Koe no Katachi is undoubtedly a work radiating with prominence. Being a one-shot written and drawn by Ooima Yoshitoki, a promising young mangaka, I marched my eyes forth to the manga without any excitement nor high expectations, only a neutral reading experience. And gratefully for that, my dwindling emotions suddenly underwent rapid maturation and eventually softened the walls of my heart. This manga certainly doesn't possess anything that could thrust us to the edge of our seats the way sword fighting, intellectual skirmishes and bizarre brawls often do. However, this 64-page one-shot's density is solely held together by particles of varying emotions and souls; something that we seldom find in our reading media.
The beauty of this short read is engrossed at its plot at the very least, whereas the characters and art are also commendable but not as riveting as the former. Furthermore, the simplicity exhibited in the execution of events really enthralls me. The story is not actually that strong either, but if anything, it's Ooima's kitschy perspective in life and passion in writing which makes this piece of work worthy of all the praises it's receiving. Reading through the pages where Nishiyama Shouko is being ostracized and aggressively bullied for her hearing impairment utterly weighed everything down in my chest. Furthermore aside from bullying, Koe no Katachi tackles the dreadful corners of humanity where hypocrisy reigns. But ultimately, this manga refurbishes the hope overshadowed by the ugliness of human nature, which is quite well substantiated in Ishida Shouya's change of heart as he elaborately realizes his mistakes and reconciles with Nishiyama years after. Despite the bleakness exhibited, this manga is still strongly moving and at the same time cute.
I am indeed easily propelled (sentimentally) by mangas having similarities to this in terms of themes, although I prefer novels better as my reading medium. Also, I just can't neglect the notion inside me that Koe no Katachi is really really close to Onanie Master Kurosawa with the all the bullying cases, but less on the psychological department. In essence, Koe no Katachi is a promising one-shot capable of grasping every fiber of your emotions for a short duration. If you're the same as me who takes a peculiar kind of pleasure in bawling endlessly beneath a pillow, you'll surely love this as much as I did.
Note: I read this last night while listening to MAXIMUM THE HORMONE, and still, my tears ceaselessly fled from my lachrymal ducts. Koe no Katachi is THAT great.
