Honey Lemon Soda

First-year high school student Uka Ishimori wants a fresh start. In middle school, Uka was given the nickname "Rocky" by her peers, being misunderstood as having no emotions when she was actually shy and introverted. As a result, Uka was relentlessly bullied and experienced a lonely, isolated school life. Now, Uka is determined to change.

During the first week of school, Uka accidentally gets drenched in lemon soda by her classmate Kai Miura—whose cool personality is the complete opposite of hers. After the incident, Uka is surprised when Kai performs small acts of kindness for her, encouraging her to gradually break out of her shell. Like a lemon soda, bubbly and exciting feelings are beginning to stir.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Miura, Kai Main

Yano, Shougo Japanese

Ishimori, Uka Main

Ichinose, Kana Japanese

Kanno, Serina Supporting

Takahashi, Rie Japanese

Endou, Ayumi Supporting

Nemoto, Miyari Japanese

Takamine, Tomoya Supporting

Toki, Shunichi Japanese

Oikawa, Tao Supporting

Nukui, Yuka Japanese

Furuichi, Musashi Supporting

YUMA Japanese

Seto, Satoru Supporting

Yashiro, Taku Japanese

Kaede Supporting

Oomori, Kokoro Japanese

Momo Supporting

Hishikawa, Hana Japanese

Nishikiori, Hiroshi Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Ootera, Fumihiko Sound Director

Yamamoto, Yutaka Episode Director, Storyboard

Oohata, Kiyotaka Episode Director, Storyboard

Reviews

Jan 31, 2025

Ron014

Recommended

Funny

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

🟢New anime NO SPOILER early review
Story: insecure bullied girl who's afraid to speak has an encounter in which she makes a choice to go to a public school instead of a smart kids school. This is story of a girl coming out of her shell with the help of her love interest, lemon soda.

Opinion: Except the random theme of Lemon soda being thrown at you, this anime makes me feel fuzzy. I watch it in the morning, the warm colors art, BGM and pace is very relaxing. This is a love story where a guy changes the girl's world, this is a story of watching ... the MC take little steps one by one to confront her bullies, her fears, her challenges to grow and change as a person. I can't help myself but to root for her and drink lemon soda.

🔥HOT BONUSES:
1. All female have the same unique drawing of moe eyes, but that shape + the MC's yellow color eyes = Lemon slice eyes.
2. No lemon soda bottles were harmed in this anime, only people.
3. Did i mention Lemon Soda already? Sprite please collab.

⚠️: I will edit this review at the end of the season with my final thoughts with no spoilers at my "Anime List" on my profile, i will NOT delete this early review. If you want to check the season review or other anime reviews i do, you can check it here: https://myanimelist.net/animelist/Ron014

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jan 24, 2025

TheMageDalamar

Mixed Feelings

Well-written

Preliminary (3/12 eps)

Overview:

Finally, an anime title without a marathon-length name! Honey Lemon Soda tells the story of an ultra-introverted and painfully insecure girl named Uka Ishimori, who struggles to fit in at school. Through a chance encounter, she meets Kai Miura, the dazzlingly handsome and ever-so-kind male lead who helps her find her voice, make friends, and navigate her high school years. Along the way, romance blossoms as Uka starts to discover her true self.

If this premise sounds familiar, it’s because it leans heavily on the tried-and-true formula of shy girl meets a prince-charming-boyfriend who changes her life. Think Skip to Loafer meets Kimi ni Todoke, with ... a dash of Komi Can’t Communicate for the introvert-focused appeal.

Plot and Themes:

The story wastes no time in establishing Uka’s struggles. She's socially awkward and overwhelmed by self-doubt, making it nearly impossible to enjoy her school life. Cue Kai Miura, the archetypal “perfect guy” who’s not only attractive but also effortlessly kind and supportive. Through his guidance (and the support of his lively group of friends), Uka starts to come out of her shell and experience the joys of youth.

While the plot is designed to be heartwarming, it doesn’t escape feeling derivative. It’s hard to shake the impression that we’ve seen this before, and the early episodes don’t do much to distinguish Honey Lemon Soda from its genre predecessors. The pacing also feels a little slow at times, but then rushed on others, like he helped me ao i must be in love! which may test the patience of viewers seeking more dynamic storytelling.

