 |
| "Victims and culprits can easily swap places. It all depends on viewpoints and circumstances." |
It really is a pity how Koe no Katachi (A Silent Voice, or lit. Shape of the Voice) was sidelined by the more successful film of 2017, Kimi no Na Wa. Note that the latter is a great film that does very much deserve its popularity, but personally I find the themes brought up by KnK to be more powerful, relevant and relatable, reminding me of my own past. The story starts with Ishida Shouya in elementary school, who as a child acted as a bully to the deaf female lead, Nishimiya Shouko, until his antics backfired on him, causing his accomplices whom he thought were his friends to instantly distance themselves from him, leaving him ironically as the bullied. As a teenager, Ishida realizes his wrongdoings and attempts to atone for his past, in the process finding out the meaning of forgiveness and companionship.
Throughout the movie, it can be objectively said that Nishimiya always got the receiving end of the hostilities of everyone surrounding her. From the direct confrontations and harassment by Ishida, to the hypocritical face of Kawai, to the cold apathy of Ueno, she was basically on her own throughout her childhood just because of her disability. As a person of disability who could not express herself easily, she was an easy target for bullies, and, being in the animalistic society that is the world of elementary school, her inability to fight back means she indeed suffered.
However, as the film progressed, with Ishida approaching Nishimiya to apologize for his crimes as a child and getting to know her better, she is cast a surprisingly grey light in terms of moral. The film does not continuously condemn the perpetrator Ishida throughout its duration, though his head was effectively hung low throughout the film as a teenager. At the climax, as Nishimiya reached the limit of her tolerance on her self-blaming, she attempted suicide, and at the last second saved by Ishida, taking the damage instead. [1] The fact that this event is portrayed as such clearly delivers the message that Ishida has, unwittingly, become the true victim. Even for Ueno, who as a teenager still held her animosity against Nishimiya just because her presence brought trouble to the class, who never really resolved her relationship with Nishimiya, and even pressured her to depression, was not "brought to justice" by the hands of the director. This initially left me quite baffled: Surely, the right and the wrong are quite clear here. Why has Yamada Naoko (director) decided to pass such weird judgment to these characters? In other words, are the roles of "victim" and "culprit" so clean cut?
The thought of victimhood led me back to consideration of my favourite arc out of the Monogatari series: Otorimonogatari (which I had discussed at length here). We see Sengoku Nadeko, largely the victim of Kaiki the conman's antics, also as the victim of fate, where she would always be considered as a child in the eyes of Koyomi, her crush, and nothing more. Yet, it is almost unanimously agreed upon that her reinstating the snake god to exact her rage on those whom have treated her like a fool for the whole time is unjustified.
No one wants to be the victim, and I believe that no one actively wants to create victimhood either, unless driven by other motivations. It is exactly such motivations that stem from the imperfections of humans that creates the toxic structure of oppression: Greed, jealousy, possessiveness, mistrust, or even just different views on how the world should be, what the meaning of existence should be. Simple differences in moral values and xenophobia have created countless conflicts in mankind's history, even pulling in innocent bystanders to die for nothing but a set of dubiously justified egocentric values. As a result, we are entangled inadvertently in a tangled web of oppression and victimhood that no one can resolve, not even after their death.
There is a strong stigma, especially in the West or countries influenced by the West (which spans most of the First World), against "blaming the victim". This has been a good incentive for a few decades, since the alternative is to judge based on other, less fair (in a sense that is abstracted away from the nature of the deed itself or that which cannot be controlled) criteria, such as social status, race, religion (not that these judgments do not exist nowadays, but it is definitely more suppressed and, if done, more in a subtle manner, at least in most parts of the developed world). However, sometimes I feel that it has evolved to the point that the victim get the entire upper hand in the whole discussion, and thus no grounds are left for the "oppressor" to defend his/her case. Whatever the "oppressor" says is always so skewed away from his/her favour, or rather drowned in insults against him/her that barely constitute as arguments that rational discourse is abandoned over emotional judgment that has already been set in stone by the roles each person plays in this case. The advent of social media has exacerbated this by providing partial or even false information that defames one who is considered an oppressor, stirring up the emotion of unjust in the viewer and using their voice to silence any rational judgment.
