#satomiya momoka

[kurayamineko]

[angrydisasterlesbian]

I'M SO HAPPY WE GOT TO SEE MOMOKA! She deserves way more attention than she does

[jaydoubler]

RANTS OF SOMEONE BORED

I think it's not too far fetched for Amasawa Hajime—Lorelei's drummer—to be part of the Wind Ensemble which would be funny if she actually is, because Mizuguchi Aki's little sister Miki is also part of that club.

In Chapter 9, Momoka mentions that there are other two girls besides her—both of which never show up. Now here, I thought the other two girls were Amasawa Hajime and Izumi Shiho.

However, in Chapter 18, when Himari and Momoka were talking about preparing for the upcoming Culture Fest, Momoka mentions that she thinks they can't get the club president to show up. This dissolved my theory that both Lorelei's drummer and vocalist were part of the Cooking Club—only one of them could possibly be, since I can't imagine either of them being the club president (lmao, i know, so biased).

Then moments later, Lorelei shows up and meets Himari for the first time. As they finished their business, Hajime says she's "off to club" meaning she's obviously not part of the Cooking Club but another club (which is why I think she's part of Wind Ensemble since Mari also mentioned in Chapter 17 that she was a decorated concert flautist—which would line up with the nature of her club). This leaves Shiho as the potential other ghost member.

As Hajime leaves, Momoka forces asks Shiho to stick around for a few minutes which later reveals she is indeed one of the two members who never show up.

About the Cooking Club's Ghost President

Now while I'm certainly interested in this character, I doubt Takeshima-sensei will have him/her appear any time soon. Maybe the character is actually insignificant and she doesn't even have any plans to give them an appearance and it's just me overthinking everything lmao

About Amasawa Hajime and Mizuguchi Miki (potentially) being in the same club

Just to be clear, I'm not shipping them! (Although I ship Hajime & Momoka, I also feel complicated about that since it seems like Momoka still loves Hajime's dead older sister, Amasawa Kyou—who was also the violinist Shiho couldn't beat).

I just find it interesting and exciting to think that a link connects Aki with a member of Lorelei. In Chapter 37, Shiho declared a resolute will to cut ties with Aki once the Culture Fest was over, believing Lorelei wouldn't lose the bet. Honestly speaking? It would suck if SSGIRLS won just because they are this story's main band.

Which leads me to think: what if SSGIRLS really loses? Aki would need to keep her end of the deal and respect Shiho's wishes. But then, what if they keep crossing paths because Aki's little sister is in the same club as Lorelei's drummer? I want to know how Takeshima-sensei plans to utilize this connection🫣! Who knows, maybe they'll have a hand in helping them stubborn girlfriends reconcile lmao

[ecargmura]

Whisper Me A Love Song Episode 5 Review - A Time Limit

*gasp* No powerpoint transition slides? *gasp* Aki is not a toxic third wheel? Wow, I’m impressed. Aki could have easily been that toxic third wheel in a love triangle, but I’m glad the writer didn’t go that route for her. Instead, Aki does play a more pivotal role for Himari to realize that she needs to get a grip and understand her feelings as soon as possible. Yori is a third year, so she only has one year left until she graduates and if she does, Himari might not even be able to see her often anymore. It’d be too late. I’m glad that time is an important factor here. Himari can’t mull over her feelings. What if she suddenly develops feelings for Yori and Yori is no longer at school? I’m glad that Himari finally realizes the risks that love puts in and that she needs to hurry, but not rush.

Realizing that Yori might be taken away if she doesn’t hurry up, Himari learns to take things a bit seriously now. She’s really trying her best to find a good time to respond to Yori’s feelings. She even felt jealous at the thought of Yori being taken away, so there’s some good progression? She even gets love advice from Momoka. She learns from her that love is just something that happens and it doesn’t need to be expressed physically like with hugs or kisses.

