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 [ja]. It has been serialized in Shueisha's shōjo manga magazine Ribon since December 2015, with its chapters collected into 28 tankōbon volumes as of April 2025. 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.

Honey Lemon Soda
First tankōbon volume cover
ハニーレモンソーダ (Hanī Remon Sōda)
Genre	Romance[1] Comedy drama[2]
Manga
Written by	Mayu Murata [ja]
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	NA: Yen Press
Imprint	Ribon Mascot Comics
Magazine	Ribon
Original run	December 28, 2015 – present
Volumes	28
Live-action film
Directed by	Kōji Shintoku
Written by	Nami Kikkawa [ja]
Music by	Erika Fukasawa [ja]
Released	July 9, 2021 (2021-07-09)
Runtime	111 minutes
Anime television series
Directed by	Hiroshi Nishikiori
Written by	Akiko Waba
Music by	Akira Kosemura [ja]
Studio	J.C.Staff (animation) TMS Entertainment (production and planning)[a]
Licensed by	Crunchyroll (streaming) SEA: Plus Media Networks Asia
Original network	Fuji TV (+Ultra), BS Fuji
Original run	January 9, 2025 – March 27, 2025
Episodes	12

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^[3] (Japanese); Monica Flatley^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Ai Yoshikawa^[5]

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.

Kai Miura (三浦 界, Miura Kai)

Voiced by: Shōgo Yano^[3] (Japanese); Chris Hackney^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Raul^[5]

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^[6] (Japanese); Ezra Vervin^[7] (English)

Portrayed by: Mayu Hotta^[8]

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^[6] (Japanese); Celeste Perez^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Natsumi Okamoto^[8]

A fun-loving, cheerful and caring girl, and Uka's best friend.

Tomoya Takamine (高嶺 友哉, Takamine Tomoya)

Voiced by: Shun'ichi Toki^[6] (Japanese); Landon McDonald^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Tatsuomi Hamada^[8]

Satoru Seto (瀬戸 悟, Seto Satoru)

Voiced by: Taku Yashiro^[6] (Japanese); Kieran Regan^[4] (English)

Portrayed by: Ryōta Bandō [ja]^[8]

Media

Manga

Written and illustrated by Mayu Murata [ja], Honey Lemon Soda began serialization in Shueisha's shōjo manga magazine Ribon on December 28, 2015.^[1] As of April 2025, 28 tankōbon volumes have been released.^[9]

In July 2022, Yen Press announced that they licensed the series for English publication.^[10]

Volumes

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	May 25, 2016[11]	978-4-08-867416-2	January 17, 2023[2]	978-1-97-536331-4
2	September 23, 2016[12]	978-4-08-867431-5	May 23, 2023[13]	978-1-97-536333-8
3	January 25, 2017[14]	978-4-08-867443-8	August 22, 2023[15]	978-1-97-536335-2
4	April 25, 2017[16]	978-4-08-867459-9	November 21, 2023[17]	978-1-97-536337-6
5	August 25, 2017[18]	978-4-08-867470-4	March 19, 2024[19]	978-1-97-536339-0
6	December 25, 2017[20]	978-4-08-867483-4	July 23, 2024[21]	978-1-97-536341-3
7	April 25, 2018[22]	978-4-08-867497-1	October 15, 2024[23]	978-1-97-536343-7
8	August 24, 2018[24]	978-4-08-867510-7	February 18, 2025[25]	978-1-97-536345-1
9	December 25, 2018[26]	978-4-08-867524-4	June 24, 2025[27]	978-1-97-536347-5
10	April 25, 2019[28]	978-4-08-867545-9	September 23, 2025[29]	978-1-97-536349-9
11	August 23, 2019[30]	978-4-08-867558-9	—	—
12	December 25, 2019[31]	978-4-08-867571-8	—	—
13	April 24, 2020[32]	978-4-08-867582-4	—	—
14	August 25, 2020[33]	978-4-08-867595-4	—	—
15	December 24, 2020[34]	978-4-08-867609-8	—	—
16	April 23, 2021[35]	978-4-08-867616-6	—	—
17	July 21, 2021[36]	978-4-08-867628-9	—	—
18	November 25, 2021[37]	978-4-08-867639-5	—	—
19	March 25, 2022[38]	978-4-08-867653-1	—	—
20	July 25, 2022[39]	978-4-08-867672-2	—	—
21	November 25, 2022[40]	978-4-08-867687-6	—	—
22	March 24, 2023[41]	978-4-08-867708-8	—	—
23	July 25, 2023[42]	978-4-08-867721-7	—	—
24	November 24, 2023[43]	978-4-08-867737-8	—	—
25	April 24, 2024[44]	978-4-08-867749-1	—	—
26	August 23, 2024[45]	978-4-08-867771-2	—	—
27	December 24, 2024[46]	978-4-08-867784-2	—	—
28	April 24, 2025[9]	978-4-08-867798-9	—	—
29	August 25, 2025	978-4-08-867813-9	—	—

