© Mayu Murata/Shueisha Honey Lemon Soda Production Committee
I almost didn’t make it to the premiere honey lemonade On the Animation Frontier. it and No matter what, I’m in love with you was premiered in the same cycle, and the first two episodes honey lemonade (hereinafter referred to as HLS) was the first to appear. The room was full, so I reluctantly entered. The result was a room where every last seat was taken, with a few people sitting on the floor against the wall (which is where I was; I wasn’t kidding when I said I just barely got in!). I just want to say, if you have any doubts: yes, this anime has a lot of people who are very excited to watch it. So, are the first two episodes worth the hype?
“HLS” tells the story of a new high school student named Uka Ishimori, who has a rather rough middle school life. She was bullied for being too quiet and reserved, and when she took the entrance exam for the high school she wanted to go to, she froze—and needless to say, she didn’t pass. His hair was as yellow as the lemonade he always drank. His name is Kai Miura, and he is also a student at the last high school Uka attended. HLS mainly tells the story of Uka coming out of his shell, learning how to stand up for himself and making friends. There were a few moments where the audience cheered (especially the scene where we saw Uka playing basketball). In the midst of it all, she finds herself falling in love with Kai – and she swears that once she feels confident enough in herself, she’ll confess to Kai with tears streaming down her giant anime eyes.
In many ways, this feels like a high school romance series that goes exactly by the book in wish-fulfillment: a handsome boy develops an almost random interest in every girl who gets bullied, and he magically always knows the right thing to say. Whatever and does, always seems to be in the right place at the right time, and he also has a great group of friends who more or less immediately welcome Uka with open arms. But let’s be honest, there’s nothing wrong with having your wish come true. Heart’s Desire If this sounds like a story you would enjoy, I’m sure you’ll enjoy HLS. But for me, it was hard to fit in. I didn’t have strong feelings for either of our main characters, Kai’s interest in Uka felt so unexpected and unlikely, I couldn’t myself feel any real chemistry between them, I think I would if This story isn’t a romance in the first place – let alone a romance I couldn’t bring myself to care about, I would have felt more compelled to enjoy a story about self-improvement. Neither of the first two episodes stood out to me, but if you like girl and High School Love, you’ll probably get more out of these two episodes than I did.
