Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, better known in English as Your Lie in April, is a story about a young piano prodigy named Kousei Arima who has lost the ability to hear the sound of his own playing due to the death of his strict mother/instructor. Before a breakdown on stage, many referred to him as "the human metronome" due to his perfection in playing. However, he has now resigned himself to living a simple, monotone lifestyle with his two friends.
This all changes in April, when he first meets Kaori, a vibrant and energetic violinist who goes against the grain of typical young musicians of her age and refuses to be a slave to the sheet music. Through Kaori, Kousei slowly gets pulled out of his dull life and back into the world of music, eventually even seeing old rivals from when he still entered into competitions.
The entire show brings with it elements of every season, from the heated passion of the summer and the casual energy of fall to the melancholy of winter and the fresh breeze of spring. All of these elements are highlighted through the music that is played, beautiful classical harmony that titillates the senses and lets raw emotion flood through your veins.
While some believe that the show is rife with cliches, I instead claim that it meets these cliches head-on, as if to tell the viewer that it won't bow down, that it won't become just another show with a premise that fails to deliver.
In short, I believe that Your Lie in April is a chaotic, poetic masterpiece, just like the music and characters involved. I highly recommend this to anyone interested in something real that tugs on your heartstrings and doesn't let go until the very end.
