A Silent Voice: The Movie (2016) User Reviews

This movie isn't a romance. It is a drama about depression.

[rti9-929-5803 · 8/10 · 1 June 2017]

Despite revolving around a girl who has impaired hearing, the film has as protagonist Shoya Ishida. He is a bully during his childhood, but when he becomes the victim of bullying himself he grows into a depressive teenager who loathes himself. He starts to understand Nishimiya's solitary world. Both Ishida and Nishimiya end up becoming teenagers who deeply despise themselves for all the burden they cause to their families and how painfully difficult it is to try to make friends.

An interesting scene happens when a girl confesses her love to Ishida and he is unable to comprehend what is happening. Some people might say he is too dense to misunderstand what she is clearly doing, but what I see is Ishida hates himself so much he doesn't believe anyone can love him. The concept of a person actually liking him is so alien it doesn't even comes as a possibility in his head.

Another interesting scene is when Ishida is leisurely walking and talking with some people and he asks himself if that is really OK. In his head, he has no right of being happy after everything he has done and caused. Despite trying his hardest to redeem himself, he still thinks he is worthless and unforgivable.

Don't go into this movie expecting a romance. It is a redemption story.

I felt like crying for no reason..

[D0M1N4T1NG · 9/10 · 1 December 2017]

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.

The silent beauty of a Silent Voice.

[lukesaner · 9/10 · 26 January 2018]

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

Sorry if this movie review is bad I did it for my English class

[firestorm-29625 · 9/10 · 9 March 2018]

One of my favorite movies of all time is koe no Katachi which is a Japanese animated film. I love this essay because the animation is vibrant and beautiful , the characters are fun and loveable, and the plot is quite different. The movie is about a group of grade schoolers who recently had a new student join their class but there is one problem, she is deaf. The class at first doesn't really interact with her much because of her disability and some downright don't like her. The main character in the movie named shouko is just a kid who hasn't yet been taught manners. Everyone in the class thinks he is hilarious, he is the one who harasses shoya the most by doing all sorts of terrible stuff to her. But one day he takes her hearing aid and ends up hurting her. Even though she endures all of this, she try's to be friends with everyone. Everything then comes to a stop when the principle comes to discus that shouko is being builled, and shoya is the one everyone blames even though he wasn't the only one. Shouko ends up transferring away, and the class turns against shoya. He ends up being the most hilarious to most hated, it's like night and day for Shoya. Everyone treats him like how he treated shouko telling him to get lost. He then goes on with his schooling with no friends which totally changes him, he becomes quite, introverted, and unsociable.

This movie is great because it is such an emotional movie that shows you that you should treat everyone you meet with kindness. It really humbles your ego by showing how this boy was trying to be funny but in the end no one liked him. You go from hating him to almost feeling bad for him. Even though he did all this cruel stuff to her I felt bad because everyone makes mistakes in there lives. Some mistakes are being then others which means the punishment is greater. Shoya ends up going to sign language school to try and make amends with Shouko and himself. I really liked the fact that he realizes that he messed up bad and try's repent for his sins. This movie really makes you think before you say anything in life becasue the decisions you make can drasticly affect your life for the better or good.

The animation of the movie koe no Katachi is so spectacular. The colors of this movie are very vibrant and warm even though most of the story is quite sad. This movie because of its animation has won best screen play in Japan.

Many of the characters in the movie are easy to get attached to and well put together. Each character is very unique and has its own place in the story. Without these characters the movie would have been quite bland.

The story is quite different then most storylines but I am glad it was like this because it truly puts you in a roller coaster of emotion. The movie tackles the topic of mental health, well being and as well as redemption. I feel this is a topic lots of people can relate with. This movie shows us how devastating depression and anxiety is to someone, and how even though this people have depression or unhealthy mental they are still trying to find redemption for there actions.

devastating and beautiful anime

[A_Llama_Drama · 10/10 · 21 August 2020]

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.

Jesus Christ

[sarahelizabethparker · 9/10 · 12 July 2019]

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!

Masterpiece

[alecnia · 10/10 · 22 January 2018]

To begin with, a friend of mine recommended me this movie. At first, I was skeptical about it because personally, I'm not a big fan of Anime type of movies but I decided to give it a go.

The movie is beautiful to look at. The movie is hand-drawn, and the outdoor settings and backdrops are breathtaking.

