Silent (2022)

The drama that felt like the most beautiful poem!

Was it the plot that caught my eye? was it the acting? was it the ost? Well none of these. While browsing through reels I found a reel of this drama of the first episode when Sou and Tsumugi meet again. Without even knowing the context, I cried. Later, I searched for the synopsis of this drama and boy, did my heart wrench! I decided to wait for more episodes but after sometime this drama still found itself in my reels. I binge watched the available 7episodes and those 7 hours I cried 14 times. But honestly, it was not the tragic element that moved me but how beautifully the drama was written. Sometimes, when you find something beautiful that makes you think so much and calms you down, you cry.
There was not any stress element but I liked the conversations between every character. I felt myself to be in the pov of every character. Every small detail of the drama holds a beautiful meaning and when you will reach the last episode you will see a loop of beautiful and brightening elements. However, to bind such a precious creation needs comprehension from the actors' part and indeed every character justified their roles, its emotions and every part of it.
A memorable drama that taught me so much and maybe when I will watch it again, I will learn more.

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Silence, Love and the Value of Friendship

This is my first review but I just had to write about Silent. I really loved this show. I was hesitant to love it up until the last episode because I was afraid that it would break my heart as so many Japanese dramas & movies tend to do. But this was beautiful all the way through and every character was so rich. There were several opportunities for the show to go in a way that would have disappointed me but the writers resisted. Watching Sou's growth throughout the series was so endearing and I couldn't wait to see what would happen. Meguro Ren did such a great job of playing a complex character and one that was so different from the only other drama that I'd seen him in, My Love Mixup. Kawaguchi Haruna is luminous as Aoba. All of the side characters were also so layered and interesting. Special shoutout to Suzuka Ouji as Minato. The character was my underappreciated MVP and this young actor did such a good job with him. I can't wait to see what he does in the future. I loved the last episode which brought tears to my eyes as it ended. I highly recommend if you don't mind a quiet, slow paced show that will steal your heart.

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Hands down, one of the best J-dramas out there.

Silent is one the most modern J-dramas I have seen and I only hope more Japanese dramas come out like this one.

As much as I like the silly over-the-top funny J-drams, Silent was just so refreshing. I truly felt like I was watching a cool Korean or C drama. I don’t think the FL has to be submissive. I don’t think the ML has to hold all the cards and is the only one can dress nice. I don’t think dramas have to be overly steamy or have complicated angst.

I love dramas where it focuses on the relationships, has character development and best of all, Kindness! Crazy concept huh?

I picked up the drama because of the ratings and within the first five minutes I thought I was watching a K-drama. Silent is super modern. The FL and ML are pretty with great wardrobe! Thank you for having the leading actress be girly, but also not frumpy. Yes, the FL can have long hair and wear make-up, but she can also wear cool clothing and be stylish.

I really like the soundtrack too, since music and hearing is a big part of the drama, I’m glad they picked a decent theme song that really makes the scenes pleasant to watch.

The best part of the drama was casting. The FL and ML were the best choices for the drama and you can feel the organic chemistry between the two. I love that the drama was also about the side characters. What about the boyfriend, the brother / sister or the parents? How do they feel about this? These parts / episodes might be a little slow and boring for some, but it’s a nice break to really see different POVs.

I should say that I don’t really like J-dramas because they make the FL usually really submissive. It has to take a really good storyline for me to get into it, like The Incurable Case of Love, but even then, some parts can be cringy. I’m SO HAPPY something like Silent was made. I hope this drama was very successful in Japan, because I want more dramas like this.

The FL doesn’t always have to be submissive, frumpy or conservative. Please write more dramas about relationships, kindness and normal females. They can just be regular women with regular feelings and that is okay. The character is strong-enough to be a leading role.

If you ever wanted to start a J-drama or you think you are only a K-drama fan, I 100% recommend Silent. It will completely change your view of J-dramas.

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the silence that moves you

This drama is truly brilliant with its cinematography. Without going too much into the plot, since it’s episode one it isn’t too far deep. But to be so emotional and heartfelt with only one episode, that shows a lot about this drama to me. An hour in and I was had felt a lot of emotions, knowing that this person that our protagonist Aoba cared about so much, had eventually left her without reason.

The building up to the moment where she meets Sakura again is paced well. This drama has no action or flashy scenes, it’s just dialogue but it’s not boring. The storytelling with the high school flashbacks aren’t tedious. Every piece of the story falls into place for that final build up moment and I’m so glad there are more episodes to come.

