Mimi wo Sumaseba

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Whisper of the Heart is the manga "adapted" to movie form by Ghibli. Most might come into this after first watching the movie, but be aware, the movie shares very little in common with this manga original. Personally, I consider that to be a massive boon, as the movie had a myriad of issues this original manga never had. And, in fact, this manga is easily one of my all-time favorites. Here's why.

Primarily, I consider this manga to be such a success for one main reason: everything within it works together to reinforce the core themes of finding love in support of each others' passions. ... The two main characters and their hobbies fit together perfectly to deliver a compelling story focused on this idea and what it means to be passionate about something. But the main character's siblings, the two cats, the Baron, the shop owner, and the other students at school all also reinforce this theming too, all while feeling believable. The two main characters are an artist and a writer, which means they have potential to work together inherently and are easily able to encourage each other to improve. Most of these things were sadly lost in the movie.

I very much appreciate the nostalgic, often contemplative, but cute tone of the manga. It isn't afraid to take time to let the reader dwell on the atmosphere, which I strongly appreciate. The setting really helps with this mood too, being set in a relatively typical Japanese town, rather than a busy and chaotic. The art definitely helps bring this to life, with expressive characters that can show just the right amount of emotions depending on the scene. This especially applies to the main character Shizuka. It also helps that all the characters are very cute.

If there is one gripe I have, it's that the manga's ending is ever so slightly sudden, in part due to its length. There is a sequel that addresses this, but I do think this actually works in the manga's favor here for the most part. Rather than being just another "happy ever after" love story, the focus is actually instead on the growth of the characters and how they learn to do what they love. When those arcs are complete, so is the story we see. This, to me, has far more impact than it would have it was sidelined in favor of a typical shoujo romance. I do still wish we got a little bit more time focusing on this aspect more thoroughly, but it still works very well.

Overall, this manga is basically the perfect shoujo one-shot and I'd consider it a must-read for everyone interested in the genre. Don't bother with the movie or anything like that, just read this.

9/10

Story 8/10
I watched the Studio Ghibli film "Whisper of the Heart" and was interested how it was adapted from the manga. Starts off with the average school girl who loves too read and checks out books from the library, one day she discovers another person who has checked out most of the books she reads. She begins to wonder who this person is. The manga is about her life and her finding out who the mysterious reader is and why she should listen to her heart.

Art 7/10
The art is pretty good but has quite an old style due to being drawn in the 1989. But ... this doesn't effect the story whatsoever and suits the whole plot.

Character 7/10
The character in the manga are somewhat different to the anime film and there is some which don't even appear in the film. The main characters, Seiji Amasawa and Shizuku Tsukishima still have the same personalities and thoughts about each other. Shizuku's sister is different and appears as a younger girl and also is shown to have a love interest. Seiji also has a brother in the manga which is introduced as an oddball and slightly comedic character.

Enjoyment 8/10
I found this a good read, it's a heartfelt and uplifting story which would give anyone a smile at the end. Not as good as the anime film but close.

Overall 8/10
Generally a really good story with connections to the film, for anyone who has seen the film and wants a bit more or for anyone who is feeling a bit down.