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8.9/10
FilmFascination Rating
‘A Silent Voice’ was the first anime I watched and it just blew me away. Mind you this might be a little bit personal but bear with me till the end. It is produced by the famous Kyoto Animation and is directed by Naoko Yamada. The movie starts with Shoya Ishida, a high school student, trying to kill himself. The link to which we get in the latter part of the movie and then we are taken back to little Shoya in sixth grade. During his academic year, Shoko Nishimiya joins the school. She looks like a normal student until she reveals with the help of a notebook that she is deaf and requests the students to communicate with her via the notebook.
Shoya is initially curious about Shoko, but gradually it irritates him as he cannot figure things out and he becomes a bully. When you are small and silly, you do not know the consequences of your actions. In the flow or just for fun you do some very stupid things. And it is too frightening when you start realising things. One of the pragmatic scenes is when his friends laugh when Shoya is bullying Shoko but the very second when the principal comes to find out about Shoko being bullied, his friends all push him down the cliff. Even the teacher who was never concerned about it when it was actually happening turned against Shoya. A Silent Voice also depicts the cruelty people with disabilities can face and how unselfconsciously children can act out when they don’t understand something.
Eventually Shoya is singled out to the extent that he becomes socially awkward. His friends turn up against him. One of the scenes is so sad when his friends tell him that they stopped listening to one of the music bands because Shoya was a fan of them. He even starts having difficulty in making eye contact with others. He starts regretting his past actions so much so that it starts eating him up. He realises what comes around goes around and a high school Shoya decides to make amends for everything wrong he has done.
Animation of this movie is really beautiful. There are some gorgeous frames which are extremely detailed that make it pleasurable to watch. Another unique thing about the movie is the short abstract flashbacks it shows that are intelligent to send the emotions. The evocative frames are stunning. Naoko Yamada’s artistic imagination is very impressive. The camera’s varying focus not only adds to the movie’s visual appeal but also gives us more idea about Shoya’s internal state. Shoya in the entire film is a boy in progress. He does some very stupid things but still the film, in a way, compels us to sympathise him. Sometimes there are so many thoughts going on that you mess things up. But the film eventually goes to teach us that changing is a choice. Whatever it is you are – afraid, anxious, shy or awkward, you have to face things someday.
What makes ‘A Silent Voice’ appealing is its realism. No character is perfect and each of them is struggling with something. I will also have to compliment the voice over. It was spot on. It took two years for Kyoto Animation to finish Yamada’s film which was inspired by the manga book series, “The Shape of the Voice.” Makoto Shinkai, director of the famous movie ‘Your Name’, called the film a “fantastic piece of work” and a “polished and grand production” which even he is unable to replicate.
The film covers elements of coming of age, dealing with bullying, disability, detachment, mental health, extreme regret, suicide, fake friendship, peer pressure and what it actually is to have real friends. You might think that these are a hell lot of things to cover in a movie. But it does not feel much when you actually see it. These are just common things some teenagers have to go through. I have seldom seen movies where themes like these are maturely handled as this one does. I have seen people who think animated movies are just for children, but this one is not. From the themes it is covering and messages it wants to send, it is more appropriate for the late teens.
The nature of animation makes it perfect to portray the movie with full impact. The way Shoya’s awkwardness or alienation is shown with the help of blue crosses on the face of others is nothing less than extraordinary. When I watched it during the movie, I just wrote “genius” in my notebook. The makers have really stepped into the perspective of a boy like Shoya. Some scenes are so tender and sweet and others so difficult to watch. I got teary, smiled and was even shook at times. I’ll just say my heart hasn’t been this heavy after I have watched a movie. The movie’s score, an intense cheerful piano track by composer Kensuke Ushio adds to its effect.
‘A Silent Voice’ in a way is a deeper and riskier project. I am really not sure if everyone is going to get it. But if you do, I will assure you that it is gonna stay with you for a long time. It has for me.
Favourite Quotes
Miyoko Sahara: I couldn’t change. I couldn’t protect you again. I was the same coward.
Shoko Nishimiya: You can change from now on.
Tomohiro: Now you and I is friends. It can be as simple as that, ya see? Friendship don’t gotta do with no rule or qualifications, cause its about something deeper, a bond, and you just can’t break it, Capisce?
Miki: We were all so worried about you. I know life can be hard sometimes, but it’s like that for everyone. The thing is, you have to accept the bad parts of yourself with the good and just move forward.
Yuzuru Nishimiya: I thought if she saw what death looked like, she’d stop saying she wanted to kill herself. I didn’t know what else to do.
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