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Simplistic doesn’t always mean bad. Take shows like Jujutsu Kaisen and Yuru Camp for example, highly praised anime despite their cliched nature.

In the case of Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop, it feels like a re-telling of the fabled ‘boy-meets-girl’ tale, but it ultimately never stretches beyond the realms of being just okay.

The film tells us the gist really quickly. Cherry is a boy that struggles with communicating and enunciating his thoughts, resorting to writing haikus as a form of catharsis. On the other hand, Smile is a famous idol livestreamer who unfortunately has buck teeth, deciding to wear a mask to cover up what ... she deems as a physical flaw. By random chance, our two characters meet. Over the course of the movie, they learn to overcome their respective difficulties.

Though incredibly banal, there is merit to the synopsis. Throughout the course of the film, there is also a slight motif of the impact of social media-Smile losing a sense of self worth due to the fact that he does not have a large following. It is understandable and relatable, and enough for the audience to be interested in how our two main characters learn and grow from each other. However, the film deliberately eschews from delving further into these themes, and what could have been a reflective take on self depreciation in our society, becomes a repetitive unoriginal romance, along with a subplot that has no parallel to the main plot besides the idea of having ‘buck teeth’.

In general, this movie’s greatest flaw is how it deals with its characters. They are essentially very shallow, with not much meaning to them other than their one respective flaw. Their growth feels very brief, overshadowed by the obvious attempt to form a sweet romance. For side characters, they are really only there either to provide emotional support or help keep the plot moving. While I did enjoy the cute and wholesome aspect of the romance in this movie, it is not very engaging to the point where something in this film resonated with me.

In terms of directing, it is average. Helmed by the mastermind behind ‘Your Lie in April’, it is obvious that this movie had a capable team behind it. The shot compositions and character movements and interactions are very standard. The scenes are well defined but not enthralling, albeit the movie’s climax does add a nice touch in referencing earlier ideas to tell a complete story with a satisfying conclusion. In terms of music and sound direction, this movie is largely uncompelling. It would have been cool to see some introspective musical numbers in its deeper moments, but this movie does suffer from a lack of OST, and when it is used, it does not feel entirely fitting, but it is also not jarring enough to warrant a complaint. Though I will say, the colours were pretty and really popped out. It added on to that sweet charm of the film, and the animation was pretty solid and enjoyable.

Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop doesn’t necessarily do anything inherently wrong. In its brief runtime, it achieves a solid romance story that is not over the top, but it is enough to be sweet and somewhat adorable. The short run time also works to its advantage to ensure the film does not overstay its welcome, and instead does enough to not feel draggy, being more like a wholesome slice of life.

In the end, it was brief, it was charming, it had potential. I would recommend watching this only with friends for an easy entertaining watch. If not, the rest of the vast ocean of romance anime movies should provide you with a more captivating experience.