Your lie in April

Episode 17

There is a lot to unpack with this episode of Your Lie in April. At least, that's how it seems at first. It ultimately boils down to one basic theme, and development for two characters who needed it: Watari and Nagi.

It's amazing that the show has gone on this long and we haven't learned much about Watari. The other three main characters received oodles of development, with even Tsubaki getting multiple focus episodes. Watari's just kinda there, mostly for gags about how much he loves the ladies. (This episode delivers a few of its own, like Tsubaki calling him a "walking hard-on.") This week gave him more character development in a few minutes than he's had across the previous 16 episodes. Kosei finally found out what's been going on with Kaori, after visiting her in the hospital unannounced. He feels helpless, and doesn't want to see her. He turns to Watari, and his response gives us an idea of why Kaori might have been into him in the first place.

Watari urges Kosei to visit her anyway, insisting he'd "drink muddy water, just slurp-slurp-slurp, you know?" for a girl he liked. In this moment, we realize that he's a lot like Kaori. Watari is a man of action. He doesn't spend time processing his feelings, he just does what they tell him to do. If the feelings are inconvenient, he buries them, or quietly acknowledges them and leaves them aside. That's why we only find out now that he's aware of Kosei and Kaori's feelings for each other. He doesn't deal with things by talking about them or brooding over them, the way that Kosei and Tsubaki do. Kaori is similar, by pushing her feelings into rejuvenating Kosei's career instead of exploring them. Part of why she's so listless in the hospital is because it prevents her from doing anything. She doesn't know what to do when she has nothing but hours to stare out the window and think.

It's not that Kosei and Tsubaki enjoy all that thinking, of course. Kosei even states it outright, breaking down when he hears someone playing Ravel's Pavane for a Dead Princess. That piece hits too close to home when a girl he cares about is also an inch from death. So he does the only thing that makes any emotional sense to him: he runs away from his problems, just like Tsubaki and, as we find out later, Nagi. It's only with Watari's urging that he finally sees Kaori again, and the visit ends in cathartic laughter that helps heal both of them.

Speaking of Nagi, let's talk about her. She was an uncomfortable presence the last two weeks, tonally inconsistent with the rest of the show. This week, she settles in better, as Your Lie in April digs deeper into her own tragedy and what makes her tick. For starters, her feelings for her brother seem less incestuous, and more like typical younger-sibling admiration. That makes me feel better—Your Lie in April is too good a show for imouto pandering. Her bond with him is like Kosei's with Kaori in intensity, not nature. They're both driven to perform by other people, but the difference is that Kosei can accept that on some level. Nagi resents it, wanting to be seen as a serious pianist. She's an up-and-coming talent with media attention already, and some people think it's just for her pretty face. The idea of a school festival "proving" her worth to these people causes her to break down, just like her mentor. It really makes the audience feel for and believe in her as a character. It gives her a place in the show as Kosei's younger, less-traumatized foil.

This is where Nagi's other mentor comes in. Hiroko sees Nagi slumping over the toilet, and is reminded of Kosei's breakdown after his mother died. She talks about "history repeating itself" and how she's still a "failure as an instructor," and we see why she took this girl on in the first place. Hiroko regrets not being there for Kosei when he needed her, and her actions during the show are her way to make amends. She wants to help Kosei now, but she also wants to try again with somebody new. She wants to make things right for Nagi from the beginning. Hiroko does just that, reassuring her that music should be an emotional experience, and to give her "heart and soul to the piano."

Among all these events and character moments, there's a common thread: the importance of facing your problems. No matter how much it hurts, you have to keep moving forward. Kosei needs to see Kaori, Nagi needs to play her festival, and Hiroko needs to process her regret for how she treated Kosei in the past. As much as Your Lie in April revels in the depths of teenage brooding, there's something to be said for Kaori and Watari's more active methods. This makes for one of the most unified and powerful episodes of Your Lie in April since the season break. It bodes well for how the series will tie up its loose ends as it approaches its conclusion.

Rating: A-

Rose is a musicologist who studies film music. She writes about anime and many other topics on Autostraddle.com, her blog and her Twitter.
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