nasir59 - 2017-05-19 20:56:08

I love this movie. It’s fantastic. The animation is gorgeous, the colour pallet is bright and diverse. The story is great. Between this and Your Name I like this movie WAY MORE! I definitely recommend this movie!

umertz - 2017-05-18 20:18:16

Right in my kokoro

wilfrid.boyer - 2017-05-18 17:00:15

Slice of life, so sad that these kind of action could happen in real life, good movie!

murray.javier - 2017-04-20 04:17:08

THIS HAS SPOILERS THIS REVIEW IS WRITTEN FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXPLORING KOE NO KATACHI AS A MEDIA TEXT!

Over my years of knowing Anime, the I was under the impression that not much can surprise me anymore in this medium. But of course I am always wrong, this Anime was surprising. Not because of its brilliance in directing and implementation of plot working alongside the characters. But rather because of the simplicity it has as a character driven story, the story revolves around Junior high children and the effects one another have on each other. This caught my eye, not because its new, but because it was explored in a way where it was realistic.

Plot and Character
Now in the Anime medium, I have never seen a show with the premise of a deaf person, this being the point of leverage for the story makes it an area that we as the audience want to explore. But we can not rate a plot purely on originality even though it definitely is. The story explores the life of the bully surprisingly more than that of the bullied. Our main character is a young boy (Shoya Ishida) who is driven by his desire to fit in with those around him, the typical story of a bully. Now you would think that this makes all those bully stories similar but you couldn’t be more wrong. The premise of the movie is set in junior high where Shoko Nishimiya the deaf girl is a transfer student, she introduces herself through a notebook since no one can understand her speech or sign language. At the beginning, it seems as if nothing is wrong and the development of how other students start resenting her is simple and it starts naturally. It turns out Shoya is caught, he accuses others of it as well, rightfully, however, it turns out to push them away from him instead of uniting them. He doesn’t understand Shoko and he doesn’t want to because it’s difficult. This is the most natural progression of why a bully starts bullying others, her kindness makes him even angrier and causes him to hate her more. As Shoya’s friendships crumble he experiences what Shoko has been from most including him, and this causes him to run away and push everyone away.

The show progresses to the High school years of them both. He has a calendar which basically tells us that he is going to kill himself because he feels like he doesn’t belong in the world. His lack of belonging pushes him to reach out to the person who in his mind is in the same position, Shoya. He ends up deciding not to kill himself and tries his best to find Shoya to give her back the book she used to write notes in, in junior high. (Which seems meaningless but really it is his only excuse to see her) After he makes contact with her it is revealed that he has learned sign language, which is the outcome of him trying to reach out to that which he feels he doesn’t deserve. Shoyo as a character is very lonely just as I presented before, this is shown through many ways in directing but also just in basics like crying herself to sleep or having no real friends. But these two together bring others including those from junior high who hurt both of them.

The climax runs to a point where he pushes others to recognize the worst in themselves, doing it out of a selfish reason the same one he faced when he bullied Shoko. Not wanting to face the difficulties of friendship. Him trying to fix Shoko’s loneliness got himself to a point where he had to face himself and his past and this was his worst nightmare. Shoko however in this massive miscommunication also reveals her own lack of perfection as she perceives the whole situation just as he did. If she wasn’t here none of this would have happened, it would be better if she died. She hatched a plan to kill herself, this pushes Shoya to face his worst fear, not only of losing his only friend but the fact that he truly needs to start loving others again regardless if it hurts or not. His sacrifice ends up sending him into the hospital unconscious, which gives a great opportunity for side character growth, which Shoko tries to get from the one who hates her. The scene where Shoya awakes and Shoko and him meet is the epitome of this growth that Shoya was speaking of to God as he promised. As he finally apologized for all that he did to her in Junior High.

The character development in this movie was so in-depth I love writing to you what happened but really I hope you understand a little of why the character and plot are excellent, the growth is natural and progresses as it should. 3/4

Directing, Animation and Music
This is probably one of the most difficult things this Anime production team had to face, how do we make sure we realistically explore the life of a teenager who is deaf. YOU DID AN EXCELLENT JOB! I loved every moment of this because of the directing. Simple things like not being able to understand because you can’t see their mouth or when a conversation has been had to ask what you were speaking about. The basic vibrations that signify the importance that touch has as a sense for Shoko are shown right through to the climactic resolution. I honestly only saw two mistakes made throughout the whole film, I was truly impressed. Not only was the directing well did in light of Shoko, but also the mind of Shoko. The way that his separation from society is expressed through an X on each person’s face is such a simple and neat way to help the audience understand when trust is being built and lost. There were scenes which explored the world of Shoko as a deaf person, this was shown by muffling of sound and or a small dot with people on the other side. The music was implemented well, I can’t think of a time when it was not fitting to the scene. The Animation was on point every little detail was there to help the story move along, the movements were natural as it should be to the point of how a person naturally would fall.

It was very beautiful to see this Animation quality and the music was amazing. The directing was on point when it came to most things but there were important points of the film where directing mistakes were made when she definitely would not have been able to comprehend a situation where she miraculously did. On the other side the realism was done better than I would say most Anime, not even in any medium have I seen the realistic physics that would have happened if someone caught you while you were falling (Broken arm). 3.5/4

Overall I loved this film, I would recommend it to anyone. It was relatable and enjoyable. The directing is inspirational and the art was beautiful. 8.5/10

yspencer - 2017-03-20 20:09:55

This is a powerful and profound down-to-earth romantic coming-of-age story, with heavy emphasis on themes of regret, acceptance, atonement, forgiveness, self-discovery and change. From my standpoint, this resonated with me on a personal level and it felt so very realistic as there was little difficulty in identifying with these characters. Particularly with Shouya’s strive to achieve redemption, there was a surreal sense of heartfelt sincerity in his desire to finally wake up and face the music instead of running away, passing the blame and acting foolishly. As he recognised the scars and wounds he had inflicted, Shouko saw her own short comings that allowed her to be broken so easily, though labelling them aggressor and victim would be an oversimplification.

Admittedly, there were some minor aspects that were to the film’s detriment – Ueno’s character motivations went beyond having repressed contempt and were rather unreasonable, and some of the cast members were less fleshed out than others, received less screen time and were consequently quite forgettable; the latter can be forgiven when one considers the necessity for the film to fixate on the duo to avoid it appearing disorganised. Despite this, there are equally many wonderful supporting characters, though namely Tomohiro, who helps to create points of hilarity throughout the film and is all in all a lovable well-meaning, although impulsive and clueless, friend that stands up for those he cares about.

This beautiful intertwining narrative regarding two individuals that learn to get to understand each other properly and wish to make amends for their mistakes, strewn in with the importance of collective endeavour, truly tugged at the heartstrings. Albeit they come across initially as being in stark contrast to one another, they are very similar in various regards: both are riddled with insecurities, filled with remorse and an intense dislike for themselves but also a growing willingness to mend their ways and put a stop to their unending self-destruction, weighed down by their sense of responsibility. It might be considered especially striking when one considers how it touches upon the topic of suicide and the feelings of worthlessness, guilt and self-loathing that culminate building up to that point, which struck close to home and were dealt with in a convincing and succinct manner. A real sense that they mattered to others, and likewise others mattered to them, even when blinded by their own melancholy, was carried across perfectly – in opening up their hearts and minds to others, they could rely on others to give their lives vibrancy and meaning.

There is something to be had for everyone who watches this delicately handled, emotional film that surpassed my expectations and should hopefully exceed yours, rather than bring you underwhelming disappointment.

hvolkman - 2016-11-07 10:18:59

I was lucky enough to see A Silent Voice on the big screen as part of Leeds Film Festival this year, and nothing could have prepared me for the feels roller coaster that I was promptly sent on.

I won't discuss the story too much, as not to spoil anything, but as somebody who suffers from depression this film hit home in all the right places; I find it very hard to find media that accurately portrays the feelings of anxiety and depression, but A Silent Voice does both in stunning amounts of complexity - Shōya (Ishida, the male lead) has a hard time dealing with the repercussions of his childhood misbehaviour, and it comes across as a heart-wrenching journey of self-discovery and trying to make amends. Shōko (Nishimiya, the female lead) is understandably wrought with anxiety; her story of living her life with deafness is warming, yet there are seriously dark undertones of a girl who is struggling with "normality".

