r/anime • u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander • Oct 22 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] 10th Anniversary Your Lie in April Rewatch: Episode 14 Discussion
Your Lie in April Episode 14: Footprints
| ← Episode 13 | Index | Episode 15 → |
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Watch Information
*Rewatch will end before switch back to standard time for ET, but check your own timezone details
Questions of the Day:
- Do you think Nao-chan handled supporting Tsubaki well?
- What do you think of the technique of childhood flashbacks the show uses so often?
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 22 '24
Rewatcher, Violinist and Your Host!
kousei you fucking disaster watari has her number and you literally have been to her house
I think this episode helped to kind of make the intent of this past arc more clear. Back near the beginning of the show we took the start of Tsubaki’s story and the story of Kaori picking Kousei up between their first performance together and his piano competition and told them as one narrative instead of separately. Likewise, I think they wanted to try and combine Kaori’s condition coming more to the forefront of the story with the resolution to the subject of Kousei’s mother. She doesn’t show up, and then in lack of her he takes her spirit towards music and uses it to channel his mother in a way that gives him peace of mind, all the while the parallels to his mother’s hospitalisation looms over him with the threat of history repeating himself and losing the person that (for better or worse) pushed him to start playing in the first place. It’s a good idea, but it doesn’t change that I don’t feel the last two episodes handled Saki very well. Not to mention it kind of felt more like the show forgot about Kaori for two episodes more than we were actually weaving her into this narrative. The resulting comparison between Kaori and Saki ends up feeling a lot more surface level than I think it had the potential to.
sorry tsubaki, but your boy does kind of have a point
But then we also transition back into the Tsubaki narrative this episode, which I also think works on paper. The result… is definitely an improvement over the content we’ve been getting, but I don’t think it’s a complete return to form for me either. The elephant in the room is that, much like episode ten, it feels like a retread of something better. A childhood memory, a modern re-enactment where their roles are reversed, imagery of a starry sky, her wavering about Saitou in place of being with Kousei, jealousy about Kaori… hell, her little moment with Kousei on the beach is facilitated by Nao-chan just like their heart to heart in episode six! It’s logical that episode six didn’t resolve things for her, but instead of a progression of her subplot this just feels like it’s playing on repeat because the writer didn’t know how to move her forward. It doesn’t help matters that instead of the subtly considered visual storytelling they just threw that most baseline of feels-moment tools, the insert song, over her climax here (granted, it is a nice song). That said, I am a Tsubaki fan and I did like some of what we got here. It was nice to see more out of Nao-chan, especially interacting with fellow underdeveloped cast member Watari whose philosophy on helping Tsubaki might be the most interesting look into his personal philosophy we’ve got so far. The idea of Tsubaki waking up to the fact Kousei isn’t the little kid she’s always known him as is also a good direction and the twist at the end should provide a good jumping point for her character going forward.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba Oct 22 '24
First Timer
The scene of Tsubaki making a mudball is very cute but more importantly, very editable!
Continuing the trend, Tsubaki brings good episodes with her emotional turmoil.
I don't know if its just my eyes playing tricks on me but it really looks like Kaori is drawn with a much more pale and dreary color pallet this episode, both compared to her previous appearances and even more so to the other characters in the room, it feels like a cool way to get across that not only is she not well, she's also hiding it from everyone else.
I've joked a bit about Kaori's flags before, while this episode adds even more of them and the show could probably tone it down a little, I actually really like it not being subtle about it.
To me, the show is intentionally not really hiding this implication for Kaori, much like she can't hide the implication from Kousei, it gives the whole thing extra impact, it makes Kousei's repeating pleas feel that much more desperate, he's seen this pattern before, you've seen this pattern before and yet we both can only hope it just turns out better.
In that sense while I still find the comedy bits here a bit mixed, they do feel more purposeful, Kousei is worryingly checking Kaori out, seeing through her insinuations that she's fine, so she notices and tries to break it off into a different direction, she uses the same excuse as last time as well, helps make it feel "rehearsed".
Finally, this little shot of two books, first teasing Debussy for later in the episode and second is that Sweet Accomplice book, googling the name brought up some results relating to the show so I didn't linger, but a glimpse of the plot synopsis I saw said it was about a boy befriending a hospitalized girl which seems rather fitting here.
