Review of Honey Lemon Soda

I really wanted to like Honey Lemon Soda, but it became kind of a chore to watch each week, and I kept watching just for the sake of finishing it. The art is great, and the character designs look nice. The OP and ED are also cool and give off a fresh vibe. They perfectly fit the lemon soda and summer theme the show is going for. So why don’t I recommend it? Well, mostly because the show feels slow and dragging. Everything moves too slowly, it feels like every frame lingers a bit too long. Scenes and conversations could be more impactfulif they were shorter but filled with more meaning.

The animation is average—lots of stills with just the mouth moving or panning over a static shot. There are worse animated shows, but also far better ones.

The character's personalities are superficial or just plain flat. The problems they face aren’t particularly challenging either; some seem more suited for children or are just cliché. Most of the drama could have been avoided entirely if the characters talked to one another instead of acting based on assumptions.

The interactions between the FL and ML remain almost the same: FL is too shy to do X, ML drags her along in some way, FL completes X, and everyone praises her. However, she then falls back into her insecurities, unable to do even the most basic things on her own, remaining dependent on ML. This cycle repeats, and it gets old fast.
Additionally, the ML is always annoyed and kinda rude, yet he’s the most popular guy in school—and we’re never given a clear reason why.

Overall, this show is just plain average in every aspect and gives you no reason to choose it over any other romance anime out there. There are definitely better romance anime to watch instead, so you’re better off picking one of those.