Before I watched "Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso", or in English "Your Lie in April", I was a music enthusiast and played in 3 different bands. I still am a music enthusiast, but I feel as though this anime has enabled me to love it even more, to give me an idea for why I play music, and why I find it one of my favourite hobbies to this day.
So I ask you this:
Do you like music?
Do you like realistic character development?
Do you like an anime with heart-warming romance with a side of drama?
Do you like beautiful art and animation?
Do you like an intriguing and unique story?
If you answered "Yes" to the majority of those questions, chances are you will love this anime. Now let's get more in-depth...
I did say earlier that I was and still am a music enthusiast. But to be honest with you, before I watched this anime, I wasn't too interested in Classical music. My opinion soon changed after hearing such beautiful music flow through my ears. The music played in this anime is of such great quality and suits each situation perfectly. You can practically hear the character's emotions being poured into the piano. But hey, that's just my opinion.
I found the plot of this anime to be more unique and entertaining than what I was expecting it to be. I mean, other than the music itself, what's so entertaining about playing the piano? Well to answer that question, it's not just playing the piano I find interesting and entertaining, it's seeing the main character fighting emotions inside of his head while playing a difficult piece. Not to mention not being able to hear the notes because of how immersed he is in his own performance. Because of this and the death of his mother, he has emotional breakdowns, which he is trying to overcome throughout the anime. I feel very involved with the story progression.
In my second question, I asked, "do you like realistic character development?". This anime is one of the very few that I've seen so far that has realistic character development. No one in real life is going to overcome depression just because of a few words of inspiration and encouragement. Sure, they are definitely going to need those words of encouragement, but they also need to sort it out for themselves, and of course there is always events and memories that take you back to square one. This is exactly what the character development is in "Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso", especially with the main character Arima Kousei.
Other than the music and the plot, the romance and drama in this anime is one of the things that makes this anime great. It can either be very heart-warming, or filled with drama. I feel like the romance can actually be relatable for some people. (Myself included).
The art and animation is beautiful and colourful in this anime. The art is very accurate, portraying the events of the plot. Some scenes are fantastic, especially when you can see the hammers hitting the strings of the piano.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this anime, I recommend this anime to anyone, even if you don't like music.