The seller with this drama is the acting. With Meguro Ren , firstly I’ll say he is really good looking. He portrays this restricted feeling so well. The frustration of being unable to communicate, it was so raw and heartbreaking to see him finally reconnect with someone he loved so much. The contrast of who he is now to who he was then makes the frustration even more felt.

Sakura listens to music and bonded with that with Aoba, and Aoba loves his voice. Their relationship wasn’t explored past that with this episode. So Sakura’s reason for his abrupt leave is justified. I don’t want to explain too much because the ending scene of episode one does it so well. There is so much tension within Sakura because of his inability to hear, and to be able to tell that through sign and facial expressions is what really got to me.

This drama is really good. It’s mesmerizing even. The sudden cuts to silence, the score building up. Silence can be lonely, but it holds beauty within it. The portrayal of that beauty I believe will be explored more although there is a lot of pain.

The concept of this show wears itself a bit thin towards the end.. there really ends up to be not much of a story- but I get it. This show has a certain style and genre that I just so happen to get a little bored of. But it is well done with what it does. The only complaints I have are the time skips or cuts, flashbacks, etc. They just get confusing at times to me. Other than that I can’t really say anything is bad about this drama, it’s a very real feeling and it’s paced (although a bit slow). It’s about growth so I get the intended audience probably isn’t like me where I get bored easily. It is very interesting don’t get me wrong, it’s just a lot of the same things per episode. This drama is pretty slow, but I believe that it’s supposed to be.. you’re supposed to be impatient and wanting things to happen- but life isn’t like that. It goes through the characters lives realistically and is a portrayal of losing one’s hearing and how frustrating that is. I get it and enjoyed this show.

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It's not perfect and frustrating at times, but still very enjoyable with good pacing.

“Silent” is a very difficult drama for me to rate and review. There are some very frustrating moments and decisions made by the male characters, thus decreasing my personal enjoyment. At one point, I was so mad at the male leads that I didn’t want Aoba to end up with either one of them. On the other hand, stepping in their shoes, I can also see why they would feel that way and make frustrating decisions. So, do I really like this drama or not?

As a melodrama, I really like the pacing. It was not too slow or too fast. I enjoy the use of silence and soft music to set the tone. I appreciate the actors' effort and dedication to learn sign language. It’s not easy, and sign language is not used sparingly but a lot throughout the whole series. There are a lot of emotions going through when watching “Silent”. I definitely cried with them. However, because the story was told using flashbacks throughout the drama, it lessens the gut-punch of heartbreaking emotions in the first episode when the leads are reunited. The drama hasn’t shown us enough scenes from their high school days for me to feel emotionally connected to their love story. So, when they meet again 8 years later and discover that So has been suffering alone, the impact is not as strong.

The overall acting of the cast is good, especially Kawaguchi Haruna as our female lead, Aoba. When her big eyes look straight into the camera, they display so many emotions, and sparkle as well. Meguro Ren’s portrayal as So is a little inconsistent to my eyes. There are times when I can totally feel his sadness, but other times it felt forced. Maybe it’s just me. On the other hand, Suzuka Ouji as our second male lead looks too young. I can’t forget his high school drama “Horimya” and as a real life 22-year old, he does not look like his character’s age of 26. As sweet as the character is, Suzuka Ouji looks like a kid wearing his dad’s outfit and hanging out with his sister.

I’m trying to write about the frustrating decisions the male characters made without going into spoilers. Even though So and Minato both have good (but could be selfish) intentions, their disregard of Aoba’s feelings and ability to make choices pisses me off. Decisions were made without discussion and she was left with consequences of their decisions. Towards the end of the drama, I felt that So was just leading Aoba on. It’s unfair and disrespectful to her. As much as I feel for So and Minato, I can’t help but wish Aoba will dump them both. LOL.

We are made to believe that Aoba was really in love and was ‘glowing” and living in happiness and contentment. But after the breakup, she moved on pretty quickly to start meeting up with the other guy, even if it’s only as friends. She was heartbroken for a split second, and then the plot just moved on. Is it too much to see her wallow in her sorrows for a little longer?

So’s transition from someone who can hear to someone who lost his hearing is the main plot in this drama. We learn about the prejudices against those who are hearing impaired from birth and those who are not. Through So’s story, we see the emotional toll and impact his illness has on himself, his loved ones, and his feelings towards his future and the world. I enjoy seeing the different points of view from Nana and Masaki’s standpoints. I am happy that So reconnected with his friends and continues to maintain a close friendship with Minato. That is really touching and nice to see.