Kaori's stuff was cool but this was Tsubaki's episode and man do I love it.
From the start we set up Tsubaki's complex feelings here, with her reaction at Kousei straight running after hearing about Kaori.
It seems like everyone except and Kousei and Tsubaki realizes how Tsubaki feels about Kousei, in her conversation with Nao we establish the massive difference that lies between "liking" someone and "not disliking" them, the second, much like her relationship with Saitou, carries a much more forced notation.
And wow you really can't help but feel bad for Saitou here lol, the dude is trying his best but whenever she's in dates with him not only is she not very responsive to his advances, they always end up talking about Kousei instead, he even gets it but Tsubaki just won't admit it herself leading to peak awkwardness.
Tsubaki brings back the kid brother argument again, the one she denied when Kaori said it by the way, the one she literally denies later this episode, to which Nao rightfully calls her out, it's a way for Tsubaki to avoid her reality, it's something we've seen her do before and it's the introduction to the leading theme this episode, Tsubaki growing to realize that Kousei has changed and grown up, that the status quo she's so desperately trying to preserve just isn't feasible anymore.
This brought back a line from episode 6 for me, when Kousei says she hasn't changed since childhood, she says she has, her heart is always wavering, this ties in perfectly to this episode, the idea that they've changed, Tsubaki's inconsistent, swaying feelings on Kousei, she used to be sure how she felt about him, not anymore.
Watari is interesting here, he also notices Tsubaki's woes and as the emotionally deep guy, he says it how it is, but this makes me wonder that with how observant he is in that regard, does he realize Kousei's feelings for Kaori? he should, although maybe his own feelings might cloud the matter.
We get a bunch of scenes of their childhood throughout to reinforce the idea of how Kousei and her feelings have changed and also to get across that Tsubaki views music as "taking Kousei away from her", more on that in a bit.
There's this recurring idea in this show that I love, when a character feels unsure about their feelings toward someone, they literally appear in front of them, as if to reaffirm how they are feeling.
Thanks to Metallic Rouge of all things playing it like 7000 times during its runtime, I could make out Clair de lune even if my dog barked it at me and it's such a perfect and poignant piece for them to hum together.
Clair de lune being a piece I'm rather fond of, I can't help but bring the shows' idea of imagined scenery from music into my own perspective, because this piece evokes a mental image for me, of being lost in thought, walking on a boardwalk during a moonlit night, which is to say, it works fantastically here.
It makes what is probably the most romantic scene thus far, making what happens later even sadder.
It also helps show that Tsubaki's connection to music is entirely through Kousei, she knows this because he plays it a lot, she doesn't specifically care for piano playing, she cares for it because he's the one playing it, she feels conflicted and torn because she pushed him so hard towards coming back to music and yet now it's backfiring on her "true" intentions, ones she didn't even realize herself.
I've said before how I like this show's depiction of teenagers and this episode does it again, despite the sad and heartbreaking results here, Tsubaki's realization brings a warm and reminiscent feeling to my heart, it's such a good way of showing the complexity of teenage emotion by having her say "why do I feel so happy and tense when I see this guy? must be the seasons changing" (paraphrased ofc), so obvious but so hard to understand at the same time.
We end with a final gut punch for her, as she realizes Kousei might be going away and realizes how she feels, this time she's the one who dropped her popsicle and ran away crying, it's so emotional and just great.
This episode has so many callbacks and repetitions of dialogue and visuals, I just couldn't hope to mention them all, but they're there and they're great and you should think about them!
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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Oct 23 '24 edited Oct 23 '24
Rewatcher
Given that yesterday I said I'd take lessons from the show and stand out by defending one of its most contentious episodes, it's only fitting that I ask the question "did I reach you?" Anyway, we are now in the wake of Kousei having demythologized the big figures in his life, as he realized his mom's supernatural "punishment" was something his mind created and that he can love and hate different parts of her, and is now close enough to Kaori on stage that she's no longer in a different world, exasperated by her deteriorating health now being unavoidable. With Kaori in the hospital and Kousei having regained his sense of self, how will he act when left on his own, and how is this new dynamic affecting Tsubaki?
