Silent (2022)

this Dorama suits my crying agenda

First time I’m writing review here just because I really love this Dorama so much. It’s been a while since I watched Japanese filmography and because of Haruna, I decided to watch this drama.

The skill to deliver each other's characters emotions are really great. I might be biased since Haruna is my favorite actress but I think her acting skill is so good to portray Tsumugi. Meguro Ren also took the role so good ;----; I cried since 1st ep, or maybe I was crying in every eps lel.

Long short story this dorama has good ost, the cinematography is really calm for me, also the "silent" space is really comforting for me. I speedrunning this dorama for two days and after finished it I was feeling blue for another new dorama in the end I rewatched it for nth times (laughs)

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A Touching Love Story Beyond Words

A very relaxing and touching story that is well-written with a great soundtrack! I typically don't watch Japanese dramas nor have I successfully finished one when I did try one, but this drama was an unexpected surprise. I was hooked on Sakura and Aoba's chemistry from the first few minutes of ep 1 and I couldn't help but continue watching. And in only 3 episodes, I cried/teared up multiple times, and more in the future episodes. Their acting is also excellent and I am amazed at their hard work in learning sign language for their roles. The story was engaging for the most part, though there are definitely some silent moments since the story's characters include the hearing impaired, and using sign language is a major part. However, the silence didn't feel weird but instead calming and different in a good way. And I can tell that the story's writing is written strong since every decision had an explanation and each scene had its purpose, but the ending did leave me a bit unsatisfied. The piano bgm was also really emotional and touching when it was played for certain scenes, especially the instrumental of silent snow. The lyrics of the main theme "Subtitle" is also very touching and connected to the drama's story. This drama was also great at telling the different perspectives and difficulties of hearing-impaired and hearing-abled people. I wish the main couple could pair up again in a happier drama in the future. This Jdrama was a fresh experience and I hope there will be more in the future.

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With a title like “Silent,” I had a feeling that this would be an emotionally heavy drama. The drama begins with the story of a woman who is currently engaged to her boyfriend, but she still sometimes wonders about whatever happened to her high school sweetheart. Tsumugi’s fiance, Minato, also spent time looking for that same answer, because back in high school, the three of them were friends. Their trio dissolved when Sou cut all ties with people who knew him before he lost his hearing.

After the three united later, not by choice on Sou’s part, things begin to change. Despite Tsumugi’s insistence that it is Minato she loves, he ends their relationship anyway because he knew he couldn’t hold a candle to Sou’s place in Tsumugi’s heart. On the other hand, Sou pushes Tsumugi away, and shoots down any semblance of rekindling their old feelings for each other.

Throughout the entire show, I felt that Minato’s self-sacrifice was unnecessary. He did not give himself any credit for being good enough for Tsumugi. And the same goes for Sou, who arbitrarily assumes that no one, not even his girlfriend, would be supportive of him if he divulged his condition. His faith and trust in Tsumugi was so little that he did not think that Tsumugi would be there for him when he eventually becomes deaf.

Although I understand the part where Sou considers himself as a burden to others, and his self-exclusion was just a coping mechanism that he adopted. Meguro Ren as Sakura Sou portrays this man who has hearing loss with great care and sensitivity. He is certainly the star of this show.

The rest of the cast also carried their own weight and delivered performances that are nuanced and natural. From Kawaguchi Haruna as Aoba Tsumugi to Kaho as Momono Nana, everyone did their utmost best in representing their characters.

The drama touches on the struggles of people with hearing impairment, how some may deal with the condition (whether from birth or later in life), and how the people surrounding them may deal with the issue differently. From the overprotective mother to the supportive sister, each of them shapes how Sou views the world as being unable to hear.

The drama also dispels some assumptions that people with hearing loss can have on those who do not have to deal with the same condition and vice versa. This poignant drama will make you feel empathy for those who live in a world filled with silence.

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Quiet drama.