Overall, I enjoy watching this drama. It’s a rare binge-worthy melodrama for me with good pacing. I might be frustrated at times, but that also speaks to the drama’s success in playing with my emotions. My gut reaction is to rate this as a generous 8.5, and after thinking about it some more, I am going to keep this rating. “Silent” is not perfect, but it moves me (aka me crying) more than “First Love”.


Completed: 1/6/2023

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We can never fully understand another person but trying is what makes us human.

A high school couple, Sakura and Aoba, shared an interest in music. One day, he breaks up with her without explanation. Years later, Aoba spots Sakura, she approaches him and gets really surprised by his loss of hearing. So she starts learning sign language in an effort to understand him and their past.

What a poignant and gentle slice-of-life story with a lot of attention to detail, giving it a very personal feel. The story has a very important message regarding the isolation in communication, or the feeling of being alone when you're together in a group but can't really say your thoughts. I resonate very much on this issue because it happens to me at times too.

Different than what I'm used to experience in other dramas, they only put subtitle when they’re communicating with sign language, so we don't hear their inner monologues... and I like it this way; It helps me to really pay attention and connecting with the characters. Their interactions are beautifully portrayed by the actors, with a not-frustrating love triangle. Yes, there's a love triangle but they're all very decent and respectful people. They're all just trying to be understood and connecting in their own ways. While many episodes are shrouded with sadness and slight angst, in my opinion it has an appropriate and heartfelt ending.

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Charming but the inconsistent plot and pacing made the drama less wonderful

Silent had a great opportunity to make an amazing drama about Sou's hearing impairment, they could have focused on that and shown Sou's development about his disability, also developing the main couple. I know the drama made an effort to show the prejudices that the hearing impaired people suffer in society in some episodes but I feel like the drama wasted too much time on less important things in the beginning and then tried to rush everything later.

Seriously, what the relationship between Tsumogi and Minato was about? For me it didn't add much to this drama, only took precious time to develop and show most important things. The development of Tsumogi's relationship with Sou was completely affected by this and was poorly done and rushed later. Also this whole thing made the relationship of the three of them so awkward to watch. Tsumogi broke up with Minato but was already going out with Sou in two episodes later because the drama had to develop the main couple relationship. But for a character who said who was in love with Minato, it was so rushed. I felt awkward watching some scenes of Tsumogi and Sou because the pacing was just off and it felt too rushed (altought the actors chemistry makes me find them cute together). Also I think that the writer made things too subjective and it was difficult to understand the characters feelings, especially Tsumogi's and Sou. I could see her connection with Sou but I couldn't see her love for any of the characters in the beginning, especially for Minato, even the character saying she loved him.

Not to mention that besides liking the characters, they do bothered me sometimes. They take completely selfish attitudes and seem not to care about the feelings of others besides themselves. In their heads they think they are taking good choices but in the end, the decisions they make are nothing but selfish decisions. Minato breaks up with Tsumogi without caring about what she thinks and even says that Sou could get back with her, without considering Sou's opinions of this. Sou already being with Tsumogi, decides to want to get away from her because it would be too difficult for both of them. Tsumogi was also a character that annoyed me (even more than the others) because sometimes she just said thinks without thinking and I was like GIRL? how can you say this to Sou?

One more thing that bothered me about the drama is the importance given to the voice by the script. I understand the connection that Tsumogi and Sou have with music, and both characters got closer because of that. But I feel that the script gave too much importance for this and made it seem as if the characters didn't have anything more important in themselves. Tsumogi became obsessed with wanting to hear Sou's voice, the same thing happened to Sou. It's normal to want to hear the voice of the one you love, especially since in the past relationship of both they listened to music together, made calls and etc, but I felt that the script dragged this theme too much until the end and made me think that the characters only liked each other because of these details. As if their personality itself wasn't even important.

But besides this all, the drama do have their positive things. The chemistry between the characters are good, we had some good episodes with beautiful scenes and touching writing (especially the ones with Nana and Sou), the OST also is very good (probably one of my fav of this year), and the acting of the actors were very convincing. I talked about the characters annoying me but they aren't essential bad characters. I loved Sou. Tsumogi annoyed me but I felt that in the end she changed a little bit. Minato and Nana were both characters I really liked in the end too, they were so charming and cute for me. I also liked Sou's sister and Tsumogi's brother.

Silent isn't a bad drama. The characters are charming, they have good chemistry and the acting is amazing but unfortunately, I feel like the writer took too many bad choices in the drama that made the plot inconsistent and made the drama have a bad pacing. It's impossible to hide the fact that the scriptwriter did not seem to know how to develop the theme and got lost halfway through. I don't think it's an awful drama at all but it was disappointing in many things and had so much more potential. In the end seemed like the writer did not understand her own work.

