Your Lie in April is a romantic-drama manga illustrated and written by Naoshi Arakawa. It was serialized in Kodansha’s Monthly Shonen Magazine and was adapted into an anime. Originally, it was a one-shot comic that Arakawa used to enter in a competition. His inspirations were Beck and Nodame Cantabile.
The success of the manga and anime paved way for the series to be adapted into a live-action film, musical, and even a stage play. Your Lie in April centers Kosei Arima. He lost the ability to hear the piano after his mother passed away. Unexpectedly, he meets Kaori Miyazono, a free-spirited violinist who helped him play the piano again.
Which Is Better? The Anime or Manga?
Before we answer that, it is ideal that the differences between the two are established. The anime was based on the manga, and it stayed true to the main plot with no additional original scenes. What would manga readers notice was that there are minor scenes that were not adapted like when Kaori read the blog of an attendee. It might be because the scene was not significant to the overall story.
While the manga is complete, with minor scenes, it lacked music and emotions. Since t is about a violinist and pianist, it is expected that the pieces would they play will be mentioned. The anime brought these to life and gave viewers a chance to actually hear the music and feel the emotions of the characters.
The colors were better in the anime than in manga as well. At the beginning of the series, fans can see pastel colors as Kaori is linked with the colors of red, yellow, and pink. As her health deteriorated, the colors associated with her became dull and gray. This is not possible in the manga as the colors there are black and white.
Which is better then? The answer would be depending on the person who will check it out. If the person prefers reading manga or wanted to see even the minor scenes from the story, then the manga is the ideal platform. But for those who prefer to see Kaori and Kosei in action and hear the pieces from the series, then the anime is the best medium. Either way, both have the same plot but with different executions.