Sometimes you come across something that is so special, that it is almost impossible to put it into words. Your lie in April is just that. To simply call this an anime series, is almost to do it an injustice. Because it is so much more than that. I have seen quite a lot of anime (but trust me when I say that I am still a newbie to this wonderful medium), but this is without a doubt the best and most emotional series that I have ever had the pleasure of watching. I am so excited to share my thoughts with you on this, that I can barely contain myself. But I am getting ahead on things.
Before I begin my loveletter to this anime, I have to thank someone namely Weekendotaku. Now I have been following his blog for quite a few months now (and seriously if you are not yet subscribed to it, please do so now. I promise you won’t regret it.) and he has always had very insightful reviews which have been a blast to read. On the 2nd of April he started a new feature on his blog, namely a rewatch of this series. I joined in and every day a new episode would be watched and reviewed on which we and everyone else who had joined could exchange thoughts. It was great, it was emotional, it was fun, and I would not have wanted to miss this for the world. So once again: thank you!
In Your lie in April we meet up with the promising pianist Kousei Arima. Well, at least he was promising, but because of a traumatic event in his childhood, he can’t hear the notes anymore while playing. Just to clarify, Kousei is not deaf, in fact his hearing is perfectly fine. Kousei has two very good friends, Tsubaki and Watari, who have been with him since childhood. Even though Kousei has very little colour in his life, he has resigned himself to that. One day though, everything changes when he meets up with a girl called Kaori. Kaori plays the violin, has a sparkling personality and is almost the opposite of Kousei in every way. Still, she slowly begins to draw Kousei back into the world of music. But Kaori also has a secret, and when that secret will be revealed, it might be too much for Kousei to bear……
Now I am a man, and there seems to be a general rule, that a real man does not cry. But recently I heard something else as well, a real man is not afraid to show his feelings. Well, let me tell you this, I have literally had tears in my eyes so many times while I watched this, that it took me completely by surprise. Anyone who says that anime is just shallow, and only for kids should maybe start watching this series. To tell too much about this anime would be to do you a disservice. It is something that you have to discover for yourself. But I will attempt to at least make you understand why this series is so very special.
First off it is the characters. Never before have I had such an attachment to characters in an animated series. When you first lay eyes on Kaori, you will fall in love with her. Her personality, strength, and everything she does in this series is so incredible, that she feels completely lifelike. And no, I am not turning crazy, I still know we are talking about an anime, but once you have seen this, you will know what I am talking about. But it was not only Kaori. So many characters, both with smaller and bigger parts in the series, were absolutely amazing. I could especially relate to Tsubaki, as the role she plays came so close to my personal life, that at times it was hard to watch.
But it is the story itself, filled with so many touching and heartbreaking moments, that really takes this anime to another level. Especially during the later episodes, this series will take you on an emotional rollercoaster that simply does not stop. I really recommend having a box of tissues standing by, because you are going to need them. The animation is breath taking. There are so many scenes that are presented so beautifully, that it is not possible to pick a favorite. And nor would I want to. Lastly there is the music. Even if you are not a fan of classical music, it fits this anime so perfectly, that you will be spellbound by it. There are numerous scenes on stage with various different performances, each one more beautiful than the other.
So is there nothing negative to report about this series? Well, maybe just one small thing. There can be very abrupt changes in tone. Sometimes you are in the middle of a very emotional scene, to have that turn into slapstick comedy two seconds later. This was especially so in the beginning of the series, but trust me when I say that this will grow on you. And with so many moments in which this anime does not hold back it’s punches in emotion, it is also nice to have some comedy to relief the tension. Well if everything you have read here so far has not already made it clear, let me spell it out for you. I loved this show. It is by far the best anime that I have ever seen in my life, and it has been an experience that I will remember forever. If you have yet to watch this series, go do so right now. Be prepared to become hooked and fall in love with everything this show has to offer. And that really is not a lie…..
I give Your lie in April a 10 out of 10 score.
YES! I loved what you wrote here. It made me cry a lot as well. Wonderful and amazing anime.
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Yes it really was. I am pretty much still trying to process it. It keeps going through my mind. Absolutely loved every second of it 😊
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It is such a sweet anime and it breaks my heart every time. I’ve loved following along with Weekend Otaku as they have revisited this series during April and its great that you enjoyed watching it.
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I think for as long as you’ve been reading my reviews, one of my greatest pleasures was to see you decide to pick up an anime based on what I wrote about it.
Imagine my joy when, because of me, you experienced the best anime you have ever seen. I had such a great time watching this with everyone, so thank you for choosing my event to watch this show. I would have been glad for you to watch it anyway, but the event made it so much more rewarding.
