[Contemplation] Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice)
Ah~ another anime movie I really looked forward to. After the success of Kimi no Nawa (Your Name), they surely followed it by showing Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice) to continue tugging our swelling heartstrings. Good job, Japan. Haha
Here is the synopsis of the movie:
The story revolves around Nishimiya Shoko, a grade school student who has impaired hearing. She transfers into a new school, where she is bullied by her classmates, especially Ishida Shouya. It gets to the point where she transfers to another school and as a result, Shouya is ostracized and bullied himself, with no friends to speak to and no plans for the future. Years later, he sets himself on a path to redemption.
An emotionally moving anime adapted from a manga of the same name, Koe no Katachi explores another perspective on bullying (those who are caught on 13 reasons why). You will love this movie because it will hurt you and make you feel uncomfortable but making you engaged makes all the difference. And that's good.
I'd be starting off to something I didn't like; because since I'm praising this more for a job well done, a few commentaries of criticism helps you deduce if you'll like to watch it or not. So what I didn't like here first was the fact that it needed trimming. For 2 hours straight, I can't sit still and process what was happening because at some point, the movie was dragging and losing me away. The romance was unnecessary and the characters were over-dramatic at how they express themselves.
But despite these flaws, the directing was emotionally gripping and empathizing. I specifically like the part where Shouya uses literal 'crosses' on people's faces as a metaphor to how indifferent he was to the world. I also like the fact that even how mismatched his group of friends are, in the end they accepted each others mistakes and make up for it although some things don't really change. They only accept what's inevitable to get it over with.
But most of all, I just like how Koe no Katachi shows that bullying isn’t as simple as being a tormentor and a victim. In no way do I condone that shitty practice, but personal experience has taught me that sometimes the victim isn’t exactly helping, and sometimes the tormentor’s ignorance of what they’re doing can be a fascinating character study of itself. And then there’s the redemption angle on how both sides of the story see it. It’s definitely hard, but if it was easy to make up for past mistakes, then prison sentences wouldn’t exist.
First impression-wise, you'll find this story intriguing because of how much noise it made after showing in cinemas. Koe no Katachi is definitely deserving in all the recognition it's making even if you're allergic to moody teenagers and occasional oddly-placed events. Go ahead and prepare tissues as you watch this!
My Rating:
Plot: 8.5/10
Characters & Dialogue : 9.0/10
Structure & Pacing: 6.0/10
Theme: 10/10
Style & Tone: 8.0/10
OVERALL RATING: 8.3