Now that I've bragged about seeing it in Japan like all the other reviewers, let me tell you why you should watch this movie as soon as you can. But before I do, let me make something clear: this is not a love story. It was never meant to be a love story. It never tried to be a love story. Do not fool yourself into thinking this is a love story.
I, like many people, like to compare this movie to Kimi no Na wa. Kimi no Na wa had amazing animation, amazing music, and amazing direction, but the story and characters were very lackluster. In comparison, KnK has very unimpressive animation and unimpressive music, but the story and characters are extremely memorable.
The manga was seven volumes long, so obviously some things had to be cut. The "independent film" subplot was cut in its entirety. A hefty portion of Ueno's character development was cut. Greater focus is placed on Shouya and Shouko, and the other characters act as ways to develop our two leads. There was some content that I really wanted to see (the "Shouya grows up" montage, the *pomf* chapter), but was cut. But since the source material doesn't matter, let's see how the movie does on its own.
This movie does a very good job of developing Shouya's character. The flashback to his childhood is just long enough to give us a good picture of the atrocities he committed, but it's not so long that it drags on. The movie does stumble a bit by glossing over how he realized how horrible he was - a problem that could have been fixed if they left the aforementioned montage in - but other than that, Shouya's development is believable. The giant Xes on people's faces are... well, call them heavy-handed, but as a person who sees a little of himself in Shouya (as I'm sure plenty of people can), it's a very accurate way of showing how he sees the world. It should be blatantly obvious how these affect Shouya's character throughout the movie, especially at the end. The side characters - Nagatsuka, Yuzuru, Eyebrows, Ueno, and Kawai - were full-fledged characters with their own arcs in the manga, but are used here for Shouya and Shouko's development, such as during the bridge scene. Koe no Katachi is a story of redemption and learning to love yourself. It accomplishes this very well with its story developments, which I really wish I could go into without spoiling them.
Shouko's character development is not as obvious. In fact, you might miss most of it the first time you watch the movie. It's done in a show-don't-tell kind of way, with very few scenes where we get to see what she's thinking (perhaps as a reflection of Shouya's guilt for what he's done and hesitation to associate with her). Instead, revelations made by (and about) other characters prompt you to think back to Shouko's actions. For example, I'm sure many people won't understand why the "I love you" scene was in this movie, considering that no romance happens. I'll give you a hint: When Yuzuru reveals why she takes the kinds of pictures she does, think back to that "I love you" scene. Yes, you're really supposed to connect them. Additionally, you'll notice that Shouko acts the same way for most of the movie, always smiling or apologizing. There's a reason for this! An important one! The movie briefly mentions it, and it connects to her past. You're meant to feel pity toward her, and then take notice of how the story events make her change. For a (mostly) silent character, Shouko is very well developed. There were more examples in the manga, but some had to be cut for the sake of runtime.
These two intricate character arcs come together beautifully in the final few scenes of the movie in a way that can only be described as magical. The story was thought out very well, and KyoAni's edits to the original story (especially the ending) were quite smart. This is a very good movie, and you should watch it.
Now, again, a lot of content was cut. We didn't get to see Shouya go visit his old elementary school teacher to confront his past. We didn't get to see Shouko bring everyone together to finish Nagatsuka's movie. But they couldn't adapt everything without making the movie obscenely long, and I feel like they kept the most important content. The manga is very good, and I highly recommend it - it's one of the few manga I'd consider actual literature - but the movie is good in its own right.
So if I loved this movie so much, why am I giving it an eight? Production values. For a movie, the animation is... disappointing. It looks only slightly better than KyoAni's average seasonal anime. Additionally, the music is also lackluster, especially if you've just recently seen Kimi no Na wa. The theme song is downright grating, and no piece of the OST really stands out too much. And, as I mentioned earlier, there was a weak point in Shouya's otherwise great character arc. But the sheer brilliance of the story and the characters make Koe no Katachi a wonderful experience. You should definitely watch it.
