Whisper Me a Love Song (Japanese: ささやくように恋を唄う, Hepburn: Sasayaku You ni Koi o Utau)[a] is a Japanese 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 produced by Cloud Hearts and Yokohama Animation Laboratory premiered in April 2024.
| Whisper Me a Love Song | |
 First tankōbon volume cover | |
| ささやくように恋を唄う (Sasayaku You ni Koi o Utau) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Eku Takeshima |
| Published by | Ichijinsha |
| English publisher | |
| Magazine | Comic Yuri Hime |
| Original run | February 18, 2019 – present |
| Volumes | 9 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Akira Mano |
| Written by | Hiroki Uchida |
| Music by |
|
| Studio | |
| Licensed by | Sentai Filmworks |
| Original network | ANN (TV Asahi) BS Asahi, AT-X |
| Original run | April 14, 2024 – present |
| Episodes | 9 |
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]
- Portrayed by: Yui Watanabe[2]
- A fifteen-year-old 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] Kana Sasakura (singing voice)
- Portrayed by: Momoka Ishii[2]
- A seventeen-year-old high school student, who serves as the vocalist and lead guitarist for the band SSGIRLS 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[3]
- A cheerful third-year student and the bassist for SSGIRLS. 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[3]
- Portrayed by: Nagisa Hayakawa[2]
- A stoic third-year student and the drummer for SSGIRLS. She comes from a rich background and is childhood friends with Kaori.
- Kaori Tachibana (橘 香織, Tachibana Kaori)
- Voiced by: Ai Kakuma[3]
- Portrayed by: Nanase Kayama[2]
- An easygoing third-year student and the keyboardist for SSGIRLS. She has been friends with Mari since childhood.
- Miki Mizuguchi (水口 未希, Mizuguchi Miki)
- Voiced by: Aoi Koga[4]
- Portrayed by: Yūki Tenma[2]
- 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,[3] Sui Mizukami (singing voice)
- Portrayed by: Chiyuri Itō[2]
- A second-year and former vocalist and guitarist of SSGIRLS, 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)
- Voiced by: Reina Ueda[4]
- Portrayed by: Shiori Nishikado[2]
- 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)
- Voiced by: Chika Anzai[4]
- Portrayed by: Kaede Sakuragi[2]
- A third-year student who is the drummer for Laureley. She is often seen with Momoka.
- Kyou Amasawa (矢沢 キョウ, Amasawa Kyō)
- Voiced by: Nao Tōyama
- A violinist who was originally friends with Shiho until she became jealous of her talent. It is later revealed that she was Hajime's older sister and Momoka's girlfriend who died in an accident, leading Shiho and the others to form Laureley.
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.[5] It has been compiled into nine tankōbon volumes as of March 18, 2024. Kodansha USA licensed the series in English and began releasing volumes in North America from October 2020.[6]
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 18, 2019[7] | 978-4-7580-7950-1 | October 20, 2020[8] | 978-1-64651-115-0 |
| 2 | January 17, 2020[9] | 978-4-7580-2074-9 | December 22, 2020[10] | 978-1-64651-146-4 |
| 3 | July 17, 2020[11] | 978-4-7580-2135-7 | June 22, 2021[12] | 978-1-64651-147-1 |
| 4 | January 18, 2021[13] | 978-4-7580-2201-9 | October 26, 2021[14] | 978-1-64651-228-7 |
| 5 | September 17, 2021[15] | 978-4-7580-2294-1 | July 19, 2022[16] | 978-1-64651-398-7 |
| 6 | April 18, 2022[17] | 978-4-7580-2397-9 | December 6, 2022[18] | 978-1-64651-617-9 |
| 7 | January 18, 2023[19] | 978-4-7580-2491-4 | January 30, 2024[20] | 978-1-64651-741-1 |
| 8 | July 18, 2023[21] | 978-4-7580-2578-2 | March 26, 2024[22] | 978-1-64651-917-0 |
| 9 | March 18, 2024[23][24] | 978-4-7580-2694-9 978-4-7580-2695-6 (SE) | — | — |
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on January 13, 2023. The series is produced by Cloud Hearts and Yokohama Animation Laboratory. Initially, it would have been directed by Cai Xinya;[1] however, Cai stepped down due to health issues, and was replaced by Akira Mano.[25][26] Hiroki Uchida is overseeing series' scripts, Minami Yoshida is designing the characters, and Hiroshi Sasaki and Wataru Maeguchi are composing the music.[1] The series, initially scheduled for January 2024 but delayed due to "various circumstances",[3][25] began airing in Japan from April 14, 2024 on TV Asahi's NUMAnimation programming block.[4][b] The opening theme song is "Follow your arrows", performed by the anime's band SSGIRLS with vocals by Kana Sasakura. The ending theme song for episodes 2-6 is "Giftee" (ギフティー, Gifutī), performed by Hana Shimano, while the ending theme for episode 8 onwards is "Meritocracy" (メリトクラシー, Meritokurashī), performed by Laureley with vocals by Sui Mizukami.[27][28] Sentai Filmworks licensed the series in North America, Australia and British Isles for streaming on Hidive.[29]
