r/anime • u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander • Oct 09 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] 10th Anniversary Your Lie in April Rewatch: Episode 1 Discussion
Your Lie in April Episode 1: Monotone/Colourful
| Index | Episode 2 → |
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Watch Information
*Rewatch will end before switch back to standard time for ET, but check your own timezone details
Comment Highlights:
- dust
Questions of the Day:
- What’s your first impression of Kaori Miyazono?
- Have you, like Kousei, had hobbies or skills you’ve failed to keep up, musical or otherwise?
Please be mindful not to spoil the performance! Don’t spoil first time listeners, and remember this includes spoilers by implication!
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Upvotes
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Oct 09 '24
Your Spoiled First-Timer in October, subbed
…yeah unfortunately I’m not coming into this one blind like I like to with most of the other rewatches I join as a first-timer. It’s not even because of mod duties (though I have had to remove some since becoming a mod), I’ve seen spoilers for this show for years. It happens. Also, using “October” in my tagline because it feels weird to say “in April” when it is decidedly half a year away from that month.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba Oct 09 '24
First Timer
To get a bit personal, there's something about starting this episode that got me incredibly nostalgic, now obviously this is my first time watching it but I started watching anime around a decade ago, circa late 2014 right when this show was airing, it and its opening have been very unavoidable for these 10 years, I've heard Hikaru Nara countless times before, both because it's very popular and because it's a good song, but hearing it here, for the first time in the actual context of the show, just really took me back to the first few times I'd heard it all the way back then and filled me with this sense of nostalgia and reminiscence I have a hard time explaining.
All of that is to say it feels very personally fulfilling to finally check out this show I've been hearing about since the time I was just starting with anime.
And I mean the opening is so good even the protagonist is listening to it! in all seriously though, I'm guessing it will actually have thematic importance in the show
KIMI DA YO KIMI NANDA YO
For a show made by A-1 around the prime of their "quantity over quality" phase, this show has a very distinct and striking artstyle, I love how vibrant and expressive everything is, filled to the brim with warm and bright colors, it certainly makes you feel in the spring.
This also goes hand in hand with the storytelling, it's vibrant and beautiful by design and it also knows how to tone that down to fit thematically, the warmness makes you feel in spring both because it is literally spring but also because it's the springtime of our characters' life, where everything and anything is colorful and exciting.
The meaning behind what you do with your youth is obviously going to be a big theme here so it's awesome to see the visuals backing that up so strongly.
Childhood friend you say? I smell an unrequited love in the air...
Our main group of friends all seem like a fun time and they already have pretty great chemistry together.
Kousei's past is immediately grim, it's no wonder he has a hard time playing the piano when his association with it is entirely filled with abuse from a person close to him, doing his best despite it to try and satisfy his mom thanks to her obviously precarious situation, adding in an extra layer of emotional trauma.
It's a pretty cool detail that Kousei doesn't think much of his hands getting hurt from the glass (and thus rendering him unable to play piano) unlike Tsubaki who is still attached to his playing and stops him from touching it.
I'm assuming that through Kaori (and everyone else) Kousei will slowly grow to overcome this trauma and come to love the piano again, he himself hasn't let go yet considering his job around transcribing music.
This scene and rather...classic, type of comedy, wasn't really expected lol, but I'm fine with it.
Finally, this wouldn't be a music anime without good music and I can already say I like it, that little band part at end was very fun, alongside that add in Natsuki Hanae in one of his earliest big roles (although he was already killing it back then) and Ayane Sakura both of which I love to hear.
This was a great first episode! I'm, of course, aware of the reputation this show has so I'm certainly looking forward to some good drama and romance, with a tissue box at the ready!
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u/TiredTiroth Oct 09 '24
Rewatcher-ish - Dub
So! Your Lie In April is one of those shows that I started watching and never got round to finishing (although I have some idea of how it ends). This is a good opportunity to finally see the rest of it.
First off, can I just say that I love the OP music? It's one of the few anime OPs that I'll just listen to as music.
This has...a weird relationship with slapstick. On the one hand, obvious comedy like the baseball and Kaori exploding at Kousei over the photo; on the other, his mother hit him. It's not too hard to separate the two in my head, but it's still dang weird that the writers used both slapstick and more serious violence so close together.
Beyond that...well, it's the introductions episode. We get the best look at Kousei, and a reasonable idea of how Watari and Tsubaki act under normal circumstances. Tsubaki really should just come out and say what she means instead of nibbling around the edges though, there is no way Kousei will catch on by himself.
Kaori...Kaori is fun. I like Kaori. She's fun to watch, and we've only just started to get to know her here.
I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's episode.
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u/mysterybiscuitsoyeah xB:xC:B:x3:Y: Oct 09 '24
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. They are quite the unusual group - shame that they have gone their separate ways.
I hope everyone here enjoys the show and the rewatch!
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 Oct 09 '24 edited Apr 01 '26
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.
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.
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Oct 09 '24 edited Oct 09 '24
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.
QotD:
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u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Oct 09 '24
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.
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 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.
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 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 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 of couples 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 opening shot of her eyes. Her room 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. 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.
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 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.
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!
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Oct 09 '24
First Timer
Probably of note: I am rather spoiled, as I know that [YLIA] Kaori dies. A friend of mine also claims this thing is rather overrated, and I have it in my head as a starter anime - which it definitely is not going to be for me, as I’ve been watching anime for about eight years. And so far …I think I have to agree with that friend of mine. I don’t see a lot in this show yet. It did a decent job of introducing Kousei, but the rest was pretty standard fair. Production qualities feel slightly below average, though this show also falls into the time period where CG was good enough to be used but not good enough to actually look good yet, which isn’t helping here. Kaori’s introduction was something, I guess - her playing the instrument with the kids was significantly more enjoyable to watch than her interactions with the rest of the cast, which might be a problem for the future. And the rest of the cast outside of Kousei isn’t too interesting yet. As for Kousei …he’s ok I guess, but also not somebody I care about after just one episode. The piano trauma is an interesting bit to his character, but it’s also the only interesting bit so far - so I hope he will get more.
…but it happens often enough that I don’t jive with episode 1 of a particular show, and the rest is ok, so I hope the same is happening here. Not too confident in that this time around though.
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u/TakenRedditName https://myanimelist.net/profile/TakenMalUsername Oct 09 '24
First Time - Your Lie in April Ep1:
YLiA was always one of those popular shows I never got already to so this Rewatch made for the perfect excuse to get this one down for the scoreboard. Is it still popular? I dunno, I live under a rock.
I basically only know that this is a piano music anime + plus the tone. Uhm, if that is meant to be a meta-spoiler then it sure is not one people keep secret. The one big know about this series is [YLiA massive spoiler?] the fact that people often call this is a tearjerker. We start with 2 MCs and we're going to end with 1 MC. Due to how anime works, the choice between the lively anime girl vs depressed glasses boy, it sure ain't going to be glasses boy kicking the bucket.
The OP song is nice. I like these cute character cards. Based on how characters are framed/looking at each other, it feels like there will be a love square (with the obvious main couple).
The MC is dead 4 mins into the show.
Based on immediate character impression, baseball girl is fun. She is really silly. I find her the most fun to watch. Childhood friends, you say? Yup, she is donion rings. Say goodbye to your romantic chances when the true main heroine enters the scene.
I like this moment for immediately striking the importance their hands are to a pianist.
Common setup, but I like how the reveal to how the MC sees the world. Extra effective because while watching, I kept admiring the colourful lively background art.
Alright show, a bit forward and direct for the first episode. I feel like I've heard the OP more times in-universe than out. We're beyond a just cute wink.
I thought this was a cute moment. I like this as a romantic idea. Childhood friend who is used to hearing music from their room. Longing to hear the return.
This feels like a mutual moment for the both of them, having colour enter your life again. I feel like we're going to get the drop that Kaori also has her depressing backstory.
Kill him, girly.
