A Silent Voice Psychology - analysis of A Silent Voice

A Silent Voice, also known as Koe no Katachi. When it first came out in 2016, mixed feelings from the viewers were skyrocketing on the internet. Many blacklisted it for being melodramatic but several enjoyed it for its uniqueness as the most emotional film in this anime decade. But for the manga readers, it was confusing, as for 7 long volumes to be bound into a 2-hour film would prone to be neglected much in the broader sense. Still, the representation was worthy of giving it a shot to withhold every single aspect that its symbols were to represent. On a psychological level, it was much bigger than it seems to be. In this post, I will point out those thoroughly by using my imaginative sense and also through a deep enlisted study of the series by its manga on the account. Let us start from the notch. From the starting of the film,

'What is the scene about? What is the image in a distance?'

The opening scene of A Silent Voice, explains the entire movie and I am going to recreate it for your understanding. Throughout the movie, the concept of karma always arises. Shoyo deserves his punishment for what he has done. He does not deserve to be happy. Shoko's mother deserves to raise a deaf child for something she must have done in her life earlier. And Shoko deserves to be deaf because she had done something in her past life cause Karma works that way, or else she wouldn't be born like that.

Symbolic Concept of Karma

In Buddhism one of the main beliefs is reincarnation – your next life is determined by the actions in your current or previous lives. With this in mind, Shoyo begins as a bully but eventually, he attempts to make amends. During this process, Shoyo learns that no matter how hard he tries, he can never gave Shoko the happy childhood that he took away from her. He can never change his attitude of isolation and he can never erase the scar on Shoko's ear. He will never truly understand Shoko even after learning Sign Language. It was just a swallow attempt of understanding, creating a bridge without a manifestation of any moral links. He does not understand how she feels, no one understands that in the first place, and she does not understand how others feel also.

Contemplative Shoyo, his life through the ordeal

Shoko constantly wears a mask of happiness and apologizes because she does not want her family to be hurt by that harassment. However, she does not realize the strain of confusion that puts on her family and others around her. The only scene she truly expresses how she feels is when Shoyo threw her notebook in the pond and decided not to pick it up. She returned home that day and expresses herself by taking off her mask and saying – "I want to die". This scene was shown in the film by some rapid presentation of metaphoric images where Shoko was lying dead, blood oozing out of her and she is covered in daises(represents she is not dead yet but hopes to be). Though in the manga it was quite detailed and direct.

The Flower Language of 'A Silent Voice'

But that was not the point alone. The real question is Why would Shoko be shaken up by the action? – She has been bullied and harassed countless times but her smile never waved before, then why Shoyo's throwing of her notebook, bothers her that much?

_The reason is, this notebook was the most precious item to her, it was her voice to the world. She would write in permanent ink, "Let's be friends". During the bullying, others would write mean things but she still carried it around as a hope of communication with others. When Shoyo throws the notebook in the pond, she has decided to give it up, her only medium of communication. She has stopped communicating with the world. She marked everyone's face with an 'X'. But we didn't see it from her. It was directed to us, the audience's views, from the perspective of Shoyo. As the Karma wheel rolls back, we can see how Shoko has suffered from bullying and isolation. It was when we see Shoyo suffer in the same way, we realize what it feels like to be in the shoes of Shoko. And when they have united again, this is why Shoko was so accepting of Shoyo. When he gave her back the book. Shoyo had given back her voice. This is the reason why she suddenly jumps into the river to retrieve her book. It was her voice that she had given up before, and she didn't want to lose it again

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The story continues to follow Shoko and Shoyo's journey with their depression and thoughts of suicide. The two always meet and return to the river where they feed the Koi fish. It had great significance. There is a legend related to it.

"There is a school of golden Koi fish who swam upstream the yellow river in China. When the fish reaches the waterfall, they were met with malicious demons who mopped and hide in the waterfall. Many of the fish turn away but after a hundred years, one fish was able to leap to the top of the waterfall reaching the dragon's gate, transforming into a dragon."

Perseverance, strength, and overcoming obstacles are common symbols for Koi fish.

In the beginning, we see a small school of Koi – five grey, and one colored Koi, swimming away. Each Koi represents a character in the story and how they all struggled with their demons.

