Your lie in April
2011-05-01

Introduction

Your Lie in April (Japanese: 四月は君の嘘, Hepburn: Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso; lit. 'April Is Your Lie') is a Japanese romantic drama manga series written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa. It was serialized in Kodansha's magazine Monthly Shōnen Magazine from April 2011 to February 2015. The story follows a young pianist named Kо̄sei Arima, who loses the ability to perform the piano after his mother's death, and his experiences after he meets violinist Kaori Miyazono.

The manga series originated from a one-shot comic that Arakawa entered in a competition; he based the series on it and drew inspiration from the existence of musical manga, such as Beck and Nodame Cantabile. A-1 Pictures adapted Your Lie in April into an anime television series that was aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block from October 2014 to March 2015, and an original video animation (OVA) episode was released in May 2015. A live-action film adaptation of the same name was released in September 2016. Various stage play adaptations have also been produced.

In 2013, the manga won the 37th Kodansha Manga Award in the shōnen category. By June 2017, Your Lie in April had over 5 million copies in circulation. The manga received mixed reviews; several critics praised its plot and characters but criticized the artwork and emotional aspect. However, the anime adaptation was largely praised for its plot, animation, and soundtrack.

Story

Fourteen-year-old piano prodigy Kōsei Arima becomes famous after winning several music competitions. When his mother Saki dies, Kōsei has a mental breakdown while performing at a piano recital; this results in him becoming unable to hear the sound of his piano. He sees the notes fly off the sheet music and can only hear the thud of the keys coming down no matter how hard he plays the notes, even though his hearing is otherwise unaffected.

Two years later, Kōsei has not touched the piano and views the world in monochrome. He does not focus on excelling in any activities and often spends time with his friends Tsubaki Sawabe and Ryōta Watari. Kōsei meets Kaori Miyazono, an audacious, free-spirited, fourteen-year-old violinist whose playing style reflects her manic personality. Kaori helps Kōsei return to playing the piano and shows him his playing style can be free and groundbreaking. As Kaori continues to lift Kōsei's spirits, he quickly realizes he loves her, although she seems to only be interested in Ryōta.

During a performance, Kaori, who later explains that she is anemic and needs routine testing, collapses and is hospitalized. She invites Kōsei to play with her at a gala but she does not arrive. As Kōsei competes against Takeshi Aiza and Emi Igawa, two fourteen-year-olds who were inspired to play the piano after seeing Kōsei's performances when they were younger, Kaori's health deteriorates and she becomes dejected. Kōsei befriends Takeshi's younger sister Nagi and plays a duet with her, which motivates Kaori to attempt a risky and potentially deadly surgery so she may possibly play with Kōsei once more. While playing in the finals of the Eastern Japan Piano Competition, Kōsei sees Kaori's spirit accompanying him and realizes she has died during the surgery.

At her funeral, Kaori's parents give Kōsei a letter from Kaori that reveals she was aware of her impending death and became more free-spirited, both as a person and in her music, so she would not take her regrets to Heaven. She confesses she had been in love with Kōsei's piano playing since watching him perform at a concert when she was five, the same concert that had also inspired Emi. This inspired Kaori to play the violin so she could play with him one day. Kaori fabricated her feelings towards Ryōta so she could get closer to Kōsei without hurting Tsubaki, who harbored affection for Kōsei. She then confesses her love for him. Tsubaki comforts Kōsei and tells him she will be by his side. Kaori also leaves behind a picture of herself as a child, coming back from the concert that inspired her, with Kōsei in the background. Kōsei later frames this picture.

Units & Uniforms

Character List