Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Your lie in April
|
Goto page Previous Note: this is the discussion thread for this article |
| Author | Message | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
Xionea
 Posts: 53 |
|
|||
|
This anime personally broke me down and stained my shirt with tears in many episodes, especially the last one. It will be forever remembered as one of the greatest anime I have ever seen.
|
||||
|
||||
sunflower
 Posts: 1080 |
|
|||
|
I guess I'm the only one who hated the ending. I loved it up until the letter. I thought her past was what a predictable shoujo would do, and was really not expecting the reveal to be so cliche because the rest of the series had moved me so much.
She loved him since they were kids and he didn't know who she was? Really? Can you imagine that possibly happening? We had a kid like that in our elementary and the few days he actually made it in were such big deals among the students. *Everyone* knew the kid who spent a lot of time in the hospital. But the part that really annoyed me was her selfishness. She got to confess everything, but he will never be able to tell her what's in his heart. He can only speak to a ghost because she lied to him and only told him the truth after she died. That's unforgivable in my book. He doesn't seem to care, but if his grief were realistic he sure would. And it would scar him for a long time (something he really needs after his mother messed him up with the same kinds of games). (Now, I fully acknowledge that my mom dying a few weeks ago is influencing my take on this, but I also think that this romanticized view of keeping secrets to your deathbed is a rotten idea, and doesn't do anyone any good, just lots of harm. I was lucky that my mom and I didn't do that. But if she had, I wouldn't get over it for a long, long time.) So for me the ending to an otherwise insightful and moving show ruined it. |
||||
|
||||
HaruhiToy
 Posts: 4118 |
|
|||
Yeah, she really intended it to turn out that way and the plan worked perfectly. That's obvious. That stupid selfish bitch went out and nailed herself with a painful, wasting disease that didn't kill her right away but let her live with uncertainty through most of her young life. She was so damn vindictive it took years for her to find a way to approach Arima who was attached at the hip to two friends. It was so unforgivable of her that just because she managed to become a passable musician she allowed herself to hope she would have enough time to connect with her crush once she could show him that she understood what he needed when nobody else in the world did. Finally, Armia bears no responsibility whatsoever for not confessing his feelings for her over the months they were granted and even when he realized she might be terminal. It was all her doing. Your sense of empathy is just overwhelming. |
||||
|
||||
|
sunflower
Posts: 1080 |
|
|||
So is yours, seeing as you completely misunderstood where I'm coming from. Really, it's quite the pot calling the kettle black. Meanwhile, your attempt at sarcasm actually validates what I said. Of course her tragedy was moving. But while she didn't plan her illness, you show that she planned every bit of her introduction into his life, and how she'd lie to get close to him. Regarding Arima, did we watch the same show? Arima was in rather a different situation, wasn't he? She and his best friend had declared their 'like' for each other, because she lied. Would you step between two people you cared about when they cared about each other? And yet he had gotten to the point where he'd admitted he cared to himself and everyone else, and to her he had declared himself every way but verbally. It was just a matter of time before he spoke up, time he thought he had. His entire arc in the show was him learning to be honest with everyone including himself, wasn't it? Whereas she just lied and had no intention of being honest, except when it was too late for her to have to face him. She was weak, and what she did was wrong, and any tragedy in her life doesn't excuse that. And it's empathy that allows me to see that and tell every single one of you, do NOT fall into this trap. Find your courage and speak up while you can. |
||||
|
||||
|
Kurori
Posts: 5 |
|
|||
Kaori told a lie. But that most certainly does not make her weak. The truth isn't always the right answer. If you consider enjoying a show a trap, I'd willingly take the trap. 
|
||||
|
||||
TheTsunami
 Posts: 147 |
|
|||
|
After going back and reading the corresponding chapters of the manga, two things stuck out to me about how it was handled in the anime, one more important than the other...
- In the manga, during and after Kousei's performance and before his goodbye, we get to see the reactions from the other characters and his rivals. While this may have felt like a distraction throughout the series, it made no sense to keep going back to them during the anime, but not include that final piece which underscored the relationship between the three pianists. - The other thing that disappointed me is the decision to remove almost all of the operating room scenes from the first half of the episode. Anime-only viewers often came away with the idea that the final performance between the two was just another of Kousei's fantasies that he had during performances (such as the drowning in the ocean when struggling early in the series), whereas with the manga we see a connection between Kaori dying in the OR and then appearing before Kousei on stage, which suggests that rather than Kousei fantasizing, the author was trying to convey that Kaori's spirit appeared to him for the one last promised duet and a farewell. That is a pretty big difference. |
||||
|
||||
|
HaruhiToy
Posts: 4118 |
|
|||
I would say so but regardless it was still a vision and experience that only Arima had. Still it makes more sense if it wasn't just a delusion of his. So that fits what my perception was -- that Kaori was actually a sprite born out of Kousei that wanted to escape his mother's ruthless influence. She was the free inspiration that could not abide that oppressive sphere. She was at her strongest when he was at his weakest, and as he recovered she weakened to the point she could not exist outside of him. What she wanted most was not to be forgotten and although she didn't get to live at least there is no way that Kousei would forget her as long as he lived. Looked at that way it was the best ending for her. |
||||
|
||||
Barbobot
 Posts: 460 |
|
|||
This felt implied without specifically showing things in the OR going south. I can't speak for other people, but as soon as I saw Kaori appear before Kousei I knew things did not go well in the operating room. The way it was framed and specifically Kousei's reaction to seeing Kaori was more than enough to tell me that Kaori didn't make it. |
||||
|
||||
zensunni
 Posts: 1293 |
|
|||
|
I found the ending radiant and beautiful. In some ways, I wish I had waited to read the manga ending until after seeing it in the anime, but I don't have that kind of will power it seems... I almost always go ahead and read it if I can find it...