Of course, I could be exaggerating, and my view could be severely limited by experiences. But, returning to the works I have been discussing previously, I found that these directors/authors took a different approach to the situation, rather different from what we see the "paradigm" is currently. The portrayal of characters from Nadeko and Ueno, the supposed "bad guys", to Koyomi and Nishimiya and Ishida, the supposed "good guys" are, as mentioned, grey and deliberately ambiguous and multi-faceted. Instead of fueling the emotions set out by the setting and plot, towards the end the directors try to pull the audience away from the emotional trap they have set themselves in already, and remind the audience that humans are multi-dimensional beings. Rather than indulging in an endless cycle of hatred and vindication, why not unplug your ears and look, properly, in front of you, and appreciate that victimhood and oppression exists precisely because of misinformation, ignorance and irrationality. It is time to put the grudges of the past down, because we are multi-dimensional and ever changing. We are only victims if we insist to be one, and if we do insist to be one, we will always be the miserable and vindictive victim that serves no purpose in this world. [2]
[2]: This is what I surmise (one of) the authors' intents are. I personally do not claim to have embodied this wisdom well. As always, I write about something that I cannot personally achieve, but hopefully through talking about it I can get a bit closer to such achievement.
OP Discussion 18: Hibike! Euphonium 2 OP, Soundscape by TRUE
"I want to send the message
that I want to improve
that I want to be special!"
Admittedly, from the appearance this show is the archetypal "sports" genre anime, where the character, as a group in the "underdogs", wins the competitions against more established and privileged groups because of the power of friendship etc. We have all heard of this kind of show before, and it is almost bordering on "shounen" shows that I take almost no interest in. However, the setting of this show revolving around the orchestra/band hits close to home for me, and I believe (not entirely sure because of lack of data for comparison) that this show handles the drama and brings out their characters more elaborately and thus carves the themes they wish to bring out more clearly that it warrants "discussion".
The first season of the show, which I have already referenced previously, deals with the revival of the band and goes at length to describe the struggles that the band and its individual members go through to get better, to achieve their dreams to perform in the national band competition (zenkoku, or nationals). It is very well crafted and brings out the interpersonal conflicts, character development and in general tension where they are needed, even going beyond my expectation of the quality of a Kyoani show (me being a huge fan of this studio). However, the second season, in my opinion, gives even more depth and backstory to the characters which explain why the band is how it is presently, focusing even more on the characters and their psyche that it does not disappoint at all as the successor.
To compete or not to compete?
To what purpose does an entity exist is a question one must ask sooner or later. Existence necessitates certain duties to be fulfilled and tasks to be completed that one must regularly ask if such existence is worth it or not. To this end, the first arc, concerning Mizore the second-year oboe player, attempts partially to give an answer. While the whole band is fired up for preparation for the regional competitions, Mizore finds herself the odd one out, unable to put her full passion in, resulting in mechanical and "lifeless" playing that is criticized by the teachers.
This is quite a weird thing to ask at this context. At the beginning of the year, the band voted to play competitively, and by the end of season 1 they were able to clear the first stage of the competitions. They have chosen to exist as an entity to compete, so to speak, and their victory in the first stage reinforces this idea. Come to think of it, there really is only a reason to dislike competitions when you lose in it. Competitions necessitate the creation of winners and losers. The joy of victory must always come at the expense of the disappointment and anger of losers. One could even say that the exchange is less than equivalent. After all, is joy built on others' suffering truly enjoyable?
Yet without competitions, are there sufficient reasons for one to improve? The conflict that second-years had in the previous years exemplifies this: When some decide that they are not good enough for competitions anyway, there really was no reason for them to practice so hard. This was true at least for high school bands. Is this a bad thing? It does depend on the exact nature of the band/orchestra's existence, but I do not deny the possibility of bringing motivation for improvements with competitions.
At the end of the day, it could boil down to a Camus-like contemplation, but, more concretely, it could be seen as a gamble. Do we prefer to put emotional well-being at risk to attain higher skill levels, or take the safe route and call it a day? With emotional decisions always come irrationality, subjectivity and disagreement, and personally I have become so disillusioned with competitions I am willing to avoid most conflicts to go peacefully and preserve my character, as far as music goes.
This was what Mizore's character resonated with me at the beginning: Faced with hot-blooded, passionate people such as Nozomi, who vow to return victorious after a defeat, there seemed to be no choice but to follow suit. No (wo)man is an island, and to leave at this very second, especially in Mizore's case where Nozomi was one of her only friends, who introduced her to the band itself, would leave her all alone. Yet, is it all worth it to stick to something unwillingly, which could very well turn into another tragedy, just to cling onto someone else's ideals?
This is why when Nozomi decided to quit the band, she was devastated. Her existence in the concert band ceases to be meaningful, and this is reflected in her music, a medium that is all about sending meaning that cannot be well put in words. At this scenario, how could competitions mean anything more than a worthless gamble?
