I mentioned this in the index thread but I first watched Your Lie in April almost ten years ago when, upon a recommendation of the wonderful intro music I watched the show and it became my first anime. I was pretty much the exact age of the characters at the time, a young violinist myself, and would certainly end up sticking with the romance genre going forward so it was a pretty good fit for my beginnings. This rewatch is the first time I’ve ever returned to it in any capacity. It always held a certain place in my heart but never stood up as one of my favourites or anything and though I certainly remember the story beats I don’t recall it well enough to give any assurance what I’ll think of it now. It is a show that has its lovers and its haters and I can only promise that I hope I don’t end up as one of the latter.

[](#katoupls)

Prelude aside, the show! We open with a brief scene of Kaori and I love how it immediately shows off her peppy personality without the need for any dialogue. It also focuses on the Sakura trees, whose status as being in bloom would immediately inform anybody in Japan that we are indeed starting around the titular month of April which should immediately get the brain turning. The title itself, on top of being eyecatching and memorable, directly poses a mystery to the audience in a way that I think is very effective and that I don’t think I’ve seen in many other works.

From here we go right into the OP; many shows will exclude this in their first episodes but I can’t think of a better hook than one of the best in anime history. It just does everything well. The song is fantastic, the animation cuts like Tsubaki crying, Kaori and Kousei spinning (a few times, actually), and Kaori delightfully slipping at the beginning are all fantastic, and the painterly stills are jaw dropping gorgeous. [This](https://i.imgur.com/tPyUW8V.png) insert of Tsubaki always stood out to me in particular; it’s gorgeous, but that looks like some *really* muddy water to be wandering around barefoot in… but I guess that might be the characterising point, in this case.

[](#sakurathink)

If I had to highlight the one thing that really made this episode stand out to me is that it was effective at leaning on demonstrating its ideas rather than just telling them to us—even if it often ends up doing both. I already mentioned Kaori’s instant characterization, but we proceed to then show Kousei’s nature as a piano prodigy and his history with Tsubaki with no further dialogue. We cut this into the present and show him still at the piano in the present; he’s transcribing music, which further reinforces he’s really good at this. We show the [empty hall](https://i.imgur.com/DBYyzcO.png) next to the music prep room and then cut to the busy schoolyard outside; he’s using his break time on music. This is going to be a point of intentional dissonance that Tsubaki and the audience identity when we learn he’s supposedly *not* a piano player anymore. The first thing the camera tells us about his present self is that the past hangs over him. Sure, we basically go over all this again when Tsubaki talks to him later, but the fact we saw it first makes it feel a lot more organic while still making it more clear for the fourteen year olds like my younger self in the audience to follow along. It’s the kind of thing easily missed in adapting into an audiovisual medium.

This pattern continues in the episode. We see Kousei’s home life and the fact his mother is dead without stopping to explain the backstory until later on. Then we see when his piano playing broke with only the bare minimum monologue from Kousei. Then there’s the actual [visualization](https://i.imgur.com/DiMPtos.png) of Kousei’s monotone world, which is such a fantastic tool in a series with this robust a bright palette that I beg the show to use it more going forward. There’s also a more lighthearted example where we cut to [pictures](https://i.imgur.com/Jw9997i.png) of [couples](https://i.imgur.com/BstIvwM.png) around the school before cutting back to Tsubaki and Kousei; it’s no secret that the idea of these two being romantically involved will factor into the series somehow or another and that’s some great visual reinforcement. That whole scene is probably my favourite in the episode, actually. He keeps turning on the pop song as he denies his connection to classical music and each time she pushes back and tries to reinforce that connection, she turns it off. Ultimately she gives in on trying to fight him with it, but the song disappears out of the mix as the transitions to his flashback. The whole thing is a great look into their relationship while also serving as that more explicit moment of exposition, and I think it’s actually the most harmony we manage to see between the ilghthearted comedy and more serious tone anywhere in the episode.

