Heyyo, I am back with another anime review and we are going to talk about Shigatsu wa Kimi No Uso or commonly known as, Your Lie In April. This was based on a manga series shown in Kodansha's Monthly Shonen Magazine, and it was animated by the studio A-1 Pictures (Erased, Sword Art Online, Fairy Tail, and Black Butler). This drama was directed by Kyohei Ishiguro (Fairy Tail) and written by Takao Yoshioka (Elfen Lied). This is also a music anime and the music was done by Masaru Yokoyama (Scum's Wish, Mobile Suit Gundam; Iron-Blooded Orphans). The anime aired back in 2014 and ended in 2015, and is known to be yet another tear-jerking series that tugs at not only your heart, but also your soul.
This review is spoiler free.
Plot
Okay let me break it down for you; Kousei Arima was considered a piano prodigy at such a young age, but a terrible event in his life discourages him from continuing music. Whenever he attempts to play a piano, his trauma returns and he suddenly cannot hear the notes and abruptly stops playing. His life has become quite dull, boring, and even sad due to the lack of closure of his past wounds until he meets a cheerful young violinist named Kaori Miyazono, whose unconventional passion for music brings technicolor into Kousei's life. The two gradually build a strong emotional bond together over their love for music, and little does Kousei know that Kaori is not only helping him get back on his feet, but is also keeping a devastating secret that might shatter him once more (source: Classic )
As we become more involved in our fandoms, we develop a certain behavior. And I'm not just talking about the squealing and yelling part. We do other habits as well. Habits that may seem normal to your friends, but peculiar to others who don't have the time to understand you. So here are 10 things people in Fandoms tend to follow.
1.) Stalking- For most people, this skill is considered "research". You open your computer and the first thing you type on a search engine bar is the name of your Fandom. If you're a tumblr user, you would naturally follow blogs who cater to your interests and then you would reblog all the pictures and texts to your hearts' content. Initially this would take hours and sometimes, you will be able to tell that you are spending that much time on your computer when an adult starts telling you stop. I would like to call this type of action, "taking some vitamins". Because the main course called, "watching, listening, or reading your fandom" is still not enough. You just need more of it and you thank the heavens for the progression of technology.
2.) Buying the merchandise- If you are blessed with a disposable income or a great amount of allowance, then you have every right to buy whatever nook and cranny that has the logo of your fandom imprinted. When you get this fandom, you tend to identify with it or it becomes a part of you. It helps when you to buy something you use everyday that has the face of your favorite book or actor. Sometimes it feels like you need to let the whole world you love this fandom, and it can also be a signal or magnet for other people who could possibly relate to you, as well.
3.) Explaining Things- One thing we need to constantly remind ourselves when we join a fandom; not everyone will understand us. Not everyone will get the inside jokes or the feels we get whenever we see a specific characters. So there will be times--if you have the patience to do so--to explain what the fandom is, what is about, and what's in it, to other people. But it can be quite a chore, because it's hard to explain it to someone who has no intention to convert at all. In the end, they just don't get it. Why we love fandoms.
4.) Getting the feels reaction- We all get this a lot. Whenever our fandoms does….well, anything… we tend to get "feels". No matter what they do, they tend to hit our hearts with wonder and sorrow. It's a science that cannot be fully comprehended. If someone can do a full study on this, please let me know in the comments.
5.) Being Defensive- As told by my Mean Girls post, we get all defensive when someone says something off about our fandoms. You think Dean is not hot? Then you are in trouble. You don't like what you watched? Then you have bad taste. You don't like J.K. Rowling's writing technique? Then you're the spawn of Satan. When you say something inaccurate about a book or movie, the job of a fandom member is to correct you in a way that will make you feel that you are the most idiotic person in the world. I guess people who are in fandoms have the tendency to be mean. Really mean. So don't take their hatred, personally. The love is too much to handle.
6.) Adapting the Fandom Linggo- Sometimes you tend to copy whatever a character or a member in a Fandom mentions, and it becomes part of the unofficial Fandom dictionary. As our vocabulary grows, a fandom becomes even more incomprehensible to the outside world. However it becomes part of the identity thing. When it gradually becomes a part of you, you adapt to the language too. So fandom can also be considered a culture. Like that of the Kpop fandom.