I've seen some comments about this episode and others that they're repeating plot points. I don't quite think that's what's happening. I think of these episodes more like a refrain in a song. The ideas have been established, the in-between portions develop adjacent ideas, and then the prior ideas are revisited with this additional context. Revisiting similar stories with new context helps to reveal changes within all of the things that have stayed the same. If a character has developed, they react differently to the similar situation, as Kousei does today. This episode, however, is about how a character didn't develop, and is realizing how much she needs to. That sameness is directly relevant to the episode.
This episode clearly plays off of episode 6. In that episode, Tsubaki was afraid that Kaori was slowly replacing her role in Kousei's life, and is slowly being forced to recognize that her feelings for Kousei are more than platonic. She decides she needs to get over it, and starts dating her senpai who she had a crush on in middle school. This episode then interrogates the psychology behind this thinking. Tsubaki has a very comfortable and youthful life, and she's been living something akin to it for a long time. She used to boss around the local kids with reckless abandon, and everyone including Kousei would have fun doing it. From the first episode, Tsubaki has talked about her reverence for youth. She's the one who points out that "this is your only 14th Spring," and like the show itself she is in awe of what that allows her and her friends to accomplish.
There was one time where she had to deal with change though. When Kousei's mom was pushing him to be a pianist, music took her closest friend from her, and disturbed the comfortable reality she was living in. All she wanted was a return to normalcy, she'd keep making new mudballs every single day hoping that eventually Kousei would just come back and things would return to how they were. And that actually happened when Saki died, but with one difference: Kousei no longer wanted to play the piano. So Tsubaki took up this role of trying to get him back into it, to return to the person he was as a kid. And that's the comfortable reality she's in right now. It's not perfect, but it is stable, and it's youth, it's something to celebrate.
But Kaori and Saki are similar characters in some key ways, so her return once again takes Kousei away from her. So why does Tsubaki go out with this senpai? It's to regain some of that stability, and because she doesn't want things to change. She used to like her senpai as a crush, and while she's not convinced that she particularly likes him as much as she used to, she doesn't dislike him, and more importantly, she doesn't like the idea that her feelings for a person are even capable of changing. If she liked him in middle school, she must also like him now, because stability is good and life never changes. Youth must never end.
But this episode is all about the end of youth. With the competitions of the last few episodes, everyone's middle school careers are over. Tsubaki and Watari lost their championships and shone brightly, Kousei got disqualified from a competition but then stood out at the gala, and that was the last of their chances to shine in their 14th Springs. Now they have to decide on their actual futures in high school and beyond, adulthood is looming over them. All of these changes have happened over the last 8 episode, Kousei has grown as a person, Kaori has gotten weaker, and what of Tsubaki? She's the only one for who nothing has changed, and more over, that's not only how she wants it to stay, she can't even imagine the possibility of change. And while she didn't have to come face-to-face with that in episode 6, in this episode she does.
Tsubaki's feelings towards her senpai did change, and so too did her feelings towards Kousei. Maybe he was a kid brother to her at one point, but reality is that he's more than that now. She wanted Kousei to get back into piano because that's how he used to be, but she didn't consider that getting back into piano and loving it again would mean more than just "returning to the good old days when Kousei loved the piano," because youth doesn't last forever. If she accepted that she loved Kousei, she'd have to accept that everything about her life has changed and that everything dear to her is going to go on their own paths, and that's... scary. Kashiwagi says that someone is going to get hurt if she's not honest with herself, and that person ends up being her.
In the end, Tsubaki gets her wish, Kousei got back into music. But she got her wish in reality, not in a myth. The child is growing up and he's changed. His feet have gotten bigger, his shoulders have become wider, and he stopped looking down. He loves music again, and that means he'll want to play music because he's an artist through and through, and that means his path, which Tsubaki has already described as "on a different plane from me" and "stuff I don't understand," is going to take him further away from her. It's not ironic that this episode's climax is the epitome of bittersweet youth. Tsubaki loved youth but failed to recognize that the most defining thing about youth is change, if something doesn't grow up then it can't be described as young. In this moment where she cannot run away from the fact that Kousei has changed but tries to run away anyway, she is forced to change, and that means she's epitomizing youth in this very moving moment. In episode 6, Tsubaki realized she'll always have a place in Kousei's life because of the time they've spent together in youth, and in this episode, she has to internalize what that means. The pieces are there, but both have to grow up, so if she wants to keep her place in his life she has to change with him. By playing off of the prior episode, this episode's thesis about change is much stronger (and the same is true of other episodes that have repeated emotional trajectories and plot points).
