Character of the Month of April: Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya

Well, ladies and gentlemen, I think you saw this one coming.  I’m back this beautiful Sunday with this month’s Character- or Characters of the Month!  And yeah, if you read the title, I think it’s pretty obvious who was going to take it.  Cause let’s face it The End of Evangelion’s Shinji wasn’t going to take it anytime soon, especially not after the hospital scene.  But still, all kidding aside, I think this month’s picks really are worthy of the title, not just in their actions, but what they represent.  That being said, let’s talk about this month’s Characters of the Month of April, Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya from A Silent Voice.

To keep things brief and less long-winded, A Silent Voice follows Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya as the two form a close friendship with each other despite the fact that the two shared a rough past.  With Nishimiya being deaf, this made her a target for bullying by Ishida as a child.  But when his bullying goes too far and Nishimiya is transferred to a different school, Ishida suddenly becomes bullied himself.  This affects him later in life as he becomes an outcast in his school and personal life and attempts suicide in the film’s opening scene.  It’s only after meeting Nishimiya that he slowly finds redemption and peace and even helps Nishimiya with her deal with her own mental struggles.  Both of these characters show us that friendship knows no ability and that scars from the past can be healed through the most unlikely of encounters.

What more can I really say here?  I honestly feel like I said everything that I wanted to about these characters when I initially reviewed A Silent Voice.  But if there were anything else I wanted to say about these two, it would be that I love how their relationship grows in the movie.  It’s wonderful to watch how these two pick up the pieces of a troubled past and rebuild themselves.  And if you read my review, I really loved how people with disabilities were represented in the film, and more importantly, how the world portrays them.  Even though Nishimiya struggles because she’s deaf, Ishida is very supportive and caring.  In fact, compared to his childhood self that we see in the beginning of the movie, he actually defends her on multiple occasions.  And once again, this shows what great bond these two form as the film progresses.  It was also fascinating but sad to see how Nishimiya is affected as well.  Her guilt in feeling that she caused much of the damage inflicted on Ishida overcomes her in the film, highlighting an important aspect of life that people with disabilities deal with: dealing with their disability emotionally.  I mentioned personally how there were many times in my life that I had difficulty dealing with Asperger’s Syndrome.  It’s pretty inevitable that when you have a disability or mental illness, you’re going to have those days where it gets to you.  That struggle is shown clearly with Nishimiya.  Of course, it’s thanks to Ishida that she’s able to realize that none of what transpired was her fault and that she can move on.  Whether they’re separate or together, these two show that it doesn’t take a whole lot to make someone’s life a whole lot better.  So keep the friendship growing, Shoya Ishida and Shoko Nishimiya, cause you’re both Hanime on Anime’s Characters of the Month of April!

Now before I go, I do want to make a quick announcement.  Starting next Sunday, Miyazaki May will begin once again!  The lineup this year will be Pom Poko, Grave of the Fireflies (gulp), and Kiki’s Delivery Service.  And if you’re wondering about the gulp after Grave of the Fireflies, let’s just say I’m a little nervous about reviewing it cause I intentionally avoided it last year.  Well, there’s no excuses this year, so it’s on the chopping block!  And that wraps up this post and Autism Awareness month!  Stay tuned next Sunday for the first of Miyazaki May with my review on Pom Poko!

-Hanime on Anime