Anime Review | Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (Lights, Camera, Action!)

Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

The series is built on strong characterisation and spends a long time developing each of the cast, exploring many important moments throughout their lives. Kosei, of course, has the majority of the development, following through many of the most important moments of his life and showing how they affect the person he has become in the present day. His flashbacks initially portray a life without much of a childhood, just consisting of constant music practice under the harsh tutelage of his ailing mother.

Kaori is an ideal counterpoint to Kosei. The simple joy and love she finds in her music is very much the antithesis of how Kosei has grown to feel about all music. It's her outlook on life and attitude to the everyday that inspires and changes the damage done to him.

There's something of a love triangle throughout the series, a trite and overused anime trope, but thanks to the fantastically realistic writing it never feels cliché or forced in. Instead, both potential pairings feel like they are valid and perfect matches - an ideal setup for splitting the audience on just who Kosei should end up with.

It's established early in the series that Kaori has some sort of illness, although it isn't fully explained what it is. From her symptoms, it seemingly could be anything from a simple case of anaemia to something much worse. How both Kaori and Kosei deal with this is a focal point of the series and their relationship - Kosei having already dealt with the illness of someone close to him and Kaori having to deal with the effects of the illness.

There is debate over whether an anime adaptation of a manga is better or worse than the source material, with decent examples of successes and failures on both sides being quite abundant. When it comes to Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, though, the anime adaptation is superior, just due to the basis of the series, the ability to actually hear the music, hear when Kosei is having issues playing and hearing the mistakes in the tempo as he begins to worry, hearing the melody as Kaori dances with her violin… it all makes for some fantastic sequences that help move the audience in a way that the manga never could.

7/10

Very Good - Bronze Award

A truly moving and beautiful story, it may be hard for Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso to transition to a Western audience as there are some really dark and hard theme involved, but it's also filled with life-affirming sentiments and beauty. It is stories like this in the show that really do exemplify the range and scope of anime overall.