Koe no Katachi Isn't About "Romance"

Aug 12, 2016 11:09 AM

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Sep 2010

8

Agree with "cakedog".

While show does have romance, it is not the main theme nor is it important. Also, this a movie meaning they will be limited in what they can add. No idea how well they will input the romance but hopefully they don't mess it up.

Aug 12, 2016 11:11 AM

#3

Idiots_on_MAL

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Feb 2014

323

They will definitely try to input romance, because its kyoani and that`s just how they roll. I hope they
won´t mess this adaptation up, because this is my favorite manga of all time (Been reading this since the one shot came out).

Aug 12, 2016 11:15 AM

#4

deactivated1709242

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Apr 2015

196

I completely agree with you, it was about a lot of things. I thought it would be more about deaf people but it had a lot of elements, like bullying, difficult friendships, and the kind of depression and guilt ordinary people deal with.

Aug 12, 2016 12:43 PM

#5

JkayW

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Apr 2015

1190

Meh manga. Hope they fix it.

Romance was an important theme, please sush.

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Aug 15, 2016 10:26 AM

#6

Kayle_x_Morgana

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May 2016

5498

yeah I read the ending. they totally fucked up by doing that. they should of made a romance ending them kissing saying love you and all that.

Aug 16, 2016 4:24 PM

#7

MexicanNinja212

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Mar 2016

60

I might be on my own deserted island in the sea of opinions, but I felt it ended perfectly fine. I felt like that was a realistic way to signify the fact they were together. To be fair the time skip did make things a little confusing, but after re-reading it for the 3rd time I think it ended how it should. If the anime makes it to the last chapter (kinda hoping it does, but if it has bad pace I'd rather they not) I hope they keep it the same.

Aug 16, 2016 5:04 PM

#8

Chandela

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Jan 2013

2170

JkayW said:
Meh manga. Hope they fix it.

I really hope they cut out the whole

part. It was so cringe worthy I forgot why I was reading the series at one point.

Aug 16, 2016 5:23 PM

#9

Guy32

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Dec 2007

176

I would say it is romance, but not primarily. More like a coming of age story that's 2/3 redemption and 1/3 romance. I thought the ending was very good.

Aug 24, 2016 5:17 PM

#10

Yourlolm

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Feb 2016

444

Romance or not its kyoani made for romance masterpieces, they may put more romance in but they will not adapt poorly, expect high ratings, i havent read the manga but the studio is putting a lot if effort into this, i expect 9-10/10

Aug 25, 2016 4:11 AM

#11

84DaysWithout

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Nov 2009

842

Yeah. It's not a love story, it's a life story and I really appreciate it for being that. I didn't mind the manga ending at ALL.

Aug 25, 2016 4:23 AM

#12

Tinni

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Jun 2015

2258

Yeah, well its primary focus isn't romance. Its more about bullying, disabilities, friendship, betrayal, and the difficulties of life. But there's bits and pieces of romance here and there, which I hope kyoani handles well.

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Sep 17, 2016 10:11 AM

#13

removed-user

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Jul 2018

564612

Altise said:
Although I agree with the above, there's still a part of me that wants to see Ishida and Nishimya together. I mean I was a bit annoyed when the author disregarded Nishimya's confession, and didn't follow up on that. Besides that, can't see any faults in the manga.

Exactly. It was literally my only problem with the manga, that they never truly confessed to each other.
Whether or not it's a 'romance', you cannot deny that they loved each other.

Sep 17, 2016 10:50 AM

#14

Robiiii

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Dec 2015

10632

Can I just ask if it has a sad ending or not? Just say yes or no pls, no spoilers :p

Sep 17, 2016 10:53 AM

#15

Swainy

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Jul 2015

57

Robiiii said:
Can I just ask if it has a sad ending or not? Just say yes or no pls, no spoilers :p

It's not a sad ending, more neutral. I can't really explain too much without spoiling it, I guess it just depends on what you consider to be a happy/sad ending. Keep in mind that its aim isn't to be a romance story, like OP said.

Sep 17, 2016 10:56 AM

#16

Robiiii

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Dec 2015

10632

Swainy said:

Robiiii said:
Can I just ask if it has a sad ending or not? Just say yes or no pls, no spoilers :p

It's not a sad ending, more neutral. I can't really explain too much without spoiling it, I guess it just depends on what you consider to be a happy/sad ending. Keep in mind that its aim isn't to be a romance story, like OP said.

