As a gift, daisies send a message of faithful, almost childlike, love. This is especially true if the daisy is white. Throughout A Silent Voice, Shoko is primarily represented by two flowers: a white daisy, and what appears to be freesia, in both red and blue.ĭaisies have been used in other anime - Chidori Takashiro from Kiznaiver was also represented by a daisy flower - and symbolize purity or a return to innocence. it would be a shame if either Shoko or Shoya’s moments ended so soon. All of life is ephemeral, the fireworks seem to say. Using them as the backdrop for both Shoya and Shoko’s respective attempted suicides adds an extra layer of ephemerality. The simple act of arranging allows for moments of spiritual reflection and a small, peaceful moment where one can appreciate the beauty of nature.įireworks have their own meaning in the tradition of Japanese aesthetics, exemplifying impermanence and transient beauty - a moment in time that will never come again. This is something that Shoko desperately needs in any form, especially when her initial attempts at communicating with her classmates via notebook only serve to facilitate their bullying. Similarly, ikebana, the art of flower arrangement, is meant to unify humanity and nature through minimalist but careful presentation. Hanakotoba, the Japanese flower language, is meant to communicate a strong emotion or impression from giver to recipient without needing words.
Just before her suicide attempt, she is shown feeling the vibration from the sound of the fireworks, one of the few times that she can “hear” something in the series. Since A Silent Voice is centered around the arrival of a deaf girl, Shoko Nishimiya, to Shoya Ishida’s elementary school class - and their interactions for years to come - animation and cinematography not only help frame their story thematically, but aid in allowing the audience to further understand Shoko’s situation. This is a purposeful choice by director Naoko Yamada, who makes the most of anime as an audio visual medium throughout the film. When Shoko Nishimiya tries to take her own life later in the movie, the attempt is framed with the grand finale of a fireworks show.įireworks provide the backdrop for both suicide attempts in A Silent Voice. One, small firework shot from a riverbank that inadvertently saves the lift of Shoya Ishida in the opening scenes of the film. As Shoya is about to throw himself off of a bridge, a firework disrupts his thoughts. Literally translated, it means “flower fire.” The Japanese word for fireworks is 花火 (hanabi). The first flower shown in A Silent Voice isn’t a flower at all.
– A Silent Voice director Naoko Yamada on the usage of flowers in her film I’m happy to let that audience have their own interpretation.” “People who know flower language will be able to interpret each one’s message and that’s great, but I made it so that even if you don’t you can feel something because of the shot’s layout or the flower’s color.
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