Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
lovebugsupreme
very big A Sign Of Affection vibe, but if Yuki hated herself and Itsuomi was not just nonchalant, but mean.
i get that Kai's whole thing is being this cold-hearted fake idgaf-er but its like he has no idea what hes doing. why is he THIS mean to Uka?? calling her Stoney was insane esp considering such a big part of her lore is the bullying she went through!!! this is basically her ENTIRE lore. and you're gonna call her that because ?? you don't know how to express your feelings? UUUUUGHGHHHH i can't stand this guy.
Uka is sweet but really needs someone to tell her the difference between love and Stockholm syndrome. there is a repeated cycle of her getting bullied, Kai saving her, Kai then bitching and moaning about it!!!! and then SOMEHOW Uka, EVERY TIME, goes "ugh!! i am SO in love with h…
Read at the sourceLilCheese23
A refreshing 10/10 masterpiece about healing, stepping out of your comfort zone, and pure romance.
This show is an absolute gem! The story hooks you instantly with Uka’s desire to change her life after facing bullying in her past. The way Kai supports her without overshadowing her own strength is incredibly beautiful, and their bond is pure, refreshing comfort. It handles character progression and slow-burn romance flawlessly without ever feeling bland or forced. It is a bright, heartwarming journey that leaves a massive, wonderful impression on you from start to finish.
In almost my two decades of watching anime, I’ve learned that a show's animation style may not be for everyone. I can always easily get past poor animation (as long as it isn't completely horrible) if there is a riveting…
Read at the sourceSpygliuotis
Watching this anime was a form of torture I haven’t experienced in a long time. Probably the best part of this anime was the OP and ED songs, although even those were similar enough that, if you weren’t paying attention, you might think the same song was playing over and over again.
The main character lacks social skills, and, of course, she is rescued by the mysterious “prince” of the school, who, as it turns out later, has problems of his own. The story is full of clichés and feels like something I’ve seen many times before. Usually, I actually enjoy watching this kind of anime because they don’t “weigh you down” with deep or complicated themes. This time, however, I found myself more stressed out while watching it than relaxed.
The same scenes kept repeating, such as the main characte…
Read at the sourceTrickedshark881
Honey Lemon Soda is honestly a mid anime. The first half of the series really drags—about seven episodes go by with barely any progress in the story. Slow pacing usually works well when it’s paired with strong character development, because it gives viewers time to connect and feel the emotions alongside the characters. But here it’s the opposite: even after six episodes, something feels missing, and the characters don’t pull you in the way they should.
Things start to pick up a little around episode seven, but by then most viewers have already dropped their expectations. The dialogue doesn’t help much either—it often feels empty and doesn’t carry the emotional weight the story is aiming for. The anime tries to spark a feeling of love between the two leads, but it misses some important be…
Read at the sourceyumemirumono
Just episode 1 and the slice-of-life vibes are already super strong. Personally, I really relate to what Uka’s going through. And because it's so relatable, this anime might actually change how I view my everyday life. The premise is pretty unique too, involving a bottle of lemon soda. I like that the storytelling never gets boring. The animation quality is solid, and the pacing is spot on—not too slow, but not too fast either.
But..! In my opinion, the ending was pretty standard and average—not much different from any other romance anime. That said, Uka’s character growth was huge, while Kai didn't really change much. If the story had continued, Kai probably would’ve had to make a lot of adjustments because of Uka. So honestly, what really stood out in this anime was Uka herself and her…
Read at the sourcesmolbeanaria
I wanted to like this show so bad.
My first impression of Honey Lemon Soda: A sweet romance from the FL's perspective.
And that's what I did end up getting... but it felt like there was no substance to it?
- Concept-wise, this show is a romance similar to titles like "A Condition Called Love" or "The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity".
- The art style is standard shoujo: simple and clean with soft pastels.
- The BGM that plays throughout the entire show is a lovely piano piece that is very relaxing. Why the Mixed Feelings?
