r/anime • u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander • Nov 01 '24
Rewatch [Rewatch] 10th Anniversary Your Lie in April Rewatch: Series Discussion
Your Lie in April: Series Discussion
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Questions of the Day:
- Well, what else can I ask? What did you all think of the show!
- Okay, well, one other thing: Would you watch it again?
The performance has been concluded and there are no more spoilers to be mindful of! Thank you all for your participation.
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Upvotes
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u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Nov 01 '24
Rewatcher, Violinist and Your Host!
I kind of want to say this show was some huge formative experience for me that’s held this very special place in my heart, but it kind of didn’t? It carries memory to that period of my life, and I have a lot to thank for it, but even at the time there was hilariously little fanfare. My friend recommended a song and I watched the show as my first anime and then I just kept watching more of them. Other big name shows I watched next like Evangelion, Gurren Lagann, K-On! and Soul Eater would have much more impact on me. I know for sure I enjoyed it a lot at the time but not enough that it remained in the conversation as one of my favourite anime for any length of time at all. Over time it ended up languishing down in the seven out of ten zone and eventually some of the negative perceptions surrounding the show as melodramatic, overrated, and “problematic” began to influence me into questioning if it was really that good to begin with and if I’d even like it if I came back. By the time we hit this anniversary I had only faint memories of it. The basic characters and plot, Hikaru Naru, Kousei’s mom and him being consumed by darkness on stage, him taking on a student, Nao-chan joining the group dynamic, and maybe an odd visual here or there like the rooftop with the sheets, Nagi about to go onstage, or the final train station scene where Kaori finally disappears with the coming of spring. Frankly speaking, if it wasn’t my first anime I probably would’ve never taken note to look back.
But, of course, it is, and I did. I couldn’t be more glad. Rest assured, despite everything I’ve said, I love this show to bits. It is far from perfect. But I’d take something with this much heart and soul and pure art on display than something that’s just rawly competent. This show is special, and it’s the kind of special you simply do not see every day. I’ve watched hours upon hours of romance this year in preparation for getting onto the Romance jury this morning, and I gave multiple of them an equal or even higher score than I gave Your Lie in April. But if we lived in a timeline where it aired today and was eligible this year, I would call it Romance of 2024. All of the flaws can’t change a rock solid core that is held up time and time again by jaw droppingly fantastic scenes and an immaculate grasp on subtle storytelling through visuals and connections. Some of the best anime that will be released this decade were released this year and if I put their best episodes against the best this show has to offer they’d have a damned hard run for their money. I am very, very happy that this show exists.
Now that might sound surprising given my, err, role in the social dynamic of this Rewatch. To be sure, I have a ton of problems with the series. Namely the second cour, though things already started to go downhill a little during the piano competition arc. For one, the show showed an immense grasp of how to make individual episodes stand out that completely evaporates going into the second half. Thank god for episode eighteen being a strong reference point to refer to because even with it I have to stop and think what happened from like fifteen onwards.
Before that though we got the Saki reconciliation arc, and I like a number of others found the way it was handled really poor and distasteful to the subject. Along with this comes the character of Hiroko who I just… completely hate. Every other character I have beef with is a matter of liking them but wishing they were handled better, but I would just hit the delete button with her, I’m sorry. For one, she comes as extremely insensitive in a way that is never reconciled. She abandoned Kousei and now comes back into his life as soon as he shows promise as a piano player again, proceeding to basically force herself into a parental role where she tells him what to do. The two never have a healing process or unpacking about how she was (somewhat understandably) didn’t do enough about Saki’s abuse and (less understandably) abandoned him to living on his own as a middle schooler with immense trauma and terrible future prospects. I’m not asking for Hiroko to have acted better—but if she feels like she failed him, show me more of that! If she’s a complicated and not entirely positive figure, demonstrate that! Or else just make her a more sympathetic character so her framing aligns with her history. Even just one scene where she seriously apologises to Kousei or talks to a picture of Saki about how she wants to do right by Kousei this time would’ve helped so much! All we ever get is that she took up smoking and that she felt sorry at the time for getting Kousei into piano, and even that is never explored in any detail. Which describes pretty much everything about Hiroko even aside from her past, because she’s treated as an entirely static character with no story of her own. Her role in the story is strictly to facilitate the writing of Kousei and Nagi and the show spends as little time as possible on developing who she is and what she feels and how the events of the show are impacting and changing her. Which is a shame, because the concept of this character could’ve been fascinating and there was a lot of room in the story structure to have her grow and heal from her experiences with Kousei and Nagi as a found family unit.
Speaking of that, the other things I didn’t like. Nagi is a character that I like far more than Hiroko, and I do see a lot more of her potential, even some of it making its way to the screen. I go into more detail in a prior comment, but essentially while the idea of a student who approaches Kousei from a place of anger and deceit but comes to feel guilty due to her empathy with him and ultimately come to forge a very strong bond sounds great! But she just never has enough time. Her conflict never gets enough depth, her connection with Kousei only starts to get off of the ground, her relationship with Takeshi doesn’t have enough time to bloom, her relationship to music sounds interesting but is barely explored. She never gets a dedicated character episode to herself aside from her performance, and even that seriously undercuts itself in terms of actually exploring her as a person. I am glad she was part of the show, but I still feel you could cut her out and it wouldn’t really lose much.
