A Silent Voice - Reviews

We as humans in this world has so much to think about. Like to be a good person, who we are as people, what we are meant to be, how we are supposed to behave and interact with people, what you do right and wrong. So many things that one as a human has to think about and figure out throughout our short time on this earth. However sometimes we get stuck on the small things and can't get out of the chain of thoughts and ideas. And when that happens we start to disconnect from the rest of humanity, staying in our own head not being able to get out of it. That is the feelings that lead me into social anxeity and depression. So few films and animes adapt this feelings well onto the screen. Its, after all, easier to adapt happiness and joy than hardships that tackles problems with suicidal thoughts and depression.

This film did that very well, showing how hard it can be to be young and how disabilities can cause more than just physical limitations. How life forces you to tackle the problems you  carry so that you can move on and live your life. But it also show you that nothing in life should hinder you to live, to have fun and that there always exists solutions. 

The Story

The story centers around a young man named Shoya Ichiya. When he was younger he bullied the new girl in school. He bullied a deaf girl named Shoko Nishimiya. After month of bulling her however it goes to far and it comes back to bite him, causing his friends, that once had stood beside him and laughed, turned their backs on him, letting him take all the blame himself.

The movie however is not set in this past for long as the story is actually more about the aftermath of both being a bully and the one getting bullied. It is a story about how things change and that people shouldn't stay in the past when its causes them to forget that they still have a life to live. Shoya grows up to have social axiety, not being able to make friends and not able to look other people in the eyes. He even decides that his life is worth nothing after all the things he did as a kid and want to commit suicide. But when he meets Shoko again he finds a way to continue living and this time making sure that he does it right. 

The story is complex and so rich in how its told. It's both beautiful and yet so dark in the subjects it tackles. But however dark the things is, it is also needed. Even if things are hard to talk about, they are things that need to be said. You care about the results, the journey and the feelings in the movie, and that is why the story is great. You feel for Shoya as much as you care for Shoko, both are having a shitty life and both deserve to be happy, and when you finish the movie you can lean back and feel that the goal was reached.

The Characters

Lets start it of with my favorite character. Shoya Ichiya. At the start of the story you see the older Shoya walk around within the city, deleting his Phone client, taking out money to give to his mother. Simply tieing everything together so that he can commit suicide, without feeling that he left something bad behind. Why tho? Because he suffers from social anxiety and depression, causing him to not being able to start friendships and other such stuff. Not only that, after everything that happened with Shoko, he was left alone by every one of his old friends. And after that never got the chance to redeem himself.
In the beginning you do find him mean and start to dislike the horrible things he does to a person, the reason being that he simply don't understand her. He seem to have a feeling that he has to prove something to his friends, and so does the things he does. When that hits back however you feel for him, and that leads you to also understand why he has the problems he carries. That one thing he did when he was a kid also stopped him from growing up and letting go of his past. 

The anxiety he has forces him to learn sign language, after all, he cant watch people in the eyes anymore. And so when he meats Shoko again he finally understand what she tried to ask him so many years prior. 

Throughout the movie you start to sympathise with him, and even tho he had done bad things, he tried to make all that up for her sake. But old friends and worries comes back over and over again to stand in his way. Stopping him from being able to aid Shoko and selfheal. 

Than we have Shoko. However much you feel for her, you also want her to start standing up for herself. You want her to be brave and be proud of the hardships she's able to take everyday. It takes some time for that to happen tho but when it does, you feel that the journey wasn't only for Shoya but for her aswell. 
Shoko is deaf and she's always blamed herself for the things others do. Whether it be bulling her or if they fight because of her, leading her, like Shoya, into a depression. That doesnt stop her from trying her best. Like starting to talk, even tho it's hard for people the understand, to make it easier for others to communicate with her. She is a kind and warmhearted young girl that just want people to be happy. Her bond with Shoya is giving her strength throughout the movie and shows her that it's okay to stand up for yourself and not always take the shit people throw at you.

Shoko has a younger sister that aids her in as many ways has she can. Yuzuru even stops going to school, just to be able to look after her sister during her studies. In the beginning she hinders Shoya from getting contact with Shoko, but after realizing that the boy from 5 years ago has changed and that his not going to hurt her beloved sister, Yuzuru soon warms up to him, even aiding him in getting closer to Shoko. She supports them both and just want her sister to find happiness and not be stuck in her own head. Their mother is tough and heard headed, which gives the sisters a hard time. Making Yuzuru feel like she is the one to blame for some of the bad things that happens to Shoko.

