10 Books/Manga Like Your Lie In April
Your Lie In April is a manga series that’s a joyful and tear-jerking read. It was written and drawn by Naoshi Arakawa. The story centers around Koushi, a boy who abandoned his love for playing piano after his mother died. However, after meeting a skilled violinist named Kaori, Koushi regains his passion for piano playing. Known for its captivating storytelling and beautiful illustrations, Your Lie In April will appeal to many readers, regardless if they adore music-themed works or not.
If you’re in the mood for more drama, romance, or music-themed books/manga that offer a similar vibe, fear not! We’ve gathered 10 books/manga to check out when you’ve caught up with Your Lie In April. Of course, if you feel we’ve missed any of your favorites, comment below and let us know!
I Want To Eat Your Pancreas – Yoru Sumino
Similarities – Drama, Romance, Slice-of-Life
I Want To Eat Your Pancreas may sound like a quirky series based on its title alone. However, like Your Lie In April, it’s a tale of loss, love, and personal growth and one that will capture your heart. Our story features our male protagonist Haruki Shiga, who decides to stay by his classmate Sakura’s side. She only has a few months to live, so Haruki wants to help her make the best of it.
Like Your Lie In April, this story explores the impact one person can have on another’s livelihood. Through Haruki’s interactions with Sakura, he learns to appreciate life from its highs to its lows. This echoes the way Kaori impacts Kousei’s life in Your Lie In April as he’ll regain his love of music through his interactions with her. In addition to having beautiful artwork that adds to the story’s charm and emotional tone, I Want To Eat Your Pancreas is worth checking out.
PPPPPP – Mapollo 3-Gou
Similarities – Music & Drama
PPPPPP is a modern music series that follows a mediocre pianist named Lucky. He lives a rough life with his aunt and is ostracized by his father for lacking fine piano skills like his siblings. After visiting his mother and catching the attention of his father’s former teacher Dada, Lucky hopes to prove his father and siblings wrong and become a skilled pianist.
Like Your Lie In April, PPPPPP is a tale of personal growth, friendship, and the power of music. Like Kousei, Lucky struggles to get back on his feet. However, through unexpected connections, our male leads find the strength to overcome their insecurities and press on. Readers who enjoyed seeing Kousei connect with Kaori on meaningful levels will adore seeing Lucky interact with Dada and Ako. If you need another tale that’ll motivate you to overcome your personal limitations, check out PPPPPP.
Ao no Orchestra – Makoto Akui
Similarities –Drama & Music
Ao No Orchestra is an interesting music-themed drama manga that bears a resemblance to Your Lie In April. Our story revolves around Hajime, a talented violinist who lost his love for the craft due to family issues. After meeting a hotheaded violinist named Ritsuko, Hajime rediscovers his love for the instrument again.
Based on premise alone, this is another tale where a once-grand musician finds his spirit reignited by a fateful encounter with a female. Readers can expect the drama to intensify as they read each series. Both manga contain captivating illustrations that feature our characters performing their instruments elegantly. This helps ease readers into the work and provides them with time to breathe. On top of prioritizing character development, Ao No Orchestra is a great alternative series to check out if you loved Your Lie In April.
Kono Oto Tomare! – Amyuu Sakura
Similarities – Drama, Music, Romance
Kono Oto Tomare is a great music-themed series with enough drama and pleasant vibes to keep you invested. This story follows Takezou, who has a tough time recruiting people to his Koto club. Fortunately, Chika, a known delinquent at his school, asks to join. Takezou admits him into the club, leading to another person named Satowa recruiting Chika’s friends.
Together, we examine Takezou and his club members on their journey to become the best koto players in the nation. This manga focuses on music, and personal development, and highlights how friendship can change one’s life like in Your Lie In April. Chika and Kousei traverse down similar paths. Both characters start off on rocky paths but obtain the support necessary to move forward.
Furthermore, both characters discover their passion for music again. While Kousei discovers it through his interactions with Kaori, Chika finds solace and a sense of self-worth with the members of the Koto club. Therefore, if you want another story that’s guaranteed to tug at your heartstrings from time to time, check out Kono Oto Tomare.
Blue Period – Tsubasa Yamaguchi
Similarities – Drama & Characters
Blue Period is a high-school drama with a focus on visual arts. While it may seem different from Your Lie In April in ways, it shares many similarities with the beloved music series. For instance, both stories tackle the transformative power art has on individuals. With Your Lie In April, it tackles music, but with Blue Period, it delves into painting.
Both stories feature protagonists who find themselves trapped by societal expectations but rediscover their passions and experience significant growth. In Blue Period, we follow Yatora, who excels in academics but feels unfulfilled by his traditional path. As for Kousei, he’s burdened by trauma and expectations. Both males yearn for something better and find solace in their artistic endeavors. If you’re after another series with a troubled and relatable artistic protagonist, check out Blue Period.
