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 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 is set to premiere in April 2024.
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.
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.
A third-year 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.
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.
A second-year and former vocalist and guitarist of SSGIRLS, which she left following a feud with Aki. She now fronts a rival band, Lorelei, while also acting as a ghost member for the Culinary Research Club.
A kind-hearted second-year who is president of the Culinary Research Club and guitarist for Lorelei. Gentle and supportive, she quickly befriends Himari, who joins her club.
A second year student who is the drummer for Lorelei. 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.[4] 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.[5]
An anime television series adaptation was announced on January 13, 2023. The series will be produced by Cloud Hearts and Yokohama Animation Laboratory. Initially, it would have been directed by Cai Xinya;[1] however, due to health issues, Cai stepped down and was replaced by Akira Mano.[21][22] Hiroki Uchida is overseeing series' scripts, Minami Yoshida is designing the characters, and Hiroshi Sasaki and Wataru Maeguchi are composing the music.[1] It was originally scheduled for January 2024, but was later delayed due to "various circumstances".[2][21] It is set to premiere in April 2024 on TV Asahi's NUMAnimation [ja] programming block.[3]
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."[23] 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."[24]
Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network praised the characters and called it "a yuri series you don't want to miss."[25] Nicki Bauman likewise praised the characters, calling them "delightfully passionate and excited by each other" but criticized the series's pacing.[26]
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.[27]