The last person that I'm going to mention is Naoka Ueno. If you find the things Shoya does horrible, than just you wait for the grown up Naoka. She was one of the friends that abandond and bullied Shoko and Shoya. The problem arises when you notice this - Shoya changed his ways bacause he got caught, however, Naoka never got any problems from the bulling. Therefor when she meets Shoya and Shoko later, she immediately goes back to her old ways. But this time gets stopped by Shoya, which irritates her, setting her of as the worst kind of person. She can't accept that Shoko gets the happy high school life, and Shoya got bullied and gets to suffer for it. She hates the "innocent farce" that Shoko puts up and tries her best in making Shoko understand what a burden she is to everyone. 

The cast is great in this one. The different personalities, the reason for the group to come together. The importance the friendship has for each and one of them. These are just four characters, there are more and all are important in some way to the outcome of the story and main characters. The friend, the one that thinks she's innocent, the new guy, the girl that fled. All of them are important for their own reasons. They all contribute and gives the already great movie an even greater purpose.

The Animation

The movie was created from the Kyoto Animation and of course looks great. Its subtle and beautiful. The lighting and feelings is spot on. It changes based on the tone of the scenes and enchances the experiance of the movies messege. Of course Kyoto Animation could handle this movie so perfectly, after all, it is the studio responisble with so many incredibly emotional and heavy series like Clannad, Kanon and Air. The pinacle (according to me) of sad and emotionall anime throughout the years. Not just the story is important when it comes to telling a story like this, the cinematography and design is just as important, as well as the attention to small details. All of this is also important for the story, and if I may say so myself, I think that Kyoto animation nailed it for this one. 

The Sound

It may be hard to understand it at first but the music in more important here than in any other anime and for one reason only. Considering that the movie focuses a lot on the downsides of being deaf, the sound is a way of mirroring that emotion into the movie itself. The music is a tiny bit muffled and in other cases more unclear. And it worked, at least for me. It gave the movie even more things that enhanced the emotions and focus of the story. The music is not the only thing. The attention to the overall sound is greatly done. Sometimes I noticed that the sounds where quiet and at others you could hear the detail that the creators had put on, for example, the footsteps or something falling. 

All these attention to details is why the movie is great. Its not only about how you tell the story or the animation. But the smaller things, the things that we may not notice, but that is put in there for the people that may. For that I give this movie praise.

Overall and lastly I wanna see more of these kind of anime movies! I want the anime community to keep on giving us art like this! I can love comedy and thriller, but compared to that, this sort of storytelling is so much more difficult to make. To create something that actually touches you and show you the thruth of humans is rare. Not everybody dear to risk it. Something so honest, true and beautiful is not common and yet here we are, and the movie is truly great. It may not come from Hiyao Miyazaki, but that just proves that anybody can create magic. Anybody can make something beautiful and nothing can stop you from doing the things you are meant to do. Don't get stuck in the negative and pessimistic line of though, look deep inside and find the pride, the optimisim, the postive and the strength. Bring it all out and show the world that you ain't afraid of it, and that nothing is impossible.

Give it a go! A challange - You will cry!

I rarely see movies due to the fact that I felt I shouldn't watch them, because they're short and I feel that it would be a waste of time if I watched it. A silent voice just cured my disease, gave me 10/10 satisfaction, taught me lots of things (i'm pretty related to the mc in a LOT of stuff), and gave me another anime like yahari ore no seishun love comedy.

My favorite genre for anime is romance. Romance has a wide variety of plots, is vivid, and has a lot of high quality anime. My favorite kinds of anime are anime like A Silent Voice, Toradora, and yahari ore no seishun love comedy. Why is it my favorite you ask? Well for one thing the mc's all have very similar things in common.

Now time for the actual review. I gave the story a 9.1/10, because I felt it had some plot holes. I mean what happens after the festival? Do they hook up and get married? Who are the couples? WHERE'S THE DAMN OVA? This is the thing I hate about anime they give you cliffhangers and you feel empty afterwards. Like in yahari where the scene just stopped at the bridge, and toradora, toradora is different it has an ova.

The animation was a 10/10 nuff said. The author added vivid images that express the plot perfectly from start to end. While in other movies the quality begins to fade off in some parts.

The sound was also a 10/10. But it's not an 11/10 like Aomines voice from kuroko no basket. :P The sound was perfect and it wasn't just some cheap sounds that they spent such little time on.

The characters were a 10/10. I'm saying it's a 10/10, not because I necessarily love all the characters, but because it's a perfect idea of representing people in today's time and they don't have that weird side character.

