Dear Chibi,

“Your Lie in April” (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) follows the story of Kousei Arima a former piano prodigy who, after the death of his mother, can no longer hear the sound of his piano. Kousei views the world in monochrome until he meets Kaori Miyazono, a free-spirited violinist whose playing style reflects her manic personality. His once monotonous life was about to change forever.

This is a review of Madman’s Australian/NZ limited Bluray release, which comes with a special collector’s art box and 6 gorgeous art cards. (Click on the thumbnails for a larger view)

What initially attracted me to this series was the gorgeous art-style found typically in shoujo-manga (Look at those sparkly eyes!) I was pretty surprised to hear this one’s actually a shounen (There is no fan-service what-so-ever. What a refreshing change!). The backgrounds and visuals are captivating~ I particularly love their lighting and parallax effects (also featured on the main-menu) I’m constantly in awe! A-1 Pictures has done an excellent job on the animation.

What got me hooked on the series though, was Kousei’s journey of self acceptance and discovery. The anguish and despair he faces, coming to terms with loss and finding his place in the world is something most people can relate to. It’s also a touching story that gets incredibly depressing (You probably saw this one coming).

As much as the theme is about music, it’s also about the relationships and unrequited love. Almost every character is interested in someone that isn’t interested in them back. This is mostly apparent with Tsubaki- Kousei’s childhood friend. I enjoyed every episode that was dedicated to her, because I feel her character is the most fleshed out and realistic, even if it makes her the most “normal”. I understand her motives, and why she feels the way she does.

However, “Your Lie in April” does suffer from tonal issues. Every important and serious moment is almost immediately interrupted with chibi characters and humour. While it aims to keep the mood more balanced and light-hearted, it ruins the moment and is completely distracting. I wish they used it a bit more sparsely because I do enjoy the humour…it’s just not used at the most appropriate times.

There is also a great deal of repetitive flashbacks and monologue. This can make the pace feel slow at times, because we’re constantly shown the same footage over and over. It probably didn’t need to be 22 episodes long, but I didn’t want the story to end either so….  what can I say? ;D

All in all, a pretty solid series with a simple and touching story. Just be prepared with some tissues :’D

I hope you found this review helpful! If you’re interested in getting a copy, you can order it here: Part 1 & Part 2. Otherwise you can watch it on Anime Lab where I first discovered this show :D This review copy was kindly provided by Madman for review.

P.S I noticed a big chunk of the second opening theme song ‘Nanairo Symphony’ sounds a lot like of opening of Dragon Ball GT. Tell me I’m not going crazy? ;D