If what I've been doing this semester could be summarized in a few words it'd be "Play hard. Study harder" (the 'play' and 'study' part are interchangeable). Either way I seldom have time to catch up on anime. The year long anime binge watch I did on 2012 and 2013 were the peak of my addiction but everything went south afterwards. This year I've watched twenty anime titles, old and new, so far with my 21st being Nisekoi.
Let's talk about 'em!
(Even though at this point I think none of this are relevant anymore since you've all probably watched it by now)
For this part I'll be covering Nisekoi and Your Lie in April.
Normally if I were to give super condensed reviews of all the anime that I've watched in a year I'd do it right before New Year. This is mainly and solely because I am socially and painfully awkward in public who just wants to curl in a fetal position on the pavement whenever I get surrounded by people. But alas with how things are going and how busy I expect the holiday season will go I think Nisekoi will be the last anime I watch for this year (and I'm close to two years late in doing so).
So, ready?
Nisekoi
Like I said above Nisekoi is currently the anime on my playlist. I just finished watching the first episode and I.am.hooked. Really. Absolutely. Without question.
There are plenty of violent gags that are comparable to the likes of BakaTest but the real charm stems from the distinct and, at this point, pretty noticeable style of the the animation studio: Shaft.
Shaft has been on a role on my playlist lately with the whole Monogatari Series second season including Hanamonogatari and Tsukimonogatari gracing the dusty screen of my laptop. But even long before that, they've already established their visual splendor in titles such as Ef, Mahou Sensei Negima, and what I see as the closest in aesthetics to Niseko, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko. And in the very first episode Shaft is already flipping the 'Animation Studio' card using familiar scenes and backgrounds from their past works.. The school for example looks like Naoetsu High School from the Monogatari series. But the most obvious parody that Shaft made for episode 1 is:
Zetsuboushi-
Oh wait -
Ok here we go, Zetsboushita!
Nisekoi's plot is pretty thin on the first episode with the Childhood Promise, and Transfer Student tropes being the main driving force.
If anything the first episode serves to introduce at least a portion of the main characters before the different story arcs are set in motion. Currently the main characters are Ruka Ichijo (main male), Chitoge Kirisaki (main female), and Kosaki Onodera (main female 2).
Ruka Ichijo is one of those high school RomCom heroes who have a special and interesting life but just wants to be normal (seriously dude, what's wrong with you?). He is the son and heir of a current Yakuza leader and his life is constantly plagued with turf wars and intimidating thugs who keep calling him Young Master.
Apart from being part of a Yakuza, however, Ichijo is a pretty normal high school student who until now is holding on to a promise he made with a girl.
Chitoge Kirisaki is a hyperactive tsundere, excelling on the Tsun-tsun part, who looks like Alice Pleasance Liddell. She is the character behind the Transfer Student trope and one of the potential love interests of Ichijo.
Chitoge is the daughter of the Yakuza's rival gang leader who is forced into a relationship with Ichijo to prevent a turf war from continuing. The two forced together in a relationship they are reluctant to have fuels the humor of the series. Chitoge is the only character out of the three to not have a clear backstory. Also, Chitoge looks like an upsized version of Haruna fron Nichijou:
Kosaki Onodera is the obligatory dandere of this RomCom and she is one hell of a great character. If the Chitoge x Ichijo relationship is the -Com part, the constantly implied Onodera x Ichijo is the Rom- part, at least as far as episode 1 goes. Though Onodera is not the main focus of the first episode she does have plenty of scenes together with Ichijo.
It also seems that the love is mutual the only problems is Onodera is too shy and Ichijo is probably too dense. Yet the mystery of the Childhood Promise trope is (maybe?) solved already since the last third of the first episode shows that Onodera has the key to Ichijo's locket. Still I'm not entirely sure I haven't read the manga.
It's easy to say that Kosaki is the most lovable character even if episode 1 made her look like the tired hopeless romantic character struggling to make a move. Plus she's voiced by the angelic Kana Hanazawa, what's not to love. Team Onodera!!!
So let's review the main characters so far:
Ruka Ichijo, the main (possibly dense) male protagonist
Chitoge Kirisaki, the gorilla tsundere love interest
and waifu Onodera, the dandere love interest
and another waifu Onodera
waifu!
Onodera-chan ~<3
Lot's of Onodera!
Seriously if I kept this up I have to create another waifu folder with just Onodera on it.
Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso)
Your Lie in April's story focuses on the relationship between the four main characters: Kousei Arima, Tsubaki Sawabe, Kaori Miyazono, and Ryota Watari.