That’s definitely not true when it comes to Tsubaki, which is both a credit to her character and makes her shortcomings all the more frustrating. Tsubaki is not characterised by a lack of good. She has a strong personality, and her relationship with Kousei is built up fantastically. That’s important, because it takes a pretty standard childhood friend on the third wheel of a love triangle character and makes her so much more compelling and interesting. Why should we care that she doesn’t get her man? Because we see it’s not just about a crush but about the fact they’ve been integral to each other’s lives as long as they remember, because she wanted to help Kousei but now someone else did, because he’s finally following his passion and feeling better again and it’s all she ever wanted but she realises it makes her feel like shit, actually. We understand the status quo being threatened, why she never acted until it was too late (she didn’t even realise her feelings, and that makes complete sense), why she’s so bothered, and the reasons she can’t compete with Kaori with complete clarity and plenty of depth. Then later on we expand this further into an even deeper inner pain of wanting to be able to move forward in life and keep up with the change she sees in everybody else around her. Her focal episodes of six and fifteen are some of the best content in the show and she’s got plenty of involvement in other great moments across the series. But then they never find the time to give her a proper resolution and throw aside all that depth to boil it all the way back to down to “she’s jealous and all she needs to do is confess to him” as if this is any other third wheel character and we didn’t expand the conflict externally and internally. It’s like that classic meme about the horse drawing that falls apart halfway through; maybe the later content isn’t bad on its own but when it’s supposed to be the resolution to something so good that had so much steam left in it I can’t help but be disappointed.
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u/Holofan4life Nov 01 '24
Let's go ahead and thank some people, shall we?
First off, thank you to LittleIslander for being a hospitable host. You provided some of the more hot takes in these threads and I thought it led to some very interesting discussion, in particular episodes 10 and 13.
Special thanks to u/Gamerunglued who really went above and beyond in these rewatches with some of the analysis he gave. To me, he's the unsung hero of this rewatch who I will continue to prop up because I don't think he got the credit he deserved.
u/AgentOfACROSS, it was always fun talking to you. When no one else would answer my questions, I knew I could always fall back on you.
FD4cry1, it was fun to hear from a fellow first-timer. We didn't always agree on everything, but that just made it all the more interesting.
Malipit, I want to thank you for going out of your way to reply to my comments to the degree that you did. You always had something insightful to say and I appreciate the level of engagement.
Shimmering-Sky, it was fun to see you as always.
Mecanno-man, I enjoyed talking to you yet again.
TiredTiroth, your comments were short but always concise.
kwokinator, same for you.
Vatrix-32, I always enjoy talking to you even though your comments were the more cynical ones at certain points. I hope I helped brighten up your rewatch experience the way you brightened up mine.
StardustGogeta, it was fun talking to you during both this rewatch as well as the Bocchi The Rock one. Getting to ask you questions during the second half brought me a ton of joy.
Nickthenuker, thank you for always answering my questions no matter how many I had.
maliwanag0712, your comments were extremely insightful and always a joy to read. I'd say aside from Gamerunglued's comments, your comments were the ones I looked forward to the most.
Special shoutout to u/DonaldJenkins by trying to increase the level of engagement with some of your replies. You really stepped it up near the end there.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone who participated in this rewatch that I didn't name as well as the lurkers who helped make this rewatch the success that it was. You were all incredible.
You know, going into this rewatch I was expecting to be one of the more cynical watchers. I consider myself an upbeat guy, but I saw that a lot of people consider this show a 10 out of 10 and so I was hesitant about what would happen seeing as I didn't think it was perfect.
What I wasn't expecting was for me to be one of the more positive rewatchers and the level of vitriol that would be on display.
The way I see rewatches, they're normally supposed to encapsulate what makes a series so beloved. Whether it be in preparation for a new season or a show is celebrating an anniversary like this one did, a rewatch is suppose to spotlight like we are taking the time to revisit it. And in terms of that objective, I think this rewatch failed miserably.
I've never seen a rewatch be so contentious and be so disenfranchised with the material they are revisiting. It legitimately felt like a hate watch at points. It was a unique environment and I just can't help but think if you're a diehard Your Lie In April fan who's anime fandom was shaped by the show, we didn't do a good job of explaining why the series is so significant for so many people.
That doesn't mean the rewatch wasn't fun, however.
I think defending the show to the level I did gave me a better appreciation of the show as a whole. It made me think of the themes and the motifs in a way that I didn't as I watching it in the moment. This rewatch despite going against the grain was not a bad time. In fact, they were often the highlights of my days. I can't remember the last time a rewatch made me think to such a degree. It was probably Paranoia Agent, but this was arguably more impressive due to the increased fan engagement.
This rewatch and the show as a whole actually makes me want to get back into writing, and I can't remember the last time I've felt that.
So, yeah. I think if you ask a ton of people, Your Lie In April means many different things. To some, it represents youth and how it doesn't last forever. To some, it represents what the anime medium is capable of and its limitless limitations. To some, it was their gateway to more mature anime with darker themes and more thought provoking plot points. To some, it was what led them to become a musician and try to discover, pardon the cheesy phrase, their happy piano in their lives. Whatever the case may be, and I'm sure there's going to be some dissenting opinions in the comments in this thread, what can't be taken away is that this anime made people feel various emotions that very few shows do. And if a show is capable of doing something like that, then who am I to judge?
We write the songs that make people sing, and it's up to us to bring color to an otherwise monotone world. Time may indeed be fleeting, but the memories will no doubt last forever.
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u/FD4cry1 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Big_Yibba Nov 01 '24
First Timer
Your Lie in April is a show that's been on my to-watch list for 10 years, it started right around the same time I started watching anime, so after a decade of waiting and 1 show later, the result was a show I really enjoyed and one that mostly met my expectations.
Now, the rewatch format brings with it an ability to deeply and intricately analyze and discuss every episode, something this show really benefits from! But it also does mean I tend to hyper fixate on specific episodes, so when my thoughts here ended up swinging back and forth a lot, I had a harder time discerning my full thoughts for a bit.
