Una voz silenciosa: Koe No Katachi

Have always been a big fan of anime, particularly Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki without restricting myself to just them (some of my favourites are actually without either involved).

Any film dealing with bullying and its consequences deserves to be applauded for the effort. Bullying, often stemming from something that should be a non-issue but turns out to be an easy target for bullies (for examples if your parents disallow you to play a popular video game for obvious reasons, if you have a posh accent, if you listen to and perform classical music, if you have a physical or social disability, false rumours spread about you, if you were a hard-worker rather than somebody who messed about and disrespected substitute teachers) is something that is very much relevant still and has damaging effects, it is an issue that needs to be addressed and acted upon much more than it is. This is coming from somebody who suffered merciless bullying myself in school, for all the above reasons apart from the first (in my case my school did nothing about it too), and nearly a decade on it has damaged my confidence/self-esteem, made me feel worthless and made my already bad anxiety worse despite getting a degree in music and singing regularly.

So as one can probably tell, 'A Silent Voice' really resonated with me on an emotional level. At the same time, it also really made me think and see that there is much more to the issue, the bully, the witnesses and the victim than one would tend to perceive. 'A Silent Voice' also turned out to be a very good film in its own right. It isn't flawless, some of the supporting characters are under-explored and in a few cases inconsistently and one-dimensionally written and some of the story jumps around and doesn't always feel complete.

Despite being over two hours, didn't think it was too long considering the number of characters and their stories. If anything, perhaps 'A Silent Voice' would have been even better as a series which would have solved the problems.

On the other hand, 'A Silent Voice' has an awful amount to recommend. Great isn't a strong enough word to describe the animation. Rich in meticulous background and character detail, atmospheric and ethereal in colour schemes and alive to nuances in its use of settings and character gestures and expressions, it becomes a character of its own and there are some memorable images throughout like towards the end. The music has whimsy, haunting beauty and understatement, while not overbearing the drama and letting it speak when needed. The song is catchy.

The writing is thought-provoking and contemplative, doing it in a way that will make bullying victims and those who bullied alike identify with what is said. A lot of it is remarkably insightful, and even when the film was really resonating with me it taught me a lot about an issue that isn't as black and white as perceived. The story has its issues but has a strong emotional core, with the truly powerful and touching ending leaving me shell-shocked.

Not often does one find themselves rooting for a bully as well as the victim, 'A Silent Voice' is one of those rarities. The voice acting is dynamic.

In summary, not perfect but very well done. 8/10 Bethany Cox

A Silent Voice Is more than just a really good high school romantic drama. It is a captivating love story that deals with depression and friendship in a remarkably relatable way.

Without spoiling too much. I just really appreciate the believably of most of the film. Unlike Your Name where I found some parts to be overly cheesy or slow paced. A Silent Voice offers up nice character development and introduces a whole array of interesting side characters to the plot.

I do really like the idea of having a deaf friend. I've often thought about what that would be like and the whole learning sign language and writing on a book to communicate. It offers a-not often seen- perspective of that life. I found it quite invigorating and motivating to step up my own life.

There's nothing more cruel and twisted than a bully destroying the life of an innocent, just because of how different they are to everyone else. Having, well had, a deaf family member allowed this tragic high school drama to shroud me in a wave of familiarity. Not necessarily due to the absence of a human sense and how to deal with it, but the actions of bullying that I myself may have delivered to others at a naively young age.

Yamada and Kyoto Animation have produced one of the finest modern anime features in the last decade, enough to make me realise my erroneous judgements and how they have affected my so-called friends at the time. After nearly committing suicide, Shoya reflects back to his elementary school days where he bullied a young Shoko for her deafness. Having realised his insensitive approach, he attempts to make amends by befriending her and apologising.

This review may get personal, apologies in advance. Watching bullying makes me physically wretch. No one should be afflicted with that much pain and solidarity for being themselves. I've realised that for so long, believe me, as I myself was a bully. I even contacted my "friend" a few years ago to apologise profusely. But quite rightly, I received no response. Just an indication that it had been "read". In this story, Shoya represents me. So to witness the first act, whilst shedding a few tears almost instantly, was a hard-hitting yet tantalisingly emotional experience. The verbal, physical and downright inhumane abuse that Shoko received was enough to make me look away.

