Happy Sunday!
Today, I’m bringing the analysis of Your Lie in April that nobody asked for, but I kept promising anyways. XD I struggled for a looooong time on what to discuss - there’s a lot I could talk about, from Kousei’s internal conflict (which I LOVE) to the *cough* ending *cough*.
But all of those are either depressing or way too spoiler-y.look, if someone says this anime is happy, they are lying to you
And I want to discuss something I sometimes see in a character tropes or archetypes list: the manic pixie dream girl.
First and foremost, what is a manic pixie dream girl?
Basically, a manic pixie dream girl (can we just call it MPDG for the rest of this post?) is a character who exists solely to open up the eyes of a man. All their personality traits center around this one mission, and this is their only purpose in the story. They’re usually “quirky” and full of energy and life.
(I would give some examples, but I looked some up and I didn’t know any of them, so . . . yeah. XD Although I suppose that in a way, Glinda from Wicked is kind of a MPDG???)
The man who coined the term, Nathan Rabin, described it as existing “solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” Source
I think you can probably see why people don’t like this character trope. Characters that exist solely for the main character’s benefit, with no motivation or desires of their own, don’t feel real, and they come across as annoying or stupid.
But I’m going to make a case FOR the MPDG - I think that, like most tropes, if you do it correctly, it can make for a really interesting character. XD
In short: I think to have a successful MPDG-type character, you have to make them just like any other character. Give them their own desires, fears, misbeliefs, motivations, and personality beyond “helping the male protagonist.”
I’m sure that was a mind-blowing concept to everyone. XD
And I think Kaori Mizayono is a perfect example of a MPDG done right.
(In case you haven’t seen the show, here’s a warning of MAJOR SPOILERS for THE FINAL EPISODE. If you have ANY intentions of watching the show, you need to click off now. Thank you for reading! <3)
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All right, I know you haven’t finished the show, but you are very brave to continue on. I’m not holding anything back.
Here we go.
At first glance, Kaori seems like a typical MPDG. She’s quirky in nearly every sense of the word. She does strange things to live life to the fullest, and she DEFINITELY shoves our main character Kousei out of his monochrome world. Some examples:
Today, I’m bringing the analysis of Your Lie in April that nobody asked for, but I kept promising anyways. XD I struggled for a looooong time on what to discuss - there’s a lot I could talk about, from Kousei’s internal conflict (which I LOVE) to the *cough* ending *cough*.
But all of those are either depressing or way too spoiler-y.
And I want to discuss something I sometimes see in a character tropes or archetypes list: the manic pixie dream girl.
First and foremost, what is a manic pixie dream girl?
Basically, a manic pixie dream girl (can we just call it MPDG for the rest of this post?) is a character who exists solely to open up the eyes of a man. All their personality traits center around this one mission, and this is their only purpose in the story. They’re usually “quirky” and full of energy and life.
(I would give some examples, but I looked some up and I didn’t know any of them, so . . . yeah. XD Although I suppose that in a way, Glinda from Wicked is kind of a MPDG???)
The man who coined the term, Nathan Rabin, described it as existing “solely in the fevered imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach broodingly soulful young men to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures.” Source
I think you can probably see why people don’t like this character trope. Characters that exist solely for the main character’s benefit, with no motivation or desires of their own, don’t feel real, and they come across as annoying or stupid.
But I’m going to make a case FOR the MPDG - I think that, like most tropes, if you do it correctly, it can make for a really interesting character. XD
In short: I think to have a successful MPDG-type character, you have to make them just like any other character. Give them their own desires, fears, misbeliefs, motivations, and personality beyond “helping the male protagonist.”
And I think Kaori Mizayono is a perfect example of a MPDG done right.
(In case you haven’t seen the show, here’s a warning of MAJOR SPOILERS for THE FINAL EPISODE. If you have ANY intentions of watching the show, you need to click off now. Thank you for reading! <3)
...
...
...
...
All right, I know you haven’t finished the show, but you are very brave to continue on. I’m not holding anything back.
Here we go.
At first glance, Kaori seems like a typical MPDG. She’s quirky in nearly every sense of the word. She does strange things to live life to the fullest, and she DEFINITELY shoves our main character Kousei out of his monochrome world. Some examples:
- Jumping off a bridge because she wanted to try it and convincing Kousei to follow her (the bridge wasn’t too high up, don’t worry)
- Setting off fireworks on top of the school (??? I think it was on top of the school, anyways???)
- Pestering Kousei to be her accompanist for days, which involved taping sheet music on his locker, piano, textbooks, and every other available surface
- Chasing after a cat for the first minute or so of the show
During the first ten episodes or so, we only see the bright, perky side of Kaori’s personality. Sure, there are a few hints to some deeper stuff, but for the most part, our impression of Kaori is all, “I AM GOING TO MAKE YOU HAPPIER, KOUSEI, EVEN IF IT MEANS MAKING YOU UNCOMFORTABLE.”
