Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, or Your Lie in April, clearly describes a heartbreaking situation when this effect comes into play. How one small misunderstanding could result in such a huge loss that you break down in the middle of nowhere. What you perceived was the truth, only for you to finally realise that it was wrong the whole time, but it's too late to change the future. Whatever you do cannot fill that missing hole in your heart. And all this happened because you believed that one, tiny, small, innocent lie.
Let's break it down, shall we?
Story: 10/10
Flawless. Even that one word is an understatement. The show mixes many genres together that it at first seemed hard to weave something out of that mixture, yet Naoshi Arakawa nailed it. The beginning hooked you in already, as you see a curious girl chasing a cat around town. With that hook already reeling your interest in, the story begins with Arima Kousei, a former piano prodigy. And then comes Sawabe Tsubaki, a sports lover, along with Watari Ryouta, the soccer team captain and an absolute chick magnet. The show first highlights the tragedy that caused Kousei's post-traumatic stress disorder; the death of his mother. That was the foundation of the plot, and a good one in fact. And then comes Miyazono Kaori, a cute and energetic girl that both Kousei and Ryouta falls for, but to Kousei's dismay, Kaori chose Ryouta over him. That conflict created a beautiful plot that grabbed your interest. And that is just the beginning.
The comedy was wonderful. How the characters react to embarrassing moments or frustrating moments make you choke in laughter. For an anime known for its depressing ending, the comedic feel of the anime was perfect. As for the romance, a love triangle was already observed within the first two episodes, so that is something to look forward to as a new watcher.
Overall, the plot was easily understandable and easy to follow, and the way the plot progressed uphill from there strikes the interest of the watcher. The climax keeps you on the edge of your seat, a tissue in hand, preparing for the ending. And the ending jerked your tears, haunting you for the next month or so.
Art: 9/10
Cherry blossom petals fly high in the sky, following the spring breeze in the morning. In autumn, leaves create a path of orange on the ground, just like the setting sun. Winter comes along, with their snowflakes drifting towards the ground, accompanied by the cold night wind. A-1 Pictures nailed them all. The landscape was breathtaking, the colours were vibrant and the character movements were smooth and some even had a comedic feel to it. The character designs were also one of the reasons why I loved this show. The transition of expressions following the mood of the situation or even the way they look at each other with sparkling eyes, it never ceased to make me smile. What made the art lose that one point was the use of 3D animation to show Kousei playing the piano. I'm not sure if it was just me, but that made me slightly uncomfortable, with that sudden transition from 2D to 3D.
Sound: 10/10
The anime showcased two openings and two endings throughout the course of its 24 episodes. The first opening, Hikaru Nara, started off the anime. And I believe that was a great pick, with the cheery tune from the start which got slower towards the end of the song. This mimicked the theme of the anime as well; cheery at first before breaking your heart at the end. Hikaru Nara is also my most favourite song, like, ever. The first ending, Kirameki, was slow paced and beautiful. It still had a cheery beat to it, making it wonderful for the first ending. The vocals for Kirameki was outstanding and I enjoyed it.
The second opening, Nanairo Symphony, had a smoother flow than Hikaru Nara's excited bouncy flow. This gave the idea that, since it's already halfway through the series, things may not be as happy and bouncy as last time. But the music and vocals were still soothing and happy, especially the climax, which eases the heart of any tension. The second ending, Orange, was soft and a tearjerker. That song was just like the anime ending; soft, saddening, depressing, yet a beautiful masterpiece. A perfect pick for the last half of the anime.
Character: 8/10
The way the characters developed over time is debatable. The way they were portrayed at first had that normal cliche feel to it; Kousei being a shy nerd, Tsubaki being an annoying brat, Ryouta being a carefree ladies' man and Kaori being the attention-seeking hottie. But the way they developed as the story progresses was really surprising. Kousei slowly broke out of his shy shell, Tsubaki slowly realises her feelings, Ryouta slowly being helpful for Kousei's sake and Kaori, who slowly starts to show her actual feelings. And as you may have guessed, it's surprising in a sense that not much change happened at all. And at the end of it all, they just seemed to go back to their normal selves. It really is weird, but I was fine with it nonetheless.
Enjoyment: 10/10
This, by far, is the top anime on my list. I loved it, I enjoyed it, I felt that it was amazing and I certainly would want to watch it again if I could forget the ending. I cried my heart out over the next two months after finishing the series. As I reflect on it all, the anime has its fun times, its sad times and its serious times, all of which had reeled in my interest. I will not hesitate to say it again: Your Lie in April is my most favourite anime to date.
Overall: 10/10
And now, once you have realised the truth, you torture yourself every day, blaming yourself for not realising it sooner. You hate yourself for not realising it, but now that you have, it's already too late to change anything. But one thing's for sure: You will never forget. As long as you live, you won't forget everything that happened. That may be for the better, that may be for the worst, but whatever good or bad that has happened is forever etched in your mind. Don't cry because it ended, smile because it happened.
"Sayonara"
- Arima Kousei
