Nov 10, 2023
I appreciate everyone who took the time to read the story. Due to the short writing period, I couldn't provide much explanation during the process. I believe I haven't fully conveyed the necessary character analyses within the book. To avoid confusion about the characters or the main course of the story, I've listed some points here. These are crucial to me as they relate to the main foundations of the story and the points that YOASOBI aims to imply.
Firstly, I chose not to reveal the names of our main characters or what the main male character looks like to create a certain effect of mystery, aligning with Mayo Hoshino's writing style.
I built the story from beginning to end in a way that the melancholic feeling of the characters is clear by the end, creating a backdrop for the picture formed in the finale. Points such as the main male character's feelings towards the female character and her sense of running away from him are essential. This creates a cycle of their efforts and feelings, from finding solace in making music together to the female character's rising anxiety leading to a cycle of loudness and silence. She only wants him to listen and hear her "voice" - her silent plea. She hopes he'll stop trying to distort her "silence," thinking he'll finally understand it, but in reality, he ends up destroying it in the end. The dilemma between the two characters and the climax, where the girl forgives the guy, is crucial to understanding their dynamic.
One person believes that pursuing someone will solve their problems, while the other only experiences fear and holds misconceptions about the effort, lacking understanding. This dynamic is evident in the climax when the girl forgives the guy. It signifies her realization that her silence, not his loudness, was the true barrier. Instead of punishing him, she forgives him. This act stems from her recognition that, despite her abusive family background, he has his own struggles, shaping his unique "voice" that initially resonated with her but now intimidates her. Initially, her optimism and energy stemmed from the belief that her voice could effect change.
In a poetic twist, her salvation, crafted after being estranged from her family due to illness, becomes her metaphorical grim reaper. Music, through which she expresses her voice, is her solace. The male character's silence captivates her because she sees it as a contrast to her journey of creating a better voice for herself. The story unfolds with indicators of her personality, such as her resilience in neglecting bruises and smiling through abuse, her strong grip on the guitar, her motivation to make the other character more "loud" and driven, meticulous planning, joy in mundane activities like putting down her school bag, playing in sunflower fields, and etching their band name onto the guitar.
Throughout the story, I incorporated various indicators of the female character's personality, such as neglecting bruises, eagerly planning, happily playing in sunflower fields, and carving their band name into the guitar. To convey this, I incorporated the detail of her placing a sunflower in a jar, christening their band as "Sunflower Seeds." The jar, along with her act of placing a sunflower in front of their house, serves as a powerful symbol reflecting her vibrant personality that continues to shine even in the face of the self-imposed silence within her mind. The choice of the sunflower serves as a symbol of her positive struggle against negativity. The inclusion of a bird as a metaphor mirrors the delicate existence aligning with the female character.
Recognizing the true fear she faced, she crafted her own sense of peace through her inner "voice," countering the prevailing silence. This resilience is evident in her interactions with family, her endeavors with the main character, and her external appearance and challenges.
The pivotal scenes underline the evolving dynamics between the characters, revealing how their efforts and understanding of "voice" shift as they face harsh realities. The male character's struggle to comprehend the female character's silent turmoil creates a poignant exploration of miscommunication.
I added some revisions to enhance clarity and flow in your sentences:
I incorporated the bird detail specifically to illustrate how a small living being can thrive with minimal effort, symbolizing a connection with the female character. Eventually, she releases the bird, proclaiming, "We don't need to be confined anymore. We can be free, can't we?" The bird gradually succumbs to her metaphorical "efforts" as she sinks into her own "silence," resisting the noise of the bird.
In a similar scene:
"She would hurl words she didn't truly mean.
"What are you so afraid of!?"
"You! I am afraid of you! Everything you might become....""
This scene unfolds as she begins to perceive the silence more distinctly from the only loud person she had faced and invested her hopes in—the other main character. I aimed to establish a poetic cycle here, marking the breaking point of the story. It illustrates how they gradually start to unravel, and their efforts subtly shift towards something different. The outcomes of these actions reveal how a small change alters their reality and understanding of "voice," leading them to swap roles in their efforts. Now, the male character must dispel the silence within her, as opposed to her attempting to infuse life into him. This shift is prompted by the encroaching dark reality, compelling the main male character to experience what she feels, making him feel as if he is "chasing after her" or "not being heard," reminiscent of her past experiences.
The conclusion aims to maintain a proper style of explanation, with the main male character breaking down emotional barriers to comprehend the female character's perspective. The final scene, titled "The Loudest Silence," encapsulates the profound realization that the female character was the one who truly understood him.
In naming the episode "The Loudest Silence," I aimed to encapsulate the intricate layers woven throughout the story, leaving the male main character to grapple with the complexities left behind by the female character. Ultimately, the narrative strives to convey the importance of hearing and understanding the silent nuances of one's true voice.
