Koe no Katachi

Description

Shoya is a bully. When Shoko, a girl who can't hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes their favorite target, and Shoya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children's cruelty goes too far. Shoko is forced to leave the school, and Shoya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shoya make up for his past mistakes, or is it too late? (Source: Kodansha)

Official English: INKR | Azuki | Kodansha

Note: Won the 19th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Award New Artist Prize in 2015 and the Ogaki City Cultural Alliance Award (Lifestyle Culture Division). Nominated for the category "Best U.S. Edition of International Material" in the 2016 Eisner Awards.

Type

Manga

Associated Names

A Silent Voice

A Voz do Silêncio

Dáng Hình Thanh Âm

Koe no Kitachi

Kształt twojego głosu (Polish)

Raut Suara

Sessizliğin Sesi

The Shape of Voice

Форма голоса

Форма голосу (Ukrainian)

الصوت الصامت

รักไร้เสียง

聲の形

목소리의 형태

Groups Scanlating

/a/nonymous

abandoned kitten scans

Crunchyroll

Futari wa Pretty Anon

More...

Latest Release(s)

c.62.5 by abandoned kitten scans 9 years ago

c.62 by Crunchyroll 10 years ago

c.61 by Crunchyroll 10 years ago

Search for all releases of this series

Status in Country of Origin

7 Volumes (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1 (Movie)

Ends at Vol 7, Chap 62 (Movie)

User Reviews

Koe no Katachi by Zoro

Koe no Katachi by Salieri_Hiyajo

Forum

5 topics, 15 posts

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User Rating

Average: 8.7 / 10.0 (2194 votes)

Bayesian Average: 8.67 / 10.0

34%

29%

21%

Last Updated

April 15th, 2025 12:57am PDT - 3 weeks ago

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Genre

Comedy Drama Psychological Romance School Life Shounen Slice of Life
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Categories

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Category Recommendations

Amayo no Tsuki

Liu Yao: The Revitalization of Fuyao Sect (Novel)

Recommendations

Onani Master Kurosawa

Bonnouji

Horimiya

Watashitachi no Shiawase na Jikan

Author(s)

OOIMA Yoshitoki

Artist(s)

OOIMA Yoshitoki

Year

2013

Original Publisher

Kodansha

Serialized In (magazine)

Bessatsu Shounen Magazine (Kodansha)

Shuukan Shounen Magazine (Kodansha)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

Azuki (7 Volumes - Complete; Digital)

INKR Comics (Complete)

Kodansha Comics (7 Volumes - Complete)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #535

(-182)

Monthly Pos #1282

(-48)

3 Month Pos #1615

(+39)

6 Month Pos #1854

(-28)

Year Pos #1898

(+94)

List Stats

On 2764 reading lists

On 1407 wish lists

On 4713 completed lists

On 80 unfinished lists

On 746 custom lists

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

A Silent Voice Anime Project Is a Theatrical Film

10 years ago

A Silent Voice - Koe no Katachi Manga to End on November 12

11 years ago

Chapter 42

11 years ago

A Silent Voice - Koe no Katachi Manga to End in 3 More Volumes

11 years ago

Lawsuit

11 years ago

User Comments [ Order by time added ]

Worth the read

by great_k
11 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I originally dropped this series in its first few chapters due to how unlikeable Ishida and his friends were as kids. later picked up the series again and have been thoroughly impressed with series.
The plot of this manga is a breadth of fresh air in the current manga climate.

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Worth reading

by mokaboy
12 years ago

Rating: 9.0 / 10.0

I can only recommend it, the plot its great, the art doesn't stand very much, average ill say, but the story its great, in scale from 1 to 10 on 'real life situations' ill give it a 9.

This is what its happening in most schools around the globe. Crude, real, just kids bullying kids for been "different".
I wish this was a serialized series, but i guess been a one shot its part of what make it so amazing and yet so real.