In the anime, of course the misunderstanding clears, and Mizore realizes that Nozomi treasures their friendship much more than some silly ideals to win a competition. But is the real world so ideal? As a regular "deserter" from competitions, I always wonder if the world would have been different if I had committed more. Not necessarily with regret, simply with objective contemplation.
This arc did not conclude as satisfactorily as it could have, considering that the conflict was solved a bit too quickly to seem significant at all. I hope that the upcoming movies will bring more character to this pair.
Why Kumiko is best girl
There is a strong focus of the anime on "improving": As a music player, as a member of the band, and as a person in general. Throughout the two seasons, we see the drama that involves the band as a whole, witnessing the action of love, jealousy, miscommunications and so on. Though the story is told in third person (as almost show does), we are usually focused on the perspective of the MC. Weaker anime will see this as a limitation, while stronger ones will leverage this to bring out the personality of the MC through the surroundings. I am sure we can tell easily where Hibike lies.
Kumiko on herself is almost the antithesis of an interesting character (apart from the fact that she is a girl, distinct from some generic series... and the norm of a Kyoani show). She started off actively wanting to avoid the band because she did not find the concept of competitions that interesting to begin with. She even told Reina frankly that she did not care what the band got at the very beginning, something she did regret but not on grounds of it being a lie. Among the four first-years, she tends to be the most aloft one, preferring to take a bystander's view than to show overt activeness and enthusiasm like Midori and Hazuki. But can she stay as a bystander forever?
As she gets dragged into the various episodes of drama that revolves around different characters: the aspiring Reina, the fiercely protective Yuko, the warm Natsuki, eventually to Asuka who seems mysterious throughout the series, we wonder whether Kumiko is really simply an observer. The way each arc progresses is always through Kumiko herself: Without her constantly pushing through to know more and attempt to solve the problem, without her being just too nosy, we would never see these issues resolved. Despite knowing nothing, Kumiko willingly throws herself into others by conversations. And indeed, the power of words is demonstrated, as the problem, when put into words, becomes much more direct. Words force confrontation, to end the stagnating that would have never resolved themselves. From an aloft observer to, so smoothly that we barely notice, the person who pulled the band together to compete in the nationals, Kumiko actually undergoes a massive change in character, all the while having the aspirations and dreams of others rub off on her. Perhaps this is what Kyoani means by "adolescence": a period of change, of being influenced and influencing others (and not a codeword for yuri undertones *cough*).
Kumiko is not only a good character, but is someone, in my opinion, we all can learn something from. (and this comes from a person who mainly likes messed up characters)
Other comments on the show itself
The anime itself is also exceptional in another aspect: the presentation of music. The problem I have with most music shows is their inability (or limited ability) to leverage music in itself as a storytelling apparatus. Whenever music is played, it must be accompanied by commentary in the form of internal monologues or whatever, as if to explain to the viewer what we are supposed to be feeling towards this. This is bad storytelling and distracts us from the actual music itself (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is a huge offender of this apart from the concluding piece). Hibike on the other hand, in pivotal moments, lets the music play on itself uninterrupted, and through visual portrayal that does not clash with the music but harmoniously works together with the music to bring out the emotions in a way that percolates through the fine details, expressions and body language of the musicians:
In other words, the anime shows, rather than tells, precisely aligning with the whole purpose of music itself as a non-verbal language.
I guess the message here is for you to go watch this anime now if you have not.
The first season of the show, which I have already referenced previously, deals with the revival of the band and goes at length to describe the struggles that the band and its individual members go through to get better, to achieve their dreams to perform in the national band competition (zenkoku, or nationals). It is very well crafted and brings out the interpersonal conflicts, character development and in general tension where they are needed, even going beyond my expectation of the quality of a Kyoani show (me being a huge fan of this studio). However, the second season, in my opinion, gives even more depth and backstory to the characters which explain why the band is how it is presently, focusing even more on the characters and their psyche that it does not disappoint at all as the successor.
To compete or not to compete?
To what purpose does an entity exist is a question one must ask sooner or later. Existence necessitates certain duties to be fulfilled and tasks to be completed that one must regularly ask if such existence is worth it or not. To this end, the first arc, concerning Mizore the second-year oboe player, attempts partially to give an answer. While the whole band is fired up for preparation for the regional competitions, Mizore finds herself the odd one out, unable to put her full passion in, resulting in mechanical and "lifeless" playing that is criticized by the teachers.
 |
| "Hey, do you like competitions? I hate them." |
Yet without competitions, are there sufficient reasons for one to improve? The conflict that second-years had in the previous years exemplifies this: When some decide that they are not good enough for competitions anyway, there really was no reason for them to practice so hard. This was true at least for high school bands. Is this a bad thing? It does depend on the exact nature of the band/orchestra's existence, but I do not deny the possibility of bringing motivation for improvements with competitions.