Yori finally finishes her love song to Himari and she calls it Sunny Spot. Wait a second… isn’t that what Himari means? Oh ho ho… The part where Himari meets the band was so cute. Kaori wanted to hug Himari but got glared at by Yori. I don’t know why, but Yori’s behavior really reminds me of Sasaki from Sasaki and Miyano from the gentle simp behavior to glaring at anyone who wants to touch Himari. 

Momoka was the MVP in this episode. The person who casted Reina Ueda as Momoka deserves a raise. Gosh, Momoka was such a gem in this episode. I want a side story for her. Is she in love with Hajime? Or the blue-haired girl? Speaking of which, who is that blue-haired girl? She seems to know Kaori… Wait, is she that Shiho girl Aki briefly mentioned in a past episode?

I can’t wait to hear Sunny Spot. I’m sure it’ll be a great song. Overall, this was a good episode that gives good progression to Himari and a bit more characterization to Aki. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[yurimother]

Yuri Anime 'Whisper Me a Love Song' Announce April 13 Debut; HIDIVE to Simulcast

Last Friday, an announcement posted to the official website for the upcoming television anime adaptation of Eku Takeshima's Whisper Me a Love Song (Sasayaku You ni Koi o Utau) revealed that the series will premiere on April 13. Additionally, on Wednesday, Sentai Filmworks announced that it has licensed the anime and will stream the anime internationally on HIDIVE.

Whisper Me a Love Song follows first-year high school student Himari Kino, who, at a welcome ceremony, witnesses Yori Asanagi singing and instantly falls in "love." She immediately confesses her admiration to Yori, who misinterprets Himari's feelings as romantic. However, once she realizes her mistake, Yori swears that she will make Himari fall for her for real.

The release date announcement also included a new key visual (above) and information about the opening and ending themes. Whisper Me A Love Song's opening theme, "Follow your arrows," is performed by the fictional band SSGIRLS from the anime and sung by Kana Sasakura, who provides the singing voice for main character Yori Asanagi.

Sentai Filmworks will simulcast the anime exclusively on HIDIVE in North America, Australia, the the British Isles. The North American premiere will be screened at Anime Boston 2024 on March 29.

The anime, which was delayed from its initially announced January premiere, is directed by Akira Mano at Cloud Hearts and Yokohama Animation Laboratory. Mano replaced the initially announced director, Xin Ya Cai, due to "health reasons." Character designer Minami Yoshida and script supervisor Hiroki Uchida join Mano.

The anime stars Hana Shimano as Himari Kino and Asami Seto as Yori Asanagi. Additional cast includes:

Konomi Kohara as Mari Tsutsui

Mikako Komatsu as Aki Mizuguchi

Ai Kakuma as Kaori Tachibana

Yuna Nemoto as Shiho Izumi

Reina Ueda as Momoka Satomiya

Chika Anzai as Hajime Amasawa

Aoi Koga as Miki Mizuguchi

Ichijinsha serializes the original manga in Ichijinsha's Comic Yuri Hime. Kodansha USA publishes the manga in English and will release the eighth volume on March 26.

Sources: Official Anime Website, HIDIVE Press Release

[kurayamineko]

[kurayamineko]

[kurayamineko]

[kurayamineko]

[kurayamineko]

Himari x Yori - Follow your arrows

[angrydisasterlesbian]

I adore how Shiho is with her bandmates

[ecargmura]

Whisper Me A Love Song Episode 10 Review - The Birth Of Laureley

This anime is slowly becoming the Shiho show…and I’m all for it. I don’t know why but Shiho is such an interesting character. She’s complicated, but understandably so. She loves music, but when things don’t go the way she wants it to, she changes a different path. She went from violinist to guitarist all because she loves music.

