The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2022 - Issue 31

A Silent Voice bitefilmreview T he Japanese anime drama A Silent Voice , produced by Kyoto Animation, directed by Naoko Yamada and written by Reiko Yoshida, premiered in Tokyo in August 2016 and had a worldwide review the following year. It’s based on the manga of the same name and illustrated by Yoshitoki Ōima. The film received highly positive reviews from critics, praising the characters’ direction, animation, and psychological complexity. A Silent Voice won the Japanese Movie Critics Awards for Best Animated Feature Film. Whilst nominated for the Japan Academy Film Award for Excellent Animation of the Year and the Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film; it lost to In This Corner of the World and Your Name . High school student Shoya Ishida intends to kill himself but changes his mind at the last minute and decides to wrap up loose ends. A flashback shows Shoya as a sixth-grade student in elementary school where a new student named Shōko Nishimiya, who is hard of hearing, joins his class. She tries to integrate with the class but becomes an easy target for Shoya and his friends’ bullying. One night, Shōko dreams she received a farewell visit from Shoya. Horrified, she runs to the bridge and collapses in tears. Shoya, awakening from his coma, stumbles to the bridge and finds her there. He apologises for treating her badly and tells her not to blame herself. He admits he once considered ending his life but decided against it. Shoya asks her to help him con- tinue to live, to which she agrees. The film covers the coming-of-age and psychology that deals with bullying, forgiveness, disability, mental health, suicide, and platonic love. It follows the story with compassion and understanding, which involves a former bully turned social outcast who decides to reconnect and befriend the hard of hearing girl he had victimised previously. As the trailer questions: what does it take to find redemption? Sometimes the answer is as simple as learning to listen.