Your Lie in April

Your Lie in April, known in Japan as Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso (四月は君の嘘) or Kimiuso for short, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoshi Arakawa. The series was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Magazine from April 2011 to May 2015. The story follows a young pianist named Kо̄sei Arima, who loses the ability to hear the piano after his mother's death.

An anime television series adaptation by A-1 Pictures aired from October 2014 to March 2015 on Fuji TV's Noitamina block. A live-action film adaptation of the same name was released in September 2016. The series has also been adapted into a stage play, a light novel, and it was set to be adapted into a musical, but it was canceled. The series was generally received very well, with many critics giving praise to the animation, the soundtrack, and the ending.

Characters

 * Kōsei Arima (有馬 公生, Arima Kōsei)
 * Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae (Japanese); Max Mittelman (English)
 * Played by: Kento Yamazaki (live-action film); Shintarō Anzai (stage play)
 * Kōsei is a former child prodigy in playing piano, dubbed the "Human Metronome" for his near-inhuman mechanical accuracy, a product of his mother Saki's overly strict methods of teaching. His ability to play the piano with unparalleled precision led him to win many competitions across Japan and even be invited to play abroad. When Saki died, the resulting psychological trauma caused him to be unable to hear the sound of his piano playing, and he gave up on it. Two years later, he takes up the piano again after being convinced by Kaori Miyazono to become her accompanist. Influenced by her emotional and unrestrained playing style, Kōsei eventually finds himself falling in love with her. He, however, does not confess his feelings due to his belief that she likes his best friend, Ryota Watari, which is later revealed to be a lie just to get close to him.
 * It is later revealed in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso: Coda, a side story from Kōsei and Tsubaki's childhood, that his inspiration for playing so beautifully in his first competition was to cheer up Tsubaki after the passing of her grandmother.


 * Kaori Miyazono (宮園 かをり, Miyazono Kawori)
 * Voiced by: Risa Taneda (Japanese); Erica Lindbeck (English)
 * Played by: Suzu Hirose (live-action film); Arisa Matsunaga (stage play)
 * Kaori is Tsubaki's classmate; she is a free-spirited violinist who has drawn much criticism from judging panels due to her unwillingness to adhere strictly to the score, but is highly favored by audiences that hear her playing. Kaori first met Kōsei when she asked Tsubaki to set her up with Watari. As their friendship grew, she eventually convinced Kōsei to play the piano again, first as her accompanist and later in a piano competition. It is revealed at the end of the anime, in a letter addressed to Kōsei after her death, that she had asked to be set up with Watari in order to meet Kōsei, knowing that Watari and Tsubaki were good friends of his and that she had been in love with him since she was five, and merely thought Watari as a friend.


 * Tsubaki Sawabe (澤部 椿, Sawabe Tsubaki)
 * Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Erica Mendez (English)
 * Played by: Anna Ishii (live-action film); Misato Kawauchi (stage play)
 * Kōsei's childhood friend and next-door neighbor, who treats him like a little brother. She is athletic and is part of the softball club at school. Often dismayed at Kōsei's inability to move on from his mother's death, she attempts to get him to play the piano again in order to make a clear decision about his future. She first denies her feelings for him, but after undergoing several stages of denial, she falls in love with him, which she confesses to him later on.


 * Ryōta Watari (渡 亮太, Watari Ryōta)
 * Voiced by: Ryōta Ōsaka (Japanese); Kyle McCarley (English)
 * Played by: Taishi Nakagawa (live-action film); Masanari Wada (stage play)
 * Ryōta is Kōsei's and Tsubaki's childhood friend, and is the captain of the school's soccer team. He is extremely popular with girls, and usually adopts a frivolous attitude. However, he does come up with good insights every so often. Kaori was his love interest and when they are together, they are shown to be acting lovey-dovey, which makes Kōsei jealous. Kōsei later tells him about his feelings for Kaori, and he soon accepts this and gives him advice. Despite his constant remarks about how cute other girls are, he truly cared for Kaori, and is shown to keep a picture of her on his cell phone after her death.


