Classic Anime Review #4: A Silent Voice Roars With Quality and Importance

Disability is a part of everyday life for millions of people in the US and billions around the world. So, too, is mental illness. As time goes on, we are more visible than ever. However, even in visibility, there is invisibility. Like all things, at least in this country, there is an increased element of danger that comes with being disabled or mentally ill while Black. You need only flip through the news or social media and you can find it. When I set out to write this, I was going to write a simple review of an anime that became an instant classic, A Silent Voice. And I will talk about it, sure, but this is more than that.

Thank you. (Image via Netflix)

May is Mental Health Awareness month. This added a new layer to my viewing of this film, as its focus on mental health became just as salient and necessary a point as its focus (or lack thereof, which I’ll get to momentarily) on disability. I can’t think of a better anime to talk about both of those things, and I’m thankful I got the chance to check it out and write this review. (Content warning: suicide) A Silent Voice is the story of Shoya and Shoko, two high school students whose circumstances bring them together throughout of the course of their lives, from elementary school onwards. As children, Shoko is transferred into Shoya’s school, and it is revealed she is deaf. Shoya decides to bully Shoko and this decision, more than any other in the film, informs the shape of the story’s voice. A Silent Voice sings redemption…