Your Lie in April

           

 

Your Lie in April (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso) is a Japanese manga created by Naoshi Arakawa. It became an anime in 2014 and this past September was released as a film in Japan. The plot centers around piano prodigy Kōsei Arima who, after his strict mother's death, lost his ability to hear notes and no longer plays the piano. He meets violinist Kaori Miyazono through mutual friends, and she slowly begins to bring Kōsei back to the world of music. This series is both visually stunning and heartbreakingly beautiful. There are some dark moments, and some very sad moments. Prepare to cry. Your Lie in April is available for viewing on Crunchyroll and on Netflix. 

If you've already discovered this beautiful manga and anime and are looking for something else to read and/or watch, I recommend A Silent Voice by Yoshitoki Ōima, which was also released as an animated film this past September; as well as My Neighbor Seki by Takuma Morishige, which was released as a home video animated film and a 21-episode tv series. 




A Silent Voice: "Shoya is a bully. When Shoko, a girl who can't hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes his favorite target, and Shoya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children's cruelty goes too far. Shoko is forced to leave the shcool, and Shoya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shoya make up for his past mistakes, or ist it too late?"

My Neighbor Seki: "Toshinari Seki takes goofing off to new heights. Every day, on or around his school desk, he masterfully creates his own little worlds of wonder, often hidden to most of his classmates. Unfortunately for Rumi Yokoi, his neighbor at the back of their homeroom, his many games, dioramas, and projects are often way too interesting to ignore; even when they are hurting her grades."

Both of these mangas are similar to Your Lie in April in that they have a very quiet, gentle setting and are good for readers who love a good story but don't necessarily need a lot of action and fighting.

Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

I love Raina Telgemeier's work.

There is a lot of discussion around this work, largely over the use of the Day of the Dead, but I can only speak based on my own experiences. This book brought back some of the fear and suspense I felt as a little girl in Mexico when, if you had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, you had to go outside, and there were spirits out there and they could get you. The black cat in the story reminded me so much of my dad, who to this day will turn the car around instead of risk crossing the path of a black cat. My sisters and I might laugh when he does it, but if I come across a beautiful black cat, I will admit I try to find a way to not cross the path it had walked along. I have never been able to get the sense of magic anywhere else as I would at our blue house, or my grandmother's green house.

The librarian part of me considers this book - what if I had had this book when I was younger? I would have loved it the same, maybe more for being a graphic novel with a Hispanic character. Books are an escape for many children and young adults. When I was younger, that is why I read. I feel that part of Raina Telgemeier's goal was to provide a good story and include elements of a particular culture and I feel she did a good job. I don't think there is any form of disrespect or cultural appropriation.  People celebrate the Day of the Dead in different ways - some people choose to visit the cemeteries, the parades... others celebrate it quietly at home. Some people choose to go to church, some people have altars with marigolds, and some people use Mexican petunias or other beautiful flowers.

Some of the topics in this book - death, illness, the Day of the Dead, spirits and ghosts, losing a family member, moving to a new place - are scary enough by themselves. Raina Telgemeier makes them accessible to young readers in a safe and fun way.

I really enjoyed this graphic novel.

The Murder of Patience Brooke by J.C. Briggs

Check out my review of The Murder of Patience Brooke by J.C. Briggs at Dickensblog! I really love this book and can't wait for the second, Death at Hungerford Stairs.