Have you ever been bullied? Have you ever bullied someone? What do you think it's like to be bullied? to bully? And what if, the bully gets bullied?
Nowadays, the issue of "bullying" is pretty rampant especially in schools. Some might think it's "normal" because the bully and the one being bullied are kids... and it's nothing serious. However, I think otherwise. Bullying is something we shouldn't take lightly for it will gravely affect both parties; physically, mentally and emotionally.
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A few weeks ago, I decided to watch the anime called "Koe no Katachi" or also known as "A Silent Voice" in English. I thought it was another cute and entertaining love story, but I thought wrong. The story of this movie delves deeper and is shouting out a message that everyone should be very mindful of. I must say it's such an eye-opener for each and everyone of us.
What Was The Story About?
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Shouya Ishida, the main guy character, was such a wild boy when he was in his elementary years. He and his friends always try to kill boredom in the most eccentric way. Then came a transfer student named, Nishimiya Shouko. She wasn't an ordinary transfer student... she's special. Special in a way that she needs extra care because of her condition which is being deaf.
Despite her condition, she was trying her best to fit in. She wanted to communicate with her new classmates and find friends she could feel normal with. Unfortunately, instead of fitting in, she became the object of her classmates' amusement. She was bullied by Ishida and his friends as well as most of her other classmates. Her life became a total mess, but she still tried to continue doing her best until her mom found out that she's been bullied.
When the issue exploded, all of the blame was put on Ishida's shoulder. His friends and classmates turned his back on him. He, too, became an object to them. Everything he did to Nishimiya was done to him by his so-called friends. His suffering carried on until he graduated in elementary and even in middle school.
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He came to a point when he feels so alone. He felt guilty with what he has done as a kid and this nightmare has been haunting him ever since. He couldn't even see anybody's face anymore. All that's left in him was emptiness. YES, depression came in and gave him suicidal ideation. There was a time when he really attempted to take his life, but I'm glad he didn't. Instead, he came to realize what he has to do and that was to find and apologize to Nishimiya.
It was never easy for him and Nishimiya. Their "reunion" didn't let them escape from the shadows of their past. Curious yet? I recommend you watch the movie. It's worth every second. I personally listed it as one of my "must-see" movies because of the message that it will give to people. I want everyone to understand the consequences of bullying. I want people to know that depression is not in any way simple. Through this movie, you will realize how certain circumstances in life could lead into something unimaginable.
Time To Get Motivated!
As usual, I took some lines from the anime and share it here with you. My reason for this is to let everyone know that watching anime isn't plainly for pleasure and killing time. Just like any other movies, it tells us a story... it gives us a message to learn. It makes us realize a lot of things in life. So yeah, here they are...
Friendship lies somewhere beyond things like words and logic.
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It might be funny but it does make sense. I sometimes wonder, "Why am I even friends with these crazy people?". No matter how I elicit the remaining nerve cells I have, it's still very difficult to answer this question. Sometimes, we don't need reasons for something to happen... it just happens. Yes, we choose friends... both consciously and unconsciously. There are just people that really clicks well with us. Even if we just met that person, we feel like we've been friends since forever. At this certain point, it isn't us who chose to be friends... it was fate. hihi~
In the anime, Ishida was definitely at a loss. His so-called "friends" betrayed him and now he's doesn't even understand what it means to be friends. He was constantly finding the answer... he wanted reasons. When one character by the name of Nagatsuka Tomohiro came to his life, he again tried to open the door for friendship in his heart.
Really, friendship is something special for me. I value my friends to the point that they become my family. I realized just now... my high school friends (both in the countryside and the city) call me "Ate" (ah-te); it means "older sister". When I asked them why (because most of them are a year older than me coz I became a first grader at the age of 6) they answered, "because you always look after us and you know what we are thinking even if we don't say it, just like a sister." Our friends are our treasure, they are the family we choose to have. <3
Everyone suffers in their life, too. That's why you also have to love the bad parts of yourself and move forward.
Nobody's perfect! Life is never easy! We all go through sh*t in life. We become a mess... and no matter how hard we try, things don't always go our way. It's normal... it's part of our life, but what differs is how we take in all these things. The key there is "ACCEPTANCE". Sometimes, if we simply accept, it's much easier to move forward. Once you accept, you''ll have a clearer view of what's in front of you... then you can think much clearer on what your next step would be.
Accepting one's flaws and imperfection is indeed a difficult and challenging task, but when you go out of your way and face this challenge, everything else would become easier.
Another thing is SELF-LOVE. In the latter part of the anime, Nishimiya started loathing herself. She had these thoughts that everything bad that's going on around her is entirely her fault and everything would be alright if she disappears. It's painful to think that it also happens in real life. Yes, we might think it's simply running away but we don't know exactly how that person thinks and feels.
I suddenly remember the lyrics of a Japanese song called "Love Yourself" by KATTUN. The translation goes like this:
This song has inspired me in a lot of ways. Actually, this song was used in the live action version of the anime "Yamato Nadeshiko Shichi Henge". The song encourages listeners to love themselves, flaws and imperfection included. Aside from that, the last part "I love this you that you hate" refers to "Acceptance". You're pretty lucky to have someone who can accept you as you are. However, if others can't accept us as we are, at least we should accept ourselves, right?
In my case, I spent a lot of years in discovering who I really am. Even until now, I discover parts of myself every day. It's a never ending process because we keep on evolving. Nevertheless, the bottom line remains the same. Let's get to know ourselves, accept who we are, but let's not close our doors to change. Accepting ourselves is just the first stage... if we see something unlikely, let's accept it and do our best to change and be a better version of ourselves.
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At the end of the day, life is still and will always be precious. Every day is worth-living. Problems? Let's face them! Happy things? Let's celebrate them! Life? Let's embrace it!
それではまた～
Love lots, @tegoshei