Eh, doesnt sound like i'll like it then :s
Too bad.

Sep 17, 2016 10:58 AM

#17

Swainy

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Jul 2015

57

Robiiii said:

Swainy said:

It's not a sad ending, more neutral. I can't really explain too much without spoiling it, I guess it just depends on what you consider to be a happy/sad ending. Keep in mind that its aim isn't to be a romance story, like OP said.

Eh, doesnt sound like i'll like it then :s
Too bad.

There are romance themes and moments, but it's generally more about life, regrets, and overcoming problems.

I guess if it's not for you, it's not for you.

Sep 17, 2016 11:02 AM

#18

Takamura-sama

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Jun 2015

4394

Cakedog said:
Don't go into the series expecting it to be.

Is there a lot of drama? or some Feely parts

In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful. | You know what I hate the most? People who aren't free. They're no more than cattle.

Sep 17, 2016 11:17 AM

#19

Robiiii

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Dec 2015

10632

Swainy said:

Robiiii said:

Eh, doesnt sound like i'll like it then :s
Too bad.

There are romance themes and moments, but it's generally more about life, regrets, and overcoming problems.

I guess if it's not for you, it's not for you.

Well i knew from the b

Swainy said:

Robiiii said:

Eh, doesnt sound like i'll like it then :s
Too bad.

There are romance themes and moments, but it's generally more about life, regrets, and overcoming problems.

I guess if it's not for you, it's not for you.

Well i knew its gonna be about life n stuff but i def dont like when couples dont get together for whatever reason
So if its that im sure i dislike it :p

Sep 19, 2016 12:08 PM

#20

GohanwaOkazu

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Jan 2012

183

It is about a romance, but it is its only one aspect. It's about seeking redemption, as well as proper commitment, and expressing one's voice and hearing about others' voices. It is a difficult piece of art and I'm sure some people would have wanted it to be in other ways although it is an excellent film. The sound and visuals are marvelous. The film has kept me thinking over it after hours of getting out of the movie theater,

Sep 19, 2016 4:08 PM

#21

Yamadarin

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Sep 2016

15

GohanwaOkazu said:
It is about a romance, but it is its only one aspect. It's about seeking redemption, as well as proper commitment, and expressing one's voice and hearing about others' voices. It is a difficult piece of art and I'm sure some people would have wanted it to be in other ways although it is an excellent film. The sound and visuals are marvelous. The film has kept me thinking over it after hours of getting out of the movie theater,

Off-topic but...

Note: I might be the only person on this review list who has really watched it at a cinema in Japan as of 19 September 2016. I watched it at the Toho Cinema Complex in Ario Nishiarai.

Woah, woah. Was this really needed? Such disrespect, much offensive, much boasting.

I know you said 'might be', but that was rude.

Sep 19, 2016 6:57 PM

#22

megami

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Oct 2007

9

xXShuyaXx said:

GohanwaOkazu said:
It is about a romance, but it is its only one aspect. It's about seeking redemption, as well as proper commitment, and expressing one's voice and hearing about others' voices. It is a difficult piece of art and I'm sure some people would have wanted it to be in other ways although it is an excellent film. The sound and visuals are marvelous. The film has kept me thinking over it after hours of getting out of the movie theater,

Off-topic but...

Note: I might be the only person on this review list who has really watched it at a cinema in Japan as of 19 September 2016. I watched it at the Toho Cinema Complex in Ario Nishiarai.

Woah, woah. Was this really needed? Such disrespect, much offensive, much boasting.

I know you said 'might be', but that was rude.

I took GohanwaOkazu's comment the same way.

There are other MAL users/foreigners living in Japan that know enough Japanese to watch a movie. I felt it was a bit presumptuous of him/her to assume otherwise. I watched it at the Toho Cinemas ~~IN SHIBUYA~~, and I wasn't even the only foreigner in my row lol (there was a random European guy chatting in English with his friends a couple seats down, so he may even be on this site).

