Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Your lie in April
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Angel M Cazares
 Posts: 5424 Location: Iscandar |
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Episode 20 grade: A
Affirmation. In this episode the characters were able to recognize their true feelings that the audience has known for a while. On the one hand I am glad, almost relieved, that Tsubaki sort of confessed her love to Kousei. But even though I know well what is going to happen to Kaori, I still feel as surprised and as upset as the first time I realized it. I hope the sadness does not destroy Kousei. |
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Animelover12313
Posts: 278 |
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Is it just me or is it funny that the cover photos for Death Parade and Your Lie in April reviews this week are both of an eye?
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boredandlazy
Posts: 189 |
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I wouldn't really say she was struggling, to me it looked like Kaori was convulsing. I found that scene really quite confronting and mildly disturbing...
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Deon Ovela
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Seeing as there's been a strong emphasis of how Kuosei needs something to play for, there might be an outcome strongly relating it: Instead of his mother, it'd be Kaori that haunts, but from now on with cheeriness, with her usual attitude, which helps Kousei to concentrate and keep playing, hear the notes. Yes, I am strongly guessing that Kaori passes away, given by the last episode. If otherwise, it'd be just wasted potential, imo. A great ending doesn't always have to be happy, and an ending like this would tie many things up, even give a lesson of some sort.
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Angel M Cazares
Posts: 5424 Location: Iscandar |
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Episode 21 grade: A
The scene where Kousei carried Kaori to the hospital's rooftop made me cry. In general I like how this episode was handled. My only problem is Hiroko. Why in the hell is she forcing Kousei to practice when he is depressed about Kaori? How about a hug of support instead. I can understand the passion for music, but A HUMAN LIFE IS MORE IMPORTANT. I hope the last episode is great. |
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Hakajin
Posts: 46 |
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She's pushing him because she knows he's at a crucial point in his music career; how he does at the competition will determine what he does after middle school, which will determine the path he takes later. If he doesn't do well, his music career could be over, and all his hard work and potential will go to waste. Everything with Kaori is going on at an especially bad time in Kousei's life, and Hiroko doesn't want his future to suffer because his present sucks. That's what she's thinking. Although she could've hugged him, too... I think she was trying to snap him out of it, forcing him to get past it instead of indulging his sadness. May not be the best way of doing things, but there you go. Everything's she's been doing has been out of concern for Kousei, wrong or right. |
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鏡
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My poor heart can't take much more of this. The direction in the latest episode was beautiful, and the pace of Kosei's dialogue changing to match the tempo of his performance was just another aspect of the way the direction in this show seems to improve dramatically every time there's a music performance. This show's greatest strength is pulling the emotional state a character is in into the medium on a bunch of different levels at once: into the music, the colour palette, even the way things are framed. Tsubaki's description last episode of the rain she's running through is a perfect, non-performance example of this, where the scenery is imbued with the emotional state she's in, regardless of how it would be interpreted objectively, through the use of the lemonade metaphor that was built up throughout the entire episode. It's things like that which let the show not only avoid expositional dialogue or narration, but create a deeply enthralling aesthetic.
It's a really beautiful show so far and is aoty contender for me, depending on how it ends of course. Now that I think about it, the use of eva references in this show is quite interesting and makes a lot of sense: the piloting of an eva as a metaphor for the performance of music runs throughout the entirety of NGE, with Shinji's cello and the concert allegory in death and rebirth, and even EoE when the pinnacle of Asuka's piloting is accompanied by Bach's Air. These reviews have been pretty fantastic, especially the insight into the musical aspects of the show. |
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meepsheeps
 Posts: 399 |
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I finally understand this! |
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zensunni
 Posts: 1293 |
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Another week, another tour de force episode from Your Lie in April. The emotions were raw in episode 21, from Kousei's depressed withdrawal to Tsubaki's shock at Kaori's condition and her tearful appeal to Hiroko to help him, to Kaori's passionate and frightened virtual confession (without ever actually saying the words) on the snowy rooftop of the hospital.