Overall, it's a 10/10 from me. However, I would like to see at least a 4 episode ova showcasing what happens after and have the relationships develop

Anime Review #3 - Koe no Katachi / A Silent Voice

[ Completed Anime on tuesday 19-01-22 ]

omg im feeling many things after this one bois.♡

So I finally got around to watching this film after it’s been sitting in my ‘want to watch’ section and omg my heart is so warm and soft! This review is going to contain SPOILERS, by the way, so if you have not seen the film, I don't suggest you continue reading this review. Now with that out of the way, I just wanted to explain my initial thoughts of the film before we dive in. Having seen only the trailer and not knowing much else about the film other than how popular it was, I had no idea what I was getting into with this one. But wow can I just say how touching this film was! It discussed serious topics such as bullying, depression, and suicide while still maintaining a thoughtful, heart-warming, and relatable story centered mainly around 2 different classmates and how they come to realize how similar they are once getting to know one another (and fall in love). This film was so wholesome I have to admit I was wiping away tears at some parts that just hit so close to home. There are sad moments and cute moments in this film but if you're scared of getting attached to these characters only to be left with a sad ending, i promise you’ll be okay with this one! (it’s a happy ending!)♡ 

EDIT: Also, I watched this film in ‘english subtitles’ because I prefer watching films such as this with japanese voice actors (idk it makes it feel more authentic and personal? to me) so I’m only discussing my thoughts on the english sub, NOT dub!!! (just incase the dub is shit i’m adding this bit here lol)~

The plot: A young girl named Shouko Nishimiya transfers to a new elementary school and the class comes to find out that she cannot hear. Nishimiya is deaf and chooses to communicate with her classmates using a notebook and pens. Of course, some students in the class find her to be weird and ‘disgusting’ because of her disability so she soon becomes a victim of bullying by her peers. One of her bullies is a boy named Shouya Ishida who goes out of his way to make fun of Nishimiya with his friends. Soon the bullying becomes too much for Nishimiya when she ends up having her hearing aid stolen and destroyed by her peers 8 different times, so she ends up switching schools. Years go by and Ishida is now in high school. Things are different, however, and the classmates whom Ishida was friends with before turn on him because he’s a bully (a bit hypocritical since these classmates bully Ishida soon after). Feeling isolated and alone, Ishida begins to imagine everyone with x’s over their faces since he doesn't feel like he’s capable of looking anyone in the eyes anymore. Along with this, Ishida begins planning his suicide by working hard to leave some cash for his mother for after he’s gone. On the day he’s planning to kill himself, Ishida runs into Nishimiya again at school after all these years. Feeling regretful for what he did to her in the past, Ishida tries to make it up to her by giving her her old notebook back which she accepts gratefully. This good deed leaves Ishida feeling a small sense of closure so as he’s about to jump off the bridge, something stops him before he can climb over the ledge and he returns home. What ensues next is Ishida trying to apologize to Nishimiya for what he’s done to her, as well as try to become friends with her and hopefully make some more new friends along the way. He also learns sign language and makes sure to visit Nishimiya everyday when they feed bread to the koi fish.

Main Character Time!!! *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

-Ishida: meanie bully at first >:-( grr in the beginning i really wanted to teach this punk a lesson because he was being so RUDE to cutie little Nishimiya,, but ofc he changes for the better and realizes what he did was wrong after feeling what it’s like to be bullied and isolated. I couldn’t help but start warming up to him as he got older and worked hard to provide for him family and make amends with Nishimiya while also dealing with suicidal thoughts. I related a bit to his character in the sense that having no friends really sucks and when you feel like no one truly cares about you it can be easy to come to the conclusion that all your problems will be solved if you just kill yourself.. This mentality isn’t sound and suicide is not the answer! I’m getting a bit on a tangent here but I don’t want to sound hypocritical. I’ve admittedly had thoughts of suicide on a couple of different occasions though I’ve never actually done much in actually going through with it.. Basically what i’m trying to say here is that Ishida was a refreshing character to relate to and see in a film openly struggling with suicidal thoughts as well as trying to become a better person and uhhh i .. luv him <3 !! ~~he’s a good boy and you know he’s really changed when he (SPOILERS) saved Nishimiya’s life by risking his<3 ahh so wholesome and good i STAN!!! Cute baby boy uwu uwu~

-Nishimiya: I LOVE her character yall omg. She’s so adorable with her pink hair and sweet as a button personality<3 Though she struggles with her disability constantly, she doesnt let it stop her from trying to live her life. I feel for her when she constantly apologizes and blames the misfortune of those around her on herself :/ Nishimiya is also a character I can relate to because I also know what it’s like to be bullied though not to the extent that she experienced. Constantly feeling like you need to apologize and that the world would be better if you didn’t exist, yeah that hits a bit close to home with me hah. I love how determined she is to speak even though her voice is ‘a bit funny’ <3 i think it’s adorable! She’s always so kind even to those who are nasty to her which just shows how much of a bigger, more mature person she is than them which is really respectable! Her sign language is so cute as well and I just really loved her character so much ok!!! <3 <3 <3 cutie baby!!! Also she looked adorable during that fireworks scene but sad :( that she was about to commit suicide. :( <3 i love her yall uwu

