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"Monotone/Colorful" (モノトーン / カラフル Monotōn/Karafuru?) is the first episode of the Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso anime adaptation. It first aired in Japan on October 9th, 2014.

Blurb[]

The autumn he was twelve, piano prodigy Kousei Arima suddenly found himself unable to play the piano after his mother's death. Ever since then, it's like he's been frozen in time. His childhood friend, Tsubaki Sawabe, watches over him with concern; one day, she invites him on a double date. Kousei's other childhood friend, Ryota Watari, is being introduced to a certain girl. Kousei reluctantly heads over to the rendezvous spot. There, he sees a girl playing a melodica. This girl, who allegedly has a crush on Watari, is Kaori Miyazono, and she turns out to be a violinist!

Plot[]

While walking home, a blonde girl spots a black cat cleaning its face before dashing away. She decides to give chase and runs after it. She eventually finds it sitting on a bench and offers it a canelé while playfully meowing.

A flashback of a young Kousei performing "Moonlight Sonata 3rd Movement - Op.27" onstage during a piano competition with an emotionless deadpan look on his face. His friend Tsubaki is sitting in the audience watching him with a worried expression. The flashback abruptly cuts to present day Kousei sitting in the music room listening to "Hikaru Nara" on his phone and transcribing it into sheet music.

Outside, Tsubaki and Watari are practicing their individual sports when Tsubaki hits the ball too hard, landing it in the the music room, smashing the window in the process. When she goes to get the ball, she finds that the ball has landed directly onto Kousei's head, knocking him out. Kousei scolds Tsubaki for breaking another window. While Tsubaki looks in the closet for a dustpan to clean up the broken glass, she catches Kousei attempting to pick up the glass with his hands and grabs his wrist before he does. She scolds him saying that he could have cut a finger. Kousei nonchalantly replies, "Well, what if I did?" Watari is then seen taking a photo of them semi-hand holding and mocking them saying that they should be "hubby and wife," to which they respond with an aggressive insistence that they are not.

Kousei and Tsubaki clean up and write an apology but are scolded by the vice principal for an hour. After that, the group decides to stop by a convenience store and get ice-cream on the way home. While walking home, Watari suddenly gets a text from a girl and rushes off to meet her, leaving the two behind. Kousei and Tsubaki start up a conversation about love and how a person looks when in love with someone. They say bye to each other as they go into their respective homes.

The next day, Kousei is thinking in his head during class about Tsubaki saying that love would change everything and make the world colourful. Kousei refuses to believe that, saying that his world is in monotone, just like the music scores and the colors of a keyboard.

A flashback appears, showing a 11 year old Kousei frozen and suffering from a mental breakdown on the stage as the audience whispers and wonders what is happening.

Kousei sits alone after school in the classroom, doing work , but gets interrupted and lectured by Tsubaki, saying that he shouldn’t spend his youth during his fourteenth spring in the classroom. Both of them hang out in the classroom, and after a while, Tsubaki asks if he could meet up tomorrow to meet and introduce Watari to Kaori. Kousei makes no comments, and Tsubaki admits that Kousei was cooler when he played the piano.

A flashback of Kousei playing the piano with her mother behind him appears with Kousei explaining that he was hit and yelled at by her mother, not even letting him rest when he is crying, in order to make him a world class pianist in her place. Tsubaki then lays on her bed and sighs because she doesn't hear Kousei playing the piano.

Kousei decides to meet up with the other three the next day, however Tsubaki and Ryota turn out to be late. He spots a pair of high heels and leggings, and decides to seek the owner of them. Kousei, while walking around, hears the sound of a melodica being played, and heads off to find the source of the music. He then sees a beautiful girl playing "Pazu's Fanfare" on the melodica, with 3 kids cheerfully spectating and subsequently joining in with their own instruments.

Intrigued by the music, Kousei accidently takes a picture of the group right as a gust of wind blows the girl's skirt up. Kousei is then spotted by the girl during this unfortunately timed photo and the girl bursts into a fit of anger and beats him over the misunderstood notion that he was trying to sneak a peek. She then identifies the leggings in his hand as hers and comically gives him a second thrashing.

Watari and Tsubaki arrive on the scene right when Kousei is being pinned down by the girl with a recorder. Tsubaki then introduces the girl to Watari as "Kaori Miyazono". Watari and Kaori greet each other while seemingly smitten for one another. Tsubaki then introduces her to Kousei as "Friend A". Kaori then goes over to Kousei to "apologize" for her earlier behavior while threatening him about the picture he took under her breath. After the brief greeting, Kaori realizes that she has to get to the auditorium for tj violin competition and states that she's a violinist. The group decides to go watch her performance. But Kousei is reluctant and says he'll pass. Kaori then grabs his hand and cheerily insists for him to come along. They all rush to the auditorium, with Kaori dragging Kousei by the hand toward the auditorium.

Major events[]

  • Kousei's reasons for no longer playing the piano are shown in a flashback.
  • Kousei and Watari meet Kaori for the first time.

Music used[]

  • 00:01-00:42 君は忘れられるの [Kimi wa Wasurerareru no] by 横山克
  • 02:15-03:01 Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight) Third Movement [第14番 <月光<> 第3楽章] by Ludwig van Beethoven
  • 03:01-03:18 Hikaru Nara by Goose House
  • 03:28-04:00 これはきっと [Kore wa Kitto] by 横山克
  • 04:09-04:41 視界が紅い!? [Shikai ga Akai!?] by 横山克
  • 05:31-06:55 夕暮れ時の下校 [Yuuguredoki no Gekou] by 横山克
  • 09:04-10:28 私の嘘 ~Piano Solo [Watashi no Uso ~Piano Solo] by 横山克
  • 10:34-10:51 Hikaru Nara by Goose House
  • 10:53-11:20 きゃああああ [Kyaaaaa] by 横山克
  • 11:28-12:55 Hikaru Nara by Goose House
  • 13:07-14:09 母さんとの想い出 [Kaasan to no Omoide] by 横山克
  • 14:52-15:45 Pazu's Fanfare by Joe Hisaishi (Castle in the Sky)
  • 16:37-17:32 Pazu's Fanfare by Joe Hisaishi (Castle in the Sky)
  • 20:27-21:13 私、ヴァイオリニストなの [Watashi, Violinist na no] by 横山克

Characters in Order of Appearance[]

Quotes[]

"When you're in love the whole world just starts looking more colorful." Tsubaki Sawabe (quoting Miwa)

"I don't think I'll ever inspire that kind of change in someone." Kousei Arima

"There's no sparkle in your eye. What the hell?!?!" Tsubaki Sawabe

"For Tsubaki, I bet the world looks pretty colorful. How could it not... must be nice." Kousei Arima

"The moment I laid eyes on him, my whole life just blew away. Everything I saw and heard, everything I felt, the world around me took on color in a way I never knew it could." Tsubaki Sawabe (quoting Miwa)

"Spring is blooming all around.... and I'm... taking off with you." Kousei Arima

Trivia[]

  • In the scene where Kousei and Tsubaki are on the clasroom, and they share earphones, Kosei is listening to "Hikaru Nara" by Goose House (the first opening of the series).
  • In the scene where Kousei meets Kaori in the park, she is playing with her recorder (and the kids) the piece "Suraggu Keikoku no Asa" (Morning in the Slag Ravine) by Joe Hisaishi. That piece is part of the OST from Studio Ghibli's 1986 film "Castle in the Sky".

Gallery[]

References[]


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