As for your review, nice captions 😛 I got a good laugh from reading through this. You also captured what makes the character special and I agree, Kaori was just so fantastic that just like Kousei you become drawn to her from first sight. I’m also really happy about your score! 10/10
I’m glad it reached you, and I know you won’t forget it. 🙂
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Wow, the best anime you’ve ever seen! You can’t hardly top that 🙂 Well, this sounds exactly like something I would love. Your review really captures your feelings for it, and it makes me want to watch it as soon as possible! Hopefully, I can get it worked in very soon. Thanks for the review 🙂
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Yes, I was quite surprised by this myself. I had heard of this series, but at first when I read what this was about, it did not really appeal to me. But boy am I glad that I watched this one….an amazing experience,and one that I am still at a loss for words at. Hope when you get a chance to see it, you are going to enjoy it as much as I did 😊
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A real glowing review and though I have not seen this series, your praise seems wholly deserved. I kept up with Weekend’s posts as well and even teared up at the last one – from the post alone, imagine that. On the whole, this seems like the kind of story that screams emotional devastation.
I’m not quite ready for that right now. But one day soon, when I’m in the mood for a good cry, I swear I’ll binge this show.
Also, I wanna slowly and painfully kill any and every person who made ‘real men don’t cry a thing’. Cry all you want, dude. I’m sure this show has earned your tears.
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It’s comments like these that make my day 😊 Thank you 😀 Yeah, trust me on this: you do need a box of tissues for this series…although I am not sure that one box is enough 😂😂
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Ah, I am SO glad you enjoyed this one. This one is very near and dear to my heart. This was the first series I watched coming back into my anime phase, and I’m so happy it was the first one. It’s incredibly beautiful! Even with a re-watch I was very teary-eyed. The end always makes me sob because as you said, we get so attached to these characters. Kousei’s pain..the face he made upon realization and goodbye. the “ugly cry” lol, that really does me in – we all have that moment…and I ugly cry because of it. and now im going to rewatch that final scene yet again. LOL.
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Well, I definitely know for sure that I am going to see this series again some day. It is just too good, to only experience it one time. And I know that I am going to be crying again at the same scenes, just as I did now 😊It really is an absolutely beautiful series 😊
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This sounds truly wonderful. I love well-written characters that you can just connect with. Besides, a full 10/10 score means I’ll have to get on it soon. Lovely review! 😊 P.S. Real men DO cry, and are proud of their tears!
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Haha thank you for your comment 😀 It really is a fantastic experience this one. Hope you will enjoy it as much as I did 😉
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It’s great to see you have such a love for this series. Like you I read a little about it but I was put off by the romantic plot and wasn’t sure how heavily it was surrounded by it as it’s not something I tend to enjoy but I’m glad to read it has more than that. Saying that, I have often found not to judge or go by the guidance of such ‘Wikipedia knowledge’ and give it a chance..if I hadn’t I wouldn’t have come across such wonderful movies whether animated or not. In the same way you feel for this anime, I decided to watch a ‘romantic’ animated movie which was more than just that and it has a beautiful story which is both happy with heart felt moments. It’s called The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006). I hope you get to watch it if you haven’t someday. ☺
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I cannot express (with words anyway) how much I love this series!! The first time I watched it- because of course I’ve seen it more than once- the animation coupled with the storyline blew me away. I felt like I had to tell everyone I saw about it lol. I also enjoy classical music so loved that aspect too. I had considered for a long time doing a review on this but found i couldnt, haha. This was a great review that expressed this anime very well 😁
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Thank you again, and I completely agree. This anime be me completely away. I wasn’t prepared for it to be this powerful. Trust me, this really won’t be the last time that I have seen it 😊
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Love this series. Very good.
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Could not agree with you more, utterly amazing 😊😊
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I’ve heard such lovely things about this one!
At first, I was concerned when you mentioned Kaori as she felt like a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. But it seems that is not the case. Can you tell she has a life/story beyond the main character? Does she have goals, aspirations and things that move her forward besides him? I would love to know!
I’m not a fan of things that make me cry, to be honest hahaha I actually avoid them! I understand I might miss out on a lot of great stuff because of it but oh well. Not sure if I’ll watch this one… Yet. Will give it some thought.
Most anime do tend to have those abrupt transitions, and I’m not exactly sure if it’s a trend or if it has some higher purpose – like breaking the tension, for instance. But sometimes it does get very annoying.
I’m so glad this one could move you and get such an important place in your heart 🙂 Very few anime do that! Also, amazing, amazing review, as usual ^^
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Thank you very much for these kind words again: it always makes me very shy 😊 As for your question about Kaori: yes she is so much more than that. I have seen quite a lot of anime these past few months, but of all the characters that I have seen, she is the one that really inspires the most, and like I mentioned feels like a real person at times. I won’t lie to you, this series certainly can be very sad, but it is such a special one, that will leave you breathless by the time you finish it. I hope you get a chance to watch it some day: I could not recommend a series more than this one 😀
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Thank you for clarifying that! It definitely makes me more willing to try it now 🙂
Again, not a fan of sad anime (or sad anything) but there were some examples in the past that were really worth the tears 😉 I think this one could be one of those!