Episodes
| No. | Title [30][c] | Directed by [d] | Written by [d] | Storyboarded by [d] | Original air date [32][b] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Rooftop, A Guitar, And Senpai." Transliteration: "Okujō to, Gitā to, Senpai to." (Japanese: 屋上と、ギターと、先輩と。) | Nobuhiro Mutō Yuka Hashimoto | Hiroki Uchida | Xin Ya Cai | April 14, 2024 | |
On her first day of high school, Himari Kino attends a freshman reception performance by school band SSGIRLS and becomes awestruck by their temporary vocalist, Yori Asanagi. Following the performance, Himari comes across Yori and tells her that she fell in love at first sight. Interpreting this as a confession, Yori finds herself falling in love with Himari at first sight herself. Spurred on by her friends, Yori meets Himari on the school roof and responds to her confession, only to discover Himari's "love at first sight" wasn't the romantic kind and she was just a fan of her music. Despite this, Yori becomes determined to make Himari fall for her for real and starts regularly meeting her on the rooftop so she can listen to her sing. | ||||||
| 2 | "Love, A Date, And..." Transliteration: "Suki, Dēto, Soshite..." (Japanese: 好き、デート、そして…) | Shinya Kawabe | Hiroki Uchida | Reika Amane | April 21, 2024 | |
When rain makes meeting up on the roof impossible, Himari comes over to Yori's class to make different plans for after school, coming across SSGIRLS' bassist Aki Mizuguchi along the way. Himari invites Yori out on a date to the shopping mall during the weekend, the news of which surprises Aki when Yori tells her about it. During the date, Himari speaks of her admiration of Yori's singing on stage, leading Yori to consider doing it again. At the end of the date, Yori tells Himari upfront that she wants to date her for real. Himari, realising that Yori's previous confession of love at first sight was serious, worries that her own love is different. | ||||||
| 3 | "Confession and Hesitation." Transliteration: "Kokuhaku to, Tomadoi to." (Japanese: 告白と、戸惑いと。) | Aya Kawamura | Nami Otomo | Harume Kosaka | April 28, 2024 | |
Having never experienced romantic love before, Himari becomes conflicted about how to respond to Yori's confession and turns to her best friend and Aki's younger sister Miki for advice. Later, Himari's mother tells Himari about how she and her father started dating, stating that she initially turned him down when he first confessed but eventually fell in love with him. The next day, Himari tells Yori that she wants to spend more time with her to see if she'll develop romantic feelings before deciding whether or not to date her. Wanting to make Himari fall for her for real, Yori asks SSGIRLS to let her join as an official member of their band. | ||||||
| 4 | "Progress, Impatience, And a Quiet Resolve." Transliteration: "Shinten to, Aseri to, Shizuka na Ketsui." (Japanese: 進展と、焦りと、静かな決意。) | Yoshihide Ibata | Momoka Toyoda | Namato Unno | May 5, 2024[e] | |
As Yori begins practising with SSGIRLS in preparation for the Light Music Club concert, Himari, needing a way to pass the time on days when she can't meet up with Yori, decides to join the Cooking Club, led by 2nd year student Momoka Satomiya. When Himari reports the news to Yori, Yori starts to feel jealous from hearing her talk about Momoka, which Aki is quick to pick up on. The next day, as Himari comes over to Miki's house, Aki, frustrated with Himari putting off giving Yori a proper answer indefinitely, tells her that she is in love with Yori romantically and is willing to take her if Himari isn't. | ||||||
| 5 | "Going Home, a Meeting, and a Promise." Transliteration: "Kaerimichi, Deai to, Yakusoku." (Japanese: 帰り道、出会いと、約束。) | Shinya Kawabe | Takahito Ōnishi | Naoto Hosoda | May 12, 2024 | |
Following Aki's warning that she can't hold off on answering Yori forever, Himari gets some advice from Momoka, telling her that there may already be feelings of love inside her. Later, as Himari and Yori walk home together, Yori's jealousy rises up again when Momoka comes to return Himari's phone. After the two talk with each other about their worries, Yori tells Himari to give her answer after the Light Music Club concert, where she hopes to make her fall for her. Another day, as Yori finishes writing the song she wants to perform, Himari comes over to meet the SSGIRLS, where she feels jealousy from Yori and Aki's interactions. As Yori and Himari makes plans to shop for accessories for the concert, Momoka receives tickets for the concert from her friend, SSGIRLS' former vocalist Shiho Izumi. | ||||||
| 6 | "Love at First Sight and the Big Day." Transliteration: "Hitomebore to, Yakusoku no Hi." (Japanese: ひとめぼれと、約束の日。) | Nobuhiro Mutō | Hiroki Uchida | Kazuya Murata | May 19, 2024 | |
