Cropped Film Poster (Studio Ghibli) and Manga Cover (Shueisha) for Whisper of the Heart.
I Finally Read the Whisper of the Heart Manga!
I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it on my site before, but I’m a big fan of Studio Ghibli films, which should come as no surprise as these animated films capture practically every anime fan’s heart!
These movies are my comfort films that I like to re-watch over and over, and due to my fascination with the stories and worlds depicted in these films, I’ve become interested in their original materials, too. Some Ghibli films are complete originals, some have loose inspiration from other works, and others are based on novels or manga.
In the case of the film Whisper of the Heart, it is an adaptation of a single-volume manga by Aoi Hiiragi. Published in 1989, Mimi wo Sumaseba is a manga that I don’t think ever received an official English translation, and is one that I never had the chance to read until very recently.
An official English translation became available digitally through Shueisha’s recent temporary project Manga Million, which has surprisingly provided free translations for a lot of mangas. On this platform, the manga is titled Whisper of the Heart; same as the film’s English title.
I will say I was very hesitant to read on this platform due to the allegations that there is AI being used for many of the manga’s translations—personally, I don’t think AI belongs in the manga industry or any creative industry for that matter—but looking at the translation credits for the Whisper of the Heart manga, it seems to reference an actual person. Yay!
Actually, I looked through many of the shoujo manga titles on that platform, and found very few options that listed human names for the translation credits. Most of them have company names listed instead, which leaves things unclear in terms of their AI usage (regardless of anyone’s claims). There’s also some cases where single letters or even a string of numbers is credited for translation.
In addition to my personal dissapproval of using AI for translation, I also believe that translators should receive proper acknowledgment for their work, so I won’t support this platform past the small handful of titles I found with human names listed.
It’s a bit disappointing as I really want to show as much interest and support as possible for both shoujo titles and older manga titles in general… like yes! Provide more of this—just not with that method, please…
ANYWAY… I’m still very happy to get the chance to read Mimi wo Sumaseba. The manga actually had a lot of differences from the movie, which made it really fun read! I wanted to lightly compare both of them here; but if you haven’t read the manga yet, I highly suggest you do that first.
So, let’s get started! ٩(๑❛ᴗ❛๑)۶
The Manga vs the Animated Film – A Comparison
So there’s obviously a couple of themes found throughout this story that are portrayed a bit differently depending on the format you choose.
Whisper of the Heart is a coming-of-age story through-and-through, focusing on the fresh perspectives and experiences that Shizuku faces as she slowly enters a very early stage of adulthood.
Things like responsibility, self-accountability, self-discovery, understanding others, being different… and of course, first love!
I think that the major difference that I want to focus on between the manga and the Ghibli adaptation is how much focus is put onto some of these themes. Let’s start with a look at the manga…
Whisper of the Heart Manga
The Whisper of the Heart manga is a classic shoujo romance that captures a love for whimsicality and art. It has a fun theme of fantasy and fairytales, which is fitting for the storybook-like way that the characters meet.
I loved to see how much the manga lets the characters’ personalities shine—Shizuku is so expressive, and admirably lives in the moment at all times. She has this imaginative outlook on every experience, and always seems to bask in her feelings.
The art style of the manga captures her imaginative feelings and youthful experiences really well. She makes so many hilarious faces and has such expressive reactions, which often helps bring her back down from her daydreaming state to a more realistically immature character.
We also get to see a lot more of Seiji in the manga too, which helped him feel less like a mystery (as with the film) and more like a real teen boy.
I think these aspects make the Whisper of the Heart manga feel a bit more lighthearted, as Shizuku and Seiji both feel a bit goofier or childish. This gives us a good idea of where they are both at in their lives in terms of maturity (which also helps set the stage for other events in the manga, too).
I also really like how Hiiragi captures their youthful romance—starting out with two bickering individuals who actually have much more in common than they first realize. Shizuku’s feelings grow naturally and they don’t really feel rushed despite Mimi wo Sumaseba being only one volume.