A drama that is mainly based on dilemmas and questions about how people see me with my disability.
Sakura who loses his hearing begins to distance himself from everyone including friends and family.
You see his pain in the series, his difficulty with the lack of hearing.
Throughout the series he understands things and connects what is happening to him with the present.
Oba on the other hand after Sakura dumps her she starts dating his best friend and is basically unaware that she still has feelings for Sakura.
She is learning sign language "to communicate with him better".
And little by little memories from the past are coming back.
Sakura's best friend - all the time with the fear that Sakura will return and Oba will leave him.
He is ahead of his time and breaks up with Ova with the excuse that he didn't think about his own life and desires and always did what she wanted to make Ova happy.

A touching and moving series in everything related to Sakura and his dealings with deafness, but - the drama is a bit smeared, and every second there are different aspects of farewell.
The last chapter was definitely the most beautiful. I just *hope* that the whispers in the ear were the sentence-
"I love you".

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IT'S ONE OF THE BEST JDRAMA I'VE EVER WATCHED

First of all,we gonna talk about the plot and storyline... for me the storyline is not that rushing nor slow,it's a normal pace yet beautiful,there are too many beautiful things in this series and i can't even describe all of them... there are no conflict between the three of them made the story so beautiful,how they handle the situation calmly and matured... the acting made it looks so real and it goes through my heart,all of the episode made me wanna cry tbh..

then we go through their editing,i meant it made me confused when the throwback like you should make the throwback timeline a little bit darker so that the viewers doesn't confuse... and pleaseeeee make an ending which we could see their future life like they're are getting married and communicate with their child using sign?... the creator for real left us hanging at aoba and sou laughing like brooooo please give us moreee beautiful ending????

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My Thoughts After 11 Weeks...

My 11 week journey with this drama has finally ended, and I don't think it'll feel finished without a proper review. From the beginning, I was already excited about this show. I could anticipate the heartbreak and joy I would experience, and let me tell you, this show did not disappoint.

The emotional connections between the characters is truly the star of the show. It feels illegal not to point that out. The writing was rich in expression and love. Every scene tugs at your heart. Yes, I do feel like some scenes could have been taken out and some conflicts could have been resolved quicker, but this show is slow. It was made to be paced slowly, and as you watch it, you know it will be paced slowly. It was perfect to watch spread out through 11 weeks. I would not recommend binging it. I think there will be something missing if you do.

The cast was phenomenal. Kawaguchi Haruna had my heart in the palm of her hands the entire time. Her eyes are so expressive. Every time she smiled, I smiled. Every time she cried, I cried. Her performance was my highlight of every week, and I know others feel the same. Meguro Ren is also an amazing actor. His facial expressions spoke volumes, and I don't even need to mention when he cried...

Subtitle, the song they always play at the end of the episodes, will now spark memories of the time I watched Silent. It is so nostalgic; I can't imagine how I will feel playing it in the future. All the other music and audio was spectacular as well. My rule of thumb to know how something is great is that you don't notice it until after, and that's exactly what happened with this show.

I know it sounds like I would rewatch this show any chance I would get, but I think it's better to let sit and rest for a while. Just like the main characters, I think that I should watch this show again when I'm more mature to look back at my life now and reminisce.

I love this show, and I hope you do too.

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I think this drama was done beautifully and with respect towards the deaf community.

If you like realistic slice of life dramas, this is for you. I think all of the characters are likable or at least believable. I could understand why characters did what they did, even if I didn't agree with their thoughts or actions. Even the one that annoyed me the most Nana, I could understand why she'd say the things she said (being born deaf = immediately an outcast in society). Sometimes, the drama felt a little too rosy but they didn't take it too far (like if that was real life, I KNOW some people will choose not to remain friends with Sou because they're either jerks or communicating would be too hard and they just let the friendship sizzle out).
Apparently, the script was written with the two leads in mind and it shows. They did excellent in their roles. When I learned that Ren Meguro was in Snow Man/Johnnys, I couldn't believe it. I thought he was a full fledged actor. Props to them for learning sign language for their role.
I think the production did well. I like how minimalistic the music was, which fits the theme of the drama. Some scenes were nicely shot with good music. In other scenes (like the 5 second fillers), the music was abruptly cut off so I don't know what happened there. Not sure if that was for commercial breaks or anything but that was a little jarring. The only thing I wish the storyline/production could've done better is really sell to us that Tsumugi was falling in love with Sou again, which would've made the last episodes more heart wrenching. If they just spent a couple of seconds showing us her happiness from being with him, that would've sufficed.
I wished we got to hear Sou speaking to Tsumugi at the end. They foreshadowed it at the beginning when he said he only speaks to his family. In the end, she accepts him for who he is and IS becoming his family. Kind of a missed opportunity, but the scene of them whispering in the classroom was uber cute.... but I guess that fits better with the theme of the drama.

