It has finally come: the first real edition of How Haven’t You Seen That, a new feature where I will take a look at some key pieces of pop culture, such as TV, film, video games, or anime, that I have for whatever reason not yet seen or experienced. The format for these will be pretty wide ranging, with some being more or less normal reviews, while others will be, let’s just say, less so. First up is the anime Your Lie in April. First, some quick details before getting to the real meat of things:
Also, just a quick warning, SPOILERS AHEAD
Show: Your Lie in April or Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (四月は君の嘘) or just simply Kimiuso
Released: October 9, 2014 (which feels even longer when you consider that is 16 anime seasons ago)
Number of Episodes: 22
Why did I want to watch this?
Look, there are perfectly reasoned out explanations for why I would want to watch this show. It is highly rated. It is case of Japan doing a good high school show that for once deals with human emotions in realistic ways. It is incredibly beautifully drawn. These are all true, but really that wouldn’t be enough for this to stand out, especially considering this is the only anime on my list, and that meant picking it over the immense number of Studio Ghibli films I need to watch, some seminal works of Satoshi Kon, and a multitude of other anime series. So the real answer is, well… AMVs. (Be warned, these can spoil the shit out of this show for you, so watch with caution if you for whatever reason are still reading this and haven’t watched the show, as this is your last warning).
I don’t even watch that many AMVs outside of Anime Expo (AX), and yet I have seen multiple AMVs that basically told me to watch this show so I could experience all of the feels. The feeling that I need to see it never quite went away, so ultimately this show won out in the end, and it was all aboard the feels train.
Why haven’t I watched this yet?
Anime is a crowded space. Especially when you also watch things that are not anime. So shows slip through the cracks, especially since in general I have absolutely no faith that Japan can make a competent high school anime show unless its quality has been verified by a shit ton of people. So this was always going to be one that I would have caught up with after the fact, but this one just got especially buried and was difficult for me to get into the right frame of mind to watch. Plus, I had some real worries that this show was being overhyped. After all, how could something that was advertised as having so many feels actually live up to that?
So was it worth the wait?
Yes, because oh dear lord the feels. I was a fool to doubt the feels. You cannot prepare. You are not ready. Your soul will break and be rebuilt multiple times as you realize you are nothing more than emotional putty for this show to mold however it wishes. The characters are top notch. The show never feels overly maudlin, as every emotion is earned. The main characters act like real people with real pain and unlike a lot of anime characters, are neither boring, shallow harem-bait, boring moeblobs, nor just general embarrassments to humanity.
This is a show about loss, but more importantly, it’s a show about recovery and dreams. It is about friendship, rivalry, love, and everything in-between. You truly feel for these characters and want them to be happy. There are no villains, just people trying to figure out the best way to live their lives and make it through adolescence. Every character is given shading and depth and no one is made to look truly bad. Instead, everything is messy–really, really messy, just like life. This is best shown by Watari, who in any other show would have just been a girl-crazy joke character, but here is a true friend that just wants his friends to be happy, even if it ultimately gets his heart broken in the end. This is a show where jealousy is allowed to be a valid emotion, but never one that is allowed to destroy relationships. These characters truly care about each other and it gives everything that happens an extra emotional kick that would not be there if the show was not fully committed to making sure every emotion and character got their due.
Just ridiculous.
There are so many moments that can be highlighted in this show that haven’t even been mentioned yet: Tsubaki’s entire arc, the times spent breathing life into rival pianists Takeshi and Emi, or even just the small touch that the show never tells you the actual results from the piano finals (you can make assumptions, but the show never confirms or denies anything). On top of all of that though, there is the music and animation, which are simply incredible. This is a show that can certainly be done in live-action (and in fact it was), but ultimately the blending of visuals and music in this show is something that could only be done in animation, and serves as another constant reminder that America’s inability to allow animation to escape the narrow boxes it is confined in here truly is an artistic travesty. The animation has a lyrical quality that explodes at you in a spectacular way. All of it comes together to create a truly special work that delivers in so many ways.
What was the best moment of the show?
The moments that stand out most to people come during the last episode of the show, where you get the double whammy where Kōsei first realizes that Kaori has died during his performance in the finals of Eastern Japan Piano Competition and then receives a letter after her death revealing that she has been in love with him the entire time. This episode is quite powerful, and leaves you feeling quite emotional as the series comes to an end. This is what everyone generally covers in the AMVs, because the show at its core is about the relationship between Kōsei and Kaori.
I, however, offer up a different moment, from episode 13, “Love’s Sorrow.” That would, of course, be when Kōsei is forced to play by himself at the Gala concert because Kaori has collapsed from her illness. This episode is a build up of everything that has happened in the show so far, as slowly but surely Kaori has helped Kōsei move closer and closer to finally properly dealing with the guilt he has felt ever since the death of his mother. This is the episode where all that work pays off, and it works like gangbusters. The music, the emotion, all of it comes together in this performance that is absolutely inspiring and devastating all at the same time. Watching Kōsei let go of the memories that had been dragging him down is an extremely poignant moment, and the finest thing this series achieves.
Sometimes you have to say goodbye or you will never be the person you are meant to be.
The reason this episode hits better than the end for me is that the way the show meticulously builds to this moment without forcing the emotion too soon. It is about moving on from tragedy in order to grow into the person you are meant to be, and that lesson is absolutely essential to how Kōsei is ultimately able to deal with tragedy again when Kaori dies. This episode is when this show jumps into another stratosphere of how good it can be, and manages to cast a feeling of longing and bittersweetness within the viewer that sets the tone for the rest of the show. The performance will make you fall in love with classical music, move you close to tears, and really make you want to call your mother all at once, in an episode that showcases the emotional maturity and depth Your Lie in April is capable of. It is without question the best moment in the best episode of this series.
Am I still crying?
No! You’re crying! There are a lot of onions around and my allergies are acting up. Don’t ask any more questions. Just look at this AMV.
Would I recommend it to everyone?
Assuming you can handle the feels, yes. This show isn’t perfect, but it is great for anyone who needs a good cry or a check to see if they are completely dead inside. Just don’t take it lightly, as if you do, you will be left emotionally bare and broken from the feels that you could not possibly believe are happening to you. Also, if you have given up hope that an anime can actually handle teenagers in a way that doesn’t make you want to set everything on fire, this is the show for you, because everyone actually acts in a way that feels human and not like flesh blobs that have no idea how human emotions work. (Normally I would insert some criticism of this show somewhere in here for balance, but we don’t have room for that kind of negativity in this feels train.)
Seriously, though, are you still crying?
But his mother… and Kaori… life is just so beautifully sad and inspiring all at the same time. Excuse me while I go cry in the corner for a bit…
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And… umm… yeah, that’s it for the first edition of How Haven’t You Seen That!?. This one is a bit more bare bones than future versions will be, but it felt like a good starting point. Stay tuned for more editions, and have one more AMV for the road!