A Silent Voice is based on a manga series of the same name and tells the story of Shoya Ishida. The anime explores themes of revenge, friendship, hope, social anxiety, and bullying. Shoya, the main character, wants to end his life by jumping from a bridge but decides to first make amends with the mother of a girl he bullied in the past. The film was very successful, outperforming “The Garden of Words,” “Your Name,” and “5 Centimeters Per Second.”
A Silent Voice, directed by Naoko Yamada, is a beautiful film that captivates audiences with its characters, story, music, and animation. While the film has received mixed reviews, many fans feel that the audience misunderstood its main theme, leading to confusion.
Let’s clarify the film’s theme to enhance viewers’ enjoyment of the A Silent Voice anime, addressing fan confusion.
Tomohiro’s Friendship With Shoya: An Important Part Of The Story
Shoya and Tomohiro Nagatsuka’s friendship is a key part of the story, adding depth to the film. Tomohiro became Shoya’s first friend since middle school and was well-liked by fans. He stood by Shoya when others didn’t. Yuzuru Nishimiya, Shouko’s younger sister, supported Shoya as she got to know him better. She realized that he had suffered a lot and paid a heavy price for his past actions. She also learned that Shouko became more expressive because of Shoya.
Silent Voice Misunderstandings
The 2016 anime film ‘A Silent Voice’ was well-received globally, but it faced both praise and criticism. Although it featured memorable characters, beautiful animation, and unique storytelling, it also received some negative feedback from fans.
One common misunderstanding was that the movie was mainly about romance, but in reality, it focuses on themes like bullying, social issues, mental health, disability, and forgiveness. The main character, Shoya Ishida, had bullied a deaf girl, Shouko Nishimiya, in middle school, leading to long-lasting emotional scars.
After reaching a low point in his life, Shoya decides to seek forgiveness from Shouko and make amends. He learns sign language to communicate with her and makes a promise to fulfil her wishes and compensate for what she missed out on in middle school.
A Silent Voice Finale
In the finale of “A Silent Voice,” Shouko Nishimiya tries to end her life by jumping from a balcony. Shoya ran to save her, successfully rescuing her but losing his balance and falling. He was saved by his friends and, holding hands with Shouko on the bridge, they overcame their fear together.
Both Shoya and Shouko had their own problems, which they later overcame, not alone but together. Their relationship is one of friendship and mutual support, rather than romance. The film offers a new take for fans tired of traditional romance-drama anime. A Silent Voice is not like any straightforward romance-drama film that you can watch and understand everything in one go. More than that, the film shares a deep-rooted message for viewers alike, helping them to cope with life even better.
The 2016 anime film ‘A Silent Voice’ was a smash hit worldwide, earning praise and criticism. Although the film had everything from memorable characters to beautiful animation, from a unique story to background music, still often received criticism from the fans.
One of the biggest misconceptions about the film viewers had was that the story centered around romance. While there are some romantic elements in the film, romance is definitely not the main theme the film revolves around. The most important themes are bullying, social issues, mental health, disability, and forgiveness.
The main character, Shoya Ishida, was ostracized because of his actions in middle school. He constantly bullied a deaf child, Shouko Nishimiya, and left lasting mental scars.
He decided to end his life after repaying the money he owed to his mother. However, before he gives all the money to his mother and ends his life, Shoya Ishida decides to meet the girl one last time and apologize for the suffering he brought her in the past. This decision suddenly turns into a divine gift because the boy decides to live his life for the girl.
As the story progresses, we learn more about the main character, Shoya Ishida, who learned sign language to talk with Shouko Nishimiya. In middle school, Ishida didn’t understand Nishimiya, so he had to resort to bullying to get to know her better. This act backfires, destroying everything he held dear to him. Not to mention, his mother had to pay for his deeds.
Years later, Shoya has the opportunity to reunite with Shouko and fix their past. He promised to fulfill every wish of Shouko and the things she missed in middle school because of him.
While the two have a good time together, Shoya’s friendship with Tomohiro Nagatsuka is an important pillar that brings the gang together. The character is introduced at the start of the film and soon becomes the fan’s favorite. The friendship between Tomohiro and Shoya makes the film more engaging to watch. He was Shoya’s first friend since middle school. Tomohiro Nagatsuka was also the one who supported him when others were against him.
Other than him, Yuzuru Nishimiya, Shouko Nishimiya’s little sister, supported Shoya throughout the film. At first, she was angry at him for upsetting her sister, but as time passed, she got to know him better. She realized the boy had suffered the most and had paid a heavy price for his past deeds. Moreover, she learned that Shouko started expressing more of her emotions because of Shoya. And that’s enough reason to change the view toward the person.
During the finale of A Silent Voice, Shouko Nishimiya tried to end her life by jumping from the balcony. After seeing his friend committing suicide, Shoya ran toward her, grabbed her hands and protected her from falling. He was successful in saving her but lost his balance and fell. Thankful, he was saved by his friends, who grabbed him back to the surface. When Shoko and Shoya held hands on the bridge, it wasn’t a sign of romantic feelings, but a sense of overcoming from their fear.
In A Silent Voice, both had their own set of problems, which they later overcame, not alone together. Being together means that Shouko and Shoya help each other as friends. Moreover, the film is a perfect treat for fans, bored with traditional romance-drama anime and looking for something new.