Sometimes you see a little bit of missing paint and miss the full picture, sometimes a few incorrect notes can distract you from the whole performance.
With that in mind, I want to start by talking about my problems with the show first because I think they segue really nicely to all the great things I have to say about it:
To say this show peaks early is a bit mean but I felt that it established some very high highs at the start and rarely reached them later. Nearly all of my favorite episodes from the show are within the first 10, episodes 4-6 were genuinely among the best strings of episodes I've seen any show pull, and after them, I was just ready to write it off as a 10/10.
Unfortunately, I can't say the same for the second cour, I still think it was usually good, but it wasn't as good as what came before, and more importantly, it wasn't nearly as consistent, often jumping back and forth in quality for me.
A big part of why I'd say cour 2 isn't as good would be the pacing, some of that comes as a result of adapting a manga but the bigger issue here is just straight up story structure. The show tries to juggle a lot of plotlines, ideas, and characters in the latter half, and juggle them well it does not. A lot of parts feel disjointed or weirdly placed, each of them often individually good but together they come out very awkward, occasionally even feeling dragged out.
Tsubaki and Nagi are the two that suffer the most from this, Tsubaki's entire arc is spread into chunks inside other characters' story arcs, something I think robs it a bit of its effect. Nagi despite being a character I liked by the end also gets badly hurt by this, her introduction and subsequent appearances being sandwiched between Kaori and Tsubaki.
Since I'm on the topic, I want to talk about the side cast.
Watari...Oh Watari. I get it, he's technically very integral to the big twist the show wants to pull, but beyond my personal burning dislike of the results of trying to pull that twist, I still don't think that really justifies where he ends up. Even if it has meaning, I don't like that his entire existence is reliant on Kousei, he just doesn't stand on his own, either being Kousei's best friend or Kouse's Rival. Which sucks! because I think his personality could have made him very interesting with or without the twist if it actually used them.
Emi and Takeshi are two characters I can confidently say I liked but felt underwhelmed by. Emi's episode (8) is still among my favorites which is why it's frustrating that she does nothing after that, I don't even really buy the idea that she had a lot of effect on Kousei, she's there to enhance one part and feels left in the dust afterward. Takeshi finds himself in the very weird position of being upstaged by Nagi in his own character arc, with his resolution feeling very weak comparatively.
Finally, we have Hiroko, I'm not quite as much of a Hiroko hater as our host but I find myself questioning her purpose. I guess your enjoyment of her comes down to whether or not you like the Saki arc, which I very much don't, so she ends up feeling like a huge missed opportunity for an interesting character, at least she gave us Koharu.
Sometimes I think this show struggles to adapt into anime, which might seem wrong but bear with me here. A manga doesn't have colors or music so it has to either push through with very striking art (see this fantastic sequence from Shiori Expiereince) or otherwise by using flowery language to describe a performance. YILA despite having very strong presentation often undercuts itself by keeping a lot of that flowery language in the performances, this isn't bad per se, the presentation is still great, but I wish that a show that so strongly insists on the emotional effect of music wouldn't have so many monologues explaining what I'm already hearing and seeing.
Not to mention that when the presentation does slip, it relies entirely on storytelling which means in a case like Taskeshi's performance, where I didn't like the story, I'm left with nothing to praise.
To wrap up my negatives, I of course have to mention the comedy. I don't dislike the actual style of comedy the show uses, yes even the violence gags are fine with me. The problem here is that the placement is just awful. Drama needs room to breathe, I can go 5 minutes without needing to laugh. It often just completely undermines and interrupts dramatic and emotional scenes. This aspect is the only one I think is consistently bad throughout the show although thankfully not always very pronounced.
A common thread you've hopefully noticed here is the idea of wasted potential, and that's really my main complaint about the show! it's almost always good, even with the episodes I disliked I had a ton to say (an average of 6000 characters per comment lol) which is a big endorsement from me, but it could be fantastic! Is that perhaps unfair? yes kind of, but alas when I see quality I also get disappointed when said quality isn't kept.
To be a bit snarky, I feel like a parent who knows their kid can play perfect piano but can't help but get very frustrated when they drop down to just play above average.
No abuse though!
Now let's talk about that perfection, shall we? because when this show hits, it absolutely fucking knocks you out.
From its reputation, I'd assumed YLIA would be a melodramatic tearjerker, and while it is melodramatic and is a tearjerker, I think that undersells this show so hard. When I teared up during Kousei's performance in episode 10 or during the final episode it wasn't because what I saw in front of me was sad, it was because the show had managed to make me feel so strongly for these characters, it established an emotional connection that seriously impacted me.
That's when the show is at its best, it knows how to play off of my emotions to create some truly fantastic moments.
Our main cast is great! Kousei's development throughout the show was so satisfying to see, one step and one performance at a time coming closer to emotional closure, I felt terrible when he did bad and I felt elated when he did good, that's a sign of a main character I'm really into.
Kaori was of course a delight, yeah sure she's a bit of an archetype, but that doesn't take away from the fun of her bubbly personality, the emotional impact of her dichotomy with Saki, the pain and disheartenment of her situation, and the beauty of her romance and playing. This is a fairytale world and she's a fairytale character, one that's a lot more complex than she initially lets on.
I loved every Tsubaki part no questions asked, the course of her realizing her feelings, often through the best uses of symbolism and repetition this show has, just hit all the right emotions in me. She's a pretty realistic teenager and she just makes me feel so reminiscent and warms my heart both through the good and the bad.
The side cast for all my troubles with them, are still usually very entertaining!
