Animehouse

Whisper Me a Love Song started as a mostly fluffy manga that delved into the emotional state and mindset of our main characters. However, it never really had any serious drama until the reveal of the past bandmate of SSGIRLS, Shiho Izumi, a couple of volumes back. This event initiated the entire battle of the band arc, which Volume 7 here will continue to cover.

When Shiho Izumi first appeared as a real main character and not just in brief mentions, I was a bit worried that the flow of the manga that had been established up till now would be hurt, as with many readers who are likely here for our main duo. I was a bit scared that the drama would prevent or stall the current relationship developments that we’ve had since the beginning of the series, but I think the last volume, and especially this one proves that will not be the case. Eku Takeshima is using this opportunity to not only reinforce the strength in our duo’s relationship but also as a catalyst to explore characters that might not have been as memorable.

Also, on the note of the drama overtaking the environment, the fluffiness of the manga continues to shine through even in tense situations, as Himari’s cute character, even to other characters in the manga, alleviates much of the tension from a lot of the situations.

The volume kicks off with a bang, making it clear that we won’t be taking a step back after the last volume’s kiss. Yori invites Himari to spend the night at her place, setting the stage for a playful kissing session after Himari teases Yori about using “Kino” instead of her first name. This chapter showcases the series’ charm quite well; it doesn’t rush the relationship, maintaining a great pace without moving backward or becoming overly slow. The interaction between the two characters feels genuinely pure and innocent, a quality that can sometimes be lost in other mangas where things tend to become lewder rather than more intimate. Himari’s brightness and fluffiness provide a great contrast to Yori’s more timid and stoic demeanor (at least, as she appears on the outside). Given how brightly and emotive Himari can be at times, it makes a lot of sense that she is the one who consistently breaks through Yori’s cool exterior, causing her to blush and feel embarrassed. Among all the characters in the show, Himari has the strongest presence and truly brings out the best in the other characters. She’s truly a character you just can’t dislike so you really do see and relate to Yori’s love for Himari throughout the manga.

In fact, I would say Shiho Izumi is a rather unlikable character, and her interactions with Himari, for example, are one of the only ways the manga has found to humanize her more (besides her flashback) and show off her good side. This is what I meant by Himari bringing out the best in other characters because it works enough to where you don’t really dislike Shiho, even if she isn’t a character you like, per se.

In the chapter right after Himari and Yori’s cute and intimate moment, we get a small glimpse into the relationship between our supporting characters, Kaori Tachibana and Mari Tsutsui. I really like this aspect as they are perhaps the least developed part of the main cast, and their childhood together was super adorable. While short, it didn’t need to be a long flashback, as many things we could already assume from their interactions we’ve seen in present day. Takeshima excels so much at drawing characters’ chibi form and expressions that joyful memories like this just work so well. His characters expressions just comes off as very organic due to his unique linework and shape.

Going into more of the story in this volume, the first half, as I’ve already stated, was more focused on Himari and Yori for the most part. The SSGIRLS interact fully in the 2nd chapter, with a lot of extra characterization added to Tsutsui. The other half of the story is a bit less easygoing, with a twist that some people might not expect. I won’t be directly spoiling it here, but I did not expect it at all, and it might be darker than what some people were expecting. Shiho’s portrayal during this, I feel, was done well. They weren’t trying to make us feel complete sympathy towards her; they showed a lot of her ugly side, yet her determination as well, which I thought made her a realistic character. Seeing Himari’s interactions with Lorelei has been a very interesting experience alongside the overall characterization of Shiho. Shiho has had genuinely cruel and petty moments that are almost indefensible in her favor, but through her interactions with her band, Himari, someone who’s dating someone she despise, you can tell that Shiho does have a nice and genuine side to her. That’s why I loved that Himari was the first one to break down her guard at the end of the volume, but I also hate that they left me with a cliffhanger like that (till Volume 8 we wait…).

Whisper Me a Love Song is one of my current favorite ongoing romance manga because of how well-developed and progressed the relationships seem to be, without creating any unnecessary plot lines. This arc will likely reach its conclusion in Volume 8, and I can’t wait to see it personally and want to see where they go from there once all this drama is over. I wouldn’t mind if they took a break from the drama for a while because the cute fluff and relationship moments are definitely my favorite parts of this manga. I mean, the intimate moment between Himari and Yori in the first two chapters of this volume, along with Mari and Kaori, was just too cute.

In other news, the anime for this manga will be coming out in April 2024! I will be doing an “Anime Outlook” article for the anime once the 2nd PV releases. I am not sure where the anime will cover or end off, as Shiho is already confirmed to be in the show, but there’s almost no way they’ll be able to cover 7-8 volumes in the manga. The only way would be to extremely rush it, I hope that is not the case, but whatever it may be, I hope to see you guys then!