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A review by selfmythologies
A Silent Voice, Vol. 2 by Yoshitoki Oima
4.0
i just saw a video essay yesterday that mentioned redemption arcs in media and how often a simple apology or Heroic Sacrifice at the end of a story is used as a cheap cop out for asshole male characters to gain last minute sympathy. the problem is that it depicts redemption as a one-off thing - you feel sorry and do something good one time, and magically everything's fine and it's like all of your past actions never happened.
when in actuality, the realization is just the first step. actual redemption is a process, it's putting in effort time and time again to be a better person, and it's also recognizing and accepting that some things can't be mended. and i couldn't agree more that we need more of these narratives where characters actually explore what it MEANS to try and be better, in their lives, in their relationships.
and thus.........long introduction to the point i'm trying to make, which is: i like this series because it seems to be doing exactly that. this entire volume is Shoya trying to make up for his past actions, but a) he constantly doubts if he actually deserves forgiveness and b) pretty much everyone in Shoko's life still hates him and he has to prove himself to them first. he actually has to earn it
the only exception to this is Shoko herself, whose behavior is still somewhat a mystery, but we're getting glimpses of what might be going on inside her head. i like that a lot, and i hope we get to see more of her perspective in the volumes to come!
when in actuality, the realization is just the first step. actual redemption is a process, it's putting in effort time and time again to be a better person, and it's also recognizing and accepting that some things can't be mended. and i couldn't agree more that we need more of these narratives where characters actually explore what it MEANS to try and be better, in their lives, in their relationships.
and thus.........long introduction to the point i'm trying to make, which is: i like this series because it seems to be doing exactly that. this entire volume is Shoya trying to make up for his past actions, but a) he constantly doubts if he actually deserves forgiveness and b) pretty much everyone in Shoko's life still hates him and he has to prove himself to them first. he actually has to earn it
the only exception to this is Shoko herself, whose behavior is still somewhat a mystery, but we're getting glimpses of what might be going on inside her head. i like that a lot, and i hope we get to see more of her perspective in the volumes to come!