It’s unfortunate then that this philosophy falls short in one of the most important scenes; the reminiscence informing us that Kousei’s mom was abusive. It’s the exact kind of “tell the audience the character’s feelings” approach that I would expect from a show like this and it wouldn’t stand out so much if the rest of the episode wasn’t excelling in this respect. The visuals are similarly on the nose. It just doesn’t leave a big impression on me as a scene as compared to something like his piano playing or even just the visual of his messy house, and that’s a problem when the abusive parenting he suffered is a core aspect of his character. The little scene of Tsubaki afterwards is great though, it’s the opposite in every respect. Focused on character acting and mood, cut directly from Arima’s ruminations in a way that informs us where her mind is, and initiated with a [very striking](https://i.imgur.com/MxwITl3.png) opening shot of her eyes. [Her room](https://i.imgur.com/1CfoSb8.png) is well lit, with vibrant curtains and bright colours on her posters and red clock that contrasts strongly with the suffocating darkness of [Arima’s own](https://i.imgur.com/U3gxoQW.png). Ultimately the Tsubaki moment ends with a very ambiguous line of dialogue that the audience is left to read their own meaning into. Excellent stuff.

[](#justright)

As we move along to the final setpiece of the episode we meet Kaori, and honestly as much as I did like the little cold open I do think this should’ve been the first time we saw her. Which isn’t strictly an insult to the show; I think that because this intro is good! It similarly establishes her lighthearted nature while instantly grounding her with a contrast point of the fact that she’s crying. Plus, of course, it’s a musical moment, which is important for obvious reasons. The whole thing is also just a really memorable setpiece, with her raised up and all the cherry blossoms. Even ten years later I prettymuch remembered the setup of this scene, it’s just unforgettable.

What proceeds is… one of the most divisive aspects of the show, the comedy. Which I think I’m coming from with an interesting perspective, seeing as I regularly drag modern romance shows over the coals for refusing to commit to their comedy and breaking away from the bland prettyness of their modern artstyles so their jokes can have punch. Your Lie in April delivers prettymuch what I beg every romance show to include. But yeah, it’s a bit jarring even for me. I think the big thing here is that this is on the extreme end of having a gorgeous more detailed artstyle and refined artstyle and dramatic tone but and then also *the* most slapstick chibi goofy comedy you’ll find in about any romance. Such gags were common in romance shows from earlier years but they often looked a lot more cartoonish to start, y’know? It’s alternating between two extremes and that’s dissonant. Age has also not been kind as modern tastes more ever more out of favour of physical comedy in anime romcoms. For my part, I think part of why the humour with Kaori doesn’t work here is that it feels very forced. There’s no reason ever given why she took off her slacks especially if she planned to wear a skirt at an elevated position, and the reason ultimately only ends up being that the writers needed them off to make their cliche joke.

Gags aside, I do really like the setup the way they set up our main four. They meet because Kaori wants to date Watari, who clearly reciprocates the feelings. But everything about the show is telling us that it’s Kaori and Kousei’s relationship we’re supposed to care about. Their meeting is dramatic whereas her getting together with Watari is a comedic scene with no weight. The intro shows them together over and over, not to mention a shot where Watari and Tsubaki are [literally looking in](https://i.imgur.com/zBZ3edY.png) at Kaori and Kousei. The final shot of the episode tosses Watari aside to end on more dramatic shots of Kaori running off with Kousei hand in hand. The result is a strong sense of dramatic irony of what happens and what is being communicated to us, and that’s immediately extremely intriguing as a starting point. We don’t have the information to figure out where the show is gonna go next yet, but it gets the gears turning.

[](#mugiwait)

Overall I’d call this a strong first impression. I said at the start I hope I don’t end up and, if this episode is any indication, we’re in safe waters. It’s given me a lot of immediate faith in the show’s artistry as well and has played strong hooks on both its romantic setup and its music-focused dramatic premise. On to the next performance!

I tried uploading a clip from the show to help promote the rewatch, but for some reason it never showed up. Ah, well.

**First timer, subs**

I’ve managed to stay mostly ignorant of Your Lie over the years, but now that I’ve seen March, I can’t use that as a shield anymore. Time to watch the sad music anime, not to be confused with sad anime named after music.