A Silent Voice is a film that had me hating throughout the first act, realizing I was wrong throughout the second act, and on the verge of tears throughout the third act, due to how well this movie does a complete 180. The story is powerful enough to have many in tears in the final sequences. Therefore, for me, "A Silent Voice" is a true piece of art.

This movie is definitely worth the time and the awards.

Everyone Deserves A Shot At Redemption

[CinemaClown · 3 October 2018]

Everyone deserves a shot at redemption at least once, especially if they are already repenting the wrongs they have done to others in the past. A Silent Voice ruminates on the issues of bullying, how it not only affects the ones directly involved but those around as well, and how the path to forgiveness is more complex than it seems.

The story of A Silent Voice (also called The Shape of Voice) concerns a high school boy who deeply regrets his elementary school days during which he bullied a deaf classmate to the point where she moves away. Shunned by his friends and living a life of a social outcast since, he tries to make amends by finding her & apologising.

Directed by Naoko Yamada, the film is narrated in non-chronological order which at times is difficult to follow since the segments aren't properly arranged. The themes of isolation, bullying, loneliness, companionship, peer pressure, regret & redemption are addressed well but the story still needed a more compact structure to deliver the desired impact.

There are times when it becomes a bit repetitive, it definitely runs a tad too long and it struggles to juggle with so many characters at once to the point that we have hard time differentiating some of them or what role they played in the event that its plot is weaved around. The animation is wonderful, voice acting is serviceable, and it's got some emotionally powerful moments in store too.

But this would have been a far more involving & emotionally rewarding experience if it had kept its focus on Shoya & Shoko for the most part. The supporting characters are given far more attention than required, making this film overlong, plus they don't even play that big a role in the final outcome either. All in all, A Silent Voice is going to impress many folks but had it trimmed the fat and streamlined the narrative, that number would've gotten some serious boost. Worth a shot anyway.

Follow up to the success of the hit anime "Your name"

[austin0731 · 7/10 · 26 March 2017]

Following the success of "Your name" we now have the next successful anime that is currently sweeping the charts of Japanese and Asian box offices. "A silent voice" captures various mature and serious topics, packed into a wonderfully animated 2 hour feature. It deals with topics such as: social anxiety, fitting in, bullying, suicide, all such that wouldn't be expected in a teenage romance/drama anime that we were led to believe. No, a silence voice tries to capture a much broader idea with a reasonable amount success.

Though the film has been heavily marketed to feature the female protagonist, a deaf girl she really isn't the centerpiece of this film, this film really takes a much more in depth look at our male protagonist, a bully. This is quite a refreshing view from the lens of someone on the other side of most modern day films and takes an unconventional look from a very interesting angle, while sidelining the romance as a brief sub-plot. This film at its core is about trying to fit in and the notion of being isolated but it was also highlighted that it was very important for one to get over their own guilt and to quite literally put in this film "face the world again".

This film does best at capturing this atmosphere, the sense of mistrust and uncertainty towards others, the use of literal crosses on the characters that our protagonist encounters to represent his own lack of self confidence and fear of social interactions was a very good stylistic choice in my opinion.

This film is however flawed mostly in the development of character, many of the secondary characters and even in some cases the main characters are quite poorly developed, many secondary characters come out of nowhere and their motives are very much unknown to the audiences and sometimes plain irrational, I understand that it was a very important thing that within this group of friends each character represents their own flaws however because of this lack of development these characters grow to be rather irritating and distracting, detracting from the overall narrative at various times. These character flaws can be understood due to the fact that this is an adaptation of a manga series and it should noted that it attempts to cram in way too much information resulting in such complications.

Probably The Best Anime Film Of 2017

[kjproulx · 9/10 · 16 October 2017]

When it comes to anime, I don't find myself watching nearly enough in order to form a list of favourites, but even if I had watched everything under the moon, I still believe A Silent Voice would make the list. This is a spectacular film from start to finish. Keep in mind, this can be a very tough film to sit through for multiple reasons, and that is exactly what I'm going to dive into throughout this review, because I feel that a few precautions should be taken when going in. Here is why A Silent Voice deserves to be seen by everyone, even though it won't please everyone.

