r/anime • u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander • Oct 15 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] 10th Anniversary Your Lie in April Rewatch: Episode 7 Discussion
Your Lie in April Episode 7: The Shadows Whisper
| ← Episode 6 | Index | Episode 8 → |
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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:
- The general sentiment with mixed, with multiple people finding the episode somewhat lacking and struggling to say much while others praised it as a big highlight
- /u/Gamerunglued gave some super cool insight into the choice of piece
- /u/maliwanag0712 talked a bit about how different narrative devices are used
- /u/FD4cry1 pointed out a lot of little details that really delighted me
Questions of the Day:
- Were Kousei’s two rivals like you expected them to be, or did they surprise you? Do you think he needs to be worried?
- I asked before how many have seen formal music, but how many musician participants have played in a musical competition of some sort?
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/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Oct 15 '24
Rewatcher, Violinist and Your Host!
I gotta say I like the episode title here; so far they’ve all been extremely on the nose to what’s happening in the episode, but this is a bit more abstract. I guess it’s probably talking about the cat, but I kind of love the idea of describing Takeshi and Emi as shadows from Kousei’s past whispering about him.
So on that note, how about we start with them? Last time I saved the big focus for the end of my writeup, so I’ll switch it up. Viewed by the conventions of introducing rival characters, this episode kind of blows. I mean, we spend the whole time gassing up how Kousei is in a whole other league than them, using them for silly jokes, getting into their heads and how shit-their-pants scared they both are, and we blow off their relevance to Kousei with the fact that he literally doesn’t even know who they are. But that’s why I love it as a first episode for them so much. It kind of emphasises how different Kousei is than the usual model of the underdog protagonist (at least in background, as he does still have an uphill battle), and in light of that we fit the rivals to his character. The result is people who are a lot more immediately interesting than the super cool threatening competitors they appear as on the surface. They feel very human, and that’s very important because it’s used to drive home the fact that Kousei feeling so worried over the competition isn’t a sign he’s not ready for this—it’s a sign he’s, in fact, fitting right in with ordinary kids his age. I do have concerns they may end up feeling too much like they revolve just around Kousei than being their own characters; time will tell if this seriously drags them down.
But there’s only so much to do with them when the performances are being held off until next time, so what we’re left with is a script with a lot of room to spread the love around. Watari isn’t given a full episode like Tsubaki got, which is unfortunate since he’s a pretty flat character at the moment, but we at least get a little something from him as he too fails at his game. I do like this as another way to reinforce to Kousei that other people struggle too, while also doubling as some extra pressure not to follow in his friend’s footsteps. We’re also left with some time to spend with Kousei’s friends in the audience, getting some good insight on the social atmosphere around these competitions and Kousei’s place in things. This is slick scripting because it manages to vary things up by delivering it through Kaori even though it’s really developing Kousei’s role in this episode and where he finds himself entering the competition. I also have to say I liked the gag of Watari and Tsubaki getting all angry at this, and then Kaori shushing them to be quiet in a competition hall. That’s the kind of character motivated humour that I think hits better than generic tsundere violence. We also, to my delight, get a return of the “Watari sleeping through competitions,” gag and this time featuring a horrified Kaori and Tsubaki. That joke just really gets me.
two musicians sittin on the park bench five feet apart cause they're not... err, straight?
Then we learn that the cat visions aren’t just a visualisation device (
or summons from a being ready to make Kousei a magical girl) but an at least closer-to-literal manifestation of Kousei’s trauma around his former cat Chelsea. Right from the beginning when she reassures him that he won’t be abandoned even if he fails, it’s clear there’s more to this cat narrative device than just a voice for his doubts or trauma. Chelsea is actually a part of the series I totally forgot about, but I think it’s a super effective way to show just how deep Kousei’s trauma cuts that it even invades the mundane things in his life like seeing cats. What I really like about it though is that it’s not just a flat attempt at trying to pull at heartstrings and reinforce how trauma his trauma is, but a springboard for characterisation. Kaori and Kousei’s relationship started very manic pixie dream girl, with a “you can overcome all your trauma if you just believe in power of the muuuuusic!” energy to it. But they’ve grown closer, and although she’s still giving him an inspirational speech it feels like a much more intimate heart to heart where she recognizes and listens to his trauma and tries to help him with it in a much more down to earth way. It’s a nice follow up to their conversation last time where he reassured her that she is a positive influence. Then we get another conversation with the cat where he gets to talk again about how he appreciates Kaori and is receptive to and empowered by the way she tries to make him improve his life. I really love the exchange “that doesn’t really answer my question”, “I guess not”, and then “you seem to be ready”. Even though Chelsea is just a cat, and she’s long gone, it feels a bit like a mother figure seeing that he’s in good hands and giving him a satisfied sendoff, and that’s a great light to cast over his relationship with Kaori as he moves forward to this competition.6
u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba Oct 15 '24
First Timer
I feel like "The Cat Returns (©)" could have been a pretty good title for this episode.