As a KyoAni film, you expect a certain level of standards when it comes to the animation and A Silent Voice delivers by the truckload. Everything is superbly fluid, and the level of detail they give to the hand movements was mind-blowing. As a film that heavily relies on sign language, I could tell that a lot of time was spent making sure that aspect was perfect.

The music was excellent throughout the film, and had a really punchy effect during some of the more emotional moments - crescendos were perfectly timed, and the soundtrack had an overall mood that accurately reflected the atmosphere of the moment and tugged on the heartstrings a little.

Both of the main leads were excellent characters with a rich story behind them, and the relationship that developed between them was fleshed out very well. I really enjoyed a lot of the supporting cast too, but a couple of their attitudes started to grate on me by the time the credits rolled - A Silent Voice is ultimately a film about redemption and apologies, but some of the character's refusals to change left a tiny bit of bitterness in my mouth.

Overall, A Silent Voice is a fantastic film that I really resonated with. It's 2 hours 9 minutes long, but Kyoto Animation have used every minute of that window to full effect; I came out of the screening feeling very fulfilled, and knew that they had made a superb effort with this film. Whilst emotionally draining with how real the film can get, it was a wonderful journey to experience and would highly recommend giving it a watch.

zboyer - 2016-10-29 12:08:57

To me, this tale, if novelised has the characteristics of an ideal bildungsroman. Through the medium of anime, however, the characters reveal a coming of age story. With every second anime being set in high school you'd think this is a common narrative. You'd be mistaken, rarely do I experience something so... real. Real is the perfect way to describe this anime. Do I recommend you watch this? Hell yes! The rest of the review will contain spoilers so, if the word of a stranger on the internet means anything to you, I implore you all to experience what I've experienced. Whether you are an awkward youth spiraling through the pitfalls of puberty or a senile elder, beaten senseless by the enemy one comes to know as regret, everyone will walk away with something from this film.

Story

Unique is the word that comes to mind. Most good stories have strong conflict and resolution. This story took the concept of the abused and the abuser and flipped it on its head. After delving into the movie, you can't help but think our protagonist is "a little piece of shit", but little do we know, we start sympathizing with these piece of shit... or at least I did. The two kids lives had many parallels, and perhaps this is what drew them to one another. Being raised in a single parent household, no concept of the butterflies most people get when they recall back to them time they knew as 'childhood', both going through moments in their lives where they were tempted by a mistress known as 'suicide', it's not hard to feel for these kids. As I think back to my own adolescent years, all I remember is loneliness. Needless to say, imagining what these kids had to go through, combined with the struggles of growing up, gave me 'the feels'. 

Animation

I like Kyoto Animation. While many of their anime don't connect with me, due to personal taste rather than any fault of their own, I am never disappointed by their animation. It was fluid, the art was beautiful, I love the colors they used. Kyoani lives up to my expectations once more and brings to life a story I loved with magnificence. This anime was pretty... "Oogles some more at screenshots"

Sound

I know there was quite a bit of contention with the sound track with this one. A lot of people had problems with it. I thought it was fine, some of the tracks sounded pretty, a lot forgettable. Nothing really negatively stood out in a jarring way. To sum it differently, not once during the movie did I think "this music doesn't fit this scene". I thought the music was fine.

Characters

Selfish. Hopeful. Cruel. Caring. Naive. Resolute. Those are some words I would use to describe the cast. It isn't much of an exaggeration to say I fell in love with them. We had our main hero and herione, who were not so much drawn to each other as they were expelled from all other aspects of 'normal teenage society' which through cumulative causation, lead them to one another. We had the cruel, overprotective mother, who was simply a single parent that was not only trying to maneuver through societies cold, peering gaze known as judgment but at the same time was trying to provide the best life she could for her children. The viewers can walk away having contention with some of her methods but no one can contest that she loved her daughter from the bottom of her heart. I found both the mothers absolutely heart warming. The group of friends was mostly forgettable. Not in a bad way, it's just that a movie-length story can't have too many characters of importance and while they all had their major character flaw ranging from being an unrelenting liar to a two faced bitch, they served their purpose. I liked them just fine. If i'm asked how I felt about the characters in this movie, I can honestly say, when I reflect back on them, it makes my heart go 'doki-doki' and surely that's enough.