7.) Creating Inside Jokes- It becomes ten times more amusing when fandoms create inside jokes. It's a sign that everyone who have the same interests are slowly becoming closer together like a family. And whenever someone else mentions it, other fandom members would exchange looks and they would try their best not to laugh out loud like lunatics. But having someone to easily to relate through inside jokes can be one of the best feelings in the world.
As you all know...Naruto has officially ended! And you know what that means? It's time to fangirl...and possibly cry. Up till now, I am still trying to process the fact the manga is over and that the very last movie of Naruto is coming up real soon. I don't know where to begin, since I've been a Narutard since high school. Moreover, I don't know what I should say because one of the characteristics of a basic fangirl is that you can't help but feel speechless all the time when it comes to your fandoms. Like, despite the flaws, everything seems perfect for you no matter what. Anyway, let's get to the manga first.
Basically the very last chapter of Naruto tells all of us what happens to them in the future. They get married, have kids, get important jobs, yadda yadda. If you think about it, that's a pretty simple and boring way to end a manga that has been running for more than a decade. But hey, this is just an extra chapter and the conclusion to every conflict in this manga has already been resolved in the previous chapters. Kishimoto is kind enough to spare us the feels and filled us in with the future of our beloved characters.
What I like about this chapter is simple: all my expectations have been met. My OTPs became canon (which is a personal achievement for the Naurhina and Sasusaku fans out there. Rejoice!), Gaara is presumed single, and Naruto becomes hokage. I know, most of you think that making the protagonist get his ultimate dream, makes the whole Naruto series far too predictable. But give him a break. He's been through a lot for the past seven hundred chapters. Personally, I think he deserves to get what he wants after losing an arm and for many times, his life (and certain loved ones that should not be mentioned). Another thing I like about this chapter are the children/next generation of shinobi. Everyone is just so adorable! It bothers me how the resemblance of some of the characters are so strong, but the perks of this is that I am able to know who married who (gosh, this is like Harry Potter all over again). It even pains me to see some of our elite (Kakashi, the other kages, GAI), getting pretty old. We all knew Kakashi as some sort of Time Lord, who never seemed to age, but wow.... in this chapter, I can finally see it. And I am not so sure how I should feel about that. But at least Kishimoto was being realistic about this chapter. Seeing Anko-sensei gained weight was pretty amusing, to be honest.
I have two favorite scenes, actually. Both of them involve Naruto. First is when Naruto confronts his son, Bolt. Of course, Bolt had to be exactly like his father. Causing trouble in the village, just so he could grab Naruto's attention. But in this very scene, we get to see how Naruto has completely matured as a person and that makes me feel like a proud momma. My next favorite was not really scene but more a panel in the manga. And that's witnessing Naruto using a freakin' laptop. I understand this is Kishimoto's way of saying that the Shinobi villages have been becoming slowly gaining some technological advancement, but I found this panel pretty hilarious. The laptop even resembled a Macbook. Yes, you heard me. A Macbook. They're way more ahead in technology than Korra (Legend of Korra).
The only thing I did not like about it is that it was far too simple. I understand that the story should be until there, but I wish there was more detail in between. The entire chapter felt like a quick run-through on what's going on with everyone and that was just it. In other words, I wish there was more to the chapter aside from catching up with everyone's lives. Like maybe what happened before Naruto became hokage, and what sort of advancement the villages had to go through. they could have explained how they got laptops, for crying out loud.
Speaking of the last chapter, Naruto: The Last is somehow going to be related to that. Everyone's appearances has changed and even though I don't understand the main conflict of this film, I understand that there will be a hint of Naruhina. Heck, they already have designs for their children, so that means they're gonna be in the movie! And that's one thing I am looking forward to! What makes me even more eager and ecstatic for this, are the other character designs that has been going around the net, lately. Unfortunately, I am questioning the character design of Sasuke and Gaara. They look like two shrimps that need to combine so they can have the built of Naruto. But I think Hinata is my favorite character design, so far. Although her gentle nature is still in tact, I can already sense maturity and some impressive character development from this Hyuga girl. Yes, I know, Ino looks hot but for some odd reason, Hinata has caught my full, undivided attention. She looks beautiful. Hopefully, this will reflect in the movie.
