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I got the lucky chance to watch Koe No Katachi at the Watershed in Bristol on the 13th of February.

Right after the movie, I read the manga, to compare the original to the adaptation.

Now, I do understand that people may dislike aspects of the movie for cutting out character development and some details, but I took that into consideration, as this was a movie adaptation and not a series. I feel that KyoAni could have covered everything in the manga if it was a series, and I think they did make some right choices cutting out some subplots in the movie to make it flow ... better.

Story: 9
Art: 9
Sound: 8
Character:8
Enjoyment: 10

Story:
The story of Koe No Katachi tackles heavy subjects, such as bullying and suicide. The story feels like a realistic struggle and I could even relate at many points. The focus of redemption rather than romance, which was the same as the manga, was refreshing and I did not feel dissatisfied with the conclusion (in comparison to Kimi No Na Wa *ahem*). I wish more anime tried to tackle harsher tones and more realistic feeling stories like Koe No Katachi does. Although the story is not that complex and there aren't really any twists (and there doesn't need to be), it still felt very compelling. They did cut out a subplot from the manga, I think that if they included this in the movie, the main focus of the story would have been taken away from the two main characters and due to it being a movie rather than a series, I understand their decision.

Art:
I am a big fan of KyoAni's art style, and the art in this movie was as good as their other works. It may not stand next to the amazingly detailed art of Makoto Shinkai's productions, but I feel like the characters expressions were much more nuanced and subtle. If you have watched any other KyoAni works, you know how emotive yet subtle their characters expressions are, it really helps you understand what they are thinking or feeling even when nothing is being said.

Sound:
The soundtrack in Koe No Katachi was a bit lacking and unmemorable, however the songs didn't feel shoehorned in, it felt like they were adding to scenes and ambience rather than being distracting, so I was fine with that.
I really enjoyed the voices of the characters, they really added to the personalities of the characters to make them feel individual and unique.

Character:
After reading the manga, and inferring from the movie, there were a few characters who missed out on their development. By the end of the movie, if you have not read the manga, you may wonder why those characters were there or even mentioned in the first place. I do wish that the movie did cover the developments of those characters and I think they could have inserted some more lines or scenes that were in the manga to expand the characters a bit further. Apart from that, the main focus characters were developed very well, we see Ishida's growth as a person and we understand Nishimiya's motives (But! they did cut some of Nishimiya's scenes from the manga which would of helped us understand her even more).
So as a movie-alone watcher I think you will be satisfied with character development, but if you read the manga, you may be a bit disappointed.

Enjoyment:
I really enjoyed this movie, I was so immersed in the world of Koe No Katachi, there were tears and laughs. I really want to see this movie again and again! Again, comparing this to Kimi No Na Wa, even though I loved that movie, I think I love this one even more. This really is one, if not the best, of KyoAni's works.

Overall:
This movie will take you through a ride of emotions, it tackles heavy and serious themes, so prepare yourself as this is not your cliche happy go lucky anime. But this is definitely something you should watch and I think you won't regret seeing it.