This episode reveals the birth of Laureley. It turns out that the reason the three members are all connected was because of one girl: Kyou Amasawa. Yes, Shiho’s rival violinist was the key factor in all of this. Why? She died in an accident, leaving behind her rival Shiho, her now ex-girlfriend Momoka and younger sister Hajime. The fact that she has a connection to all three of them shocked me. It feels a little awkward given that I was shipping Hajime and Momoka, but it turns out that Momoka was Kyou’s girlfriend. However, I don’t know what Kyou and Momoka were like as a couple, so I’m still on the HajiMomo ship—also, if you’re a manga reader, do they get together?

Kyou and Shiho’s relationship was complicated, but it was also friendly. Kyou shined brighter than her when it came to being a violinist, so Shiho decided to be a guitarist in order to one-up Kyou, but also hoping to shine bright in her new path. They weren’t friends, only acquaintances, but it was sad to see Shiho’s tension towards Kyou die out once she was gone. She even goes to talk to her at her grave like they were friends. It’s clearly sad to realize what was precious only when it’s gone. Maybe it’s just me overthinking, but had Shiho not been petty over Kyou one-upping her in violin, I feel like they could’ve fallen in love with each other? There’s a lot of romantic tension in their interaction and that it could’ve easily turned into a rival-to-lovers scenario. However, Kyou had a girlfriend and she’s dead and Shiho is in love with Aki.

Speaking of Aki, Himari finally learns why Shiho has beef with her. It turns out that she fell for Aki at first sight like how Himari fell for Yori. It was just Shiho being drawn towards Aki that made her fall hard. Himari also learns why she has beef with her girlfriend. It turns out that she knew Yori was the person Aki was in love with and learning that she’s in love with her caused Shiho to become very upset. It hurts falling for someone who’s in love with another right? With this revelation, I actually like that Himari put two and two together and figured out that Shiho’s in love with Aki and that’s the reason she hates Yori. Himari can be intuitive when necessary! I wonder if she’ll play a part in getting Aki and Shiho to make up and to encourage the latter to confess to the former.

This episode was very engaging to be honest. I was seriously shocked about the connection that they all share with Kyou and all of the backstory. However, there are still little YoriHima scenes and I do wish there will be more in the last two episodes. I miss them. Episodes 11 & 12 are postponed indefinitely, by the way. What are your thoughts on this episode?

[ecargmura]

Whisper Me A Love Song Episode 9 Review - Band Drama Intensifies

Whisper Me A Love Song is back after a delay and there’s even more drama now. To be honest, the delay actually benefitted a lot because the animation actually looks a lot nicer. Though, to be fair, there’s still little issues like the typical powerpoint slides and still shots, but no one looks derpy and Mari isn’t disappearing whenever she’s playing her drums now. That’s a good thing!

Like I said, there’s a lot of drama but I don’t really know whose fault this is. It could be Himari’s who stuck her nose into Shiho’s business and tried to make her reconcile with Aki, but it could also be Shiho’s fault for dragging Himari into the mess as she finds out Himari and Yori are dating. I’d say that it’s both of their faults. Himari’s at fault for being an airhead and not realizing that they’re at bad terms. It’s also Shiho’s fault for being too stubborn on telling Aki why she quit SSGirls and only decided to compete when she learned Himari is Yori’s girlfriend. I think it’s super obvious that Shiho’s issues are from that she’s the extremely jealous type but she won’t ever admit that. Also, Himari, why you didn’t invite Miki to the taste-testing?

Drama aside, it’s nice to see that the rival bands are getting heated up for the culture festival competition. SSGirls are thinking about making a new song for the event and Laureley wants to go pro. Like, they’re all motivated to compete and that is a good thing because you have competition—someone to defeat. It makes you want to bring your A-game. Heck, even Himari is doing a rather good job of being Laureley’s manager. This could be a good working experience for her.

