Whisper Me a Love Song

Whisper Me a Love Song (Japanese: ささやくように恋を唄う, Hepburn: Sasayaku You ni Koi o Utau, lit. "Whispering You a Love Song") is a Japanese yuri manga written and illustrated by Eku Takeshima. It was first serialized in Ichijinsha's Comic Yuri Hime April 2019 issue and is licensed in English by Kodansha Comics. An anime television series adaptation by Cloud Hearts and Yokohama Animation Laboratory is set to premiere in January 2024.

Whisper Me a Love Song
Cover of the first Japanese volume
ささやくように恋を唄う
(Sasayaku You ni Koi o Utau)
GenreRomance, yuri
Manga
Written byEku Takeshima
Published byIchijinsha
English publisher
MagazineComic Yuri Hime
Original runFebruary 18, 2019 – present
Volumes8
Anime television series
Directed byCai Xinya
Written byHiroki Uchida
Studio
Original run January 2024 – scheduled

Synopsis

On the first day of entering high school, Himari Kino "falls" for her senior, Yori Asanagi, whom she watched singing with a band at the welcome party for new students. When Himari confesses her admiration to Yori, Yori misinterprets Himari's feelings as romantic love. However, before Yori realizes, she comes to fall for Himari anyway, and promises to win her affections for real.

Characters
Himari Kino (木野 ひまり, Kino Himari)
Voiced by: Hana Shimano[1]
A first-year high school student, an energetic girl who falls in love with Yori's singing on her first day of school. She confesses her admiration to Yori, who misinterprets her feelings as romantic. However, she agrees to spend time together to see if she can come to feel the same way as Yori.
Yori Asanagi (朝凪 依, Asanagi Yori)
Voiced by: Asami Seto[1]
A third-year high school student, who serves as the vocalist and lead guitarist for the band SS Girls after their previous vocalist quit. Often seen as stoic by those around her, Yori enjoys singing while playing the guitar on the school's rooftop alone and collecting cute cat merchandise. Yori falls for Himari after her "confession", only to realize later that Himari was actually confessing admiration for her singing. However, she resolves to get Himari to reciprocate her feelings in time.
Aki Mizuguchi (水口 亜季, Mizuguchi Aki)
Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu[2]
A cheerful third-year student and the bassist for SS Girls. She is Yori's best friend and tries to support her in winning over Himari while hiding the fact she has romantic feelings for Yori herself.
Mari Tsutsui (筒井 真理, Tsutsui Mari)
Voiced by: Konomi Kohara[2]
A stoic third-year student and the drummer for SS Girls. She comes from a rich background and is childhood friends with Kaori.
Kaori Tachibana (橘 香織, Tachibana Kaori)
Voiced by: Ai Kakuma[2]
An easygoing third-year student and the keyboardist for SS Girls. She has been friends with Kaori since childhood.
Miki Mizuguchi (水口 未希, Mizuguchi Miki)
Aki's younger sister and Himari's best friend since elementary school. She is part of the brass band club and tries to support Himari any way she can.
Shiho Izumi (泉 志帆, Izumi Shiho)
Voiced by: Yuna Nemoto[2]
A second-year and former vocalist and guitarist of SS Girls, which she left following a feud with Aki. She now fronts a rival band, Laureley, while also acting as a ghost member for the Culinary Research Club.
Momoka Satomiya (里宮 百々花, Satomiya Momoka)
A kind-hearted second-year who is president of the Culinary Research Club and guitarist for Laureley. Gentle and supportive, she quickly befriends Himari, who joins her club.
Hajime Amasawa (天沢　始, Amasawa Hajime)
A second year student who is the drummer for Laureley. She is often seen with Momoka.

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Eku Takeshima, Whisper Me a Love Song began serialization in Japan in the April 2019 issue of Ichijinsha's Comic Yuri Hime magazine, released on February 18, 2019.[3] It has been compiled into eight tankōbon volumes as of July 18, 2023. Kodansha USA licensed the series in English and began releasing volumes in North America from October 2020.[4]

No. Original release date Original ISBN English release date English ISBN
1 June 18, 2019[5]978-4-7580-7950-1October 20, 2020[6]978-1-64651-115-0
2 January 17, 2020[7]978-4-7580-2074-9December 22, 2020[8]978-1-64651-146-4
3 July 17, 2020[9]978-4-7580-2135-7June 22, 2021[10]978-1-64651-147-1
4 January 18, 2021[11]978-4-7580-2201-9October 26, 2021[12]978-1-64651-228-7
5 September 17, 2021[13]978-4-7580-2294-1July 19, 2022[14]978-1-64651-398-7
6 April 18, 2022[15]978-4-7580-2397-9December 6, 2022[16]978-1-64651-617-9
7 January 18, 2023[17]978-4-7580-2491-4——
8 July 18, 2023[18]978-4-7580-2578-2——

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on January 13, 2023. The series will be produced by Cloud Hearts and Yokohama Animation Laboratory and directed by Cai Xinya, with Hiroki Uchida overseeing series' scripts, and Minami Yoshida designing the characters.[1] Yori Asanagi will be voiced by Asami Seto.[2] It is set to premiere in January 2024.[2]

Reception

Erica Friedman of Yuricon noted in her review that while the story is not groundbreaking it is "so pleasant and full of such pleasant characters, that it's a joy to read."[19] In contrast, The OASG criticizes its ability to keep the series interesting, "Eku Takeshima is betting the success of this entire story on the strength of the relationship between Himari and Yori and while that may have worked if this story was a short one-shot, it's not nearly enough for an entire series."[20]

Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network praised the characters and called it "a yuri series you don't want to miss."[21] Nicki Bauman likewise praised the characters, calling them "delightfully passionate and excited by each other" but criticized the series's pacing.[22]

In 2020, Whisper Me a Love Song was nominated for Niconico and Da Vinci's Next Manga Awards, and placed eighteenth out of 50 nominees.[23]

References
  1. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (January 13, 2023). "Eku Takeshima's Whisper Me a Love Song Manga Gets TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
  2. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (March 17, 2023). "Whisper Me a Love Song TV Anime Reveals Teaser Visual, More Cast, January 2024 Premiere". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  3. コミック百合姫4月号のお知らせ (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Archived from the original on February 18, 2023. Retrieved February 18, 2023.
  4. Mateo, Alex (November 17, 2019). "Kodansha Comics Announces 12 Digital Manga Licenses, 4 Manga Print Releases". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
  5. ささやくように恋を唄う（1） (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  6. "Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 1". Kodansha. Kodansha Comics. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  7. ささやくように恋を唄う（2） (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  8. "Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 2". Kodansha. Kodansha Comics. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  9. ささやくように恋を唄う（3） (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  10. "Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 3". Kodansha. Kodansha Comics. Retrieved May 3, 2021.
  11. ささやくように恋を唄う（4） (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  12. "Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 4". Kodansha. Kodansha Comics. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  13. ささやくように恋を唄う（5） (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  14. "Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 5". Kodansha. Kodansha Comics. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  15. ささやくように恋を唄う（6） (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
  16. "Whisper Me a Love Song, Volume 6". Kodansha. Kodansha Comics. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  17. ささやくように恋を唄う（7） (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved January 2, 2023.
  18. ささやくように恋を唄う（8） (in Japanese). Ichijinsha. Retrieved July 3, 2023.
  19. Friedman, Erica (16 November 2020). "Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, Volume 3 (ささやくように恋を唄う)". Okazu. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  20. Helen (March 16, 2021). "Whisper Me a Love Song Volume 1 Review". The OASG. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
  21. Silverman, Rebecca (August 8, 2021). "Whisper Me a Love Song GN 1-3 - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  22. "LGBTQ Manga Review — Whisper Me A Love Song Vol 1-3". YuriMother. July 15, 2021. Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  23. Loveridge, Lynzee (August 19, 2020). "Shonen Jump's Undead Unluck Wins Tsugi ni Kuru Manga 2020 Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved April 9, 2021.
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