It's not a BAD show. I think the problem lies with the FL:
Crybaby alert. The tears multiply until I'm pretty sure there should be a lake named Ishimori Uka. At first I felt bad for her. Being an introvert is hard. And the show has a great reason for why her pers…
Read at the sourcesalonime
This anime is so flat and annoying that I wanted to bang my head against the wall omg. I feel like romance slop that it badly written is a crime against the genre. I LOVE love but I HATED this one. Romance anime like this gives the genre a bad rep.
The slory was extremely formulaic and predictable- it reminded me of those vertical tiktok dramas.
The art style was mehh.
The characters were paper thin and flat.
The series was soooooo bad.
Also the male MC treats the girl like a child which is just so bad. Like, they have no chemistry. GIRL; RUN
Read at the sourceTaki555
Honey Lemon Soda is a very weak and boring romance anime with poor writing and one dimensional characters. The story feels repetitive and predictable, offering nothing fresh or engaging.
The female main character was especially hard to watch. Her personality revolves almost entirely around constant crying and insecurity, and instead of meaningful growth, the anime relies on the male lead endlessly supporting her without real development. This cycle repeats throughout the series and quickly becomes tiring.
There wasn’t a single scene that felt genuinely enjoyable or emotionally rewarding. Rather than being heartwarming, the anime felt dull and frustrating due to its lack of depth, weak pacing, and overly simplistic portrayal of romance.
Overall, Honey Lemon Soda fails to deliver an engag…
Read at the sourceYukaTsuki
A shoujo with a pretty typical teenage romance. It’s not bad, but I think the plot develops quite quickly (although the drama adaptation is worse, in my opinion…) and there are certain things that I’m assuming were meant to be heartwarming, but they just seem strange to me (like the whole school getting involved in every situation the main couple goes through…).
Another thing that left me a bit cold is that the anime doesn’t explain anything about the male protagonist’s family situation, and I feel like there was a good dramatic storyline there that could have been interesting…
It’s just okay overall; I’d recommend it if you like shoujos because it’s good, but I can’t highlight anything that makes it stand out from other shoujos.
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Read at the sourceEmxx
I have watched a lot of bad shows but I still enjoyed them, can't say the same about this one though.
Can't even count the amount of times I felt second-hand embarrassment while watching this show... The only good/interesting part of it was the conflict she FL had with her family, which sadly was resolved in like one ep so yeah.
It's easy to say "oh what do I expect from a shoujo anime" but the reality is that there is a lot of shoujo anime/manga that is written very well and make you relate/empathise with the characters, but that wasn't the case here. Somehow I genuinely like the side characters of this show more than the mains lol.
Read at the sourcePresident_Megumi
Woof. This was definitely one of those shows where I had to pause often to recover from secondhand embarrassment, and when I say often, I mean often.
This is classic shojo faire; we have an awkward/shy girl and a popular/sometimes-harsh guy. Nothing here is offensive, but I did have a difficult time getting into these two. First and foremost, I’ve seen Uka described as “autistic-coded,” and if that’s what the original author was going for, I certainly see the vision. She often has a difficult time reading social cues (or the “vibe” as the show describes it in what ends up being a pretty consequential scene) and has a difficult time articulating her feelings. As such, I did have a hard time with the ways that Kai tried to “motivate” her in the beginning. I won’t get into detail, but it fe…
Read at the sourceelumizu
Honey Lemon Soda frames itself as a coming-of-age romance about reclaiming confidence after years of emotional isolation. At its core lies the story of Uka Ishimori, a girl whose middle school years were defined by relentless bullying and social withdrawal. Classmates once labeled Uka “stone,” a cruel nickname suggesting someone expressionless, silent, and incapable of participating in ordinary conversation. By the time high school begins, Uka carries a fragile determination to change the direction of life. The desire to become someone stronger exists, yet the emotional scars of the past remain deeply rooted. High school becomes a symbolic reset point. New classmates, new classrooms, and unfamiliar social circles create the possibility of reinvention. However, the story carefully illustrat…
Read at the sourceAshParth
Well, another anime that I accidentally had viewed when scrolling through my Crunchyroll app on the phone yet decided to check out because I'm into romantic comedies. First of all, I'm not really big on the name because for some reason, I couldn't but think of it like a Disney channel kind of movie or series. At first, I thought of Lemonade Mouth after reading something like Honey Lemon Soda. Weird nitpick, I know, but I had to get it out of there. Then again, when it comes to high school anime, sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. I thought that this was right in the middle, and I understand why this was mixed for all audiences, whether in a positive or a negative way.