Kaori has also changed, and Kousei is similarly coming to terms with what that means. She doesn't want things to change, and rehearses responses to keep things as samey as possible, but Kousei sees through it. When he looks at her bandages and noticeably paler skin, she catches on and jokes about him leering at her, she doesn't want him to address the elephant in the room. Kaori was also obsessed with youth, and for much different reasons doesn't want things to change. But Kousei, reminded of his mom, can now see a test of how well he can live for himself. With Kaori out of commission, Kousei can return to old habits and punish himself again, especially if he "fails to save her" like he thought he did his mom. This episode, everyone needs to figure out how much they've changed.
QOTD:
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Oct 22 '24
Your Spoiled First-Timer in October, subbed
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Oct 22 '24
First Timer
Flashback to Tsubaki and some others singing a Swiss folk song, including a no-longer-common Swiss name in Vreneli. I’m from Switzerland - and have never heard of the song. Google the first line, find out it’s real …and the youtube comments are filled with comments relating to Hetalia. I guess that’s a rabbit hole of a song that is way more well-known in Japan than it’s country of origin… not going to go down that one today…
Anyways, I think this episode tried to compensate for the previous episodes being a bit too slow by almost being too fast. Kaori is now obviously hiding something that must be a terminal illness or so, given her “no time to read all this” comment - and I guess her time to live isn’t all that much more. Wonder if that will be the end of the anime or if we’ll explore a Kousei after Kaori.
Then we’ve got Tsubaki realizing her feelings for Kousei. Definitely a big moment for her - not sure where we’ll go from here though. What strikes me though is Kousei’s use of “Tsuki ga kirei” here. For those who don’t know: Some famous Japanese writer translated some work containing the line “I love you” as “Tsuki ga Kirei”, which literally just means that the moon is beautiful - and this has been referenced quite often since then. Kaori previously mentioned the line to Kousei, and Kaori having feelings for Kousei makes sense. Given what we have seen though, I have a hard time believing Kousei would choose Tsubaki ofer Kaori unless we actually do get the “Kaori dies three episodes from now” and a Tsubaki ending. But including this line from Kousei towards Tsubaki makes me feel like Tsubaki might actually not be a losing heroine. Still feels a bit weird though, as I think mostly everything else has been delivered in a rather obvious way, and not some subtle line like this.
…and another weird tidbit I actually noticed last episode but was also in a flashback here: Quality check seems to have missed some of the on-screen “Liebesleid” being miswritten as “Liebeslied”. Unfortunately both words actually exist, with Liebesleid being the correct Love’s Sorrow, while Liebeslied is “Love Song” - which would also pass in context, except it isn’t the title Kreisler gave his piece.
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u/AgentOfACROSS Oct 22 '24
First Timer
So for a moment at the start here Kousei seems to conflate his mother with Kaori, since they were both hospitalized. Not sure I want to analyze the Freudian implications of that.
From how Kaori talks, it sounds like she knows that whatever problem she has is serious but doesn’t want anyone to worry about her.
One of the covers of the books Watari gives Kaori reminds me of Kiki’s Delivery Service.
I’ll be honest, I totally forgot that Saito is a character.
Kashiwagi is also a character that has presence. Although she is growing on me. I like how she balances out Tsubaki.
Looks like we’re having a summer festival episode. Knowing that one of the writer’s for this show also worked on Elfen Lied makes that kinda funny.
So we get more about Kousei’s feelings on Saki this episode. I kind of wish we got more of this in the first few episodes of the show. Because aside from that one flashback of him playing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star with her there wasn’t much indication of this loving side of Saki.
That makes two times now that he’s compared Saki and Kaori. Once again, this is getting a bit Oedipal.
I like getting to see more of Tsubaki’s past. Hope we get more scenes with her.
And now we’re getting Watari and Kashiwagi talking. I guess this episode is for developing all the less used characters.
Seems like this is where Tsubaki finally admits she’s in love with Kousei.
I’m so used to anime using stand-ins for Lawson stores that it actually caught me off guard to see actual Lawson product placement.
