Your Lie in April Review Part 2: A Christian Content and Parent Guide on the Heartbreaking Musical Anime

In Part 2 of our Your Lie in April review, we will provide a content and parent guide on the Your lie in April anime. Part 1 is available here.

Synopsis of Your Lie in April (Anime)

Kousei Arima is a gifted pianist and high school student. Tragically, due to traumatic circumstances, he is no longer able to hear the piano’s notes. One day, he meets a spirited violinist named Kaori Miyazono, who encourages him to start playing the piano again—but Kaori has a secret of her own. As the two start playing music together, they discover important lessons about life, music, and love.

In Part 2 of our series on the Your Lie in April anime, we will explore potential content concerns.

Please note, as this is a content guide, spoilers appear throughout.

---

Language in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Your lie in April contains frequent insults and name calling. Characters—including children—curse.

The language includes versions of *ss (including the more offensive *sshole), d*mn, and h*ll. There are some blasphemous phrases as well, but they are less frequent than words like d*mn. Some other words appear but they are more infrequent.

A user on IMDb claimed that an f-bomb appears in the English dub. However, I did not notice that on my rewatch. Additionally, IMDB lists the show’s rating as PG, so I doubt that there is one in it.

The language feels unnecessary. The language is one of my biggest concerns when it comes to content, and without it, I’d be a bit more confident in recommending the show.

For more detailed description of this category, see the detailed “content guide” below.

---

Violence and Gore in Your lie in April

I wouldn’t necessarily call this show overtly violent as it’s about high school students and music. However, Kousei experiences abuse by the hands of his mother and his friends. As a user on IMDB notes, the blood is often for comedic effect. The abuse he receives from his mother is serious, and if it had been a real life situation, Child Protective Services would have needed to step in.

Kousei’s friends, however, frequently beat him up. Sometimes, Kousei receives accidental injuries, but sometimes his injuries are due to his friends beating him up for “comedy.”

Kousei Can’t Hear the Notes

Kousei says he cannot hear the notes when he plays piano, yet because of Tsubaki (and his other friends) he probably receives daily concussions. The show claims that trauma makes it hard for him to hear the notes, but who’s to say it’s not concussions?

For more detailed description of this category, see the detailed “content guide” below.

---

Frightening and Intense Scenes in Your lie in April

Kaori is very sick, and we see her condition worsen as the series progresses. Kousei’s mom is abusive, and sometimes things grow a little creepy.

Your lie in April is intense—not because it’s scary or thrilling, but because of the real-life issues it portrays: parental abuse, child neglect, and emotional trauma.

Adults may find the intensity a reminder of the reality of trauma, abuse, and personal growth, but it certainly may scare or confuse young children.

For anyone who has experienced past trauma, I recommend approaching Your lie in April cautiously, as certain scenes may be triggering.

For more detailed description of this category, see the detailed “content guide” below.

---

Sex and Nudity in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

There are no sex scenes, and although the first opening sequence shows Kousei and Kaori dancing nude, it’s easy to skip if you don’t watch the opening (I still recommend listening to it because it’s a fantastic opening song).

The first episode introduces Kousei and Kaori, and they have a moment where it seems like Kousei is trying to take a panty shot of Kaori. He wasn’t—it’s a brief and misunderstood moment.

Some characters appear in partial, nonsexual nudity (i.e. baths). However, the show covers sensitive areas other than cleavage. One user on IMDB noted a character putting on a shirt and briefly shown shirtless. But that didn’t stand out to me.

Additionally, Watari occasionally makes flirtatious or suggestive comments.

Your lie in April isn’t overly sexual. Although the anime has romance, it’s pretty tame from an anime perspective.

---

Substances in Your lie in April

There’s hardly anything substance use. See below in my content guide for the few examples.

---

Spiritual Concerns in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Episode 2, 4, and 18 have Kaori (in the first two examples) and Kousei (in the last example) speaking a phrase before performing. It sounded somewhat concerning from a Christian perspective, so I tried to research the phrase. Anime fans have tried to figure out the origins, but no one is completely certain where it comes from. However, it’s possibly based on a spell, so I recommend skipping it. It’s brief, and I’ve tried to outline below in the detailed content guide where to skip so you can avoid it.

Otherwise, a few moments reference or suggest other religious beliefs, folklore, or superstition. These elements don’t dominate the story but appear occasionally. I’ve outlined the examples below.

---

FAQs for Your lie in April

---

Detailed Content and Parent Guide for Your lie in April

Language in Your lie in April

Sometimes the spoken language and subtitles vary in word choice; this reflects the English Dub and may include some words used in Netflix captions as well.

• Frequent use of words such as damn and related, ass and related (including some with hole), and hell.
• One use of b*stard, a few uses of p*ss, one use of d*ck, and some use of curse-adjacent words such as heck, crap, freaking, and darn.
• Some use of The Lord’s name in various forms, including a singular use of The Lord’s name in connection with the home of a beaver.
• Frequent use of various insults and unkind phrases including words like pervert, jerk/jerkface, sleaze, butthead/butt, shut up, moron, dummy, etc.