A young woman named Uka Ishimori is entering high school but is a nervous wreck as her nickname back in middle scho…
Read at the sourceChibiDumplings
(Coming from someone who didn’t read the manga) It was short. It was sweet. It was cute- but it did leave me thinking, “the manga must be pretty good.” Which isn’t a good thing in this matter. Sadly, I felt like the anime was rushed and left much to be desired. I can assume the manga is well flushed out, touches on all of the characters, and the side plots that really add to Kai’s character development. BUT we didn’t see that in the anime. It had its cute moments, but lacked the intensity all of the OG rom-com anime have. Any sort of “confession” scene from a character lasted a mere 4 seconds before moving on to the next scene. I’m conflicted because while I did enjoy it, I feel like the manga would be better in pretty much every aspect.
Read at the sourceElovate
This is the most cringe thing I have ever watched, but still watchable. I usually have good feelings about it, but some scenes are really, really cringe. Still, I'm happy that I watched it. The story is casual and similar to every high school romance comedy, so it's not unique. It's about the typical relationship between a shy girl and a popular handsome boy. But if you liked Kimi ni Todoke, you'll probably like this as well.
The character depth isn't enough, and we don't know anything about the boy. I think the "Kojima effect" is at play here — the mysterious cool guy trope where we don't get any real background. Also, the ex situation is the most unrealistic part.
Sometimes the transition between episodes is a little strange, with too many time jumps and unnecessary flashbacks. It's su…
Read at the sourcesunsetkugo
I was so so upset about the end and the story in general...Like the MC pissed me off so bad, I know life is though but like it was just so annoying to see her every time. I was disappointed, it was boring as hell, the only good thing might be the male lead's apparitions but that's all. I also liked the girl who used to date him, she was so much better than the MC herself honestly... But I get the bullying thing, however I still didn't enjoyed it, I don't really recommend it for someone who wants to start watching shojo.
Read at the sourceshiro051
I watched this anime because i was in a similar situation too when i was in school. The soft setting which is carried by beautiful piano music in every episode. The characters were sooo sympathetic. With exception of the obsessed fangirls of Kai in between. It was sooo heartwarming and touching to see how Kai helped Uka opening up and growing a stronger self esteem in a good way. Really loved this anime. Almost perfect. I wished there was a more intense ending, like showing them together or a kiss again. But otherwise. Really good anime.The art style was really fitting too. Fresh and modern.
Read at the sourceJunjiSeishin
If you've seen any slice of life anime, then you've basically seen this.
I can see it's potential but it's overshadowed by every trope ever being brought in. Girl who was bullied is liked by the main dude who's super popular, but then everyone immediately likes her because he said so. I don't feel like they have any sort of chemistry at all either, and don't get me started on how much she cries. Every single episode she's bound to cry a few times.
Every character is generic, every plotline is generic. All their relationships just don't feel believable for the most part. If anyone has an issue or doubts about the MC, then they're immediately a bad person. It was almost interesting when the bullies were introduced at the start, but that immediately gets solved.
You're better off watching…
Read at the sourceSakura131
Directed toward a tween girl audience, this anime does well to portray high school romance and friendship through the lens of a girl who is most probably autistic - experiencing social anxiety mixed with an inability to recognize social constructs and grasp human communication.
When bullies often bully another student, they take their name away. The main character shows how she earns her name back though her actions and character. She does this with the help of a popular kid who recognizes her good qualities. Our actions show our character and we can bring the character out of others. Her presence and social difficulty causes her classmates to reflect on themselves and pay attention to the good qualities of others.
As the main character leans what a “vibe” is and exclaims “maybe I’m no…
Read at the sourceerinxia
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,…
Read at the source
