Honey Lemon Soda

[Space Cadet]

Anyone checking out this show on Crunchyroll? It's based off a popular long-running shojo manga and new episodes air every Wednesday. I had actually heard of the series before but never really checked it out until now(there was a live-action movie that came out a couple years ago). Two episodes in and I'm enjoying it so far. The main female protagonist is quiet and insecure until she meets the main male protagonist and she starts to learn how to assert herself as time goes on. Also, his appearance reminds her of lemon soda. The opening and ending songs from Japanese idol group &Team is pretty good(although I'm still partial to Snow Man's song "Hello Hello" from the live-action movie). This might be up your alley, @Light Lucario.

 

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As a fan of the manga I'm really enjoying the anime adaption so far !

I can't wait to see Uka continue to shine as a gemstone as she develops herself and her relationship with Kai and her classmates .

 

[Yojimbo]

Honey Lemon Soda's English dub starts January 22.

 

[Frontier]

Honey Lemon Soda's English dub starts January 22.

Chris Hackney headlining a Shojo dub? Be still my beating heart !

 

[Space Cadet]

Episode 3 aired today and it's nice to see Uka slowly gaining more confidence in speaking. She also made a friend in Ayumi, although they were already friends but Uka just needed the confirmation lol. I also laughed when Kai said that Uki found his secret spot to sleep and thought it was a complement but it wasn't. Looks like she's going to be more assertive in the next episode, since they're lost in the forest, trying to get back to school.

 

[Frontier]

Uka is in love! And it's those feelings and her growing self-confidence that are pushing her to be even more outgoing in living the best youth she can .

Uka and Ayumi are officially friends! I mean, it's episode 3, I think they for sure count as friends but for someone who has been friendless for so long like Uka, she needs these things said out loud. And Uka even successfully plays wingwoman to make sure Ayumi sits next to Satoru in the class seat change...and that good deed has a karmic benefit for Uka as she ends up sitting next to the guy SHE likes in Kai!

It's a lot sitting next to your crush, as well as between the two hottest guys in the class, whether it be through Engrish classes, watching him get away in sleeping in class because he can perfectly catch a thrown eraser, or otherwise. But Uka gets to appreciate watching Kai just be Kai, and it gives Kai the perfect opportunity to show the class that Uka is a really sincere, earnest, and dorky girl who they can all get along with!

Yeah, Kai strikes me as the type to go all by his lonesome and sleep through breaks. But if you follow the lemon soda, you'll find Kai! And in doing so Uka not only sees him in a more vulnerable state but even gets to find out more about him and how he's kind of dorky too! These two are so cute together, and the more Uka learns about Kai, the more she falls in love with him and wants to soar higher and higher with those feelings.

Shion Wakayama, you're in this class!?

Okay, maybe Uka over-prepared for the class trip, but that just goes to show how genuinely excited and committed she is to this! Kai can respect that.

Ah, I see Ayumi has "dense childhood friend" problems. Those are rough. But at least she doesn't have blue hair.

It's not a surprise that the girls love Kai, he's a natural ladykiller, but he's basically unavailable so crushing on him is basically only going to lead to heartbreak. What does that mean for Uka's feelings? Especially when she learns Kai might actually be experienced in romance.

Poor Uka's so used to getting ignored and treated like she's not even there that she was fully prepared to eat all by her lonesome. Thank goodness she has friends now.

They're lost? Why do I get the sense the girl who obviously likes Kai might have set this up to screw over Uka?

 

[Space Cadet]

Watched episode 4 today and of course Uka had the right directions, it's just that one of the girls tried to sabotage the whole thing so Uka would get all the blame. Luckily, she was able to figure it out as well as getting everyone water. In return, she got everyone's respect and she got a bunch of snacks in return. Her confidence is starting to build in each episode. And she's developed enough of a friend group that they come to visit her while she's sick. Of course, she's finally starting to realize that she's in love with Kai. But of course, his ex comes into the picture.

 

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Things are not going well for Uka's class on their class trip. They're lost, it's raining (see girls, this is why Uka dressed for the environment!) and that one girl is trying to pin their problems on Uka...when SHE is the one that got them into this mess. But Uka is so diligent and responsible, and hard on herself more than anyone, that she'll do all that she can to fix this.

Dang Uka, I know you're not used to being hugged by your crush, but you didn't need to fling Kai away like that! Though I guess it did help her calm down just a smidge and realize a place on the map they can hole up in...so good work Kai!