Violence and Gore in Your lie in April

General Violence in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

• Throughout the show, balls or other characters kit/kick/slap Kousei (and other characters). Kousei often receives injury, and these injuries are often bloody. These situations are intended to be comedic; however, they happen frequently throughout the show. All in all, there are at least 13 instances where Kousei (or one of his friends) is physically harmed or shoved by the hands of another friend. Sometimes, things are thrown at somebody. Again, it’s supposed to be comedic and leans into the over-exaggerated emotions and reactions common in anime, but it’s still disturbing. Tsubaki and Kaori are two of the biggest offenders, but other characters harm Kousei (and others) as well.
• Characters also yell at each other.

Specific Examples of Violence/Gore in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

• Kousei nearly touches glass and cuts himself; Tsubaki gets after him but he isn’t concerned if he gets cut.
• A child gets a piggy back from his female best friend. He fell, scraped his knee and cries, which is why he is getting a piggy back ride.
• A character seems to have hurt their ankle.
• In anger, a character throws things off the piano (they are upset about the condition/environment the piano is in).
• A character gets jealous and lets out their anger while playing sports.
• Characters fall down on multiple occasions.
• A character kicks his friend to confirm she is hurt.
• A character gets hurt by a cat.
• A character has bruises from parental abuse. He wears long sleeves because his mother hits him. The mother hits him with a cane.
• A character says he wishes his mother was dead, and throws music at her.
• A character’s hand is bloody.
• A character accidentally hits his friend in the head.
• A character hits a trash can and spills its contents.
• During a surgery scene, blood is shown.
• An adult character threatens a child in order to protect someone they love. The adult says that they will not find this child’s body. Nothing actually happens, and the scene shows how protective this adult is.
• A child is violent and hates her brother’s competitor.
• As a child, a character bullied others, sometimes getting physical.

Frightening Scenes and Intensity in Your lie in April

• A child goes through verbal, physical and emotional abuse from his mother.
• A character appears dead on multiple occasions, but isn’t. On one occasion, they even laugh.
• A character passes out on stage, and on other occasions as well.
• A character is shown fading and ends up in the ICU.
•  Two characters play a duet (in a dream-like situation). This happens while one of them is going through surgery. At the end, the character starts to go away, symbolizing their death.
• Characters visit a graveyard.
• Some images are a bit creepy/monsterous/folklorish.
• A character imagines their friend’s mom getting creepily mad. Their friend was hurt in the knee, and it would have been a problem if it had been the hand.
• A character asks another if he wants to commit suicide with her; she wasn’t serious.
• Kids jump off bridges for fun. They are fine.
• A character nearly drowns.
• A character is shown during surgery.
•  A character falls while walking in the hallway and starts losing the ability to use her muscles. She hits her legs and gets very upset. The scene is intense, as this happens to a beloved character.
• A character falls at their home. They bleed and pass out. 

Sex, Nudity, and Romance in Your lie in April

Your lie in April is a romance, but it’s not overtly sexual. There are some moments of non-sexual nudity, but the major offenders are easily skippable.

Nudity in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

• The first intro (Episodes 1-11) has nudity: You see Kaori topless (you can see her breasts but it’s not detailed), and Kousei is shirtless (don’t see male genitals).
• In Episode 5, Kaori is seen topless (back only). Her friends walk in on her. The show then cuts to overly cartoonish caricatures depicting the characters naked (not anatomically detailed). Because they walked in on her, Kaori says she will never get to be a bride.
• In Episode 6, Kaori takes a shower and we see the tops of her breasts (cleavage). As she puts on Kousei’s shirt, we see her belly, too. She wears Kousei’s clothes because hers are wet, and Tsubaki gets jealous.
• In Episode 11, Ms. Seto goes into Kousei’s house. She asks if he needs her to give him a bath (she’s apparently done it before). Her daughter covers her eyes and it sounds like he’s getting stripped. Kousei insists on doing it himself. He tries to keep his pants up and she reminds him she’s seen that type of thing before. She is being maternal; there is nothing sexual about this exchange. From approximately 13:15-13:24 ish Kousei is in the bath (naked). The water is see through, but his hands cover up sensitive areas.
• Kaori freaks out because her parents showed photos to Kousei of her as a (naked) newborn.
• In a couple of scenes, the camera angle shows a male character’s crotch. It’s fully clothed, but unnecessary. Episode 17 & Episode 21.
• A girl is seen putting on a shirt in one episode. For a brief second, she is seen shirtless. (Again it’s brief).

Showy Clothing in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

• In the second intro (Episode 12 and on), there is hand holding, and a character wears a short skirt.
• Throughout the show, the students (female) wear short skirts and shorts.
• Kaori randomly leaves her leggings lying around, and Kousei finds them.