Other Characters I Enjoyed/Wanna Talk About!!!･:*:･ﾟ☆

-Nagatsuka: omg this dum broccoli head baby mustache boy was literally my fav character! He was Ishida’s first real friend and was so goddamn loyal to him omg i need me a Nagatsuka in my life<3 His character provided a bit of comic relief to lighten the serious tone and I really enjoyed him a lot!

-Uneo: Just like Ishida she is a meanie in the beginning but she doesn't change until the end end of the film. I still don't really like her character, but I thought it was sweet how she stayed and took care of Ishida in the hospital after his accident and in the end when she signed ‘stu-pid’ to Nishimiya~ that was cute since she learned sign language<3 okay!!!

-Yuzuru: Nishimiya’s boyfriend aka little sister!! We stan a short photographer queen! She cares a lot about her big sister which is wholesome and she’s very protective of her and her feelings. She doesn't hold back and always tries to remain positive and grounded. I thought she was a really cute character and I enjoyed her relationship/friendship with Ishida in the end with her going over to ask for help with her homework! Aw so cute<3 future sister/brother in law perhaps :p lol

Rating/Overall Thoughts!!♩♪♩

I decided to rate this anime an 9.5 overall! I though the plot was really interesting and touching, having been from the former bully’s perspective for a majority of the film, and it did a good job of showing how one should never belittle another person or make them feel worthless for simply being themselves. I think the film did a good job of conveying harsh emotions such as having suicidal thoughts and relating it back to how this doesn't solve your problems. People care about you regardless of what you believe during your times of weakness and one is never truly alone. Be kind to everyone because you don't know what they're dealing with. Though there are a lot of things i loved about the film, such as the characters Ishida and Nishimiya, there were some characters that i found a bit pointless and some of their actions in the film felt strange to me. Getting into specifics, I feel like Nishimiya’s mother acted a bit too emotional rather than level-headed when dealing with Ishida hanging out with Yuzuru and trying to be nice to Nishimiya. I know that what Ishida did to her daughter was horrible, but you’d think a mother would know when she’s going to far(?) if that makes sense lol.. I just feel like she should’ve seen that Ishida was trying to right his wrongs as best as he could. Like he fed Yuzuru, gave her his old shoes, and walked her home in the rain.. She didn’t have to slap him but whatever. Also I found the character Mashiba to be a bit pointless lol.. His only ‘purpose’ was to serve as Ishida gaining new friends but he was never really part of the ‘gang’ you feel me? Also I wished the Ishida x his old friends beef would’ve been solved better but ehh just a minor critic. Overall though, I really did enjoy the film and I would honestly watch it again! I also do want to read the manga at some point because I really enjoyed the characters Nishimiya and Ishida and i wish they could've at least kissed or something lol. Oh well,,, I still highly recommend this film unless you’re sensitive to bullying and suicide!!! Okay so this is the end of the review! I don’t really feel like proofreading this since it's almost midnight and ya girlie has classes tomorrow, soooooo,

that's all folks :-)

-doux

Okay, here we go ...

I’m so late to jump on this bandwagon but I couldn’t find the time to hunt around for the release and watch it but then I found it on Netflix and

LET

ME

TELL

YOU

I LOVED it.

Now, I should have known that this was just an adaptation to a manga and that the manga would, by far, exceed the story telling and character development in this movie because it would have the time to.  That being said, the movie was still unbelievably good and I would still recommend it.

Watch it.

 I have to admit it was very painful seeing shouko get bullied and I did cry at some parts because it broke my heart. Unfortunately the story is more frustrating than I would have liked and gives little satisfaction to the issues presented. Shouko is abused so much and then (spoilers) they become her friends with no remorse of the bullying or pain they caused her.

The story bases itself mostly in ishida rather than his relationship with shouko. We get very few words out of her, regardless of her being deaf I felt she wasn't given a voice or much time in the spotlight.

I felt the creators ignored shouko a bit. Most of the conversations are spoken, even shouko's family speaks to her. In real families with deaf members, the others wouldn't speak to them as it would be rude and harder to understand. 

This isn't a story about a deaf girl as I had hoped it would be, it's about the guilt a boy feels for bullying a deaf girl.