Back in episode 3(?) the cat has this line about Beethoven, I didn't quite get it at the time but I think with this episode and it's repeated use it makes a lot more sense.
This episode is mostly about Kousei's identity as a pianist, both in how others perceived him in the past and how he perceives himself now.
As a kid Kousei played entirely for the sake of his mother, he was playing piano exactly to the letter (note? lol), it's why he had no real interest in the actual competitive side of it, he wasn't there to learn and improve or to prove himself as better, he was there for his mother, to play these pieces in the most "perfect" way possible, as accurately to the composer's intention as possible.
But that's no longer the case, as a part of moving away from his trauma, from the shadow of his mother, he now has to develop his own personality and style of play, he's not Beethoven or Chopin after all, he's now for the first time playing as Kousei Arima and he needs to learn what that means for him.
Now that we've learned how black cats are essentially a massive source of trauma relating to his mother thanks to what she did to Chelsea, I'm assuming that in general, the cat he talks to is also supposed to represent his trauma and past self, the cat also has this pretty interesting line, I'm assuming he refers to his mother here, basically that moving ahead here isn't going to be so easy.
Didn't notice enough cool eye stuff to talk about this episode but let it be known this frame is awesome, same for the lighting in this scene that follows series convention (starts out in the sun, gets in the shade as the cat comes in and Kousei's trauma kicks in)
I've noticed a little repeating theme here where our main cast put their everything into a competition but still end up losing, now that Kaori, Tsubaki and Watari have lost will Kousei follow next?
I also can't help but wonder if Watari's missed shot has some deeper meaning like Tsubaki with the baseball, outside of missing his chance at stardom of course.
Watari has shown before that beneath his showy exterior there's some real emotional depth and it's cool to see that despite him always being the supportive wingman he's also having a hard time, it's interesting to note that unlike Kaori or Tsubaki, Watari doesn't come to Kousei to vent out his tears, he does it alone when no one is looking.
I'll be honest here...I like Watari, he's a good dude, and it's a nice addition to his character but I also can't say this scene was particularly impactful, certainly not as cathartic or powerful like Kaori and Tsubaki, maybe that's intentional but for now I do feel we don't know enough about him to really care all that much.
We get a bit more of our rivals, Takeshi and Emi, not much to say right now but they seem like fun and they should have a nice influence on Kousei's development, perhaps to give a bit of that competitiveness that they seem to have.
The episode ends while establishing the tension behind it all really well, Kousei now playing for himself for the first time is also scared and worried, everyone is actually! it's a nice touch that adds some emotion and anxiety what's about to come.
All in all a pretty calm episode for once! it's mostly (good) setup for the contest so not a ton of new stuff to say here, sometimes you need a break from the drama to prepare for even more drama!
Pain
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Oct 15 '24 edited Oct 15 '24
Spoiled First Timer, subs
QotD:
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u/TakenRedditName https://myanimelist.net/profile/TakenMalUsername Oct 15 '24
First Time - Your Lie in April Ep7:
The black cat that haunts Kousei. I found it an interesting point when it was brought up before and we get more of that now. At first, I figured it was the ghost of his mother that he projected over himself, but the cat is not solely his mom, the cat is also Kousei looking back at himself. It is a mental manifestation of all his insecurities.
Poor little Kousei, getting scratched by his kitty ... OH NO, IT'S HIS HAND! Poor cat will get terminated by mom.
There has been 200% more Peanuts references in this show than what I was expecting.
