Otaku by the Numbers

 

“A former class bully reaches out to the deaf girl he’s tormented in grade school. He feels unworthy of redemption but tries to make things right.”

 

The school has a new transfer student. Her name is Shoko Nishimiya and she is deaf. Maybe because she is a new face, or someone with disability that she becomes the target of bullying by her classmates. And Shoya Ishida is the worst of them all. Nishimiya ends up transferring to another school to escape the daily torment. Years later, Ishida decides to seek out Nishimiya to ask for forgiveness.

Bullying is a serious issue in schools. It can make or break a student’s mental strength. Some end up choosing the easy way out while others live with the ugly scars, tormented and beaten down. Every school has a bully, this much is true. But while we are quick to hate the bullies, there must also be a conscious effort to know the root cause of their behavior or why they are behaving that way. From there, methods of intervention can be extended. Sometimes there is a more serious issue behind it, other times it could be just kids being naughty.

The adults or persons of authority (e.g. teachers) play a huge role in addressing bullying incidents in schools. Turning a blind eye will only encourage the bullies to up the ante. Ignoring what is happening will only lead to more victims.

However, amidst all these stories of school bullying, there is a silver lining, as not all of them end up worse. There are some that turn into stories of forgiveness and redemption. These stories may be fewer compared to the worse incidents but they are a start. These stories mean that someone cared enough to address the issue and helped both the victims and the bullies. Instead of being bystanders, they took the responsibility to extend sympathy…to care enough…and to be of help.