* [Is a Good Kitty](#headrub)
* I gotta say, I’m not used to seeing postcard memories used so prominently in the OP.
* Starting with a song everyone knows, eh?
* I guess this is pulling the ol’ “goof ‘em so it hurts more later” trick.
* It’s true, nothing good ever comes from getting involved with a corpse.
* This is a fair take. Why would you aim the diamond in such a way that home runes will hit it? Why not have the ball fence cover that area? These are foreseeable things, people!
* [Like A Foot Bridge, **Right?**](#watashiworried)
* We’re not aiming for subtly, eh?
* This is only three years apart?! What are they feeding this boy?
* Transcription is a more specialized skill set. I don’t think he’s getting better pay in middle school. Plus, you set your own hours.
* Something, something… tomato?
* Ah, so it’s a manic pixie dream girl deal.
* I mean, available materials matters at least a little. It’s hard to make a brass section without metallurgy.
* Is the pigeon thing, like, a thing? And what does it have to do with the Free City of Bremen?
* Violent tsuning mistake. How very of the time.
* Huh, what a novel method for previews.

**QotD:**

1) Manic Pixie Dream Girl meets turn of the century tsundere.

2) I haven’t run retro-D&D in a few years at this point.

It is a bit unrelated to the actual show, but I’ll just like to drop by briefly to say that the first OP, Hikaru Nara, was one of my first introductions to anisongs/J-pop, and it has had a lot of staying power – it still lives on my playlist and i reach for it regularly 4 years on; and it definitely has played a major role in getting me into japanese music in general….. as well as later on discovering, and watching Silver Spoon!

[The live performances by Goose House are also really good](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5X0-fLvOls). They are quite the unusual group – shame that they have gone their separate ways.

I hope everyone here enjoys the show and the rewatch!

What the heck? I have been watching this the past week and there is a re-watch??? Wish I’d known, I will definetly be following these discussions!

**First Timer**

This will be my first time watching Your Lie In April. I know nothing about it other than that it’s about music and is supposed to be really sad.

We’re starting off with cherry blossom petals and a girl whimsically chasing a cat. This actually gives me more lighthearted romance vibes.

The visuals here are really beautiful though, I like the lighting and colors

I really liked the OP! It was fun and poppy and it had some really well done visuals too. I expected something way more slow and somber.

I’ll be honest, I think I may have had the entirely wrong impression of this anime before watching it.

I don’t know enough about pianos to say how accurately his finger movements are, however they look very well animated. I wouldn’t be shocked at all if they were completely accurate to what he’s playing.

This guy kind of looks like Detective Conan.

Is he listening to the show’s theme song on his iPod? That’s cute. I like it when shows do that.

I totally thought that baseball and blood was gonna be a fakeout. Like it just knocked over some paint cans. But no, it actually hit that poor guy.

This show is way more goofy with some of the animation than I was expecting.

Tsubaki does have a point. The softball field seems poorly positioned relative to where the building is.

I like all the sunset colors. This is a very pretty anime when it comes to the backgrounds. Sort of reminds me of the scene transitions in Nichijou.

This anime is giving me a kind of ‘80s coming of age movie vibe so far.

I’m a bit caught off guard seeing Tsubaki using a flip phone. Strange to think how much technology can evolve in such a relatively short amount of time.

I’m beginning to realize that cherry blossom petals might be a recurring motif throughout this show.

Kousei seems to have some piano-based trauma in his past. Kind of makes me think of Miki from Revolutionary Girl Utena.

Kousei is listening to the show’s theme song again. Wonder if that’s gonna show up in any future episodes.

The main character has been hit in the head by a girl twice in the course of one episode. What is this, FLCL?

I guess the theme song is really important after all. Not sure if I’ve ever seen a show use its own opening theme like this before.

Alright now that I know about Kousei’s mom I think I understand his piano-based trauma.

He sleeps with gloves on. I’m not sure what that’s about but that seems like an important detail.

This girl plays a quirky instrument and doesn’t like wearing shoes. Looks like a textbook Manic Pixie Dream Girl.

