Writer: Erny Suzira

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Watch this if you liked: “Your Name”

The Good, the Bad and the Deaf Girl:

"A Silent Voice", or as the Japanese title translates "The Shape of Voice" (Koe no Katachi) - shows that a person's voice can come in various shapes such as body or sign language, and it doesn't have to be in vocal form for feelings to be conveyed.

Based on an award-winning one-shot by Yoshitoki Ooima, which turned into a full length manga series, "A Silent Voice" centers on a former bully who tries to redeem himself by making up with a deaf girl who was the victim of his bullying.

The premise of the coming-of-age movie may seem modest at first, but the story deals with more than just the subject bullying as it also covers sensitive topics like school politics, social anxiety, self-esteem and suicides, which are universally relatable to many adolescents and even adults as well.

When it comes to a story about bullying, we usually see it from the victim's point of view, but "A Silent Voice" is one of those unique entries where the focus falls on the one who bullies.

It is understandable why the movie won the Japan Academy Award of Excellence as the movie not only has an emotionally strong plot, it also features visually stunning backdrops and animation, precise audio effects, and meticulous cinematography that complement the story well.

As the movie was released earlier in Japan and some other parts of the world, it is already deemed by many to be a great follow-up to the successful, "Your Name". Though story wise, the subject dealt in both movies are relatively different, the style still seems similar.

From a normal audience point of view, the movie is undeniably an amazing feature with a heart-warming plot, however, if it were to be compared to the original manga, the movie lacks depth as many meaningful moments have been omitted in the movie adaptation.

Though it's understandable that it is not possible to squeeze a 60-over-chapter manga into a two-hour movie, manga fans might somehow find the story slightly empty or incomplete.

Despite so, the movie is still a truly wonderful piece of work with great story and beautiful animation, and it also proves why traditional Japanese animation still do well in the global market.

Trivia:

• The manga started off as a one-shot, meaning a single, standalone issue which is not meant to be an on-going series - but because the one-shot was so well received to readers in Japan - even winning an award - the mangaka decided to republish it as a full series with over 60 chapters.



Cinema Online, 20 April 2017