Hoshi no Koe revolves around two teenagers in love, Noboru and Mikako; Mikako goes into space to fight extraterrestrial creatures, the tarsians, while Noboru stays on Earth. These two will communicate with eachother only by cellphone, a difficult medium to really maintain contact with each other. From here on the story moves on.
As the manga only has 10 chapters, it is difficult to explain the problems these two encounter in-depth. However, while it may seem short, the author manages to convey the situation of the two main characters well by adding short and meaningful dialogues that helps the reader to understand their situations. This may make the reader to consider what he/she would do in such a situation, which I personally found enjoyable. One thing that bothered me a bit in the beginning was the fact of using the usual mecha machines, though as the story moved on, it didn't bother me anymore.
Hoshi no Koe doesn't have a lot of characters to offer, as its main focus lays between the relationship of Noboru and Mikako. These two characters are represented well, with enough character development for the story to be coherent and enjoyable to read. The amount of secondary characters are limited, but fulfill their purpose of shaping the lead characters, while at the same time helping to explain some situations and providing some diversity to the story.
The art of the manga fits well with story; the use of shading the characters and shading the panels partly, helps convey the gloominess of the story. Not too many details are put into the background, which may bother some readers, as it is simplistic. This doesn't mean that it impacts the story.
Hoshi no Koe was overall a good read. It was a well executed romance which implemented the difficulties people may encounter in the near future when humanity is able to travel to other planets. Would you be able to keep loving a person, if you could only receive messages every 8 years or so? Overall I would recommend this manga to anyone who enjoys reading a romance or just is on the outlook for something new to read, though be warned, it is not like the romance/school manga we are accustomed to read. For some people it may be too short to really explain the story, though I wouldn't personally bother about it.
Thank you for reading.