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Very well crafted, possibly a bit overrated, probably better as a movie

by MatrixM
4 years ago

Rating: 8.5 / 10.0

So I remember reading this waaay back but then stopped reading cos it was taken over by crunchyroll and I think I didn't realise that their manga was for free.
Now I've come back over 7 years later, it has a anime film adaptation that is critically acclaimed as one of the best films made in the industry, and I figure hey I should go back to this.
So I did. And This is really good.
As an art-piece I'd give it 9/10, I think. Maybe higher, if I presume to say that I understood the author's intent.
Manga enjoyment-wise I'd be more comfortable giving it a 8.5/10. i.e. for my personal enjoyment.

Where I think it lost a point or half a point is in the story seeming to drag for a few chapters around chapter 15 (I think). There were a couple of chapters where I felt 'This doesn't seem to really be here for a purpose, or at least could have been done more concisely'. That said it does recover, and overall is very well put-together.

This is not a romance.
This is a coming-of-age manga. Or perhaps half that, half drama manga.
A traumatised boy is trying to make amends and later it's about his recovery. It shares a theme or two with Onani master kurosawa and also with the anime AnoHana, two pieces of work I'd also rate 10/10 and perhaps 9/10 respectively.

Interestingly....All this time when I looked back at this manga (back when I'd only read up to ch28 and the 32.5 omake) I misremembered one part of the story
Unrelated to my review but I had thought that when

Shouko confessed to Shouya, he had only pretended to misunderstood her as saying 'Tsuki' (moon) instead of 'suki' (like/love). In my head, the way it went was she shouts at him as he's leaving "I like you" and turns around and lies "Oh, you're talking about the moon, right? Yeah, it's good" and then rides away, thinking to himself that he doesn't deserved to be loved by her after all he did. Turns out that's not what happened at all....huh. I kind of like my memory better. But then it'd completely change what the manga ended up being about so, eh. Just thought that was interesting.

Maybe after another 7 years I'll watch the movie. I think that one fault, a lack of conciseness for a small handful of chapters, would of course not be there so I expect a 10/10....although I would be surprised if all the necessary parts are covered in 2 hours..

... Last updated 4 years ago

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could have been better

by solitarygray
6 years ago

Rating: 7.1 / 10.0

I liked the theme, there were a few parts which were really engaging, but i feel that this manga was lacking somehow..

Some characters like ueno and kawai who were supposed to have some impact on the plot, felt weird in whatever they did. Mashiba too. Their motivations, and thoughts were not as clearly laid out as it should have been done. There was a lot of potential, but it seems unused.

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I cried and cried

by moonmystery
10 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I love this story for who it speaks for. It not only gives the bully a chance for redemption, but also alerts the readers of the issue of mistreating disabled individuals. I liked how the author wrapped up the story--it was very touching when I marathoned through the story.

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After the very good One-Shot, the serialization starts with potential, but degenerates to a mediocre Shoujo-wannabe

by [deleted member]
10 years ago

Rating: N/A

Damn, I really had hopes for this manga after its One-Shot gave me some goosebumps. Of course i had my doubts whether a series of it could reach the quality, but i continued nonetheless.
And my fears got confirmed.

But first of all, the manga starts great. It switches between the present (5 years after the events of the One-Shot) and the said One-Shot. You clearly get the impression, that the mangaka knows what she wants to do with the story and where she wants to go with the characters. It had substance.

That drastically changed with the later chapters. It gets dragged out (clearly milking the cash-cow), the story doesn't progress well. Instead we get some insight in the mind of some support characters. The problem is, that the mangaka doesn't manage to really build a connection to those characters. Instead she should've focused on the 2 main protagonists, which she actually does, at least on the male. Nishimiya (the deaf female) however remains disconnected to the readers.
She's just there. And why doesn't she read lips? As far as I know, someone in her age (15/16, can't remember) and deaf since birth, should already be able to read lips.