Aside from that, there’s more to Laureley in this episode. It seems that Shiho was only acquainted with Hajime and Momoka a year ago while Momoka and Hajime knew each other longer. Given that there’s an important day coming up and Hajime and Momoka look somber, I can deduce that there used to be a previous band member in Laureley and they’re dead. Either she was a fourth member or she was the member before Shiho joined. Whatever she may be, I know that member is female and she’s dead. There are way too many Given parallels here and I feel bad for making so many comparisons…

I’m surprised that they kept Meritocracy as the ending song for this episode. Though, they should keep doing so. It’s an amazing song! The official singer, Sui Mizukami, even uploaded a music video of the full version on her official Youtube Channel! I think Episode 10 will air next week? I don’t know. I’ll just post a review whenever it comes out. What are your thoughts on this episode and the drama?

[ecargmura]

Whisper Me A Love Song Episode 4 Review - Aki, No!

Of these three, which one is the worst in your opinion? Powerpoint transition slides, showing a band practicing via slideshows or unexpected lesbian love drama? For me, it’s the second one. This is an anime that has singing and a band as a premise, yet you cut the band practice? Heresy.

Yori’s decision to join the band officially was so she could get Himari to fall in love with her genuinely. At first, she only took music as a little hobby that she indulges in to express herself, but she decides to take it seriously. It’s actually a nice feeling to find a drive when you want to do something you like. For example, I like writing, so the drive to want to take writing seriously is something I totally understand. 

Because Yori decides to join the band, the time she spends with Himari lessens, which upsets Himari, but she knows she can’t have her to herself all the time. This causes Himari to think about joining a club on days she doesn’t meet with Yori. After searching around, Himari decides to join the cooking club as there’s only one active member and two ghost members.

Two new characters make their debut. The first is the other member of the cooking club, Momoka Satomiya. First off, I love her design. The side bun with the light brown hair is just the good mix of ladylike and cute. While she’s like a big sister to Himari and that she likes cooking, she’s rather mysterious in a way. She looks as if she could be a potential love rival to Yori and she gets that feeling too, especially since Yori got all jealous of Himari constantly mentioning her, which, in turn, affects her music. However, whether she’ll be another of Himari’s suitors or a side couple with the girl with the long blue hair is unknown. Her voice actress is Reina Ueda and I didn’t expect to see that name pop up in a yuri anime; she’s in everything now! What’s next, she’s going to be in a BL anime as a side character? Will she be in Yugioh? Digimon?

The second is that girl with the long blue hair. She has a guitar or a bass on her back, showcasing that she’s in a band. However, she doesn’t seem to be in SSSGirls and is in a different band. Given that the anime is about bands, it makes sense that there should be several bands or at least a rival one at that. This girl seems like she’s a rival band member. Does she have a love line with Momoka, given that she’s a ghost member of the cooking club and she asked her to feed her banana bread?

The tension in the air I felt when Aki revealed her feelings for Yori to Himari was sharp. It was a bit obvious she liked Yori and it was hinted at, but for her to actually go in and declare herself as competition to Himari makes me worried. Aki, don’t be a snake or I’ll throw a book at you. Since I’ve never watched a yuri anime until now, how bad are love triangles in yuri shows? Are they messy? Are they dramatic? If they are, I’ll be both excited and worried.

Gosh, I just hope nothing bad happens afterwards. I just hope that this doesn’t cause Himari to rush things through and hurt Yori by asking her out when her feelings aren’t mutual yet. The last thing I need is for Himari to be reckless. Despite that, I think the little twist with Aki is a good sign that the romance in this show isn’t all sweet, pure and straightforward. It’s got some seasoning and that’s okay! I like my sweet romances and the seasoned ones too! What are your thoughts on this episode?

[yurimother]

'Whisper Me a Love Song' Yuri Anime Now Streaming

The first episode of Cloud Hearts and Yokohama Animation Laboratory's high school Yuri romance anime Whisper Me a Love Song (Sasayaku You ni Koi o Utau) is now streaming in North America on HIDIVE. The first episode premiered on April 13, and new episodes are simulcast every Saturday at 12:30 PM EST.