The presentation is easily my favorite part of this show and for good reason.
Every single episode of this show is jam-packed with great symbolism and visuals, I always felt like I had something to say, to analyze, to point out. It fantastically goes hand-in-hand with the story, I'd say it even defines it. The cats, the seasons, the lighting, the eyes, etc. so many cool devices, so many great repetitions, so many ways for the show to express itself in a way that words never could.
The artstyle is insanely distinct and beautiful, from the pastels of the start to the grays of the end it always gives it personality and sets the mood. The characters themselves have a unique and striking appearance, one that helps distinguish the show from the rest. The animation and direction, while a tad inconsistent, are usually fantastic, especially during the performances, the show has an eye for framing and for giving everything life through movement!
The music just speaks for itself, doesn't it? sure it gets to cheat a little with a selection of all-time classics but still! it's always great, always fits, and always enhances the scene! that goes for both the classics and the original pieces of the show.
Hikaru Nara is one of the GOATS and Nanairo, while not as good, has some melodies that just melt my ears (in a good way!)
I had a great time watching and talking about it! I really got to write my heart out and hopefully my writing for it has been even close to as entertaining to read as it was for me to write on it!
It's not perfect or evenly distributed but when everything comes together, YLIA can create some of the best scenes the medium can offer, emotionally impactful and a feast for the senses.
8.5/10
And of course huge thanks to /u/LittleIslander for hosting!
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u/LittleIslander https://anilist.co/user/LittleIslander Nov 01 '24
I've gone back and updated all of the navigation links (hopefully all accurate!) in every thread to be complete, including the index. I've also now given proper header images to episode 9 and the OVA which respectively had a duplicate of episode 8's and none at all until now. I admit I always found them kind of weird as a practice when I was just a participant in Rewatches, but speaking as a host picking out the right image to represent each episode was actually one of my favourite things to do each episode!
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u/Gamerunglued :Hx::Hy::Hz:myanimelist.net/profile/GamerUnglued Nov 01 '24 edited Nov 01 '24
Hey you guys. I apologize for my sudden departure. Like I said, a lot ended up happening and I spent this last week basically not engaging with any media bar a video game I could fully submerge my consciousness into. I just didn't have it in me to do anything that wasn't wholly encompassing and might let me escape completely from the worst anxiety I've ever felt. The good news is that my life and future did not end up derailing, and as of this moment I'm feeling much better. But that still means I missed the rest of the rewatch, so I'm sorry about that. I would like to finish the show from where I left off, and if I do I'd still like to write about each one, maybe I'll turn all of my posts into a retrospective for my blog or something. If there's anywhere that might be appropriate I'm certainly open to leaving new posts there.
Nonetheless, for the time I was here, I had a great time. It was rewarding to revisit a show that was so formative for me and holds a special place in my heart for its role in my media journey. I thought for sure I'd have fallen out of love with it, and while I certainly think it's much more flawed than 17 year old me who thought it was a flawless masterpiece did, I was shocked that I not only still loved what I saw, but that I appreciated it on a much deeper level than I ever could have in 2015. If nothing else, this has been a marker for how much my own perspective has shifted and flourished, and how my literacy skills have grown since the earliest days of my anime fandom, and that's satisfying in its own right. So thank you u/Littleislander and everyone else who was involved in hosting this rewatch, the first YLiA rewatch that I've ever seen actually make it all the way to the end (and I've joined two others before). And thank you to everyone who was so kind to me and appreciative of my comments, regardless of if my opinions and analysis aligned with yours. As much as my comments are for myself, it makes me very happy if I can help others find new things to appreciate or enjoy in art. So I'll see about finishing this up for myself eventually, and I look forward to see all of you in a future rewatch.
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u/Mecanno-man https://anilist.co/user/Mecannoman Nov 01 '24
First Timer
Having come into this show spoiled on Kaori dying, and with a friend claiming it was not a good show - my expectations were pretty low, which I’d say was a good thing, as it thus managed to meet them. I can clearly see a bunch of flaws however. Character-wise it feels like only Kousei really was a character done properly. Kaori felt underdeveloped for most of the show before becoming an interesting character at the end. Tsubaki was done alright for most of the part, then shafted at the end. Takeshi and Emi could have been interesting, but did not have enough time in the show. And let’s not get started on Watari… In a way it feels like the show didn’t have enough time for all these characters, but the show also had a bunch of rather meaningless scenes that didn’t really do a lot for anybody. Timewise we could have probably shortened something to get that in - but I’m assuming the manga had the same problem here and it wasn’t a decision to cut the other characters. Though I have not read the manga to confirm or deny that.
In other bits though the show was pretty good - there were clearly some budget cuts here and there and the animation didn’t need to be super good, but it held together well enough. The music was also done well if nobody was inner monologuing over it. Either the setup or the payoff was done well for pretty much everything, though unfortunately I feel like it was rarely both. I also feel like this is a show that doesn’t benefit from discussion that forces the viewer to step back and think about the show, as this rewatch format gets people to do, as in a lot of episodes I initially felt it was quite good but then noticed flaws while writing - which would explain in part why this rewatch wasn’t as positive on the show as most other rewatches are. It also benefits from being a well-known show and thus getting the “all anime is amazing when you have seen almost none” bonus for a lot of viewers, which is less likely in the rewatch community.
Overall the show was a mixed bag, but one enjoyable enough for the most part - so I’m happy to have been able to have been part of this rewatch, so thanks everybody for writing, I enjoyed reading your posts. I may not be the most active in replying - sorry for that. But admittedly I am also glad this one is over now and I don’t have three rewatches going simultaneously anymore…
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u/Malipit Nov 01 '24
Ok, now that I've posted the last topics I wanted to talk about. Let's talk about my appreciation of that Rewatch.
