Whisper Me a Love Song

Episodes 11-12

It has been a while since we last saw Whisper Me a Love Song, but at long last, we're finally getting the last two episodes of its rather tortured season. They have the unenviable job of wrapping up two romances and the story as a whole, which is a lot to put on a mere fifty-odd minutes, but I think they manage to pull it off. Does it look amazing? No, but it's also better than the series at its lowest visual point, and the story still can convey the most important point: that while Shiho may be an expert in self-sabotage, she has people around her, both living and dead, who aren't going to let that fully happen.

I think that the brief scene where Kyou's ghost comes to give Shiho the push she needs to finally allow herself a chance at happiness is the strongest moment of these episodes. Shiho has been fighting herself for so long, making the wrong choice at every opportunity – or at least the choice that will allow her to blame someone else for whatever's going on. It's Kyou's fault for dying, it's Aki's fault for not noticing Shiho's feelings, it's Yori's fault for existing…everyone's to blame except Shiho herself. That's why it's so important that Kyou, the person who started it all (at least in Shiho's mind), gives her permission to be happy. Whether you believe it truly was her spirit or that something in Aki's impassioned speech finally allowed Shiho to let go of the memory she was clinging to, what's most important is that Shiho decided that maybe the future, and not the past, is where she ought to focus.

The second half of this series was more Aki and Shiho's story than Himari and Yori's, and their resolution is more fraught than Himari and Yori's, which I think is part of the difference between the tone of their romances. Himari and Yori's is about Himari deciding if the love she feels for Yori is platonic or romantic, opening the door to a discussion of whether she's possibly demi-or-asexual but homoromantic, something I personally appreciate about the series. With Aki and Shiho, there's never a question of their attraction to other women, both romantic and sexual, and so it's about overcoming their misunderstandings to get to a place where they can understand each other. Himari is never anything but open with Yori, while Shiho is anything but open with Aki until the end, and then she's actively lying to herself about her feelings. Yori doesn't take long to figure herself out, but Aki takes the entirety of the second half of the series to realize how she feels. It's an interesting contrast, and I think it makes the series stronger to have both present. I'll grant you that it works better in the source manga, but it's still wonderful that the series can explore the different forms romantic relationships take. There's so much more to things than just “gay” or “straight.”

In its final episode, Whisper Me a Love Song finally delivers the music that was lacking from its earlier outings. SSGirls sings two songs almost fully, and the music serves as the backdrop for the emotional turmoil the characters are experiencing. Himari's puppyish antics turn out to have worked when they could have backfired, and overall I think things end on a warm, positive note. The series never fully lives up to its promise (or manga), and many of the visual issues, such as this looking more like a visual novel than an anime, remain. Still, at the end of the day, I'm glad I watched this. Yori and Himari are adorable, but seeing Shiho learn to start moving forward feels like the real reward.

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Whisper Me a Love Song is currently streaming on HIDIVE.