At the end of the day, it could boil down to a Camus-like contemplation, but, more concretely, it could be seen as a gamble. Do we prefer to put emotional well-being at risk to attain higher skill levels, or take the safe route and call it a day? With emotional decisions always come irrationality, subjectivity and disagreement, and personally I have become so disillusioned with competitions I am willing to avoid most conflicts to go peacefully and preserve my character, as far as music goes.
This was what Mizore's character resonated with me at the beginning: Faced with hot-blooded, passionate people such as Nozomi, who vow to return victorious after a defeat, there seemed to be no choice but to follow suit. No (wo)man is an island, and to leave at this very second, especially in Mizore's case where Nozomi was one of her only friends, who introduced her to the band itself, would leave her all alone. Yet, is it all worth it to stick to something unwillingly, which could very well turn into another tragedy, just to cling onto someone else's ideals?
In the anime, of course the misunderstanding clears, and Mizore realizes that Nozomi treasures their friendship much more than some silly ideals to win a competition. But is the real world so ideal? As a regular "deserter" from competitions, I always wonder if the world would have been different if I had committed more. Not necessarily with regret, simply with objective contemplation.
This arc did not conclude as satisfactorily as it could have, considering that the conflict was solved a bit too quickly to seem significant at all. I hope that the upcoming movies will bring more character to this pair.
Why Kumiko is best girl
There is a strong focus of the anime on "improving": As a music player, as a member of the band, and as a person in general. Throughout the two seasons, we see the drama that involves the band as a whole, witnessing the action of love, jealousy, miscommunications and so on. Though the story is told in third person (as almost show does), we are usually focused on the perspective of the MC. Weaker anime will see this as a limitation, while stronger ones will leverage this to bring out the personality of the MC through the surroundings. I am sure we can tell easily where Hibike lies.
Kumiko on herself is almost the antithesis of an interesting character (apart from the fact that she is a girl, distinct from some generic series... and the norm of a Kyoani show). She started off actively wanting to avoid the band because she did not find the concept of competitions that interesting to begin with. She even told Reina frankly that she did not care what the band got at the very beginning, something she did regret but not on grounds of it being a lie. Among the four first-years, she tends to be the most aloft one, preferring to take a bystander's view than to show overt activeness and enthusiasm like Midori and Hazuki. But can she stay as a bystander forever?
As she gets dragged into the various episodes of drama that revolves around different characters: the aspiring Reina, the fiercely protective Yuko, the warm Natsuki, eventually to Asuka who seems mysterious throughout the series, we wonder whether Kumiko is really simply an observer. The way each arc progresses is always through Kumiko herself: Without her constantly pushing through to know more and attempt to solve the problem, without her being just too nosy, we would never see these issues resolved. Despite knowing nothing, Kumiko willingly throws herself into others by conversations. And indeed, the power of words is demonstrated, as the problem, when put into words, becomes much more direct. Words force confrontation, to end the stagnating that would have never resolved themselves. From an aloft observer to, so smoothly that we barely notice, the person who pulled the band together to compete in the nationals, Kumiko actually undergoes a massive change in character, all the while having the aspirations and dreams of others rub off on her. Perhaps this is what Kyoani means by "adolescence": a period of change, of being influenced and influencing others (and not a codeword for yuri undertones *cough*).
Kumiko is not only a good character, but is someone, in my opinion, we all can learn something from. (and this comes from a person who mainly likes messed up characters)
Other comments on the show itself
The anime itself is also exceptional in another aspect: the presentation of music. The problem I have with most music shows is their inability (or limited ability) to leverage music in itself as a storytelling apparatus. Whenever music is played, it must be accompanied by commentary in the form of internal monologues or whatever, as if to explain to the viewer what we are supposed to be feeling towards this. This is bad storytelling and distracts us from the actual music itself (Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso is a huge offender of this apart from the concluding piece). Hibike on the other hand, in pivotal moments, lets the music play on itself uninterrupted, and through visual portrayal that does not clash with the music but harmoniously works together with the music to bring out the emotions in a way that percolates through the fine details, expressions and body language of the musicians:
The power of non-verbal communication. Note that this is unedited (i.e. not an AMV). The whole piece is specifically composed for this anime, and it delivers so well that it is almost integral to the show itself.
In other words, the anime shows, rather than tells, precisely aligning with the whole purpose of music itself as a non-verbal language.
I guess the message here is for you to go watch this anime now if you have not.