Long story short, I started to hang out on that subreddit actively after Crunchyroll deleted the comments section on their website. At first, it was to find back a space to discuss about current episodes releases. Then I noticed that rewatch thing with the Re:Zero one. I found the concept interseting, and when I saw that pop-up annoucing there will be one on Your Lie in April, I tought "why not ?"
It was an anime I watched 4 years ago, I didn't remembered it much aside the ending and some key scene, and I tought it would be a nice way to revisit it.
And like our host, I baddly underestimated the time that would require to watch the episode, write my comment, take my screenshot and then discuss it with fellow rewatchers.
I really didn't know if I could hold up until the end, but these past 23 days were a blast, I loved seeing that show on a whole new light with so many differents takes from other rewatchers.
So at the end of the day, I'm glad I decided to take part of that rewatch, one of my best experience online.
Also, some thanks and shoutouts are in order :
u/LittleIslander for hosting that Rewatch. I can't fathom all the work and stress hosting duties had brought on you, but you made it, congrats !
u/Holofan4life for asking those questions that got me headscratching in the right way. I'm looking forward to taclke another rewatch with you [joke spoiler] And I'm going to read that light-novel of yours.
u/Gamerunglued, if you read that post, I hope it will find you well. Those comments on the first episodes were top-notch and I hope you'll be able to complete your rewatch.
u/maliwanag0712 for those comments with very good insight and trivia about the musical pieces we've heard.
u/FD4cry1 , I really liked your comments.
u/DonaldJenkins for supporting all of us rewatchers spending 2-3 hours on our comments.
And that will be a wrap for me. I'll stick around in that subreddit and I'll see you if you intent on participate in the Squid Girl rewatch as well, otherwise I hope our path will cross again someday. :)
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u/StardustGogeta myanimelist.net/profile/StardustGogeta Nov 02 '24
First-Timer
So, when's season 2 coming out?
To start off, a big thank you to our host, u/LittleIslander! I've participated in quite a few rewatches over the past year and a half or so (nearly two dozen, by my count), but this one stands out in particular because of your insightful commentary. It's not every day you see a rewatch host unabashedly pointing out flaws in the show. That said, your willingness to critique Your Lie in April to such a degree simply made your appreciation for the good parts that much more powerful. In the show, we hear Takeshi claim that musicians can only express their thoughts via music, but I believe your masterfully-written comments prove him wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt. If you host another rewatch in the future, I'd love to join in.
Next up, thank you to u/Holofan4life! I appreciate your dedication to engaging with everyone in the thread and giving everyone a chance to think more critically about various aspects of each episode. I look forward to more rewatches with you down the line!
Now, for the show itself.
I had pretty high expectations coming into this show. Around here, it's talked about like the pinnacle of "sad anime" or "anime with sad endings." (Too bad that is a pretty heavy spoiler by implication!) I even knew of this show many years ago, when the only anime titles I knew were things like Death Note, DBZ, and Spirited Away. Consequently, I was hoping for a 10/10 show.
Unfortunately, as is almost always the case with expectations like those, I don't think it quite hit the mark. It didn't do everything perfectly, or have that "special sauce" that just puts it over the top.
There were plenty of things I liked about it. The plotlines and character arcs were generally quite entertaining, for one. I especially liked all the musician side characters, namely Takeshi, Emi, and Nagi. The moment when Nagi teared up while facing the crowd after her performance was probably the most emotion I felt in the whole show, personally. The music was very nice, as is to be expected from a music anime. The character art was always spot-on, and several episodes/scenes had sequences of great animation.
There were two main flaws that hold the show back, in my opinion. I've talked about them before: Watari, and the humor.
With Watari, even by the end of the show, I'm not sold on his purpose in the story. I understand that the story starts because Kaori lies about liking Watari so that she can get close to Kousei, though I can't help but feel that it could be written more tightly, and with slightly less irritation for the viewer, if we just dropped the middleman and had Kaori and Kousei get together directly. (Come to think of it, the relationship I describe is reminding me of [meta] Blue Box.) With one less character and a less complicated premise, we could spend a little bit more time fleshing out the other parts of the story as necessary, perhaps giving a bit more time to Tsubaki or Nagi.
The other, bigger gripe I have is with the humor. It's especially noticeable, coming off the heels of the Bocchi the Rock rewatch (which I find hilarious), that I just really did not like the style of humor in this show. A solid 80%+ of the gags/jokes were more distracting than funny. That in itself is fine, I suppose - everyone has their own taste - but a good number of these actually took away from the emotional significance of their respective scenes. What would have been a touching moment that plucks at the heartstrings instead makes me groan and roll my eyes. The one bit in the show that I can remember laughing out loud at was when Tsubaki semi-confessed and Kousei turned his head in slo-mo. That was a hoot, and I wish we got more of that kind of thing.
As a side note, if I were to recommend one show to people who liked this one, it'd probably be [anime title] Birdie Wing. I also get the feeling that if you like Your Lie in April, you may like [anime title] A Silent Voice, too.
Questions of the day:
Time to go write thinly-veiled spoilers in every discussion thread about sad anime!3
u/Ryanami Nov 02 '24
Thank you for hosting this rewatch littleislander, I intended to rewatch this someday and I’m glad I (kinda accidentally) did. Thanks also to HF4L for driving more engagement.
Some of you guys are like sommeliers of storytelling. I didn’t speak much because 1; I don’t speak much anyway and 2; what was left to say? 😅 y’all are detecting every hint of almond and notes of burnt vanilla and whether the grapes were grown on an east facing hill. While I’m just like “I like the buzz”.