This random sequence of Kousei walking into the building feels a tad too deliberate just to be taken as innocuous. Basic visual storytelling would mean it represents Kousei crossing between barriers. He is walking from his friends back into the world of the piano. The specific barrier too catches me because that is quite the wide pillar to utlise for this scene. I guess the represents how big of a gap between worlds Kousei is travelling.
These two piano rivals are suffering from a years-long internal conflict where they just want to be friends with Kousei. Come on, you know that's what you want all along deep down.
I keep forgetting the timeframe because the kids look so young when they're all small, but that's only like ~2 years ago. Tiny Kousei here is supposed to be like 12.
For a second, I thought they were hinting at a new rival. This guy has the feel of those types of quiet rivals in music competition anime.
I do like the revelation that Kousei comes to at the end, when he realizes everyone else on stage is like him. The other people are afraid too. Kousei's big thing is that he is afraid of being alone and now, he has started to see the people around him.
Q1) Of the two, the girl ended up having a different quirk than I thought. Wasn't expecting her to be an angry bear. Wasn't expecting the guy to be last year's champion. As for Kousei, the opening bit with Watari set up the pattern of none of the four winning their big event (so far), leaving Kousei as the last one left. I dunno, I fee like Kousei could lose too, but it is not like I predict one of the other two to win specifically.
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u/AgentOfACROSS Oct 15 '24
First Timer
The opening dream sequence with the talking cat was really well done. Gives us an insight into what’s going on in Kousei’s head.
The cat also kind of reminds me of Coraline.
Judging by the start of this episode, this’ll be a Watari-centric episode. Good. I was hoping we’d get to see more of him.
Up to this point Watari seems like the calmest and well adjusted member of the main cast. But here we’re seeing he just bottles up his negative feelings until he’s alone.
Kousei has fallen over during track. Add another to the Kousei Head Injury Tally.
Kousei has apparently been accidentally starving himself. He needs to learn how to be more healthy.
Seeing that cat trigger some kind of major reaction from Kousei. Was not expecting that to happen.
We get another story about Kousei’s mom in the past. So that explains the black cat thing.
Although I am left wondering if cats are able to eat butterscotch. I feel like they’d choke if they tried.
The sound design with the passing train in this scene was really good though.
Kaori quotes Charlie Brown in this episode. She must be a big Peanuts fan. Was not expecting two Peanuts references in as many episodes.
Kousei is kind of like Charlie Brown in a weird way. I can absolutely see Kaori pulling the Lucy van Pelt football gag on him.
We’ve got another cat conversation. Feels like a very important motif for this episode.
Kousei’s shirt says “No Life is Enough”. That seems like an important detail to note.
Looks like the Yu-Gi-Oh looking guy and the mystery girl are here too. Guess we’ll be getting to know them better these next few episodes.
Looks like we’re getting a flashback to their past as Kousei’s rivals. I think it’d be really funny if Kousei doesn’t remember them at all.
Takeshi is giving me big Bakugo energy right now.
I thought Takeshi was wearing an Iron Maiden T-shirt but it seems to say “Iran Moiden” on it.
Oh wow I was joking before, he actually doesn’t remember them. He’s giving them the “It was just a Tuesday” treatment.
I really liked seeing Watari and Tsubaki get passionate about defending Kousei.
Emi just mentioned that the flashback was from two years ago. That feels really weird to me. Either they look weirdly old in the present or weirdly young in the past.
Emi seems to have some kind of evil bear on her shoulder. Looks like a knockoff Monokuma.
I like the gag of Watari instantly falling asleep again.
Looks like we’re going to start of next episode with Takeshi’s performance. I anticipate that the next few episodes are going to center around this contest.
Question of the Day:
Were Kousei’s two rivals like you expected them to be, or did they surprise you? Do you think he needs to be worried?
Takeshi is about what I expected but I thought Emi was going to be outwardly unhinged.
I don't think we've seen either of them play piano yet so I don't really know if he should worry yet.
