A Voz do Silêncio

A Silent Voice or Shape of Voice is a beautiful drama film about a guy who struggles to redeem his past that tackles heavy themes such as bullying.

Apparently, there are a lot of characters in this 2-hour long film. And quite a number of them I believe didn't develop to the maximum as the film concludes but it was suffice enough to convey the message that the film desires to.

However, huge compliments should be given to this film for the amazing build up before reaching its climax which is realistically intense, powerful and heartfelt that will leave you on the edge of your seat with your jaws dropped. You might as well cry, too.

The only technical thing that I didn't like in this film is that some scenes have unusual tones that don't match well with their focuses (most probably because of cultural differences). It was really odd for me.

In a nutshell, I love this film for tackling heavy themes and also for its healthy dose of drama. I believe it might be better if it's made into a series. XD

Thank you for your time!

One of the best anime movies i have ever seen. Everyone i have request watch this has cried so far and i don't blame them. This film is filled emotionally to the absolute brim, and re-watching it is somehow sadder. We are presented with a wonderful and original art style of course made by the well known Kyoto animations. This movie is a must see, a 10/10 from me.

The visual storytelling is powerful and effective soundtrack, you don't even need to read the subtitles to know what the characters are saying. But I felt sad for that girl. There is a huge shock in this movie. How people change. How much a person can be loved. As a teenager I have much more things to learn. Probably If I'll have time I will watch it twice. Even I fall in love with ANIME after watched this.

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 an emotional and beautiful movie that almost anyone can relate to in some shape or form.

The story is both heart wrenching and heartwarming, as it tackles many issues such as bullying, social anxiety, depression, and suicide. Many of the characters deal with some or all of these issues. The issues the characters deal with in the past ultimately lead them into becoming what they are in the present movie.

There are many characters in a Silent Voice with some shining more than others. Shoya is a great main protagonist who (unlike most movies) is battling something much bigger in his life, his past self. The other main character Shoko is outstanding. You can really genuinely feel all her emotions just through her facial animations alone. Other notable characters I enjoyed were Shoya's best friend Tomohiro (who brought a nice comedic presence to the film) and Shoko's little sister Yuzuru. My only problem with a Silent Voice is with a couple of side characters who show up once and a while, but don't really contribute as much to the film - this is only a small nitpick though.

The majority of the music in a Silent Voice is played only by piano making the film take a more somber tone. This makes a lot of scenes feel more peaceful and calm contradicting what many of the characters feel deep down inside. The song titled "Lit" is a beautiful piano piece that I believe would make anyone emotional, when listening to it. So I enjoyed a lot of music in a Silent Voice with a couple of songs that really stood out.

The animation in this movie is absolutely gorgeous. There's a firework scene that is beautiful, it definitely is the animation highlight in this film...it's breathtaking.

In conclusion, I absolutely love this film. Everything feels so genuine and the characters feel so real. It really feels like there was a lot of love and care put into this movie and it definitely shows. This movie made me cry and I can almost assure you that it will do the same to you. Final rating 9.510