It helps to be prepared! Especially when Uka's classmates realize just how caring and considerate she is.

At this point I'm convinced Kai can pop out lemon soda out of thin air, though Uka should've taken the opportunity for an indirect kiss...though she's probably nowhere near ready for that. Though she got to sit with Kai under the "legendary" heart tree formation and even get to have him sleep on her shoulder on the way back, so she won pretty well!

Wow, Kai with dark hair looks almost like a completely different person.

You know your life is better when your desk isn't filled with signs of bullying but signs of how much your classmates appreciate and adore you.

Obviously middle school is a very touchy subject for Uka, to the point where the emotional trauma prevents her from opening up to her classmates about it. She doesn't think anyone would even care when she works up the courage to bring her yearbook. But as always Kai is there to reassure her that it's okay to open up to her classmates and that she shouldn't try to erase her middle school life. It's just a part of her that informed the person she is now, the person who keeps moving forward, both in her love for him and in her life as a student.

Uh...well, I guess I'm glad Takamine was able to catch the real culprit, and she won't do it again even if she doesn't really seem genuinely apologetic, but did he have to confront Uka and make her question her relationship with Kai and everything that was motivating her up to this point? She already thinks on some level that her feelings for Kai won't end well.

And as if to add insult to injury she also has to learn that while Kai and his crew all went to middle school together, there was someone else in their class too...the absolutely cute and attractive Serina, who was also apparently Kai's ex-girlfriend. What can Uka do that compares to that.

So much overwhelming emotion gave Uka the dreaded Japanese cold, but instead of the usual sick episode where her crush shows up to take care of her...Kai just calls her and checks to makes sure she's okay and doesn't push herself. Oh wait, he and the gang did actually show up at her house anyways! What better way to let Uka know that she still has a place with them!

Kai and Uka are at their most photogenic together! Which is how Ayumi is able to realize Uka likes Kai and Takamine seems to realize Kai might be more serious about Uka. I mean, why else would he call her cute?

But all that confidence and desire to strive forward that Uka has been building up has met it's next great challenge: Serina ALSO goes to their school now. And she's voiced by Rie Takahashi. AND she still has a picture of Kai on her phone.

 

[Space Cadet]

Episode 5 aired today and we get to learn about Serina and it turns out...she's a very sweet and outspoken girl. She also seems to still get along with Kai and vice versa. Also, she likes Uka too, so there's no rivalry there, at least for now. Also, Serina needs to find new friends beyond those school bullies(although I wonder if they'll start to change their personality as the series goes along). Overall, another good episode.

 

[Frontier]

Serina Kano isn't just absolutely cute and charismatic, she's also Kai's ex-girlfriend! And nobody knows why they broke up, not even Kai's oldest friends, though that just gives Uka even more to be self-conscious about in terms of her own feelings for Kai.

It's almost time for the culture festival! And that means the kids need to pur their nose to the grindstone and get ready for midterms! And good thing Uka is like maybe one of three students in the class who actually studies because it's the perfect excuse for a study session! Complete with Ayumi giving Uka and Kai some alone time in true wingwoman fashion! Of course none of them could have predicted Serina would show up.

I had a bad vibe from Serina's "posse" the moment they started trying to cause a fuss with Kai over his relationship with Serina, which she clearly did not want them to do, and then they started making fun of Uka...but to Serina's credit, she splashes a drink on them and rightfully tells them off! She's not some shallow, gossipy, mean girl, she's a genuinely good person! Which just makes Uka's anxiety over her even worse.

I guess I'm not surprised the posse would start bullying Serina afterwards, but look at Uka paying back what Serina did for her by tanking a slap for Serina! Of course seeing how natural Serina and Kai are together probably hurt way more than the slap did.

Wow, those girls sure pulled a 180! I mean, at least they apologized, though not really sure I believe Serina that they have their good points to at least justify Serina still hanging out with them (especially when Serina implied they just wanted to hang out with her for the popularity), but if she can make it work, go for it.

Thank you Yuru for ponytail Uka!

It's not easy being the more dorky, diligent, girl in a class of kids who love messing around and barely pay attention in class. Uka's not trained for reading the "vibe" and just wants to help everybody. But it just makes her feel out of sorts, even moreso when she doesn't feel she fits next to Kai as well as Serina does.

But Kai does treat Uka in a special way...he lets her see him in a vulnerable state as he sleeps, he caresses her cheek, and he's sweet on her in his own way. Of course, Serina as his ex was in a similar boat, though with everyone acting like they can act like someone else to be more popular/successful, Kai thinks Uka is great just as she is.

