聲の形 (Koe no Katachi, A Silent Voice, 2016)
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Recently I decided to pick up some new anime to watch, during my mid-year break from studying, and upon sharing a series recommendation via social media, a long-time friend brought this film to my attention. Asking me for a comparison, I exclaimed I hadn’t seen it, and quickly added it to my roster. I began to read a synopsis online, quickly to stop, in time to see the high praise this film has received, both in its’ native country and abroad.
Upon completing the film, I was left in a state I hadn’t been in for a long, long time, which kickstarted my urge to pick up film & music reviewing again.
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聲の形 (Koe no Katachi) is a heavy-handed take on physical disabilities, school bullying, and the long-term social and mental ramifications. This film hits you where it hurts most, and then beats you while you're down, but don’t get me wrong; that's not to say that it's without its' heartfelt moments. It does a fantastic job of pulling you into the world in which these characters inhabit, with you feeling as if you're occupying the same space as the characters, instead of merely just passing through. You don’t merely just sympathise and feel for the characters, but empathise with them, sharing with them the pain that they feel. I struggled to find anything negative or disagreeable with the film itself, instead only finding myself feeling negativity towards one particular character; this isn’t due to poor writing, but in fact the opposite, showing how well the writers and voice actress fleshed out, and embodied the particular character and their portrayal. This film was a joy to watch; a well-worthwhile journey, and definitely a storytelling highlight for me in terms of media I've absorbed in the past few years. Very few films have moved me in the way I felt when this film concluded, leaving me with an intense bittersweetness mixed with jubilation. Please, give this film an honest chance, both to entertain you, and to move you to the very core of your soul.