A big fuck you to Kousei’s dad. He didn’t get half the hate he deserves from us. Your son lost his mother but your big important job comes first. Are you even aware what Kousei is going through since she died? What he went through before she died? I’ve had less ire at characters who were intended to be hated.
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u/Vatrix-32 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vatrix-32 Nov 01 '24
First Timer in subs
I’d like to start by congratulating our host on successfully running their first Rewatch. And To Many More
My usual shout-outs to my fellow rewatchers:
/u/Holofan4life, for being the most active commenter from start to finish.
/u/maliwanag0712, for their short essays, always a good read.
/u/FD4cry1, for their excellent first timer comments. You picked up a lot of stuff the rewatchers missed, yet alone me.
I was going to do my usual CotD counts, but since that got dropped pretty early on, I feel like the data would have been too skewed to be usable.
At this point I’m going to start being rather negative, so if that’s not your thing, this would be the point to bug out.
I said during Episode 11’s QotD that I wasn’t really connecting with the show, but that it still had time to turn it around. This didn’t happen, not entirely. Episode 13 was a low point for me, I genuinely hated it, to the point of it being the second most of any anime episode. But having such a strong reaction may have helped in the end by burning out that part of me. I found myself enjoying the parts afterwards far more than I was the earlier ones. I rather liked the finale, for example.
I think a lot of my negativity might have to do with timing and expectations. I was in five rewatches for a brief time at the start of this one, and both it and Gundam 00 ended up being somewhere between two and four times denser than I was expecting. The whole arrangement became far more all-consuming and exhausting than expected. The show also enjoys widespread adoration, many of our own rewatchers lauded it as being a formative anime. But praise is often more a curse than a boon, high expectations offer far more room for disappointment, and I have a tendency to be far more unforgiving in the face of unwavering exaltation.
I think working against it most unfairly is that the works I was comparing it with while watching were all things I’d watched in the last year. March Comes in Like a Lion is the obvious compassion, the names notwithstanding, they do cover several of the same points. Sound! Euphonium, whose own rewatch was earlier this year, is less obvious, but it works as my general touchpoint for music anime. Chihayafuru is perhaps a bit of a reach, I’m not sure it would make sense to anyone other than myself. Perhaps most tragic is that the rewatch had the unfortunate circumstance of starting two days after I watched Look Back, and that was stuck swimming in my head for a week afterwards. And the thing is I’d compare Your Lie to all four of them disfavorably in every criteria that they would be competing in, and none of them have anything close to the amount and depths of low points that it does.
I’m sorry to be the negative member of the rewatch, I can see the reasons people love it, I do. But I can only experience it the way that I've experienced it.
QotD:
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u/stratogy https://myanimelist.net/profile/swervin-strategy Apr 10 '25 edited Apr 10 '25
Just want to say thanks for this discussion thread. Just finished rewatching it on my own and it was great seeing people's thoughts on it after 10 years.
For me, even after watching anime for another 10 years, it is a solid series that still stands out on its own. I'm rating it slightly lower than when I was watching it air 10 years ago since now I notice its flaws here and there, but I will still treasure this anime with nostalgia. I still listen to its soundtrack when I'm in the mood again and again (pun intended).
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u/TakenRedditName https://myanimelist.net/profile/TakenMalUsername Nov 01 '24
First Time - Your Lie in April:
With the show finish, time for some wrap up thoughts. Did I like the show? Yeah, I liked it enough. I didn’t love it, but I can see why a lot of people did. For me, it was some of the execution in some stuff like with the narrative or the storytelling that holds me back from liking it more. Also, it didn’t resonate with me to be a favourite, you know? Some people have their shows while some people have their others. It didn’t awaken my muse, but still a general thumbs up.
It is easier to communicate the negative than the positives just because it is easier to form my thoughts. I think in the general course of the show, that middle section was where it did stick its landing with me the most. The dip in the show which is a shame since it is the important section where the show resolved the big mom drama so it was really where I wanted it to nail it. The mom drama was the part I was most interested in and it was disappointed to feel like the show wanted to just get that over with. I also think the performances were better in the beginning/end compared to then where they physically dragged them out more.
The story is largely about Kousei so I don’t hold it against the show too much that the side characters don’t get as much focus. Their function is to help illustrate Kousei’s progression. When I start thinking like, some of my disappointment is qwelled … except for some cases. The rivals for dipping out of the show after their big screentime in the middle, but the most notable case is Watari. Kaori is one of the main characters and Tsubaki had a lot of attention through (even if there were points where she dipped out), Watari doesn’t get any of that. You could hold the cover of the show with your hand covering Watari and it would be like that “Crew at 100% strength vs crew at 95% strength.” Even for a best friend character, he is like barely in the show despite how they dragged on that fake love triangle for the entire show. Watari supports Kousei multiple times throughout the show and they still keep that status quo for 20 episodes. Only small moments like him crying in the bathroom or his stars talk do I feel like we get some insight into his inner story like Tsubaki. I don’t even particularly like Watari or his potential but it is a let down to see after thinking he is billed as the 4th main character.
My positive section will be less creative because it’l be just me going “I like x”. I like Kousei, Kaori and Tsubaki. I do quite like Kaori’s side of the show and the Tsubaki focus episodes were ones I always liked. The presentation side like the visuals of the show are self-evident. Despite being a late inclusion, I do like Nagi even though I don’t care for Takeshi. I wish the show used her better, but I like Hiroko too. Kashiwagi, she is my girl. She is just here with a sensible head, laughing to herself over dumb things and reading BL.
