Review: Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso
Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso Review Image
Information

Ep/Vols:
22

Vintage:
2014
Other Names:
Your Lie In April
Genres:
Romance, Drama, School
Type:
Anime (TV)
Rating:

Reviewer:
Intro: It's hard to find shows with genuine quality this day and age. Something that has love, grace and fluidity like this one. Yes, This may seem like pure fanboying or fangirling, however my statement still stands. I would like to welcome you to my review of Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso (Also known as Your Lie In April).

Story:
Kousei Arima, a famous piano prodigy has stopped playing piano ever since his mother died, causing him to not hear the notes from the piano. Afterwards, he has stopped playing piano...seeing the world as a dull gray and becoming more gloomy. Enter Kaori Miyazono, a very energetic and bright violinist who colors the gray over Kousei's life. In other word, she is the heroine of the show who refills Kousei's passion for music and giving it a newer meaning. A journey of classical music unfolds...

Character's and the Voices:
Kousei Arima : The piano prodigy himself, Kousei's hasn't refused to play the piano for two years, living a more normal life with his best friends Tsubaki and Watari. Voiced by Hanae Natsuki who is also Inaho from Aldnoah.Zero, Chinichi from Outbreak Company and Kaneki from Tokyo Ghoul.
Kaori Miyazono: Our beautiful and firing violinist of the show, she is the main heroine a charming character. She is unexpected, cheery and with that, she helps Kousei grow. Voiced by Taneda Risa who is also Mirai from Kyoukai no Kanata, Ai from Rolling Girls, Yukina from Strike the Blood.
Tsubaki Sawabe: She is Kousei's childhood friend and is a tomboy. Shes tough, rigid on the outside but becomes very emotional throughout the series through...obvious reasons. Voiced by Ayane Sakura who is also Kokoa from Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka?, Yuiko from Love Lab and Natsumi from Non Non Biyori.
Wataru Ryouta: He is the school's romeo with his looks and is a popular soccer player. He is happy and go lucky along with being pretty smooth around the girls. Voiced by Ryota Osaka, he is also Staz from Blood Lad, Sugane from Gatchaman Crowds, and Eijun from Diamond no Ace, Maou from Hataruki Maou-sama! and many more.

Music:
You know, for a show that has classical music at its core, you can't go wrong with it. The piano/violin performance songs were well done and pleasant to listen to. The playing or song fits into the atmosphere of how the character currently feels or develops during the song. Aside from the classical music from actual composers, the soundtrack directed by Masaru Yokoyama which is no exception also very superb. It has a Nagi No Asukara and Clannad sound to it, making it beautiful and even amplifying the emotion in the show. The show soundtrack is all available on youtube, as I listened to it while writing to this review it definitely is charming. Without it, the show wouldn't be highly regarded as it should be even. Oh right, the opening...almost forgot. The first opening is quite energetic, inviting you on the journey that is to be tread on, in other words I enjoyed listening to it. The second opening is much more slower,mellower yet happy and the journey is almost over from here. I can't say anything else about the music except it being excellent and astounding.

Animation:
The animation is beautiful in many ways in the show. The character designs are signature to each of their own, making them unforgettable. The backgrounds are brightly, well shaded in giving the show a bright feel to it. The fluidity and accuracy when the character's play the piano is very interesting for the most part, too. The atmosphere of colors provided brings the viewers into the current tone of the show such as the vivid sakura blossoms, a gray hospital room and the bright light of the stage showing that something is currently happening or foreshadowed to happen just through...colors. The animation is also certainly beautiful during Kousei's performance when all of the vivid,visual imagery is shown to how he develops and how his emotions glows from his playing, and it is very jaw dropping to watch. The show also switches styles of art to emphasize the comedic parts, making the show a bit more charming, kind of like a chibi style or a funny expression on their face changes are prime examples. All of this is done by A-1 pictures, doing justice with their quality of art for a show this great. They have shown this great quality from their works such as Ao no Exorcist, Black Butler, Shinsekai Yori and many many more. A-1, you have definitely out done yourself with this one.

Final Comments:
Now by the end of this I have provided enough reasons why this show is great. Enjoyable characters, vivid use of colors, graceful music, fluid animations. However, I can't ignore the flaws so lets just touch on those quickly. Compared to the other main characters, Watari didn't have enough flare of importance nor depth and development compared to the main characters. I feel like his is left out as just the best friend that hangs out with the group and is sparked on in some parts. Another thing is that they add in unnecessary side characters that either have no use to the show, to just add in drama or end up having no significance at all. Another thing, painfully, is some of the drama in the middle of the show. Looking at it objectively, it didn't really affect the show as a whole but add some sort of depth to one of the main characters and side characters. When I said the fluidity and accuracy of the show was beautiful for the most part, I was mentioning the minor part when they cut into still picture frames about the middle of the performance which ruins the quality of the performance for a bit.
So, Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso is definitely an exquisite highlight bridging us into 2015 and to be honest, it has great potential of the anime of the year for 2015. With my tears overflowing to make a new ocean, I leave this show with a "You certainly cannot miss this one" notion.




















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