MOVIE REVIEW: KOE NO KATACHI (A SILENT VOICE)
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Shoya Ishida (L) and Shoko Nishimiya (R)
main characters of Koe no Katachi
I think that, in my almost three decades of my living life, this was my first time to watch in the movie house, alone. Yep, a-l-o-n-e. LOL. I've attempted to do so since my better half wasn't fond of the genre of the movie nor had read the manga. And mind you, having this personal "me-time" wasn't totally a bad idea! I think that this is fun!
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| lovin' some me-time here! :D |
(Plus I get to shed a tear and wail my heart out with no one trying to tease me XD)
So yes, where were we?
Koe no Katachi.
Koe no Katachi (translated in the movie as 'A Shape of the Voice') or A Silent Voice is originally based on a manga drawn and written by Yoshitoki Oima. It depicts more on a slice of life story of a high school boy who, in the past, had bullied a new transfer student who was apparently deaf. Back then, Shoya, along with his other friends, teased and made fun of Shoko until the latter's mother decided to transfer yet another school to prevent her daughter from experiencing another scarring and more painful childhood memory. It became rather surprising when after Shoko transferred schools, all of Shoya's friends turned against him and became the center of bullying and later on, isolation. His whole life as a kid until his final year in high school felt worse than hell, seemingly regretful of what he did and realizing the mistake he had caused to Shoko and to his loved ones who somehow ended up being involved with his actions.
Seeking repentance on his sins, one day in Spring, he decided to end his life but life made such a fateful encounter as he met Shoko by chance, again. Very surprised as he longed for such a reunion, he decided to give his life another chance and tried to act right and be friends with her, now that Shoya learned how to speak sign language, and for the shy, timid Shoko to rekindle the friendship she once attempted to do for the rest of her old classmates through his help. This became the gateway for more character development and more moments for me to tear up while watching the movie.
The movie was already shown in Japan since 17th September '16 (hence what the movie poster said above) but for the International (Asian) release, they have only made it available in Singapore since early March of this year. Movie wise, there were some parts in the original manga that was omitted so for the movie to fit the two-hour screenplay. Still, it did not leave all those important scenes to waste, making me to certainly assess that the movie version still give me what I have expected for me to happen = CRY. The movie goers that I watched along with were also sniffing in satisfaction, whether they were behind me, in front of me, or even beside me.
The trailer:
Generally speaking, producing anime films and series as years went by enhanced greatly on how enticing the colors were rendered for it to be appealing and pleasant to the eye, and Koe no Katachi didn't disappoint. It befitted that sense of subtleness as per the story is concerned. Even though they made sure that some scenes in the manga were cut or kind of 'altered', still, it conveyed as to what the message of the movie was. I was happy to have witnessed such a wonderful story as this, which is timely and relevant to all kinds of audiences. It somehow opened the way to understand what a bully and the one being bullied can cause to either heal or destroy one's life essence, so are the people to be aware on physical impairment issues.
Life was never easy on them, and this movie would open doors for people to know that it really isn't.
More importantly, what could be even better than to pair the movie up with the carrier theme song. Ever since the news of a movie adaptation surfaced last year, I was more than glad to realize that aiko will be the one to sing the OST for the movie. I was such a lowkey fan of her! To me, her, singing the song added more sweet touch to it, as if she was speaking to convey Shoya's feelings to reach properly and be known to Shoko. Koi wo shita no wa (Reason I fell for you) depicts that flow of undiscovered romance in spite of the rough or pain-inflicting start, thus building its path to redemption.
Should you want to know the english translation of the song, I have found a very helpful blog here! (credits to that blog owner!)
Man, I was waiting for this to be available in Singapore in such a long time, just as how I waited for the other movie that took me weeks to move on (even until now). Truth be told, the movie debuted at #2 on the first screening day in Japan, just right behind to it. It has been reported also that Koe no Katachi belonged to the Top 10 highest grossing Japanese film of 2016 in Japan. I wasn't surprised. It was such a touching story that everyone should watch and learn to.
It may be already out in the movie houses here in Singapore but you would most likely wait for the DVD / Bluray release. And buy it. Buy a copy and also aiko's single.
But if you're turning ghetto, most likely, you'd wait for this to be up in your favourite streaming or torrent sites.
It may be already out in the movie houses here in Singapore but you would most likely wait for the DVD / Bluray release. And buy it. Buy a copy and also aiko's single.
But if you're turning ghetto, most likely, you'd wait for this to be up in your favourite streaming or torrent sites.
Come on, who doesn't? :)
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