Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

[shinta|hikari]

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Piano prodigy Arima Kosei dominated the competition and all child musicians knew his name. But after his mother, who was also his instructor, passed away, he had a mental breakdown while performing at a recital that resulted in him no longer being able to hear the sound of his piano even though his hearing was perfectly fine. Even two years later, Kosei hasn't touched the piano and views the world in monotone, and without any flair or color. He was content at living out his life with his good friends Tsubaki and Watari until, one day, a girl changed everything. Miyazono Kaori is a pretty, free spirited violinist whose playing style reflects her personality. Kaori helps Kosei return to the music world and show that it should be free and mold breaking unlike the structured and rigid style Kosei was used to. -myanimelist

Episode 1

Episode 2

Fantastic adaptation. Scratch that. Fantastic show. The 2nd episode made me bawl. This is definitely not for drama haters. Kaori's music was also great. Music stories are always better with actual music. This did not disappoint.

[Kraco]

This is definitely not for drama haters.

I hope that doesn't mean there's going to be a heavy polygon. I think I'd enjoy this show a lot, but I'm not really a fan of complicated and stretched love rivalries.

[shinta|hikari]

The rivalries are pretty simple. The drama is half about music and the protagonist.

[MasterOfMoogles]

That was pretty epic violin playing.

I don't really understand the MC's friend. What exactly is his relationship to this girl?

Childhood friend is playing a dangerous game. She likes the MC, but wants him to overcome his trauma and play piano again, so she is introducing him to this girl that he is sure to become infatuated with.

[Kraco]

I don't really understand the MC's friend. What exactly is his relationship to this girl?

He's a huge womanizer, plain and simple. He'll take all cute girls interested in him (and there seem to be plenty). Actually I think that's jolly good because under such circumstances it shouldn't be so bad for him when the MC "steals" the violin girl away from him.

Childhood friend is playing a dangerous game. She likes the MC, but wants him to overcome his trauma and play piano again, so she is introducing him to this girl that he is sure to become infatuated with.

She's playing such a losing game. Though I'm not altogether sure how well she has played the game at all. It's like she only loves the piano playing MC, the one not playing is nothing but a neighbourhood friend. Basically, she has wasted a lot of time and made the MC get used to her as a childhood friend, not a member of the opposite sex.

[David75]

It was weird how the stranger violinists didn't get animated while playing, and the heroïne was...
I certainly get why someone who already know the story would get emotional at that moment, because the progression is really well made/crafted to get people interested emotional. Without prior knowledge of the story, I was not far from shedding a tear...

Nice watch, for sure.

[Kraco]

Episode 4 - HS





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That was an interesting performance. It's no wonder the general audience applauded so much, despite the huge mess. They had listened to regular performances multiple times before, but now they suddenly got so much suspense, weirdness, comedy, but also good music. If anybody had been almost sleeping before Arima and Kaori, they surely did fully wake up. The best part was no doubt how they turned into a contest instead of the performer and her accompanist.

Arima really has issues, though. It's kind of weird how he was on his mother's side so much in the past, but now the ghost of that same mother prevents him from playing, even though he obviously doesn't hate music. You'd think the ghost made him play all the more and all the better, but I guess the human mind isn't that simple. Kaori has a lot of work ahead of her if she intends to beat the ghost out of him, that's for sure. She'd be quite strange to want to, after this fiasco, but then again, this is fiction and she is strange.

[fireheart]

I'm not sure if I like the show or not, there's plenty to like but there's also a bunch of things I don't like, mostly the way Arima is treated. Obvious he needs something to get moving again but I don't like the way they go about it. If you break down the things they have done so far to make him play in this contest they've broken into his house plastering papers all over the place, filled his shoebox and the music room with tons of paper he has to clean up, stalked him around telling him what to do, beat him up several times and completely ignored anything he says while forcing their ideas on him. Sure some of these things are there for comedy but I hardly see how shoving all that down his throat that he has to accompany her and then beating him up the moment they find him is comical. It just rubs me the wrong way and Kaori doesn't really help with her constantly calling him friend a despite the fact she's know his name for several years already. Add how Tsubaki also emphasized it early it's almost as if they're denying him his existence like it's not even worth calling him by his name.

Obviously lots of this is taken out of proportion and I'm overreacting to an otherwise sweet and enjoyable show but when you break down the things they've been doing it's far too close to bullying for my taste. Just change all his friends into bullies that are having "fun" with him and there wouldn't really be any difference in the events, at least not the things I mentioned hence why I don't like the way they've gone about it. For the record it's probably the comedic scenes where they keep beating him up that leaves an bad impression on me and it paints all the other things they do as shitty things.

[Kraco]

I'm okay with them treating him poorly as long as he doesn't play. But when he starts playing, they should stop and treat him with respect. Although whenever he sees the mother's ghost, it should be beaten out of him. I reckon if they hadn't been at least this forceful, he would have never even tried to play again seriously.