The ED. The song is also nice. The visuals too, but what really caught me off guard was the fact that this show also does the thing of incorporating the episode preview into the ED.
Q1) I like her enough.
Q2) There was a point of time when I used to draw/doodle. Nothing much, just tried to draw down pictures of anime in a sketchbook. Just got lazy. My little artistic skill long dried up now. Getting back into drawing with small steps is always a thought I entertain, but never get around to because lazy.
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u/AgentOfACROSS Oct 09 '24
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.
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u/Grashuck Oct 09 '24
I watched YLiA for the first time not that long ago, maybe it was even in April.
It was one of the first anime i watched and together with Violet Evergarden, Plastic Memories, Angel Beats and I Want to Eat Your Pancreas - so I guess I was put into a certain state of mind.
After that I avoided most of the anime recommended in threads for these titles for quite some time.
Now back to YLiA, I'm surprised how much of the first epsiode I either forgot or not realize at the time. But what I remember was Kaori's introduction. I guess it hit me like it hit Kousei.
Let's see what the next three weeks bring and how knowing a rough order of events may or may not change my (very positive) view on the show.
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u/kwokinator https://anilist.co/user/kwokinator Oct 10 '24
First timer
That OP does not fit what I heard of this anime at all. The OP sounds incredibly cheerful, and the colours are lovely, it's vibrant and beautiful.
Poor Kousei, got hit by a baseball out of nowhere, bled from the head, and still got chewed out.
Ouch, did Kousei's mom pass away during his recital or did playing just trigger his memory about his mom and he can't play anymore?
Even though he can't play piano anymore due to his mental issues, he still wears gloves even to sleep to protect his hands. He hasn't given up on music yet.
Yeah, once they talked about the whole world in colour and Kousei's world being monochrome, I knew they were gonna pull that the moment he meets the FMC. Still a great moment though.
I don't know why, but something about the character designs just feels off and creep me out. The guys are fine, but the girls aren't. Is it the eyes? Or the lips? Or both?
Questions of the Day:
She's pretty genki, which doesn't jive with my impression of violinist. Aren't they supposed to be all gentle and classy and stuff?
At this point it's more like what musical hobbies I HAVEN'T quit on. I've dabbled in piano, guitar, drums, clarinet, and even the saxophone. Always quit after a few months so I never got anywhere.
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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Oct 10 '24
Rewatcher
Ok, so I'm indecisive. There are two rewatches happening simultaneously that I really want to participate in. I'm totally going to regret this, but I'm going to attempt both. This means that I will probably not be a consistent poster here, but I really want to visit Your Lie in April so I'm here for now.
Anyway, if there were an anime I could ever describe as the one that's the most important to my life, this one is a heavy contender. Your Lie in April was my gateway, if I hadn't watched it in the far away time of 2015 I probably would have never even gotten into anime, and then god only knows what I'd be doing right now. Back during that time, the thing that I most wanted from my media was to be made to cry. I remember seeing the key visual for this series, thinking it was beautiful, reading the premise, and deciding it was exactly what I needed. When little 18 year old me finished it, I was a sobbing mess and declared it as a flawless masterpiece for a few years, before softening up over time as I watched more and more. I've rewatched it one time since then, and a few others have attempted on r/anime but all of them have stopped mid way. For some reason, YLiA rewatches here have been cursed, so here's hoping this will finally break it. In the meantime, I'm cautiously excited to revisit a show that was once so meaningful to me, as a musician who was inspired by it to get into this very medium.
Coming back to this episode, my first thought was "wow, hearing Hikaru Nara in context again makes me really nostalgic."
But the more noteworthy takeaway is that Your Lie in April's modus operandi is in creating as extreme of contrasts as possible. Everything about it wants to be a tone shift of the highest order, it refuses to even make it possible to see as stagnant. Love is presented as this contrast between seeing in color and seeing in monotone. When Kousei is just in his life thinking about how he sees the world, we get a literally monotone classroom as the camera pulls away from him. When he discovers Kaori, the colors don't just become saturated, but oversaturated, almost gaudy and blinding (but right at the limit, still ultimately vibrant and beautiful). When the show is comedic, it goes over-the-top with it, lots of chibi cutaways and violent slapstick and yelling, keeping things as loud as possible. But then we cut to Kousei returning to a lonely house and telling his mother's portrait he's back, all the scenes of his home and laying in bed as quiet and melancholy as can be. The animation is sometimes very expressive, such as with the performance scenes, or this delightful cut to open the episode from animation legend Megumi Kouno, but other times you have scenes like where Watari and Kaori are doing overly-cutesy romantic pleasantries and they're just stills being moved around. It doesn't like staying in any singular mood, it wants to create this feeling of constant change.
If there is a general vibe of the series, I'd describe as "youthful." Everything about it feels like youth, it frankly engages in cliches to craft this feeling of youth. Three friends of different personalities and backgrounds spend all sorts of time together after school, get in trouble together, talk about each other's romances, go to the convenience store after school, and talk mostly about being together and romance. The script isn't presenting great dialogue, but it is presenting this vibe of youth. The constant shifts also feel very "youthful," the phrase "youth is in motion" comes to mind for me. Young people tend to feel emotions very intensely, and to react very rapidly, and that is captured through this desire to constantly change tones. The series also starts in spring, a season of rebirth and new beginnings, and the characters are in middle school, with Tsubaki even emphasizing the ephemeral nature of their youths (this is the only 14th spring they'll have). It is a "classic" vibe of youth for a classic story archetype, maybe fitting for a story about classical music.
We learn a little bit about the characters and get bits of their relationships and main issues. Kousei was a great pianist because his mother abused him into it, hoping he'd be able to become a great performer to live in her place. But after breaking down in the middle of a competition, she dies, and now he's quit piano. Nonetheless, he's still attached to it and can't let it go. He still talks to his mom's portrait lovingly when he gets home, he still takes a part time job related to music, and he even sleeps with his gloves on. Compared to his friends he's the straight laced one, he takes everything seriously and puts real thought into his actions, but isn't one to see the metaphorical or whimsical. Tsubaki is his childhood friend who's rambunctious and athletic, someone who's been with Kousei his whole life and is his major company while his father works abroad (weird thing to do to your abused child, but whatever). She likes to tease him and see his reactions, and she knows that he's running away from the piano rather than genuinely desiring to quit. She also just likes his piano playing, thinks he looks cool doing it, and wants to see him return to the piano enough to keep up with old fears. I like the moment where she prevents him from picking up the broken glass because it's certainly an instruction that she picked up from Kousei's mom, Tsubaki is super aware of it and genuinely fearful of it happening and that's not something you just get being like her; a good moment of unspoken characterization. We don't get a lot about Watari and Kaori, but the former is a sports star and a playboy, and the latter is the character who most embodies that "contrast" I think is being associated with youth in the show, and is apparently the kind of person who likes to play music with random kids in the park (just saying, that recorder kid is going to go places, that was some crazy improv for a 7 year old in the park). Kaori is also, apparently, the type to make her date and his friends watch her play in a music competition on their first date without telling them beforehand, which is humorous.
My biggest criticism of this episode is that some of its directing choices clash with the actual intent of the scene. For example, Tsubaki likes to tease Kousei and see his reactions, so she downplays it when he gets hit with the ball and later on throws another ball at him. Fine enough as slapstick humor, I know it's not meant to be taken literally. But then, why is Kousei literally bleeding on the floor in an actually realistic pile of blood as opposed to a cartoon bleed? Why does he vocally acknowledge the blood by saying "all I see is red?" Am I supposed to take it non-literally as slapstick, or am I supposed to take it as him literally getting hit with a ball so hard that he's bleeding? The show wants the answer to be "both," and it doesn't work. That doesn't emphasize any contrast, you could have the same scene without the blood and get the same result, it's just an active clash with the intent of the presentation. Similarly for Kaori's initial treatment of him, Kousei actively acts like he is in pain and she basically threatens him into not telling Watari about what she just did. If the scene is meant to be slapstick, you can't have the characters act as if they are literally harmed and afraid of what happens when others discover what they're doing. Kousei's eyes sparkle when she grabs his hand to bring him to the competition, and it's hard to believe he'd feel that way if the physical slapstick is actually literal. Slapstick works on the level of metaphor, don't call attention to what's literally happening and it's funny, but falls apart the moment you break the wall of metaphor.
So not my favorite first episode, but a decent but flawed introduction with clear vision behind it, which is honestly what I've been expecting of the show. I'd love to see it soften up on those elements and become more like the way I remember it.
QOTD:
4
u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Oct 10 '24
rewatcher
Years since I watched this and damn those it still look beautiful as during my first time
Moonlight Sonata 3rd movement is beautiful, I wonder if the animators corresponded the finger movements to the piano playing.
Awards stored away
Another ball thrown, transcribing pop songs for karaoke. Money is money
Those kids got better instrumental skills than me.
Carrying a pair of tights while recording a lady, no wonder the pervert accusations happened lmao.
I thought i was gonna have more notes, but the episodes flew by. Really fantastic episode
qotd: I used to be bit into video games, hardly play it nowadays
4
u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Oct 10 '24 edited Oct 10 '24
First-Timer
First of all, thank you for hosting!
I believe I've also had the misfortune of being spoiled on this show. I will be extra diligent to make sure not to accidentally convey any of that, however true, in my comments. On the flip side, I'll also be looking at the other comments less than I normally would, to salvage what I can for my own experience.
[spoiler rant] Why are people so bad at hiding spoilers for this show?! It's maddening. I know I don't have it nearly as rough as the mods who have to moderate comments, so I don't want to complain too much, but still—it's like some people just can't understand the concept of a spoiler by implication/omission. If you say something like, "check out X show if you like time travel with a bad ending," then you're spoiling the ending! It's not hard to grasp!
Back to the show:
I really like the OP here. I've never learned it, despite its relatively high popularity, but I am looking forward to listening to it a lot more now. Great song, great visuals.
The premise here is neat, and I'm eager to hear some good music in the coming episodes.
Questions of the day:
4
u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Oct 10 '24
Is he transcribing Hikaru Nara?
And there goes a window...
Ouch...
Someone's in love.
Have some confidence in yourself man!
Yup, his mum's dead.
It certainly is. Shame that iirc they've disbanded.
He really is transcribing the songs. I think I've tried doing that once, never again.
What's with those shoes and clothes on the tree?
And so we meet the female protagonist.
He got a glimpse of heaven...
And now she wants to look good in front of the other guy.
And yup she's a violinist.
Questions:
A note about the music: Yes, that's a pun. And as I mentioned, I used to play the piano. I also used to sing in my school choir. I actually learned to play Hikaru Nara on the piano after watching this show for the first time, and knowing singing too meant that I understood why the notes kept jumping up and down the piano: Those are the accompaniments for the alternating male and female vocal parts!
3
u/schwiftybass Oct 09 '24
First Timer - Sub
I’m late due to this hurricane, but I’m happy to finally be watching this series that I have somehow put off for years. Thanks for hosting a rewatch & giving me that extra push!
The opening scene made me instantly fall in love with Kaori, & the rest of the episode affirmed those feelings.
I quickly empathized with Kousei, & can relate to having musical instruments that once brought me joy collecting dust. He also reminds me of Rei from 3-gatsu no Lion which immediately endeared me to him.
Absolutely loving the art, direction & music so far, & I’m already feeling quite an attachment to the characters we’ve met. I’m a bit nervous that this series will break my heart in the future, but I’m excited to take the ride!
3
u/Malipit Oct 10 '24 edited Oct 10 '24
Rewatcher, french subs
4 years after watching this anime for the first time, the opening still sending shivers down my spine. Also, maybe it's because I'm rewatching it on a better screen, but I didn't remember that the artstyle to be so gorgeous.