PS: Also, what the scriptwriter said about not wanting the drama to be marketed internationally was so wrong. I understand her in parts but you're writing a drama about overcoming the boundaries with communication and yet gatekeeping people who doesn't speak the language and not wanting to other people besides Japanese to watch it? What a terrible impact to give to the drama.

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On a different level

When I first saw this poster and read the synopsis, I had to see this. I'm just knew that I would be in love with this ML- why? because dealing with a disability is always challenging for the screenwriter, the actors, the story. You need to make the characters believable and you want to root for them. Sou was someone to root for. Their relationship was something you wanted to root for. This drama was simple, yet the acting was complex and beautifully done. How is it, that this drama was mostly silent as they signed, yet you, your heart and soul were totally engaged 110%? That takes performances that are on another level. Watch this now that it's complete. You won't be disappointed. On my top 10 of 2022.

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Misleading poster,yet...

A little pre-fact for you:This drama compelled me to get back to writing these reviews after a seven month long hiatus.So,let`s get into it.

Before starting any of my reviews,it is my habit to thank everyone involved in a drama for making it.I know how tough it must be,yet they prevailed and here we are.Not only that,but this drama was written by a first time drama writer.Setting aside her controversies,the fact that someone`s first drama is this well written...well,let`s say some big names in the industry fade by comparison.

Now,let`s focus on this drama.And what a pleasure that will turn out to be for me.Because this series is a joy to watch.

For starters,everyone`s acting is absolutely phenomenal.From Meguro Ren giving (undoubtedly) one of the best male performances of this year as sweet,yet understated male lead Sakura Sou.To Suzuka Ouji just genuinely being a great addition in the form of his former best friend and boyfriend of Sakura`s ex-girlfriend Tsumugi.This trio beautifully explored a whole new world one wouldn`t often think about unless they find themselves in an unescapable situation.The silent world.Because,as my headline says,don`t let this drama fool you into thinking it`s a romantic story of sacrifice and abnegation.It`s so much more than that.Its focus(almost entirely) IS on how deaf people interact,build relationships,destroy them and are perceived by hearing people,as well as how they(hearing people) are perceived by them,in return.The `meat` of this story is not found through usual,linear storytelling where boy meets girl,they fall in love,evil second lead threatens their happiness etc.It is,instead,neatly woven through characters` eyes,sign language and thought processes.Some viewers might find characters` decisions brash and illogical,with many telling me so whilst watching this show.On the other hand,I find them more than understandable,because it was easy to get into the mindset of each and every character.And that falls on good writing.Many conclusions are gotten through careful tracking of their body language,movements and,in lesser measure,words.I didn`t find anyone complementing how much is said in this drama,without the need to use words at all.Whole stretches of thought processes shown wonderfully,without a single letter being uttered.That is some serious talent and a hurdle destroyed.Another point for this drama goes to the portrayal of a healthy breakup once a person realizes they aren`t in it for the same reasons anymore.

So often do we have a chance to see toxic breakups in dramas.They exist,sure,but the way they are executed usually leaves a bad taste in my mouth.Here,it`s one of the most amicable and admirable types I`ve seen and it`s not like it`s for no reason either.It all circles back to me being in awe of the writer and her abilities.It`s not even only reflected in situations either.Sakura Sou is such a rare type of male lead you can`t help but root for.He`s the definition of someone minding their own business and trying their best in the face of adversity.He`s got his own demons,moments of vanity and weakness,but he`s never portrayed at this drama`s brownie point(ahem Move to Heaven).You get a feeling a person like this might just exist.Same goes for Tsumugi and Minato,though they do have a significantly smaller amount of time to be as fleshed out as I wanted them to be.Nevertheless,they`ve all got their issues and troubles,but it never feels out of place or forced.Plus,the character of Nana,Sou`s guide through this new challenge he`s conquering,is also a great person with cons and insecurities,as someone who grew up deaf and thus,carries a certain type of prejudice one might not see often.I rooted for all of them to succeed in their aspirations.

This drama really isn`t about one thing in particular.It`s not very sad(though I did cry almost every episode),not very romantic or crazy/out of the box.It really is a character study,or rather,a world study,on the type of things most of us take for granted.How quickly they can disappear and we have to adapt again.And again.One fun fact - I actually picked up quite a bit of sign language whilst watching this drama.There`s an unexpected pro I`ve personally,never had the chance to pick up for a drama.Even if you`re not interested in learning sign language,you`ll probably get it subconsciously.There are so many good things found in this show one might simply not expect.

