2016 was a big year for anime films. We got a very raw and human story on the effects of the atomic bomb with In This Corner of the World, and Your Name broke several records. For me personally however, there was one anime film from 2016 that stuck out above the others to me and still remains one of my favorite films to this day. I am of course talking about the film A Silent Voice, directed by Naoko Yamada and based off of the manga of the same name by Yoshitoki Ooima. This is a beautiful film about teens dealing with their own disabilities and coming to terms with their pasts. In this blog post I will be talking about why I love this movie so much and why you should watch it.
Story
The film follows a Japanese high school student named Shoya. We learn that when he was in sixth grade, he bullied a deaf girl named Shoko that was in his class. Eventually the bullying got so bad that Shoko was moved to a different school, and Shoya was outcasted from the other students, even though they also contributed to the bullying. Now entering high school, Shoya is depressed and struggles to connect with other people. Shoya discovers that Shoko is attending the same high school as him, and he vows to redeem himself by becoming friends with her. The film follows the two as they try to rebuild their relationship while struggling with their own personal problems and with growing up.
What I Like
There are many aspects of this movie that I connected with. For me personally, I could really relate to the main character Shoya. The thing that makes this movie really special to me is the way in which it deals with and depicts mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. When Shoya is at school, all of his classmates have an X mark covering their faces. This shows just how truly isolated Shoya feels and how he struggles to connect with others. Having gone through some similar struggles myself when I was in high school, I connected with this movie on a deep emotional level. I could understand exactly what Shoya was going through, and it felt refreshing to see a film depict something that many people struggle with in such a clear and relatable way. I also really enjoyed the main romance between Shoya and Shoko. I think that the film depicts disabilities (both mental and physical) in a very realistic and respectful way, and the relationship between Shoya and Shoko highlights how two different people going through different struggles can come together and try to bridge the gap of understanding between them. This film is truly beautiful, not only visually but also in its storytelling. Another highlight of the film for me was the soundtrack. While it felt mostly subdued and only something in the background while watching the film, actually going back and listening to the soundtrack brings all the emotions of the film back to me, and it is one of the few film soundtracks that can make me tear up just from listening to it. I also think that the film is visually gorgeous. The colors and backgrounds of this film are stunning, and the whole film is animated beautifully. Kyoto Animation really did an amazing job at making the characters come to life.
Final Thoughts
This film has had a greater impact on me on an emotional level than any other film that I have seen. There are very few films that I have seen that I personally connect with as much as this one. I think that film is definitely worth watching, especially if you are looking for an emotional film that deals with the struggles of being in high school. I will warn however that the film deals with the theme of suicide, so if that is a difficult topic for you, then I would hold off on watching it for now. Anyways, I highly recommend this film even if you aren’t a fan of anime, and I thank you for reading my post.