STAFF PICK A SILENT VOICE Animated film by Naoko Yamada In A Silent Voice, the anime adaptation of friendships are not so quickly overcome, a manga series by the same name, high and Nishimiya herself feels implicated in school student Shoya Ishida is in a self- Ishida’s torment, leading to a thrilling destructive spiral of guilt over his bully- climatic scene as unsettled anxieties, ing of a former classmate, Shoko shame, and fear return from their shared Nishimiya, who is deaf. Nishimiya, past. when first introduced to Ishida in ele- The story and characters are touching mentary school, communicates via and relatable, and the animation style writing in her notebook, but Ishida and and music capture the atmosphere per- his pals shun Nishimiya by mocking her fectly of young students trying to figure voice in the few moments she does speak out their lives without being light- Title: A Silent Voice and by throwing her hearing aids out the hearted or too dark. The characters’ Director: Naoko Yamada window. Later, Ishida is haunted by his mature discussions such as on the nature mistakes and is separated from his of friendship (one speculates that Publisher: Shout Factory former friends in high school, their faces “friendship exists beyond words and Year: 2019 now covered by giant “X”s in his mind logic"), as well as on social ostracism, self- Run-time: 130 min. as he cannot bear to make eye contact. transformation, and love, expand the To make amends, Ishida picks up sign film’s audience beyond the intended Original manga by language and seeks out Nishimiya to young adult group and provide an Yoshitoki Oima show he has changed, and the two grow enjoyable watch for everyone. Call no. BR ANI YAM 2019 closer in their sweet shared moments. DVD ANI YAM 2019 But Ishida’s own guilt and his spurned — Daniel, Library Staff Item no. 00026524 December, 2020 00026525 Original Japanese: about director Koe no katachi 聲の形 Naoko Yamada (山田 尚子) is a Japanese animator, television and film director. Working at Kyoto Animation, she directed the K-On! and Tamako Market anime series, and the anime film A Silent Voice. Yamada was born in Gunma Prefecture. As a child she enjoyed drawing images from the Patlabor and Dragonball anime series. — from imdb.com .