Even the romance,which is very scarce,so be warned,is quite...sweet.Nice.But not clichéd.Tsumugi and Sou`s interactions feel very intimate in a quite real way.Them holding hands on the street made me feel more than characters going at it in other dramas this year.There`s a beautiful sense of respect and love,especially in the last episode,that I don`t think many dramas get right nowadays.In fact,I want a whole `nother season dedicated to their relationship and life as a couple.

Also,the OST to this drama by OfficialHigedism,is appropriately fabulous.Truly,they can`t make a bad song even if they tried.Now,as for drawbacks...

There aren`t many really.As I mentioned before,I would like MORE of Tsumugi and Sou.They`ve got such an intriguing dynamic and past,plus their chemistry is great.Another 5-6 episodes of this drama would`ve made it a perfect 10,but I get why they didn`t want to focus as much on romance as they could`ve.That`s not the point.

Another con is,I wanted more characterisation when it came to Tsumugi and Minato.I think they deserved just a bit more consideration.Which Sou and Nana got.But these are nitpicks really,as I do think this drama very significant and a huge win for many communities.

Finally,we do not appreciate what we`ve got until we lose it.Even then,we can start again.As loudly or as silently as we wish to,we can always start again.

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Amateurish production heavy on social education

It seems as though someone wanted to make a “socially aware” drama about the impact of hearing loss and impairment, but really didn’t have the skills in the field of story-telling and drama to pull it off successfully. I felt like I was being educated rather than entertained. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for education and did find aspects of this production interesting and informative; but if education is going to come in the form of a drama, I’m looking for good dramatic structure, realistic dialogue and credible character interactions to carry it, such that it is woven in seamlessly. Otherwise, it would be better to watch a serious reality show/documentary about the lives of hearing impaired people.

What’s positive? It was about ordinary people and presented in an ordinary way, so it was not offensive. I didn’t actively dislike it, but I’m having difficulty in finding stuff that I can be enthusiastic about. Okay, there were some touching moments that weren’t too sentimental…

Overall the drama had an amateurish feel to it; particularly regarding the script, editing and sound.

The script was particularly unconvincing. The characters constantly have unrealistic conversations about issues. It’s much better to show characters in their normality and let the viewer put two and two together for themselves rather than preaching and patronising. But that requires a level of writing expertise which was lacking here and I’m wondering if this was a first attempt by the writer. The scarcity of ordinary interactions meant that there was very little opportunity for the actors to create rounded characters.

The plot clunked it’s way through a variety of relationship scenarios that were not properly explored or given time and depth to be credible. The structure of the plot was also clumsy, with heavy use of long stretches of backstory that interrupted the flow.

I was not particularly impressed by the two male leads, Meguro Ren and Suzuka Ouji. I think this was partly the directing, which insisted on overcooking the melo with the ironic result that they seemed shallow and one-dimensional. Whereas Kazama Shunsuke, Kaho and especially Shinohara Ryoko were more impressive and believable in their roles. It was not helped by the fact that there were not enough conversations that were free from some aspect of hearing impairment education, so the relationships did not feel natural or credible.

The editing was really bad overall and especially the music, which was sometimes randomly and abruptly cut off so that you felt like you were aurally falling off the edge of a cliff. This could have been a really effective tactic to highlight point of view changes between hearing and non-hearing characters. And occasionally I think they did that. But not consistently or cleanly enough for me to be sure what their intention was. I was just aware of sudden abrupt changes in sound levels and focus that did not seem to be synced with character interactions.

Overall, meh.

What my rating means: 5+ Meh! Don't bother, it's full of platitudes and clichés with boring characters and plots.

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Drama that touches the soul deeply

While scrolling through Instagram reels, I stumbled upon a clip from this drama's first episode featuring Sou and Tsumugi's reunion. Intrigued, I decided to look up the synopsis, and boy, was I in for a ride! But you know what? It wasn't just the heartbreaking storyline that got to me; it was the sheer beauty of the writing. Sometimes, you come across something so profound that it hits you right in the feels and leaves you in tears.

There wasn't a single dull moment in the drama, thanks to the engaging conversations between the characters. I felt like I was experiencing the story from each character's perspective. Every little detail seemed to hold a deeper meaning, and by the time I reached the final episode, I was treated to a whirlwind of emotions and uplifting moments.

Of course, creating such a masterpiece requires exceptional performances from the cast, and I must say, every actor nailed their role perfectly. They truly brought the characters to life, evoking genuine emotions with every scene.

This drama left a lasting impression on me and taught me valuable lessons. And who knows? Maybe when I rewatch it, I'll discover even more layers to appreciate.

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