Fellow anime watchers may agree that the show “Your Lie in April” brings a different, sad, yet wholesome take on anime.

Since the release of the show on Sept. 10, 2014, it has scored an 8.6/10-star review with a generous 31,000 watchers. The show is available to watch on Amazon Prime, Letterboxd, Netflix, IMDb, Hulu and many common anime streaming websites. The show did so well that a live action movie was released in 2016. The only problem with the show is the fact that it is too short, with no news of any new seasons coming out. If you are looking for a show to enjoy for a long period of time, this may not be for you. I have seen the anime, and will say that no other show has touched me so deeply. Overall, it is a great watch.

“Your Lie in April'' is about a piano prodigy, Arima Kousei, who lost his ability to play after dealing with a traumatic childhood, then is pushed back into music competitions by a free-spirited girl with the name of Miyazono Kaori. Further into the show, you find out that Miyazono has her own secret that would change Arima’s life and view of her. At the end, it is revealed that the secret Miyazono has been hiding was her sickness. Although it never revealed the specific sickness, it was very severe and gave her limited time left to live. The connection that the characters shared was exclusive, but they had great inspiration from one another’s playing. With Miyazono’s heartfelt passing, she left a note to Arima admitting that she was glad to live her last few months being able to perform alongside him, and how she was glad to be able to hear his soothing playing once again. 

With the amazing sceneries illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa, you were not only able to see but to also feel the atmosphere. Arakawa was perfectly able to capture the emotions of each character with the challenges they faced. The directors who collaborated on the anima include: Kyohei Ishiguro, Takahiro Harada, Kazuya Iwata, Ayako kono, Takashi Koima, Masashi Ishihama, Yoshihide Ibata, Takahiro Majima, Takahiro Kawakoshi and Miyuki Kuroki. With the many directors and other crew members that helped in the production, it shows through its results. 

In the final performance, the animations did an outstanding job masking the CGI. The construction of this show was not just successful, but also amazingly crafted.

The show included pianists for its soundtrack, such as Kento Yamazaki, Suzu Hirose and Ikimonogakari. With each pianist, they were not only able to play each complex piece perfectly, but they also incorporated emotions to what they were playing. Alongside some audio editing, you were able to hear and feel the music. The voice actor Natsuki Hanae shows amazing skill while accurately being able to voice the younger version of his character Arima; his vocal range is very impressive. Risa Taneda, the voice of Miyazono, was highly capable of capturing the struggles of the sickness in Miyazono’s dialogues. 

At the end of the day, with the amazing production of this film, it is a bitter yet pleasing watch. This show captures emotions so real that you don’t just hear or see, but also feel. I would highly recommend this anime to new watchers who are music lovers. If you are looking for a show that you can easily binge watch, this is for you. Warning: this anime will make you shed a tear.

Share