TL;DR (Too Long; Didn't Read)

The story was feeeeeeels. 

The animation was woooooow.

The sound was pretty chill.

The characters were ugh, eww, fuck, aww.

ncremin - 2016-09-24 18:02:20

Super excited to watch this, so much that I'm writing a review beforehand. I read the one shot years ago and it definitely one of the sweetest, most touching things that I've laid my eyes on. I can't wait to be overtaken by the feels again. Keep in mind im saving my verdict but will edit this later 

bailey.daren - 2016-09-20 14:51:08

Koe no Katachi

Note: There will be minor spoilers.

“Koe no Katachi,” the newest film from Kyoto Animation, is translated in the opening titles as “The Shape of Voice,” an obvious reference to the deafness of a main character. The movie could have just as easily been called “The Shape of Pain,” as the inner pain of each character and their struggles to communicate it with their “voice” take center stage in this melancholy but uplifting film from KyoAni ace director Naoko Yamada.

The movie was announced in 2014 as an adaptation of the award-winning manga. This represented something of a change for KyoAni, who has up to this point been heavily focused on TV production, with all of their films functioning as sequels or recompilations of their TV work. The reputation of KyoAni and Yamada for excellent visuals and direction meant that expectations for the film were high, even as the question remained of how well they could adapt a truly mainstream manga as a standalone, two-hour film, without any aid from a previously established TV franchise.

The protagonist of the story is Shouya Ishida, a self-hating teen whose life is shaped by his relationship with a girl he first met in elementary school, Shouko Nishimiya. Shouko is deaf, and her transfer into Shouya’s school eventually upends his previously carefree school life(vividly illustrated in an opening montage set to The Who’s “My Generation,” of all things), in which he jumps off bridges into rivers, plays video games with his school buddies, and generally acts like a typical bratty pre-teen boy. A demure girl who cannot communicate with her classmates outside of a notebook, Shouko is completely incomprehensible to the brash Shouya(he literally visualizes her as an extraterrestrial being). Restless and desiring to fit in with his peers who have already begun to ostracize her, Shouya mercilessly bullies Shouko with the casual malice and indifference of a child. In several heartbreaking scenes, the lonely Shouko’s attempts to respond with kindness and offers of friendship only drive him to hate her all the more. Eventually he goes too far, at which point the undependable school authorities finally respond by singling Shouya out, and the unstopping machinery of social conformity is turned against him. Shouya is instantly ostracized and made subject to all the same abuse he inflicted upon Shouko. None of this particularly helps Shouko, of course, but at least they tried, right?

After a timeskip, we meet Shouya again as a high school student, now bitter, wordless, and completely withdrawn from his peers. His once-brash personality completely mellowed and hollowed out, he decides to visit the girl he once hated and asks her if they can be friends. The bulk of the film deals with his journey to find out if he can ever be redeemed, or if he can ever forgive himself. Koe no Katachi is easily KyoAni’s most emotionally raw work, with themes of inner pain, self-loathing, and isolation that bring to mind the works of other studios, such as the similar themes present in series like Haibane Renmei or Evangelion. Several shots in particular feel like a callback to Evangelion’s abstract and iconic representations of depression and isolation in the 26th episode. If there is a comparable work in KyoAni’s catalog, the closest would probably be the fifth episode of Hyouka; but in this case, the protagonist would be Sekitani Jun, rather than viewing him afar in time and space. This is no shot against Hyouka(or other KyoAni works), which is one of the best animated TV shows in history and achieves its own goals with aplomb, but the immediacy and intensity of the existential pain in Koe no Katachi is not something Kyoto Animation has achieved before.

