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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

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age 12+

Based on 4 parent reviews

An1m3Fan
An1m3Fan Parent of 10-year-old
April 21, 2023
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!
hopkinfamilyfilms
hopkinfamilyfilms Parent of 3, 8 and 11-year-old
October 14, 2022
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.
See all 4 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In A SILENT VOICE: THE MOVIE, a new girl has arrived in a sixth grade Japanese classroom. Her name is Shoko, she's deaf, and can only communicate with others by writing sentences in a notepad. Some of the students begin to bully and torment her, especially Shoya, the leader of a group of bullies. Shoya and the others do things like scream when they're directly behind her, make fun of how she talks, and steal and destory her hearing aids. Eventually, Shoko's mother transfers her to another school. Soon, Shoya becomes ostracized due to his bullying, and he finds that he can no longer look anyone in the eye. Mature enough to understand what he did to Shoko, Shoya seeks her out to try and make amends and befriend her. While they do become friends, Shoya finds that the journey to redemption is a rocky one. When things come to a potentially tragic point, Shoya must learn to regain his self respect, as Shoya, Shoko, and their friends grow every closer to adulthood.

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.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how bullying is conveyed in A Silent Voice: The Movie. Did it seem realistic? What does Shoya learn after he takes his bullying too far?

  • What does the movie say about redemption, of trying to make amends for the bad things someone has done in their past?

  • Does the movie's depiction of a deaf tween and teen seem realistic to you? Why or why not?

Movie Details

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