On-topic -
I hadn't read the manga so I was expecting a romance based solely on the trailer. I'm kind of glad I didn't read up on the movie before I went, so I went in fresh and was completely blown away. No, it is NOT a romance/rom com - it's something much better imo.

megamiSep 19, 2016 7:01 PM

Sep 19, 2016 8:27 PM

#23

Cakedog

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Dec 2013

1589

megami said:

On-topic -
I hadn't read the manga so I was expecting a romance based solely on the trailer. I'm kind of glad I didn't read up on the movie before I went, so I went in fresh and was completely blown away. No, it is NOT a romance/rom com - it's something much better imo.

Exactly right.

Some will go in blind and expect a romance because of the trailer, but then see it for what it really is.

But a lot of people are misinterpreting the source material as a romance.
Just because it's tagged as Romance on many sites doesn't make it a romance; it's mislabeled. At no point in the story does the MC pursue the female lead romantically, and that's not a bad thing.

Ultimately it isn't really a romance story whatsoever.

Step Into My Mind - ##&&##&&##&&

Sep 19, 2016 8:30 PM

#24

tretij

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Jan 2014

16259

I expected hardcore sex when I went into the series.

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𝒜𝑅𝒞𝐻𝐼𝒱𝐸--

𝐿𝒪𝒱𝐸𝑅--

Sep 19, 2016 9:34 PM

#25

Yamadarin

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Sep 2016

15

Cakedog said:

megami said:

On-topic -
I hadn't read the manga so I was expecting a romance based solely on the trailer. I'm kind of glad I didn't read up on the movie before I went, so I went in fresh and was completely blown away. No, it is NOT a romance/rom com - it's something much better imo.

Exactly right.

Some will go in blind and expect a romance because of the trailer, but then see it for what it really is.

But a lot of people are misinterpreting the source material as a romance.
Just because it's tagged as Romance on many sites doesn't make it a romance; it's mislabeled. At no point in the story does the MC pursue the female lead romantically, and that's not a bad thing.

Ultimately it isn't really a romance story whatsoever.

I wouldn't say it's not romance at all. There is romance in the movie, make no mistake. Shoko actually confessed and the movie made it obvious that she liked Shoya. So romance is a thing and you cannot deny that.

Though the problem rises when you understand that under circumstances, those two cannot have a relationship until they overcome and redeem themselves. Which becomes the over arching plot of the story. Romance becomes a secondary plot.
So there is nothing wrong with expecting a happier ending when both character finally gains redemption for their past and present.

Sep 20, 2016 3:34 AM

#26

bobzanny

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Jan 2015

2743

I agree the problem though is that Author decided to include a romance sub-plot but it was never concluded so it just feels awkward for the story and you're left with an empty feeling when you finish.

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Sep 20, 2016 6:33 AM

#27

megami

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Oct 2007

9

xXShuyaXx said:

Cakedog said:

Exactly right.

Some will go in blind and expect a romance because of the trailer, but then see it for what it really is.

But a lot of people are misinterpreting the source material as a romance.
Just because it's tagged as Romance on many sites doesn't make it a romance; it's mislabeled. At no point in the story does the MC pursue the female lead romantically, and that's not a bad thing.

Ultimately it isn't really a romance story whatsoever.

I wouldn't say it's not romance at all. There is romance in the movie, make no mistake. Shoko actually confessed and the movie made it obvious that she liked Shoya. So romance is a thing and you cannot deny that.

Though the problem rises when you understand that under circumstances, those two cannot have a relationship until they overcome and redeem themselves. Which becomes the over arching plot of the story. Romance becomes a secondary plot.
So there is nothing wrong with expecting a happier ending when both character finally gains redemption for their past and present.

It's far from the moe love story they were selling in the trailer though, that's for sure. (The spoilers aren't really **spoilers**, but as a lot of MAL users are outside of Japan, I'm hiding plot details.)

The romantic subplot takes up maybe 10 minutes of screen time, tops. Nagatsuka has about the same amount of screen time being the comic relief; I wouldn't call this movie a comedy because of that. It has "romantic elements" and "comedic elements" for sure, but it is first and foremost a "drama" (imo).

I think we're in agreement, I just didn't word my initial comment well; I didn't mean that THERE IS NO ROMANCE IN THIS MOVIE WHATSOEVER, but that it shouldn't be thrown under the romance category.

