Your Lie in April

Yes, I know what you’re thinking. This is an anime. And, yes, while I hold a certain level of apprehension for the medium, that’s not to say that there isn't amazing works within.

There are certain works out there in the world that resonate with me on a specific level. If I had to compare it to a physical sound I’d call a slow, quiet string of notes with long pauses in between. There is a certain nostalgic ache that keeps you up at night, staring at the coming dawn, thinking of everything and nothing. My mind is both blank and racing. I feel not necessarily alive but hyper aware of time, space, and everything contained inside.

Your Lie in April is both a heartbreaking and uplifting show. The mental attitudes, the character arcs, subtlety of expression, and music make it a show that leaves feeling inspired, energized, and emotionally drained.

On an artistic level, I thought I the way the lips were drawn was very interesting. I have never seen lips drawn in that fashion. I think it allowed for nice subtleties in expression. The rest of the character- eye proportions, lack of noses, bodies, hair color, eye color- was pretty standard. I am very impressed with the level of animation that was put into the flying fingers of the pianists. Small, quick movement is an animator’s worst nightmare and yet instead of shirking away they rose to the occasion. I definitely don’t feel they cheated with the fingertips. Also the long scenery shots, as many have pointed out, were quite beautiful and set a lovely atmosphere.

On a special note, the goodbye between Kaori and Kosei was extremely touching. I was wary that the show would dip into the cliché territory and make everything too dramatic but the scene was perfect. And I mean it. It was lovely.

My biggest worry with the show was that it was going to be overly dramatic. I can’t count the amount of shows I've seen where the creator gives into their sadistic tendencies, pulling on the heartstrings of the audience until they become desensitized. Either the stakes become outrageously over the top or not nearly potent enough to elicit such a response. The humor that was speckled within the show brought life and a sense of normality and due to wonderfully written character psyches, the tragedy that encased the show was justly deserved and apt. I do, however, have a soft spot in my calloused heart for tragedies. I have a tendency to go with the flow when something sad has happened, even if others call it unrealistic. But I think that this show does a good job of not being too dramatic, even for those who are more critical.

And, when you get to the letter, I appreciate the title so much.

What really sold the show is the beautiful dynamic of the characters- even the side characters- and obviously, the emotional piano songs. 

Many times when a character like Kaori is written, they are written poorly. They possess outrageous optimism, have a crazily ridiculous backstory, are overtly coveted and loved by everyone, have this natural ability to capture the attention and affection of everyone, are spontaneous but then methodical. With all of those traits they become the trope of the good, lively character that represents the spontaneity of life and the enjoyment thereof. Because of this, writers usually fail to give these wonderful goddess and gods a personality, assuming that these traits are enough. As a result, usually these characters are so bland that while they smile all the time, their actions rarely make sense and I end up particularly despising them.

The difference with Kaori, then, is that she is first a quirky or as Kosei called her, “weird” girl. From her personality stems these qualities of kindness, compassion, spontaneity, and vivacity. And besides this she is also conflicted, methodical, understanding, bossy, a lover of sweets and cute things, and most importantly, possesses a great love for playing music. The love she receives is well deserved as she both gives even more back and it actually stems from somewhere within herself.

As for the ending… Sometimes writers seem to think the more tears they collect from their audience, the better their story must be. However, volume is not as good as concentration. The most successful, and I would argue best, writers know how to make the audience shed tears containing fragments of their shattered hearts. The story sticks with the audience. Unlike those that make sad things happen all the time, the tears are diluted and not as meaningful. I know that any people might feel that the ending was unnecessary but for me, it made total sense.  It felt like something that couldn't be changed and was just the way things were going to end up all along. It felt more like a point in time versus a decision that could have been altered. That is to say, I don’t view the ending under the pretense that it was necessary, I view it as just the way life had intended to flow. It wasn't a choice, it was life.

One of the greater aspects of the show that made it so strong was that while the story was ultimately about Kosei and then Kaori, the story did not shy away from showing the story of his childhood friend and competitors. It was with a bittersweet taste do we see how Kaori affected Kosei’s life to where now he can smile with laugh with his fellow competitors. I particularly loved the attention drawn to his fellow pianists. They had fascinating and unique motives and backstories. Furthermore the pieces they played were exceptionally exquisite. One highlight to the show was the interesting path it took by dissolving the perception of the great unmatched hero to the fellow imperfect human competitor. I felt this shift was very unique and I just loved the interactions.

Of course, I can’t conclude without mentioning the music. In short, every piece that was done entranced and enthralled me. Like the captivated audience and a young little girl who watched the performance, I was especially moved and, I fell in love. I can’t ever listen to classical music the same way ever again.

In the end, Your Lie in April speaks to me on a special level. To those who don’t like the anime medium or a show that is more slice of life wrought with tragedy and piano music, this might not be your particular favorite. Regardless, it is impossible not to acknowledge the amazing piano music and character development. Because it’s so dependent on personal taste, it’s hard to give it an overall rating but I will conclude with this: Your Lie in April left me nostalgic and inspired and for anybody who enjoys this brand of show, I’m sure you will feel the same.