Adventures in Anime #6: Your Lie in April

 

It's time for more Adventures in Anime! My best friend Rachel & I team up for this collaboration where we pick out an anime, watch it together and then answer a series of questions about it for the blog. Since we did a rewatch for Sailor Moon the last time around (my series thoughts and my favorites), we had to pick a new anime to try together. On a whim and because it had been on my Netflix queue for a while, I suggested we give Your Lie in April a shot. Luckily, we both ended up loving it!

Summary & Brief Thoughts: I have a soft spot for shojo anime, but Your Lie in April was especially appealing from the start because music plays such a large role in the story. It follows a young man named Kōsei Arima, a piano prodigy who swept all the competitions as a child but who lost his ability to hear piano notes after his mother's sudden death. Two years after he's given up the piano, he crosses paths with Kaori Miyazono, a talented young violinist who lives by her own rules. Her vibrancy & free spirit clashes with Kōsei's withdrawn & rule-following self, and she refuses to allow him to avoid the piano any longer. Together with the help of supportive family & friends, Kōsei & Kaori's musical journey together is quite the tale! It's definitely a series that hooked me with the first episode with its character introductions, and the immediate sense it gives that there is more to the plot that will be revealed as the series goes on. I loved all the different classical pieces included in the episodes, the way that music (and the different relationships the characters have with music) is portrayed and it's the art style itself is lovely. Macky & I devoured this series very easily and it made us both very emotional from the beginning.

Favorite Character(s): I'm going to pick both Kōsei & Kaori. These two are such polar opposites in personality, as I've already mentioned, but they form a connection because of their mutual love of music & how it's a form of emotional expression for them both. Their relationship (and the way they push and pull at each other and encourage each other to grow) is really what carries the show.

Favorite Episode: The series finale "Spring Wind" is my absolute favorite! It's such a beautiful way to wrap up the entire series. It broke my heart and made me cry, but it also pulled me back together and left me feeling hopeful for what comes next for some of our characters.

Favorite Scene(s): There are three scenes I really love, so I'm just going to share all of them with you because I can! The first scene is the first time that Kōsei & Kaori perform together, which starts out well, turns into a mess and then somehow sticks the landing in an incredible way. The second scene is the time that Kōsei performs with his student (who happens to be the little sister of a guy who considers him a rival) at a school, and it's mostly because of how they both have a message they want to get across to the person they hope is listening. And the third scene is the last performance Kōsei gives in the series because it was beautiful and emotional.

Favorite Quote(s): "In the face of adversity, that's when you know someone's the real deal or not. You wanna know why? Because the stars shine at night." (This is from episode 13.)

Favorite Setting: There's a bridge nicknamed "Courage Bridge" that is the site of a few important scenes in the anime. I love the whole idea of this bridge and what it represents for our characters.

Favorite Kiss: There's actually no kiss in this anime, but I didn't mind that because it seemed pretty fitting for their relationship in particular.