Sep 21, 2016 9:58 AM

#28

GohanwaOkazu

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Jan 2012

183

[quote/] Woah, woah. Was this really needed? Such disrespect, much offensive, much boasting.

I know you said 'might be', but that was rude.[quote]

Sorry, my review was made right after reading another review which was posted on Sep 17 (before it became available at the theater), which said that "The story was your generic romcom style with no new elements to it. There was a lot of melodrama that made the movie pretentious to watch. The two main characters are annoying and make me cringe and frustrated quite a bit. They really have no development or growth to them. The art is below average, but I've seen worse. The worst thing about the art was its bright and unappealing color palette. The OST is also below average". I felt that the person definitely had not seen the movie. After posting I had thought about erasing that sentence as it sounded pretentious (although without such intention- it is a popular film and I'm sure there would be others watching it - and I even saw it on the "second" day of showing), but I still can't figure technically how to edit it. I don't usually post things and I still don't understand how MyAnimeList posts can be edited, technically speaking (I should be able to edit this post, but I don't seem to be able to edit the review in the same way). Sorry folks.

GohanwaOkazuSep 21, 2016 10:05 AM

Sep 21, 2016 10:27 AM

#29

GohanwaOkazu

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Jan 2012

183

[quote=megami message=47837982]

xXShuyaXx said:

GohanwaOkazu said:

Off-topic but...

Note: I might be the only person on this review list who has really watched it at a cinema in Japan as of 19 September 2016. I watched it at the Toho Cinema Complex in Ario Nishiarai.

Woah, woah. Was this really needed? Such disrespect, much offensive, much boasting.

I know you said 'might be', but that was rude.

I took GohanwaOkazu's comment the same way.

There are other MAL users/foreigners living in Japan that know enough Japanese to watch a movie. I felt it was a bit presumptuous of him/her to assume otherwise. I watched it at the Toho Cinemas ~~IN SHIBUYA~~, and I wasn't even the only foreigner in my row lol (there was a random European guy chatting in English with his friends a couple seats down, so he may even be on this site).
.

I'm sorry. I now understand how to edit the reviews, and I've made changes to it. I apologize for annoying you.

GohanwaOkazuSep 21, 2016 10:31 AM

Sep 24, 2016 3:07 PM

#30

Cakedog

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Dec 2013

1589

Romance tag was removed from the Genres. Thank goodness.

If you want to make the argument that this series should have the romance tag, explain the following:

- Why aniDB has correctly excluded/omitted romance in their entry.
http://anidb.net/perl-bin/animedb.pl?show=anime&aid=10937

- Explain how less than 5 minutes of vaguely-romantic engagement should make an entire series fit the bill of having romance as a genre.
Should Gurren Lagann (TTGL) have a Romance tag then? Exactly.

Step Into My Mind - ##&&##&&##&&

Sep 25, 2016 10:26 AM

#31

GohanwaOkazu

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Jan 2012

183

Hmm... ? I think romance does play a big part in the film.

A note on the attempted confession and the "Moon" part: there is a known episode in which the known great writer of modern Japanese Literature Soseki Natsume was asked by his pupil how he should translate "I love you" into proper natural Japanese. Sosei told that since there is no proper word-to-word equivalent translation which would seem natural in Japanese, and as the Japanese do not traditionally confess their emotions in such in-your-face way, the translation should be something like: "The moon is beautiful."

So the failed confession scene in fact has Shoko expressing herself and Shoya replying back in a classical manner- although because he has moral and psychological restrictions in acknowledging that she could possibly love him or he could love her, he is not conscious about what he is saying.

The above should be lost in translation to English in the manga or movie.

Sep 25, 2016 3:29 PM

#32

TheKillerAngel

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Aug 2015

355

lol @ the shonen tag

inb4 I CAME INTO THIS EXPECTING NARUTO 1/10 NO ACTION THIS MOVIE SUX BORING

Sep 26, 2016 4:33 AM

#33

Wintovisky

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Sep 2013

1711

Chandela said:

JkayW said:
Meh manga. Hope they fix it.

I really hope they cut out the whole

part. It was so cringe worthy I forgot why I was reading the series at one point.

I stopped reading the manga when they started trying to make the movie and people suddenly appeared to be "nice" (I don't even know if they really were, since I didn't read the whole thing...). I have to agree, it was cringey.

