Koe no Katachi

As a bored elementary school student, Shouya Ishida turns the difference of new classmate Shouko Nishimiya, who is deaf, into a target for bullying. Others participate, but when adults finally intervene, Shouya is made to carry most of the blame. Shouko leaves the school, and his classmates then turn on him, subjecting him for years to the isolation he helped inflict on her.

By high school, Shouya is consumed by shame and unable to connect with the people around him. Before giving up on his life completely, he learns sign language and seeks Shouko out, hoping to repair something an apology alone cannot fix. Their reunion forces him to face his past, the people involved in it, and the difficult work of learning to listen, trust, and live again.