Romance in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

• Characters touch/hold hands.
• Some characters comment about potential romances and discuss crushes; for example, Watari comments that Tsubaki and Kousei should marry.
• Kaori runs into Kousei with her head.
• A female character grabs Kousei and lets him go. Rumor is that she likes him.
• Characters think Ms. Hiroko Seto is cute; she hugs Kousei (she is one of his mother’s friends and basically like a second mother). She asks which of the two girls (Kaori or Tsubaki) Kousei likes.
• Kousei has a kiss mark on his sleeve, which makes people think he has a girlfriend (he doesn’t).
• Guys try to impress their female classmate.
• Kaori accuses Kousei of flirting with Nagi.
• A brother threatens a guy he thinks might be trying to be with his sister.
• Tsubaki does well on her test and people assume her success is due to love.
• A male character holds a female character.
• A male character and female character hug.
• A character mentions that she learned about romance from “Boys Love.”
• A character thinks “falling for a rival is cliche” or something along those lines.
• A character admits she loves a guy.

Suggestive Comments/Innuendo in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

• Throughout the show, Watari shows interest in girls and makes suggestive comments. He is a bit of a player and doesn’t stay loyal to a single girl.
• In the first episode, Kousei watches Kaori play an instrument and wants to take a photo. He snaps the photo at the exact moment the wind blows and her skirt flies up. Nothing is shown and he was not trying to be inappropriate. Kaori gets mad and thinks he is after a panty shot (which again, he isn’t).
• Kousei grabs Nagi’s hand and she calls him a “pervert”; she uses “sexual harasser” in captions. He’s just trying to help calm her before a performance.
• Nagi says she is more “experienced” and her brother seems to take it as innuendo.
• Hiroko Seto makes a joke about her daughter “throwing herself at boys already” when her very young daughter throws herself at Kousei.
• The captions say “foxy lady.” A character is called cute. Other words and phrases include chick, stone cold fox, and hot (either in captions or said).
• A character gets mad because Kousei’s eyes wander (it’s innuendo).
• Watari (in captions) says “Let’s hook up in our dreams.”
• Kousei stares at Kaori and she calls him a “pervert.” Kaori says that he wants another pic of her (like the accidental panty shot from eps 1) to post online.
• Watari wants to see another sponge bath.
• Characters use the term hot to describe people.

Substance Abuse in Your lie in April

• Ms. Seto smells like cigarettes.
• See IMDB for additional items other viewers noticed, such as a child’s drawing of a marijuana smoker and potential drinking.

Spiritual Concerns in Your lie in April

Major Spiritual Concerns in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

• Before some of her performances, Kaori says a phrase that might be Hebrew, but is very out of place. Some people speculate it’s from a spellbook and still others think she could be a Christian because of the Hebrew phrasing. It doesn’t appear to have any supernatural power; Kaori seems to just use it as a way to ground herself before a performance, but for Christian viewers, it will likely make you uneasy. Regardless, it’s possible that it could be a spell, so I personally recommend skipping over these occurrences. The first happens in Episode 2 from around 8:08-8:15. Then, she does it again in Episode 4 from 8:25-8:33. A third example happens in Episode 18 from around 2:36-2:42. This time, Kousei says it, and after someone asks about it he admits he isn’t sure what it is.

General Spiritual/Folklore in Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

• A medusa-like creature appears.
• A character says the score is god (or perfection) and we are servants of god (or perfection).
• Kaori finds a black cat and chases it. The black cat is a common metaphor/symbol throughout the series. This cat even talks to Kousei at one point.
• Kousei talks to his deceased mom; there is a shrine for her in his house.
• Captions mention “warding off evil spirits.”
• A character believes they are cursed.
• Fate mentioned multiple times.
• Music is often a mode for healing, awakening things, and connecting with others.
• Mention of genies and destinies.
• Kaori selects Kousei’s “fate” (song to play in a performance) by letting a pencil land somewhere on a list.
• “He’s a demonic chip off the old block.”
• Kousei hears his mom whisper to him and sees her appear throughout the show in memories and sometimes physically, though it’s just a figment of his imagination. Though her presence is called a “ghost,” he knows her ghost is something he invented.
• Mention of a zombie.
• Yukata appears (cultural clothing).
• “Listen to your heart.”
• A character changes his plans because he sees a black cat and a crow.
• A character worries about omens.
• Mention of luck/luck used.
• Skulls appear on clothing.
• A namahage appears.
• In one scene, it looks like a ghost comes out of someone’s body.
• “Getting a miracle can be a cinch.”
• A character prays.
• “Summons a song.”
• “Look within even for a moment and you’ll find me.”
• Characters put their soul into music.
• “Let your heart pitch.”

Photo Credit: Screenshot from the Your lie in April trailer under fair use for review/commentary/education/criticism. All rights retained by owners.