Characters:

Here lies the show’s biggest challenge: the main character, Uka. Unlike relatable and endearing introverts like Sawako from Kimi ni Todoke or Komi from Komi Can’t Communicate, Uka struggles to capture the viewer’s sympathy in the first few episodes. Her insecurity is so overwhelming that it comes across as frustrating rather than charming. Instead of rooting for her, I found myself wanting to shake her into action.

Kai, on the other hand, embodies the classic prince archetype—charming, supportive, and a little too perfect. His role as the hero who saves Uka from her social struggles is predictable, though his cheerful personality adds warmth to the story. The supporting cast, particularly Kai’s entourage of friends, offers glimpses of potential for character development, but their arcs remain largely underexplored early on.

Art and Animation:

The visuals are a highlight of the series. While the character designs lean into the fantastical with eye-catching hair colors and exaggerated eyes, they manage to stand out in a genre often constrained by sameness. The animation is fluid, and the use of soft, pastel tones creates a dreamy, romantic atmosphere that suits the story’s vibe. Side notes do those EYES stand out to all of you like they do to me?! I am not sure if i love it or hate it, but for whatever reason it catches my EYE!

Music:

The soundtrack is calm and unobtrusive, perfectly complementing the gentle tone of the show. While it’s not particularly memorable, the music does its job of enhancing the emotional moments and creating a soothing ambiance.

Final Thoughts:

Honey Lemon Soda aims to be a sweet, feel-good anime about personal growth and budding romance. However, it doesn’t quite reach the emotional depth or charm of its predecessors in the genre. The protagonist’s lack of appeal early on, combined with a predictable plot, holds the series back from being something truly special.

That said, it’s not without its merits. The artwork is lovely, and the foundation for character growth is there if the show decides to explore it fully. If you enjoy light, slice-of-life romance stories and don’t mind a slow start, this might be worth a watch—just keep your expectations modest.

Rating: 6/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Jan 31, 2025

GLamaFina

Not Recommended

Preliminary (4/12 eps)

Honey Lemon soda is one of your usual shoujo animes. You have Ishimori, who is the shy girl that gets bullied, only her anxiety is upped to the max and then you have the popular guy Kai, everyone is a fan of Kai. You can already tell where this is going, the bullied and socially awkward girl Ishimori will grow out of her shell with the help of our boy Kai. She decides to go to the highschool where bro goes only because they randomly met one day and he picked up some papers for her. It all reminds you of Kimi ni Todoke right? ... Only Kimi ni Todoke is far better than this. Kazehaya is actually a likeable guy and our guy Kai here sleeps in random places and is constantly annoyed. He always tells people to buzz off and shut up and yet somehow the whole class puts him on a pedestal. That Kai praised a girl? That Kai did that? That Kai?

Then there's the bullying, I just cannot take it seriously, it's like the bullies are taken out of a Disney movie or something, they call her stone to bully her and then Kai comes in with the corniest one liner ever, you may be a stone but you're a gem stone, seriously, the dialogue is bad, its stiff and cringe.

The animation is very average and not worth discussing, altough the art style is good. There's one scene where the boyfriends of 2 girls that bully her come to what beat her up in a classroom? Then our hero Kai comes in and throws a desk at them and they run away like they've seen death or something, I couldn't hold in my laughter.

Comparing it again to Kimi ni Todoke because they're so similar, the side cast is boring, there's nothing to say about them unlike the former, and Ishimori, unlike Sawako, is just meh, she's way too stiff and awkard, the endearing part of Kimi ni Todoke was how despite everything, it was Sawako trying her best to get her feelings across and Kazehaya was just helping her a little from behind, in this anime, this guy Kai is a thought reading plot moving device, he always comes in to save her and tell her what to do while looking annoyed of course.
In conclusion, there's no strong reason you should watch this, Kimi ni Todoke is this anime but a lot better.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Honey Lemon Soda Episode 10 Discussion Stark700 - Mar 12	16 replies	by 90293otaku »» 24 minutes ago
	Poll: Honey Lemon Soda Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Jan 15	91 replies	by gophercg »» 11 hours ago
	Poll: Honey Lemon Soda Episode 9 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Mar 5	77 replies	by Minory14 »» Yesterday, 5:20 PM
	Shoujo fans are hyping up anything this days ( 1 2 ) ZXEAN - Jan 15	53 replies	by texasfangirl1999 »» Yesterday, 12:21 PM
	Poll: Honey Lemon Soda Episode 7 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Feb 19	75 replies	by Camoboi1 »» Mar 7, 1:36 AM