Sep 26, 2016 8:39 AM

#34

Midobb

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Jul 2014

9

Wintovisky said:

Chandela said:

I really hope they cut out the whole

part. It was so cringe worthy I forgot why I was reading the series at one point.

I stopped reading the manga when they started trying to make the movie and people suddenly appeared to be "nice" (I don't even know if they really were, since I didn't read the whole thing...). I have to agree, it was cringey.

Well they did remove that whole plot point.

Sep 28, 2016 8:45 PM

#35

IShadowsunI

Offline

Sep 2016

1

(*SPOILERS*)
Wait hold your horses...I know that at some point in the movie she tries to shout 'I like you'...are you telling me that, that goes nowhere? I know theres no confession in the manga but you at least get the feeling they know they like each other...

basically what Im trying to say is, by the end of the movie do you feel bad for shoko at all? Is she happy at the end of the movie? I just feel like it'd be kind of depressing to see that kind of heartfelt scene only to see literally no level of reciprocation...

OK...what Im REALLY trying to say is does he at least use the 'help me live' line at the end? (the bridge scene is the end correct?) That's enough closure for me :3

IShadowsunISep 28, 2016 8:50 PM

Apr 15, 2020 9:04 AM

#36

badabass

#FreeWatermelon

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Feb 2020

8958

Ofc there is some romance. But, its not the main plot. I like how KyoAni handled that thing out for awhile. You all can imagine the romance ending at your believes. For me, the end was just perfect enough for the whole stories. Ishida, and ofc Nishimiya, got their happy end, and not for only both of them. However, for everyone, for their old friends, for their new life in the future!

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Apr 18, 2020 7:14 AM

#37

towelgirl21

Offline

Jul 2013

479

Good, because the "romance" sucks. That was one of my biggest complaints about the movie. I can imagine the deaf girl making peace with her old bully since he worked hard to make amends, but not dating him. Maybe it makes sense more in the manga, but I couldn't believe it in the movie.

GohanwaOkazu said:

A note on the attempted confession and the "Moon" part: there is a known episode in which the known great writer of modern Japanese Literature Soseki Natsume was asked by his pupil how he should translate "I love you" into proper natural Japanese. Sosei told that since there is no proper word-to-word equivalent translation which would seem natural in Japanese, and as the Japanese do not traditionally confess their emotions in such in-your-face way, the translation should be something like: "The moon is beautiful."

So the failed confession scene in fact has Shoko expressing herself and Shoya replying back in a classical manner- although because he has moral and psychological restrictions in acknowledging that she could possibly love him or he could love her, he is not conscious about what he is saying.

The above should be lost in translation to English in the manga or movie.

I thought it was because "tsuki" means "moon" and "suki" means "I like/love you." Since Shoko has kind of a speech impediment from being deaf, and was standing far away, the guy might have misheard her.

towelgirl21Apr 18, 2020 7:19 AM

Apr 18, 2020 7:49 AM

#38

H_Lightstone

Offline

Aug 2018

359

Of course it isn't romance.

"The most amazing and interesting story in this world ever existed is the story of the world itself where all stories happened"
-Hassaan Lightstone-

Nov 9, 2020 3:28 PM

#39

smoledman

Offline

May 2017

355

I think ultimately it's about the ability to forgive, others and yourself.

Poll: » Koe no Katachi Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) nihon_no_tsuki - Sep 21, 2016	700	by Morragan »» Apr 4, 5:29 PM
» Ueno and miki (Spoiler) Gilbertaxel17 - Jan 14	17	by Marianolove_55 »» Mar 16, 9:39 AM
» Did you cry? ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page ) Stacias - Aug 1, 2022	257	by LoveLikeBlood »» Mar 3, 1:41 PM
» Sharing Whispers with Shoko - Moments that Made Us Fee Sad-Life - Dec 31, 2023	11	by Aryan422 »» Jan 2, 9:21 AM
» What are your opinions on Tomohiro? Aldanaonair - Dec 29, 2023	7	by Squatch70 »» Dec 29, 2023 1:52 PM

Koe no Katachi Isn't About "Romance"

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» Ueno and miki (Spoiler)

» Did you cry? ( 1 2 3 4 5 ... Last Page )

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