Koe no katachi (2016) Reviews

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

  rti9-929-58032017-06-01

  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.

• The consequences of bullying

  TheLittleSongbird2017-11-23

  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 healthy dose of drama that we never knew we needed.

  solahuddeen2017-05-20

  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!

• Masterpiece

  alecnia2018-01-22

  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.

• Masterpiece

  minhazhimu2018-04-08

  This is one of the best animated movies I ever watched.