Editor's Sidebar: Where we hear directly from VIZ editors about series they're working on.

Anonymous Noise is our latest Shojo Beat manga series debut, and as the editor of this tale full of love and longing, I’m so excited for shojo fans to check it out! It’s all about love—love of music, unrequited love, a love triangle… So much emotion!

We first meet a young Nino Arisugawa with her best friend Momo Sakaki—they enjoy singing together and are pretty much inseparable. However, one day Momo leaves town with his family, and Nino is understandably devastated.

It gets so bad that Nino starts wearing a face mask to prevent herself from screaming. (Everyone thinks she has a cold, of course, as it’s a Japanese custom to wear a face mask if you’re sick to prevent the spreading of germs.) As luck would have it, Nino meets Yuzu, a young music composer who falls in love with her voice. Yuzu calls her “Alice” (shortened from “Arisugawa”) and encourages her to sing out her feelings.

Unfortunately, Yuzu disappears from Nino’s life, and Nino is left with nothing but the hope that one day she’ll reunite with Momo and Yuzu since both boys said that they’d recognize her voice anywhere.

Fast forward to high school, and Nino does reunite with Yuzu! But for some reason, Yuzu doesn’t seem too keen on seeing his Alice…

What Nino doesn’t know is that Yuzu is actually a member of a famous and popular alternative rock band called In No Hurry to Shout! The mysterious members all keep their identities hidden by wearing eyepatches and bandages…

And what of Momo? Well, he’s lurking somewhere very close by! It’s only a matter of time before Nino crosses paths with him…

It’s really interesting to see how Ryoko Fukuyama Sensei is able to keep the emotions “amped up” throughout this series. Everyone is so passionate about music, partly because it’s a conduit for all their intense feelings. You recognize that pang in your heart of feeling unseen or unheard by someone you love. It’s similar to listening to a song that speaks to you, filled with energetic and dramatic turns, highs and lows… Of course, I’m curious how things will play out between Nino, Yuzu and Momo!

An anime based on the Anonymous Noise manga is premiering in Japan in April, while a live-action film is slated to be released on November 25. So be sure to check out our manga Anonymous Noise, Vol. 1 in the meantime to meet all the fun and memorable characters!