When compared to the film, the manga just gives a slightly more natural feel to the development of their romance; and perhaps just more attention to their romance overall. In the film adaptation they do bicker a little, but it feels like they develop a relationship quicker or perhaps more easily.
The film even leans a bit more into Seiji’s side of the romance, suggesting that he was pursuing Shizuku in his own way (through reading books).
The manga sort of mentions this, but doesn’t seem to suggest that he was going out of his way to get her attention. I actually really liked this change in the film, but wish we could have seen more of Seiji’s immaturity that was featured in the manga!
The film also doesn’t really have that obvious shift we see in the manga where Shizuku gets a new perspective that changes her impression of Seiji (and ultimately leads to her romantic feelings).
Her imaginative idea of “Amasawa Seiji” is torn down when she learns his identity, but she soon learns that she and Seiji are pretty similar; and that he is kinder than she thought at first. They soon become a source of creative inspiration for each other, too—or perhaps they already were from the moment they noticed each other’s names.
In the film, Shizuku sort of befriends Seiji (enough to follow him into the emporium and have a private musical performance) before learning his name, so this revelation seems less important as they’ve already created a bond by this point. It’s pretty much just a lighthearted form of comedy that is sort of brushed over.
The revelation in the manga might signify Shizuku’s deteriorating inspiration and imaginative joy (in other words, reality is hitting her hard in more ways than one). And unlike in the film, it feels more important to the development of their relationship.
I think that’s typical of Ghibli films, though. Romance or love is a common theme in many of the movies, but it’s not the only focus of the plot.
They often capture a range of other topics, and in this case, I think the adaptation focuses more on Shizuku’s personal discovery and career-related goals that are driven by her new romance, rather than just the development of the romance itself.
The manga captures a similar feel to this but with perhaps less focus. Throughout the manga we see Shizuku learning to deal with the new changes in her life; Amasawa wasn’t who she expected and the relationship with her friends has shifted naturally.
After experiencing the reality of early adulthood, her fairytale books become more difficult to enjoy, and life is starting to feel less whimsical.
Luckily, she is inspired by Seiji, who hasn’t let anything diminish his passions. He encourages her to try something new, and pretty soon her world is shining again with whimsical wonder and a new adventure (yay for romance).
I will say that the film still did a great job at capturing the romance and excitement during the ending scene, where in both formats of the story the two students confess their love together in front of a romantic sunrise.
This scene is really cute and fairytale-like in both the manga and film adaptation, which was great to see!
Whisper of the Heart Film Adaptation
The film adaptation of Whisper of the Heart is a lovely work that sort of expands on the original manga. While the manga feels more like a classic shoujo love story with a hint of a fantastical theme and maybe a little personal growth, the film takes a closer look at the characters’ passions and journey into adulthood.
Shizuku feels pretty different in the Ghibli film than in the manga. She has less exaggerated expressions, and feels immature in a different kind of way. The manga-Shizuku is quick to react to teasing, showing that she hasn’t gained the maturity to ignore things like that yet.
In the film, her immaturity is just a lack of self-discovery and perhaps how she handles her new focus on writing. Film-Shizuku feels a bit less goofy and more determined (or perhaps a little more stubborn), especially considering how the film features familial conflicts not really found in the manga.
I think these interactions in the film help shape Shizuku’s immaturity and growth in a way that is delightfully different from the manga.
For example, the way that the film adds extra focus onto the older sister sort of helps shape this theme of new responsibilities. Shizuku’s older sister helps out a lot around the house while also having her own career to deal with, and even nags Shizuku to study more or do more things around the house—another sign of Shizuku’s slowly-changing world and the expectations put onto her.
The manga lacks this sort of vibe, and instead depicts Shizuku as someone who is just young and obsessed with fairytales—someone who has yet to really see the world around her.
Through a variety of interactions and experiences, she discovers slightly more mature perspectives and a new creative side to herself; a small change that feels a bit lighthearted overall. The true feeling of responsibility and pressure hasn’t really hit manga-Shizuku.
Therefore, the manga takes a rather gentle approach to Shizuku’s growth and change. She simply feels less inspired by her books than usual due to the fast-changing world around her, but rediscovers her passion by coming up with her own imaginative stories.
