greatly during one of Kousei's performances when he is confronting his past.
The art of the show can be beautiful at times especially during the music scenes and also can be calm and serene during the emotional scenes. However it is not one of the stand-out points of the show and while it is very good it is no where near the level of what other studios such as ufotable, madhouse or even kyoto ani could do.
Finally we have the plot, I am not going to touch greatly on this point because I do not want to spoil the plot, but to be honest there is not much to spoil anyways. From the first few episodes, I already had an idea what was going to happen anyways and the ending was not at all unexpected. The romance in the show is light and the love triangle was not as developed as I wished it to be. Not that it really matters anyways, because this show is the ultimate chiche melodrama, and you bet that it manages to make the viewer feel strong emotions. The series manages to bring out many emotions including sad, calm, happy and comedic, and if you like shows that bring you to tears, this is the show that will do it and it will do it spectacularly. I also particularly enjoyed how it contrasted the protagonist's past and the present and showed how he confronted it again differently from the past.
Overall, this show is excellent. Even though the plot may be super chiche and expected. It delivers a cast of likable characters, heart wrenching plot and music that will blow your mind. I really enjoyed this show and I would recommend it to anyone.