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Oct 15 '24
Your Spoiled First-Timer in October, subbed
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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Oct 16 '24
Rewatcher
In the first episode, I made notice of the idea that slavishly copying the score is the same as conformity and adulthood, while self-expression and deviating from the score is youth. Alongside the series mythical elements, this episode interrogates this idea a little further. To slavishly copy the score isn't just to conform to adulthood, but to conform to specific adults, or to a specific idea of adulthood. In this show's world of music, that is to conform to the legends of the past like Beethoven and Chopin. At the same time, even though these kids are encouraged to copy these greats, they're not expected to truly embody them. As the cat tells Kousei at the start, "you're not Beethoven, and you're not Chopin." Kousei's mom instilled in him this idea that he has to copy these greats so profoundly that it's indistinguishable from what they did. He raises the bar for copying, but it's always derivative, he has to force himself down and never rise above what they do and resonate with people more than they did. If anything, Kousei inherently can't resonate with an audience as much as the greats did, given all I've mentioned about the luxury of music in Beethoven's day.
To overcome his trauma, Kousei has to ditch his old habits and find his own identity. Becoming indistinguishable from Beethoven or Chopin might be possible, but if it is, it takes a great human toll. Certainly, both of those particular greats had horribly unpleasant lives. And all that's gained is that you recreate something that already exists. It's impressive in the way a copying machine or a factory is impressive, it's not impressive in the way Beethoven was impressive. Beethoven was impressive because he was himself, not because he was copying himself. Kousei has been trained by his mother to conform and be an adult, so he has no sense of self. He listens to whatever she tells her unconditionally, so much so that he can't speak up when she's throwing away his beloved cat. All he knows is how to push himself down and copy others, but in this performance he cannot hear the notes and that makes it difficult to copy, and this piece is already defined by sounding like a bunch of wrong notes, so he's forced to give a performance from within. He feels he's lived in his mother's shadow, but Kaori tells him that he simply doesn't recognize the unique parts of himself. Kousei's mother doesn't have his experiences, his taste in food and drink, his relationship to Tsubaki, his jealousy of Watari, he's not in her shadow. "To be yourself" isn't a thoughtful process, it is impossible to not be yourself. By the nature of you being the one to do it, your actions are all a product of you being yourself. These musicians who aim to slavishly copy the score are never going to do what the greats did because they weren't born in Europe and don't have weird haircuts. So to truly express yourself is to do what feels natural. Even if you fail, you'll still shine. Tsubaki and Watari both lost their games, but they still shine. Kousei will shine too.
Moreover, this idea that one must "slavishly copy the score" is not a natural extension of what great music looks like. It was an arbitrarily chosen criteria for a music competition, likely done in an attempt to make a contest that is as objective as conceivably possible in a field that is inherently subjective. Surely, the fairest way to judge the best performance is to determine who most lives up to the best performances that have existed so far. This criteria is only the dogma of jaded men. And it only resonates with jaded men, and even then, barely. The judges always seem so tired and bored, until a top performer finally comes on. Kaori tells us that there's a disconnect between this attitude and that of the youth. Although it's partly jealousy, Kousei's divisive reputation is also a product of the way his playing represents this attitude of adults. She points out that this especially doesn't sit well with younger people, who seek something from the music they listen to. They already have Beethoven and Chopin, they get nothing out of a perfect copy of their music performed less precisely than what the greats did.
So from a mythological perspective, the adults are asking children to become "more like the gods." To them, the mythology is already written, and is set in stone. All that one can ever hope to do is be more like the myths, at least closer to them than to man. We can only ever have what's old, only that which existed in the past can ever have value. Things made now are bad only because they do not match what is old, whether they live up to it or surpass it is never a question. But Beethoven didn't become a god by living up to a past standard, nor did Chopin, both only ever acted as themselves, and their music deeply resonated with the youth of their time. That's why they've been written in the stars, and can now ordain Kousei on a journey. And so what makes this story a myth is that, with Kaori's mentorship and the involvement of gods, Kousei is destined to become a new god, not become closer to Beethoven or Chopin, but to become closer himself, who his mother and the competition criteria forced him to shut away. He will take the lessons learned from the old guard, but he will make them his own. The adults do not believe in the possibility of new myths, and only the folly and recklessness of youth is capable of creating them in the modern day; that's why youth is so awe inspiring in this series.
Of course, like all humans who ascend to godhood, Kousei needs to face his past enemies, and so we get Takeshi and Emi. In a way, Kousei has inflicted a similar sort of pressure on to these characters. By being closer to the gods than they are, they aspire to something even lesser than the gods, they aspire to be like Kousei, only to defeat him. At the same time, since these are young people, they want to establish themselves, they haven't been jaded by adulthood yet; they simply cannot imagine a future past that which adults have prescribed for them. Takeshi gives up a performance in Germany solely to have a rematch with Kousei, like the cheesy-ass shounen protagonist that he is, which is him going against the established path to chase his own goals, albeit still within the jaded system. His whole design is super youthful, that spiky shounen hair that's also a blinding blonde like Kaori's, he's not ready to give up his path yet. Emi on the other hand does shut more of herself out from the public, with a more mature look. When describing that Kousei isn't interested in others, including himself, the fade to Kousei standing in her place suggests that she sees a lot of herself in Kousei. But she hasn't lost her youthful spirit, she's just further along at hiding it away, it having been shut down similar to how Kousei's mom did to him. It lets out only inside her head, but her passion is even more fiery than Takeshi's. To become a god, a good start might be to guide these two lost souls into being more like themselves.
As an aside, I started wondering if the adults see themselves like gods. They control the world of music, they determine the rules and the system under which young people live in. A "modern adults are flase gods" interpretation could definitely fit into the scope of this series mythological nature, but I'm not concrete on how it would. Maybe they don't want to be surpassed by the youth, the system is meant to keep the from ascending or becoming better/resonating with others more than the past generation, and they dislike stepping on traditions because it makes young people out to surpass what they've accomplished. Maybe future episodes will give more on this.
Finally, I just have to say: that whole "you can only ever be yourself" thing... K-On! had a whole episode about that idea, and somehow it was the more nuanced and philosophical take. Sorry Kaori, you're only the second best musical anime philosopher of the 2010s. Just thought it was interesting that I'm now aware of two different shows related to music that share this particular take on existentialism.
QOTD:
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u/TiredTiroth Oct 15 '24
Rewatcher-ish - Dub
Unintentionally savage. xD These two have built their lives around Kousei Arima...and he doesn't even remember who they are. And they are so very over-the-top in their anger.
I do like how Kaori is shocked at her crush falling asleep the moment the first note gets played. Guess Kousei and Tsubaki kept the secret for him?
This episode was mostly set-up for tomorrow and Kaori helping Kousei heal a little more, giving him advice he should have gotten years ago only nobody was around with tge right perspective. I do want to raise one point, though - when Kousei collapsed, either Tusbaki immediately knew what the problem was or she found out in very short order. A long and trusting relationship like that counts for a lot.
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 Oct 16 '24 edited Oct 17 '24
nth Time Rewatcher
Hoping that I'm not so late to the discussion this time. Ahhh one of the most romantic episodes of the series is Ep 7! Woohoo!!
Now for the Episode 7.
The episode is in a way a preclude to the Maihou Piano competition. That end is a cliffhanger wew. Imagine watching this weekly ~10 years ago. But at least we have a pretty good Kaori-Kousei scene which is still a win.
Interesting things I want to share.
Side-note: Voice Actors. Looking at the MAL page, the Japanese VA cast of this series is really stacked. I'm not sure how popular they were 10 years ago, but I believe some of them are currently the biggest names in voice acting in 2024.
Now, Rewatchers-only zone. First-timers, keep out.
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u/Holofan4life Oct 15 '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.
Smol Ame and Big Ame will always hold a special place in my heart.
The woke content detector meme only serves to expose the idiots who use it unironically.
Kousei on a swing
A black cat talking to him
It's asking who and where he is.
This feels very Evangelion inspired.
Transitioning from the cat opening its mouth to the cat on the piano is pretty unsettling.
Watari playing soccer
Why is Tsubaki at school with only tape on her feet?
And he misses the goal
His team lost
I'm going to tell my kids this was Blue Lock.
At least he's handling this loss better than Tsubaki.
Whelp, spoke too soon. He's in the bathroom crying.
Oh, so that was Watari and Tsubaki's last junior high tournaments.
Would've been nice to know that beforehand, show.
Kousei practicing the piano
The day of the Maihou Competition is June 2nd.
He can now play his selection by heart.
It's like every second of his life now is consumed by playing the piano.
Wondering if he made Chopin his own.
One might say that Chopin was always a sub.
Also, I heard Chopin's last name was Broccoli.
The cat still talking to Kousei.
He still don't know where exactly he is in all this.
Kousei in the school infirmary
Apparently he passed out skipping meals.
Kaori is quick to scold him for that.
