Your Lie in April

**PictureGuy** · 11-07-2016 11:06 PM

Get your handkerchiefs ready. Your Lie in April is a teenage coming of age story. But it is not just another teenage coming of age story. This one works on many levels, and brings a level of angst other series just won’t touch.

Junior high school student Kousei is a former child prodigy of the piano, trained by an abusive mother whom he always tried and failed to please. After her death, Kousei gives up his interest in music being unable to hear the notes he plays. After a two year absence from competition, he meets Kaori, a free-spirited girl who plays the violin. Kousei is surprised when Kaori demands that he be her accompanist in an upcoming competition. Well, to keep it short, Kaori inspires Kousei to return to music.

But things are not that simple. We also have a few love triangles going on. Kousei obviously loves Kaori, but she prefers Kousei’s best friend Ryota. And then there is Tsubaki, the girl next door who was always like a sister to Kousei, but now is in love with him.

We also get the backstories of Kousei’s rivals, Takeshi and Emi, and the reasons for their drive to perfection. It seems that Kousei had influenced their lives without knowing it, producing a love/hate motivation which drives Kousei's challengers.

But most of all, there is Kaori’s tragic secret which threatens to drive Kousei back into his shell. Kousei has a lot of emotional baggage to work through. We get inside his head as he tries to redefine himself through his music. He gains so much, but will he lose it, and Kaori in the end? It all works out to be a powerful story. I have never seen teens in an anime treated in this much depth and detail.

The animation itself is suburb. Yes, as a series there are a few shortcuts here and there, but overall there is quite a bit of life in these animated characters. The concert scenes are particularly done with detail resulting in natural movement. You get the feeling these characters are real.

The ending does not come as a surprise. But you do keep hoping for a slightly different outcome. Kaori is given the last word, and it is a bittersweet heart-breaker.

Mostly Your Lie in April succeeds by not getting sloppily sentimental. It handles the story’s tenderness and harshness equally well. It leaves you with a smile and a tear. There is no nudity, violence, or profanity, so it is good for pre-teens on up.

I really recommend Your Lie in April.

**Jasanime** · 11-08-2016 02:24 PM

I liked this series. The animation was beautiful, and so was the music. But I didn't connect with it as emotionally as some seem to. Not sure why. Maybe because I didn't really like the protagonist... and the love triangle was frustrating and kind of pointless... I liked Kaori-chan though. I think I shed a few tears at the end, but it didn't really leave a big impression on me like some series do...