Whisper Me a Love Song follows first-year high school student Himari Kino, who, at a welcome ceremony, witnesses Yori Asanagi singing and instantly falls in “love.” She immediately confesses her admiration to Yori, who misinterprets Himari’s feelings as romantic. However, once she realizes her mistake, Yori swears that she will make Himari fall for her for real. The anime will run for 12 episodes, according to HIDIVE.

The anime is based on the manga of the same name by Eku Takeshima. The manga began serialization in Comic Yuri Hime in February 2019. As of March 2024, Ichjinsha has published nine collected volumes of the series in Japanese, and Kodansha USA has published eight in English.

The anime, which was delayed from its initially announced January premiere, is directed by Akira Mano at Cloud Hearts and Yokohama Animation Laboratory. Mano replaced the initially announced director, Xin Ya Cai, due to “health reasons.” Additional staff includes character designer Minami Yoshida and script supervisor Hiroki Uchida join Mano.

The anime stars Hana Shimano as Himari Kino and Asami Seto as Yori Asanagi. Additional cast includes:

Konomi Kohara as Mari Tsutsui

Mikako Komatsu as Aki Mizuguchi

Ai Kakuma as Kaori Tachibana

Yuna Nemoto as Shiho Izumi

Reina Ueda as Momoka Satomiya

Chika Anzai as Hajime Amasawa

Aoi Koga as Miki Mizuguchi

You can stream Whisper Me a Love Song today with English subtitles on HIDIVE in North America, the British Isles, and Australia.

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Manga Review — Whisper Me A Love Song Vol 1-3

A Joyous Exploration of Love that Strikes a Chord

It is by no means a stretch to call Eku Takeshima's Whisper Me a Love Song one of the most popular Yuri manga series of the moment. Last Summer, the manga won second place in Yuri Navi's Fourth Yuri Manga Sousenkyo behind only the ever-popular Bloom Into You. Indeed many draw connections and comparisons between the work and Nakatani's near-worshiped bestseller, and for good reason, as the high school romances explore similar themes of discovery and question what love is. I have been saving this series for some time, and with Kodansha's recent release of volume three, it seemed the perfect time to dive deep into a review and reading of not one, not two, but three volumes of the beloved series.

Whisper Me a Love Song follows energetic first-year high school student Himari. On her first day at school, she sees a performance by the school's band and is instantly captivated by the music and the band's fill-in lead singer, Yori. When Himari confesses her "love" to Yori, she is surprised when the senpai returns her feelings. However, the two have different ideas of love and struggle to reconcile with their feelings of affection and admiration for each other.

A central theme for the first three volumes of Whisper Me a Love Song is exploring what love means. While Yori feels a romantic attraction towards Himari and wants to start dating her, Himari's love is not amorous. She loves Yori's music, loves spending time with her senpai, and loves the idea of seeing her perform with the band again, all of which are valid forms of affection, but she does not know how to return Yori's feelings. The first three volumes see the two characters explore the meaning of love and relationships. It feels very appropriate and fitting in terms of a theme for the school-aged characters, like something a real youth may experience. Figuring out what love means to you is something many adolescents, particularly queer ones, will undoubtedly experience.

Takeshima tackles the subject matter of Whisper Me a Love Song's exploration of love deftly. For one, there is a complex myriad of emotions for both characters to feel and express. For example, Himari feels appropriately confused and conflicted during much of the series. She wants to spend time with Yori and enjoys her company, but also wracked with guilt over not returning Yori's affection, especially once Yori's bandmate Aki confesses that she is in love with Yori requests Himari stand aside to let Yori off the hook. The best part of Himari's journey is unquestionably when she seeks advice, whether from family or another older student, Momoka Satomiya. One particular conversation with her mother resonates well. As she explains to the child, love is something you can grow into, and you may date someone without being completely enamored by them. It may feel like an obvious lesson, but one we rarely hear or see expressed in romance narratives.

ori's journey is a bit less complex and compelling than Himari's. While in the first volume, she struggles to give voice to her feelings and drives much of the story, in the later story, she is mainly reactionary to Himari. For example, when Himari begins spending time with Momoka, she feels jealous and worried. While her character lacks some agency in the second and third books, her stories are still compelling and her growth noticeable. Himari's love of seeing her perform with the band causes her to confront her stage fright and join them full time. Her steadfast conviction that she can write an enchanting love song to get Himari to fall for her is likewise adorable and has the perfect amount of youthful, fanciful optimism.