Then came the musical performance, and what a performance it is... Really, Chopin was a freaking genius and whoever they have playing Kousei's piano pieces is no slouch either. What really stood out, in that section was the animation. You could see the deftness of Kousei's hands as the caressed the piano keys, bringing out just the right amount of sound, no more, no less. It was enough to make me wonder if it hadn't been rotoscoped and re-drawn. Really masterful animation work. I can't wait for the final episode, though I am busy on Thursday night through Satruday and may have to wait to watch until Saturday night... I expect it will take at least one hour to watch the episode, as I will have to take frequent breaks to blow my nose, wipe my eyes, and clean my classes so I can continue to be thrashed in my emotional center by, not only the inevitable culmination of the story line, but also the very real knowledge that these characters, who I have grown to love over the past several months since I started reading the manga, are no longer going to allow me to be part of their lives. I will miss them horribly, just like I miss Nodame, Taiga and Ryuuji, Ichicka and Kaito, and Belldandy and Keiichi... among others... Oh well... there will be more wonderful characters to love soon enough... |
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TheTsunami
 Posts: 147 |
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*slowclap for episode 22*
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meepsheeps
Posts: 399 |
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Finale spoilers.
spoiler[Was an 8/10 from the start of the season but I'll justify it and bump it to a 9/10 just for a satisfying experience overall. This was a very colourful and dynamic show that let me emit different kinds of feelings. I'm glad the Kousei and Kaori relationship got resolution in the end. I also liked seeing Kousei's character grow from a traumatized boy to a musician who plays for himself instead of for others. He learned to live, grow, and be happy with what he already has. The music selection was excellent, coming from a fellow classical musician. I really enjoyed most performances. My favourites would be the last one (Chopin Etude in G Minor iirc), Emi's Winter Wind, and the one in episode 4. I thought that the insert songs were amazing as well, like mixing Debussy's Clair de Lune with an original song. Loved that. The letter scene was by far the best in this episode. (too lazy to post in ep 21 but the snow scene was magnificent) Another thing I really enjoyed was the symbolism. Even if the characters spoke in metaphors way too often, I really like how they connected nature and other various symbols like colour with characters and the storyline. Like others have said, flaws include misplaced comedy (or just unfunny humour) and sometimes it does feel too forced. I had some moments where I stopped caring about this show (which most airing shows get from me tbh)] |
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Angel M Cazares
Posts: 5424 Location: Iscandar |
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Episode 22 grade: A
Your Lie in April is one example of why I love the anime medium so much. This series was able to capture my heart with almost every episode. I cried when Kousei was reading the letter, but it was more cathartic than painful. I am not sure if Your Lie in April is the best anime series of 2014, but it certainly is my favorite. |
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bwcbwc
Posts: 59 |
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Though the reviewer isn't completely correct that all loose ends are tied up: they never show the actual results of the competition. It's completely irrelevant to the main story, but could have been part of the "afterstory" segment of the episode without being too intrusive.
The one other nitpick I have is I think the farewell letter might have been more effective if read out by Kousei rather than Kaori, but that's just my taste, and the convention is for them to be read by the character who wrote the message. Other than that, a pretty much perfect episode, and a top 3 contender for my favorite series of the season. (The others being Aldnoah Zero and DurararaDurarara) |
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HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
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At the end of the day we needed Kaori more than she needed us.
I really would have like to see a real performance with the duo rather than a fantasy performance that only Arima heard. Aside from practice sessions with her (which we never saw) his entire muse is based on that one first hurried, uncomfortable, critically-derided stage performance where he barely got through it in once piece. He never had a chance to play with her when he was anything close to mentally stable. That is frustrating, but the real-world and adult approach to the story telling is appreciated. Although I really wanted Kaori back on stage it would have been a mistake to bring her back after the progression of her condition that they showed. I have to wonder if Kaori was never more than a metaphor anyway for Kōsei's musical spirit. She seemed to start her existence at about the time his mother started beating him into a cold machine-like performer. She then seemed to grow as a highly undisciplined spirit (which the critics hated but the audience loved) and in spite of her exuberence she was always sickly. Finally, as the effects of his mothers sickness receded and Kōsei himself finally healed she could no longer exist outside of him and she ended up where she started and where she belonged. As for Tsubaki, does anyone else besides me feel that if she ever lands Arima as romantic partner she will always be in Kaori's shadow? I would rate this as one step below Masterpiece. |
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moonshine101
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I personally enjoyed this anime, as I knew I would when I saw a preview for it over a year ago. I waited for this to finish, and it was certainly worth it. There was some parts I must admit felt could've had greater development, like his best friend, Tsubaki, who for most of the show was just a way to throw in some drama until she discovers her love for him.
I also wanted some backstory on Watari, but you got nothing at all. As I am a huge fan of music anime, especially with classical music being played, this part really made my day. It still could've had more dedication to the music though, as Nodame Cantible did. Entire episodes dedicated to classic music was superb. Honestly, the parts I found irritating the most was was watching Arima getting over his fear of not hearing the piano through his mothers death. It got frustrating at times how to me it felt like it continually brought it up and dragged it out for way too long. Once he overcame that part, it improved significantly as a whole. Overall I give the show 9/10 as one of the best anime series of this season, by a long shot. |
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