At its core, this film is about a new student that comes into a school, who just so happens to be hearing impaired. Ishida, the school bully, taunts her to the point of tears, for audiences as well. Without ruining the impact of certain scenes, I'll just say that his actions were quite Risqué. I found myself absolutely hating his character, which was very frustrating, due to the fact that the film asks you to sympathize with him on multiple occasions. After growing up and leaving his harsh ways in the past, these two characters reconnect, forming a highly unlikely bond. A Silent Voice asks for your acceptance almost too often, but trust me, if you're in the forgiving mood, this film turns out to be extremely powerful. So that's the warning I must give you, that if you're not ready to be forgiving of a terrible actions, I'd wait until you're in the right mood to watch this movie.

Throughout Ishida's transformation from a bully to a kind-hearted human being, it wasn't just the dialogue that impacted me, but the visuals surrounding him. Every time he would pass by other people that knew him, they had X's on their face. When this aspect comes into play a little later in the movie, I'd be lying if I said it didn't move me. From beginning to hate the film for displaying a very unlikable character, this story really does a great job at winning you over, especially through it's silent, visual storytelling in the background, foreground, and even anytime that it makes it blatantly obvious.

When a movie makes you wait for it to be really good, it can be a pretty frustrating experience, but I see something different when reflecting on this film. It's all about redemption and how forgiveness is everything when you truly want to become a better person that what you were in the past. Evil is all throughout everyone, but you're not supposed to act on it. This is one of the message that I feel the movie tries to convey and I believe it's a wonderful lesson to everyone. The themes presented throughout this film are taken very seriously, so I don't think it will appeal to a younger audience, but I think older teenagers will be the perfect demographic here, for the lesson it's giving.

In the end, A Silent Voice is a film that had me hating throughout the first act, realizing I was wrong throughout the second act, and on the verge of tears throughout the third act, due to how well this movie does a complete 180. With a powerful story, a final sequences that will have many in tears, and an overall film that is worthy of awards, I can't recommend this enough. That being said, I can't get myself to give this movie a perfect score, due to the fact that I think it took a little too long to win me over. I found myself disliking the movie throughout the majority of it, until my eventual realization, which is my one warning, so I feel I won't be alone on that. A Silent Voice is one of the best movies I've seen so far this year.

Good message but the story drags

[superaryanharsha · 6/10 · 9 November 2019]

The movie contains a message on dealing with bullies and moving on with lives. I get the intention but I felt the story dragged more than it should.

The lead characters keeps on spamming the film with apologies(I am sorry, I am sorry etc.).

The consequences of bullying

[TheLittleSongbird · 8/10 · 23 November 2017]

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

Wonderful, profound themes, explored in a lethargic, unfocussed manner

[grantss · 6/10 · 26 January 2022]

A deaf girl, Shoko, joins a new school and is immediately the target of the class bully, Shoya. This causes her to leave the school and him to become ostracised by his classmates. A few years pass and Shoya sets out to find Shoko and redeem himself.

A movie with some great themes: (anti-)bullying, treatment of people with disabilities, tolerance, friendship, forgiveness and redemption. My only worry before watching this was that these would be handled in a trite, moralistic, patronising manner. Turns out the morals of the story are handled reasonably sensitively and in a non-condescending way. There are other problems though.

It started quite well, showing the background to the issue between Shoko and Shoya, building an engagement with the characters and a degree of intrigue around how Shoya would resolve the issue. However, from a point the plot just drifts. By this time there's already a large degree of resolution to proceedings and it's as if the writer and director were just padding the script.

Some of the sub-plots they use to kill time are a bit silly and some of the characters introduced a bit irritating. I was then hoping for a final portion to the film that then regained focus and tied everything up but this didn't happen. While there are one or two emotional moments the film fizzles out, rather than ends on a high note.

A pity, as this had heaps of potential, was very well-meant and started very well.

Just don't get all the fuss around this movie...

[Shmaden · 5/10 · 31 August 2019]

I was looking forward to this movie since everyone has been praising it for beeing even better than "Your Name". Having seen it, that comparison makes me puke!

