Herohades

Looking at everything related to Your Lie in April, you'd be forgiven for thinking it's just another show trying to follow in the footsteps of shows like Clannad, by being a tear-jerking romcom that'll be quoted as "Just so sad" by every who watches it. This, however, is a lie, first told in April, but carried on for way longer than that. 

Although the synopsis of Your Lie is markedly similar to that of Clannad, i.e. a guy locked in internal torment from a troubled past meets a girl who shakes him out of his comfort zone, the show I think it more deserves being compared to is Plastic Memories. It does the same thing, where it builds up all these expectations in you, as to where it will go, and then toys with you endlessly over them. Over and over again it will get you to think that one thing is going to happen, before turning on a dime, running in the opposite direction, and giggling about how dumb you are for believing it. 

Which leads us to the one big fault that Your Lie has against it; the fact that before it can create expectations from you, it first needs to build them up. Massive chunks of the show are dedicated to creating a sense of status quo, both within it's own story, and when compared to other romantic dramas. The payoff is worth the lengthy wait, but the wait can be tough when you're now on the fourth dramatic flashback scene this episode, and are getting kinda sick of everyone going on about how determined they are. 

Thankfully, You Lie does everything else well enough to keep its own pacing from getting too overwhelming, dazzling the screen with the kind of animation and visuals you'd expect from a drama anime. And, of course, the music is amazing, as one would expect from a show with a pianist as its main character, constantly switching from playful bits, to tight beauties, to dramatic and powerful overtures, that are pleasant all around to listen to. The actual in-universe piano pieces are notable for their attention to detail, with genuinely well developed pieces being played when good pianists are supposed to be playing. This does mean that anyone without a musical ear can be taken out of the story at times, since the characters don't really explain what makes a piece good, they just sorta go "Wow, this person can really play that piano", but it means that the audience can get drawn into the music with the characters. It's a risky ploy, but one with a big payoff if it works for you. 

Which might as well be the tagline of the whole show; risky, but with a big payoff. From the story, to the soundtrack, to the characters themselves, Your Lie takes a lot of risks, making it a varying experience form one person to the next. It'll probably be a positive experience by the end, but be warned that you might want to bite your tongue off half way through.