A Silent Voice series by Yoshitoki Oima and published by Kodansha Comics




The goal of my blog is to share the joy and love I have for unknown comics and underground artists.

Today we are looking at "A Silent Voice" by Yoshitoki Oima and published in the United States by Kodansha Comics.


The volume I am reviewing is the entire seven book series. This story was so beautiful that it does not feel like to review just one book. The only words I can use to describe this is... master piece. There is a reason that this book was nominated for a Will Eisner award and its not even from the United States. This book will crush your heart and attempt to piece it back together.


This is a very serious story and it focuses on two main concepts: bullying and disabilities. It is about two characters. The first character is Shoko Nishimiya and she is deaf. The second character is Shoya Ishida and he used to bully Shoko. Shoya bullied Shoko so badly that he started to get bullied and she eventually quits school because of him. That is the theme and it revolves around how Shoya is trying to make himself a better person and try and become Shoko's friend and make right everything he did to her.

This story will touch your heart and will make you feel bad if you ever bullied anyone before. It is so beautifully written and drawn that I can't think of anyway I would even want to criticize it. It is seven volumes worth and it is so in depth that the books flow right into one another and you feel obligated to continue the story no matter what.



The art flows very nicely with this book and it feels extremely well done. It is not the most artistic book but the artist does a very well job with the anatomy, backgrounds and even the sound effects. Oima-san goes out of her way to make this the best book she could and it feels that way. The story is very sad and will touch a nerve in many ways. I recommend this book and I feel obligated to even point out that this book is better than some of my old favorites like Ghost in the Shell, Akira, and Love Hina. It is a sad and well written book and it is worth reading it until the end. This book deserves all the praise it can get and will made a fine addition to anyone's manga collection.




Score time:

Art: 9 / 10
Story: 10 / 10
Flow of book: 8 / 10
Impression after reading: master piece



Reviewed and shared by Harry Kohles of Metairie, Louisiana. Former art student with a fetish for corny realism. Helping to share comics and mangas you never knew existed~

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