Just finished watching Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso.
Let me start with what I think is its most noteworthy characteristic: the direction. This was very well directed, and I think this is fundamentally why it is so widely praised. It was superior in other technical respects as well. I liked the character designs. Production quality was solid. The first OP and the second ED were my favourite songs.
Having said the above, I didn't really enjoy Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso personally. It never engaged me on an emotional level. This is a matter of personal taste so don't get butthurt. I didn't like or engage with any of the characters. The blonde homewrecker in particular I found rather unlikable. Generally speaking I don't enjoy het romance. Again, personal taste; this paragraph is basically a diary entry.
In my experience there are two fundamental mechanisms by which an anime achieves greatness. 1. Emotional engagement & 2. Artistic merit. Having failed to satisfy mechanism #1 I sought to evaluate #2. However in this respect this anime falls short. In my view it is devoid of creativity. Both visually and musically it was not unique or memorable. Artistic merit is something a value tremendously, personally.
Overall this was a 7/10 for me. I tried to keep my expectations low going in. I don't regret watching it.
The direction was excellent. However this is unfortunately the only noteworthy aspect of Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso.