Murata. Volume 4 Cover Art Cropped, Honey Lemon Soda, Yen Press.
Honey Lemon Soda – Information
Author of Story: Murata Mayu
Volume Count: 12 volumes
Status: English ongoing, Japanese completed at 31 volumes (+ side stories)
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Bullying
- Loss of loved ones
- Abandonment
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Honey Lemon Soda – Plot Summary
This super cute school life shoujo manga focuses on a young girl trying to bloom into her true self. Fifteen year old Uka Ishimori experienced bullying during middle school, and is used to being an outcast. Unexpectedly, she gains an ounce of encouragement from a stranger, which makes her determined to change during high school.
Much of Honey Lemon Soda is focused on Uka overcoming her quiet outcast persona and learning to break out of her shell. Not only does Uka slowly let loose, but she also makes friends and even falls in love!
Honestly, I put this one off for so long—solely due to the style of the ML (which I did eventually get used to). Despite this, I really enjoyed its classic shoujo style and how it portrays a similar level of drama to Strobe Edge or Ao Haru Ride, but with a plot that feels a bit like Kimi ni Todoke.
If you enjoy the classic coming-of-age shoujos that showcase some character growth, common shoujo tropes, cute friendships, and of course love, then you’ll probably enjoy this one!
Murata. Volume 5 Cover Art, Honey Lemon Soda, Yen Press.
Why You Should Read Honey Lemon Soda
Plot:
The plot of this series feels very cute and rather wholesome. I especially enjoyed the first few volumes, as I really liked seeing Uka’s personal growth. This is a little surprising because the romance really starts to happen a little later in the story… and as you may know, I typically enjoy romance the most in manga.
But in this case, I felt the most excited reading the first few volumes of Honey Lemon Soda—the plot at the beginning really made me feel nostalgia for older shoujo manga styles and storytelling.
Despite the fact that I primarily enjoyed the beginning of the plot featuring Uka and her individual struggles, I did still enjoy the romance aspect of the plot. The romance itself is really cute, and Uka takes time to become confident in herself in terms of her relationship.
Once she becomes braver as an individual, she then has to learn to understand dating and what it means to be in a relationship.
This shoujo’s romance is one of those “popular x unpopular” set-ups, and consistently depicts Uka as a weakling who relies on others for help. Therefore, much of her romantic journey focuses on her creating a healthy relationship where she can rely on her significant other sometimes, but not all the time.
I found this to be a pretty good direction for the manga to take, rather than allowing Uka to be a character constantly in need of saving. Seeing her grow on her own and in her relationship is refreshing.
Although this story contains many classic shoujo tropes, a lot of the conflicts are settled in a surprisingly appropriate amount of time… which is a relief, if you’re familiar with stories that drag out misunderstandings.
Even if you find yourself getting worried or worked up by any plot conflicts, they usually work out rather quickly in Honey Lemon Soda. However, there are quite a lot of what would could be considered “overused” shoujo tropes in this series, so be sure to check the cons later in this review for more info.
Characters:
At the start, I was unsure if I would like the protagonist. Uka has very little self confidence and seems genuinely surprised that anyone would be nice to her or even look at her. Additionally, the manga community seems to despise her crybaby tendencies.
Personally, I don’t mind the crybaby FL trope, particularly in cases where there’s still character growth. Honey Lemon Soda really surprised me by incorporating this aspect into their protagonist’s journey… and rather quick, too.
Much of the beginning of the manga showcases Uka slowly growing her confidence and independence—and while she does cry often, it is not always out of sadness.
Despite how frequently she cries, Uka’s character is surprisingly mature at times, and can calmly recognize when she’s struggling to make a change in herself. She also gains a lot of help from the popular and confident Kai Miura (the ML and second protagonist), which makes her school life much more exciting and enjoyable.
I actually liked her character’s personality more and more as I read further, and found myself relating to Uka, as someone who doesn’t always catch jokes and has a hard time “going with the flow.” My overall impression of Uka is that she’s a shy yet determined young lady trying her best to grow. So cute!
Kai, on the other hand, was depicted as the popular and stoic “hottie” of the school. He’s got a slightly sassy personality and seems like a bit of a trouble maker. However, he often shows his kindness to others, and never truly gives off the “bad boy” feel.
I think his character is supposed to be a stoic, slightly rude, and perhaps apathetic boy that slowly grows to be a more happy, honest, and sweet version of himself. His true self is apparent through his actions and thoughtfulness, even at the beginning of the story.
Unfortunately, we don’t get to see his side of things very much, as the story primarily focuses on Uka and her point of view.
Art:
Like I said earlier, I put off reading this manga for so long because of the ML’s design. Something about his design just seemed a bit odd for me. I can’t put my finger on what about him I disliked initially, but it was entirely about his design—as his personality was fine.
I didn’t think he always looked off, only sometimes…which was the weirdest thing to me. As I continued reading the manga, I got more used to it and stopped feeling iffy about his appearance (ironically, in the anime adaptation, I felt he looked much more normal).
On the other hand, I couldn’t get used to those oversized hats and patterned jackets he wore often at the beginning of the series, as they gave me flashbacks from the 2010’s trend where everything said “SWAG” on it, hahaha! Luckily that style of his changes eventually.
As for Uka’s design, she looks great. She’s a got a standard shoujo heroine design—a normal high school girl. I really love the more detailed close-ups of Uka, as it feels as though the artist really likes their character and put special care into drawing her. The way they draw her eyes is so beautiful!
One other aspect I loved about the art style in Honey Lemon Soda that I feel like I haven’t seen much lately is the little sparkles, hearts, flowers, and other cute shoujo-esque elements sprinkled throughout the panels. I see many people say they don’t like this “decor” in their manga, but I personally love it and was happy to see it used in this series.
The author’s art style in general is very cute. The character’s hair, eyes, clothes, and even their tears all look very pretty. I also really liked the style of this artist’s chibis. They looked so funny with their beady eyes and exaggerated expressions. Overall I enjoyed the art style a lot—I just took some time to warm up to Kai’s design at first.
Murata. Volume 6 Cover Art, Honey Lemon Soda, Yen Press.
Any Cons?
Unfortunately, I have a number of cons for this series.
The main problem I think many may experience for this manga is that there are so many shoujo tropes explored in this series, some of which happen multiple times.
I know many readers are sick of the same shoujo plot-lines, and that’s totally okay. I still enjoyed this series a lot, but I was disappointed by the introduction of what seems to be yet another love triangle in the more recent volume.
The romance between the two protagonists is very cute, but when other characters constantly drag the female lead down or try to come in between them, it becomes annoying. In short, if you hate the usual shoujo tropes like love triangles and dramatic conflicts, maybe skip out on this series.
Similarly for the next con, I really despised almost all of the background characters in this series. Practically all of them are portrayed as shallow bullies who only care about appearance and popularity. Almost every character fawns over Kai, and sooo many characters treat Uka like trash for no reason. It becomes really annoying after a while.
The third con, at least for certain readers, is Uka’s personality. I will warn that she does indeed cry at almost every development possible—and it’s often depicted as a dramatic scene—so if that annoys you a lot, go ahead and skip this series. She’s also very slow at romantic developments and seems incredibly innocent or easily overwhelmed when it comes to dating.
Lastly, if you’re not one who enjoys the unpopular x popular couple dynamic, or incredibly dramatized plot developments portrayed in romance shoujos, maybe skip out on this series.
I think people who really enjoyed Kimi ni Todoke will love this series, as Honey Lemon Soda has a very similar vibe in terms of plot, but with a quicker pace and less soft characters.
More In-Depth Review (Warning: Spoilers!)
I actually don’t have much to go into here, since the plot is very focused on romance once Uka becomes more brave and breaks out of her loner persona. However, there’s a lot of classic shoujo tropes that were done really well in this series, so I’d like to talk about the ones that stood out to me a bit more:
First, I really enjoyed the portrayal of the “flawed FL” who gets her chance to grow. Even though Uka is encouraged by Kai, I feel like the steps she takes to change are her own. All of her successes are from her own efforts and determination! I really liked seeing her change her attitude, make friends, and fall in love.
Second: The first love triangle involving Serina was also done very well. I loved this love triangle because Serina’s character was actually very likable, and it ended in a lovely friendship between her and Uka.
Love triangles in shoujo can be annoying, but I really liked Serina and was really happy with how the author portrayed this often overdone trope. This should have been the only love triangle in series, in my opinion.
Next, the cultural festival and sports festival scenes were so cute and fun. I loved how Uka’s classmates got to see a new side to her, and Uka finally got a chance to feel included and enjoy school. She was able to prove herself a bit to her classmates, and make some great memories.
Lastly, I enjoyed the subplot with Uka’s family (mostly involving her dad). Although her dad’s manipulative attitude frustrated me to no end, this subplot sort of helps explain why Uka’s so afraid of doing things that seem normal to others, as her dad is crazy protective of her.
This overprotection basically backfired, because Uka never told them the truth of her middle school experience, and failed to make friends as a “normal” student would. I love the contrast between Uka’s father’s guidance and Kai’s encouragement, as they are polar opposites.
Uka’s transition from her father’s protection to Kai’s instruction really shows her growth and journey to young adulthood.
Although I enjoyed reading these common shoujo tropes, there is one trope I was happy to not experience in Honey Lemon Soda… and that’s an abrupt ending after the main couple begins to date. While I love classics like Strobe Edge and Ao Haru Ride, we never got to see the continuation of those relationships that worked so hard to come to fruition in those series!
Luckily, in Honey Lemon Soda, we get to see Uka and Kai progress in their relationship, which is so fulfilling and exciting. Overall I think this manga is incredibly cute, and I’m looking forward to seeing how it continues!
Final Thoughts
Honey Lemon Soda can be a great choice for readers who really love classic shoujo tropes, dramatized plots, and sweet romances. The characters are so cute and the plot can feel pretty wholesome at times!
If you’re okay with a female lead who shows her feelings through tears and a popular x unpopular couple dynamic, check this series out—it may become a new favorite!
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Mayu, Murata. Honey Lemon Soda, Yen Press, 2023.
