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Post by CJ on Aug 17, 2014 18:21:41 GMT -5
Yay! It's the Koe no Katachi thread!
I'm normally not a fan of slice of life, but I'd recommend this manga to anyone. The level of writing is really incomparable. If you haven't checked it out, Crunchyroll publishes it digitally, though I've been told there is a physical release coming this Spring.
From here on out, watch out for spoilers! Seriously though, go check it out!
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Post by Kyubey on Aug 18, 2014 5:10:59 GMT -5
I think the importance of this manga can best be shown through how close it was to not being published at all.
I can't really find a straight account through simple searches, but after the one shot was released and before it was serialized, Koe no Katachi was met with opposition from outside groups, who fought very hard to get it banned. The exact reasoning for this is a little hazy (at least by English sources) but from the content of the manga alone, it's not really a mystery as to why this stirred up so much controversy. Despite tackling issues that desperately need to be discussed and honestly portrayed, the topics raised by this manga aren't really in line with what conventionally gets put on the shelves, especially in the shonen market, and seems to go right up against a culture that, by all appearances, prefers to quietly ignore the bullying and abuse that's so blatantly going on. That being said, as disheartening as it is that a manga so meaningful had to endure so much opposition before it could even truly begin, it's also uplifting to know that, in spite of all that, Kodasha pushed for a release anyways, really sticking their necks out for this series in the process, and the Japanese Association for the Deaf also went out of their way to give this their full support. And in my opinion, this series most certainly deserves the effort, not just for the subject matter, but for its merits as a story in its own right.
Koe no Katachi explores bullying and its aftermath carefully and with a lot of honesty, but it doesn't pull punches either, making it one of the most heavy series I've read. That being said, the writing has so much elegance to it, and the story is so developed, that it earns every single emotional scene it has. It would have been so easy for Ishida to just become a pure saint after his redemption, it would have been easy for characters like Ueno and Kawaii to just be soulless monsters, and it would have been so very easy to delicately tiptoe around Nishimiya's inner trauma in order to keep the focus on the lead, but it does none of those things. Not everyone's pain shows on the outside. Even the most harmful people have feelings, struggles, and reasons of their own. And while redemption is far from easy, and forgiveness does not come quickly, that does not mean that the struggle isn't worth it. Even discounting all the other wonderful, noteworthy things this manga has going on (which I could go on about for hours if you let me), just that Ooima Yoshitoki went out of her way to show that makes Koe no Katachi a series worth reading.
So yeah, I agree with CJ, check this out if you haven't. It deserves all the attention it can get. It deserves to sell well, and be talked about, and get an anime, and all the other things that happen when a manga becomes big. I have no idea whether this manga will really start any new trends in the industry, or even if it'll be remembered years from now, but I hope it will. I really hope it will.
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Post by CJ on Aug 19, 2014 18:59:04 GMT -5
I've seen more cases where bullying would rather be ignored than recognized so hearing that this series was hated didn't surprise me. It's incredibly sad though.
I hate to bring up the atrocious Grave of the Fireflies but I remember seeing some atrocious comments like this one in regards to the 14 year old's decision to leave his abusive aunt.
Keep in mind, the character is 14 and the sister is practically a toddler! For many people, it's easier to victim blame than address a difficult problem and I think they'd rather take the easy route to escape the status quo. Koe no Katachi presents very realistic portrayals of bullying, depression and scapegoating. I wish there was something this impactful in grade school education, although I can see why the portrayal of bad, enabling teachers could prevent this from entering that sphere.
I have my own criticisms of the series, particularly with how the characters interact with Ueno. I'll put these concerns in spoilers, mostly because it has to do with most recent chapters.
[spoilers]I get why Ishida's friends would be bullied into staying out of the hospital room, but why would his mother allow a girl to spend most of the time with the comatose Ishida alone without supervision? I'm hoping these concerns are addressed in future chapters. It's infuriating that characters keep letting this violent girl back into their social group, but I suppose that's the point of the story. Stuff like that actually does happen. Some people don't understand that to forgive someone, you don't have to let them back into your life.[/spoilers]
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