Overall, I enjoyed this drama. I don't often rewatch dramas, but I could definitely see myself picking this one up again.

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there is no communication barrier that cant be crossed . . .

Beautiful drama that shows the connection between hearing and hearing impaired person. Like hearing person, every hearing impaired person is unique and different thereof it's a matter whether we try to understand their thought or merely just to understand their words

Specific comments are below:

[Acting]

Definitely one of the best part from this drama. All casts acted tf out here. Shout out to my favorites Meguro Ren and Kaho. Both of them really did wonderful job conveying themselves in sign language. Their expression, gesture, and body language r perfect. Kaho is an experienced actress so I expect that much from her, but I am surprised at how good Meguro is. It's amazing how he make it so easy for viewers to tell what Sou feels just by looking at his expression. He made me smile when when he smiles and made me cry when he cries. To be able to act is one thing but to be able to do it well without speaking is definitely on another level. I hope all the casts receive deserving awards for this.

[Story]

Surprisingly, I found that story development is the weak link from this drama. The acting, directing, scoring are all beautifully done except the story line. I felt like the writer is too greedy to pack as many as life lesson in this drama it affects the plot development. I do agree that side characters r important, but to flesh out all side characters in such details requires longer episodes to make the overall story line to flow nicely, if not it makes the transition between each development choppy n rush.

I also found that minato-tsumugi relationship to be redundant. If sou-tsumugi was planned to be end up together, it's better to just focus on them from the start. There r a lot of hurdle between hearing n hearing impaired person that can be fleshed out to build their relationship instead of the cliche love triangle. Herein, minato-tsumugi relationship doesnt bring anything to the plot other than unnecessary drama.

But I am still grateful that this drama attempt to give us a glimpse about the beauty n the struggle of silent world. The other good thing is the writer has done a good job to make flawed yet relatable characters. I may not agree with what they have done but I can understand where they r coming from.

[Overall]

This drama is not perfect, but I thoroughly enjoyed watching it. Rather than romance drama, I would categorise it as slice of life. The conflict presented here was something that we may overlook before so it open up a new perspective for me. The visual n aesthetic r also very pleasing in the eyes. Overall this drama feels like a warm blanket, it gives you a calm fuzzy feeling rather than excitement

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Lovely story with great Leads

This is a lovely gentle story with beautiful leads. The lead Male plays a great role and acts superbly. The drama provides valuable insight into what it is like for someone who loses one of his senses and the psychological effects this has on one's sense of identity and well being. The lead female does a great job of communicating with Sou. I hope there will be a happy ending for them. Although I found the Episodes too long to wait for at times it was still worth the wait. Many Japanese Dramas are slow to provide subtitles, which is often frustrating but some of them are stunning.

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A lot of wasted opportunities and unnecessarily draggy

This was recommended as one of a top tier Japanese drama but I kind of differ. It is a beautiful drama, with amazing cinematography and really fitting soundtracks. However, the drama was unnecessarily slow and the drama wasted the opportunity to tell a good compelling story of a hearing impaired person. Most of the time, the ML was engaging in self-pity and was a melancholic character. It did highlight some of his struggles when he slowly lost his hearing but I just don't really feel a lot for him most of his time. Perhaps, it was the limited emotions that Meguro Ren was able to portray for the character. His crying scenes just feel one-dimensional and I think his character needs him to be able to emote well for the drama to succeed. The FL actress was not great in crying scenes too. I watched another drama of hers and it seems to be so as it felt like she was constipated everytime she wants to cry, which is quite distracting everytime I want to invest myself to the tender moments of the drama.

I can't relate to their romance too. When they were highschool lovers, I can feel the attraction. But after they got back together again after ML lost his hearing, I feel that the FL love for him was pity rather than true love. The second ML was frustrating too as it doesn't make sense for him to give up on the FL and not do anything. He didn't fight for her love, he just gives up?? The only character that save the show was Haruo. He was such a comforting source for everyone and I am moved and convinced about his maturation.