I still can't believe that this series has been running for fifteen years. I was sort of expecting this to end, by the time I started working. but wow...this feels like Harry Potter, Heroes of Olympus, The Infernal Devices, and *lists down the rest of my fandoms that have ended* all over again. I'm actually going to miss Naruto, because it came to me during a time that I was very depressed. And just watching ninjas fighting for more than four episodes somehow lifted up my spirits. So here are things that I'm going to miss. Since Naruto has 700 chapters all in all...I'm just going to list a couple of things.
1.) Naruto's sexy jutsu
2.) Gaara
3.) Naruto's "never-gonna-give-up speeches"
4..) Kakashi's random lies
5.) Their hand signs
6.) Team Gai's fountain of youth routine
7.) Rock Lee's determination
8.) The long episodes of fighting
9.) Kakashi's mask
10.) Pakkun
11.) Tsunade's pet pig, whose name skips me unfortunately
12.) The random characters in the filler arcs
13.) Temari's fan
14.) Kankuro's cat ear hoodie
15.) Gaara's Gourd
16.) Gaara.
17.) Sakura's inner demon
18.) Tsunade's breasts
19.) Ramen
20.) Sai's drawings
21.) Kabuto...when he pretended to be good
22.) Orochimaru. I actually miss him.
23.) The Third hokage
24.) The Nine-tailed fox's whining
25.) Killer Bee's messed up raps
26.) His brotherly love with the Raikage
27.) The Raikage because he's awesome
28.) Mizukage's Christmas tree hair
29.) Kisame's sword
30.) Zetsu
31.) just kidding I don't miss him
32.) Itachi's eyebags
33.) Sasuke's duck-butt hair
34.) Neji's girl-like features
35.) Gaara.
36.) The villages even though I have not seen everyone
37.) Choji's fats
38.) Akamaru
39.) Hinata's adorable fainting spells
40.) Shino's emo-ness
41.) Ino's mouth
42.) Shikamaru's hair
43.) People who try to copy Naruto by saying they won't give up ever.
44.) The random dramatic music when something emotional is happening.
45.) Gai and Rock Lee's relationship
46.) Tobi.
47.) Obito
48.) I ain't missing Madara
49.) Jiraiya's pervert-self
50.) Bacchikoi
51.) The random skits at the end of each episode
52.) Yamato's scary eyes that are not really that scary
53.) Sai's random unintentional gay tendencies
54.) Sai's bluntness
55.) Gaara
56.) Sakura's temper
57.) The healing jutsu
58.) Sharingans
59.) Byakugans
60.) Rinnegans
61.) Konan...wait. What happened to her?
62.) Nagato
63.) The Frog Food that they made Naruto ate
64.) Naruto's clones
65.) Sasuke's ridiculous kimono
66.) the characters that stayed officially dead
67.) Gaara's insomnia
68.) Gaara
69.) Sasori's puppets
70.) Deidara's hands
71.) Deidara and Sasori's arguments about art
72.) Deidara's arms
73.) Chunin exams
74.) The sound four
75.) The poor souls who had to resurrected for the freakin' war
76.) The guy who always acts as the proctor for the Chunin exams
77.) Naruto's complains about him just being a genin.
78.) Rasengan
79.) The word Chakra
80.) Dattebayo!
81.) Minato and Kushina cuz they're perfect
82.) The word Jinchuriki
83.) Gaara's Matrix-like, turtleneck outfit
84.) Gaara's hairstyle in chapter 700
85.) Gaara's fangirls
86.) Gaara's dark eye rims
87.) Gaara
88.) The Akatsuki uniform. or the Akatsuki themselves
89.) Sakura's long hair
90.) The filler arcs
91.) Nope I do not miss them
92.) They always get in the way
93.) Like seriously
94.) wait, the anime has not yet ended
95.) oh well
96.) what else do i miss
97.) Konohamaru's scarf
98.) Kakashi's bells
99.) The random piercing on Nagato and his army
100.) GAARA
At the end of the day, I would like to give a salute to Kishimoto, the awesome creator of Naruto. This person has been writing and sketching the story of this unlikely hero for fifteen years, and that's very impressive. Thank you for making my high school life awesome, somehow. And thank you for somehow helping the Narutards find their own ninja way.