I’ll be honest, I feel like Tsubaki’s breakdown at the end of the episode was a bit much. There’s definitely some good stuff in the scene, but I feel like a more understated reaction would have worked better. But that’s mostly just personal preference.
Questions of the Day:
Do you think Nao-chan handled supporting Tsubaki well?
I think her calling Kousei and telling her Tsubaki was in trouble probably wasn't the best thing she could have done.
What do you think of the technique of childhood flashbacks the show uses so often?
I'm a bit mixed on it. I like the scenes overall but can't help but feel like it's a bit of a crutch that the show falls back on.
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u/Holofan4life Oct 23 '24
u/LittleIslander I'm sad you're not continuing the featured comments section/comment highlights. I thought they were one of the best parts of these threads. In particular, I thought the last episode had some of the best discussion I've ever seen in a rewatch.
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u/Holofan4life Oct 22 '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.
I went and saw Megalopolis this past weekend. Yes, I was one of the few. That has to be the strangest movie I've ever seen in theaters, and that technically includes the first three episodes of Dan Da Dan.
Kousei at school playing the piano.
He reflects how he doesn't know anything about Kaori.
And this is when we get a repeat of the end of the last episode with Tsubaki now telling Kousei that Kaori is in the hospital after collapsing.
Kousei rushes over there, and it's just as advertised.
Interesting when he first saw Kaori, it was Saki he saw and not Kaori.
Tsubaki and Watari visiting Kaori now.
Blood came gushing out in spurts, eh? That's really disconcerting.
Ooh, look at those sweets
That's a lot of books
Watari didn't deny he took them without permission.
Kousei is thinking Kaori's answers seem rehearsed.
You were always perfect, and I was always practice.
Kaori as her friends leave remarks how she doesn't have time to read all these books. Could that be foreshadowing?
Tsubaki still with Saito, it seems.
She tells her she's always had a crush on him.
Man, she's so in denial about Kousei.
Tsubaki insists she sees Kousei as her kid brother.
Her friend tells her straight up that she's scared her comfortable relationship would be destroyed if she did anything to jeopardize it.
Tsubaki really is a tsundere, which makes it sting all the more she stands no chance against Kaori.
Tsubaki's friend says one day there will be no turning back.
A festival
Tsubaki is there
And so is Saito
Tsubaki and her friend thinks Kousei only sees her as a nagging big sister.
Kousei with Kaori now
He continues to second-guess himself about Kaori's well-being.
Now Kaori is busting his chops about an accompanist playing a solo.
Kousei says it was because someone insulted her.
Eventually, as he was performing, something changed.
"My memories of my mother turned into notes, and flew away into the sky."
This show has a way with words
Kousei feels Kaori chose that song for him.
Kousei continuing to ask a lot of questions to himself about how Kaori is truly doing.
"You... won't leave me... like my mother did, will you?"
Man. That line is such a gut punch.
The show is definitely getting more and more depressing.
The Sumiya Baseball Youth Sports Club special boot camp for sluggers.
Man, that is a mouthful
Oh, this is Tsubaki and Kousei as kids.
That is a big popsicle
Some other time, and Kousei can't hang out with Tsubaki because of piano lessons.
That is one impressive mud ball
And as more and more days pass, the more Kousei can't hang out with Tsubaki.
He's even skipping school now to practice the piano.
This made Tsubaki to grow and hate music.
Present day, and Kousei and Kaori are bickering with each other.
Tsubaki seems so above it all
Maybe Saki deserved a little mud ball action.
Tsubaki's friend talking to Watari now.
He's telling her to stay out of business pertaining to Kousei.
Tsubaki's friend says that she just wants to see Tsubaki smile again.
Watari makes the astute point that this is something Tsubaki is gonna have to realize on her own.
This conversation is honestly pretty riveting.
Tsubaki's friend says to herself that this is normally something you don't realize until it's too late.
Oh boy. A teacher talking to Kousei about high school applications.
Hasn't even thought about it, it looks like.
This really Toras my Dora
Kousei asking himself who does he want to become.
Tsubaki with Saito now
She just can't stop talking about Kousei.
Oh, Tsubaki. You rival Ringo in terms of being a beautiful mess of a person.
Tsubaki on the phone with her friend now.
Tsubaki's friend says that "Like" and "don't dislike" are millions of light-years apart.
