Honey Lemon Soda

Honey Lemon Soda (Japanese: ハニーレモンソーダ, Hepburn: Hanī Remon Sōda) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mayu Murata. It has been serialized in Shueisha's shōjo manga magazine Ribon since December 2015, with its chapters collected into 27 tankōbon volumes as of December 2024. A live action film adaptation was released in July 2021, and an anime television series adaptation produced by TMS Entertainment and animated by J.C.Staff aired from January to March 2025 on Fuji TV's Ultra programming block.

By July 2024, the series had over 13 million copies in circulation.

Plot

Quiet and shy high school girl Uka Ishimori has been nicknamed "stone" since middle school. Upon entering Hachimitsu High School, she meets a boy named Kai Miura, whose appearance and personality reminds her of lemon soda. As the two become acquainted with one another, Uka's relationship with Kai inspires her to become more confident, make more friends at school, and realize she has fallen in love with him.

Characters

Uka Ishimori (石森羽花, Ishimori Uka): Voiced by: Kana Ichinose (Japanese); Monica Flatley (English); A timid and shy 15-year-old high school girl with a history of being bullied during middle school, and being nicknamed "stone" for never having the courage to stand up for herself. She falls in love with Miura, who constantly helps her come out of her shell, make new friends and gain a newfound sense of confidence in herself.; Portrayed by: Ai Yoshikawa
Kai Miura (三浦界, Miura Kai): Voiced by: Shōgo Yano (Japanese); Chris Hackney (English); Portrayed by: Raul; A handsome and popular high school boy with lemon hair, who is Serina's ex-boyfriend and Ishimori's love interest. At first glance, he may appear as indifferent, passive aggressive and even cold towards Ishimori and others, but in reality, he's a kind and compassionate person who is always helping Ishimori gain confidence and enjoy her high school life with her new friends. Though initially in denial, Miura eventually realizes he is in love with Ishimori, and they begin dating.
Serina Kanno (菅野芹奈, Kanno Serina): Voiced by: Rie Takahashi (Japanese); Ezra Vervin (English); Portrayed by: Mayu Hotta; A beautiful and popular high school girl and Miura's ex-girlfriend. She is constantly the target of many boys' affection, which led to several female students in middle school turning on her out of jealousy. She is a kind, caring and compassionate girl who understands Ishimori's struggles with the fear of being alone, and becomes close friends with her.
Ayumi Endo (遠藤あゆみ, Endō Ayumi): Voiced by: Miyari Nemoto (Japanese); Celeste Perez (English); Portrayed by: Natsumi Okamoto
Tomoya Takamine (高嶺友哉, Takamine Tomoya): Voiced by: Shun'ichi Toki (Japanese); Landon McDonald (English); Portrayed by: Tatsuomi Hamada
Satoru Seto (瀬戸悟, Seto Satoru): Voiced by: Taku Yashiro (Japanese); Kieran Regan (English); Portrayed by: Ryōta Bandō

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Mayu Murata, Honey Lemon Soda began serialization in Shueisha's shōjo manga magazine Ribon on December 28, 2015. As of December 2024, 27 tankōbon volumes have been released.

In July 2022, Yen Press announced that they licensed the series for English publication.

Volumes

Live-action film

In September 2020, it was announced that series is getting a live action film adaptation, starring Snow Man member Raul as Kai Miura and Ai Yoshikawa as Uka Ishimori. The film was directed by Kōji Shintoku, based on a screenplay by Nami Kikkawa. It premiered in Japan on July 9, 2021. The film's theme song is "Hello Hello" by Snow Man.

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on March 1, 2024. Produced and planned by TMS Entertainment, it is animated by J.C.Staff and directed by Hiroshi Nishikiori, with Akiko Waba writing series scripts, Aimi Tanaka designing the characters, and Akira Kosemura composing the music. The series aired from January 9 to March 27, 2025, on Fuji TV's Ultra programming block. The opening theme song is "Magic Hour", while the ending theme song is "Wonderful World", both performed by &Team. Crunchyroll streamed the series. Plus Media Networks Asia has licensed the series in Southeast Asia and broadcast it on Aniplus Asia.

Episodes

Reception

By July 2024, Honey Lemon Soda had over 13 million copies in circulation.

In 2021, the series was nominated at the 45th Kodansha Manga Awards in the shōjo category. It also ranked 40th in Da Vinci magazine's "Book of the Year" list for that year.