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.^[5] The film was directed by Kōji Shintoku, based on a screenplay by Nami Kikkawa [ja].^[47] It premiered in Japan on July 9, 2021. The film's theme song is "Hello Hello" by Snow Man.^[48]

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was announced on March 1, 2024. Produced and planned by TMS Entertainment,^[a] 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 [ja] composing the music.^[49] The series aired from January 9 to March 27, 2025, on Fuji TV's +Ultra programming block.^[b] The opening theme song is "Magic Hour", while the ending theme song is "Wonderful World", both performed by &Team.^[50] Crunchyroll streamed the series.^[51] Plus Media Networks Asia has licensed the series in Southeast Asia and broadcast it on Aniplus Asia.^[52]

Episodes

No.	Title [53][54]	Directed by [53]	Written by [53]	Storyboarded by [53]	Original release date [55][b]
1	"Because I Met You" Transliteration: "Kimi ni Deaeta kara" (Japanese: 君に出会えたから)	Hiroshi Nishikori	Akiko Waba	Hiroshi Nishikori	January 9, 2025 (2025-01-09)
2	"Turning Into a Treasure" Transliteration: "Takaramono ni Kawatte ku" (Japanese: 宝物に変わってく)	Shizuka Izumi	Akiko Waba	Shizuka Izumi & Hiroshi Nishikori	January 16, 2025 (2025-01-16)
3	"Our Little Secret" Transliteration: "Futaridake no Himitsu" (Japanese: 二人だけの秘密)	Kōzō Kaihō	Akiko Waba	Hiroaki Sakurai	January 23, 2025 (2025-01-23)
4	"However Distant We May Be" Transliteration: "Donna ni Hanareteitemo" (Japanese: どんなに離れていても)	Hiroshi Nishikiori	Akiko Waba	Nagisa Miyazaki & Hiroshi Nishikiori	January 30, 2025 (2025-01-30)
5	"A Great Person" Transliteration: "Sutekinahito" (Japanese: 素敵な人)	Shizuka Izumi	Seishi Minakami	Yoshiki Yamakawa	February 6, 2025 (2025-02-06)
6	"In the Future, Too..." Transliteration: "Konosaki mo, zutto…" (Japanese: この先も、ずっと…)	Kiyotaka Ohata	Seishi Minakami	Kiyotaka Ohata	February 13, 2025 (2025-02-13)
7	"I’m Sorry I Love Him" Transliteration: "Sukide Gomennasai" (Japanese: 好きでごめんなさい)	Masamune Okamura	Seishi Minakami	Risako Yoshida	February 20, 2025 (2025-02-20)
8	"Summon the Courage" Transliteration: "Yūki wo Dashite" (Japanese: 勇気を出して)	Shizuka Izumi	Akiko Waba	Kouichi Takada	February 27, 2025 (2025-02-27)
9	"Goodbye, Bumbling Self" Transliteration: "Sayōnara Bukiyōdatta Watashi" (Japanese: さようなら不器用だった私)	Yutaka Yamamoto	Seishi Minakami	Yutaka Yamamoto	March 6, 2025 (2025-03-06)
10	"The Side of You No One Knows" Transliteration: "Dare mo Shiranai-kun" (Japanese: 誰も知らない君)	Kōzō Kaihō	Akiko Waba	Koichi Takada & Shizuka Izumi	March 13, 2025 (2025-03-13)
11	"Feelings Burst Free" Transliteration: "Omoi, Hajikete" (Japanese: 想い、弾けて)	Kiyotaka Ohata	Seishi Minakami	Kiyotaka Ohata	March 20, 2025 (2025-03-20)
12	"Honey Lemon Soda" Transliteration: "Hanī Remon Sōda" (Japanese: ハニーレモンソーダ)	Hiroyasu Oda	Akiko Waba	Yoshiki Yamakawa	March 27, 2025 (2025-03-27)

Reception

By July 2024, Honey Lemon Soda had over 13 million copies in circulation.^[56]

In 2021, the series was nominated at the 45th Kodansha Manga Awards in the shōjo category.^[57] It also ranked 40th in Da Vinci magazine's "Book of the Year" list for that year.^[58]

See also

• Nagareboshi Lens, another manga series by Mayu Murata

Notes

1. Under the "Unlimited Produce by TMS" label.
2. Fuji TV listed the series premiere on January 8 at 24:55, which is effectively January 9 at 12:55 a.m. JST.^[50]