After finally finishing all my observation notes about all my students, I ought to give myself a reward. I thought a good movie would do.
Easily found a synopsis of this anime movie that followed the success of “Kimi no Nawa”, and now here I am about to rave about it.
Koe no Katcachi (A Silent Voice) is about a boy named Ishida Shoya and a deaf transferee student named Nishida Shoko, one is a bully and the other is the bullied, the long term effect of these acts to both, and the redemption from their shared past.
I think that should be enough synopsis to have you watch it, really. I watched the film out of curiosity and because I really like delving into the subject and psychology behind bullying and it’s effects. Anyhow, as usual, let me point things that I’m raving about this movie in a list:
Water
After watching the film, I realized that there was actually a lot of scenes that involved the main characters being submerged in water and they were all turning points in the movie.
1) During their elementary school days when Ishida threw Shoko’s conversation notebook to the fountain. After this scene, the bullying was finally addressed in public (to the class). The teacher pointed Ishida out, including his friends.
2) When Ishida was the one in the fountain when the tables turned and he was the one bullied. Afte this scene, Ishida’s mom was informed about what he did to the girl and they had to apologize to the Nishida’s. This is when Ishida realized the gravity of what he did because his mom had to carry the shame and get hurt for him. It was a turning point for him and connects to the older Ishida which would be introduced a few minutes after. A fight between Shoko and Ishida also took place after this water scene. That fight scene finally gave us a glimpse of Shoko’s pain behind all the smiles and apologies she always have ready.
3) When Shoko’s notebook fell into the river, she and Ishida both jumped to get it. This is right after they met again as high school student’s. After that encounter, they started to steadily see each other in the same area which was of course a big plot point because being connected again, they began healing their past as they connected with old classmates together.
4) When Ishida fell in the water after saving Shoko from her suicide attempt. This was the climax of the movie since part of Ishida’s retribution is having Shoko realize that she needs to love herself. Through this incident, he was able to understand her more, her depression, his part because of it, and how he can help her improve her life as she help him with his.
Water, in literature, is mostly used as literary device to symbolize rebirth. Rebirth can be good or bad for a person. You can either be reborn with a good life, or a bad life, depending on your actions.
This brings me to my next point: Karma
Ishida pointed out about his karma from the very beginning of the movie. He knew that because he bullied Shoko, he was reaping the consequences of his act: he was also bullied. He wanted to kill himself after “repaying” some people in his life as part of his retribution: He paid the 1.7 million yen his mom paid Shoko’s parents after he destroyed and threw out eight of them when he bullied her. If he was gone, she wouldn’t have to be ashamed of having a son like him. He searched for Shoko and gave her back her notebook which somehow ended up with him. He also learned sign language so he can understand her when they start talking again. Ishida knew that by doing some retribution and then killing himself, he’ll be reborn with a better karma.
Good thing that in the end, he also realized that killing oneself is not the best solution to earn good deeds again. This thought, through experience himself, he will help Shoko with.
Realistic look at the effects of bullying to the bully and the victim
Bullying had been the subject of many movies, films, and stories set in Japan. Why? Because it really happens. There’s a lot of factors that come into place as to why it happens, but you can do the research on your own. I can give you a bibliography if you need it since that was part of my undergrad thesis lol. This is actually one of the reasons I am a bit scared of living in Japan. Being single at a marrying age, fat, and losing some hair, oh I’d be a favorite of bullies there! Well, as if I’d let them, but still, it would be troublesome.
Anyhow.
In anime with bullying as part of the topic, usually the characters make up and then they are friends. In reality, people relations are much more complicated than that. Victims of bullying are traumatized, they hold grudges, and some become very depressed which leads to suicide. Thus, it is very refreshing to finally watch a movie with the bully’s point of view about their act covering most of the narrative. Ishida learned how it felt to be bullied back, that’s why he felt more guilty of what he did to Shoko. Some bullies probably don’t do anything about what they did or don’t even try to apologize to their victims, but I’m sure, given the circumstance to see the effect they had to their victims, they will feel something.
Ishida developed anxiety attack so his perspective of peole has their faces with an X and whenever he is inside a crowd, he hyperventilates and get dizzy. This is to show how untrusting and scared he is of those people as they will judge him like he was judged and betrayed when he was young for what he did to shoko. Once he relaxes with them, the X is removed. Shoko, with her unfailing smile, actually had been depressed and suicidal ever since she was in elementary because of the bullying she had experienced in school.
These victims try to live their life as normal as they could, with or without the mask of pain. They develop low self-esteem, anxiety disorders, and depression. They may seem okay as they try to survive life day to day with these emotions in their heart, but the battle is very hard.
Alright. I’m sure there’s still a lot more to love about this story, so I’m going to read the manga version, too. Please watch it!
5/5 🌟
Such is Life // 