An image of two girls sitting in a classroom. One holds a guitar and faces us, the other leans her head into her hands as she listens admiringly.
Anyone who knows me know I adore the manga Sasayakuyouni Koi wo Utau, by Takeshima Eku. I feverishly told Kodansha USA about it and was absolutely over the moon when they licensed it. Volume 1-8 are available in English and I heartily recommend them. Let me tell you why as I discuss the anime Whisper Me A Love Song, based upon this manga, which is now streaming now on HIDIVE.
When first-year high schooler Himari hears upperclassman Yori sing at the welcome event for new students, she falls in love at first sight. Or so she says, when she finally has a chance to speak to Yori-sempai, but what she meant was that she fell for Yori’s singing. Himari is so cute, though, that Yori is starting to have some feelings for the girl.
This love story is absolutely charming. I have repeatedly said for many volumes worth, that this is a manga I could easily suggest for a tween reader and possibly younger if they were, like I was at 10 or 11, regularly reading over my age group. I was actually very pleased when this manga was given a 13+ age rating, because there is nothing objectionable in this story of two young women navigating their feelings and lives, and the lives and stories of the people around them. If anything, it is just too sweet and darling.
The anime premiered on HIDIVE this past week to much anticipation. (As we saw, in Japan it was given one of the largest marketing campaigns I’ve ever seen for a Yuri anime.) Would the animation be good? How would the voice acting be? Would Himari be incredibly adorable and would Yori occasionally be so cool no one could possibly resist? Happily, all things are as they should be. Takeshima-sensei’s art tends toward cute and favors head shots, so the art is more than up to snuff. Voice acting is on point, with both Seto Asami as Yori and Shimano Hana as Himari doing a bang-up job.
Added points for them *actually* playing us the song* performed by the SS Girls, that changes Himari’s life. It’s the one limitation of the manga – this is a story so deeply tied up with the idea of music and we cannot hear what is sung on the pages of a comic. I’m very pleased with the addition of the actual music for this series.
I am biased here, as I have been reading this series since April 2019 when it debuted in Comic Yuri Hime magazine. It has gotten better, with the addition of some new characters, including one who appears in the opening credits here, somewhat surprisingly. A season of 13 episodes doesn’t see like it will get far enough to introduce Shiho (and certainly cannot get in to her story, as it does not develop until the Battle of the Bands, which we are reading now, in English.) My bias aside, Whisper Me a Love Song is a lovely, sweet Yuri school romance unencumbered by societal pressures or labels, which is totally worth watching.
Ratings:
Art – A decent 8
Story – Utterly darling 9
Characters – 9
Service – 0
Yuri – 8
Overall – 9
Whisper Me A Love Song is a charming Yuri romance. You should watch it.