Overwhelmed with tainted reminiscence, Yoshida does not shy away from the original manga's poignant message. Transforming a grotesque bully into the sympathetic protagonist was always going to be tough. The audience has to feel his weakened mentality and earnest personality into wanting to right the wrongs he caused. Yoshida wrote every single character with a colossal amount of humanity. Never did it feel artificial, his longing for redemption. Never did it exhume desperation, the suicidal tendencies for the sake of melodrama. Never did it feel forced, the tangible romance blossoming between Shoya and Shoko. Beautifully written, gorgeously realised and touchingly human. The medium of anime rarely exceeds this level of writing. The sheer realism embedded within the animation made me weep tears atleast four times. Heck, I'm getting emotional just writing about the film! God damn!

Kyoto Animation have really outdone themselves in terms of capitalising on the source material's drawing style. Simply put, the animation was stunning. Faultless. From the majestic urban backdrop amidst a fireworks show, metaphorically symbolising the explosive fluctuating nature of mental instability, to the wonderfully drawn character models that expressively exhume a variety of emotions. Yamada intricately orchestrated the animation to create a frenetic narrative structure, complete with time shifts and illusory visions, alluding to the haphazard thinking during times of solitude. Arguably too frantic at the best of times, especially with abrupt scene transitions, but overall very well edited by Shigemura who utilises ripples to explore the vibrational impact of character actions.

The outstanding cinematography that creatively harnessed human body parts to reveal feelings, most notably legs, was memorable to say the least. Absolutely stunning. Intuitive details, for example implanting crosses on the faces of school peers that Shoya is outcasted by, further explored this idea of solitude. And rest assured, Yoshida never ventured into unnecessary melodrama. At no point did I feel forced to like Shoya, just because he wanted to walk down the path of redemption. It was all natural progression. The romance that carefully grows between Shoya and Shoko was exceptionally-well executed. The conclusion could've been cut tighter after the coma, however the film primarily revolved around Shoya as a character-changing venture, it was only fair the ending focused on him too. Oh, and the English dub wasn't irritating! Initially I had qualms with the deafened voice of Shoko, and aside from the crying, it was handled with earnest care.

The same can be said for the entirety of this anime feature. No matter if the story is relatable to the viewer or not, it is irrefutably beautiful. You will laugh. You will smile. And yes, you will cry. It's a journey that expressively explored every emotion available, and I can safely say it's a near-masterpiece.

Jesus Christ, this movie is so sad, yet also strangely heartwarming. I was in tears throughout most of the movie. I found myself rooting for Shoko and eventually Shoya as well. I think this movie should be a requirement for children in school, as it shows the consequences of bullying and that there is redemption even for a bully.

Obviously, the writing in this is great, as well as the animation.

My only qualm with this movie was some confusion over the flashbacks. The way some scenes were cut together made it hard to decipher exactly what was happening or what had happened. This is a Japanese film so maybe this confusion has something to do with it being translated for English audiences? Either way, this confusion didn't hinder the movie too much and it was still very enjoyable to watch.

I would recommend this movie a hundred times over!

A Silent Voice (or "The Shape of a Voice") is a great addition to the "slice of life" anime of modern times. At times life affirming in its quieter moments, at other times shocking in its depiction of Japanese teen life.

Egged on by his school mates, Shoya bullies the newly arrived Shoko, who happens to be deaf. Perceived to be receiving special treatment, and being different (a crime in Japanese society), Shoko is fair game for any number of cruelties. Until it goes too far.

This movie then takes a different approach. Instead of showing the bullied person's return to strength, it shows the traumatised bully (and his cohorts) as he seeks to recover from the horror he put Shoko through. You may balk at the thought, but the paths of Shoya and Shoko are explored in their later high school lives, both being treated sympathetically.

The animation is beautiful, the script manages to avoid typical Japanese cliche, and the story takes some shocking turns without relying on trite misery or emotional manipulation. If you miss Ghibli, give this a watch. You'll be happy to know the spirit of great Japanese animation lives on.