The next thing is, that the characters often acts completely out-of-character. There are actions, that i can't comprehend at all. The mangaka forces the characters to do certain things to drive the story forwards. But the characters would never act that way in real-life. With that the mangaka destroys every connection between readers and characters, that might've been there before.
That's bad storytelling. What makes the whole matter worse, is that the whole manga is 100% character-driven.

The ending then crowns the mess this manga became. I'm not interested in that whole pairings-topic, but even I was unsatisfied with this ending.

I am completely astonished how this manga can get such good ratings. Must be these 3 reasons:

People just have no clue about good storytelling (not really a surprise, given how good the sales of e.g. Fairy Tale or other shit are)
The quality of the One.Shot (yes, it was very good, but you really should take off your pink fanboy/-girl glasses for the serialization....)
The involvement of a deaf person (seriously, Nishimiya could've also been bullied because she's ugly or something else - it wouldn't change much for the serialization. Yes, that's how unimportant the deafness is for the story, and how little the mangaka actually gives the deafness room in the story. Seriously, i guess i will also write a story - a story about a black, female and gay single mom, who's blind with just one arm, who has to bring her 3 children through by working in a fast-food restaurant, while having an undiscovered talent. No matter how bad the storytelling is, I would get all kinds of awards.....)

Ok, back to the manga. It's not entirely bad. The artwork is good, and the mangaka had some good storytechnical elements in the beginning. But she wasted all of it in the end, so i can't really recommend it. If you read it nonetheless, at least get your hopes not too hight.
I hope, her next work will be better.

... Last updated 10 years ago

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Am i the only one left underwhelmed?

by residentgrigo
10 years ago

Rating: 5.0 / 10.0

I first of all wonder what the lawsuit that nearly prevented the series was about. The superior oneshot and the ongoing manga aren´t that sociocritical or risqe. GTO and company pulled crazier stunts with its deranged rapist teachers and this isn´t the first youth manga about out of control bullying (by far) or disability. I started to follow the manga early on and had and have mixed feeling about it. The art is fine, has some neat direction and all the characters look their age but the perspectives are slightly off sometime. No big problems here. The 2 leads are good overall and the way Shouya changes after the timeskip is a nice twist. The way the series handles the way too shallow side characters though isn´t but the 2 mothers are very good on the other hand. Way too much drama (more like angst) is also about a stupid love polygon that shouldn´t have been in the first place and i have the same opinion about the other internet darling Ano Hana. I also have a bit problem with the in your face way the bullying is portrayed. Shoko is just too perfect an angel to be pulled through the mud by everyone (even her extended family) like she is for her entire life. Maybe it is because i went to a school that had bullying like you wouldn´t believe or because my teachers made sure that at least my disabled friends had it light but i found Yoshitoki´s take on it nearly Stephen King dumb and why did any of the "friends" try to stay as such after the kicking orgy in chapter 44 or even before? That would have snapped at least my neck and this is Japan right? Why is the way our hero wake up from his later plot "coma" to rescue his princes from her frankly dumb suicidal tendencies (i also got to know way too many people with these) so dumb and the take on hospital life and recovery so good and realistic? How come the outcome of the film festival is believable but the modeling show outcome isn´t. The way Shouya stops filtering out people (great idea itself) at the end is finally way too naive a conclusion. The manga shouldn´t have been a romance from the start if you ask me because that leads to a big problem down the line. Namely how it all ends. Or not...
I had the series sitting on a symbolic 6,5 because a 7 is usually the far end of my drop list and i nearly axed the manga twice. The walking through the door into the future while holding hands is a rather "conclusive" take on or lovebird´s final end but most were disappointed by the complete lack of a real resolution to nearly everything and everyone else besides the lack of a hug/kiss that most readers complained about so i settled on a 6/10. Give me a real epilogue and i may move it up by 1. At least i am glad that we (well maybe not me) are getting an anime film adaptation as the hand sign gestures and voice acting could turn out great and could lead to more diversity it the field. This is a good takeaway in the end and this second work is better than her messy Mardock Scramble adaptation she didn´t write and her next series may be more wholeheartedly positive. She is still young after all.
Manga with a better take on bullying are Mars (10/10) and Oboreru Knife (8/10) while Real (10/10) is the king of manga about (but not exclusively) living with a disability.

