Art: The art-style is very bright, cute and colorful. When Arima plays the piano he finds himself in an imaginary landscape filled with light with an intensely clear blue sky and white clouds. When Kao puts her bow on the strings of her violin she sparkles. It’s that kind of feeling in the visual. I think It is well done but I was definitely not amazed of the art. It’s not anything special, not something you’ll notice. I would say the art of Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is Fair (6). The art only plays a supporting role in creating the absolutely magic atmosphere. The most important part is made by the sound and music of the series..
Sound: Well, the piano as well as music in general, is the big theme of this anime. So you do expect It to just be filled with a constant presence of the atmosphere of classical music. They play a lot of Chopin and some Beethoven and It’s just awesome. Just check out the pieces that they play after seeing the anime. It’s not only the music that the characters perform, It’s also the background music that is really good. The intros and outros was not bad but doesn’t really stand out. They don’t really matter that much so It’s not a big minus.. Apart from the music I think the rest of the sound also is really, really, really good. They have a good way of using sound to create a dramatic impact; like when Arima is sitting by the piano and his dark past suddenly hits him. The “dark” sound that follows this change of scenery really reaches the spectator. The sound is well matched with what’s happening, It just leads you through It in a really good way. And the voice actors! Wow! It is brilliant! When i think about the voice acting I can imagine how hard the creators must have worked with this show, how much they must have cared and put their best effort into the creating process. The voices are acted out really good, end of story. Everything that I will describe about the characters now is portrayed in a nearly perfect way by the voice actors. I think the sound of Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is Great (9)!
Characters: Ok, so let’s get down to the characters. As main characters we have the four friends; Arima, Kaori, Tsubaki and Watari. All of these characters are very nuanced and most of them (all the ones that need It) have a good character development. It’s not only that the characters themselves are changing, It’s also that we as spectators gradually get to know the personalities better. Which is one thing that makes the show enjoyable. You get to sit there and try to understand the characters and now and then you see how the character acts in a new scenario and you get a new understanding of them. I also really think the balance of lead characters and supporting characters are really good. The different characters support each other as good as Arimas piano accompany Kaoris violin. There’s a really good balance. Something I was, and still are, sceptical to is some characters that show up when there’s less than 10 episodes left. These characters get to play roles in the centre of the main events. But they seem to me to be mostly unnecessary. Nagi, a piano student of Arima, does play a role in the development of Arima. I still think they almost could have skipped these new characters in the end to give space for deeper insight into already existing characters and their stories. After all the characters are really, really likeable and relatable. I got a lot of sympathy for the introvert but admirable Arima Kousei and the story of Arimas maybe closest friend: Tsubaki. I admired the fantastic and sparkling Kaori that just seem to naturally light people's life up. I loved looking into and understanding Arimas mother who is such an important part of him. And I also liked looking at all the other people that were affected by the “great Arima Kousei”, like his nemeses Takeshi and Emi. Well the characters of Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso are really Great (9).
Enjoyment: The series enjoyable. You get to follow good characters, get inspired by the music and much more. There is also good humour - even though It’s not the best, some things still makes you smile or laugh some. There are a very large amount of these cartoonish-break-things - you know when the person’s become more cartoonish and cute and make fun faces and expressions. I like that there is a lot of that but It’s a matter of taste. Well, I think I explained a lot about the enjoyment in the other categories so I will just say that the enjoyment of Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso also is Great (9).
Overall this anime is great. It’s wonderful! It is kind of cheesy and is a lot about feelings, friendship etc. But If that kind of stuff appeals to you, you should watch It. I think Shigatsu wa Kimi No Uso is Very Good (8). :)
