Since it is Mental Health Awareness Month, I would like to present an anime that is closely tied with mental health – A Silent Voice. Although the animation can appear quite bright and cute, the movie itself tackles deep psychological themes like guilt complex, isolation, and depression. This movie also shows the negative aspects of bullying and how it can mentally affect the victim, illustrating that the bully can also receive consequences.
Released in 2016, A Silent Voice tells the story of Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya. During the 6th Grade, Nishimiya transfers to Ishida’s school. What is peculiar about Nishimiya is that she is deaf, and she uses a notebook to communicate with others. However, Ishida begins to bully her, calling her a creep for her disability. After a while, Nishimiya transfers to another school. Years later, now in high school, Ishida is burdened by guilt but he is determined to make amends with Nishimiya.
Throughout the course of the film, Ishida goes through a series of emotional struggles on his path of redemption, gradually eliciting sympathy from the audience. At the start, however, the audience will likely sympathize with Nishimiya. She is portrayed as kind, easy-going, and forgiving, traits that make her instantly likeable. Her politeness and desire to fit in draw sympathy, but beneath the surface, she carries a heavy and psychological burden.
On the other hand, Ishida is portrayed as a rude boy who thought it was acceptable to look down on and bully Nishimiya because of her disability in an ill attempt to get validation from others. Surprisingly, the bully gets the repercussions from his actions that he rightfully deserved to learn a lesson. Ishida receives the other end of the bullying, causing him to feel the torment he caused Nishimiya.
By the time he is in high school, he self-isolates himself from others around him and suffers from depression. He feels tremendous guilt and shame for what he had done to Nishimiya back in 6th Grade, wanting to reconnect with her to properly apologize. Throughout the movie, the audience will see Ishida and Nishimiya striving to tackle their mental problems and improve their well-being.
Although it deals with heavy and negative topics, the movie gives the audience a positive message as well, offering them a new perspective on mental health: it is admirable and mature for people to accept accountability for their actions, but it is wrong to think that taking their life will suffice because they believe everything will be better if they cease to exist. The movie also makes the audience appreciate life even if it may not be great all the time.
In my personal opinion, the movie was a great watch and brave for showing close-to-real psychological themes that anyone could be experiencing at the moment. With that said, the movie is available on Amazon Prime Video and Youtube Movies & TV to rent or buy. It is a two-hour film and originally in Japanese with English subtitles; however, Amazon Prime Video offers an English-dubbed version of the movie for those who cannot listen to Japanese and read subtitles quickly. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have!