Review of Honey Lemon Soda

It's the most cliché a shoujo can get, and I loved every second of it. You won't be getting anything new here, but if you enjoy the first three episodes, stick around. [Story] 6/10 - As I said, it's a cliché shoujo. There's nothing new here, but it was still interesting enough. Pretty good side cast and your main couple are the cutout "bullied shy girl" and "tough hot guy with a sweet side" characters. It's got the fluffy, wholesome moments, the moments on the emotional end (though I never found myself crying), and everything in between. I do think the side cast were a strength,I really enjoyed the moments between the main friend group.

[Animation/Art] 8/10 - Really nice background art and character designs. Overall pretty well animated throughout the season. Animation isn't too fluid but it isn't clunky or stiff either.

[Music] 10/10 - I LOVE THE SOUNDTRACK! It's up there with A Silent Voice for me. I might not have gotten past the first episode if it wasn't for the soundtrack, but once I got past it I ended up binging the show. Honestly the soundtrack turned a pretty bland first episode into something I was almost crying to (even I didn't know why...). OP and ED are pretty good (I prefer the ED), they definitely have the same vibe to them. Nothing spectacular though.

[Characters] 7/10 - I've kinda already gone over this in the story segment so I won't copy-paste it.

[Enjoyment] 9/10 - Yes, it's cliché. Yes, it's pretty generic. But it was good enough to binge the second half. I didn't feel bored when watching.

Overall, 7/10. Maybe it's because I haven't watched too many shoujos but I found it really entertaining even though it was very cookie-cutter. At the end of the day, it's gonna vary from person-to-person so I'll leave you to decide.