My Thoughts on Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice)

Yesterday I watched the film Koe no Katachi (lit. The Shape of Voice; English title: A Silent Voice). I cried several times throughout the film. For me, it was a sweet blend of tragic, sad episodes and uplifting, hopeful moments that make it easier for me to process without becoming an emotional wreck.

After watching it, I now understand why many anime fans were outraged by the Oscar snub. The same thing could be said of many countless anime films out there but I think several bloggers and Youtubers have explained why that is the case. I like the explanations of Mother’s Basement and akidearest on the matter.

Spoiler alert: If you haven’t watched the film yet, I suggest that you do. If you could get a DVD of it from your local video store, do so. It’s a wonderful film.

When He Met Her

The film follows the story of Shoya Ishida and his friends. One day in elementary school, their teacher introduces a new student, Shoko Nishimiya, who is revealed to be deaf. In the beginning of the film, we see how Shoko tries to fit in with her classmates despite her disability.

However, her classmates get annoyed with her since they are unable to understand her situation. They probably thought that she doesn’t need to be treated with special attention and that she’s just a nuisance for always being apologetic and nice. Because of this, they talk about her behind her back while still pretending to be cordial with her.

One afternoon in the playground, some of her classmates decided to go home early presumably to stay away from Shoko. When she was left alone, Shoya approaches her. Shoya tries to force her to speak and say what she wants to say. Despite being visibly shaken and hurt, Shoko simply smiles back at Shoya and expresses her desire to be friends with him, in sign language and broken speech. Shoya is disgusted by the gesture and throws sand at her face. From then on, Shoya begins to bully Shoko.

The way the film tackles the subject of bullying shows a keen understanding of what bullying does to both the victim and the bully. Though Shoya was not the only one who bullied Shoko, he went above and beyond to the point where he ripped one of her hearing aids causing her to bleed. Due to the constant bullying she experienced in school, Shoko transfers to another school.

When the bullying reached the school authorities, it was then that Shoya was singled out and thrown under the bus by his classmates and friends. He gets into trouble and his mother brings him to go apologize to Shoko’s family. His friends begin to avoid him and spread the word that he is a bully. The dynamic then shifts to Shoya being an outcast because of his reputation as a bully.

The Tables Have Turned

We see how bullying can go both ways, how there’s a consequence to our actions. It’s ironic that Shoya later on becomes “bullied” as he was ostracized by his peers because of the stigma on him. This causes him to be timid and reclusive. He tries to avoid looking at people’s faces, opting to look at the ground instead.

Years later, during junior high, Shoya becomes more mature but still keeps to himself perhaps due to trauma or just to avoid any trouble. One day at the parking lot of his school, he saw someone trying to borrow the bike of one of his classmates, Nagatsuka. Shoya approaches them and lends his bike. Unfortunately, the guy rips him off and steals his bike. And that happened on the day he planned to meet with Shoko to give her notebook back. It was the notebook which he threw into a pond during elementary.

Little did he know, Nagatsuka whom he helped, went to the trouble to look for his bike. And as he was walking down the street, Nagatsuka saw him and gave his bike back. He was the first friend he made in a long time. Later on, he makes more new friends and reconnects with old ones.

All of this goes to show how the golden rule applies in life. The Bible says, “Do unto others as you want others to do unto you.” Kindness that is done out of a willing heart will be returned one way or another. If you do good to others without expecting any good in return, it will go back to you even if you didn’t expect it. And it usually comes back to you when you least expect it.

So here we have Shoya who was once a bully, understanding what it means to be bullied, and changing his perspective and mindset as a result. It’s like his act of repentance for the pain he caused those around him. I mean sometimes you just get tired of the wrong things you do and you just want to do things right. And that’s what he did.

He actually learned sign language to be able to communicate with Shoko. Many other things happened in the movie, I can’t really remember all the details and small interactions. But one thing that struck me the most was the fact that Shoya tried to commit suicide. He probably thought it would simply be better to escape the pain he felt. He didn’t push through with it.

However, later on, during a festival, Shoya was watching the fireworks display with Shoko’s family, her mother and her little sister. Shoko leaves to go back to the apartment while her mother and her sister go to buy food. Then Shoko’s little sister asks Shoya to get her camera. So Shoya goes back to the apartment.

The apartment was dark but you can still see the fireworks display from the balcony. As he was going to grab the camera he sees Shoko on the balcony. Then she starts getting on the ledge of the balcony. At that point, Shoya knew.

He ran toward her, shouting her name to stop her. Then she jumps. Thankfully, he was just in time to grab her hand. He was able to pull her up but as she got on the balcony safely, Shoya slipped and fell on a body of water. He was in a coma after that.

The Redemption

Shoya does wake up from the coma one night. Apparently he heard Shoko screaming or crying because she probably thought Shoya would die. He went to the bridge where he usually met with her and they talk heart to heart. They also somewhat promised that they would live and not try to commit suicide anymore.

After that, Shoko gathers all the friends that Shoya has made. They had a big fight before on the bridge so she wants them to make peace with another. The fight happened before Shoko tried to commit suicide so when Shoya was in a coma they all pitched in to help.

When they all see each other again, they reconcile with one another and try to understand one another a bit more. Shoya's friends also made a thousand cranes for him but it was unfinished. He gratefully accepted it nonetheless.

At the end of the film, they were going around the school festival. And for the first time in a long time, Shoya looked up and he was able to look at people’s faces again which made him cry.

Take away

Credits: alphacoders

Bullying doesn’t only happen at school. It can happen anywhere – in the workplace, on the streets, and even at home. And children are not the only victims. The concept of bullying goes beyond one context or milieu. In one way or another, everybody experiences it no matter what their race, age, gender, ethnicity, religion, or status in life is.

When a person or a group takes advantage of someone, that’s bullying. It’s not just about physically or verbally hurting someone. It could also be in the form of emotional abuse or social discrimination. It can also be intimidation. Anyone who uses power to oppress others, especially the targets of their prejudice, is a bully.

The message of the story is a timeless one but it’s just as relevant today. It spoke to me very profoundly and I believe it did as well to so many and with such a strong voice.

Now I know that bullies don't always get called out. Sometimes they try to get as much people on their side so they can overpower those who try to call them out. It takes courage to stand up to someone and to stand for what's right. But I hope that this film can give hope and strength to those who may be in that situation. I hope this also inspires others to help out when someone is being bullied.