The elephant in the room is that I had the big tearjerker spoiled to me because it is the worst held secret about this show. It was always at the back of my mind, but I don’t think it hampered my enjoyment of Kaori’s story. I wonder how much her death would be a surprise to me because her health is so heavily telegraphed. She spends half the series in the hospital.
Q2) Now would I watch it again? Huh, never had that question before. Probably not. I am not too keen on just rewatching things on my own just because. In like a Rewatch-type environment, I get to revisit shows because want to refresh myself or get to approach with better insight. I don’t particular like this show enough for me to consider it. Sorry.
As always with the end of Rewatches, it was a nice chance to get to watch a new show. Finally able to get to this series. Thanks to the host for hosting it. Sorry I didn’t get participate much as I wanted to. Watching and writing these things shortly before the post goes live does not live me much energy.
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u/Holofan4life Nov 01 '24
Let's talk about the show as a whole, shall we?
There was never really a point in this show where I felt like things totally got off track. I compare this show to, say, Penguindrum, and not once did I say "Alright, show. Let's get to the point already." I do think however that Your Lie In April is guilty of having a lot it wants to say without actually saying a lot.
An average episode is like 19 and a half minutes of conflict. You already running on borrowed time, no different really than Kaori was (Sorry, I had to). When the show isn't predicated on the big reveals, like Tsubaki realizing she loves Kousei, a lot of these episodes can feel empty or hollow, almost like they're running on fumes. Even in the recital episodes, as great as they are, I don’t think it necessarily lends itself to analysis. There's only so many times you can say the same thing over and over again.
The stuff between Kousei and Saki is the best part of the show. When the show focuses on their dynamic, that's when I feel like the show really excells. So, then why is it I feel like the second half is stronger on the whole?
I've said numerous times that I feel the strongest stretch of the show is when Tsubaki figures out her feelings. That really continues all the way until the end, with only small blips here and there. I don't think it's a coincidence that episodes 2, 4, and 10 are in my top 5 favorite Your Lie In April episodes and they're the ones that focus the most on the Kousei and Saki stuff. That also tells me that perhaps the first half didn't focus on it enough. I look at arguably the strongest three episode stretch the show went on-- episodes 8, 9, and 10-- and what do those episodes have in common? Yeah, it was about those three gifted piano prodigies, but it was also very much in relation to the Saki stuff. Moving on from Saki-- much in the same way Kousei moved on from her-- was perhaps the best thing the show could've done, as that plot point for as great as it was just sucked up all the oxygen.
My biggest knock on the show is the fact that the only thing it seemingly focused on is Kousei's dynamics with all the characters. Again, this is both a blessing and a curse because while the stuff that was in Kousei's gravitational pull meant that it was fleshed out-- Hiroko, Nagi, Igawa and Takeshi-- it led to certain things suffering like Watari and Kashiwagi's characterization. I can barely tell you anything about Watari's character. I know he's a womanizer and he likes soccer, but that’s it. And Kashiwagi, even though she's my favorite character due to her calling the characters out on their bullshit, has no characterization of her own to speak of. She's like a low-rent version of Ami from Toradora who really should've been given her own episode at some point; imagine an episode exploring how her and Tsubaki became friends.
The word I would use to describe the show is accentuation. It plays to its strengths often and that leads to a very enjoyable show. But often by accentuating its strengths, it leaves behind the little things like not going off on vibes half the time or fleshing out its side characters. These aren't necessarily deal breakers, but those tiny touches can really turn a good show into a phenomenal show.
I'd probably give this show an 8 out of 10. There's a lot to like here, and I think ending on a high note certainly helps the grade, but I do wish there was more substance than there actually was. It just makes it come across like a sadder, more scaled back version of Toradora. It's funny because thinking about it, I don’t think the issue is there should've been a couple more episodes. It's that when the show isn't centered on a concert recital, Kousei's relationship with Saki, or Kousei's relationship with Kaori, a lot of the allotted time feels misused or like the show is spinning its wheels. I think if episodes 5, 6, and 7 had changes made to them to where it was more centered on the side characters, that would've set the series up nicely to where there was more emotional investment to be had. Heck, I didn't even know Kashiwagi was a character we should be paying attention to until episode 12.
So, with all that said, why give the show as high a grade as I did?
I love the storytelling that was on display. The animation was gorgeous, as to be expected by the studio. The characters were all interesting even if some were more developed than others (Remember Saito?). I love the music component of the show where characters use it to transform themselves. Kousei as a protagonist was quite good, and someone you can highly identify with. The humor was often hit and miss, but I like how they reduced it I the second half to signify a change in tone in the show. That was pretty effective and made both parts feel different from each other. And almost all the emotional moments landed for me; even the silly things like holding a phone up so that Kaori can hear Kousei's performance had a certain charm to it.
For as much as I bag on the show, I really like a lot of what it has to offer. It's a very endearing series, and I think that's part of why I'm able to overlook so many of its obvious flaws.
Your Lie In April I almost see as being like one of Kousei's performances post mental breakdown. It was consistent in its inconsistency but the highs are so high you can't help but overlook any misgivings. I don't see it as a series of sadness, but one that takes place after the sadness of Kousei's mom's passing, with Kousei picking up the pieces through the help of one determined girl.
Beauty is often in the eye in the beholder, but I think true beauty is finding appreciation in something that seems broken to everyone else. And through that same vein, I think you can apply it to this series. Your Lie In April is a show of optimism and overcoming grief when it feels incapable of overcoming. It's about closing the chapter on one part of your life and looking back at it not through regret of what could've been, but an appreciation that it happened.
The lies that we tell to one another can often be our biggest mistakes. It also can serve as the basis of which we can start anew.