Once the movie started I was immediately captured by the interesting plot and the appearance of the deaf little girl. Then the bully starts bullying her and the way the movie handels that is somewhat cliched. He just bullies her and the movie cuts from scene to scene without showing any proper motivation for the "Shoya" character. Then the movie cuts after a few years... don't know how much since the people who made this movie didn't bother to let me know... and we meet Shoya after the events that were shown in the beginning of the movie (which let you to believe it was a clever scene from the end placed at the beginning like in "Your Name". Not the case here anyway) as he finds Shoko again and asks her to be friends again. That was again a very nice and touching scene. But that is where the movie broke from for me. It brings characters that are older that apparently were in the same class as Shoya and hopes I would remember all of them of care about them at this point in the movie, when I'm more interested in the dynamic between Shoko and Shoya. From there the movie became so boring for me. I was constantly asking myself "what good does this and this and this scene for the movie?" and aside from other 3 fine scenes: the first where Shoko tries to tell Ishida that she loves him (more about that later), the second where Shoko jumps and Shoya saves her only to fall himself down in the river and the bridge scene at the end, I was bored almost to tears by this movie. I know it tried to depict depression and the way people feel when they are being bullied but the movie could have portrayed that in a more smooth way. Then comes my biggest issue with this movie, and that is the relationship between Shoka and Shoya. At one point as I mentioned she even tries to tell him that he loves him, giving him three sticks with some shapes on them. By the end of the movie when Shoya sees those sticks back home with his little sister, she and his mom tell him what they mean, at that point I was "hey maybe the movie is doing something with this relationship, having Shoya figuring out that Shoka tried to tell him that she loved him and then maybe trying to go see her and say the same thing or something like that". No, the movie just forgets about that scene, never mentions it and the movie ends with him finally being able to look people in the face. There was literally no reward for all the relationship they builded between Shoka and Shoya. Wouldn't that have been great if they became lovers after having so much trouble in the beginning. Also not to mention that the character turnaround in the beginning for Shoya was completely unbelievable although there were singns when he was bullying Shoka that inside he was regretting. He literally transforms in a mater of a transition from a scene to another scene.

I'm sorry but this is my opinion on this movie. I really wanted to be touched, inspired and moved by this movie, like I was by Your Name but apart from some truly wonderful scenes that somewhat touched me, I never got the feeling that I was fulfilled by the end with how the movie wrapped itself up, Wouldn't recomend this movie, especially if you've seen Your Name. 5/10

Love it so much

[sonicweeman · 10/10 · 9 April 2019]

I love it so much!!It made me cry 3 or 4 times.It made me cry because one of the characters was gonna commit suicide and the other person was trying to save her and then the person saving the other person but...BUT then the person trying to save the other person ended up falling but luckily the person ended up landing in the water...THANK GOODNESS!!!

A Must Watch Movie!

[vincentkatie · 10/10 · 16 June 2017]

Another, fantastic, Brilliant work of art by Kyoto Animation alongside Trigger studio, MadHouse and of course Studio Ghibli and many more theses are the studios that lead the anime world, In my opinion. Koe no katachi or A silent voice is honestly one of my favorite anime alongside Spirited Away from the animation alone is brilliant, when I first saw the trailer I feel in love and knew it was going to be up there as one of my favorite but actually seeing, the story is well done, follows the Manga well, the Manga characters are explored a lot more in depth then the movie but the movie is like 2 hours 10 minutes long it would be difficult to add 7 volumes worth of content into that time frame but Kyoto Animations did the manga justice, I would recommend the Manga author/artist Oima Yoshitoki its a brilliant Manga I would beyond recommend the anime its doesn't matter what one you read/watch first the movie covers the main bulk of the manga. In my opinion one of the best movies, it has sensitive subject matters but deals with them with respect and such a beautiful message when you watch the films I would also recommend looking more into reviews and other views on it and theory's they really make you...Smile :)

Story. 10/10 As I said before sensitive subjects, well executed though.

Animation. 10/10 Its Kyoto Animations...I will leave it at that.

Music. 10/10 Yeah brilliant the opening was unexpected but not unwelcome, the tone change that happens after the opening was brilliant and the music throughout was fantastic.

Characters. 10/10 (As I said manga goes in more depth but the movie goes into the characters quite well you feel like you understand motives etc.) Also I bow to the voice actress of Nishimiya Shōko (Saori Hayami)just beautiful.

Enjoyment. 10/10 I'll be honest I cried, like four times but that is just me I get emotional with my anime but still didn't stop me loving this anime in fact I love it even more. listen I just cant get enough of this anime just. WELL DONE!

A touching and affecting story of one's struggle for redemption

[MrDHWong · 9/10 · 8 November 2017]

A Silent Voice is an anime drama film directed by Naoko Yamada (K-On!). Based on the manga of the same name by Yoshitoki Oima, it is a touching and affecting story of one's struggle for redemption.

