I’ve watched a lot of anime. In that time, I’ve seen a lot of tragic backstories, however, there is one that has stuck with me more than most.
**TRIGGER WARNING** This backstory does involve mental and physical abuse. Please avoid this post if this triggers you.
Kousei is a child prodigy pianist who is known as the “human metronome” due to his precise playing. This was the result of his mother’s intense scrutiny. Unfortunately, that intense scrutiny was due to the physical and mental abuse from his dying mother and the desperation she felt to turn him into an exceptional pianist before she died. Kousei was often denied a normal childhood and forced to practice. Upon the death of his mother, Kousei had a mental break and could no longer hear his own playing. As he aged into a middle-schooler, he met a girl named Kaori who came in like a breeze and challenged him to look at music differently. He was eventually able to accept his imperfections and perform music from his heart with emotions. Unfortunately, Kaori also had her life cut short from a mysterious illness and dies while in surgery during his breakthrough performance.
Why this anime is tragic:
Abuse. Let’s address the elephant in the room. No matter how you look at it, any kind of abuse is tragic. Kousei’s mother verbally and physically abuses him. Nothing justifies that.
Death. Kousei’s mother dies while Kousei is young. Prior to her death, he has to live through his mother withering away. That has to be traumatic on top of the abuse. On top of that, he loses Kaori, too.
Star-Crossed Lovers. Kousei meets Kaori. She’s a breath of fresh air. She teaches him so much about music and how to love it again. But, unfortunately, she is dying of a mysterious illness and passes away during his breakthrough performance.
Why this particular tragic backstory has stuck with me:
The Mother’s Desperation. In a way, I can understand his mother’s desperation. While I don’t condone the abuse, as a mother, I can understand the desperation of wanting the best for your child, especially on your death bed. She wants to make sure he has a way to support himself when she’s gone. She sees his potential to make a career for himself. A way to make a name for himself. Unfortunately, she goes off the rails. As I said, I can’t support her methods. Abuse is never acceptable in any way, shape, or form. I’m just saying. I can understand her desperation.
Kousei’s Mental Break. I can understand Kousei’s mental break. I am a musician myself. Around my 20s, I developed severe performance anxiety and had to leave my music career behind. It came out of nowhere. The once fearless performer turned into a useless performer.
Kousei + Kaori’s Relationship. Without going too much into detail, I had a relationship similar to Kousei and Kaori’s. A relationship that spoke through music. They were star-crossed lovers. Never really meant to be. They were only meant to be a part of each other’s lives for that small moment in time.
Your Lie in April is truly a masterpiece. The music is amazing. The story is amazing. If you haven’t given it the time of day, you should. It will tear your heart out and crush it, but also give you hope that life goes on.
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