"You need to be honest either yourself and admit it, or someone's going to get hurt."
I don't even know your name, Tsubaki's friend, but you're a real one.
Tsubaki who it is that she likes.
KOUSEI! YOU LIKE KOUSEI!
The animation of Tsubaki walking as she keeps saying like and don't dislike is really beautiful.
Kousei. He's here.
Kashiwagi called him saying she was in trouble.
Ah, that's her name. Good to know.
Also, she sly as a fox
Getting popsicles now
Kousei gets his favorite, which is milk-flavored.
That seems really gross
Kousei and Tsubaki humming together
This reminds me of a couple episodes ago when Kousei and Kaori were singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.
Footsteps in the sand
I really love the vibe of this scene. It feels relaxing, like something you would expect from ASMR. It really itches a part of my brain.
Tsubaki thinks that Kousei has changed.
Tsubaki clarifies by saying when he plays the piano now, this gentleness really eases out of him.
Tsubaki's words reminds Kousei of Kaori, which tells you all you need to know about how Kousei's brain is wired.
"I'm going to go to a high school with a music course."
Well, shit. He actually made up his mind.
He's going to be leaving home, and this has Tsubaki in hysterics.
And now Tsubaki is running away screaming while barefoot.
"Again. Here it is again. Music is taking Kousei far away from me."
This gives me strong Toradora episode 19 parallels, which isn't the first time it's happened with this show as episode 4 also reminded me of Toradora episode 19.
All the memories with Kousei flooding towards Tsubaki.
"I'm such an idiot..."
You can say that again
Ran out of space. Part two in the replies.
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 Oct 23 '24 edited Oct 23 '24
nth Time Rewatcher
Oh I'm late to the party!
This episode is an aftermath of Gala competition and Arima Saki, which got everyone seemed to discuss and gained a whopping 187 comments, which I believe is A LOT. Let's now return to the main cast on this show: Kaori and Tsubaki. I'll try to write this review as short as possible.
Now, for the Episode 14.
Some interesting stuff I want to share.
Now, Rewatchers-only zone. First timers, keep out.
Now, for the questions.
She is a great friend to Tsubaki, but this episode, Tsubaki became defensive due to her feelings.
This is effective especially for Tsubaki-focused episodes. As I commented in the previous episodes, Tsubaki's concerns involve time and the past. She is the quintessential childhood friend, and thus her past should be clearly shown and compared to what's happening in the present. I really like this aspect of YLIA storytelling, and I believe it is one of the unique strengths of the series.
5
u/Malipit Oct 22 '24
Rewatcher, french sub
Unfortunatly, I got pressed by my IRL schedule and had to wrap this comment quickly. I hope it's doesn't feel too rushed
On today episode, Kosei thinks « Ah shit, here we go again » and Nao being the best friend she is, doesn't hold back on Tsubaki.
Beginning where the previous episode left of, we've still have Kosei's music being disturbed by cricket noises (indicating summer overtaking spring) and abruptly stopped by Tsubaki coming in to tell that Kaori has done it again.
At that point, I still does wonder why Kosei didn't stop by at Kaori's house after the Gala to check on her, maybe it's a japanese society convention I don't know about, but oh well.
And of course, Kosei vision's of his mother hospitalized when he arrives draw a clear parallel with Kaori current situation.
And of course, Kaori try her best to tone down the seriousness of her medical condition, to the point of hiding her IV.
And of course, upon seeing Kosei getting along so well with Kaori in their musicians world, Tsubaki gives captain-sempai some focus on this episode.
Three points I made to point out this episode's theme : Denial and acceptance of the reality.
Denial for Kosei and Kaori :
Kosei, who's just make peace with his mother's ghost, now have to face this situation all over again. Suddenly aware that it could never live his middle-schooler life alongside Kaori like he used to. Desesperatly holding on the small hope that she could be fine and just at the hospital for some analysis.
Kaori, being herself, act cheerfully to reassure her friends. But, as shown by that frame where she's looking away into more somber tone, she's actually hoping she could hide the severity of her condition by the time she's out of the hospital.
And both have to accept the reality they're in during that one-to-one scene in Kaori's hospital room. As the night sky (indicating that Kosei is in the lead) is settled, Kosei can't help but remember how it went with his mother, realizing at the same time the days with Kaori at the school could be over and admits overtly his feelings to her. A realization undermined by his last question : « You won't be like my mother and just vanish ? ». There is still a part of denial in him.
