A Silent Voice 1

Reviews

1. 

   A. Irey – August 13, 2024

   “A Silent Voice” Volume 1…
   This review is of the first volume alone, so please keep in mind that is how I am judging the story at this point. It’s not often a story can get an immediate reaction out of me. Within a single chapter I had an idea of what the story was going for and realized to my horror that the first volume was basically what would become one of the most difficult but fast reads I have done with any series. I blew through the first volume within an hour or so. It’s engrossing but mainly because of how well one can relate to it. As an anime and manga fan I was not a cool kid in middle school or high school. It’s unlikely that those interests would ever allow for a “popular” kid in that age. So, bullying isn’t something I’m unused to. I have also been working with troubled youth and those with learning disabilities for the past 2 years so this story is a painful reminder of what kind of things adolescents will do to one another in their ignorance.It’s not difficult to relate to the story of someone being bullied but this story actually takes place from the perspective of someone who is the bully, a non-traditional setup. If you’re anything like me, you may have a hard time getting through the story knowing that the main character you’re following is the bully in this particular story. While that dichotomy changes a bit as the volume goes on this first volume isn’t an easy story to swallow. But the fact that it is so important is what makes it truly shine. The characters are all real and it’s not hard to see how many of these people exist in everyday life, even outside of the Japanese culture. The voices of shame of and guilt that resonant after the ignorance and bullying are given light are all too common and when enough becomes too much it really hits home to see how the dynamic of the story changes up.The art for this particular series is beautiful. In fact, in a day and age where stories like this tend to focus on pretty yet great drawing, this particular series has a bit of grit to it which makes it that much more appealing given the tone of the series.Since this is only the first volume it’s hard to say where the story will go from here in terms of quality. As far as beginning volumes though, this one definitely has lasting impact even without the continued plot. I’ll be very interested in reading what comes to follow.

2. 

   Daniella – August 13, 2024

   Touching!
   I really enjoyed this book. The story line was interesting and well done. The art was beautiful. This book was recommended to me by an English student of mine who loves this author because she knows I also teach the deaf and thought I would enjoy it. It was a really touching book and think it was a good way to show how hurtful and damaging bullying can be for those who have anything that makes them stand out in a way that is seen as negative. The MC was a typical teen so you get angry with him but also root for him to be better.The was my first real manga so the structure of how to read (left to right/right to left) was a little confusing at first but it was easy to figure out. I will definitely be reading the rest of this series.

3. 

   Elys – August 13, 2024

   Surprisingly good
   I was warned ahead of time that this would be the bully’s point of view, and I think that was what intrigued me. As someone who was bullied as a child, I wasn’t too sure I wanted to read something that might make me sympathize with the bully kid, but luckily the point of the story is not to highlight the “poor bully” or to excuse anything he had done. What I got out of this was that one will always reap what one sows. Do I feel sorry for what happened to the protagonist towards the end? Not really, but it’s good character development to see him try to atone for the way he behaved towards everyone, and I’m interested to see how the girl reacts to his appearance at the very end.The book gets 5 stars from me and I’ll definitely read the next one.

4. 

   Lance – August 13, 2024

   This Manga is for You
   I’ve done my best to keep this a spoiler-free, short review — the equivalent of the blurb on a book’s back cover.A Silent Voice is the translation of the Japanese manga series 聲の形 (romaji: Koe no Katachi). The subject matter involves a deaf student, and some idiosyncrasies used to convey deaf communication translated extremely well to English written text. At some points it is as if you can hear what deaf people experience. You don’t need to like manga to appreciate A Silent Voice, but you do need to read the books in order. You can expect romantic tension and strong emotional connections with the characters. The story concerns a protagonist who made some poor decisions as a child (what child doesn’t make poor decisions?) that had repercussions, even if he doesn’t fully realize their weight.If you decide to give it a shot, you’ll be glad you checked it out, and sad when it’s over. If you love manga, or if you’ve never read manga; if you love emotional moments in movies, or if you want to begin to understand the emotional side of yourself; if you’ve been bullied, or if you’ve been the bully: this manga series is for you.

5. 

   Kimberly – August 13, 2024

   A Silent Voice Gained A New Fan!!!!
   I’m a new fan of A Silent Voice after a friend recommended it to me. I have to say this is a beautiful masterpiece. I love how it was written, the characters are beautifully drawn, and the story is amazing. It definitely hits close to home, because I was also bullied in 6th grade, but for different reasons. I absolutely love it!

6. 

   Robyn Waterfield – August 13, 2024

   love this series so much

7. 

   sophie h – August 13, 2024

   great quality 🙂

8. 

   spofsa1 – August 13, 2024

   I love it its way more better than the anime