is a Japanese ''

yuri Yuri may refer to: People and fictional characters Given name *Yuri (Slavic name), the Slavic masculine form of the given name George, including a list of people with the given name Yuri, Yury, etc. *Yuri (Japanese name), also Yūri, feminine Jap ...

manga Manga (Japanese: 漫画 ) are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long prehistory in earlier Japanese art. The term ''manga'' is u ...

written and illustrated by Eku Takeshima. It was first serialized in

Ichijinsha is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA whose main purpose was to edit shōnen manga. ...

's ''

Comic Yuri Hime is a manga anthology magazine published in Japan by Ichijinsha. It began as a quarterly publication in July 2005, but was issued bimonthly on odd months from January 2011 to December 2016, when it became monthly. Kanako Umezawa has served as ''Co ...

'' April 2019 issue and is licensed in English by

Kodansha Comics Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC is a publishing company based in New York, USA, and a subsidiary of Japan's largest publishing company Kodansha. Established in July 2008, Kodansha USA publishes books relating to Japan, Japanese culture, and manga, ...

. An

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series adaptation by

Yokohama Animation Laboratory is a Japanese animation studio based in Naka-ku, Yokohama is one of the 18 wards of the city of Yokohama in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. In 2010, the ward had an estimated population of 146,563 and a population density of 7,080 persons per k ...

and

Cloud Hearts is a Japanese animation studio based in Suginami, Tokyo. History The studio was founded on June 1, 2021, with Yokohama Animation Laboratory serves as the studio's cooperation partner. Works Television series Notes References External lin ...

is set to premiere in January 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.

Characters

; : : 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 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. ; : : 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. ; : : A stoic third-year student and the drummer for SS Girls. She comes from a rich background and is childhood friends with Kaori. ; : : An easygoing third-year student and the keyboardist for SS Girls. She has been friends with Kaori since childhood. ; : 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. ; : : 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. ; : 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. ; : 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

's ''

'' magazine, released on February 18, 2019. It has been compiled into seven ''

tankōbon is the Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or cultur ...

'' volumes as of January 18, 2023.

Kodansha USA Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC is a publishing company based in New York, USA, and a subsidiary of Japan's largest publishing company Kodansha. Established in July 2008, Kodansha USA publishes books relating to Japan, Japanese culture, and manga, ...

licensed the series in English and began releasing volumes in North America from October 2020.

Anime

television series adaptation was announced on January 13, 2023. The series will be produced by

and

and directed by Cai Xinya, with Hiroki Uchida overseeing series' scripts, and Minami Yoshida designing the characters. It is set to premiere in January 2024.

Reception

Erica Friedman of

Yuricon Yuricon was an anime convention geared toward fans of yuri anime and manga. The first Yuricon event was held in 2003 in Newark, New Jersey with about 200 attending, although Yuricon has existed as an online entity since 2000. The event was or ...

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." 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." Rebecca Silverman of

Anime News Network Anime News Network (ANN) is a news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, video games, Japanese popular music and other related cultures within North America, Australia, Southeast Asia and Japan. The website offers reviews and oth ...

praised the characters and called it "a yuri series you don't want to miss." Nicki Bauman likewise praised the characters, calling them "delightfully passionate and excited by each other" but criticized the series's pacing. In 2020, ''Whisper Me a Love Song'' was nominated for Niconico and Da Vinci's

Next Manga Awards The is an annual award for manga series presented by Kadokawa Corporation's ''Da Vinci (magazine), Da Vinci'' magazine and Niconico streaming website. It is divided into two categories: one for print manga, and one for web manga. Overview The aw ...

, and placed eighteenth out of 50 nominees.

References

External links

Official Japanese manga website

Official English manga website

Official anime website
* {{Cloud Hearts 2019 manga 2010s LGBT literature Anime series based on manga Cloud Hearts Ichijinsha manga School life in anime and manga Slice of life anime and manga Upcoming anime television series Yokohama Animation Laboratory Yuri (genre) anime and manga