A Silent Voice (2016)

 

A Silent Voice (2016)

 

9/10

 

Starring the voices of

Miyu Irino

Saori Hayami

Aoi Yūki

Kenshō Ono

 

Directed by: Naoko Yamada

 

It is not easy to make a movie like this, where you are touching on very delicate issues like suicide, bullying, and redemption. There are many redemption arc movies out there, and A Silent Voice is to me one of the best.

This animation takes you through the motions, from different angles, the bully and the bullied and shows how each thinks the best way out of everything is if they are not around anymore to cause problems. Life can drag you to such a point, and the way Shoko smiles and carries on with her head held up, you would not know that inside, she is broken. She blames herself for everything and just wants to be accepted by everyone.

This 2016 anime is about Shoya Ishida, a boy who used to bully a deaf girl named Shoko Nishimiya. When the bullying got intense and a scapegoat was needed, his classmates turned on him, and he became the outcast. The same way he isolated her, the world now isolates him.

The animation then jumps ahead some years, and Shoya is still living in guilt. He has not been able to get over the pain of isolation and, in a way, understands the pain he caused someone else. He decides to try and make amends. The anime now turns into a redemption story.

But what makes this anime powerful is not just the story but how real it feels. The depiction of bullying, depression, and loneliness is handled with so much care. The movie doesn’t shy away from showing how one cruel action can destroy someone’s spirit and how hard it is to fix what’s been broken.

No amount of “sorry” can whitewash the damage done to a soul from isolation and bullying. We see that even when you are on the path of redemption, you still have to face up to the public for what you have done. And even then, not everyone will be on your side, that is what Shoya learns.

The suicidal themes in this movie are handled with care, and that is what makes it touching, we see how one person’s actions can actually destroy not just their own life, but that of their friends, families, and even the families of the ones who feel responsible.

Shoko and Shoya’s growth in this movie is massive. Watching them try to rebuild their connection, to forgive, and to find peace is powerful. Yuzuru, Shoko’s little sister, is amazing too, protective, strong, and always trying to keep her sister safe even when she doesn’t know how.

The animation is beautiful. The color work and subtle sound design make every emotion hit harder. You will love the voice acting as the cast did their very best to capture all the needed emotions and the difficulty of being deaf. Now, I have to say, the movie is long, it is like two hours and ten minutes, and at some points, it drags.

I liked that not everyone in the story magically becomes good. We still see Shoko face challenges from some of Shoya’s old friends when things were at their darkest.

I will say, A Silent Voice is a hard watch, but it’s worth it. It’s about pain, guilt, and forgiveness, and how even when life gets dark, you can still find your way back to the light.