 * Takeshi Aiza (相座 武士, Aiza Takeshi)
 * Voiced by: Yūki Kaji (Japanese); Erik Scott Kimerer (English)
 * Played by: Shōjirō Yokoi (stage play)
 * Takeshi is a pianist of the same age as Kōsei. His aim was always to catch up and surpass Kōsei on the piano since watching him play at a young age. His resolve is so strong to the point that Takeshi would even abandon an invitation for a piano competition in Europe in order to compete with Kōsei. To Takeshi, Kōsei was like his 'hero'.


 * Emi Igawa (井川 絵見, Igawa Emi)
 * Voiced by: Saori Hayami (Japanese); Erika Harlacher (English)
 * Played by: Haruka Yamashita (stage play)
 * Emi is a pianist of the same age as Kōsei, who decided to become a pianist after listening to Kōsei play at the age of 5. She aims to reach Kōsei through her emotional playing style. It is hinted that she has feelings for Kōsei.


 * Nagi Aiza (相座 凪, Aiza Nagi)
 * Voiced by: Ai Kayano (Japanese); Stephanie Sheh (English)
 * Nagi is Takeshi's little sister, who pretended to ask for tutelage from Hiroko in order to scout her brother's rival, Kōsei. She ended up becoming Kōsei's student. She often says "Cliche" (陳腐, Chinpu) to things that Kōsei tells her. After months of tutelage, she develops a crush on her teacher.


 * Saki Arima (有馬 早希, Arima Saki)
 * Voiced by: Mamiko Noto (Japanese); Wendee Lee (English)
 * Played by: Rei Dan (live-action film); Ryōko Tanaka (stage play)
 * Saki is Kōsei's strict mother who demands that Kōsei practice the score to absolute perfection, and often beats him for small mistakes. While she does not plan to make Kōsei a pianist at first, her realization of Kōsei's talents and the discovery of her terminal illness makes her decide to give Kōsei a strict foundation in piano in order to be able to find his own style and a living as a pianist after she dies. She dies before Kōsei's qualification to what supposedly is his first competition in Europe. She frequently appears in front of Kōsei throughout the series.


 * Hiroko Seto (瀬戸 紘子, Seto Hiroko)
 * Voiced by: Mie Sonozaki (Japanese); Carrie Keranen (English)
 * Played by: Yuka Itaya (live-action film); Kuniko Kodama (stage play)
 * Hiroko is a nationally renowned pianist and Saki's close friend from college. She is the one who discovers Kōsei's talents in piano and suggests Saki make him into a pianist despite Saki's initial disagreement. Blaming herself for Saki's brutal treatment to Kōsei and his psychological trauma from Saki's death, she distances herself from Kōsei following Saki's death. When Kōsei returns to play the piano, she becomes his guardian and mentor.


 * Koharu Seto (瀬戸 小春, Seto Koharu)
 * Voiced by: Inori Minase (Japanese); Cristina Vee (English)
 * A very small child who smiles very often and is the daughter of Hiroko. She enjoys Kōsei's piano playing and always wants him to play more and is very attached to him. She usually clings by her mother's side and is adored by both Kōsei and her mother.


 * Saitō (斎藤, Saitō)
 * Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu (Japanese); Robbie Daymond (English)
 * Saitō is Tsubaki's baseball-playing senior and her target of admiration. He confessed to Tsubaki and dated her, but suggested they break up after realizing Tsubaki's actual feelings for Kōsei, covering it up through saying that he found someone else he loves.


 * Nao Kashiwagi (柏木 奈緒, Kashiwagi Nao)
 * Voiced by: Shizuka Ishigami (Japanese); Julie Ann Taylor (English)
 * Played by: Haruka Igarashi (stage play)
 * Kashiwagi is a good friend of Tsubaki's who often gives her advice. Kashiwagi succeeded in breaking Tsubaki's stubbornness to realize and admit her feelings for Kōsei. Near the end it's established that most of the advice she gives Tsubaki comes from her being a fan of BL (Boys' love) manga, not from personal dating experience.