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May 10, 2016
The reason why I gave this anime a 3 is not because it’s bad, but rather because I wasn’t able to enjoy it at all.
Let’s state the good points first, the art is beautiful. The music is good too, even though there are too many « interruptions » (dialogues, inner thoughts, public reactions, etc) during the performances, which can’t let you enjoy genuinely the classical music.
Then, regarding the actual contents of the show : almost all the characters pissed me off, starting by the main one. It’s fiction, so let’s suppose a psychological disorder such as Arata’s is possible ; but he is whiny, indecisive, and
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annoying. Even thought his premise, while cliché, is not the worst and makes you want to root for him (« I’m a nice and talented guy but I’m still traumatized about something that happened years ago, and it explains why I’m absolutely not self-confident neither about music nor about the girl I like »), he’s too passive, and the way he acts towards himself and others often frustrated of disappointed me.
About the main girl, I can understand that she looks perfect because she is depicted from Arata’s point of view ; but I didn’t feel empathy towards her at all. Her behavior (I won’t spoil, but she made some important decisions revealed at the end) is well justified, but it feels too « fictionesque », too idealized. It’s not sufficient for her to look perfect from Arata’s point of view, she is also made to look perfect to the spectator.
These « bad » traits wouldn’t feel so awful if they were the only problem ; after all, the characters have some consistency. But all of it is intensified by the atmosphere of the show : the pace is sluggish, and everything is made to look over-dramatic. While the beginning looks light-hearted, it quickly deviates from this path. Most of the show is made of monologues, inner thoughts, and commentaries, which is really unbearable sometimes. At some point, even a simple discussion between the two protagonists can’t be « normal » anymore, and the « childhood memories » are just too much. What is more, because of this atmosphere, I wasn't receptive at all to the comedy.
Then, the ending … I guess it’s the reason why it got such a high score on MAL. Yes, it’s a beautiful and sad ending, but it’s far from enough to make up for the rest of the show.
Of course, it’s subjective, but the story, characters, pacing and atmosphere really suffer from the comparison to Nodame Cantabile. They have a similar premise (trauma of the main character, meeting with a peculiar girl in the first episode), but Your Lie in April is just too childish, really bad-paced, and wasted its potential ; besides, the musical dimension is just too different. While Nodame is centered about music, and actually teaches you a lot about classical, YLIA simply "uses" it : the characters and their relationships actually take the whole place, while music is more of a tool for their evolution and the advance of the story.
I admit 3 is harsh (and normally, I would have given it a 5), but this score also takes into account my disappointment. I enjoy good romances, bildungsroman, and I love classical music, so I had great expectations for this show since I only saw praise about it ; but sadly I had to force myself to watch through the end.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Jul 23, 2015
While Shiki is definitely not the best thriller anime out there, I wouldn't go as far as saying it is a complete waste of time.
Despite the fact that the story is not really original (vampires and werewolves, yeah), it still manages to not be a copy/paste of others fictions (at least from the ones I know). The rule for people to "rise" (aka becoming a shiki) is actually a bit different from what you can usually see, and makes the plot more interesting.
Also, the characters are not that original either (or unforgivable), but they still manage to make the view more enjoyable. The
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doctor and the teenage lead are the characters you can identify the most, and both make an acceptable job to advance the story. Then, you have the bitch girl, the pathetic teen, the scared-but-decided-to-act children, the 50-year-old brute, the nice-mean-guy, the seductive succubus, the little girl a bit scary, etc. The only one I don't get is the Junior Monk, which personality and motivations are unclear from the beginning and all along the story ; but he still manages to bring something to the plot.
I think the main problem of the anime is its pace : even if they shortened it by 5 episodes, it still would be too long. It would have been better to go for 12 episodes. Indeed, it starts ridiculously slowly, and NEVER accelerates ; consequently, the narration becomes quickly unbearable. Besides, they have the annoying habit to shelve the important facts, and sometimes you have to wait for 3 or 4 episodes to get your answer to what happened - and it's often very incomplete.
Anther thing I disliked is the way they want to make you sympathize with one or either side ; I know it's usual in this kind of show, but still, their arguments are so shallow that it just bores me. Yes, the shikis have to kill humans to feed and survive - yes, the humans have to defend themselves from their former friends if they want to survive too - but the way both are presented successively as monsters or as people who can't do otherwise diminishes the impact of the show. Should I remind that the point of a thriller is to scare the viewer, at at least to make him feel uneasy ?
Well, there are also some details that are not really explained, which is quite annoying too.
The last critic I would make is about the art : what the hell is wrong with their hair ? I mean, I could handle their funny (not to say ugly) faces, but the haircuts are too much. One guy literally has ears on his head, like a dog, and nobody notices a thing ! And what about the girls whose wig look like gravity doesn't exist ? Or the old guy with a beard going up ... You get used to it after 20 episodes, but it's still unsightly.
Well, I made a lot of critics, however the show is still somehow enjoyable and perfectly fulfills the job of distracting you for a few evenings. It's probably better to watch it at night (with an open window), and to not split the views too much - but don't expect too much from it either, since some parts might get you bored anyway.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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