Perhaps I would have appreciate the show more if I understand Japanese as I feel like I am not getting the nuances of the script as intended due to lost in translation, which was also highlighted by the writer that causes some controversy.

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Silent like snow.

It’s 2023 and I only just watched this series and I am so glad that I did. I didn’t get the hype when this was airing in 2022. But now I understand.

The cast. I know Kawaguchi Haruna (Aoba Tsumugi) from her previous dramas and movies and I like her. She has a subtle way of acting that comes out of her naturally. I think she is a great actress. I know Suzuka Ouji as well from his past works. I would say that I like his character here (Togawa Minato) the best among his works that I have seen. I didn’t know Meguro Ren (Sakura So) other than the fact that he is an idol. But he was wonderful in this series and now, I am glad to know of the actor Meguro Ren. He had very little lines given his character’s disability. And yet, he was able to express the emotions through his facial expression, his eyes and his gestures (not necessarily the sign language). This series has a wonderful, solid main cast and supporting cast (loved Kaho here!!!).

Story and characters. I was skeptical at first. I was worried how they were going to treat the disability and those with the disability. But hats off the scriptwriter and director for giving them justice. There are no villains in this series. There is no build-up and then an eventual climax. It’s simply a story of the journey of a man who started to lost his hearing at 18 years old, and how that affected his life trajectory, his relationship with his family, his friends and everyone round him. There are no villains here, just normal people with normal feelings like insecurity and jealousy. There is character growth (specially Minato and Nana). There is a most wonderful friendship (So and Minato). There are relationship break-ups, including one that is most heart-warming and heart-breaking at the same time. There is tension within a family trying to grasp a new reality for a son and brother. This is a journey of self-acceptance, that they are enough and that they are worthy of love.

Other than the story, the main thing that made me so attached to this series are the characters. All of them.

Aoba Tsumugi is such a strong woman who knows what she wants, is honest with her emotions and can look someone in the eye and reveal herself without shame. You see this with how she just jumped head on learning sign language just so she can talk to Sou again face to face. You see this with how she handled her break-up with Minato. You see this as she fights for her and Sou’s relationship.

Sakura Sou is a man who had to go through a difficult process of accepting his disability, his new reality and that he is worthy of Aoba’s acceptance. When he finally met Tsumugi and Minato again after 8 years, he has already somewhat become a man who has faced his demons. But it was different for his family. They had to watch him suffer from the very beginning of his illness until his hearing was finally gone and that definitely changed the family dynamics. In a sense, when Sou broke off all his relationships and connections from high school, in a sense, he spared them this kind of pain that he and his family went through. And so when they met again, all they could see was the Sou who seemed to have stayed the same.

Togawa Minato is the kindest, most amazing friend and boyfriend, who is human enough to feel insecure, but is strong enough to accept that and face it head on. [Spoiler!!!] I was shocked when he suddenly broke up with Tsumugi. Then I rewatched that episode again, and the one before that. And then realized that it was not so sudden. There was always some degree of insecurity that Minato felt in his relationship with Tsumugi. It was this insecurity that made him blind to how much Tsumugi loved him. It wasn’t because of Sou that he broke up with Tsumugi. It was just that meeting Sou again made him realize that he could no longer live with that kind of insecurity. He knew that staying in that relationship would make him start to resent Tsumugi and So, and when that happens, he can no longer be kind to them. And he would be hated, and he would hate himself more. The beauty in Minato’s character is not just his kindness (because really, he is the sweetest, kindest man), but also his honesty about his own feelings and shortcomings. And did I mention how wonderful his relationship is with Sou?

A supporting character that I really liked is Momono Nana (played by Kaho). Oh, I saw her feelings for Sou from the very first shot of them together. I understood how she thought herself and those who are Deaf are different from the rest who can hear. The experience is not the same and it is something that cannot be fully understood by those who can hear (and this was so wonderfully expressed by Masaki Haruo). I understood her jealousy and the always-present-under-the-surface desire to be able to hear and have “normal” conversations and relationships. And I loved watching her subtly change her point of view and grow into this happier woman.

This is a warm and comforting drama that would make you smile and feel all fuzzy. Definitely give it a try.

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