Uka wants to feel worthy to be by Kai's side! To feel worthy of loving him! And to accomplish that, she'll push herself to become the culture festival committee member for the class! You've got this Uka.

 

[Space Cadet]

Episode 6 aired today and Uka is gaining enough confidence that she volunteered to run the cultural festival, which would have been unthinkable if you looked at her in the first episode. And she's pretty good at what she does. Of course, her relationship with Kai gets twisted by the other girls by saying that since he's a "caretaker" for Uka, once she gains enough confidence/stands on her own two feet, he's going to drop her. And Kai is showing that no, I'm here for the long haul.

 

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Look at Uka putting herself out there to join the festival committe for the class! It's a job no one wants, but she's going to do it with gusto! And if Uka thinks she can do it, Kai believes in her, and that makes Uka believe in herself even more.

Jeez, airplanes sure fly around this school a lot! Almost as much as the kids turn into cartoon characters .
Of course, it's great that Uka is more confident, but she shouldn't take on too much all by herself. Kai can't always save her. But even though her classmates could barely care, finding out how much effort Uka put in to even secure them something as classic as a maid cafe motivates them to help her out! It finally feels like the class has fully accepted and is rallying around Uka and it's great! She even finally slips into the "vibe!"

Kai would by most metrics be dubbed a "delinquent," but it's his being himself and believing what he believes no matter what adults or teachers tell him that Uka finds so inspiration and wants to emulate. And why she falls so hard for him.

I love how the guys doing the culture festival signs just gave up and drew Lum and Ran from Urusei Yatsura.

Poor Ayumi. She grew her bangs out and is doing an idol performance just so she can be the famous idol Satoru stans for her...when she really just wants him to pay attention to HER instead. But hey, even if she doesn't get lucky this culture festival, at least she got Satoru cheering her on.

Did you really think they could get the Class 1-B girls dressed as maids and not put Uka in a maid outfit? She looks so cute! I'm glad Kai got to see her dressed up!

"Leave the heart-melting to me!" - You're already melting my heart Serina! Also "Leave Ishimori to me!" - Kai throwing the gauntlet down!

Although I guess he can't just declare that and not expect other girls to bully Uka about her relationship with Kai. And make Uka more self-conscious that her feelings will never be returned and Kai will only be with her so long as he's her "caretaker." Is her only choice to become more confident and independent and just get to know him before he inevitably leaves her?

But when it comes down to it, it seems like Kai is more dedicated to Uka than even she realizes, especially when he's dragging her around to practically flex her being with him in front of jealous girls.

No wonder Serina didn't want to do that show what with getting objectified so much by the emcee. Uka is just too dedicated and helpful for her own good, and was REALLY uncomfortable there. But that made Kai coming in to save her all the more meaningful!

"I take it back" - Being not romantically interested in Uka?

 

[Space Cadet]

Episode 7 aired today and we get some nice character development between Uka and Serina. I think they'll become really good friends. We also get some backstory about Serina's relationship with Kai and find out she was getting too dependent on him. Of course, she still has feelings for him but she also recognizes that Uka does too. Also, who does Uka think she's fooling by saying she won't keep in contact with Kai during summer break?

 

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Congratulations to Uka's class! Thanks to Uka and their efforts, they won an award and a meal on their teachers' dime! I'm so proud of Uka.

Uka may have a curfew that screw sup karaoke plans, but she has more than enough time to spend with Kai and visit an arcade together.

Well, I'm glad Serina has at least one solid friend, especially when she gets singled out by girls because a guy called her "cute" when she literally didn't do anything. And Miho brings in Kai, Uka, and Ayumi to save Serina...and having Kai there for her and protecting her stirs up a lot of feelings in Serina.

Serina has always been popular and pretty, and a good girl to boot, but she was also too good for her own good and her popularity got turned against her when she stepped in to protect a girl from being bullied and got ostracized from her class. The only one who didn't shun her, who saw her as who she really was, was Kai and it's no wonder she fell for him hard. I mean, he even kissed her!

So, obviously, she was happy with Kai but the problems set in when Kai was the only one she could rely on in her life and she didn't feel like she was worthy of him. That's why they broke up. And it seems like Serina still regrets it to this day, on-top of the fact that she's clearly lying when she says she's over him.

But Serina, being the nice girl she is, is just being considerate of Uka's feelings. And in being considerate of Serina's feelings, Uka will lie too and claim her feelings for Kai are just admiration. But it's just as blatant and obvious a lie.