Kousei Arima, Friend A, is the main focus of each and every arc in the anime. Everything revolves around him even how the relationship of the four came to be.
Kousei is a pianist and was a prodigy at it. He played his pieces perfectly but people had a different opinion of him. He earned the nickname 'Human Metronome" after being criticized due to being too mechanical in playing the piano. Every competition he joins in, people were sure he was bound to win. Take not he was a child prodigy. His tutor who's also his mother is responsible for Kousei's lack of emotion. Kousei's mechanical winning streak ended when he broke down after his mother's death. Following that tragedy in his life he refused to play the piano again. His refusal mainly stems from the fact that each time he plays the piano he cannot hear the notes and the only person he can picture is his mother taunting him.
Kousei Arima, at least for the majority of the anime is the epitome of a passive and borderline depressed character. His life is plagued with misery but that's what Your Lie in April is about - how he moves on and how he grows up and accept the losses that come with life.
Tsubaki Sawabe, BEST GIRL I shit you not. Tsubaki is the outgoing and super supportive childhood friend of Kousei and Watari.
Tsubaki and Kousei's relationship is like that of an elder sister to her helpless younger brother, but deep down Tsubaki has feelings for Kousei that remained open-ended at the conclusion of the series. Kousei views Tsubaki as a person whom he can run to in search of peace of mind. Likewise, Tsubaki is the kind friend who will sacrifice her feelings and let friendship come first to lend a shoulder to cry on and ears to listen.
Though Tsubaki has a kind and soothing personality when it comes to moments where she feels like she's the only one who can support Kousei, Tsubaki is actually outgoing, tomboyish, and sporty. For the majority of the series, though, she is the tragic childhood friend who struggled to come to terms with her unrequited feelings for the main character.
Kaori Miyazono, the tragic heroine and liar.
Kaori is a violinist who prefers to perform on her own unique way. She doesn't follow convention and instead establishes her own style. This captured the attention of Kousei. Kousei, still reeling from the death of his mother, met Kaori in April during a group date where she goes out with Watari, and Kousei, as friend A, goes out with Tsubaki. That is the lie in 'Your Lie in April'. Kaori loves Watari, but the truth is Kaori loves Kousei.
Kaori's backstory is not explained until much later in the anime. It turns out the reason why Kaori became a violinist in the first place was because Kousei inspired her in their childhood where Kousei was still known as the Human Metronome. She wanted to play the violin with Kousei playing as the accompaniment.
Their meeting, friendship, and budding relationship seemed like the perfect love story to heal Kousei's scars that were brought upon the death of his mother. But that's not the case apparently. The relationship was broken by Kaori's deteriorating health. For the majority of the latter half of the story Kaori was bound to a hospital bed and her condition only continued to remind Kousei of his mother, though he had already moved on.
And despite all the hope given in the end, Kaori still dies.
Are we still missing something? Oh yes, Ryota Watari, the actual Friend A.
Watari is also a childhood friend of Kousei and Tsubaki. Though he had some sort of part in the story as the playboy friend constantly searching for multiple relationships, Watari is ultimately an underused character only appearing as a foil to Kousei to momentarily hinder Kousei and Kaori's relationship. That is all.
Your Lie in April is a heartbreaking anime and with the crazy heartrending buildup to the finale, I prepared myself to drown in my tears. Sadly the ending wasn't really sad because it was meant to be shown in a positive light. Sure Kaori died but the story wanted to tell you that Kousei can now move on.
He's not stuck in that depressed position he was at when his mother died. It's not a loss, it's character growth at the expense of Kaori whom we've followed since the beginning of the story. What makes it sad is that Kaori's death was used exactly for that reason. The open-ended conclusion also left me expecting for a continuation that will never be.
Its premise makes it look like a music-themed anime but really Your Lie in April is an anime about music and how the people involved in that music can change people's lives for better or for worse. It features great music, a great opening theme song (Hikaru Nara), a great insert song (My Truth; episode 11), fantastic visuals, excellent characters and a heartrending story of moving on.
That's all I can squeeze out of my weeb brain for now. For those interested watch out for Part 2 covering Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 and Amagi Brilliant Park.
Let's talk about 'em!
(Even though at this point I think none of this are relevant anymore since you've all probably watched it by now)
For this part I'll be covering Nisekoi and Your Lie in April.
Normally if I were to give super condensed reviews of all the anime that I've watched in a year I'd do it right before New Year. This is mainly and solely because I am socially and painfully awkward in public who just wants to curl in a fetal position on the pavement whenever I get surrounded by people. But alas with how things are going and how busy I expect the holiday season will go I think Nisekoi will be the last anime I watch for this year (and I'm close to two years late in doing so).
