I was all set to dislike this manga before I started reading it. I'm a big Makoto Shinkai fan and love the Hoshi no Koe OVA, but I had my doubts about a manga. After all, the OVA is full of gorgeous art and great music, and it is really more of an impressionist work. That is, it does a really good job of evoking emotion from the viewer, but much of the story seems kind of silly when taken on its own.

I have to say that I was quite pleasantly surprised when I read the manga. Instead of spending time focusing on the space combat (which played well for the amazing visuals of the OVA, but would have flopped in the manga), the story spends more time developing the emotions of the two protagonists.

Viewed on its own, the manga will probably seem a bit insubstantive to most readers but as a companion piece to the OVA, it really shines.

...

heart-wrenchingly sad, choke back on tears right from the start

deeply moving story

after reading it, it leaves me with a strange empty satisfaction

i loved it =]

Me, I prefer the manga to the OVA. After 4 times reading "Hoshi no Koe", I still feel like I'm on the verge of tears. I was touched deeply by the artwork, the translation, the characters, and the story itself. I found sadness in romance, and vice versa. I found despair in hope, and vice versa. On top of that, I found love.

"Hoshi no Koe" is just too beautiful, by all means.

... Last updated on December 5th, 2006, 8:52pm

I'll have to side with Marcus Svensson and say that I liked the manga better than the OVA mostly because the manga better portrays the friendship, loneliness, insecurity, love and ultimately hope, that the two protagonists experience. Despite the shortness of the story, it still manages quite an emotional impact. Even if you haven't seen the OVA, this manga is definitely worth checking out for the art and story. IMHO, even those readers who aren't partial to love stories might still enjoy this since the length is so short, thus keeping the sappiness at a minimum.

... Last updated on September 10th, 2006, 1:53am

I loved the OVA to this, ive only seen it twice but both times ive been an absolute mess after watching it, the reason? it hits you so hard and you just cant help but cry.

This however isn't the OVA, but I still ended with tears streaming down my cheeks, though overall I preferred the OVA as it had less meaningless scenes (The OVA had no meaningless scenes, that was the reason it worked so well) but the mangake did do an amazing job bringing this fantastic story to print format.

This is highly recommended even if you aren't as sappy as me, the story conveys loneliness so amazingly that its impossible not to have some kind of reaction to it. Even if you prefer pure action or plain simple comedies, try this out, it may not have either of those elements but its only 1 volume and well worth your time, if your a fan of drama then it would be a crime to not read this AND see the OVA.

Saw the anime OVA and found the story heart-wrenching. But there was, in my opinion, something missing.
It's hard to point out exactly what, but if I had to, I guess guess I'd say it suffers from being only OVA-long. Had it been of movielength I think the story would have gotten through to the viewer even better.

However, the manga version manages to remedy this slight fault and delivers the tale in full emotional blast. Damn, I almost cried several times when reading the volume.
The story is more elaborate and has also changed somewhat in certain aspects.

The art of the manga is really nice and really overshadows the anime characters kinda strange exterior.
All-in-all, this manga would be for anyone looking for a bitter-sweet lovestory or something move you and your emotions. For the ones that watched the anime OVA, this one is a must.