Silent (2022)

Beautiful and intelligent

I was really worried about this drama being frustrating seeing as the premise itself is about one character keeping a secret and initiating a break-up, followed by years of no contact — but that wasn't the case at all. The plot was realistic, the characters so mature and complex, and the script was surprisingly intelligent and beautiful because of it; there were a lot of places where annoying tropes could've come into play but the drama subverted it every time and instead the characters worked things out with communication and emotional connection.

This was just a beautiful drama to watch and it's so comforting from beginning to end. There are no villains, every side character is multi-faceted, and it was a beautiful story about people reconnecting and not only bridging the language gap, but also learning to accept each other and the passage of time. 11 episodes was perfect for the pace of the plot but I also wish I got so much of them.

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Well thought-through drama, maturing is realizing your own mistakes and owe up to them.

A drama to never forget. The low rewatch value is not something to be negative about as its an unique drama! Its definitely engraved in my mind as these sort of disabilities dramas are rare and creating awareness through this type of content is definitely appreciated

Although the storyline aligned with my predictions, it was still a pleasure to watch how the relationships between characters developed; and as it’s a Japanese dramas, everything is dealt with maturity.

The title Silent fits this drama perfectly; the director(s) somehow managed to ‘’fill’’ the screen with sound although its supposed to be silent in a real life scenario.

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A healing drama is just like a donkey . . . I mean onion

On the surface it is a short, slow burn romance with low angst. We need to peel back some layers to find the deeper meanings.
The ML is a tortured soul whose near perfect world collapsed in short order due to his gradual loss of hearing. He doesn’t know how to deal with it, so he became withdrawn and pushed everyone away. He tried to join the deaf community but finds that he is still on the outer because he was not born deaf. He came to the sad conclusion that EVERYONE sees him as being different and there is nowhere he truly belongs.

I believe that one of the motifs of the Show is how society divide people based on many assumed and perceived criteria into different groupings. Both real and invisible barriers are here to segregate and isolate them into smaller cliques.

Our need to belong creates pressure points in our social interactions. It can be exhausting and debasing when we run into unyielding barriers. How horrible it is when you are yanked from a comfortable reality into a new one where you are confused and lost.

It was fortuitous that the ML met a kind deaf girl. She befriended him and helped him to learn the sign language. It is not acceptance but at least he can function again. Their relationship is ambiguous. The girl is clearly interested in him, but he is afraid of commitment and shows no inclination to take their relationship to the next level. The girl is happy to stay in the friend zone as she has him all to herself. However, all that changed when the ML's ex-girlfriend ran into him by accident and started a chain reaction that changes several lives.

For me, the Show is a beautifully crafted story about rediscovering love, friendship, sacrifice and the need to compromise. I don’t want to give away the plots regarding the SML and SFL but let's just say that I'm getting serious second leads syndromes by the end of the Show.

From my perspective, the first half of the Show is very well done. There are lots of backstories, raw emotions and misunderstanding before the fateful reunion. The show took its time to explore all this. It was never going to be a joyride but the writer-san skilfully weave the story back and fore along the timeline so that we know how each character arrives at their current circumstances. There were plenty of broken psyche that needs healing. They get patched up enough to keep functioning but not completely healed. The amount of baggage carried by the ensemble cast will keep a caravan of camels fully loaded.

Unfortunately, while the Show start to untie the knots and salve the troubled souls in the second half, it is a slow process. The pacing of the show becomes almost meditative.

The healing and exploring requires a lot of dialogues between the OTP and sometimes side characters. I think the writer-san wants to show how difficult communication can be even though it is based on a common language. We ended up with a mix of sign language, written words, phone apps and normal conversations. It can be slow going as the ML has to keep the signing slow and simple so that the FL can keep up. It is like watching two primary school kids trying to communicate. They do resort to writing sentences on paper when it got too complicated.

In the end, the bulk of the breakthrough came in the last episode. All the affirmations and compromises are nutted out then. Some of the best scenes are also found there.

The FL worked hard to live in his world and she cajoled the ML into compromising his unyielding stand. It is a fragile middle ground but one they can call their own.

The acting is great with a lot of depth. Without spoken words, they need to emote with their facial expression, posture and their eyes. That requires real skills.

The loveline of the OTP is sweet-bitter-sweet. It is ashame that there is almost no skinship.

I can recommend this show but you have to be in the right frame of mind to appreciate it.

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Loudest Silence

What is this? Who cuts onion here? Why did my eyes puff like hell after finished watching this? It's not even a melodrama with a tearjerker or dying character.
I like how the production team makes its total silence when it's Sakura's POV. It makes me feel like I'm taking a peek at his life without any sounds. I can only depend on the provided subtitles to understand what they're talking about. Maybe it's because ads break when airing on TV, but the randomly-ended backsound doesn't sound comfortable in the ears.

STORY - They brought me into a sea filled with each of the character's stories. It's a whole package of love, best friend, and family. Dealing with knowing you are losing something you take for granted while considering important people around you. There goes your butterfly effect which spans 8 years.
I also like how the writer makes Sakura being careful before confirming his relationship. He looks up various references related to their future before taking one last step. On the other hand, Aoba one sidely proposes to give up everything without asking Sakura what he actually wants makes me lower story rates to 8.0. Is she really ready to welcome their future together? If it takes another route of compromise, I can easily give it a solid 9.0.
ACTING - Standing applause to actors and actresses who have to learn and memorize sign language for this drama. All actors handled their character very well. Sakura's outburst, Aoba's despair, Togawa's dillema, Kaho's dwelling with prejudice, Sakura's family, Aoba's brother, Haruo Sensei, Toga Sensei and other actors are all well received.
MUSIC - I know "Subtitle" by Official Hige Dandism and have been loving it long before watching this drama. This drama makes the OST hits different and deeper than ever. The lyrics reflect the character's feelings well and convey them in a beautiful melody. Every time this song played in the background, it made me more immersed in the scene.

I much enjoyed this drama. Many of the problem's climaxes happened at unexpected times. That made me sit on the edge, anticipating what would unfold later.

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A silent world is not a sad world

Ahhhh! Such a slow burn, coping, sweet and selfless story.

It gives such a huge understanding about the people that suffer hearing loss. They all tries to help him cope and they all love him.

It is natural for a person to think that his disabilities can make everyone around him suffer but the only thing that makes human suffer is the pain of losing someone.

The story is such a cute one where everyone was trying to understand eachother feelings. I saw the drama beacuse I liked the minato visuals but damn the story was way to good. I loved how everyone tried to adjust to each other just beacuse beacuse of their friendships.

I hope everyone in real life was as understandable as the characters in this drama.

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Review in one sentence

This is my first jdrama and it is the best jdrama of the year. Acting of all the actors were perfect. There are some people who didn't like Minato and Nana, but I like them both. All the characters are kind hearted peoples. Loved it so much. I love the piano bgm and the ost , both matches with this drama perfectly. If you wanna try a jdrama I will definitely recommend this. Don't miss this gem. I'm a person who doesn't cry on watching sad drama, what I meant is, I will be sad for sure but my tears won't come out but this is one of the few dramas which made my tears came out rolling again and again. So thank you, I enjoyed that emotional part very much too. Thank you to all the actors and staff for your hard work.




Thank you for reading:)

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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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SO GOOD!!

BEST DRAMA IVE WATCHED IN A WHILE!!!! i’m going to protect sou and tsumigi with my life ????? this drama made me cry and smile so much throughout. i finished it in literally 2 days, that’s how much i enjoyed it. i wish i could rewatch it again :(((( HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

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A simple yet meaningful Japanese romance drama

This was a story about a girl (Tsumugi Aoba) who was dating a boy (Sou Sakura) in high school. Around the time they were graduating, the boy was gradually losing his hearing and decided that he did not wish to burden by continuing the relationship with the girl. He did not tell the real reason, but simply texted about liking another girl. The girl only found out his loss of hearing after they met up coincidentally 6 years later. During that time, she was already dating another boy from the same high school who was also the boy’s friend.

11 episodes with 50-60 minutes per episode. ‘Silent’ this drama was indeed rather quiet, understandably so when there was a lot of sign language used.

It was neither fast-paced with action nor were there plenty of things happening. However, there were no draggy scenes. Even the usual tearjerker scenes were quickly over and done with, yet not having the feeling it was insufficiently done. I feel that everything in this drama was portrayed in typical Japanese fashion. Reactions were mild, actions were subtle, but inner emotions were strong yet not fully expressed.
This was best shown when Tsumugi and Sou met again and gradually became closer, yet not becoming a couple. Sou was hesitant because he felt lacking in himself, but Tsumugi was willing to move forward with him. These scenes were shown subtly, nothing overboard or dramatic, making them all the more touching and meaningful.

The acting was also convincing from the whole cast. Special mention to those who acted as hearing-impaired, Ren Meguro, the male lead and Kaho, who acted as Sou’s hearing-impaired friend. They were believable with their fluent and natural sign language. Haruna Kawaguchi, the female lead, was also natural in her acting. She was pretty and was always wearing nice sweaters (not related to the story whatsoever though).

Earlier in the drama, some people commented that Tsumugi saying numerous times to Sou before he lost his hearing completely that ‘I like your voice’, ‘I want to talk on the phone with you’ was emphasized too much to the point of being unnatural, but I think the director wanted to deepen the sad irony later that it was no longer possible for Sou to talk to Tsumugi naturally. In the later episodes, being able to hear him speak out felt so precious. I almost forgot how his voice sounded. He might have lost his hearing, but was still able to speak, just that not being able to hear his own voice became a psychological barrier for him to speak out.

This was a simple drama which touched on the relationship between people who couldn’t hear and people who could hear, how they tried to overcome their differences and most importantly, looked at the other in the present and not look at based on who they were in the past – I thought this was thought-provoking because many times we look at others based on our opinions of who they were and what they did in the past. We should perhaps try looking as they are right now instead of constantly living in the past. In this way, we can become our better selves and move forward together.

I would recommend this drama if you like to watch Japanese romance dramas whose stories tend to be simple and less dramatic. I would not recommend this if you do not like simple romance dramas and prefer dramas which are fast-paced, action-packed full of dramatic turns and twists, highs and lows like Korean dramas.



Some things spoken in the drama that I found meaningful

“Don’t look at someone based on who she was in the past. You should look at her as she is right now. If we keep lowering our gazes, we won’t notice if someone gently calls out to us. We must not avoid looking at them.” – Nana Momono (by Kaho) to Sou (by Ren Meguro)

“I got used to the fact that I couldn’t hear other people’s voices. But not being able to hear your voice, was the only thing I couldn’t accept.” – Sou to Tsumugi

“I won’t speak out. I won’t laugh. I won’t talk on the phone. I won’t listen to music. If these are so hard, I’ll stop doing all these. Even then, I want to be together with you.” – Tsumugi to Sou

(Tsumugi and Sou were sitting side by side. Tsumugi wrote each sentence separately in post-it notes and passed them silently one by one to Sou. I think it was her expression, she looked so pitiful while she was writing and passing the post-it notes that I couldn't help but cried with her.)

“Flowers make no sound yet they contain words that can convey many feelings.” ……. So true.

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there's not enough words to describe this drama

i have never cried this much in every episode on any drama. everything about this drama is perfect. if someone ever think that the plot are dragged too long i dont think that they get the meaning of accepting a grief.
the story writting is excellent. there's nothing to complain about. the story is very much a simple sad love story it dont need any uneccesary plot twist so it's perfect.
the acting!!!!!! ren meguro definitely the star of the show. he take down the role very smoothly. my heart is aching everytime a sad scene is on. he dont need word to make me believe that he's sad. by only looking at his eyes i can feel every emotion he's trying to potray.

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