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i never finished this series but my brother LOVES it. he tried to get me to watch it but i just couldn’t like the characters and once i figured out what was going to happen i lost interest ^^;; but it is a really nice show visually and there are feels
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Wow!! This movie sounds so good! I really want to watch it. I love that cover picture! Thanks Michel, for introducing me all these cool anime shows I don’t normally aware of. Your review sold me on this one for sure!!
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Thank you very much, for these very kind words. This series was really incredible fir me. I had not expected that this series would really hit me this hard. It was an amazing experience for sure. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did 😊
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I so loved the series. It was truly beautiful
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I could not agree with you more on that 😊 It was so far the most beautiful Animeseries that I have seen. Another series that I highly recommend watching (if you have not already seen it) is Orange. Thank you for your comment 😊
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I just started this series and I already love it!!! There’s so many parallels that not only apply to music but also apply to life. I’ll have to tag you when I write a review for it 🙂
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Sorry for the late reply. But for some reason your comment ended up in my spam filter (which seems to be happening a lot these days on WordPress ). Glad you are enjoying the series so far, abd trust me it will only get better. Looking forward to your review for it 😀
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Took longer than I thought, but I finally got around to finishing the series 🙂 Here’s the link for the review: https://ktsreview.wordpress.com/2017/10/20/%E5%9B%9B%E6%9C%88%E3%81%AF%E5%90%9B%E3%81%AE%E5%98%98-your-lie-in-april/
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I loved it! Thanks for sharing this one 😀
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I need to finish this series. Last year I watched a few episodes, but then got distracted as I was moving house at the time. What I saw was very good. Drama with slapstick is an unusual mix, but it works in a lot of anime I enjoy.
Before I tackle this series I better watch some comedies first. My heart still needs to recover from Plastic Memories haha.
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Haha: yeah that is probably a good idea. If you thought Plastic Memories ripped your heart out this one is even worse. But it really is a very beautiful anime and to date for me still the best one that I have ever seen 😀
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My cousin have watched this already and she was nodding too eagerly while Im reading your review. 🙂 🙂 And you’re right, some find anime shallow but for me it’s not. They can be cheesy sometimes but they bring out some deep emotions in me. Honestly, whenever I watch Anime, I’m always inspired to make poems and I only make poems when I’m touched of or about something. And anime do that to me.
And big bonus, they’re usually funny. 🙂
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Anime can be such an underrated medium at times. Oh it’s “just” a cartoon you sometimes hear. It really isn’t though, and this one certainly proves that. It’s a terrific and emotional roller coaster. I do recommend keeping a lot of boxes of tissues nearby though…you will need them 😂😂
That sounds wonderful by the way: that they at times inspire you to write poems 😊😊
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Yeah, honestly, I was once one of those people who don’t appreciate anime. you have to understand, as a kid, I was more interested on reading than watching kids stuff. And reading crime novels… Hahaha. So anime wasn’t really my thing before. 🙂 But I got to branch out. And yeah, I don’t consider myself a poet but really anime do that to me.:)
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It’s okay 😊 I think a lot of people who are sometimes very judgemental for anime, just haven’t yet seen a series/ movie that they could relate to. Anime is so diverse, there is a show/movie for everyone out there.
I’m glad you are enjoying it now as well though😀 I hope you will continue to discover new and awesome things 😊
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YEah, I hope so too.. Same wish goes to you. 🙂
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I’ll have to check this one out
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This one is really beautiful, and to date my absolute favorite anime. Highly recommend it 😊😊
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I’m gonna watch this. Actually, I start right now. I’ll come back later to share my opinion. 🙂
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Cool!😊 I hope you will enjoy it, it’s a very beautiful series. Looking forward to hearing your opinion on it 😊
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I am halfway through the series and so far I’ve really enjoyed it. 🙂
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Yay, I’m glad to hear that you are enjoying it 😊😊 Trust me, it is only going to get better 😊😊
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Oh…I just finished it. My eyes are still wet. It left me here with so many emotions. It was beautiful, it was sad, it was funny, it was profound.
The visuals were really breathtaking. Music was stunning. And the story with his mom…I have no right words for what I felt.
About these abrupt changes in tone. At first they seemed little weird, but soon I got so used to them. Now I even think that it is one of it’s charm.
I feel so sorry for myself right now that I don’t have the ability to express myself through words. 😥 So, I just say simply – I loved it. 🙂
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Well, you managed to relly capture it beautifully 😊 I’m glad you loved it so much, and no need to say sorry at all. You did a great job here catching your emotions 😊😊
It’s something that I got used to as well: and the abrupt changes in tone, were less as the series progressed as well.
It really was an amazing series, and one of the best animes I’ve ever seen. It left me in tears too😅 Hope your will enjoy your next series as well! 😊😊
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