Naoko Yamada, even at her young age, already had a filmography which would be envy of most in the anime industry, but she has clearly achieved something special here. Along with talented screenwriter Reiko Yoshida, she has created an often subtle, texturally rich film which sticks with you long after it has ended. When you look at the basic premise of the story- “a jackass is mean to a disabled girl but he learns that being a bully is bad through the power of love,” it’s very easy to see where things could have gone very wrong. Certainly these kinds of sad sack stories are not uncommon in anime and manga. You can look at stories such as “Ano Hana,” the popular, well-intentioned, and competently directed, but atrociously written TV series for one example of how not to do a “traumatized teens” story. There are also KyoAni’s own divisive KEY adaptations, such as Kanon and Clannad, which are loved by many (I personally find them insipid and cloying, as well as generally nonsensical). On the other hand, there are films such as the underrated “Marnie Was There” which competently explore similar ground. There is also the large “Iyashikei,” or “healing” anime and manga genre, which often attempts to instill similar feelings. However, despite many of these stories being wonderful in their own way, with a few notable exceptions, they don’t have the inclination to drag the viewer down to the same depths before lifting them up that Koe no Katachi does. It takes a certain level of confidence and talent to achieve the careful tonal balance present in the film; it would be very easy for most directors and writers to fall into exaggerated, exhausting melodrama when presented with the same story (see the collected works of Mari Okada, which I appreciate in a twisted kind of way, or basically every Tetsurou Araki anime). It’s hard to pick your spots like Yamada and Yoshida do here, but by doing so, they allow the impactful moments to really stand out. This steady treatment helps make even some of the more contrived story moments forgivable. What must also be mentioned is the difficult task they took on in adapting an entire multi-volume manga into one two-hour film. They achieve this without turning the film into a greatest-hits mush by skillful use of montage and a laser-like focus on the core relationship of Shouya and Shouko.

The entire movie is, of course, animated with the trademark skill and flair that KyoAni has come to be known for. It’s so easy to take it for granted- the subtle and unending character animation, the beautifully painted backgrounds, the experienced use of digital effects- but it shouldn’t be, not when it plays such a large role in making the film as strong as it is. As is appropriate in a film about finding a way to communicate with someone who literally cannot speak your language, there’s a huge emphasis on body language: posture, facial expressions, and most importantly, hand gestures. This has been written about in more detail on SakugaBlog and I encourage everyone to read it. Sign language plays a significant role in the movie, with a special emphasis on the hands-clasped gesture used when asking to be friends. The resemblance to gestures used in prayerful petitions is not unintentional, I’m sure.

However, it is not just the body language of the characters that speaks in the film, but also the spatial relationships of each character within the frame. Using physical distance, wide shots, and depth of field to represent emotional distance is an ancient film technique, and it’s put to expert use here. Through most of the film, Shouya simply can’t get close to Shouko- they’re always separated, by distance, lighting, framing, and so on. And of course, Shouya later becomes isolated not just from Shouko, but from everyone in his life. One large exception is, meaningfully enough, when Shouya and Shouko actually get into a physical fight: it’s the one time in the early film when they’re both speaking a language the other can understand. It’s this visually established distance that makes it all the more meaningful when they finally manage to get closer, and when they are finally able to hear each other’s voice.

Another major aspect of the visual direction is the vibrant and beautiful world the characters inhabit. This could seem like a strange choice in a film where we spend so much time with the characters lost in their own melancholy, but they are not lost because the world is ugly. Rather, the world is beautiful, but they cannot find themselves in it, which forms a large part of their despair. One example can be clearly seen in the scene where Shouya walks, in slow motion, through the brightly lit, heavily unfocused school building, with the other students looking like half-transparent ghosts. It’s as if he inhibits an entirely different world, where he can only ethereally observe reality, and despise it for being both desirable and unreachable.

The repeated imagery of plunging into water, as if in a “baptism” or rebirth, must also be mentioned. On the one hand, this can be viewed as characters seeking a rebirth, to be reborn into a new and better place when once again break the water’s surface. In the opening montage, Shouya and his friends repeatedly jump from a bridge into a river, not knowing what they seek besides fun. It’s meaningless, dangerous child’s play. But in Koe no Katachi, the characters do not enter the water only to be reborn, or to have fun, but also to recover that which they have lost; bullied children have their notebooks thrown into the water, forcing them to enter it to recover their “past.” This repeated imagery all builds up to an important scene later on, in which a true “rebirth” and “recovery” can finally occur.

As regards sound design, there is obviously never a film where it isn’t important, but especially so in a film that addresses the ability to hear itself. The score from Kensuke Ushio(Ping Pong), mostly piano-based, is for the most part beautifully understated and minimal. In one particularly memorable and mostly silent scene, the gentle piano supports grieving family members, separated by their own frames, observing the path of a butterfly. It’s the mostly complementary and invisible nature of the soundtrack that allows it to really shine in the few scenes where it really becomes noticeable. The voice work is also quite good, with a special mention of Saori Hayami, who is very believable in her depiction of Shouko.

One final thing I should mention, don’t be misled into thinking the film is primarily romantic; that aspect is there, but it’s secondary to the emphasis on friendship and functional human relationships. Also, you shouldn’t get the impression from what I have written that Koe no Katachi is a relentlessly downbeat and depressing film; that is not the case at all. It is indeed immensely painful, in believable ways, as in one scene, where a deeply hurt Shouya deliberately insults and belittles the flaws of his friends, so that he can reject them before they are able to reject him. But it is also a very hopeful film, with an ultimately uplifting message. In fact, it is exactly this realistic depiction of pain and sadness that makes the bittersweet encouragement believable. The message is that we can hear each other’s voices; that we can learn from each other how to better live. It’s not a movie where the idea is “everyone lives happily ever after,” even at the end, every character is still a flawed individual who will sometimes hurt themselves and their friends with their actions. Shouya’s breakthrough is not that he will always be happy, but in realizing that, when he finally drops his preemptive guard against all intimacy, he really does have people who love him and care about him- and who he cares about, as well.

tyrese.denesik - 2016-08-27 10:51:52

The Shape of Voice

a shape of light

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* To preface this write-up, I had the opportunity to watch this film at the 8/24 Shinjuku Piccadilly pre-screening. I am coming from the perspective of someone who was a fan of the manga. I sincerely wish I could write a more comprehensive review and thoroughly dissect this rather dense film, rather than having to rely on slightly vague recollections of bits and pieces of what I
witnessed, and on the general feelings I carried while walking out of the theater, but this is what I can offer as of this moment. Please do not take my word as absolute fact. Also this “review” is likely to become edited by the time of the home release of this movie.

I won’t go into spoiler territory, meaning I won’t talk in depth about any specific characters or scenes, but if you’re the kind of person who wants to go into watching this movie not knowing what to expect in a very broad sense, then please click away. 

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I will first discuss this movie from an overall storytelling perspective. This section is written to be as vague as humanely possible. To start with, it is by no means a 1:1 adaptation. The movie had to condense seven whole volumes of manga into two hours of animation, so it’s only to be expected that certain liberties be taken with the source material. In this case, a considerable amount of scenes were either altered or cut out completely. Undoubtedly this area will be the biggest point of contention among the audience members of this movie who are familiar with the source material. However, I cannot stress enough the power of film and its ability to convey that added dimension of visual storytelling to the table. Certain sections of the anime fandom are quick to cry blasphemy whenever manga adaptations do not stay faithful down to every last panel. What’s the point of animation, if it is not utilized to its fullest potential(which I will elaborate on later)? What matters to me is whether the film captures the core emotions and themes that resonated with me while I was reading the manga, and I assert it did this well along with gracefully streamlining the source material.