[shinta|hikari]

What Kraco said. He was dead inside until they forcefully dragged him back to life. Did you see his genuine smile as he competed with Kaori? That's the result of all that "bad treatment."

I do agree with you that the comedic scenes feel a bit forced, especially the beat me ups. This story can stand plenty easily without them. The blood joke is a little funny, though.

[fireheart]

@Kraco so just because he doesn't play it's ok to treat him poorly? I don't see in any way how that's justified, he'll survive without the piano it's not a must in his life. He'll probably feel better etc but his life would in no way end if he didn't pursue music on a serious level compared to not playing the piano. If everything that's been depicted happened in reality those friends would have put him in the hospital several times for not doing what they wanted. So why is it okay? Also treating him poorly has shown to be next to or completely inefficient so far. Forceful might help but treating someone poorly is to me never the answer.

@Shinta you talked about the results, I talked about if you break down their actions and look at them that they're dangerously close to bullying, results doesn't absolve that or take it away. But I'd probably be completely fine with all of this if they didn't include all the beatings, the blood thing just makes it worse since it makes them look like they don't care if they hurt him to that point. Again I realize my reaction is over the top and it's for comedy but I don't see the humor in kicking a guy that's already down and suffering from a trauma, especially not a show that seems to go for warm feelings. The contrast is just weird for me and like you said the show doesn't even need them.

Also if we look at the results, nothing they did moved him nor did any of those things I mentioned make him play the piano, they might have stirred something but none of it would have made him take that final step. The only thing that moved him was when Kaori made an honest plea for help. So is that smile and him playing a result of the "bad treatment"? My answer is no, it's a result from that honest plea and his willingness to be there for someone going through something that he has experienced. If you really think it's because of what I found to be bad treatment I'd really like to know how because the only thing I could think of was knowledge of the score.

http://youtu.be/gPPp3zWogfI?t=11m2s an extreme version but kinda illustrates what I mean. Warning the segment is kinda long and might be a bit graphic and uncomfortable or something else that I missed. It's about a guy who had/has a habit to bite his nails so to make him stop his friend starts biting his friends nail and doing all kinds of things to it and messed it up quite bad/sandpaper/smashing it/digging it out with a toothpick in order to make him stop biting his nails. It's ok though because they're friends and he's only doing it to help him. Again it's an extreme example but that's how they come off to me because of the beatings and it kinda ruins it for me which feels like such a shame because I'd probably love the show otherwise.

[shinta|hikari]

I guess all I can say is that the blood isn't really blood. It's just imagery used as a joke. It was like that since episode 1 where all the blood magically disappeared.

[Kraco]

@Kraco so just because he doesn't play it's ok to treat him poorly? I don't see in any way how that's justified, he'll survive without the piano it's not a must in his life. He'll probably feel better etc but his life would in no way end if he didn't pursue music on a serious level compared to not playing the piano. If everything that's been depicted happened in reality those friends would have put him in the hospital several times for not doing what they wanted. So why is it okay?

Come on, this almost makes it sound like this is the first anime (or even a cartoon) that you have ever watched. Blood is flowing all the time in anime, whereas in a similarly themed live action we would never see it. All manner of bruises and hitting as well. Don't ask me why it okay and why it works also for most people who don't really derive enjoyment from violence and gore, but it generally does, otherwise it wouldn't be there.

Also if we look at the results, nothing they did moved him nor did any of those things I mentioned make him play the piano, they might have stirred something but none of it would have made him take that final step. The only thing that moved him was when Kaori made an honest plea for help.

Yeah, right. Kind of like at a car manufacturing plant the car won't be a car before the last man on the line attachs the windshield wipers. If he forgets a wiper, the thing that's not a car is sent straight to crushing and recycling, right? Because only the very last step ever matters. A war is win by the last soldier who pulls the trigger before the politicians sign the papers for a cease fire. All the other thousands of men dying before the last soldier don't matter at all and died for nothing. Quite a fine logic.

In this specific case Arima wouldn't even have been there at the concert hall without all the earlier, forceful steps. He wouldn't have studied the score, either, nor listened to the composition played until he couldn't have forgotten it anymore.

[fireheart]

I guess all I can say is that the blood isn't really blood. It's just imagery used as a joke. It was like that since episode 1 where all the blood magically disappeared.

Yeah I know all this... I just wish the comedic scenes didn't ruin it as much as it does for me. Would have loved this show otherwise.

Come on, this almost makes it sound like this is the first anime (or even a cartoon) that you have ever watched. Blood is flowing all the time in anime, whereas in a similarly themed live action we would never see it. All manner of bruises and hitting as well. Don't ask me why it okay and why it works also for most people who don't really derive enjoyment from violence and gore, but it generally does, otherwise it wouldn't be there.

