A Silent Voice is a coming-of-age romantic, teen drama movie with a heavy emphasis on the meaning of life, not your own but the people around you. Originally released in 2016 it’s still worth a watch in late 2022.
Deafness becomes a metaphor for isolation and miscommunication in the Japanese anime “A Silent Voice,” which tracks the fracturing friendships in a school class when a hearing-impaired girl enters the mix. Narcissism, self-loathing, secret crushes, and longing for acceptance all the trademarks of puberty are vividly evoked in beguiling hand-drawn visuals. Moreover, the film boasts a fresh and engaging approach to tackling the ubiquitous Japanese subject of school bullying from the perspective of the bully rather than the victim. Sometimes, Yamada is so finely tuned to the adolescent mindset that the narrative becomes choked with conflicting emotions. Still, by narrating the entire story from the viewpoint of protagonist Shoya Ishida, audiences can peer into his troubled, often defensive psyche, daring them to continue to empathize with him even when his behavior is inexcusable.
In fact, the film opens with the high school boy attempting to commit suicide but doesn’t connect the dots till the second half. Set in Oima’s hometown Ogaki, in Gifu Prefecture, the story proper begins at elementary school when Shoko Nishymiya arrives as a transfer student. The teacher encourages the class to befriend her, but after a few half-hearted efforts, everyone soon tires of having to communicate by writing in her notebook. In a few casual scenes, the film traces how social ostracization doesn’t happen overnight but begins with the victim’s ‘difference’ which triggers minor irritation, impatience, and eventually intolerance.
Even more insidious is the peer pressure at work, such as with Shoya’s buddy Shimada who never initiates but laughs along with his pranks, Naoha Ueno who’s a willing accomplice, and Miki Kawai whose insincere protestations of Shoko’s behalf only egg the bullies on. When Shoko,
who’s finally had enough, flares up in one scene, the impact is heart-stopping. The film’s unflinching depiction of teenagers’ covert cruelty culminates in a riveting turning point when Shoya realizes that whatever goes around comes around. The advantage of the audience experiencing this from Shoya’s vantage point is that one sees the psychological impact of bullying that it scars the bully as much as the victim. While Shoya is consumed by anger from the start, the later part of the film slowly chips away at his outward persona to reveal his unconventional family background and other insecurities vis-a-vis his more popular classmates.
The saga continues five years later when the protagonists have gone on to different high schools. Shoya, who’s become a loner, unwitting wins the undying loyalty of Nagatsuka, a bullied boy, who helps him reconnect with Shoko. Since Shoko’s still got a chip on her shoulder about her disability, Shoya tries to re-assemble the old gang from junior school. Sadly, the reunion only rips open old wounds and reignites rivalries.
Illustration supervisor Futoshi Nishiya reportedly tried to create a style that’s somewhere between super-realism and Deforme. The lush, softly outlined hand-drop of rivers and bridges showcases Ogaki’s reputation as a City of Water, while his pretty character designs provide impressive continuity through hairstyles and body language as they transition from tween to teenager. Although the movie’s midsection could do with some tightening, Kengo Shigemura’s editing is racy and cinematic. The lightly electronic vibe from composer Kensuke Ushio concocts just the right mixture of peppy and romantic.
The Japanese title, which means “The Shape of Voice,” reflects the central theme that communication and bonding can take many forms. A silent voice is a movie about the hardships of a bully who got bullied and wants to end it all after trying to live with that but he finds a reason to do so which shows exactly how people with suicidal tendencies would feel. When they are at the bottom of their life. Many people who watch this movie for the first time would think that this movie was about a guy falling in love with a girl but it takes a second watching to understand it’s a movie about a guy falling in love with life itself
