No matter how sad and heart-wrenching it is as an experience, fans keep returning to A Silent Voice for how it feels like a warm hug after a rough day. That’s the trajectory of the movie as well, as it deals with many heavy themes but lets the characters grow and experience life beyond their difficulties. However, the story in the manga is even more detailed and expansive.
It explores every character and explains their behaviors in life without justifying anything. During an interview, Yoshitoki Oima, the creator of the manga, once opened up about the themes presented in the story. The mangaka revealed the reasons behind Shoko’s decision to stop using her voice, and it will make fans question many characters in the series.
The Real Reason Why Shoko Stopped Talking in A Silent Voice
A Silent Voice does a great job of representing Shoko’s disability with respect. We see how it hampers her everyday life and what the world looks like from her perspective. Even though she was capable of using her voice, she could only speak in broken words. Eventually, she stopped using her voice and started communicating with her notebook.
In an interview, Yoshitoki Oima revealed the reason behind Shoko’s decision. Shoko’s poor speaking skills made her sister, Yuzuru, a target of bullying. Her mom was often displeased with the way she used to speak as well. Shoko could sense their feelings and difficulties and it greatly affected her decision.
Although Yuzuru and their mother had different motives, they both wanted Shoko to stop speaking because she couldn’t speak well. Shoko sensed that and eventually stopped using her voice.
While Yuzuru’s feelings could be understood, as she was a child herself, this revelation reflects poorly on her mother’s character. Moreover, we hardly see her trying to communicate with Shoko through sign language. All these instances combined make fans often wonder if her mother was indeed a bad parent.
Was Shoko’s Mother a Bad Mother then?
While the movie explores Shoko’s mother’s difficulties and her struggles as a single mother, the manga does it much better. When her family discovered that Shoko had a hearing disability, they all pushed the blame on her. Soon after, she realized that she was pregnant with Yuzuru. She tried her best to raise her two daughters. She probably believed that being tough on Shoko might help her deal with the world better.
It’s true that there must have been better ways to deal with Shoko, however, her mother also had a lot on her plate. And, sometimes the frustrations surfaced unintentionally and in unpleasant ways. She faced many hardships all by herself and the only one she had there was her own mom.
She undoubtedly could’ve found other ways to do that, but we can’t dismiss her struggles either. At the same time, the harsh treatment of Shoko at times burdened Shoko instead of strengthening her. Therefore, we can’t justify her actions. So, Shoko’s mother wasn’t entirely bad, but she sometimes failed in her role as the sole caregiver.
A Silent Voice is available to stream on Prime Video.
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