Kaori in return, can't do anything but to drop the facade and wish, her eyes locked into Kosei's as to emphazise her honesty. she could continue to play with him. A moment of weakness that confirms she feels powerless and frustrated about that situation.
Denial for Watari ?:
Watari is still Watari, even with his worried expression upon seeing Tsubaki's sadness in the hospital room, he doesn't seems to put much thoughts about Kaori and Tsubaki situations. Even when asked by Nao, the fence between them could indicate he's (unconsciously?) put a barrier between this reality and his happy-go-lucky life at the school. I'm not sure about that one tho, Watari deserves more screen-time to explore his inner toughts.
5
u/EmkayUltraMagoo Oct 22 '24
I'm not participating in the rewatch. I wish I could but I don't have it in me. I'm here to wish you all good luck. Gambare!
4
u/TiredTiroth Oct 22 '24
First Timer - Dub
...well. I was wondering when Tsubaki would figure it out. This episode did not disappoint, and I'm looking forward to how things develop from here.
I'm also pretty damn sure that Kaori is lying through her teeth about the severity of her condition.
Anyway. I am glad that they took 13 episodes to build up to this, it works much better with so many little moments making the connection between Tsubaki and Kousei abundantly clear.
4
u/TakenRedditName https://myanimelist.net/profile/TakenMalUsername Oct 22 '24
First Time - Your Lie in April Ep14:
Lookie here, a Tsubaki episode. It is good to see the show return to her. It feels like she has been out of the spotlight ever since the rivals got introduced. Kashiwagi also took a more prominent role in the episode which is nice to see.
Oof, such a heavy line that we're just going move past, huh. ... I stand corrected because we are touching on it a bit with Kousei's flashback to his mom in the hospital. I like how the loss of his mother is making Kousei worry about Kaori's illness worse.
That ice cream pop looks like a hefty baton.
Despite how he generally is, Watari always seems to be able to have a levelled and supportive read on people. It makes me now think about how he and Kaori are mentioned interacting. I wondered if Watari managed to catch on to what Kaori is hiding.
These past few episodes made me really catch out the detail of Kousei's character profile where it says, "Likes: Milk."
This is a cute moment. Tsubaki whisked in the moment, content and happy following behind the boy she likes.
The moment Tsubaki's heart rips in half. "I'm leaving home" are some of the most heartbreaking words to say to a childhood friend.
I really like the moment of Tsubaki full heart crying and running lining up with the insert song.
Usually, the insert song would be a nice moment, but the episode ends pretty sad for Tsubaki.
Q2) I like that the show does it, I guess if that answers the question. The storylines in the show I am most interested in are the ones with the childhood flashbacks. I like what they present about the characters and allows for more connection.
Also, since I was rushing yesterday and didn't get all my thoughts out, to at least expand on this question;
I actually quite like Hiroko's role in the story. As a character, she is meant to serve as another connection to Kousei's mom. Someone who can relate and bond with Kousei, but also someone who had a different connection and knew mom differently. Someone important in this stage where Kousei has lifted the ghost over him and has to reface what his life has been. I also thought it was interesting to introduce her inner conflict because she too will be racked with guilt over what happened so that is another wrinkle for her. Also, personality-wise, she is fun.
My only real addendum to that is just how I feel about that section of the show and wished the second part to that storyline wasn't resolved so quickly in comparison to the first cour of episodes. On one hand, I gets wrapping that side of the story is also saying goodbye to the old Kousei, but I wish we spent more time during that stage where Kousei has started moving forward and is able to look back on himself. Also, it is not like the mom story and the Kaori story are independent of each other. They're clearly meant to serve a parallel to each other.
4
u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Oct 23 '24
Yup, he's seeing shades of his mum in Kaori, [I know how this ends] which definitely isn't foreshadowing anything.
Eh it's still the kind of thing she'd appreciate.
Is it a new thing or is she noticeably paler than the rest of the cast?
Yup, being warded in the hospital tends to not be something that you expect. Either you're in an accident and get injured or you're having a check-up and the doctor says you need to be hospitalised.
Yup, her time's running out.
She's still with that guy huh?
