Honey Lemon Soda Volumes 5-7 Review

The Honey Lemon Soda anime adaptation is now airing! And while we enjoy watching the series come to life on the TV screen, what better time to check back in with the original manga? Since I last reviewed the series, Yen Press has been busy and brought out a further three volumes. Do they continue to impress? Let’s find out!

As we reunite with Uka and Kai, we find the two taking a group trip to the beach, where they’re hoping to enjoy some of their summer break in the sunshine before returning to school. Since meeting Kai and their classmates, Uka has certainly come out of her shell and has made several friends which is something she never expected, given how isolated and bullied she was in middle school. She even finds the courage to exchange phone numbers with her friends (and later Kai) so they can keep in touch over the holiday.

But it’s upon returning to school that Uka faces her greatest challenge yet – her father. Throughout the series so far we’ve seen glimpses of Uka’s parents and how protective her father in particular can be. He’s always been disappointed that she chose to attend Hachimitsu High School instead of the prestigious school she’d originally been aiming for. So, when he sees her leaving karaoke with Kai and her friends, he immediately jumps to the conclusion that she’s being bullied and associating with people who aren’t good enough for her.

Having finally found a place where she feels like she belongs, Uka is deeply upset when her father tells her she’s transferring schools and staying home in the meantime. Her best friend Ayumi and Kai rush to confront her father when they’re told by the teacher that Uka’s father believes she’s being bullied, but he’s unwilling to listen to anything they say. Especially Kai, whose bleached hair gives off the impression he’s a delinquent.

Uka spent the entirety of middle school lying to her parents about her daily life. She pretended to have friends and that she was happy, despite what was really happening. Under those circumstances, it’s no wonder her father is worried about who she’s associating with now, but in order not to lose everything she’s worked so hard to gain, Uka is going to have to come clean about her past. For someone in Uka’s position, the decision to reveal all to her parents isn’t an easy one, but thankfully she’s not alone and has the support of her friends who will do anything they can to help her remain at Hachimitsu.

The fact Uka has grown so much throughout these seven volumes speaks to mangaka Mayu Murata’s talent for writing realistic and endearing characters. It’s not like she’s been able to snap her fingers and overcome everything she’s been through, yet slowly but surely, she’s coming to terms with it and stitching up those wounds. She’s now surrounded by people who love her for who she is and that gives her the room to breathe and figure out what she wants out of life.

And that in many ways is what makes Honey Lemon Soda so easy to recommend. Obviously it’s a shojo series and the romance between Kai and Uka is a central theme (and yes it does get more focus in these volumes too), but Murata has never been afraid to let that simmer in the background while instead focusing on the individual growth of the characters. And I appreciate that Uka has never once been made a damsel in distress who can only be saved by Kai, she’s always taking small steps forward all on her own.

Kai might help out when she’s in over her head, but never without having her put in some of the work to resolve whatever situation she’s ended up in. Their relationship is very balanced, which is not always the case for series in this genre. I used to wonder how this had run for nearly 30 volumes and counting, but now the more I read, the more I realise it has a solid foundation that Murata is confidently building on. In many ways, it’s starting to remind me of Say I Love You, which I liked for very similar reasons.

All the same, I find myself curious about where the story is going after the events of Volume 7. While Volumes 5 and 6 are largely focused on the storyline with Uka’s dad, #7 proves a fairly pivotal change for the relationship between Kai and Uka. And even that besides, a lot of loose ends have been tied up recently so it will be interesting to see what new storylines Murata has in mind for us going forward.

As mentioned earlier, Honey Lemon Soda Volumes 5-7 come to the West thanks to Yen Press and continue to be translated by Amanda Haley with lettering by Chiho Christie. All three releases read well with no issues to note and include some translation notes at the back of the books.

In Japanese the series is now up to 27 volumes while here in English Yen Press is releasing Volume 8 in early March, with #9 following in July. So still a while to go before we catch up to Japan, but it does mean there’s plenty to look forward to, even after the anime ends. Speaking of the anime, the adaptation is available to watch on Crunchyroll and our reviewer Noemi10 reviewed the first two episodes if you’re interested in finding out more.

Overall, Honey Lemon Soda continues to be a very charming shojo series as it navigates through difficult subject matter while showing us how far our protagonist has come since Volume 1. This has been well worth following so far and I’m looking forward to seeing where the mangaka takes the story from here.

Our review copies from Yen Press were supplied by Diamond Book Distributors UK.