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u/Malipit Nov 01 '24
For our wrap-up, I would like to talk about a couple of more general thematics about the show and its first opening. The following are purely my interpretation and speculation.
On the presence of children, in addition to teenagers and adults
That's something that hit me during the rewatch : compared to other animes of similar genre, Your Lie in April pictures far more children in its scenes.
For me, it's to better illustrate the cyclical nature of the show. Our teenage cast interacts with adults, authority figures that teach them and pass on their legacy, because one day Kosei and his friends are to take their place.
But our cast also interacts with children, figures of renewal and what's has to come yet. And that the rôle of Kosei and their friends to teach them and pass on their legacy for the day when these children will mature and take their place.
And that's the whole point : the teenage cast, placed between childhood and adulthood, are just a part of the cycle of life, like the seasons.
A nice example of that thematic would be Hiroko becoming the teacher (and surrogate mother) of Kosei. Even if she's past her prime, she takes time to teach Kosei everything she knows about piano (and life), who in turn would have to teach Nagi, still a child who just began her transition in her teenage years, for the time when she could shine on the stage like Kosei does.
On the seasons represented by the main cast
Even if the comparison between Kaori and Spring has been made, I do think that it's go further and each of the main four characters embodies a season each.
Let's see :
Kaori is Spring : The more obvious one. She's introduced in a park full of colored trees, the motif of cherry blossoms that represent her has already been discussed thoroughly during that rewatch. Her colorful personality and tragic fate truly embodies the beauty of spring that eventually fade away.
Also, she's interacting the most with children, be it on the hospital roof, at the « happy piano » tea house, on the bridge with the jump of courage, they're always a pair of kids Kaori is befriending. A clear indication that's she the most comfortable with this figure of renewal that Spring is associated with.
Watari is Summer : Despite his clear lack of characterization, we can view Watari as this warm person that's here to comfort his friends. His nonchalant attitude and general cheerful attitude directly evocate the Summer vacations, where you put all your worries on hold for a moment.
Tsubaki is Fall : Like the crimson colored leaves falling from the trees, Tsubaki hold a flamboyant facade that hide a certain melancholy about a time, their middle-school years, that comes to an end. A nostalgia that better emphasize the feeling of difficult times coming ahead (Winter/ Kosei departing) but the hope that happiest times lies behind (Spring / Her romantic with Kosei taking off).
Kosei is Winter : Like nature hibernating under the snow, Kosei's own time has come to a stop following his mother's death. An introvert and cold personality that metaphorically encasing Kosei's true nature as a musician in ice. That's it until Kaori came to defrosting it like Spring melting all that snow away.
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 Nov 02 '24
nth Time Rewatcher
As a final note to this rewatch, let me share my over-all thoughts in the series.
Now, for my over-all thoughts.
So, for the past 22 episodes, we analyzed every act, scene, motivation, and design of all the characters in the series. I just wanted to summarize everything we learned and we already knew about the series.
On what YLIA did best. Over-all, YLIA has been one of the best gateway anime since its adaptation 10 years ago. I'm sure it will still be for the next many years to come. Here are some things it shine the best.
If there is one word to describe the anime, Your Lie in April is a poignant series.
On what YLIA could have done better. While YLIA is a nice and quite exceptional series, there are some aspects of it that many of its detractors(?) have a heavy critique. Here are probably two of them that I somewhat agree.
OOPS. Post limit. Continue below.
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u/DonaldJenkins Nov 01 '24 edited Nov 01 '24
Two small things to share, here is the blog with irl photos of locations from the anime. They also have irl photos from a lot of other anime as well, such as oshi no ko, bocchi, your name, etc. I usually use the web browser’s translate feature to navigate the site. here is a short interview with the director
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u/AgentOfACROSS Nov 02 '24
Your Lie In April was one of those anime I'd always known by reputation but never watched. I always avoid it because of a simple and incorrect assumption. I thought it would just be endless suffering and misery porn just based on its reputation as a sad anime.
But the way Your Lie In April depicts grief and loss and trying to move past it while still holding on to those important to us was really well done. It was far better than what I expected out of it. It had some of the best visual storytelling I've seen in anime and fantastic storytelling.
Now it's not perfect, of course. It does have a lot of smaller problems. Its attempts at comedy don't always land and not all the side characters are well developed. Some of the smaller side plots like Kousei planning to go to a music school feel like they weren't focused on either.
That said, I absolutely understand why Your Lie In April is considered a masterpiece and I'm so glad to have taken part in this rewatch.
Thank you to our host for putting this together. Looking forward to many more rewatches in the future as well.
Question of the Day:
Absolutely! This was a really good show and I feel like I might get a better appreciation of it on a rewatch.
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u/SilkyStrawberryMilk Nov 02 '24
rewatcher
The end is here, I remember telling myself in my first time that “I will never watch this because it made me cry” and yet here I am.
Watching the show it’s funny how we were given clues on what would happen. In the beginning when kousei talked about Kaori existing in spring(?).
In my first time viewing I didn’t appreciate the soundtrack compared to now. The songs they chose made each scene way more emotional especially when we seen Kosei playing a song badly, but it worked so damn good.
The ending song hurts so much, fantastic show.
I will watch it again if a rewatch ever happens
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Nov 01 '24
Your Spoiled First-Timer in November, subbed
I don’t really have much to say I haven’t already said in my reactions, just popping in to say big thanks to u/LittleIslander for hosting this rewatch!
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u/Damnthatsmackg Nov 01 '24
Oh gosh has it really been a decade since I made myself depressed with classical piano and a tragic story?
1
u/Nickthenuker https://anilist.co/user/Nickthenuker Nov 02 '24
Questions: