A Shape of Light; Music Through a Different Eye
A good film is a mixture of art and dedication. It is especially true for an animated film. Another
element that adds depth to a film, is music. From the melody that plays in the background, to the little
musical cues—the music reinforces the message of a film. However, the 2016 award winning animated
film, Koe No Katachi (A Silent Voice), takes this concept a step forward. Wherein, the music is not just
reinforcing an idea, it establishes one.
It is almost ironic that the film which centralize with one of the characters, Shouko Nishimiya,
who is deaf, would have such an amazing soundtrack. The musical director of the film, Kensuke Ushio
stated in an interview from Manga.tokyo that he was intrigued with the idea of what a deaf could hear.
After which, he thought of hearing aids and what sound it can pick up. With it, blossomed the idea of
using an upright piano. This is where the idea of utilizing perspectives as a means of delivering a
message came. Ushio masterfully crafted the soundtracks to feel like the viewer is placed in Shouko’s
shoes. The sounds were muffled, the sound of the piano was very far away. It’s because of the upright
piano’s characteristic of it being open. Ushio strategically placed the mic in different places in the
upright piano’s inside to get the best fitting sound possible. So that even those who cannot hear what
Shouko can hear, can at least get a gist of it.
Perspectives are also one thing that all films consider as one of the core elements. It is used to
show a point of view of a character. Just as said, Ushio made most of the music sound muffled because
of the perspective of a deaf using a hearing aid. However, the whole film itself is a spectacle of musical
perspectives. There is one scene at the beginning of the movie, where we see the character Shouya
Ishida, the one who bullied Shouko as a kid, walking down a bridge. He is calm, very upright, it’s almost
jarring that we hear a synthesizer, accompanied with a piano building up a distorted sound that suggests
something incomprehensible yet very serene. It wasn’t until Shouya was shown clearly that he is
attempting suicide that it became clear. It is wonderful how a soundtrack could oppose and support the
visual language. Shouya is about to take his own life, yet the music was very serene, calm and very
harmonious. It opposes the visuals but supports the narrative, because Shouya was, in some way, happy
that he is, in fact, going to die by his own hands—he hates himself. The music was not for the audience,
but it is for the characters, those music tracks are from their own perspective.
Another scene where this perspective of music is seen is with the bullying scene. In this part of
the movie, Shouya was very playful, too playful in fact, that he bullies Shouko almost every time. From
taking her hearing aids off and playing catch with his friends, writing cruel things in Shouko’s notebook
that she uses for communication, throwing her shoes to the trash can, insulting her, and soaking her wet
with a hose from their school. Those scenes show terrible things. Yet we, as viewers, hear a playful
music. It is very confusing and could almost make someone question the message of the movie.
However, when put in context, the music was not to reinforce that bullying is bad, the playful music was
there as a narrative tool to show that Shouya does not know that what he is doing is bullying and no
longer a playful prank. It wasn’t until he saw Shouko’s ear bleed that the music stops, it also is the point
where Shouya realized he did something wrong.
Ushio did an incredible job at highlighting these views of the characters through music. But it is
not the only thing he achieved. He also managed to make his music achieve the realism that the film
itself did. Whenever there is a dramatic scene, you could hear notes that feel happy, whenever there is a
joyful scene, a sliver of minor keys is scattered which give off a sad emotion. It represents the reality
that, not all sad events are entirely sad. There is a level of relief whenever we release our anger, a
feeling of joy whenever we cry, a sad uncertainty when we are happy. These are the foundation in which
Ushio built the soundtrack of Koe No Katachi onto.
From Ushio himself, the soundtrack of A Silent Voice is a representation of light. It is supposed
to give an image of rays hitting a window and a table and the floor. A melancholic image inspired by
paintings from Baroque period. And for me, he succeeded in doing so. Utilizing an idea and applying it,
created perspectives of the characters for the viewers to see into. It gave a realistic image of life. Life is
sad, happy, confusing and does not always line up, just like how Kensuke Ushio made the fantastic
soundtrack. He mimicked the realism of life through setting an image of light, thus creating the official
album of the soundtrack of Koe No Katachi, A Shape of Light.