A Musician Reviews: Your Lie in April
Some people watch anime for the artwork, some watch it for the story while others watch it for the music. An anime that perfectly encapsulates all three of them is Your Lie in April, winning the Sugoi Japan Award by Yomiuri Shimbun Newspaper for best anime adaptation in 2016 while the manga won the Best Shounen Manga at the Kodansha Manga Awards in 2013.
Your Lie in April (or Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) is a tragic story written as a manga by Naoushi Arakawa. The anime was directed by Kyōhei Ishiguro, with script written by Takao Yoshioka and music composed by Masaru Yokoyama. The story is about a piano prodigy, who is unable to play the piano after the death of his mother, until he meets a free-spirited violinist.
For me, this anime has been nothing short of a symphony. The happy moments were expressed in a major key signature with a lively tempo designed to seize the moment and make people laugh. The sad moments, meanwhile were expressed in a minor key signature and had a slow tempo so that the audience would remember that moment forever. Each moment could be written on a music sheet and still have the same effect as the anime or manga.
The composer composed music in such a way that it complements the scene perfectly. Each and every piece were carefully selected, from Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata to Chopin’s Ballade no. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 to reflect the pianist’s feelings. The opening and ending tracks added an angle to the anime which cannot be seen in the main story.
The qualities of each character were written in such a way that it makes the audience relate with them. Like the scenes, every character can be associated with a music composition. The determination, serenity and liveliness of each character were expressed in their on-stage performances or by the background score.
When I selected this anime, I thought of it as nothing more than a simple romantic story. But everything in this symphony — the plot, the setting, the characterisation, the flow , the score — caused a roller-coaster of emotions in me. It made me laugh, stunned and moved me to tears. As Kaori Miyazono said, “Music transcends words.”
Overall, this anime is a must-watch for all otakus, musicians and lovers of romance. This story is bound to amaze and enthrall, as it did with me.