Kimi wa Tsukiyo ni Hikarikagayaku – Tetsuya Sano & Daichi Matsuse
Similarities – Drama & Romance
If you enjoyed Your Lie In April for its tragic and emotional segments, you’ll enjoy what Tetsuya Sano and Daichi Matsuse crafted with Kimi wa Tsukiyo ni Hikarikagayaku. This short and tragic series revolves around the companionship between Takuya and Watarase. Watarase suffers from an incurable disease and Takuya wants to do his best to help her achieve what she can before her time runs out.
If you fans reached the conclusion of Your Lie In April, you can see how Kimi wa Tsukiya relates to it. Both tales feature great interactions between their male and female protagonists. Both stories feature captivating illustrations that bring out the characters’ emotions spectacularly. Furthermore, both tales leave fans with an important message. That message is to enjoy life’s small or large moments because you never know when your time on planet Earth will come to a close.
Orange – Ichigo Takano
Similarities – Drama & Characters
Orange is a fascinating shojo series with a time-travel twist. Our centers around Naho, a girl who receives a letter from her future self. Her future variant warns her of a transfer student’s demise. To change her and others’ fates, Naho must heed her future self’s advice to rewrite upcoming events. Like Your Lie In April, this is a tale of friendship, growth, and the power of love.
Like Kousei, Naho is burdened by regrets and wrestles with many personal obstacles that will hinder her growth. However, through the comfort and support they receive from their companions, Kousei and Naho confront their pain and embark on quests to strengthen themselves. If you want a tale that leans less into music but offers the same message regarding friendship’s overwhelming power, Orange is worth reading.
Nodame Cantabile – Tomoko Ninomiya
Similarities – Music & Romance
Nodame Cantabile is a remarkable music series with a strong appreciation for music. In it, we follow Shinichi, a skilled musician who wants to become a conductor but loses his passion along the way. One day, he meets a quirky female named Megumi (Nodame), who can play piano in the Cantabile style. After seeing Nodame play her instrument, Shinichi learns to enjoy music again.
Like Your Lie In April, Nodame Cantabile tackles aspects of personal growth, music, and how love can impact someone’s life. Like Kousei, Shinichi runs into a major roadblock that ruins his creative process. However, through his interactions with Nodame, he learns to embrace his fears and pursue his passion for music.
Moreover, both tales explore romance and feature them as driving forces for our male’s development. Nodame’s lovely relationship with Chiaki pushes both characters to overcome their fears and reach greater heights in their musical journeys. Like Kaori and Kousei’s relationship, love acts as a catalyst for growth in Chiaki and Nodame’s pairing.
March Comes In Like A Lion – Chica Umino
Similarities – Characters & Themes
March Comes In Like A Lion is a wonderful series with amazing storytelling, grand themes, and excellent characters. In it, our protagonist Rei is an elite shogi player who isn’t living his best life. While he is talented, Rei carries enormous pressure on his back which entices him not to care for himself. However, he’ll meet three girls, who’ll change his life for the better.
Like Kousei, Rei’s connections with his friends and mentors will lead him down a brighter path. The three girls Akari, Hinata, and Momo, alongside others Rei meets during his personal journey, will do their best to heal the wounds that torture his heart. This mirrors how Kaori and Kousei’s other friends will support him during his emotional recovery. If you cherish tales that tackle mental illness and the significance of friendship, check out March Comes In Like A Lion.
Nana – Ai Yazawa
Similarities – Music, Drama, Characters
Nana delivers a story of music and fashion with its pleasing gothic aesthetic helping it stand out. Our tale follows two girls named Nana as they travel to Japan to fulfill their individual goals. These girls have similar designs but have deviating backgrounds, personalities, and desires that’ll help readers tell them apart. Much like Kousei, the Nanas embark on a journey of self-discovery.
Music serves as a driving force toward their goals and opens a pathway that’ll help Kousei and each Nana express themselves and develop. Moreover, both series excels at highlighting the intricacies of love and relationships. While Your Lie In April focuses on Kaori’s connection and impact on Kousei’s life, Nana Komatsu finds herself entangled in a complicated relationship with a rocker named Ren.
Both series explore the joys, heartbreaks, and sacrifices that come with romantic connections. This results in these stories producing incredibly tense and dramatic scenarios that’ll keep readers returning. If you love music, drama, and stories where characters confront their fears in pursuit of their dreams, check out Nana.
So there we have it, our 10 books/manga to read after you’re caught up with Your Lie In April.
What do you think of our picks? Do you agree? Are there any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments below!