“She was the one who can’t hear, but he was the one who refused to listen” - Yoshitoki Ōima.
Friendship - a bond bound by promises to keep and secrets that one is sworn not to reveal. Built on a foundation of mutual trust and respect, the camaraderie that a person shares with their companions is a cherished feeling idiosyncratic to every relationship. The ones formed during the nascent stages of our lives may sometimes continue to flourish till our adult years. Although we may lose contact, reuniting with the people responsible for some of our fond memories is an inexplicable feeling. Most of our friendships may start off on the wrong foot, however gradually with ever-changing circumstances, we better understand the other person thus bridging the gap that lies between us.
Friendships often blossom in uncanny places under unusual circumstances. The protagonists of A Silent Voice - Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya may relate to this with their growing relationship having a rocky start. Though they had an awry beginning to their relationship, Ishida’s efforts to turn over a new leaf and repent for his past actions helped him salvage and forge a better bond with Nishimiya.
With symbolism infused in the film, the director Naoko Yamada highlights certain aspects that prompt the audiences to pay closer attention to the events unfolding on screen. We are given a glimpse into Nishimiya’s character with the appearance of the Koi fish whenever she is around. The Legend of the Koi fish is a tale of resilience and perseverance – qualities that she embodies despite her demure personality.
Despite being deaf, Nishimiya strives to make friends and offers her notebook to those willing to communicate with her. The notebook serves as her only means of interaction in a world she is no longer privy to. After Ishida flings her notebook into the water, Nishimiya stops conversing altogether. Her connection to a world she wistfully yearns to be a part of is now severed.
With a girl who cannot hear and a boy who refuses to listen, Yamada artfully uses music to allow the audience to experience the inexplicable emotions that torment the main leads. Through the music that plays during Ishida’s introduction scene, the masses are made familiar with his nature – a young, immature and rebellious child who surrounds himself with trouble. However, Nishimiya’s opening music provides a sharp contrast, one of childlike curiosity that immediately piques the viewer’s interest. As the film progresses, moments of social exclusion that torment Ishida is accompanied by dull throbs signifying his deteriorating companionship with his schoolmates. It is only after Tomohiro Nagatsuka’s appearance in his life that he is surrounded by light tunes thereby proving that Nagatsuka acts as a respite for him.
Being a social outcast now, Ishida is ridden with guilt and crippling anxiety. His reluctance to maintain eye contact serves as an impediment with purple crosses that appear on his classmates' faces. With the camera angle constantly focusing on the other person’s feet and legs during conversations, Ishida’s overwhelming thoughts that plague him are brought to the forefront. However, Yamada may have chosen this specific approach as an ode to Nishimiya. Being a girl that is hard of hearing, Nishimiya mainly relies on non-verbal cues i.e body language to better understand the other person.
The viewers are acquainted with Nishimiya’s bleak outlook on life when we find her lingering at the edge of her balcony. However, her little sister Yuzuru has an inkling about her feelings and clicks pictures of dead animals in a bid to dissuade Nishimiya from such thoughts. Yet when her efforts prove futile she changes her muse to living creatures to show her elder sister that life is still worth living for.
A reference to Ishida and Nishimiya’s budding relationship can be seen when Nagatsuka is asked about the meaning of friendship. He responds by saying that “friendship exists beyond words and logic” which holds true for our flawed cinematic counterparts. Nishimiya had to turn to various other methods to converse with her peers. Nevertheless, Ishida and she find a common ground to connect with each other later on – sign language, reinstating the non-requirement of words to build amiability. One may also point out the irony behind their relationship that of a bully befriending his victim. In an ideal world, the victim would want nothing to do with their intimidator due to the horrible memories that are brought up to the surface. But Ishida and Nishimiya choose to dispel that notion and become close friends.
Being able to package serenity with such tenderness and gentleness that is rare to see nowadays is a feat not many can accomplish. Tackling issues that plague the current generation, A Silent Voice is a refreshing take on a pertinent topic by having the audience relieve the entire experience through the eyes of the bully as he takes us on a journey of self repentance in an attempt to rectify the mistakes of his past.
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