Preteen girl looking at a cell phone with her parents

Personalized picks at your fingertips

Get the mobile app on iOS and Android

Parents' Guide to

A Silent Voice: The Movie

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Bullying, suicide attempts in excellent coming-of-age anime.

Movie NR 2016 130 minutes
A Silent Voice: The Movie Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 12+

Based on 4 parent reviews

age 10+

WATCH NOW!

Short summary: When a grade school student with impaired hearing (Shoko Nishimiya) is bullied mercilessly, she transfers to another school. Years later, one of her former tormentors ( Shoya Ishida) sets out to make amends. Language: Zero language other than some words that don’t even count, fine for anyone older than 10. Violence/blood: There is one scene where Shoya rips out Shokos’ hearing aids very hard, and there is one drop of blood. For violence, it is only in a few scenes, and there is no blood. However a main character does try to commit suicide, but nobody dies. Other inappropriate things: One girl does make a pretty weird, gross (and I admit, kind of inappropriate) comment but it isn’t really important and very short. They do wear pretty short skirts, but that’s to be expected as it is anime. If your kid can handle some of these topics (suicide, death, injury, anxiety) then it is a great movie. Okay, I obviously love anime so just want to say, the animation and art is very good, and the music is pretty, all the characters are very well designed, and the story is great (though a bit confusing) . I hope this review helps!
age 12+

At least 12+

This film is beautiful and a defiantly think it’s ok to watch after the age of at least 12, It contains some depressing moments which are sometimes intense and could make you cry. Someone in this film tries to commit suicide, which I think you children need to be pretty mature to watch. Over all I think it is a very good film and I hope this helps you.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (43 ):

This is a beautiful anime that fearlessly explores uncomfortable topics. A Silent Voice: The Movie is a coming-of-age story in which a tween boy grows into adolescence trying to make amends for the hurt he caused a deaf girl due to his merciless bullying. Bullying, suicide, not fitting in, redemption -- these are all topics that the movie explores through this relatively (for anime) straightforward story. Of course, because it's anime, there's a healthy amount of sentimentality and melodrama, but these are more than offset by the stories of these young characters as they navigate the perils of fitting in, growing up, and learning from past mistakes.

It's a long movie, but, again, it does maintain a mostly straightforward story, unlike the "kitchen sink" story threads and knots that are a part of so many other anime movies. There are also so many gorgeous moments of animation, moments of lovely imagery. For those new to anime, this is a great place to start, and for those who are familiar, this belongs among the best of the genre. Overall, it strikes a near perfect balance of story, character, and visual style.

Movie Details

Inclusion information powered by

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate