A reserved and classical piano player Kaoru Nishimi had just recently transferred to a Kyushu high school. Due to the constant movement of his family, he lost all hopes of blending and fitting into his new environment. That is until he meets a delinquent named Sentarou Kawabuchi. Sentarou's endless love for the jazz genre piqued Kaoru's interest. Slowly but surely, he started to play the piano for the sake of jazz. With his skills, he realised that he had the power to bring joy to others listening to his music. Sakamachi is a story about the relationships that forms through the power of music.

Sakamachi is quite similar to Shigatsu in the way that we see an uninspired musician finding joy in playing his instrument again. Aided by another individual, the characters manage to play music that not only transforms their audience, but themselves as well. Whereas Shigatsu emphasizes love, Sakamichi emphasizes friendship but both uses music as a catalyst for forming relationships. Both music animes taught us that music is the expression of the soul and how through using music, we can understand ourselves better. This is clearly seen when the music in both animes also portrays the emotions of the characters. Definitely a must try if you loved Shigatsu!

Haruki Kitahara's beloved light music club was about to be disbanded. With the dissolvent of the club, so too does his dreams of playing at the stage of the school festival. Powerless and unsure of what to do, Haruki strummed along to a piece named White Album. Little does he know that this piece was about to be the first piece he would ever play. As soon as he does that, an unknown voice began to harmonize and resonate with this guitar. This inspiring, ad hoc performance marks the beginning of Haruki's dreams.

Both White Album 2 and Shigatsu use music as a plot device to progress the story as well as the relationship between characters. White Album 2 purely focuses on the romance genre though not as tragic. Both protagonists are also struggling in an aspect in their lives when a female protagonist comes along and changes their outlook on life. OSTs wise, both uses music to express the character's feelings and emotions and eventually, how it harnesses the power to transform individual lives. While not as tragic as Shigatsu, White Album 2 is equally as popular and you should definitely give it a try!

Giftias are android robots that are created to possess human emotions. The downside to this is that they come with a fixed expiry date. Thereafter, all of their memories are wiped clean. Tsukasa Mizugaki had failed his college entrance exams but because of his connections, he manages to secure a job with a corporation that deals with Giftias. Particularly, Tsukasa is assigned to collect Giftias that have lapsed their service time. His partner, Isla also happens to be a Giftias. Both of them will have to come to terms with their feelings for each other before she is finally put to rest.

Although Plastic Memories does not use music as a central theme, one of the themes exhibited in Shigatsu is extremely depicted well in Plastic Memories. The theme of tragic love is heavily explored in this anime. Both animes shares the same deep level of character development in order for the concept to be fully realised. Instead of music, the emotion of love is used as the plot device to showcase its transformative effects on a human. Despite being a story of tragic love, the story does have quite a positive ending and effect for the main protagonist similar to Shigatsu.

Kahoko Hino is a student enrolled in one of the most prestigious school. Divided into 2 sections - the Normal Branch which she is in, and the Music Branch. However, Kahoko does not possess any musical knowledge until the appearance of a fairy named Lili. She was bestowed a magical violin that plays directly from her emotions. Due to this encounter, Kahoko became the only Normal student to play in the musical competition organized by the school. Now, she becomes embroiled in a competition amongst fellow competitors and her peers.

Kiniro no Corda explores the struggles of being a musician. Likewise in Shigatsu, where its characters are shown to be in internal conflict with their play style, Kiniro emphasizes on the importance of using feelings and emotions to play a piece. The protagonists for both animes also feature a violinist. The romantic aspect was not touched in Kiniro, but the level of music chosen for the anime beautifully complements the story line as well with classical music being the choice and style of music used. If you're a fan of music anime and the musical component of Shigatsu, you can give Kiniro a try!

A recital is held every year at Shirahamazaka High School for music students to showcase their musical talents. Konatsu Miyamoto was a choir student but because of her performance in the previous year, she had since been barred from taking part in this recital. Earnest and sincere however, she sets up a second choir to pursue her dreams. Konatsu realises that it is harder than she thought. She has to reach the minimum number of students to form a club. Will she be able to find the people she needs and become good enough to sing at the recital this year?

Tari Tari is a touching story on how singing in unison has the effect of bringing a group together as well. Once again like Shigatsu, it shows us the transformative effects of music in developing and nurturing ourselves. Wakanai Sakai in Tari Tari also shares the jaded view of music and has since sworn off it. But with circumstances and a little push, she comes back stronger than ever and even more inspiring than ever. Truly, music has become synonymous with the human emotions such that it breaks the boundaries of words. If you loved the effect that music has on the protagonists in Shigatsu, Tari Tari has a similar plot to showcase the effects of music.

Chiaki Shinichi is a perfectionist in the field of music. With his talents, he aims to play amongst the virtuosos in Europe. His life was about to change with his meeting with Noda Megumi - a free spirited pianist who simply can't follow the music sheets. Chiaki is baffled at Megumi's take on music and is appalled by her. However, Chiaki starts to change when he hears her playing every time. The music, although the same piece, sounds and feels different. Is this difference in playing due to skills or can it be something else that makes it sounds magical? He will have all the time to find out as he finds out that Megumi happens to be his neighbour, adding to his chagrin.

Nodame does not have the same tragic love concept in Shigatsu. However, it utilizes music to further the blossoming relationship between the two protagonists. We see similar characters like the perfect and pianist and the free-spirited musician that changes the outlook and perspective of music for the former. Similarly, it showcases how injecting emotions into a score transform it into music. Both animes revolve around music and the pieces selected fits the mood perfectly. Nodame like Shigatsu is an inspiration to budding musicians and is a must watch if you love the music genre!