Dang, Uka is torturing herself by imagining seeing Kai and Serina in yukata together at the Summer Festival...and wanting to see them to make herself more miserable. Funnily enough, for a festival episode, none of the main female characters actually wear yukata!

But at least Uka has Ayumi! Who will beat Kai to inviting her, let Uka be honest with her feelings when she's comfortable, and will even ditch Satoru so she can be there for Uka! Even if Satoru finds her anyways and forces her to drag him away. I guess that's the power of love?

If only Uka realized that everything she thought about Serina and Kai, Serina thought about HER and Kai.

Uka thinks she's a perpetual third wheel who doesn't deserve to experience love with someone popular and attractive, that she'll never be chose, but Kai is there just in time to hold her hand, make it clear he wanted to spend time with her, and that she should be honest about she wants too. And with that in mind, she can't deny how much she loves Kai and wants to be with him any more!

I'm glad Uka got to come clean with Serina and Ayumi, and that she and Serina were able to commiserate over their shared love of Kai. Along with some cute waterworks on Ayumi's part.

 

[Space Cadet]

Episode 8 aired today and more milestones were achieved such as Uka going to the beach with her friends and not having her parents attend and confronting her middle school bullies and standing up for herself. Serina finally gets Kai to confess that he did like her in middle school but not anymore. And the most important thing is that Uka finally built up the courage to get Kai's phone number. The walls are slowly coming down...

 

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It's not really Summer Break without a beach episode! And even if Uka is the only girl in her class not in a swimsuit (or even OWNS a swimsuit) she can at least go to the beach and have fun with everybody! And we even get to see Serina in a bikini!

And in the interest of equal-opportunity fanservice, we've got the guys in swimsuits and Uka finally getting to see Kai shirtless! It's a very overpowering sight.

Ugh, Serina's bullies are there too!? Don't worry Serina, Uka is there for you! Or Kai. But the sentiment is appreciated.

Glad Uka was able to add her gal pals Ayumi and Serina to her contacts! And look at Serina commiserating with Uka over being in the "Kai Club!" Dang it, why does Serina have to be so charming!?

Is everyones' bullies at this beach!? Remi and her friends talk tough for high school dropouts, but Uka isn't going to let them get to her this time! She's going to stand her ground, meet them with her earnestness, and even flex that she's got Kai supporting her. She finally is able to stand up to them in her own very Uka way.

It was about time for Serina and Kai to have a long overdue talk. Serina confesses she still has feelings for Kai, but she knows Kai doesn't return those feelings anymore. Because all the times it looked like Kai was still protective of her, he was doing it for Uka. But at least she knows now that his feelings for her were genuine. It hurts on both sides, but Serina needed this to finally move on...and to push Uka to be one to be with Kai, because they're the best fit for each other.

I appreciate Miho is still on Serina's side through all of this, but Serina is on Uka's side more than her own, and she even texts Uka about her progress with Kai. I guess she's joining Ayumi as a tag-teaming wingwoman?

Follow the squeeing girls and you will probably find Kai! Though the only girl he's interested in hanging out with is Uka, and they even attend a little lunch date together! And this is probably the most natural they've ever been together, especially when they're talking about how much Uka has grown.

Look at Uka being aggressive and getting Kai's number even when another girl is throwing herself at him! I'm so proud of her! Even if she also basically exposes that she had him all ready and set up in her contacts the whole time.

Uka is growing up and living it up as a teenager...but that comes with drawbacks when she realizes she can't be her parents' little girl any more.

 

[Space Cadet]

Episode 9 aired today and we get a confrontation between Uka and her overprotective father, who feels the high school she goes to is too lax and thinks she's being bullied by the other students. We then learn that Uka's father wanted her to go to a more prestigious high school but Uka didn't fill out the entrance exam, so that's where she ended up. Of course, the other revelation is that Uka never told her dad that she was bullied in middle school and he thought she had a prefect time there. Luckily, her dad isn't totally heartless and once Uka tells him the truth, he does accept her friends...except for Kai, at least for now. Good episode.

 

[Frontier]

Uka has always been a good little girl, the apple of her parents' eyes, but that's always made them overcompensate and shelter her to protect her, and as such she's struggling to spread her wings while still trying to keep her parents, especially her father, happy.

But at least she's finally back in school, back with her friends, and back with Kai! In fact, class just doesn't feel the same without her in it! She's their Guardian Jizo! And nothing makes that Jizo happier than saying "good morning" to Kai!

