Forum - View topicREVIEW: Whispered Words GN 1
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unitmikey
 Posts: 286 |
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Well guys, I had no idea until now that the Sasameki manga got licensed either haha.
But the anime, to me, started strong and then went quickly into mediocre territory, so unless the manga version is really different, I might not be picking this up. Then again, I want to support yuri releases because, based off of blog reviews, it seems like there are so many more great titles waiting to get licensed (crosses fingers). Aside from that, I remember seeing the chapters for this in some of the random issues of Comic Alive that I have, and I really don't think the art is too good in my opinion. Stranger even, this anime really wasn't trashy at all, coming from Comic Alive. I liked that Sasameki (the anime) was more subdued. By now it seems that Yuri has really, really expanded as a "genre". Strawberry Panic, Sasameki Koto, Maria-Sama, and Simoun are all very different series. Let's just hope we can get more steady Yuri licenses, instead of that seven seas spurt a little while back. But Aoi Hana is on digital??????!!!! I don't like getting digital at all really, but I might make this an exception. |
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zensunni
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I watched the anime and loved it right up until the "WTF? That's all????" ending. I immediately searched out the manga and discovered one of the finest love stories ever put to print, in my opinion, with a fairly large amount of social commentary and exceptional character development. I pre-ordered the manga so long ago I nearly had forgotten I ordered it when it arrived.
I was disappointed with the translation issues, but other than that, it is wonderful to have it in an official release. I eagerly await the second omnibus volume, as that part of the story is, in my opinion, even better than the first half. The realism of the emotions and interpersonal relationships is what sets it apart from other manga, yuri or otherwise. A story doesn't have to involve a same sex couple to have the situation where the protagonist knows he/she is "not the type" of the girl he/she longs for and, in addition, having the underlying fear of trying to take that step across the line from best friends to lovers, failing, and losing one's very best friend in the whole world in the process. It is a daunting and worthy forest of emotions to explore and Ikeda-sensei explores them with great skill. One quibble with the review:
While I agree that Whispered Words handles the topic of discrimination based on sexual preference extremely well, and believe me, it gets even better in the 2nd half, I don't agree that the world of Girl Friends is "more accepting". By the end of Girl Friends, spoiler[Mari and Akko have yet to tell anyone about their relationship. They haven't come out to their parents, or even their very best friends. They feel certain that, when the time comes, their friends will support them, but they are still afraid to be public about their love for each other. Sure, one of their friends, Sugi-san, knows and is accepting, though she was really not so accepting of the concept earlier, practically telling Akko that she really shouldn't go there. Once she realized that it wasn't a "passing phase" type of thing, she basically became their biggest supporter in secret and helped them discretely, to the point that the two of them wonder if she really knows. (I always thought Akko should have come clean and told Mari that, while she never told her outright, she pretty much asked for enough advice on the topic that Sugi-san knows about them, but I can forgive her for not exposing her own tortured path to accepting her sexual orientation fully.)] Non-spoiler version - I don't see anything particularly accepting about the Girl Friends setting. It just lacks overt discrimination, with only a bit of implied "that ain't right, but to each her own" from one character. But there is never a chance for anyone to actually display anti-gay bias in the story, either.... At this point, I still view Girl Friends as my favorite Yuri manga, with Whispered Words a close second. Where Girl Friends excels is in the romance, while Whispered Words is best in the comedy department. Both of them have extremely realistic handling of the emotional and romantic aspects of "discovering how you feel" and certain characters coming to grips with their sexual preference. (Though that is more in Girl Friends, since Sumi and Ushio are both pretty comfortable with their preference from the start, just one is still in the closet.) I love Girl Friends more overall and find the romance in it to be more compelling, though the part that is yet to come in Whispered Words has some extremely well done romantic story lines. However, the ending of Whispered Words is, in my opinion, one of the finest endings to any romantic story I have read, yuri, yaoi, hetero or cross species! (Blue Drop counts as that, right? LOL) It is radiant, heartwarming, and sweet beyond belief. Though the "beyond belief" part is part of why Girl Friends still wins out, [EDITED because the spoilers were too spoilery after reading them over... Sorry] Some of the behavior by the main couple just stretches the suspension of disbelief too far! The third yuri manga in this mix, until Citrus gets further along and, potentially, knocks them all out of the ring, is Aoi Hana, with its traditional girl's school setting with yuri relationships everywhere and the "passing phase" issue being a strong influence on the story as well. I posted this somewhere a while back, but this is my interpretation of how each of these series is structured in terms of being Romantic Comedy/Drama stories: Girl Friends - Romance / Drama / Comedy Whispered Words - Comedy / Romance / Drama Aoi Hana - Drama / Romance / Comedy If I had to guess, I would say Citrus is going to be somewhere between Girl Friends and Aoi Hana on that scale. I haven't decided if drama or romance will take top billing for that story yet. |
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Polycell
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@unitmikey
The anime adapted the first two volumes and added an episode of its own(admittedly, this is the best place to stop if you don't intend on finishing). Of nine. This release include the third. |
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Fencedude5609
 Posts: 5088 |
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What the? Why in the world would that make it better? Hell, the ENTIRE POINT is that this is "just another romance story", only you know, between two girls. And I don't even understand what you are saying in your second paragraph? Is this in regards to the actual manga or your hypothetical "straight" version? Please explain how making this a straight relationship would make this better, preferably without implying that all stories about homosexual relationships have to be filled with angst and depression. |
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HitokiriShadow
 Posts: 6251 |
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This is one of literally two anime in existence like this (maybe three if you lump in Sakura Trick. If your issue is that this is like one of the billions of het romances out there.... why is this the one that needs to change? Why not one of the 5 billion het romances? Every single one of those could be in the same 'unique situation', they'd just have to turn the object of the main character's affections gay. (And not have them be un-gayed.) Frankly, your idea of how to make this 'more interesting' is rather disturbing. |
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誤称
Posts: 549 |
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ZOMG, homosexual romance is the same as heterosexual romance. Film at 11.
Love is bloody love already. There's nothing special about gay romance that makes it inherently different than straight romance except the like plumbing. |
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Animegomaniac
Posts: 4082 |
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Yes, because announcing to the world you're straight is such a high hurdle. Unless you keep the entire relationship secret.
And number two: I haven't read the manga or seen the show but here's what the reviewer said about it: The show is told from the point of view of the girl who has feelings for her openly gay best friend but the conflict seems to focus on her conveying those feelings rather than exploring her own position. Key point: "She prefers cute girls, however, which is more the root of Sumika's worries than anything else." So they key dramatic element is Ushio's physical attraction to girly girls which Sumika feels she's not, rather than Sumika's courage to come out and tell Ushio her feelings? The yuri theme isn't just taken for granted, it's more a placeholder. "Does she like me?" {...they're both friends...} rather than "Do I like her?" {Don't worry, the personality can always develop later} Sakura Trick, that I did see. There was no drama, no conflict as neither knew they were in a romantic relationship. That was different, yeah. Confusingly unbelievable but different. That would be hard to do as a heterosexual romance but I can't say the same for Whispered Words as its focus doesn't seem to be its heart. Or maybe I mean it sounds like its heart isn't in it? |
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誤称
Posts: 549 |
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Accepting who you are and facing the challenges of being different is such a high hurdle. We don't need to hide away. Don't accept the coffin, I mean closet. |
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Polycell
Posts: 4623 |
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pachy_boy
Posts: 1323 |
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I thought the anime was tedious and redundant, but in retrospect I realize that it was more due to its pacing. Reading the manga made me gain a newfound appreciation/enjoyment, as I'm able to zip through the story quicker and just as quickly follow the story that's beyond where the anime cuts off, and I'm finding myself very much invested with the characters. According to Erica Friedman, the ending sweetly pays off, so looking forward to it!
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meiam
Posts: 3442 |
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I never said it needed to change, I said it would have been more interesting if it did. An homosexual falling in love with a straight is much closer to yuri/yaoi territory than straight love story. Saying that homosexual relationship is the same as heterosexual except for the plumbing is ridiculous and the very fact that there are word to specifically describe the manga/anime is enough to prove that. When a straight person fall for another straight opposite gender person love is always a possibility. But not when an homosexual fall for a same gender straight person, or can it? Could love make the other person reconsider? Should the first person abandon his love straight away? What would it say if the straight value them so much that they'd agree to try it out? These and more are all topic that cannot be explored in any other setting and that I fear will never be touched on by manga/anime. |
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誤称
Posts: 549 |
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HAHAHAH. No. Love is not always a possibility to two straight persons of the same gender. Seriously, do you really believe that? Oh my god, I'm sorry but do you live in the land of rainbows and butterflies? Cause, seriously bro, love isn't that easy. Always a possibility. Hah. And please, tell me exactly how homosexual's experience love differently than heterosexuals. How is love a different feeling simply because of their sexual orientation? I'd really like to know how a couple in love's relationship is different simply because they have the same biological gender than those with differing biological genders. This is really enlightening. Homosexuals don't love like straight people do. They don't have the same sort of commited relationships, they don't date, they don't build the same bonds as straight couples? Cause you know, THEY DO. They love their wives and husbands and partners just like straight people. Love is bloody love. Seriously, I'm sorry but saying they don't is VERY troubling to me. |
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here-and-faraway
 Posts: 1528 Location: Sunny California |
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You're entitled to your opinion, but to me, that's what I love about this title. While not 100% realistic, most of the characters feel like real teenagers struggling with what it is to love. It's endearing how poor Sumika fumbles with her feelings of unrequited love. Even though it's not in the forefront of the story, I also appreciate how Sumika and her other friends know they won't be accepted by mainstream society. It made the story feel well-rounded, not flat. One of my favorite parts in the beginning is when Masaki spoiler[returns home after Sumika discovers he is a cross-dresser and he thinks, "I'm so glad, [she] didn't think I was creepy."] The writer doesn't beat us over the head with the idea that the main characters are "outsiders", but he also reminds us of what it is like to be in their shoes. I think this would be a great comic for pre-teens and teens to read. They could learn a lot about how the characters' feelings are no different from their "mainstream" counterparts. Although Sumika faces difficulty because she is a lesbian, her main problem is one that troubles people of all persuasions - she is in love with someone who sees her as just a friend. The outer shell of society does control some of what she can and cannot do, but inside she is just a normal girl struggling with her first love. |
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zensunni
Posts: 1293 |
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A couple of comments: 1. To explore the world of what happens when an someone falls for someone who has no declared preference and/or a history of heterosexual relationships, see Girl Friends and Aoi Hana. They both go there, at least partially, though in Girl Friends the character who falls first is not openly gay either. In truth, so does Whispered Words. There are plenty of times when Ushio makes a comment about Sumi "not being like her" or "being normal". That aspect of the story is stronger in the next volume, mind you. 2. To suggest that the experience of love is fundamentally different based on gender preference is both offensive and wrong. There are plenty of heterosexual situations where falling in love with someone else can never lead to a realistic chance of reciprocal feelings. The emotion is essentially the same, regardless of gender preference. (At a biological level, of course, there is no appreciable difference between any strong emotion. Context is what makes the difference, not chemistry. That is why things like the "suspension bridge effect" exist, but that is a whole different topic...) 3. The issue you seem to want to see in the story, the angst over having romantic feelings for a friend who you don't believe even has the capability of having a romantic interest in you, is there in the story. It may not have reared its head fully yet, but from the viewpoint of Ushio, it is there. She believes that Sumi is straight. She has no reason to believe otherwise, even though most of the people around them can tell how Sumi feels by watching her, including the guy who has a crush on Sumi. That obliviousness is standard in romance stories, and for good reason. It frequently is the case that the person who is the target of a secret crush is the last to know about it. (It happened to my son a few years ago. He was crushed by a hard friend-zone that involved being ignored and avoided for about two months until the girl felt safe that the infatuation was gone, then going back to being good buddies. It was pretty harsh for him. But when he actually told the girl how he felt she was entirely clueless. Happens all the time.) From Sumi's perspective, the stumbling blocks are fear of losing her best friend and her lack of self-confidence because she is "not her type". From Ushio's perspective it is failure to recognize her own feelings, the conviction that "she's not like me", and that same fear of losing one's best friend. It is very clear in this first volume that Ushio is already in love with Sumi, she just doesn't recognize it as love because she is so fixated on cute girls and is so convinced that Sumi is straight. The advantage of having the protagonists the same sex in this case that it makes the obliviousness and the fear of losing one's friend easier to believe. In most heterosexual romance stories that feature this level of self-denial and miss-attributed emotion, the protagonist is required to be a complete dolt when it comes to romance, which is one of the top complaints about the typical romance protagonist. "How can he be that oblivious? GRRRRR!" That is never a big problem with this story, because you can believe that Ushio wouldn't get it because of her view of her friend as not being into girls. |
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giseki
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I have to disagree. I can't see Citrus getting close to any of the big three yuri's but I could be wrong. For me Sasameki Koto and Aoi Hana suffer from the same problem. Both have a disappointing ending with Aoi Hana almost ruining all the great work it had done leading up to it. For this reason I think Girl Friends remains at the top of the Yuri Classic charts....for now. Again this is all simply my humble opinion 
PS We need a Girl Friends anime!!!! |
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