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Disclaimer - This review is going to be biased as I have been reading and collecting Honey Lemon Soda since 2015. Hence, this manga and its characters are very dear to my heart.

If you are looking for a classic shoujo anime with the nostalgic trope of a bullied, damsel-in-distress heroine who wants to change, and the rebellious, popular and extremely handsome hero who brings her out of her shell, then Honey Lemon Soda is literally it!

Uka is a very wholesome character who is constantly striving to improve. Although her emotional side might make you annoyed, its hard not to cry with her when she ... is trying so hard to be happy. I love Uka's character with my whole heart and will cry every time she does 🥹

Kai is the typical nonchalant hero, but really he cares deeply for the people around him, especially Uka. 10 years ago I would've immediately folded for him but after watching the anime, his character can come off a little cringe 🌝 Regardless, he is an important figure for Uka's change and is extremely patient and respectful of her growth and family!

If you were looking for an anime with an exciting plot and unique characters, this is not it. Honey Lemon Soda is very cliche and focuses more on the relationships and gradual character development of the main characters.

Just to comment specifically on the anime, I did find the animation was okay at best. They did well to capture Mayu Murata's art and the personality of the characters, though I did think Kai had more personality than I was expecting.

Regardless, highly recommend if you love typical high school romance animes !


[MANGA SPOILER]


It's sad that the anime ended right when their relationship was about to take off because this was the part of the manga that made me fall in love with their relationship, more than the individual characters. Uka gets to do her part and become Kai's biggest support system, and its just so lovely to see him finally be vulnerable about his back story.

Honey Lemon Soda is one of my favourite romance shoujo mangas, particularly because of how different the relationship between Uka and Kai is. While Murata has designed the two characters to be the generic handsome, rule-breaking, popular boy with his loyal gang and quiet, nerdy, bullied girl, these two come together to support and guide one another to their own independent happiness. The pure love and care they have for one another is such a sincere and wholesome relationship and it's really such an innocent and beautiful story of self-growth, strength and love.

I would highly recommend to people who enjoy emotional love over lustful ... romance, and people who would love a good cry with the protagonist.