Why A Silent Voice is essential viewing for mental health awareness in anime

A Silent Voice is an anime movie that tells a story about Shouya Ishida and his journey in life after making one huge mistake. While the movie initially focuses on Shouko Nishimiya, a deaf girl who had been bullied by her classmates due to her disability, it is Shouya Ishida who takes the center stage.

It is a rare event in the world of anime where the bully gets a proper redemption and ends up becoming the protagonist. Initially, he was one of the popular kids in his class, and he used to partake in bullying Nishimiya. She was tolerant of most of the pranks, but one day he went a step too far and broke her hearing aid and injured her.

Although in his head it was supposed to be an innocent prank. He was not the only one making fun of her, but when their teacher addressed this issue everyone let him take a fall and escaped from suffering any consequence.

Since that day, he secluded himself from everyone. He also stopped being his usual self and decided to never make any friends. We see that he always tends to avoid eye contact, as it makes him uncomfortable. He also seems to tune out the voices of others. What’s crucial here is that the audience is asked to empathize with someone who used to be the problem.

At some points in the movie, we see it through the lens of this character, and the audience is shown an X mark on others' faces. This is how he sees the world. It is important to note that the reason he cannot comprehend anyone's face is that Shouya has no energy or the will to form connections with anyone.

What makes A Silent Voice different from others is that Shouya does not want to be forgiven for his actions. He has drowned himself in guilt to the point that he started to feel that there is no point in living anymore.

The level of self-hatred built up in that boy was truly sad to watch. Additionally, the reason for most of the time he did not try to seek sympathy or move on from the events was because he believed that someone like him does not deserve any forgiveness.

Why A Silent Voice matters

This movie matters because it is important to talk about mental health. We are currently a generation where talking about such topics is not taboo and with access to media, there is an opportunity to reach a larger audience

Mental health issues are universal. They affect people across all ages, races, cultures, and identities. In Japan, where mental illness has long been stigmatized and suicide rates are high, A Silent Voice is especially courageous. But its message is not bound by geography.

Friendship as a lifeline in A Silent Voice

A beautiful aspect of the A Silent Voice movie comes when the main protagonist makes a friend. Nagatsuka makes his way into Shouya’s life and forces him to rejoin a social life.

This character has a goofy energy that makes him lovable. Interestingly, Nagatsuka is the first character who loses the X mark off his face in the eye of the main character.

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Later, more friends join them, and Ishida starts experiencing joy again. In one emotional scene, he laughs with his friends and then quietly asks, “Is it okay for me to have this much fun?” That simple line speaks volumes.

This single line tells us about Shouya’s descent into despair. Ishida’s healing in A Silent Voice includes learning that joy isn’t something you have to deserve; it’s something you’re allowed to feel.

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