It's a time for first loves, and finding yourself. For some, though, it's a time for learning to let go of your past and not letting tragedy define your life.
The main characters, Kousei and Kaori, both have their own tragedies but it's how they react to those tragedies unfolds the story. At its core, Your Lie in April is about Kousei's developing relationship with Kaori and how he overcomes his inner demons, and how all of it is tied to the music that they both love. The romance is sweet and heartfelt, interspersed with funny moments and the occasional dark flashbacks, which worked pretty well in the first half of the series.
And then the melodrama kicks in. It's not that the angst wasn't there in the first part, but as the second part of the story continues, it feels like it's trying a little too hard to tug at your heartstrings. There are moments that made me genuinely sad, but half of the time I was just wishing that the characters would stop monologuing and for the story to move on, and they could save the tearjerker moments for the ending. Despite this, the ending was handled with grace and candour. There was enough foreshadowing that the ending wouldn't have come as a surprise, but it still made a very big impact.
As for the characters themselves, Kaori is fun to be around, but you never really know what she's thinking. She's one of the main characters, yet it feels like she's there only to make sure the plot moves forward. Kousei grows from a traumatised, troubled boy to someone capable of mentoring and reaching out to others, and his childhood friend Tsubaki slowly realises that things are changing as they grow up. Watari, Kousei's other friend, is there mostly as a Plot Device, but I did find him charming nonetheless.
The friendship between Kousei, Tsubaki and Watari was one of the high points of the anime for me. Even when they should be rivals in love they are friends first, pushing and prodding and cajoling each other to move forward. Add Kaori to the mix and the dynamics become a bit more complicated, but the four of them still get along. The shot of them carelessly asleep on the grass in the first opening always makes me smile.
The rest of the supporting cast were fleshed out well enough. Personally, though, I didn't care much about their stories, and they were there mostly as foils to Kousei's development as both a musician and a person. If they had been cut out (along with the repetitive dialogue and imagery that Kousei in particular is susceptible to) and the series had been shortened to twelve episodes, I'd probably be the last to complain.
The art as a whole was fluid and very well done. I found the backgrounds, especially the starry skies, particularly beautiful, and everything from the beach at night to the rainy after school afternoon is flawlessly rendered according to the mood. The characters are distinct and immediately recognisable, though some of the hairstyles did give me a pause. The use of CGI during piano performances was a bit jarring, as is the focus on the instrument instead of the pianist.
The musical performances were enjoyable, though I would've appreciated a wider composer selection. It did get somewhat annoying when the characters began talking over their performances, especially when they're thinking something along the lines of "does my music reach you?", since you can't properly listen to it.
The soundtrack was pleasant and stayed in the background instead of intruding into the scene, and almost always blended with the performances at hand. The openings and endings were all great, though my favourite is the first opening, Hikaru nara by Goose house, which I thought matched the tone of the first part of the series perfectly.
Overall, I found Your Lie in April an enjoyable watch, even if it had its flaws. I'd probably skip some of the darker, more melodramatic episodes and focus on the ones with the musical performances if I were to rewatch it — it definitely has the beautiful music and gorgeous animation to pull you in.
