No other anime serves as a finer example to this quote. Every scene in the series, every sentence and frame, serves a purpose, not once did I find myself asking "what is the point of this scene"?
Story and Characters:
Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is no doubt an anime driven largely by its characters, so it only seems logical to write about both as once category. First, let's talk about our main boy:
Kousei. He's a troubled young man who has difficulties playing the piano following the death of his mother, and at the start of the series, he has completely abandoned it. I admit that I initially did not like his character terribly much, as it's merely a stereotype of the talented-but-troubled-hero, but as the series goes on, Kousei becomes an extremely well fleshed-out character with a detailed, emotional background that one cannot help but empathize with as we see the events unfold through his eyes.
Our female protagonist, Kaori, takes a different approach of having a somewhat more mysterious background, but this works in her favour rather than against it. We learn about her through her actions, her words, her facial expressions, and her presence onscreen is nothing short of joyful.
The supporting characters are also great, though I do wish we could have seen more development of Watari and Kashiwagi. The story can be slow sometimes, yet every moment was worth it to me. Overall, I would still give this category a strong 10.
Art:
I don't have much to say, simply go and watch the trailer if you must. The art is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS, with a style unlike other anime. 10.
Sound:
Being a musical anime, expectations are high. Throughout the first few episodes, I was wondering why I became so quickly attached to these characters. Another few episodes in and I realized, that it was because of the well-timed musical pieces. The classical music in the anime is also excellent.
UPDATE: After watching A LOT more anime, I've come to the conclusion that YLIA has some of the, if not the best music out there. Both OPs and EDs are great and memorable; I still find myself humming to them months after finishing the anime.
10/10
Final Note:
A metric that I've always used when reviewing anime is how it makes me feel - not just right after finishing the series, but days, weeks, even months later. With Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, I can very much say that I know this feeling that I have right now will stay with me for a long time to come, and that emotionally I gained something out of it.
