Your Lie In April Review: Why This Anime Makes Everyone Cry

Your Lie In April

Only a few classic anime masterpieces are so iconic that people remember them during a specific month every year. These tales and characters just don’t age, and whether you rewatch it or not, the fact remains that it is so incredible that you could never hope to forget it entirely. Whether it's a good thing or a bad thing, many shows that follow attempt to emulate that very greatness and end up falling short, garnering more negative feedback from the fans of the original than they could afford. As the months pass, let’s take a moment to reflect on a peerless classic that left many viewers in tears by the end.

“Your Lie in April,” also known as “Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso” or simply “Kimiuso,” is a 22-episode TV anime series that aired from the 10th of October 2014 until the 20th of March 2015, falling under the fall 2014 season. It was produced by Aniplex, Dentsu, Kodansha, Fuji TV, Lawson HMV Entertainment, Kyoraku Industrial Holdings, and Kansai Telecasting; licensed by Aniplex of America; and brought to life by Studio A-1 Pictures. The main staff behind it includes Saitou Shunsuke, Fukushima Yuuichi, Kimura Makoto, and Tateishi Kensuke as producers. Each episode has a runtime of 22 minutes, featuring the genres of drama and romance alongside the themes of love polygon, music, and school. Targeted at the shounen demographic, it earned a PG-13 rating for teenagers 13 years or older and won the 2016 Sugoi Japan Awards in the anime division.

The anime is based on the manga of the same title, which ran for a total of 11 volumes from April 6, 2011, until February 6, 2015. This award-winning series is the work of author and artist Arakawa Naoshi, which was serialized in Shounen Magazine (Monthly). It was nominated for the fifth Manga Taisho Award in 2012 and ultimately placed 13th in the final ranking. In 2013, it even managed to win the 37th Kodansha Manga Award under the Shounen category. It was later published in English by Kodansha Comics USA from April 21, 2015, to January 3, 2017, and as an omnibus volume since October 22, 2024. A prequel to the anime was released in the form of a single OVA titled “Your Lie in April: Moments,” which came bundled with the 11th manga volume. Aired on May 15, 2015, it was produced by the same studio and ran for just 23 minutes.

The tale centers around a child prodigy named Kousei Arima, widely known as the "Human Metronome" for his unmatched skill in playing the piano. His incredible precision and perfection with the musical instrument were guided by his strict mother through rigorous training, allowing Kousei to dominate every piano competition he entered completely. His mere existence drew the admiration of his musical peers as well as unending praise from all his audiences. But when his mother suddenly passed away, he became heavily traumatized to the point that he couldn't even hear the sound of a piano anymore, leading him to never get on stage again.

Years pass, and Kousei eventually enters a quiet and unassuming chapter in his highly ordinary life, passing his days as just another junior high school student alongside his close friends, Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryouta Watari. But few know that Kousei is still grieving his mother's death and clings to music in this dull life. This is when everything gets flipped upside down with the introduction of Kaori Miyazono, an eccentric violinist whose behavior and actions start to throw buckets of color at Kousie’s monochrome life; she pushes the detached musician back into the spotlight as her accompanist without taking “No” as an answer! Starting everything off with a little lie, the duo continues to grow closer and closer through their joint pursuit of music, tackling the problems that plague them along the way and filling their worlds with vibrant color.

I watched Your Lie in April years ago, and I still remember it vividly, but I won’t watch it again precisely because I know the tears would flow. It is truly a must-watch masterpiece for all the right reasons, and this praise is coming from someone who’s not generally a fan of most drama/romance shows. I won’t spoil this story, as that would be a crime, but I will say that it has a straightforward plotline that flows in perfect rhythm while tackling the severe real-life issues faced by children, teens, and adults alike. It may seem like a typical show about four teenagers in high school with a penchant for music, but it makes it clear, slow and steady, that it’s much more than that, and not even once did I feel like dropping this one.

Arima is traumatized by his childhood experiences with music and his mother’s actions, which have left him numb to one of the most beautiful sensations known to man. As he continues to hide in his shell, his two closest friends cannot do much to change it, no matter how strong the feelings they harbor for him. In the meantime, Kaori is someone who completely lives in the moment and is as free-spirited as they come, acting as a perfect foil for Arima. This girl drags him out without taking “No” for an answer and makes him “face the music,” whether or not it is mutually beneficial or detrimental to them. In the meantime, the quartet’s dynamic is held steadily in place with one small lie told in April, as one thing after another reveals itself with each performance and struggle they endure.

I wasn’t too fond of this cast at first, but I gradually came to love and root for them even when their motivations directly clashed at times. You may not be meeting their needs, even if you love them and can't be with anyone else. A duo can be the perfect couple with perfectly overlapping weaknesses and strengths, but they may never truly be due to circumstance. You may be one single cog in a machine, watching things play out with unbearable sadness inside, but you are unable to act in any meaningful way. Don’t let the “Love Polygon” tag mislead you, because it is not the kind of cliché romance you often see these days. It's deep, meaningful, realistic, and tragic, and I kept wanting them all to be happy while realizing that was impossible at the same time.

All four main characters are unique, memorable, and relatable and possess motivations that are understandable from their own points of view. However, none of them are major players in a grandiose plot; they are human and full of flaws. The supporting cast is just as impactful and memorable, each with their own goals and aspirations, especially Emi and Takeshi, who undergo multiple phases in flawlessly natural ways that I felt proud of them. Character development is also remarkably handled, with a significant portion attributed to Arima and Tsubaki. If I had any gripes at all in this department, it’s that too many people are obsessed with Arima and are driven forward by his very existence. But then again, the obsession is one of the core hidden themes of the tale, so I’ll let it go.

The Art and Animation department is simply awe-strikingly gorgeous. I remember pausing this show at a very ordinary scene of a school backyard and thinking just how sharp, refined, and neat the artwork is. Not a single line or brushstroke is out of place, and I can sense the care and effort that went into this, complemented by its warm and light color palette. Animation is fluid, and they capture all the movements, especially those involved with playing music, perfectly. Props to whoever decided to include stills from the manga as well, because those images remain vivid in my memory and serve as a testament to how beautiful and impactful these moments were. Character designs are simple, just what you’d expect from high schoolers, but I absolutely loved all the detail in their hair and eyes, full of emotion and almost looking like a gateway to the realms of their hidden selves.

The sound and music department is a timeless masterpiece. The sound effects are crisp, realistic, and resonate with your soul, especially those of the musical instruments. The voice actors deliver heart-wrenching performances that had me crying buckets by the end, each line delivered with all the warmth and emotional impact they hold. The OSTs are wonderful too, but what I could never forget is the opening theme, "Hikaru nara" by Goose House, which I listen to on repeat years after finishing this show. This song is one of the greatest openings of all time, featuring stunning visuals that hint at many things you won’t realize until the very end. If you don’t love this piece, it's clear that you haven’t listened properly. I don’t remember any of the ending themes too well, but they include "Kirameki" by wacci and “Orange" by 7!!, both of which were decent pieces. The same goes for the second opening, "Nanairo Symphony," by Coala Mode.

Overall, “Your Lie in April” is a must-watch masterpiece that might even reshape your very definition of anime. It is so warm, gentle, deep, tragic, and soulful that you won’t be the same after finishing it. There are no good or bad guys; it's about life and the cards we've been dealt, how we deal with our trauma, how much others can help, and how we can grow even without a happy ending. I recommend this show from the bottom of my heart, and I hope it’ll impact you to the point that listening to Hikaru Nara would evoke a strange sense of melancholic happiness even decades after you finish watching it.