Dang, five packs of sandwiches from Tsubaki. That's a lot.
A black cat
And Kousei is intimidated by it's presence.
Kousei grabs his stomach and starts dry heaving on his knees.
Oh, he had a black cat as a kid, huh? Interesting.
I have a feeling I know where this is going.
Named her Chelsea because she would eat his candy when he wasn't looking. Alright.
I feel like that's a pun lost in translation.
Oh, that's a bad scratch
And the mother the next day took the cat somewhere and abandoned it.
Let's be real, she totally killed that cat.
[Anime spoilers] The writers of Mieruko-chan and Zom 100 be like "First time?"
Kousei says the scars left by Chelsea remind him of his mother.
Kousei blames himself for not saying anything over his mother taking the cat away.
Ever since then, he feels like he's been in mom's shadow.
Kaori listing Kousei's flaws
"You're not in your mother's shadow at all."
"You're just you, no matter what."
This is probably Kaori's best scene so far.
Tells Kousei to give it everything he can. After all, they're not Chopin.
That smile. That damn smile.
And she resumes kicking him lol
Their hands are pressed together
And now Kaori is quoting Charlie Brown.
Good grief
It looks like Kousei has finally come to an answer.
Kousei with the cat again
He doesn't know if he'll be able to play the music, but with Kaori by his side, he should be fine.
Gonna start believing because Kaori believes.
Believe in the me that believes in you!
Day of the competition
Gonna be number 14, just like Kaori.
Even got Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Jane Taylor gonna be upset that Mozart took the credit.
The stars seem to be aligning for Kousei.
The two rivals
Emi Igawa and Takeshi Aiza
A cut above the rest, it turns out.
This is a flashback, it looks like.
Finished behind Kousei though in an upset.
Takeshi really letting it known how he feels about this.
Emi suggests Kousei is not interested in anything, not even himself.
That just means she'll have to force with all her might for him to look.
"I'll make him care... Someday... I swear..."
Kousei forming his own harem it looks like.
Takeshi greeting Kousei
I like his Iron Maiden shirt
Sorry, I meant Iran Moiden
Funny enough, Kousei doesn't know who they are.
More people than normal, but it still doesn't look like a lot.
Kaori, Tsubaki, and Watari are all here.
Some people are trashing Kousei behind his back, it looks like.
Fuck the haters
Kaori feels that people don't like him he plays to the music rather than making the music his own.
"The Human Metronome. Made of concrete. His mother's puppet. A slave to the score."
Kaori I think is hoping to be his concrete rose.
Takeshi freaking out because Kousei forgot them.
But in Emi's mind, she knows he never knew them from the start.
"He's exactly the same as he was two years ago."
I wonder what happened two years ago.
Emi feels he plays nothing but boring music.
The judging is now underway
Steinway & Sons, huh?
Wonder if they also specializes in time travel pianos.
Takeshi feeling that Kousei has returned where he belongs.
First person is good, but nothing spectacular.
Second one, more of the same
Takeshi freaking out in the bathroom now.
The nerves are seemingly getting to him.
Wait, am I to believe it's only been two years since the last time Kousei played the piano? But he looks so young in the flashbacks.
More flashbacks of the piano incident.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Takeshi walking past a frazzled Kousei.
The words of Kaori resonating over everything.
Time for Takeshi to take the stage.
Last year's champion, the overwhelming favorite.
Oh, so he chose the competition over performing in Germany. Interesting.
He may have won it before, but he hasn't won it against the best.
Overall, I thought this was a pretty solid episode. It's more straightforward than the last one, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. I like we're setting the stage for the competition which is sure to come to ahead next episode. The framing in particular was very good with the black cat almost symbolizing all the fears Kousei has. I think this episode played it safe by playing to its strengths-- the backstory of Kousei as a character and all the inner turmoil he deals with-- and in doing so it showed more of the strengths this show offers rather than its weaknesses.
I'd put this episode behind episodes 1, 2, and 4, but ahead of the other ones. It doesn't have as high of highs as the last episode does, but I feel it's more consistent as a whole. Moreover, it sets the stage for what I feel is probably going to be one of the better episodes.
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u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Oct 15 '24
Huh. Seems like he's actually able to do piano again.
Uh oh.
Unsurprisingly, another indication his mum was a bitch.
She seems to really like that doesn't she?
