Honey Lemon Soda

Marinate1016★ 8

The lonely socially awkward, slightly autistic girl who gets saved by the popular “prince” of the school who’s hiding his own trauma will always be one of my favourite anime tropes and Honey Lemon Soda does that as well as any show. For people who were fans of Kimi ni Todoke, you will see a lot of similarities. The bullying, the shy girl slowly coming into her own, the wholesome vibes, this really felt like I was back in 2010 watching peak shoujo, while the production values leave a lot to be desired at times, the characters and story are so sweet that I didn’teven mind. There’s just something so charming and heartwarming about this show that leaves you smiling like an idiot after every episode. Taking the first step to be a better person is the hardest thing you can do and seeing Uka do that is very inspiring. If you’re a shoujo fan, it goes without saying Honey Lemon Soda is a must watch, but it’s also a good recommendation for those who enjoy seeing personal development. I don’t want to take away from what Honey Lemon Soda itself is about and does, but the Kimi ni Todoke vibes truly are strong and the author was clearly influenced by it which is a plus for me since I love that series and have been craving more since season 3 ended. Uka is an absolute angel of a character and her progress is perfectly paced, going from being unable to hold basic conversations to holding leadership positions within her class and being able to freely express herself. It’s also a believable situation given her backstory and the way she was raised. I enjoyed the budding romance between she and Kai and while it definitely has some wish-fulfilment vibes to it, it’s sweet enough that it didn’t bother me. Kai serves as a positive influence on her and ideal for her to strive towards, but it’s not a project he can do alone. The other characters in the show help push Uka further too, whether it’s Ayumi and Serina being kind to her or the annoying gyaru clique who bully her, all of the supporting characters feel like they exist to help Uka grow as a person and stand on her own two feet. One criticism I’d bring up with the show is at times Kai’s interventions feel too convenient and again that goes back to the wish-fulfilment aspect. Like sometimes he will magically solve a problem and it’s like dude, you’re in high school too there is no way you were able to figure this out. It’s definitely a series you don’t want to analyse too critically. There’s some leaps in logic and it relies on plot conveniences at times. Again, for me this isn’t a deal breaker because I know to expect that sort of thing from a series like this and ultimately we are here for a cute girl improving herself and cute romance moments. Production quality is really where this show struggles. It looks rough for large portions, but episode 11 was one of the best of the season thanks to Honda Takeshi working on it. Uka’s design is really pretty as is Kai and the voice acting is amazing. It’s not a horrible looking series, but it does feel stiff at times. Honey Lemon Soda is not a complex series by any stretch, it is very much a straightforward watch and one of those things you either like or you don’t like. As a massive shoujo fan and cute girl self improvement enthusiast, this was everything I need. If you’re expecting some earth-shattering writing and story, you won’t find that here, but if you like romance, character development and wholesome watches, this is a must watch! Honey Lemon Soda gets 8 out of 10!

erinxia★ 4

This show is incredibly frustrating, and you'd have to be something like 14 to enjoy it. If you are going to watch it, it's not aimed at viewers wanting a more mature show. It's incredibly immature in it's writing and the way they portray the characters. This review does mention the general plot direction, but doesn't spoil how this happens so be aware if you don't want to know anything about the plot apart from characters to ignore the 2nd paragraph. Uka and Kai are such stereotypical "shy quiet girl" and "bad tough guy," and it's excruciating to watch, like something straight out of Wattpad.To summarise, Uka is a shy girl who is socially awkward and basically bullied by everyone, and Kai essentially takes her in and opens her eyes to the world. And when I say they fit the stereotypes, I mean textbook. It's not a creative plot at all, and it's boring. I forced myself to finish this series because I had some hope it would get better, but if the writing is bad, the second-hand embarrassment from this show is EVEN WORSE. Uka just acts so unrealistically, and manages to be seethingly cringe every time she is on the screen. It's like a worse version of any show which is centred around a shy character - sometimes it feels like a worse version of A Sign of Affection (great anime by the way). I know Uka may be implicitly suggested to be autistic, but if that is the direction the show wanted which I think would've been better, they should've put more explicit emphasis on it. I actually think in terms of characters, Kai is bearable and somewhat likeable, but his savior complex can be cringe at times and painful. The way he coddles the main character means you never really get to see her character development individually. He genuinely always jumps in, never lets her answer for herself and therefore we never get to see Uka do anything herself. He's genuinely kind of controlling and it's dressed up as him saving her and looking after her like she's some child so I suppose that's meant to be 'cute'? Uka's character development is done poorly and is only really surface level, and the fact that she is so unlikeable from the way she acts, overly pathetic pains me. Maybe she's just not my sort of main character, but the entire show is cringeworthy. Not to mention her character development is very stereotypical in itself - 'strict parents' and learns to sort that out, 'gets bullied' but stands up to her bullies' and 'learns to find love'. Like come on, be original. However, I'll give the show credit where credit is due to that the side characters (specifically the female ones) are really likeable and honestly how I wish Uka was written. Why the hell is Uka always crying or babbling? It might've been better if they portrayed her slightly differently. Also, the intro is a banger to be fair - &TEAM did a really good job on it, it's really enjoyable to listen to and maybe the only part I think was enjoyable. Outro is ALSO a banger. The animation is decent, and I do really like the artistic design and that is what saves the show from a critical view since the plot is absolutely miserable. I do NOT recommend this show for the fact that it's a stereotypical, Wattpad, and cringeworthy mess. I should've given up watching it when it became unbearable from a few episodes in, it's genuinely not worth the commitment. 4/10 and that's being generous from my perspective. I'm not even sure me when I was 14 could've coped with how much of a mess this show is.