However, I appreciated the way the anime handled the ending. As TheTsunami mentioned, I was a bit surprised at the lack of frantic operating room scenes with the flat-line and attempts to revive her, but in a sense, what they did show was enough to understand what was happening. I still got the feeling that the apparition of her playing the violin with him was indeed her spirit saying goodbye as she passed from this world. However, the performance and fantasy sequence was much more detailed and the imagery used in the anime was superior to that used in the manga. The performance itself was sublime! A quick Google search reveals that there is a version of Chopin's Ballad No. 1, Op. 23 in g minor for violin and piano, arranged by Eugène Ysaÿe. I expect that is the arrangement they used, and one of the reasons for using this particular Chopin ballad for the final performance. The fact that it is marvelously sad in parts doesn't hurt at all. For the letter, I don't care if it is cliche, I still love the way it was presented. It isn't like most of us hadn't guessed that she wasn't really into Watari a long time ago, but there was some surprises left. I love the fact that she not only had been obsessed with Kousei for as long as Emi (and was sitting next to her at the pivotal first concert), but had given up playing the piano in hopes of doing what she eventually achieved: playing the violin with Kousei accompanying her. If I remember correctly, in the scene when the went to the school at night on her last time outside the hospital, she mentioned something about having fulfilled her dream? (Am I wrong?) That totally explains that part! While I do wish the two of them could have been more together than they were, I totally understand where the character of Kaori was coming from. She knew that the frontal approach would never work. Not only was Kousei totally inaccessible due to he personal issues, it was also certain that Tsubaki wouldn't have agreed to introducing this cute girl to the boy she was not admitting she was in love with. As for her being ill being a big deal, that might have happened, but it is also possible that nobody would have really noticed, since she appeared to be a complete and total wallflower before she "started running". She was shy, quiet, even mousy. Plus, it appears that their middle school is large enough that it is hard to get to know people who aren't in your own class. There is no indication that she was in a class with any of them prior to there third year, so there isn't any reason they should have known about the girl who had to miss so much of 7th grade (two years ago) because of a hospital stay. While watching the musical performance, I was almost shocked that I wasn't crying. Indeed, I found it uplifting and happy right up until very near the end, at which point tears welled in my eyes, but didn't spill. I was starting to think that my anticipated reaction to the episode was not going to happen and that, perhaps, the anime had failed to hit the emotional buttons that I expected. Then, during the letter, there was a moment where the welled up tears started to leak a bit. Still not a torrent, but a bit of an impact... Then came the ED... The acoustic version of, frankly, one of my favorite recent SONGS I have heard, let alone anime themes, combined with the slideshow of pictures of that beautiful, vibrant, enigmatic, and wonderful character who I have grown to love so over the course of the story... That was more than enough to start the tears in earnest! It seems I need to do some re-thinking about what shows are in my "Top 15 favorite shows of all time" list... Maybe even my top 5 list... |
||||
|
||||
|
TheTsunami
Posts: 147 |
|
|||
Yeah, I would have thought most people would make the connection themselves, but surprisingly I've seen several who didn't. Regardless, this was still one of my favorite anime episodes that I can recall and I was quite satisfied with the ending. |
||||
|
||||
wolfy2005
 Posts: 8 |
|
|||
|
Such a beautiful series. I know it's not important but I also would have liked to know what the results of the competition were.
Also for anybody who has read the manga, was Kosei's father just as forgotten? I mean in the anime I think they just mentioned him once in the first or second episode always being gone on business. |
||||
|
||||
|
shirayukiscc
Posts: 2 |
|
|||
|
did kaori really died? maybe it was just a suspense. in the end, it's april so maybe she also lied about her death. since kosei get back on his feet, i think she choose distance himself from kosei for tsubaki or is it april that's why she lied again// i still believe that she's alive.. they said the endng n ova and manga mght be dfferent from anme..let's see in may for the release of ova.. i still believe she's alive..
|
||||
|
||||
|
shirayukiscc
Posts: 2 |
|
|||
|
did kaori really die? maybe it was just a suspense. in the end, it's april so maybe she also lied about her death. since kosei get back on his feet, i think she chooses to distance herself from kosei for tsubaki or is it april that's why she lied again// i still believe that she's alive.. they said the endng n ova and manga mght be dfferent from anme..let's see in may for the release of ova.. i still believe she's alive..
i don't want her to die she deserves kosei, she helped him mentally and physically.. it's too awful if she died.. in the ova, maybe she's still alive..i like the anime.. the music.. but i don't like kosei's perfomance.. they skip lots of scenes from the manga.. i wnna know who won the competton in the anime.. the reactions of people during his performance in the anime..too sad that i had to read to read the manga and watch the anime simultaneously just to know people's reactions during his performance.. |
||||
|
||||
|
HaruhiToy
Posts: 4118 |
|
|||
Looks like you are new here welcome aboard. It looks to me like the anime is pretty unambiguous on this. The ending visits Kaori's grave and the epilog shows how everyone has adjusted to life without her. My interpretation as I have written before in this thread is that Kaori was in fact always a part of Kousei and represented his expressive spirit. That spirit was being crushed by Kousei's mother when she lost herself and started ruthlessly training him to be a metronome, so it went away and formed Kaori. When Kousei started healing and got stronger she got weaker and eventually he was strong enough to have her inside of him again so that is where she went. In that sense Kaori did not die. |
||||
|
||||
 |
All times are GMT - 5 Hours |
|
|
|
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group