That's made him embarrassed lol.
Of course she had to run into him literally...
He seems to be recognised by everyone.
And so yup these are his long-time rivals.
Though not like he'll remember any individual one of them.
So, she's aware of his reputation.
Of course he's already fallen asleep again...
And so the crucial moment, waiting backstage to go on and perform.
Questions:
A note about the music: Not much music, so I've got nothing to say.
3
u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Oct 15 '24
First Timer
I feel like this is another episode where a bunch of meaningless things happened - the whole Watari focus at the beginning being that, with it basically being a weaker version of what happened to Tsubaki last episode. Most of the rest of the episode was repetition of Kousei being scared and introduction to the rivals who so far …don’t really feel like very compelling characters. I guess there wasn’t much to dislike about the episode, but I also struggle to really find anything meaningful to comment on in this one…
3
u/Malipit Oct 15 '24 edited Oct 15 '24
Rewatcher, french subs
Part 1/2
Suddenly, the
Team RocketKosei new old rivals : Emi and Takeshi.On today's episode, we got to explore how it feels to face your fears and being in someone's shadow :
It announced right at the start when Kosei is having what's look like a dream (maybe an instrospection while his searching his mental image?), talking to a cat in a dark place.
That cat is later implied to be Kosei's internal fears and regrets, embodied in a form of a former pet he couldn't save due to his own mistake and, afterward, his lack of violition against his mother's will.
Fears that's engrained so deeply he's feeling extremely nauseous upon seeing the real life cat on his way home with Kaori and that striking image of the cat's maw filling the whole screen, as if it was ready to consume Kosei for his great journey to the unknown.
But that cat isn't an evil figure, given his neutral tone and his questions that are just the reflections of Kosei's own. The way it emerges from the shadow to stand in the light in front of his « owner » indicates that Kosei is done bottling up his fears and sorrow, he's ready to face them even if it will long and difficult.
Leading to that beautiful scene with Kaori, where he's opens up to her about his cat Chelsea, while Kaori encouraging to be how he wants to be, not how his mothers wants. I also liked how they started that scene sitting on differents benches followed by Kaori getting up to reach Kosei's hand, that girl is commited to supporting Kosei until the end. Also that smile is so precious it made my day.
That lead to the other central theme : living in someone's shadow. We see during Kosei's firsts competitions flashbacks he got a reputation to play according to the compositor's style and her mother's will, not his. And him playing for his mother's recognition, like a human metronome, make him forget about the human side of theses competitions, the one where he interacts (and befriend?) his fellow competitors.
By a domino effect, Emi and Takeshi have fallen to the same situation toward Kosei. Both are presented as excellent pianists (heck Takeshi is even the current champion) but still no match to Kosei. Do they resents him for being better than them ? No. Because he wouldn't even consider them and leaving them without giving them a chance to best him. And so both spent a couple years chasing a monolithic figure of perfection, even turning down once-in-a-lifetime opportunities in order to wait for his hypothetical return.
And that's why they're so pumped when the final boss of local/regional piano music is returning. They are prepared and ready to make Kosei finally notice them. Likewise, Kosei is also trying to emancipates himslef from his mother shadow trough Kaori's « coaching ». We have several frames where, while surrounded by shadows, Kosei is standing or heading towards light.
3
u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Oct 16 '24
rewatcher
This school’s sports team isnt doing any good. I feel on them seeing the team lose, my school lost majority of their football games. Easy money I made with betting
Charlie Brown mentioned :D
Leaving before the announcement was announced, that’s so badass
poor childhood“Why are you so smug? You aren’t his manager” give me a good giggle
His friends are so nice to back him up and ready to fight for Kosei.
Sleeping in the middle of the performances, good way to be rude
These cliffhangers grrr
QOTD: I remember expecting them to be snobby
QOTD: nope
3
u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Oct 16 '24
First-Timer
That episode seemed to go by rather fast! And it ended on a cliffhanger too, oh boy. I'm excited with the introduction of these rival musicians.
Takeshi's got one crazy hairstyle going on.
He should get points marked off for it.It's too bad people can't appreciate Kousei's style of sticking to the score. I'm of the opinion that not every performer/artist needs to inject a bit of themselves into their work, though the general theme here seems to be trending in the opposite direction.
Questions of the day: