Summary
Quick Links
Unfortunately,Whisper Me A Love Songfans have more bad news coming, this time regarding the home release of the anime. What was once a promising yuri anime adaptation hasn’t been turning out well.
Yuri fans have finally been getting some treats in the last few years. SinceGundam: Witch from Mercury, the firstMobile Suit Gundamseries to feature a female couple among the main characters, many yuri anime have been green lit. While most of them haven’t become massive hits, some were able to garner significant attention.
For this reason, it can be really disappointing to see what has happened toWhisper Me A Love Song, also known asSasaKoi.The Blu-ray releases (all the four volumes) have been canceled, with the news breaking just days after the final episodes aired (following a long wait). The production team claimed the decision was made due to “internal circumstances.”
Turbulent Anime Production
TheWhisper Me A Love Songoriginal manga has been well-received in the yuri (or girls' love) niche. The story has some similarities to another beloved series,Bloom Into You. So, inside this small community, when the anime adaptation was announced, it felt like great news. Fans knew the series wasn’t likely to become a massive hit, but they were looking for a fair adaptation.
The Dream Became a Nightmare
Unfortunately, things turned out very differently from any expectations. Initially set for January 2024, the series was postponed to April. While it would be unlikely for this series to get top-tier animation, the quality was lower than most expected. Then, episodes 9 and 10 were delayed for two weeks. After airing them, the final episodes (11 and 12) were indefinitely postponed. They finallypremiered on December 28. In the meantime, ANNconfirmedthe anime and its studio websites had both expired.
What’s really sad about all of this is that this could have been a good show, as the manga is full of potential. Fans are upset about how Yokohama Animation Laboratory handled the series, while expressing sympathy for the author, Eku Takeshima:
As this was a big series (as far as we can call any yuri “big”, since the public comprise a small niche), there might be concerns regarding how this development will affect other productions. IfWitch from Mercuryshowed that putting yuri in a show won’t make it less profitable,SasaKoiexemplifies how badly a production can turn when not carefully planned.
