Your Lie In April Reviews

Warning: Spoilers
Protagonist Kousei Arima is a piano playing progeny; as he grew up is mother pressured him to play every note perfectly. This led him to be dubbed the 'human metronome'. When he is eleven his mother dies and he suffers a breakdown; no longer able to hear the notes he plays he stops playing the piano. Then, a couple of years later he meets Kaori Miyazono; a free spirited girl who plays the violin and she brings him back to music. Their styles are totally different; he plays every note exactly as it is written while she plays pieces as she wants to her deviations might not please competition judges but the audiences admire her passionate renditions. Over the course of the series Kousei must come to terms with his past as he accompanies Kaori then deal with her absence when it becomes apparent that she is seriously ill and if her operation is unsuccessful she could even die.

Every new season there will be several anime series that are full of clichés and interchangeable characters this is not one of those. This is one of those series that feels quite different and keeps anime so interesting. The use of classical music seems a little surprising at first but here it works so perfectly it seems obvious. The performance scenes are beautifully animated; capturing both the sound and emotion of the performance. The bitter sweet story is told in a way that the end is not obvious before the final episode. The characters are interesting; one can't help caring about Kousei, with his tragic past, and Kaori is an utter delight whose personality lights up the screen; especially when she is performing. While these two characters dominate the series they are supported by a good selection of secondary characters who also contribute nicely. The character designs are pretty good and the animation is stunning; especially during the musical scenes. Overall I'd certainly recommend this emotional series.

These comments are based on watching the series in Japanese with English subtitles.