And I think this is okay. For the most part, we see things through Kousei’s eyes. It wouldn’t make sense for him to suddenly know all her internal conflict. Besides, the few short scenes we see of her hidden side make things more mysterious and suspenseful.
You don’t have to dump all a character’s secrets at once - in fact, hiding them can even make things more interesting. Just make sure that the audience knows that they’re not one-dimensional, if that makes any sense? Give hints to different traits the character has.
After the first ten episodes or so, Kaori's character depth begins to be shown to the audience, and her character arc begins to shine.
And if you have a MPDG character that is a major character, I would encourage you to consider giving them a character arc of their own, not just letting them stay stagnant. Not only does it make them more interesting, but it also makes the audience feel that they have a greater purpose.
If you’ve seen the show, you know how this arc goes down: Kaori begins getting sicker and sicker from a secret, unnamed illness. The sicker she gets, the more hope she loses, and she gradually just . . . stops living vicariously?
Through his piano-playing, Kousei gives her drive to try to live as long as possible, so she opts to try the risky surgery that might extend her life. And . . . she doesn't make it.
*cue the GIANT SOBBING MESS that was me when this happened*
*I am still not okay*
*but anyways*
And, ironically, it's through her death that we finally understand her full character, her "why."
Because your MPDG NEEDS a "why." Their actions need to make sense in the grand context of things. Why are they being so supportive of the main character? What are they trying to achieve?
Kaori is such an interesting character because she has her own motivations, desires, fears, you name it. And although it’s not obvious from the start, there’s a reason why she helps Kousei.
Kaori has struggled with an illness for most of her life, but only recently has she discovered that she’s probably going to die from it. Her biggest fear is not being remembered, which can be seen with this quote of hers that she thinks before she performs:
This fear of being forgotten drives nearly everything she does, from playing her violin with passion to trying to impact Kousei, her secret crush and the person who inspired her to become a musician. She asks him several times if he thinks he’ll forget about her, because she’s terrified that this person who is so special to her won’t even remember she existed.
Since she knows that her life won’t last longer, she also lives life without regrets - jumping off a bridge, eating tons of pastries, et cetera.
And since she’s struggling with hopelessness as the show goes on, a lot of her motivational quotes could be her convincing herself to keep going.
In other words, every single one of those “quirky” characteristics of a MPDG is explained, and they add to her character in a significant and powerful way.
THAT is how you do a MPDG properly. You can still have a character that serves to change and impact your main character - as long as their motivations make sense, and as long as they have a life separate from the main character. And this will make them memorable, interesting - real.
So, that’s my analysis of Your Lie in April! I hope it made sense, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you get a chance, you should watch the showeven though I basically spoiled it all for you XD. There’s a lot more to this show than just the MPDG aspect. :D
And also, you’re going to cry.
A lot.
-Nicole <3
Through his piano-playing, Kousei gives her drive to try to live as long as possible, so she opts to try the risky surgery that might extend her life. And . . . she doesn't make it.
*cue the GIANT SOBBING MESS that was me when this happened*
*I am still not okay*
*but anyways*
And, ironically, it's through her death that we finally understand her full character, her "why."
Because your MPDG NEEDS a "why." Their actions need to make sense in the grand context of things. Why are they being so supportive of the main character? What are they trying to achieve?
Kaori is such an interesting character because she has her own motivations, desires, fears, you name it. And although it’s not obvious from the start, there’s a reason why she helps Kousei.
Kaori has struggled with an illness for most of her life, but only recently has she discovered that she’s probably going to die from it. Her biggest fear is not being remembered, which can be seen with this quote of hers that she thinks before she performs:
Will it reach them?
This fear of being forgotten drives nearly everything she does, from playing her violin with passion to trying to impact Kousei, her secret crush and the person who inspired her to become a musician. She asks him several times if he thinks he’ll forget about her, because she’s terrified that this person who is so special to her won’t even remember she existed.
Since she knows that her life won’t last longer, she also lives life without regrets - jumping off a bridge, eating tons of pastries, et cetera.
And since she’s struggling with hopelessness as the show goes on, a lot of her motivational quotes could be her convincing herself to keep going.
In other words, every single one of those “quirky” characteristics of a MPDG is explained, and they add to her character in a significant and powerful way.
THAT is how you do a MPDG properly. You can still have a character that serves to change and impact your main character - as long as their motivations make sense, and as long as they have a life separate from the main character. And this will make them memorable, interesting - real.
So, that’s my analysis of Your Lie in April! I hope it made sense, and I hope you enjoyed it. If you get a chance, you should watch the show
And also, you’re going to cry.
A lot.
-Nicole <3
Do any of you write MPDGs? Have you seen Your Lie in April? What did you think about Kaori’s character arc? Let’s talk!