While he was in elementary school, Shoya Ishida, in an effort to fit in with his fellow peers, teased and bullied a deaf girl in class named Shoko Nishimiya. However, this backfires on Shoya and he ends up being shunned by the other students as Shoko ultimately ends up transferring elsewhere. Now in high school, Shoya has felt constant remorse for his actions and attempts make things right with both Shoko and the classmates who ostracised him.

Poignant and beautifully animated, A Silent Voice is not only a well made anime film, but also an interesting commentary on the state of one's mental health and well-being. This film will likely strike a chord with anybody suffering from depression and/or anxiety who wish they could find a way to fix their past mistakes. Also, despite its serious tone, director Naoko Yamada still manages to insert some humorous and quirky comic relief at appropriate times, much in the vein of what was seen in K-On!, her previous work. The Japanese voice acting is solid, however it is Saori Hayami as the voice of Shoko Nishimiya who stands out the most. Her performance as a deaf girl was highly convincing and never seemed exaggerated or too comical. I have not yet seen the English dub but I plan to do so in the not-to-distant future.

I rate it 8.5/10

A healthy dose of drama that we never knew we needed.

[solahuddeen · 8/10 · 20 May 2017]

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!

Extremely Shallow Compared To The Manga

[itsshou · 6/10 · 30 December 2018]

I must say, amazing animations!

HOWEVER,

There is zero development on the side characters. ZERO.

In the manga, each side character is explained and has their own backstory, and I think that adds much more meaning to the entire plot.

Yuzuru is such a wonderful character yet only 10% of her concern and love for Shoko is shown in the movie. They never explain why she took photos of dead things. They never elaborated on her actions and words.

Each one of Shouya's friends has their own backstory, however it's all thrown out the window and all we get are characters with random actions.

The entire story would be better if made into a short series. A movie is simply too short to explain everything.

Please just read the manga and don't watch the movie, you'd get a lot more out of it.

Astrounding

[SyoKennex · 10/10 · 15 March 2019]

Watched for MyAnimeList's Anime Watching Challenge 2019 - Watch an award-winning anime

As someone who grew up partially deaf, Koe no Katachi is a manga series that has held my heart ever since I first discovered it. Shoko has always been a character I've been able to somewhat relate to and look up to in a way. When the anime movie was first announced, I wasn't so keen on the idea. I didn't think they'd be able to fully create the same effect that the manga has, the same beautiful scenes and facial expressions that really capture the full heart of this story.

I'm so glad I decided to watch it and at least try it out and see how it was.

What Naoko Yamada did with the Koe no Katachi franchise is nothing short of amazing. You can feel just how much love went into this film, how much care was put into the frames. I don't think I caught any mistakes or goofs or any sight of any lazy drawing or animations.

This is an utterly touching story on depression, writing your wrongs, friendship and a strong message that no matter what, you aren't alone. With tense scenes, beautiful heart-felt scenes that make you tear up and sniff, this is the utmost best that could have been created for the Koe no Katachi franchise. This film brings together all the handcrafted details that make this story as special as it is. Every second is crafted from nothing but pure love and attention to detail to create such an accurate and detailed story that leaves the viewer out of breath, in tears and with a fully warmed heart. As someone with impaired hearing, I could not have asked for better representation in Shoko and as someone with depression, I couldn't have asked for better representation than Ishida.

If you haven't watched this yet, I highly recommend it.

A worthy attempt at dealing with bullying and disability in the classroom

[aurora121 · 7/10 · 20 March 2017]

This is the first film that I've seen by Naoko Yamada and while in some ways I'm impressed in others I think it was gallant failure.

Starting with the good, like most modern Japanese anime it looks great and at times simply stunning. The voice actors do a great job and at over two hours it's great value for money. It might also be worth mentioning at the screening I went to the cinema was about half full, which is a good turn out for a sub-titled animated feature.

Unfortunately it's not a film that I particularly want to watch again and there a number of reasons for that. While I'm aware that it's based on a manga, it feels too long and I'm sorry to say depressing. Most of the characters are people that you wouldn't want to spend much time with and there is maybe only one scene that could be called funny. Also just because it's long doesn't mean that all the conflicts are going to be resolved.

Don't get me wrong if you're an anime fan you're probably going to like this, but I can't see it appealing to a wider audience.