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An exploration of the meaning of redemption and an understanding of what true friendship really is: these are some of the major driving forces behind the movie. Naoko Yamada (K-On!, Tamako Love Story) is known for her introspective directing style that emphasizes a delicate handling of emotions, and she applied this to the source material of Koe no Katachi. This film really delves into the headspace of the main character, Ishida Shouya, a former bully who feels shunned from society, but regrets his past wrongdoings and wants to mend broken relationships from his childhood. Right from the beginning through a rather claustrophobic, but stunningly edited visual sequence, one truly gets a sense of the emotional turmoil this young man is going through. There are riveting scenes of solitude and careful self-reflection that are reminiscent of Yamada’s previous “anti-narrative” works such as Tamako Love Story. Nishimiya Shouko, a past victim of Shouya’s transgressions, is equally emotionally insecure. This film mainly revolves around the relationship between these two mentally fragile people, their efforts to communicate honestly with each other, and so on. This also means however that certain side characters from the manga get further marginalized and may feel flimsy as a result, which could illicit a substantially negative response from some people. I personally did not mind this because I preferred the center to be on the main duo as much as possible as I did not want the movie to feel unfocused and scattered. A TV series would have been more suitable for fleshing out some of the side characters and I was willing to give this film a pass on that. I will say however that this adaptation could have utilized a few more flashbacks that were portrayed in the manga to either give more context to the main characters and their actions during climactic scenes or just to deliver sheer emotional punch. Some of the source material is also toned down, which I do feel works in the movie’s favor because I thought parts of the manga were borderline histrionic, trivializing some of the serious social issues that were being presented. In addition, there are colorful spliced-up montages of scenes from the manga to further gracefully condense the source material while highlighting the overall feelings of those scenes. Overall, I believe that Reiko Yoshida did a splendid job with script writing and compacting the story to fit into a two hour duration. 
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To no one’s surprise, it is visually stunning throughout. Kyoto Animation has been lauded for producing some of the most technically impressive anime of the past decade(e.g. Hyouka, The Disapperance of Haruhi Suzumiya). This film was to be one of their first major forays into the mainstream market, so understandably they wanted to give it their all, and it certainly showed. The lush backgrounds based on the real-life city of Ogaki, the rough and yet delicate linework of Futoshi Nishiya’s character designs, the vibrant color palette, the stellar art direction in general, seriously I could go on and on and run out of superlatives to describe the aesthetic quality of this movie. It really did breathe scenes from the manga to life. 
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Yamada in particular interprets animation as something to be filmed through a lens. This was a large part of what made Tamako Love Story special, and this is also showcased in Koe no Katachi. The intricate lighting and post-processing techniques sets it apart from most other anime and elevated
the presentation and thus the impact of pivotal scenes from the manga. Furthermore, I love the way Yamada creatively ties in and illustrates flashbacks in her projects, Koe no Katachi included. There also was visual symbolism and flourishes scattered throughout the film that hint at certain things that may have been more obvious reading the manga. All in all, the key point to take away here is that Yamada lets the visuals and audio speak for the work itself, an approach that admittedlysome manga fans may not take kindly to.
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Yamada also places an emphasis on body language(particularly hands and legs), which is especially important for a movie about wanting to connect and express yourself. The personal anxieties, the awkwardness between people, they’re all subtly portrayed through character acting. Sign language is prevalent throughout the film and is deftly animated, and I really appreciated how much thought and care was put into it. 
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Kensuke Ushio is a composer most well-known among the anime community for being responsible for Ping Pong The Animation’s zippy soundtrack, but his music throughout Koe no Katachi is rather subdued and melancholic in comparison, which is very fitting of the tone and atmosphere of the source material. There are a fair amount of scenes with somber piano pieces, even complete silence like in Tamako Love Story. Yamada probably took into account the significance of sound design for this project about figuratively hearing other’s voices. And I thought the voice actors all did a fine job, especially Saori Hayami as Shouko, Miyu Irino as Shouya, and Aoi Yuuki as Yuzuru. 
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The theme song for this movie, “Koi no shita no wa” by aiko, is of the sentimental pop genre and is an excellent choice for the broad feel that this movie is trying to convey. Here is a link if you want to take a listen to it (or loop it several times like I did): 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPeZF3wn_88

Overall this film is a deeply personal drama that strives to transform you rather than to simply entertain you. A story about bullying and social isolation will always be a tough watch. You will be made uncomfortable and even disturbed at times during your viewing, but you will likely afterwards find a profound appreciation for how this nuanced work challenges societal norms and for what it achieves artistically.