Koe no Katachi aka The Shape of Voice

Summary: "A one-shot about a grade school class that accepts a girl with impaired hearing. Everything is not as happy as it seems. Although this one-shot won the 80th Weekly Shounen Magazine Newbie Best Mangaka Award, the vector of the content made it difficult for publication on any manga magazine, until it was picked up, after months of legal dispute, by the February edition of Bessatsu Shounen Magazine, where it got first place despite its being a one-shot. This one-shot was recently publicized again on the 12th edition of the 2013 Weekly Shounen Magazine."

This a great manga that deals with something most mainstream manga won't do; bullying especially does who are different like being deaf. The author doesn't shy away how kids bully those they don't understand or refusing to understand particular the male lead, Shouya Ishida who bullies and refuses to understand the deaf female lead, Nishimiya Shouko. It's only when a certain event happens that changes his view.

This is truly a emotionally punching manga i ever read since Onani Master Kurosawa and despite opposition to those that didn't want to publish this one-shot, i'm glad it did and the best part is it's getting a serialization!

You can read it over here.

And some reviews of the manga as well.

I did enjoy this, but I'm not sure how to feel about this getting a serialization. It's a short and powerful vignette that accomplishes what it aims to, dragging it out feels...wrong.

I read this just recently. It was a powerful story, I think that since they are serializing it that it would almost be better to continue the story where the original left off. I mean, even though they just met again and have sort of patched things up, there could still be conflict based upon the nastiness that has followed one or the both of them. Likewise, given their history together people might be concerned for her more than anything.

I just heard about this series today, but it was really odd.

...Namely in that I found it on a hentai site. I was wondering when the typical hentai clichés were going to start. >_>

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Nice story though. As for a serialization, I suppose it could go either way whether an expansion or a continuation would be better, but I'd lean towards continuation.

The thing is that I'm not sure how far that idea could go either. The story's already made its point, so to speak, and it did so powerfully. It could be continued, but it wouldn't be really that much about the same message anymore.

I am in full agreement about this. I'm actually completely hesitant to read the serialization.

edited 13th Mar '13 2:11:00 PM by burnpsy

Picked this up just a few minutes ago. A pretty powerful piece, considering I wanted to shout at the monitor at some points. Reminds me of this other oneshot I read of a blind girl.

As for the serialization.... I'm in agreement with Grahf. It'd be interesting to read. Taking into account the MC's personality is not generic in anyway, how he'll handle having a true friend in years would be intriguing to see fold out.

Anyone know how frequently this'll be released? It's been a couple of months and I haven't heard anything of it. Unless, no one's picking it up of course...in which case, how could you be so heartless?! ;_;

Look up.◊

Next month guys.

well shit. That made my day.

edited 7th Aug '13 5:27:45 AM by Jigaboo

Next month? I'd call this month's thing the actual beginning. (readas : It's been translated. It's about 50 pages, if I remember right)

Did they just retcon the oneshot ending?

Slightly, I think so, yes. It'll be elaborated on once the plot re-reaches that point anyway, so I'm not worrying too much. One-shots and their serials rarely match up even this well.

I feel like I'll want to hit the dude in future chapters.

5 chapters all in spanish until now.

The second chapter has been translated into English just recently. I'm honestly not sure that I'll be able to keep reading this, because it might be more depressing than the one shot. Basically, they're dragging out the events that we already knew happened and adding more. It doesn't even look there's going to be any Hope Spot moments in it at all. Also, I'm not sure that any effort to portray Shouya as more sympathetic is really going to work.

so,I've read the Spanish scans so far and,man,you guys be careful because it's easy to feel an urge to kill somebody.The girl SERIOUSLY needs a hug,and the time-skip set a depressing mood as well...

So, what happened? I wouldn't mind a PM if you don't want to spoiler up the thread.

At first I wanted to read this, but I don't think I can read something where the protagonist is exactly the kind of person I can't stand. :/

so far,it's the same as the one-shot,but now it's more detailed.

Well, don't worry. Because later (major spoilers till chapter 5) there is a major role reversal. The protagonist becomes the bullied guy and a new theme arises in this manga. He becomes the scapegoat for the whole class and the asshole, hypocrite teacher says that he is deserving everything bad that is happening to him.

Does he deserve some kind of punishment? Yeah. Does he must understand what he was doing? Sure. But to see him utterly betrayed by his former friends, completely alone, and bullied for much, MUCH more time than he was bullying the girl is harsh. Also,we have to remember that he is a goddamn kid. Wasn't a better way achievable?

and judging by the little we saw from her so far,even Shouko's mother seems to see her as a burden as much as the other asshole teachers...

I see, that sort of happened in the one shot, but obviously this would be going into it with more depth than that.

That happened in the oneshot, so I expected it to crop up eventually. Doesn't stop it from bugging me though.

Yeah the protagonist bugged me in the first few chapters, but he is just a kid. Judging from the raws up until chapter 7, he seems to grow out of it (though its a bit hard to tell without the words)

There's translations up to and including chapter five. Of course as mentioned Shouya is planning to commit suicide due to his state of being.

I think I said this the first time around with the one shot as well, but even though Shouya is a horrible person, he might still, somewhat ironically, be the least horrible out of all his classmates, and even his worthless teacher. Not that it's exactly a high bar or anything, but still, wow.

Bumping. We are up to chapter 8.

A lot of emotions in the reunion.