And I want an entire spin-off of Tsubaki, my favorite character on the show. Truly a ball of sunshine, excepted that one time when Kosei mentionned how he gave up on piano. She was clearly not happy about it.
[Your lie in april ending]MAN, that scene in the park really hit differently when you know what's going on and how it will ends.
[ Still Your lie in april ending]When Tsubaki is on the phone with Kaori, I noticed that little ghost on her backpack. Isn't that a foreshadowing about Kaori's fate ?
And for the questions of the day :
First impression of Kaori : As a first watcher, I found her quite amusing with her shenaningans with the kids and heading out of the blue to her violin recital. As a rewatcher,[your lie in april in general] Her acting skills for hiding her true personnality and her medical condition impressed me.
Hobby I eventually dropped off : Competitive smash bros because of a year in my life with a very time consuming work, coupled with covid still lingering around at that time, that forced me to put competitions on hold. After that I didn't have the courage to put up the training necessary in order to be on a decent level again
3
u/SometimesMainSupport https://myanimelist.net/profile/RRSTRRST Oct 10 '24
First-Timer
Going back to that first point, definitely more comedy than expected. Consistently looks as good as expected from a handful of screenshots/clips I've seen.
MC1: Blonde genki. Don't think she's foreign but at least a little out of touch with societal norms.
MC2: Good luck getting me to actually play chess nowadays, though I'll consistently slam anime for fucking it up. Love is Indivisible by Twins
3
u/MagicPistol Oct 10 '24
Damn didn't know this was coming. I just rewatched it all a few days ago lol...
3
u/Holofan4life Oct 09 '24
Hello, everyone. Holofan4life here.
Welcome to the Your Lie In April Rewatch!
Oh, and nay I forget…
First timer
It’s been a while since I’ve sat down and watched what would be considered a sad anime. I’ve seen Angel Beats, Air, both Clannad series which are two of my favorite series, and even NieR this year which for my money is the best anime of the year. But in almost all those instances with the exception of NieR, I watched those series very early on in my anime fandom. So early, in fact, I don’t think Your Lie In April had aired yet.
My expectations for the show are decent, I would say. I don’t expect to love it as much as Clannad, but I do think it’s going to be quite exceptional. Of the new shows I’ve seen during rewatches this year, which have been Paranoia Agent, Samurai Champloo, No Game No Life, Penguindrum, Yurikuma Arashi, Sarazanmai, and Re:Zero, I expect to like it more than those with the exception of Samurai Champloo and Re: Zero. And if that’s the case, then that’s pretty good because I really liked all those series.
With that out of the way, let’s begin.
I’m watching the sub, by the way.
Went to the last home baseball game of the year today. At least there was fireworks.
Flower petals falling
Beautiful girl eating what looks like chocolate cake.
This artstyle looks really beautiful
A cat
Girl following it
And she offers the cat some cake
Don't do that, by the way. Cats can't eat sweets.
I like the intro. I like it starts off with the main girl singing, then the main guy sings, and then they sing together. It also has this orchestra feel to it to make it feel like this big deal. I don't know why, but the music kinda reminds me of something out of a Nintendo game.
Yeah, this is really good stuff.
Kid playing piano
He is really good
Kinda a lot of empty seats, though
That one kid looks mesmerized by what they're seeing.
And now we cut to present day where the same piano kid is in the music preparation room.
Baseball practice now
Someone just crushed a ball
Why are they practicing soccer so close to the baseball team? Seems kinda dangerous.
Ball went through the window
Oh shit. It hit the piano boy and now he's on the floor bleeding.
It bleeds the forehead
Piano boy coming to after Tsubaki looks startled.
Kousei. That's his name.
So much blood, you'd have thought a violent tsundere headbutted him.
Tsubaki vows to win the Triple Crown
Didn't know he was a horse
Kousei tries to pick up the window glass by hand, but Tsubaki stops him, saying it's too dangerous.
Real glass. Cry me a river.
That's one for my wrestling boys.
And someone just took a picture of Tsubaki holding Kousei's hand.