The film-version of Shizuku feels much more determined to polish a new side to herself in an effort to discover her potential abilities or passion… and to catch up to Seiji.
It feels much more life-or-death, which is why I think the adaptation feels less like a romance and more like a story of personal discovery. It leans more towards the fact that Shizuku and Seiji are reaching adulthood, and feel the need to prove themselves or their passions. Shizuku doesn’t want to be left behind or be a burden in their relationship, so she tries really hard to challenge herself.
Although Shizuku feels more serious and less expressive in the film, the adaptation still shows her daydreamy side in plenty of ways—often showcasing a fun airheaded side to her personality.
She forgets her father’s lunch at the emporium, dances through traffic, shouts in the library, unexpectedly chooses to sprint out of the teacher’s room, and is often just lost in her own little world.
The film also sort of changes Seiji’s vibe too. Although he definitely seems a bit playful in the film, he lacks that real-teen-boy feel found in the manga, where he’s easily embarrassed and even slightly mean at times because of it. In the film, Seiji comes across as very driven, more reliable, and perhaps a bit mature outside of his teasing.
They maintained a bit of his playful personality in the film, but I would have loved to see the back-and-forth that he and Shizuku had in the manga. Most of their bickering is shown one-sidedly from Shizuku’s perspective instead.
Thankfully, the film kept the most important part of Seiji’s character that allows him to understand and help Shizuku.
In the manga, Seiji is a lover of fantasy and painting, but his father discourages him from both of these things; supposedly because he wants Seiji to become a doctor. Seiji still makes an effort to enjoy these passions in secret anyway, which sort of pushes him to feel like he’s doing something wrong (which is a big part of his rude attitude at the beginning of the manga).
He knows what it’s like to have your interests or passion diminished, and is able to offer Shikuzu a different perspective in both the manga and the film. In the film, it feels like Shizuku looks up to Seiji, who is making an effort towards maintaining his passions (in this case, violin-making) despite his father’s disagreement.
Even going as far as to study in a completely different country on his own!
Despite this being a core part of Seiji’s character in either format of the story, Shizuku’s character varies. In the manga, it doesn’t feel as though Shizuku is working towards making a career or honing her abilities, but rather just finding the joy in life and maintaining her love of fantasy as she enters a more difficult period of growth.
Due to these characteristics, the Ghibli adaptation seems to focus less on themes of being yourself or enjoying passions (like in the manga), and is instead a bit more about growing up, catching up to others, and putting real effort into your future and self-discovery.
Rather than focusing on a fairytale-like romance, the film adaptation shows both the positives and challenges of maintaining a relationship while also discovering potential career paths and individual potential.
Despite this change, the film still maintains that whimsical feel found in the manga by combining the beauty of animation, color, and sound design; which helped give it that dreamy and sort of nostalgic vibe (you know, that fantastical Ghibli feel that fills your heart with joy).
Like with pretty much any other Ghibli movie, the background environments and art in this adaptation are so lovely, and really give you that feeling of anemoia. Honestly, I don’t think people talk about this aspect of Whisper of the Heart enough!
Overall, I think the adaptation did a wonderful job at maintaining that fairytale feel and retold the original story in a way that many people can really relate to.
Final Thoughts
To summarize my thoughts, I think both formats are fantastic and each offer a slightly different experience.
The Ghibli adaptation brings you some absolutely beautiful animation and a slightly different take on Shizuku’s personal journey. The Whisper of the Heart manga brings you the original romance that’s full of character and that classic manga feel.
Both versions really nicely capture the shift from youth to adulthood, the love of fantastical or “weird” things, and the fairytale-like romance that Shizuku experiences. I’ve seen the film plenty of times and never get tired of it, but I’m so happy to have gotten the opportunity to read the manga!
Disclaimer: Any volume covers or official promotional images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Hiiragi, Aoi. Mimi wo Sumaseba, Shueisha, 1989. Whisper of the Heart, Studio Ghibli, 1995.
