Shouya Ishida is a carefree and reckless elementary school student who enjoys having fun with his friends. Shouya finds himself constantly bored until a new student, Shouko Nishimiya, joins his class. However, Shouko isn’t like the rest of the students. She can’t hear. Shouko communicates with her peers by writing phrases in a notebook, but as time passes, her classmates start to exclude her. Despite Shouko’s efforts to find friends, Shouya and his classmates continue to tease her, write mean comments, and break or throw her hearing aids. The constant bullying forces Shouko to transfer to another school. While Shouko’s mother informs the school about her daughter’s missing hearing aids, Shouya is blamed for the cause, abandoned by the classmates whom he once called friends. Shouya is bullied himself and goes through high school genuinely regretting his past. As Shouya learns to change his behavior, he experiences true friendship for the first time in his life.
A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) is a beautifully written Japanese-animation that follows its characters as they discover the meanings of friendship and kindness. The heartwarming story and visual execution makes the film extremely touching. Even to those who don’t particularly enjoy these specific genres, I would definitely recommend this film.
Based on the novel by Yoshitoki Oima
Not Rated
Review Written by Isole, 8th Grade