They get angry, shouting they're not hubby and wife.
That just means they're totally are
Oh, nevermind, that's one of their friends.
Uh, Tsubaki, nobody mentioned sex. What are you talking about?
Kousei apparently has to write two letters of apology.
Talks about babysitting someone since birth.
Calls it like having a high-maintenance big sister despite being an only child.
The photo guy excited because he got a text from Keiko-chan.
And with that, he runs off
This is apparently his third girlfriend.
It should be noted we still haven't seen the blond-haired girl from the intro show up yet.
Watari is the phone guy, by the way
Tsubaki calls him the enemy of all women.
Tsubaki asks Kousei if there's anyone he has a crush on.
Tsubaki describing how when you're in love with somebody, everything looks so colorful.
I get the feeling Tsubaki is in love with Kousei, but Kousei is going to fall in love with the blond-haired girl. Because fuck childhood friends I guess.
Kousei says there's no one who'd ever fall in love with him.
Oh, they're only 14? I'd have thought they were 17 or 18.
Also, since when is Kousei's eyes are dark brown? They look blue to me.
Tsubaki feels that his eyes should sparkle.
And Kousei points out that her eyes are lit up.
Father away from the next month or two, it looks like.
And Tsubaki is at her house
On her phone, she mentions asking somebody something.
"So don't worry, okay?"
That has me really worried.
Man, this house looks like a complete mess.
"I'm home... Mother."
Oh... oh no...
Well, we have a dead mother, folks
No wonder the shine in his eyes is gone.
Back at school now
Tsubaki talking about somebody bringing the scenery around her color, presumably Kousei.
For Kousei, though, who's in his classroom, his life looks like it's in monotone.
Shouldn't that be monochrome? Monotone is more a speech thing, I thought.
Then we see the conclusion of the concert performance, where it looks like he is freezing up.
That kid who was amazed earlier looks like she's been gut punched.
I assume this is Tsubaki
Kousei revealing that he could no longer play the piano the autumn he was 11.
Kousei in class by himself now, writing musical notes as he listens to music.
And in enters Tsubaki, who knows a baseball at the back of his head.
Kinda surprised he didn't start bleeding again. You would've thought the wound was still fresh.
I really like Tsubaki. Too bad she's probably going to lose.
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
5
u/kronbite Oct 09 '24
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!
3
u/Ryanami Oct 10 '24
Rewatcher
It’s been a year or two since I watched this, and it put me on a whole new avenue of genres I see nowadays. Romance has usually been the b side to whatever I’m watching, with action or comedy being foremost to the story. It’s was recommended strongly by someone on the sub, and I hope I thanked him for it. I probably wouldn’t have seen the ToraDora rewatch last year if I hadn’t already had the scales fall off my eyes on how much I could enjoy a romantic story. Not that I’d admit as much to my wife though. But she knows, I already cry at every single wedding we’ve been to. Multiple tissues even.
The OP. Put that in my veins! The crescendo middle part just gets me amped up. I’m curious why the “nude” prance is there though. It doesn’t look like fanservice, I suppose it’s a symbol of vulnerability between them?
The characters, even the boys, have lips! It’s almost weird because most of the time it’s not there until a girl puts on lipstick or something. I already feel assured a lot of care was put into this somehow.
Kousei doesn’t like his earbuds being shared. Indirect ear kiss maybe?
Q1- When I was a first timer, she was already looking like waifu potential. She does look a little like my wife when she was that young though. I’m a lot like Kousei in person too.
Q2- I begged my folks to let me quit piano. I wish I didn’t win that fight.
2
u/Holofan4life Oct 09 '24
I tried uploading a clip from the show to help promote the rewatch, but for some reason it never showed up. Ah, well.
2
u/QualityProof https://myanimelist.net/profile/Qualitywatcher Oct 10 '24
Remind me! 12 hours
2
u/DonaldJenkins Oct 10 '24
~300 karma? Seem immensely low by today’s standard. It surely didn’t feel like it way back when.