So yeah, that out of the way, lets talk about why I loved this movie so much. It is hard to describe just how much this film means to me. My words can't do it justice, but I will do my best.
Artwork: Incredible, stunning, so beautiful. It was so pleasurable to watch.
Music: Inspirational, heart-rending, just really solid.
Characters: multidimensional, imperfect and realistic, empathetic, enjoyable and likeable. These characters felt real. They were all flawed and flawed in very different ways, but for the most part, only in ways that made me love them and connect with them even more. Whether it was running from problems instead of facing them, following along with others even when it is wrong or hurts others, hurting others through ignorance, hurting others through our own insecurities, jealousy, each character was unique and wonderful in their own way. Also, there were several characters that I absolutely adored.
Story: I don't have enough adjectives to do it justice. This story was so powerful in so many ways. First off, so nice to see something like being deaf being represented in cinema. I don't know how important this kind of representation is because I am still learning about the Deaf community, but whenever a minority or marginalized group is represented, I am ecstatic. Secondly, I thought the subject was fascinating and new. We get the beautiful story of Shoko who is bullied, mistreated, outcasted, and how this hurts her and how they recover and grow from it. Beautiful, classic, meaningful. But then, we get another story. The bully. This is new to me. What do we do when we know we've hurt someone, beyond repair, beyond redemption, beyond any sort of justification? We see how Shoya has grown, and how deeply he regrets the damage he has done, to the point of wanting to take his own life. He has left scars on Shoko's heart that are not easy to heal. Seeing his growth and his attempts to make sincere amends, not self-satisfying nonsense, was incredible.
I was never a bully in highschool, but I think everyone was universally a little bit shittier in school. There are so many little things that I regret doing in school, things that undoubtedly made other people's lives that much harder at a time when everyone is so vulnerable. I think the story of making amends for things you did when you were a "different person" is so important. I was more naive, more insecure, less emotionally mature, less kind, less thoughtful, less experienced. In part, this movie gave me the push to reach out to the people I was unfair/unkind/mean to and apologize to them. My wrongs were nothing as spectacular as the wrongs of this movie, but I'm so glad I apologized and showed that I had grown and that I regret the things I did. When did this turn into a confessional time!
Anyway, if you like anime, you absolutely need to watch this movie. It is a masterpiece and a reminder that there are incredible stories in anime just like any medium. If you don't like anime or haven't really watched any anime, this movie is the perfect place to start. The culture shock is minimal and the story is so incredibly powerful and universal. I will never stop recommending and re-watching this anime with any of my friends who are willing.