No but I don't remember watching an anime with this kind of setting and art that insert bloody beatings of the main character. This isn't a MC getting beat up for walking into the bath and accidentally peeking on girls, this isn't a tsundere beating her "dog". Put it into another way it's like Usagi Drop had someone in the story beat Daikichi bloody in every episode for comic relief, it ruins the setting and this show would have been awesome if it didn't do that for me.

Yeah, right. Kind of like at a car manufacturing plant the car won't be a car before the last man on the line attachs the windshield wipers. If he forgets a wiper, the thing that's not a car is sent straight to crushing and recycling, right? Because only the very last step ever matters. A war is win by the last soldier who pulls the trigger before the politicians sign the papers for a cease fire. All the other thousands of men dying before the last soldier don't matter at all and died for nothing. Quite a fine logic.

In this specific case Arima wouldn't even have been there at the concert hall without all the earlier, forceful steps. He wouldn't have studied the score, either, nor listened to the composition played until he couldn't have forgotten it anymore.

Do I detect some backhanded ad hominem there? And does it have to be logical? Because this is what the show is making me feel and I don't find every emotion to be logical, sure maybe if you go deep enough and dissect every possible reason for it. If you want to point to faults in why I don't like this show point to them instead of making examples and claiming that's my opinion.

I don't find any of your examples as accurate but in this very case with Arima I truly believe that if we reverse the order and Kaori did that honest pitch to him at the beginning he would have said yes. So do I find the way they treated him as necessary? No I don't.

Also I've already acknowledged that he learnt the score from it in case you missed it, so not sure where you want to go with that. But did any of it make him come out of his shell and start moving forward? No at least not imo.

I'll say it again being forceful might help but treating someone poorly is to me never the answer. If you think that treating someone poorly is ok then that's your opinion, I'm just venting my frustration over how it's making the show worse for me.


The show at the very least have me emotionally invested which is more that I can say about other show that I only watch for fun.

[Kraco]

I don't find any of your examples as accurate but in this very case with Arima I truly believe that if we reverse the order and Kaori did that honest pitch to him at the beginning he would have said yes. So do I find the way they treated him as necessary? No I don't.

I'm 99% sure he wouldn't have. Kaori behaving a little better and asking nicely did nothing but gave him a tiny bit of self-confidence, which he actually knew to be false and useless because it would do nothing to his deeper psychological problem. He agreed to play for the kids at the cafe as well, but as if dictated by a timer, he lost his ability in the middle of it. However, it hardly matters because it was just a cafe. He actually knew the same thing would happen during this consert as well, but Kaori's angelic face stuck so close to his own made him forget it for a moment, like it would have made any man. All in all it only worked because they were already there, being called to the stage. He wasn't a douche enough to back off at that point anymore, sending her to perform alone.

[fireheart]

I'm 99% sure he wouldn't have. Kaori behaving a little better and asking nicely did nothing but gave him a tiny bit of self-confidence, which he actually knew to be false and useless because it would do nothing to his deeper psychological problem. He agreed to play for the kids at the cafe as well, but as if dictated by a timer, he lost his ability in the middle of it. However, it hardly matters because it was just a cafe. He actually knew the same thing would happen during this consert as well, but Kaori's angelic face stuck so close to his own made him forget it for a moment, like it would have made any man. All in all it only worked because they were already there, being called to the stage. He wasn't a douche enough to back off at that point anymore, sending her to perform alone.

I didn't mean if she asked nicely as I said if she did that honest pitch the same one she did in the show in the last episode, tears and everything I don't have a single doubt that he'd say yes.

[David75]

Kaori was oozing amazing levels of sensuality. She's the exact opposite of Arima in everything related to the personality and body language. But they're both amazing teen musicians.
it's not the first time we have a clash beetween the orthodox/mechanical/ genius and the pure instinctive self created genius (Initial D comes to mind).
I guess it's only natural they attract each other.

[Kraco]

it's not the first time we have a clash beetween the orthodox/mechanical/ genius and the pure instinctive self created genius (Initial D comes to mind).

Wasn't Nodame Cantabile exactly like that as well? One a very meticulous genius who had been worked to the bone from childhood, the other a genius who didn't want to follow any rule books or strict interpretations. It's a big plus the problems are reversed in this show, because it's the by the book guy who's having troubles playing, whereas in Nodame it was the happy-go-lucky free spirit who almost gave up a few times.

[David75]

Of course nodame was a much better and related example... But It didn't come to mind when needed.

Differences are they are playing with each other, younger and they are both facing a wall. It's just they are not at the same stage. Arima is probably overcoming his troubles, when Kaori will probably get into it soon if I interpreted last week ep correctly.

[shinta|hikari]

She fainted. I'm kinda worried.

The romance took a great turn this episode. Soccer dude fell in love with Kaori. Childhood friend realized her feelings for Arima. Arima fell harder for Kaori. Kaori looks like she is more interested in Arima than the soccer dude.