1. Katsuki lies lives in a fantasy. He lies about having numerous friends, bribing school children to pulse for his lie. In his movie, there is a dramatization and fantasy of his life, when he met Shoyo, Ueno, and the others.
2. Ueno is very similar to Shoyo but her efforts never come close due to her brass nature and sheer lack of empathy. Like Shoyo, she is uncomfortable with her past self and tries to make amend that the people she bullied, by befriending Sahara, Shoyo, and the others. She tries to reunite Shoyo and Shimada, similar to how Shoyo did with Shoko and Sahara. She tells the same thing to Kohai and Shoyo did. She is unsure in willing to confess her feelings to Shoyo, similar to how Shoyo feels it is wrong to be a friend of Shoko. The only difference between Ueno and Shoyo is that she continues to load and impulsively act. She does not attempt to change but tries to change others instead.
3. Masima acts in the name of his Justice - his false Justice. Because he was bullied, he feels the need to oppose others in the name of righteousness. This was shown when he throws water on Takeuchi-sensei, expresses his thoughts. When Shoyo discusses with him Shoko's bullying and finally enacting on when he punched Shoyo on the bridge.
4. Sahara is the first fish, Koi to swim away from the waterfall. She runs at the sway of conflict. She does not address her problems but simply hides them, hoping to not encounter others. However, over time she does manage to face her fears unlike befriending the nasty girl who made fun of her and eventually became her business partner(this was extracted from the manga as a solid point, so don't be puzzled if you haven't seen it in the film).
5. Koai is just a manipulating persona, similar to the witch in Snow White. She looks in the mirror, seeing an image of the beautiful girl, but does not recognize what others see, a faker, a narcissist; a girl in disillusion. Masima even proposes the hypothetical to Koai about the person who just laughs but did no bully and she merely answered that person is at fault as well but didn't see through Masima's metaphor. It exposed her character to us, totally unveiled.

From the Left - Sahara, Ueno, Katsuki, Mashima, Koai

The last fish, the colored Koi fish represents Shoyo and Shoko. The Koi represents their journey, their thoughts of suicide, and their leap as a powerful dragon. Although Shoyo has given back Shoko's book, her voice to the world, she could not communicate her true feelings. Shoyo was also not able to communicate his true feelings.

Shoyo and Shoko, both contemplate suicide. They both feel they are a burden to the people around them. They both face suffering, they feel unworthy to cross the world and find happiness. Shoyo never stops his contemplation of suicide, instead, he was pushed back by others like his mother who yells at him. Shoyo decides his one purpose in his life is to make Shoko: not understanding her but made her happy – this is his biggest mistake as Shoko has done the same as well.

Shoko understands she causes others trouble, she is not deaf to the world. She understands her burden to the family. She understands the backlash and why her mother has to be strict. She realizes that to do right, she tries to make others happy not herself. This is the reason for always smiling, always apologizing. She doesn't want to make anyone sad. This is also her reason to feed the Koi Fish, similar to how Shoyo does his best to make Shoko happy, Shoko feeds the fish to make them happy. After the bridge scene, Shoko's smile slowly fades away. She cannot keep her mask on any longer. She concludes that despite her efforts she can do nothing but cause pain and suffering to others around her. To allow Shoyo to enjoy his life, to allow no more burdens, to make Shoyo happy – she decides to end it.

In the beginning, Shoko jumps off the bridge to retrieve her notebook and Shoyo could not reach her. Not only is this foreshadowing, but explains that Shoyo cannot reach her yet, cannot understand her yet. Shoyo prays to replace Shoko, in dying her place.

In front of the hospital, Shoko cries for forgiveness but she is not hurt by Ueno or Shoyo's Mother. Shoyo's mother's voice has been taken away. She cannot accept her apology until Shoyo wakes up. Ueno's voice has been taken away. She shuts herself in the world by literally shutting the door and anyone that wants to visit Shoyo in the hospital.

In Shoko's dream, she views messages from Shoyo, similar to how she would have written in her notebook. She finally understands why Shoyo has been doing these things. She understands that he felt the same. They both hold on to the past dearly. Like a stream current, they could not swim against it or move forward. They viewed the world as if they were the reason for others around them to struggle as well. And in despair she cries out of her misery, hoping her voice would reach Shoyo, to come back, to move forward with her.

Shoyo is reborn, he has been reincarnated. It is a chance to correct his wrongs in his new life. Shoko has confessed her true feelings of Suicide and they both can reconcile each other with the efforts of living by moving forward together; not just living for each other. Beginning his new life Shoyo is not still able to face the world. But Shoko can connect with Shoyo, holding his hand, able to track him out of the crowd. Shoyo has begun his new reincarnated life, with the help of Shoko and his friends around him.

** Read the Next section after playing the following video(For auditory and visual sensations)

In distance, we see a shadow of a boy slowly walking towards the light. Suddenly it appears to be two shadows, a boy and a girl, walking beside each other, ready to face anything in their path, suffering pain as a part of life. You will come round with many obstacles on your path but being able to accept the pain, allow you to face it; to move forward towards a brighter future. Although it is a lot easier to walk towards the light when you have someone beside you.

This excellence of a creative message was delivered by those flash scenes of a pointed light. Several times when the movie was coming off a phrase of metamorphosis, it delivers the exact penalty to understand the plot, deeper than the psychology it represents. I hope I can bring a lot of it out of this example of a movie. Too good to fit in a single blog, I tried to point everything out. Though It isn't certain that there is nothing left out. Please present your thoughts in the comment section. Let us all get a better understanding of Silent voice Psychology.

Thank you for reading. Have a brilliant day and see you in the next blog post.