... Last updated 10 years ago

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good

by kdkspeed
11 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

the main heroine of this manga is very lovable. the arwork is not my favourite, but the character expression is somewhat new to me. wonder when it's gonna be available in my language. all in all, i recommend this manga.

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Amazing..

by BlackMarchie
11 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Yes...its amazing. currently, I'm on a manga binge and still ongoing... 86 titles so far. Not including previous titles of course but only two series have riled me so far. This and Tate no Yuusha no Nariagari.

This manga... although the artwork is not up to my standards of "pretty", it shines when it counts. During the emotions and scenes that are important. Well, it sounds stupid because every scene could be important but...yep. No follow up on that. This is a good series. It depicts a very realistic (unfortunately that it is) scene of how an outsider or stranger is treated and ostracized.

As much as it pisses me off... I can't find fault with most of the characters up to a certain point.
-Except Miki. God I hate her and as of chapter 53, she still hasn't been redeemed. Rather, I don't want her to be.
-The teacher...its painful but I can see it. If you teach, year after year, students may become a blur and different children can be a burden. As shown in the first few chapters, the extra attention, time, money, and patience that is allocated...it adds up. Maybe it can be seen that there is a problem with public education this way. Of course, there are teachers that do care and are wonderful.
-Her parents... I never hated the mother. I actually liked her and after the back story, even more so. As stated earlier about burdens...its all true. And its tough for a single mother especially with that messed up ex-husband of hers. Well...as cruel as it seems...it was also partially a financial decision and as much as I wish that love can triumph over it all, reality requires money. But her mother tries her best and wants her daughters to be strong.
-Her sister might seem unruly at first but she wants whats the best for her sis. Best little sis.
-Ishida really was...a snotty brat. But when he became an outsider through the rest of elementary and through middle school I simply thought that...it wasn't karma. It was injustice. The one at fault was the class and class mentality. Its really bs. Was it right for him to suffer like she did? Eh. If you think about it reverse, if he was originally bullied then she became bullied, I doubt many would say its justified. I do believe he deserves punishment but...ugh. Good on him for trying to make things right. No matter how hard it is and how many times he trips, stand up!
-Nao likes him. It will seem stupid. So stupid. But its true. People in love, whether for their parent's affection or a crush, will do things that may seem silly to others but for them... it is important. I want to like her...but its hard because she does so many... things out of anger. Even after chapter 44-45 I don't want to hate her, rather, I can't. I know she loves Ishida but I think she actually does care for Shoko even if she really hates her.
-Shoko...chapter 52...wow. I really applaud the scanlation team for it. At first, I thought it was a misprint but then...wow. But Shoko... well...its impossible to be in her shoes unless you have one of the sense impaired. The author does amazing work in depicting Shoko putting up a being half a step behind as Nao said... its hard to not despair when you can never see the whole picture. Even people that can fully function mess up and cause misunderstands upon misunderstandings such that some bonds will never be repaired. Shoko just wanted to get along with everyone but...things don't work out. Especially as children are stupid. Not much else to say... its really tough on her and i really hope this manga ends happy...

No comment on the other characters yet.

This manga will make me think for a while if I was ever like Ishida or the others... its easier to remember if you were in Shoko's position though.

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It will make you cry

by tanxinrong
11 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

I gave it a try as the rating is quite high. Well, it is better than I expected. It's emotional, with strong character development, realistic situation and drama. I love this piece of art, it's amazing and probably the best that I have ever read in 2014. Nothing's ever come close.

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