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A Silent Voice
The Power of Words
Movie in a Sentence
After a lifetime of being bullied, incited by his own bullying of classmate Shoko Nishimiya in elementary school, Shoya Ishida seeks to atone for his sins while also reconnecting with old and new friends.
What I liked
Going into this movie, I was worried about how much of the original plot would stay intact and how much would be different. Slight spoilers for those of you that haven’t read the manga (I highly recommend it): The manga is pretty different. However, the fact that the movie wasn’t really impacted because of the major changes is a testament to how well the movie is put together. In the manga, the major framing device used to gather everyone together is the creation of a film whereas in the movie the major framing device is Shoya wanting to make up with Shoko and Shoko, in turn, wanting to meet up with (or accidentally meeting up with) former classmates. This change slightly changes the tone of the movie from the manga but honestly I really enjoyed it. You still get the emotional growth of Shoya and Shoko, you still get ample looks into the family lives of the main cast, you still get introduced to the colorful side cast like my boy Nagatsuka (even if they don’t get as much development), and you still get all of the heavy themes. Starting with Shoya’s attempted suicide was a huge opener, following it up with flashbacks to his time as a bully was a great way to paint him as a villain, and immediately seeing his attempts at redemption made it surprisingly easy to come back and cheer for him. His redemption arc also was a great way to introduce people and weave in Shoko’s own story. The illustrations of her struggling with love and self-hate were powerful moments every time they popped up, and the attempted suicide that served as the culmination of her self-deprecating mindset stands as one of the most powerful scenes I’ve ever seen in anime. Ultimately, I loved how the change in the framing of the entire movie from the source material was able to really hone in on the two main protagonists’ issues and growth. Their stories were very powerful and the focus on them really tied the movie together.
What I Didn’t Like
Ok so this is going to kind of be cheating because I just talked about how I enjoyed the changes from the manga but here I go: I did not like the ending that much. As someone that read the manga, I loved the original ending. You got to see Shoko and Shoya together, you got to see Shoya’s increased friend group, and you got a glimpse into the future of the characters. With the movie ending, the viewer just kind of got an “and he decided to pay attention to people again” ending that merely implied that they ended up together. I’m a big fan of showing and not implying and in this way the ending kind of let me down. Also, and this is as a result of the change in framing and the fact that the movie had a runtime that it had to meet, Shoko’s feelings of love towards Shoya felt a bit rushed. The movie went from them meeting again after having him bullied her to her loving him really quickly and in this way it felt a tiny bit unrealistic (again I get that movie pacing is tricky). That rushed feeling expands to some side characters, especially Shoko’s mother, and the lack of seeing their own personal growths and character changes felt like a letdown as well. Again, I loved the movie, but the focus on the main characters in order to further the story had to come with sacrifices.
Overall Feelings
My stance on this movie remains unchanged despite liking the manga a bit better: This movie should not be missed. If you’ve never read the manga, maybe my issues won’t affect you. If you’ve read the manga, this is a fresh take on the story that still maintains its heart despite the differences. For what it was, the movie was near perfect with a great story, great characters, and great animation. It isn’t one that should be missed and it is a movie that needs to be shared with other. Understanding others can lead to friendships you would never believe.