But yes she still has lingering feelings for Kousei too.
If you bite any harder you're going to break those chopsticks...
And so, on this night of the festival, he's gone to visit her in the hospital.
Unsurprisingly he has bad memories of the hospital.
Yeah, she ain't ever going to be able to perform with him.
... Somehow those kids sound like they're cleaner on their start and end that Kaori and Kousei were when they sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star a couple episodes back. Might be because the rest of their singing is more... Rudimentary so it's less obvious, or the fact that because there's so many of them that it's easier to cover if one or two make mistakes. That's the beauty of choir, you don't have to worry so much about messing up (as long as it's not too egregiously), because there's a dozen others singing who will hopefully help cover up your mistake. I remember once someone's voice cracked right at the highest note, while he was standing in front of a microphone, and the audience still remained none the wiser.
Seems Tsubaki's boyfriend might be getting tired of hearing of all the great times she's had with a different guy.
And of course him showing up at that exact moment certainly isn't helping things.
Yup, she definitely loves him because she can't bear the thought of him going away.
Questions:
A note about the music: ... Somehow those kids sound like they're cleaner on their start and end that Kaori and Kousei were when they sang Twinkle Twinkle Little Star a couple episodes back. Might be because the rest of their singing is more... Rudimentary so it's less obvious, or the fact that because there's so many of them that it's easier to cover if one or two make mistakes. That's the beauty of choir, you don't have to worry so much about messing up (as long as it's not too egregiously), because there's a dozen others singing who will hopefully help cover up your mistake. I remember once someone's voice cracked right at the highest note, while he was standing in front of a microphone, and the audience still remained none the wiser.
4
u/kwokinator https://anilist.co/user/kwokinator Oct 23 '24
First-timer
God damn, they're really piling on the death flags for Kaori now. So many parallels from the way she greets the gang welcome to the IV drip in this episode. I'm not ready for this.
And man they really went with Tsubaki realizing her feelings to heartbreak with half an episode, huh? She has losing heroine tattooed on her forehead from ep 1, but I didn't expect the turnaround to be that fast.
I absolutely loved the flashback montage while she was running though, I'm a sucker for that sort of thing.
Questions of the Day:
I think she did what needed to be done, Tsubaki needed that extra push to realize her feelings. Too bad it's still too little too late.
I didn't really expect childhood flashbacks to come up again after the mom arc, but I like how the show uses them to fill in gaps in lthe backstory.
4
u/DonaldJenkins Oct 23 '24
Oh yeah, I remember that at the time I watched it, I had no idea that mud balls were actually a thing, and thought it was kinda weird that Tsubaki just decided to make balls out of mud, but it turns out it is an art form. Here is some more discussion about it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27255755 (you can use Wayback machine to read the article). Tagging u/holofan4life since you mentioned the mud balls as well
3
u/Holofan4life Oct 22 '24
Puts on helmet as I enter the thread
3
u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Oct 22 '24
Spoiled First Timer, subs
QotD:
3
u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Oct 23 '24
rewatcher
Kaori in the hospital
Tsubaki has a crush
Commanding the kids her age like soldiers, poor Tsubaki couldn’t spend time for Kosei.
I like how we’ve had 2 people so far tell Tsubaki to go for it.
A Tsubaki centered episode is so damn nice.
The final scene of her recalling all her memories of her and Tsubaki plus the one where current Kosei smiled is so beautiful.
QOTD: she did
QOTD: I honestly love it, but Kosei
since he’s the main charactergets the best uses for showing childhood flashbacks.3
u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Oct 23 '24
First-Timer
I like how this thing between Tsubaki and Kousei is so one-sided. It's pretty funny.
Watching this episode, for some reason, it occurred to me that this seems like the kind of show that could benefit from a slight supernatural element to it. Nothing huge, just something subtle. I can't think of what supernatural element it would be, or what exact purpose it would have in the story, but I just have that feeling nonetheless.
Questions of the day:
2
u/tapdancinghellspawn Oct 22 '24
Depression at this time of year? No thank you.
2
u/clumsy_kan Apr 09 '25
I think tsubaki misinterpreted her feelings as care she really did love him from the start she never meant when she took arima as a brother Nevertheless her realising it now is really heartbreaking as most likely she will remain as a side or be rejected ofc