{Spoilers (because his input has spoilers (jk I'm using him as a scapegoat))}
So as far as the comparison between the manga and the anime movie adaptation, my friend and I both think that the manga far surpasses the anime. We say this mostly because there's a lot left to be desired in the realm of character development/motivation and why the characters are there in the first place. For example, though Ueno is there during Shouya's hospitalization it does not reveal her motivation for being there: her love for him since childhood. While this could be inferred from the fact that she would always follow Shouya and supported him as he bullied Shouko, it is less obvious than in the manga where there was more depth to her backstory. In a similar vein, Mashiba was rendered almost absolutely useless, actually scratch that, he was useless. He did absolutely nothing except serve as Kawai's maybe love interest. He was just another body and witness to the bullying. In the manga it goes into greater depth into his character and doesn't leave the reader going "So why does he matter?" unlike in the anime. Nagatsuka was still the best friend for sure, the one to make Shouya open up to people outside of his family, but his role was majorly downplayed. He wasn't given as much development as in the manga. None of them were really developed except the two main characters. In the manga the other characters were so much more significant and impactful that it really is a shame that they weren't allowed to shine in the movie. And it wasn't even just the characters. Like what happened to the movie subplot? There was no movie-ception here and while my friend and I agree that it didn't add a whole lot to the story it was still a pretty big chunk unifying the group. Without it it seems kind of forced that they all became friends of sorts. This is to be expected as a movie is only allocated a certain amount of time, but as someone who read the manga it left a lot to be desired. This is just another example about how the books are better than the movie.
On a more positive note, they did do a phenomenal job. Like at the beginning with Shouya and his two friends. That was so great. The soundtrack, the portrayal of youth, all of it was so beautiful. It was a great montage. And then the deterioration of Shouya as he counted down to when he planned to kill himself. It was a creative way to submerge the audience into Shouya's mindset. While this was a very fluid transition as the past and present interwove, throughout the rest of the movie it seemed kind of choppy. Obviously I'm speaking from the experience of someone who has read the manga too, but without that preface I feel like it'd be really hard to get into.
Obviously the main point of this movie was to portray a different story, an unfortunate one about the aftermath of bullying its impact on everyone. Its impact is more profound because of the extra mile Shouya has to go to communicate with Shouko. Without this barrier their conflict wouldn't have been as profound and it would've been easy to dismiss this movie as a dime-a-dozen. However, with this amazing portrayal of communication, patience, and interaction a deeper bond is forged and the audience is more invested than they otherwise would be. The premise of this story is so interesting and really causes the audience to think about which character they'd be in this situation: would you be the bully? The victim? The bystander? It not only causes you to think about social constructs when it comes to delicate issues such as being different from your peers but also lends itself to self-reflection. In addition I think that even though Shouya's terrible behavior as a child should never be allowed, thinking about his motivation behind it is interesting. I mean he was a kid so he was rash and impulsive so it's interesting to think about whether or not he really knew what he was doing. Was he doing it because Shouko was seen as weak or because she was different? He grew up in such a loving household with different individuals, like his sister's husband, that it's interesting to think about the premise of his dislike of things different to him.
Another intense topic, this movie is full of them if you couldn't already tell, is suicide. This is a connected topic with bullying as bullying often leads to extreme measures such as suicide, but the way it's dealt with in the movie/manga is quite interesting. For one when Shouya's mom confronts him about it she comes out bluntly, something totally outside of societal norms. This is such a different approach to parenting but one that should be duly noted all the same. And then with Shouko's attempted suicide. It was too rushed. It was kind of overly nuanced. I came up with a theory that her visit to the doctor told her that she was losing more and more of her hearing which is why she took out her hearing aid and when they went to the summer festival together she couldn't hear the fireworks as clearly as before. This led to her wanting to take her own life, but what I don't get is why she would think that killing herself would end Shouya's suffering. I mean there's no way that her death would've made all of his past friendships the way they were in the past. So there's no logical explanation, unless of course her almost irrational mindset is used to portray the desperation and illogical behavior of one so emotionally unstable as Shouko. It's food for thought.
I love Yuzuru. She's the best character. Okay sometimes her logic is a bit skewed because she thought that posting a picture of Shouya jumping off a bridge would do serious damage, but she's still the best. The premise of her taking pictures of dead animals to keep Shouko from trying to end up like those animals was so sweet. And the fact that she avidly tries to learn sign language for Shouko's sake is truly admirable. Her heart is as big as her grandmother's.
One last thing about character and plot is why did Shouko like Shouya? Like I understand the premise of Ueno liking Shouya as a charismatic childhood friend. But Shouko and Shouya? I don't see it. I mean he treated her so badly to the point where she switched schools and when they met again she must've thought he was doing it for himself, to give himself closure. But instead she ended up liking him romantically? It was too soon, too much, and most definitely way too fast. You have to admit though that her trying to say she liked him and him interpreting as her talking about the moon was really cute.
Overall, I'd say this is an amazing movie that everyone should watch. Maybe not compared to the manga, but it's still a great movie to give you some food for thought. It's a very thought-provoking watch and sure to make you cry at least a little.
See? You can already tell it's a great movie from this beautiful montage.
Visually this is stunning and emotionally it wrecked me.
He's actually so cute as a teenager. So innocent
She's such a great mom. There is no way not to love her.
Ah Ueno, breaking up the heartfelt moments
This is sure to be an iconic scene to live forever in history
The ending really got me. It was the alleviation of all the stress. Even the color palette reflects the lightness in Shouya's heart. For the first time since his childhood he can finally be happy. He doesn't have to be paranoid about when it's going to be taken away or the finite quality of it. He can just live his life and enjoy every second of it.
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