In all my life of consuming various media be it fiction, non-fiction, music, movies, anime and sports, there have been two instances when I had to stop everything and rethink my life choices. My life, my way of thinking, my aspirations were changed by these two instances. The first was when I was reading "Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality" and this taught me the importance of rational thought and being in control at all times. The second time my life was changed was after I watched Your life in April.
Does this mean, this anime is perfect. No, it is not. But it resonated with me deeply. After watching this anime, I felt the urge to change my life and it prompted me to rethink some aspects.
So what did I learn?
Kaori Miyazono. Here is my interpretation. Kaori is the voice in all of us which is constantly in the background telling us "We can do it!" even when everything appears bleak and unforgiving. The voice is fragile and its easy to lose hope and ignore this voice. But if you listen to it, then your fears vanish and you wonder why you were afraid in the first place. I learnt to listen to this voice, to live life to the fullest, be it listening to music, watching anime or just enjoying a sweet pastry. Kaori represents every childlike wonder and emotion inside us. She also brings an unshakable self-belief and self-confidence we all have deep inside ourselves. To listen to this voice and ignore the others is a lesson is will cherish and try to implement daily.
Your Lie in April is also one of the few shows where child-prodigies and geniuses are potrayed in a realistic manner. Kosei is a genius. However unlike genius prodigies in other anime, Kosei actually wasnt naturally gifted but got to where he was through hardwork and practice. This show, after what feels like a lifetime epitomises sweat and blood. All the characters be it Kosei, Tsubaki or even Watari face hurdles and they give their sweat and blood to overcome these challenges. On the surface while someone maintains a veneer of perfection, inside everyone is battling demons, making sacrifices to reach their goals. All of this is exemplified during the piano/music performances. Everyone be it Kosei, Kaori or even the supporting characters face their fears before every performance and post performance they feel drained. Sweat clinging to them, they stare out at the audience hoping they were able to make a connection. You can feel the pain of the characters because they are humanized. There are no emotionless robots here.
So to sum up, I give this anime a perfect score of 10/10. It had its flaws but the presentation and story and the characters made up for it. The music consistently wowed me and the visuals told a story of their own, being bright and cheerful during happy times and being subdued and closer to monochrome when in the hospital. Looking back, the story was melodramatic and Watari was kinda not needed as a character at all. Also looking back, Kaori was nothing more than a plot device to nudge Kosei along. This was Kosei's story through and through. The rest were just along for the ride. And here is the secret. I went on that ride as well, and what a roller coaster ride of emotions it was. Your lie in April is an anime I will revisit every April here on out to remind myself to live a little bit more.
To close off, this anime made me buy a digital piano. After a long thought process, decided to pick up a Casio PX-350. Being a 30 year old guy, its been almost 10 years now since I picked up a new hobby. For what its worth, I haven't played a single note of music in my life before. Wish me luck.