So, ready?
Nisekoi
Like I said above Nisekoi is currently the anime on my playlist. I just finished watching the first episode and I.am.hooked. Really. Absolutely. Without question.
Shaft has been on a role on my playlist lately with the whole Monogatari Series second season including Hanamonogatari and Tsukimonogatari gracing the dusty screen of my laptop. But even long before that, they've already established their visual splendor in titles such as Ef, Mahou Sensei Negima, and what I see as the closest in aesthetics to Niseko, Denpa Onna to Seishun Otoko. And in the very first episode Shaft is already flipping the 'Animation Studio' card using familiar scenes and backgrounds from their past works.. The school for example looks like Naoetsu High School from the Monogatari series. But the most obvious parody that Shaft made for episode 1 is:
Oh wait -
Nisekoi's plot is pretty thin on the first episode with the Childhood Promise, and Transfer Student tropes being the main driving force.
Ruka Ichijo is one of those high school RomCom heroes who have a special and interesting life but just wants to be normal (seriously dude, what's wrong with you?). He is the son and heir of a current Yakuza leader and his life is constantly plagued with turf wars and intimidating thugs who keep calling him Young Master.
Chitoge Kirisaki is a hyperactive tsundere, excelling on the Tsun-tsun part, who looks like Alice Pleasance Liddell. She is the character behind the Transfer Student trope and one of the potential love interests of Ichijo.
Kosaki Onodera is the obligatory dandere of this RomCom and she is one hell of a great character. If the Chitoge x Ichijo relationship is the -Com part, the constantly implied Onodera x Ichijo is the Rom- part, at least as far as episode 1 goes. Though Onodera is not the main focus of the first episode she does have plenty of scenes together with Ichijo.
It's easy to say that Kosaki is the most lovable character even if episode 1 made her look like the tired hopeless romantic character struggling to make a move. Plus she's voiced by the angelic Kana Hanazawa, what's not to love. Team Onodera!!!
So let's review the main characters so far:
Ruka Ichijo, the main (possibly dense) male protagonist
Chitoge Kirisaki, the gorilla tsundere love interest
and waifu Onodera, the dandere love interest
and another waifu Onodera
waifu!
Onodera-chan ~<3
Lot's of Onodera!
 |
| from episode 2 |
Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso)
Your Lie in April's story focuses on the relationship between the four main characters: Kousei Arima, Tsubaki Sawabe, Kaori Miyazono, and Ryota Watari.
Kousei Arima, Friend A, is the main focus of each and every arc in the anime. Everything revolves around him even how the relationship of the four came to be.
 |
| what bothers me most of all is that this is Kousei just two years prior to the start of the series, unusual growth if you ask me |
Kousei Arima, at least for the majority of the anime is the epitome of a passive and borderline depressed character. His life is plagued with misery but that's what Your Lie in April is about - how he moves on and how he grows up and accept the losses that come with life.
Tsubaki Sawabe, BEST GIRL I shit you not. Tsubaki is the outgoing and super supportive childhood friend of Kousei and Watari.
Kaori Miyazono, the tragic heroine and liar.
Kaori's backstory is not explained until much later in the anime. It turns out the reason why Kaori became a violinist in the first place was because Kousei inspired her in their childhood where Kousei was still known as the Human Metronome. She wanted to play the violin with Kousei playing as the accompaniment.
 |
| I had you |
Their meeting, friendship, and budding relationship seemed like the perfect love story to heal Kousei's scars that were brought upon the death of his mother. But that's not the case apparently. The relationship was broken by Kaori's deteriorating health. For the majority of the latter half of the story Kaori was bound to a hospital bed and her condition only continued to remind Kousei of his mother, though he had already moved on.
And despite all the hope given in the end, Kaori still dies.
Are we still missing something? Oh yes, Ryota Watari, the actual Friend A.
Your Lie in April is a heartbreaking anime and with the crazy heartrending buildup to the finale, I prepared myself to drown in my tears. Sadly the ending wasn't really sad because it was meant to be shown in a positive light. Sure Kaori died but the story wanted to tell you that Kousei can now move on.
Its premise makes it look like a music-themed anime but really Your Lie in April is an anime about music and how the people involved in that music can change people's lives for better or for worse. It features great music, a great opening theme song (Hikaru Nara), a great insert song (My Truth; episode 11), fantastic visuals, excellent characters and a heartrending story of moving on.
That's all I can squeeze out of my weeb brain for now. For those interested watch out for Part 2 covering Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 and Amagi Brilliant Park.
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