Year after year, Japanese anime movies are gaining increasing global recognition in attracting audiences through exclusive storytelling, art, and emotional depth. Regardless, A Silent Voice is considered the greatest anime film of the 2010s and one of the best anime movies ever, according to many.
This coming-of-age story about high school students Shoya and Shoko delves deep into mental health, forgiveness, disability, growth, and friendship in a deeply emotional 130-minute journey. The film tackles important topics like bullying and mental illness, offering a stunning visual and emotional experience that’s sure to be a tear-jerker for new viewers.
A Silent Voice was able to hook the audience with its broad themes and beautifully delivered messages, but there is one crucial lesson about bullies that everyone should take to heart.
The overlooked truth about bullies shared by A Silent Voice
A Silent Voice explored themes relating to disability, bullying, and personal redemption. The anime film offers superb pacing, visual storytelling, and an excellent, sparse soundtrack, and has left a long-lasting impression on the audience.
After Shoya crosses the line by injuring Shoko, she transfers schools, and his friends distance themselves from him. Years later, he feels the pressure of guilt that forces him to approach Shoko before deciding to attempt suicide.
Unlike most romantic dramas, A Silent Voice focuses on healing and rebuilding trust over time. The story of Shoya and Shoko is complex and touching, putting emotional value ahead of the theatrics of love.
It’s a deep look into how intricate relationships and life can be. The beloved film first introduces Shoya as being unlikeable, but as the story unfolds, viewers see him on his redemption and guilt trip. The anime beautifully captures moments between Shoya and Shoko, which changes the perspective of the viewers for Shoya.
While Shoya manages to redeem himself by the end, the same cannot be said for another unlikable character who played a similar role in bullying Shoko. Miki was undeniably one of the most realistic characters in the movie, which may also be why she was one of the most strongly disliked.
Sincèrement je pense qu on est sur la meilleure oeuvre de fiction jamais créé, ce film est juste magnifique, jamais qlq chose ne m a procuré autant d émotion de ma vie, REGARDEZ A SILENT VOICE https://t.co/W9bne4ZmMA pic.twitter.com/VUVbgSTDEv
— nirou 🇵🇸 (@galaxyoze) January 30, 2025
Through Miki’s character, the anime conveys a powerful message: often, bullies get away with the harm they’ve caused, a frustrating but undeniable truth.
What makes Miki Kawai so unlikeable in A Silent Voice?
The intangible discomforts of self-discovery have always found captivating, expressive purpose in the films of Naoko Yamada, with A Silent Voice being a perfect embodiment of this.
The reason Miki isn’t hated is simple–she’s a minor character from the movie and doesn’t play a big role. Yet, her actions were pure evil. She was a narcissist who loved attention and balked at the thought of being hated by people.
Miki was also the first person to rat out Ishida to her teacher, despite being a bully herself. She not only blamed Ishida for bullying Nishimiya but also lied about several things and conveniently omitted the fact that she had bullied the girl as well.
Miki never hesitated to play the victim, even when she was in the wrong, making it infuriating to watch a bully evade consequences for her actions.
As an adult, Miki still refuses to confront her dark past and instead plays the victim in order to protect her image while avoiding responsibility. Her apology and growth remain unfulfilled as she continues trying to destroy Shoya, making her even less likable.
However, this is the bitter truth that A Silent Voice tries to address: although Shoya, being a former bully, strives to redeem himself, Miki signifies the negation and factuality of many whose crimes have rarely been prosecuted.
A Silent Voice is available to stream on Amazon Prime Videos.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the ‘worst character’ in A Silent Voice according to the article?
The article names Miki Kawai as the worst character. Rather than a cartoonish villain, she is framed as disturbingly realistic: a classmate who joined in bullying Shoko but was the first to report Shoya to a teacher while leaving out her own role. The piece calls her a narcissist who craves attention, fears being disliked, and keeps playing the victim into adulthood instead of confronting her past.
Who made A Silent Voice and what is it based on?
A Silent Voice (Koe no Katachi) is an anime film produced by Kyoto Animation and directed by Naoko Yamada. It adapts the manga written and illustrated by Yoshitoki Oima. The coming-of-age drama follows former bully Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya, a deaf girl he once tormented, exploring bullying, disability, guilt, and the difficult path toward redemption.
What point does the article make about bullies and accountability?
The article argues the film goes beyond a simple ‘bullying is bad’ message. While Shoya is given a redemptive arc that forces him to face what he did, Miki represents a harder truth: many bullies never reckon with their actions and instead recast themselves as the victim, escaping real consequences. The piece presents this lack of accountability as the bitter, realistic edge that makes her character land.