I feel like music is more likely to scare away any pigeons. The tune is nice though.

I would not be that excited about seeing pigeons if I were them.

And now we’re having a comedic misunderstanding. This feels like the start of a romcom movie.

Seems like we’re ending this episode on a positive note.

I liked the ED. Doesn’t stick with me as much as the OP but it’s still pretty nice.

So far this is way tonally different than I expected. For some reason I expected this to be super depressing the whole way through. I think I might have misjudged this show.

I think it’s totally possible I was conflating it with two other anime I haven’t seen (March Comes Like a Lion and Your Name).

Excited to see what happens next episode.

**Questions of the Day:**

**What’s your first impression of Kaori Miyazono?**

Like I said, she strikes me as a major Manic Pixie Dream Girl. I know that term gets a bad rep, but I don’t think it’s inherently a bad thing. I think characters like that can be good and interesting.

**Have you, like Kousei, had hobbies or skills you’ve failed to keep up, musical or otherwise?**

I tried to take up guitar once. I learned Island in the Sun by Weezer and The Hardest Button to Button by The White Stripes but I don’t think I could play them now.

## **nth time Your Lie in April Rewatcher**

Hi first-timers!

**Some aperitifs which can be skipped:**

As someone who returned to being an anime fan because of this series exactly 10 years ago, I’m so happy that a rewatch is finally happening. I believe the last r/anime rewatch was in 2018? Hoping that this continues until the finale.

**No doubt this series is my favorite piece of media so far.**

However, I will be kind of cheating since I might not entirely rewatch the series this October, since I just recently rewatched the series last April. However it would be a waste if I won’t be able to discuss some nuances in the show, especially in the future episodes where there are a lot to digest especially in our main cast. I would even argue that some criticisms on some of the characters can be countered by some of the scenes in YLIA. I’ll try to examine what I believe they are trying to show/imply/say in these parts. Hence, I’m here!

**Now, for the first episode.**

– This episode is a prologue to the life of our main protagonist, Kousei, just before he meets Kaori. The episode clearly shows that the three (Kousei, Tsubaki, Watari) are tight-knit and, while Tsubaki is part of the baseball team, Kousei’s high school life seems to only focus on them as a group of friends.

– Piano, a major part of his life in the past, is now gone, since he stopped playing. Watari and Tsubaki seems not that part of Kousei’s other life, after all they are not pianists. He thinks his life is incomplete, however he still would not play. As to why he can’t play? Just continue watching.

– The usage of the color in the series is apparent. This is manifested in the title ***”Monotone, Colorful”***. From the scene when Kousei thinks his life is like the keys of the piano, hence he is shown in black, gray and white, until the last scene when Kaori is introduced, full of color, the message the writer wants to express is clearly emphasized through color. As we see, there is a big contrast on how their lives are shown.

– I really love how spring is shown here. The vibrant colors of the spring is fully reflected in this episode. Remember the phrase, “My spring has finally begun!” in many anime? I think this episode aptly shows that phrase. Hence the important question: has spring finally began on Kousei?

– This series repeats **a lot** of points they want to emphasize. This will be a recurring style of YLIA, and is maybe one of the reasons I really like it. Some might find it nauseating and/or annoying though. For instance, Kousei starts remembering when Tsubaki talked about “eyes going sparkle when your are seeing someone you like” at the time Kaori starts asking him to come to Towa Hall. Maybe, the color that we see is Kousei’s POV, especially when he starts seeing Kaori. Of course, it’s still too early to say that he is into her, but well the tension is there (shipping them, sorry).

**Now, some OSTs that are notable.** I’ll try to post the links of some OSTs used in the series, as well as the pieces that they will perform throughout.

– [Kimi wa, wasurerareru no?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxbEW5yuXNw&list=PLruG8qam7uXiXLa_F_qT9m9TQURzGm7eY&index=1)

– [Watashi no Uso (Piano version)](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqkZZZ6X8mQ&list=PLruG8qam7uXiXLa_F_qT9m9TQURzGm7eY&index=5)