A Silent Voice is based upon the manga series of the same name. It tries to compress seven volumes into two hours and thus it changes the plot in order to do it. The end result is still an emotionally intense film but with a few plot issues. The film follows Ishida Shoya when he was in elementary school, and a new girl transfers into his class. Nishimiya Shoko, who is deaf, ends up being bullied by Ishida. What Ishida does is beyond cruel and makes him extremely unlikable. He gets his just dessert but then what happens to him feels beyond cruel either, as everyone including his friends and teacher turn against him. Fast forward to high school and he is still burdened by the past, being friendless. This is the biggest issue with A Silent Voice, the actions of the characters doesn't feel justified. Characters do these things, including a major event involving Nishimiya and Ishida, but the film doesn't explore enough of the characters' justification for the viewer to make sense and accept it. Ishida meets up with Shoko again during high school and they begin to reconcile, along with all their other elementary classmates. The film cycles between sweetness, sadness, bitterness and happiness again and again in an engrossing manner. You want to see how Ishida fixes his life and his mistakes, and how he blames the incident completely on himself yet other people had blame too. The film has a unique and melodious atmosphere that suits its content extremely well. Overall though, A Silent Voice is still an extremely polished and solid film, well worth a watch as it will set you thinking not only the difficulties a deaf person might face, but also a person's relationships.