However, the best part of Whisper Me a Love Song is the sheer joy Himari and Yori get from spending time together. The bubbly younger girl is constantly bouncing off the walls and eager to see Yori and get to listen to her music, and for Yori's part, her passion and excitement, whenever she sees Himari, is evident. It is a lovely change from the typical aloof and damaged star pupil we expect from the senpai in a Yuri series. Chapters featuring the girls going out shopping together or picking outfits became standouts for me, not for their Sapphic content but merely the contagious happiness and pleasure both girls show. Other notable elements of the series include its supporting cast, who are thrilled by Yori and Himari's struggle and enthusiastically encourage both girls with a furious lesbian ride-or-dieism one usually expects to find only in liberal arts colleges.

While the series has many strengths, it does stumble on multiple occasions and has a few points against it. For one, it misses a huge opportunity to explore LGBTQ+ identity. This feature would have been the perfect accompaniment to Himari's journey to understand love and its different forms. While outright discussion of same-sex romance is unusual for Yuri, its absence here is somewhat more prominent because of its subject matter.

Furthermore, Whisper Me a Love Song has some struggles with pacing. Despite being relatively long for a Yuri manga, it moves quickly from one issue to the next while not always taking time to explore them fully. For example, the first two volumes effectively build and foreshadow the revelation that another girl loves Yori. Only for the plot to just as quickly come the next book, with Aki, the girl who once asked Himari to let her have Yori, suddenly changing her character and encouraging their relationship to develop. The one advantage of this quick pace is that it allows for the series to have turmoil and emotion without becoming too steeped in melodrama.

Sadly, the series' faults are highlighted a bit more due to its unfortunate similarity to Bloom Into You. Comparing the two Yuri series is understandable, as they deal with the analogous subject matter, and Takeshima's series began hitting its stride shortly after Bloom Into You was winding down. However, the latter has the advantage of being much more fleshed out, with eight volumes, a (phenomenal) light novel spin-off, two anthologies, and an anime series. While both series appear to survey many familiar Yuri tropes, Bloom Into You, for the most part, manipulated these in subversive and exciting ways, especially when it came to Sayaka. Whisper Me a Love Song does not have any such achievements, although there is still time for the continuing series. I will say, though, Himari's journey of exploring love and seeking advice from different sources about what it can mean is both more exciting and realistic than Yuu's "come to lesbian Jesus" moment at the end of her series.

Whisper Me a Love Song is a delightful school romance series. Takeshima brilliantly chose to put two characters feeling different forms of affection and admiration together, and the result is a passionate and fast-paced exploration of what love means. The main characters, Himari and Yori, are so delightfully passionate and excited by each other that it is hard not to get swept up in their emotions and pure gleefulness. The series has some issues with pacing and being a little too predictable and safe. However, the compelling central relationship will entice most readers. Hopefully, once it has a bit more time to do its own thing and delve a bit deeper, this uncut gem of a series will shine like a polished jewel. I can unequivocally say that I am now a dedicated fan and am very excited for volume 4, especially given the end of the third book. But if you want to find out more about that, you will have to pick up this series for yourself.

Special thanks to translator Kevin Steinbach, letterer Jennifer Skarupa, editors Tiff Joshua and TJ Ferentini, and the rest of the team at Kodansha Comics for their excellent work on Whisper Me a Love Song.

Ratings: Story – 8 Characters – 8 Art – 7 LGBTQ – 4 Sexual Content – 1 Final – 8

Check out Whisper Me a Love Song Volumes 1-3 in English digitally and in paperback: https://amzn.to/3idOaAy