Himari and Yori go shopping for clothes they want each other to wear for the concert, after which Himari buys Yori some earrings for her performance. On the day of the concert, Yori sings the song she had written for Himari, expressing her love for her. After hearing the song, Himari finally comes to realisation that she is in love with Yori and agrees to go out with her. Later, as SSGIRLS learn they must undergo auditions to take part in the upcoming school festival, they run up against Shiho, who shows hostility towards both Aki and Yori. | ||||||
| 7 | "The Past, a Song, and a Secret." Transliteration: "Kako to, Uta to, Himitsu." (Japanese: 過去と、歌と、秘密。) | TBA | TBA | TBA | May 26, 2024 | |
Himari ends up meeting Shiho when she shows up at the cooking club, revealing she is in a band alongside Momoko and their mutual friend Hajime Amasawa. Meanwhile, Yori comes over to Aki's house to ask her about what happened between her and Shiho. Shiho, who had been kicked out of multiple groups because they didn't like her attitude, was invited by Aki to form a band with her. Then suddenly one day, Shiho quit the band after fighting with Aki over not taking the band seriously, claiming that she had want to quit the entire time. On the day of the auditions, after SSGIRLS gives a well-received performance, Shiho's band Laureley gives a performance that blows everyone away. Afterwards, Shiho confronts Aki, telling her that she knows about her crush on Yori. | ||||||
| 8 | "An Old Dream and a Friend." Transliteration: "Katsute no Yume to, Tomodachi to." (Japanese: かつての夢と、友だちと。) | TBA | TBA | TBA | June 2, 2024 | |
As Aki is left bewildered by Shiho's words, Yori suggests that the real reason Shiho left SSGIRLS may not be what she said it was. With Shiho remaining stubborn about her true reasons, Aki throws down a challenge that if SSGIRLS can get more votes than Laureley at the culture festival, Shiho must tell her the truth. After learning about the showdown from Yori, Himari comes across Shiho working at a café and asks about what made her decide to aim to become a professional musician. Long ago, Shiho, who was pursuing the violin, became friends with another violinist named Kyou. However, after losing to Kyou in a violin contest, Shiho became overwhelmed with jealousy and broke things off with Kyou, eventually becoming unable to play the violin anymore. Still unwilling to give up on music, Shiho decided to pick up guitar, which she had given up on, in order to surpass her that way. | ||||||
| 9 | "A Plan, a Blunder, and a Commotion." Transliteration: "Keikaku to, Shippai to, Haran to." (Japanese: 計画と、失敗と、波乱と。) | TBA | TBA | TBA | June 22, 2024[34] | |
Believing that Aki and Shiho would be able to make up with each other if given the opportunity, Himari arranges a taste-testing session to get SSGIRLS and Laureley together. Upon learning that Himari and Yori are dating, however, Shiho suddenly adds a condition to her wager with Aki that Himari must become Laureley's manager until the day of the festival. Not wanting the wager to fall through, Himari agrees to the terms, with Shiho offering to grant her a request if she helps Laureley win. During the summer break, as the SSGIRLS get together to think up a new song to sing at the festival, Laureley make plans to take Himari with them to explain how they formed. | ||||||
| 10 | "Old Memories, Old Feelings." Transliteration: "Ano Hi no Kioku, Ano Hi no Omoi." (Japanese: あの日の記憶、あの日の思い。) | TBA | TBA | TBA | June 29, 2024 | |
Stage play
It was announced in May 2024 that a stage play adaptation titled Butai: Sasayaku yō ni Koi o Utau (舞台『ささやくように恋を唄う』, Stage: Whisper Me a Love Song) would run from the following July 26 to August 2 at the Theater1010 in Tokyo. It is directed by Tomoyuki Ueno, written by Yuniko Ayana, and stars Yui Watanabe and Momoka Ishii.[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."[35] 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."[36]
Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network praised the characters and called it "a yuri series you don't want to miss."[37] Nicki Bauman likewise praised the characters, calling them "delightfully passionate and excited by each other" but criticized the series's pacing.[38]
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.[39]
See also
- There's No Freaking Way I'll be Your Lover! Unless..., a light novel series illustrated by Eku Takeshima
Notes
References
External links
- Official Japanese manga website
- Official English manga website
- Official anime website (in Japanese)
- Whisper Me a Love Song (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia