Published by Ki-Oon and released in France at the end of January, A Silent Voice is a manga on the sensitive and rarely addressed topic of bullying of disabled people in schools. This first volume tells the story of Shoya and Shoko, two primary school pupils with unusual backgrounds.
One is a boy, a bit of a simpleton, who spends his time challenging himself and his friends. A perfect early teenage life until Shoko, who is hard of hearing, arrives in his class.
Placed in a class where all the pupils are able-bodied, she does her best to fit in. Shoya, eager to get her attention, can think of nothing better than to play little «jokes» on her, which turn into gratuitous bullying. The whole class joins in with the harassment, under the gaze of a teacher who does nothing to intervene.
With over 700,000 copies sold in less than four months in Japan, this first volume demonstrates the interest in the subject.
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