A Silent Voice

[Tweekums · 10/10 · 29 August 2019]

This anime film from Kyoto Animation is centred on Ishida Shouya. As the film opens he is a high school student contemplating suicide; he stops at the last moment and we learn how he came to this point. When he was in elementary school a deaf girl named Shoko Nishimiya joins his class; she is bullied by several of her new classmates; Ishida being the worst. Eventually he goes too far; the class is asked about the bullying and they put all the blame on Ishida. Soon afterwards Shoko transfers. The years pass and Ishida has become isolated from his class. He learns sign language and finds Shoko so he can apologise and try to make amends. It won't be easy though; there are those who believe he is just doing it to make himself feel better and Shoko has her own feelings of guilt.

If you come into this expecting the laughs that most school based anime provide you will be in for a shock; there may be plenty joyous moments and some laughs but there are a lot of down beat elements. This includes a very real depiction of the bullying of Shoko; Ishida's treatment of her is cruel but we see others pushing him on, laughing at what he does or just failing to say anything... and the fact that the others fail to see what they did wrong after Ishida is called out and eventually sees that he was wrong. As the story develops it is impossible not to sympathise with Ishida; his early behaviour may have been despicable but his attempts to make amends are genuine and he has improved more as a person than others involved. The characters are all very believable, even the twist involving Shoko's new 'boyfriend' is believable and rather fun. The animation is of a high quality with good character designs and impressive backgrounds. Overall I'd definitely recommend this film to anybody who enjoys an issue based drama... just be prepared to shed a few tears; of both sadness and joy.

These comments are based on watching the film in Japanese with English subtitles.

Good enough

[PennyReviews · 7/10 · 19 May 2017]

A silent voice is an anime focusing more on the social perspective of the story, and less on the romance, if there is a romantic story to begin with that is. The issues that it's handling are powerful, giving the point of view of the bully, who was turned into the victim and eventually changed all together to become friends with the girl he was bulling. The anime explores the journey from being an outcast to finally reaching the point where the boy understands his victim, understands his friends and the people he hates and opens up to the world. Unlike the manga, it doesn't focuses too much on the girl, who struggles to feat in due to her disability, but more on the boy's life and social circles. Sure, there were some things left out, but, at least for me, the main battle of presenting the sign language in an anime was won. So, 7 out of 10.

Trying to Redeem the Irredeemable

[eric-lovelock · 4/10 · 30 January 2018]

Yeah, this is a "pretty" movie. The animation is nice, the character designs are pretty solid, and the voice actors are all good in their own right. The problem with this movie isn't technical, because from a Visual aspect it's all very good. The issue is in it's main story, scratch that, it's with the main characters.

The central plot device here is following the main character, Shoya, who ruthlessly bullied a deaf girl in elementary school until she was forced to switch schools. There are other characters too, a lot of other (to the movie's credit, believably written) characters who also partake in this cruelty, in what is a very well done portrayal of the escalation of torment for kids. The issue is what comes after, in which suddenly Shoya is supposed to be this sympathetic character. That's the chief problem, this movie tries to make you feel badly for someone who has no right to be pitied. It's about him trying to make amends, like that will undo everything and make the world all pretty again. Other characters are there too, and overall they all fall into this central theme, and problem, in that the film seems to assume that just because you feel "Bad" about something, that makes it okay.

These characters go around acting like feeling bad because they were cruel justifies it, that just because they're "sorry" they're suddenly absolved of sin. The film milks this dry and keeps trying to kick you in the gut, but it fails because there's no way this mentality can be sympathized with. Feeling sorry for yourself because you were a bully doesn't render your actions void, it doesn't make everything better, and the damage they've caused never goes away. As much as the film wants you to think that everyone is secretly good, it never gives me reason to believe as such. They haven't learned anything, they're just as selfish and mean as they used to be, they just learned how to make it SEEM different. One of the characters hates Shoko (The deaf girl), slaps her repeatedly, tells her that she hates her TO HER FACE, blames her for her problems, and then suddenly at the end we're supposed to think she's good just because she feels bad later.

In conclusion, it's a visually engaging film, but it's skewed perspective of "redemption" drags it down and makes it impossible to empathize with anything it presents.

I was so into it, I was yelling at the screen for most of it...

[austinlsweeney · 8/10 · 9 March 2018]

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.