I love how Abe felt so strongly about Kai possibly quitting school. Dude was yelling to the heavens.

Uka finally gets to go to karaoke with her friends! Thank goodness she didn't end up going to the all-girls school her dad wanted her to go to, she'd never get to have ANY fun. Of course, then her dad spots her with her friends and thinks she's hanging out with delinquents and it all goes downhill from there.

Jeez Mr. Ishimori! Immediately pegging Uka's friends as "the wrong crowd" and trying to transfer her out without actually taking her feelings into account is terrible parental behavior. The worst part about it is getting second-hand information about the class "bullying" Uka when they were just teasing her like friends do. Dude doesn't even know about when she was ACTUALLY bullied. And obviously he wants Kai as far away from Uka as possible, and that's enough to get Uka to finally stand up to him.

Ugh, I'm glad Uka's friends got to hear that she cares about them and doesn't want to transfer, but her dad just really took her phone like that? He won't listen to Uka or actually talk to her! Come on man!

But when she needed him most, Kai is there on Uka's balcony! And making he realize that ultimately her parents and her friends both love her and she doesn't have to choose one over the other. She just has to do what SHE can do. Because Kai believes in her!

Ayumi really is a ride-or-die bestie. No one is taking Uka away from her without a fight! They even roped Serina into coming to visit the Ishimori household to talk some sense into her dad! And Kai even brought Uka's old bullies to clear up the confusion and show Uka's dad how much she's grown since they bullied her.

I feel bad for Uka's parents that they were totally oblivious to their daughter being bullied for three years...but now Uka can raise her head and let her dad know how happy she is now, and how it's thanks to the precious friends she's made! I mean, they're not delinquents, they're dorks who give out their personal information so he knows they're not bad kids! And I'm glad her dad finally apologized, though it'll probably take a while before he ever accepts Kai.

 

[Space Cadet]

Wow, didn't expect to see this topic stickied.

Episode 10 aired today and it's basically Uka wondering if she really knows Kai or not. And the answer seems to be "No...at least for now." The big revelation is that Kai has a part-time job, although I can't really tell where he works at(is it one of those love hotels?). We also don't really know why he decided to tell staff that his favorite sleeping spot in school was being used. It was kinda a confusing episode.

 

[Frontier]

Uka has finally asserted her independence and desire to live her own life in front of her parents! All the better so she can finally go back to school and see Kai again! Definitely makes coming to school early all the more worth it.

Uka has nothing to apologize for! Her class is just happy to have her back! it just isn't the same without her

(I love how her mom had to tell the dad to not apologize to the class because he was liable to say something bad again)

Of course something HAS changed and that's the seating arrangement. No longer will Uka get to sit next to Kai, now she has to watch as Marin, the girl who messed with her, sits next to him and blatantly flirting with him. But Uka won't be deterred! With the love she has for Kai in her heart, the love that she's internally professing towards him, she'll stand by his side on her own terms!

Time to celebrate Uka's new 6:00 curfew with karaoke! Though seriously, why does she keep running into her old bullies!? At least she's not bothered by seeing them any more, even if they're not happy to see her, though Uka's got her school gang there to protect her. Though Kojima's words about what Kai gets up to at night leaves them all with something to think about...but what's Kojima got against Takamine?

Even after everything they've been through, Kai is still an enigma to Uka. He does all this for her but she knows so little about him. Why is he always so tired? What does he do late at night? What is the status of his living situation? All pertinent questions, and Kai isn't one to give answers to anyone, let alone his friends. They don't even know why he suddenly decided to go blonde. And where does that leave Uka? Kai even went to the trouble of reporting his own secret spot that they were going to hang out in. Is he trying to steer her away from him?

Okay, Uka, I have to respect your determination to get to know Kai better...but maybe don't be wandering alone in the evening in a seedier part of town. That never ends well.

So Kai works some kind of...service job? Doesn't seem like a host club. Though the guys he works with seem kind of shady, especially the way they handle Uka when they think she's stalking Kai. Good thing he's there to save her.

Kai once professed all the qualities he knew about Uka, the good and the bad, and now it's Uka's turn to do the same for him! She might not have a complete understanding of him, but she knows him better than he realizes, and she wants to know even more whether he likes it or not! She's stubborn like that.

Well, their late-night rendezvous and Kai's job are now out in the open, but Uka is the only one Kai is willing to let in and slip into the school roof to give more deets about himself. Even though their relationship is still unclear, it's still a sign of how close they've become.