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EP. REVIEW: Honey Lemon Soda

Honey Lemon Soda's source manga, by Mayu Murata, is one of my favorite ongoing shoujo titles, and I'll be the first to admit that this anime adaptation doesn't capture Murata's art particularly well. The use of yellow as a theme color makes sense, but it ends up looking more like “electric banana” than “honey or lemon yellow,” and the eyes do not translate well at all; just because Murata uses golden brown in her color art doesn't mean that the anime should have attempted to replicate it. There's also something awkward about the bodies, which I think comes down to attempting to be too faithful to the manga art; making them move is very different from giving the illusion of movement.

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Honey Lemon Soda's source manga, by Mayu Murata, is one of my favorite ongoing shoujo titles, and I'll be the first to admit that this anime adaptation doesn't capture Murata's art particularly well. The use of yellow as a theme color makes sense, but it ends up looking more like “electric banana” than “honey or lemon yellow,” and the eyes do not translate well at all; just because Murata uses golden brown in her color art doesn't mean that the anime should have attempted to replicate it. There's also something awkward about the bodies, which I think comes down to attempting to be too faithful to the manga art; making them move is very different from giving the illusion of movement.

I completely agree with you on all points. Also, I just read this series is at 27 volumes. 27! What the hell is Kai teaching Uka that the story hasn’t been wrapped up yet?! (Or perhaps she’s teaching him a thing or two using her visualization skills ) The longest series I have on my bookshelf are Inuyasha (18 VizBig volumes), Finder Series (13 volumes), and Cherry Magic (13 volumes), so I’m not sure what else they could have going on. Maybe it’ll evolve into an isekai after Truck-kun takes Kai and Uka out on the sidewalk

It's hard to deny that Honey Lemon Soda is wish-fulfillment, but I think that what kind of wish-fulfillment you see depends a lot upon your own experiences. ... What Uka gets from Kai in these first two episodes isn't that he's riding to her rescue on a white horse, armor shining, but that she's being reminded that she's a person who deserves to be there at all. Kai's not so much saving her as seeing her.

The manga's better on almost all fronts, but it's important that stories like this are brought to the screen. If you've been in Uka's position, you know why.

For manga readers, about how much have the first two episodes covered so far? The anime solidified my decision to go with the manga, and I read that apparently a big twist happens in spoiler[chapter 28 specifically], so I'd like to catch up by then. I couldn't find it from a cursory glance on Reddit's weekly thread, so I'm asking here.

InfiniteNothingness wrote:

For manga readers, about how much have the first two episodes covered so far? The anime solidified my decision to go with the manga, and I read that apparently a big twist happens in spoiler[chapter 28 specifically], so I'd like to catch up by then. I couldn't find it from a cursory glance on Reddit's weekly thread, so I'm asking here.

The first two episodes line up with the first two chapters of the manga, so unless they start moving more quickly, it's looking like they're going for a pretty faithful adaptation.

I blame Jane Austen for this trope. She may not have invented it, but Pride & Prejudice introduced a model that has been baked into the romance genre ever since: the seemingly gruff, powerful male figure who is effectively conquered by our plain heroine. Yes, he talks a harsh game at first, and the heroine believes he must hate her, but eventually he is putty in her hands. Such a figure needs to be seen as powerful for the conquering to have any juice.