"Back then, if we could have heard each other's voices, everything would have been so much better." -Shouya Ishida
A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) is a drama, school, and shounen anime movie. It was originally released in September 2016 by Kyoto Animation running 2 hours/10 minutes. It does not have any continuing series, but does have a special.
General Rating: 9./10
My Rating: 10/10
Silent Voice was a huge hit when it was first released and still ranks among the top 10-20 animes and is one of the highest rated anime films ever along with Your Name, however it took me quite a while before I actually got around to seeing this masterpiece. Silent Voice is a very emotional anime, gorgeously animated, and masterfully made. It is not a romance anime, as many were painstakingly led to believe at first, but has high emotions all the same.
As an elementary school student, Shouya Ishida sought to beat boredom with cruelty. When the deaf Shouko Nishimiya transfers into his class, Shouya thoughtlessly bullies her for fun, and the rest of the class follows along. However, when her mother notifies the school, he is singled out and blamed for everything and Shouko transfers out of the school. Shouya is ostracized all throughout elementary and middle school, while teachers turn a blind eye. In his third year of high school, Shouya is still plagued by his wrongdoings as a young boy. Sincerely regretting his past actions, he sets out for redemption to meet Shouko once more and make amends. Silent Voice tells the heartwarming story of Shouya's reunion with Shouko and his honest attempts to redeem himself, all while being continually haunted by the shadows of his past.
Story: Silent Voice has a great story. It might seem cheesy to some, with its redemption and regretful past focus, however those who have actually gone through struggles like this know this is no cheesy emotion. A boy feels regret over his past and tries to redeem himself, finding Shouko again, and realizing redeeming himself is not as easy as it sounds on paper. He is also reunited with his past classmates who hold animosity or secrets of their own, and interacts with them throughout trying to get through to Shouko - similar to Anohana in this aspect. Silent Voice does not really focus on falling in love, but redemption and acception. Not that I wouldn't have enjoyed a bit of romance, but the story in reality did not need it and was strong on its own.
Characters: There are not many deaf characters throughout anime, especially not in popular anime, so this was a great concept that was introduced very well through Silent Voice with Shouko. The characters are pretty much your typical high school cast - think Anohana again - and then we have Shouko, the deaf star. And although her character was the most unique and interesting, Shouya was the best developed character in the anime, as should be about an anime regarding his redemption.
Soundstrack: Did you expect an anime that looks as gorgeous as this to have an equally gorgeous soundtrack? You would have gotten that right! Silent Voice soundtrack is emotional in all the right places and strongly emphasizes the feels present in this anime. KyoAni is great at this stuff. The voice acting is also very well done, especially for Shouko and her unique deaf voice. This was a great detail about the anime added in that really brought her character to life.
Art: If you have read any of my past 2000s anime reviews, you know how highly I acclaim and adore my 2000s art. However something 2010s anime art has is gorgeous animation, beautiful color palettes, and smooth flow. This is especially obvious in the visually beautiful Silent Voice. This anime just suits its 2010s art so well, even I have to admit the 2010s are the winner on this one. The characters' design is fairly neutral, but did we really expect an anime like Silent Voice to feature leads with blue and pink hair, unique outfits, and bodybuilds? It's not the type of anime that calls for that sort of stuff.
This anime is slowly becoming a classic among anime fans, and is right behind Your Name as one of the most popular anime movies. In addition, it is definitely one of my top 10 movies and in my top 30 anime ever. If you are looking for a good, emotional anime movie to watch, Silent Voice has you covered, especially for fans of animes like Garden of Words, Your Name, Violet Evergarden, Orange, Anohana, Erased, 5 Centimeters Per Second, Isshuukan Friends, Ao Haru Ride, Ef: A Tale of Memories, or I Want To Eat Your Pancreas.
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