The official store for the upcoming Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – Beginning – early theatrical release of the anime series will appear in Japan at the Bandai Namco Cross Store Atre Akihabara. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

The Gundam GQuuuuuuX – Beginning – store will appear on February 2 and will remain open until April 10, 2025. A second edition will also appear between April 11 and May 18, 2025. Other Japanese locations for the store are planned, including Osaka between May 25 and June 22, 2025, and the Hakata Ward in Fukuoka from June 28 to July 21, 2025.

Additionally, some of the merchandise goods sold at the store will be on sale from the Namco Parks online store. More items are planned to be added at a later date, and some of the characters in the goods haven’t been revealed to avoid spoilers.

Here's the list of items available in the new Gundam GQuuuuuuX – Beginning – store:

• Square Pin Badge (11 available) – 660 yen (~$4.25)
• Character Name Keychain (7 available) – 1,100 yen (~$7.09)
• Acrylic Sticker (7 available) – 880 yen (~$5.67)
• Glittering Acrylic Stand (6 available) – 1,980 yen (~$12.75)
• Acrylic Sheet (20 available) – 700 yen (~$4.51)

And here’s a look at the goods that have been shown so far:

Furthermore, some exclusive goods will also be available via the no-loss online lottery system in the Bandai Namco online store.

• S Prize: Acrylic Pannel (5 available)
• A Prize: Pin Badge (11 available)
• B Prize: Mini Illustration Card (13 available)

Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX is currently in production. The Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX – Beginning – re-edit of the first few episodes of the anime will appear in Japanese theaters on January 17, 2025. More information on international releases will come out in the future.

The post Official Gundam GQuuuuuuX: Beginning Store Opening appeared first on Siliconera.

A new One Piece cover song album is now available for pre-order in Japan featuring songs from artists Hiroshi Kitadani, Ado, and a variety of other musical artists. Kitadani announced the release of the new album, which will come out in Japan on March 26, 2025. [Thanks, Oricon!]

The album includes 11 songs and will be available in a normal edition for 3,300 yen (or about $21.26) and a deluxe edition for 5,500 yen (~$35.43.) Additionally, the jacket for the deluxe edition features an illustration drawn by author Eiichiro Oda. The songs included in the album are various One Piece opening theme songs, as well as the songs from movies One Piece The Movie: Dead End no Boken and One Piece Film: Red.

Here’s the full track list for the new One Piece cover song album:

1. “Wake up!” by ats- (original by AAA)
2. “I’m invincible” by Takafumi "CO-K" Kokei, Yudai Ishikawa (original by Ado)
3. “Hikari E” by Takashi “Takajii” Nagasawa (original by The Babystars)
4. “Kokoro No Chizu” by 363820 (original by BOYSTYLE)
5. “sailing day” by Takashi “Takajii” Nagasawa (original by BUMP OF CHICKEN)
6. “BRAND NEW WORLD” by 363820 (original by D-51)
7. “Jungle P” by 363820 (original by 5050)
8. “DREAMIN’ ON” by ats- (original by Da-iCE)
9. “One day” by Takashi “Takajii” Nagasawa (original by The Rootless)
10. “New Genesis” by Takafumi "CO-K" Kokei, Yudai Ishikawa (original by Ado)
11. “Memories” by Haramichan (original by Maki Otsuki)

As a reminder, the One Piece Netflix live-action adaptation continues to tease its upcoming Season 2 with new actors revealed portraying the characters of Ipponmatsu, Igaram, and Dragon.

The One Piece Cover Songs ~Mark of Friendship X~ cover album is available in a normal and deluxe edition for 3,300 yen (~$21.26) and 5,500 yen (~$35.43) respectively.

The post One Piece Cover Song Album Includes Ado, Hiroshi Kitadani appeared first on Siliconera.

Shueisha announced we will be able to read the Metaphor: ReFantazio manga in English via MangaPlus. The series, which will also appear in V-Jump in Japan, will begin running in English on January 1, 2025. 

The company shared the announcement on social media. In the reveal, it noted that chapters of the Metaphor: ReFantazio manga will release simultaneously worldwide. The image included also showed how the main character and Gallica will look in this adaptation. 

When the run was first announced, we also got some details about what the first chapter will entail. It will be longer than usual and come in at 58 pages. It will also be in color, though that won’t be true of all episodes. On MangaPlus, typically the first three chapters and three most recent ones are all free for visitors to read, so everyone should be able to constantly have access to the first chapter of Metaphor: ReFantazio as long as Shueisha makes it available. We don't know how much of the story will be covered in this introduction, but presumably we'll see the hero and Gallica meet Strohl and perhaps Grius.

The Metaphor: ReFantazio manga English run will begin on January 21, 2025 on MangaPlus. The game is available on the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC worldwide.

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Bkub Okawa, the manga artist for most famous for his work on Pop Team Epic, shared fan art on social media of Yugi Muto from Yu-Gi-Oh in his usual style. As of the time of writing, about three days after he posted it onto Twitter, it’s accumulated over 12k reposts and 65k likes. [Thanks, Oricon!]

The art shows Yugi (not Yami Yugi) looking up to the side while holding the Millennium Puzzle, which is still around his neck. He has the signature cat-like smile that characters from Pop Team Epic tend to sport. Though Okawa limited replies, a lot of people quote-retweeted the picture to give their impressions on it.

Here is the Bkub Okawa fan art of Yugi Muto from Yu-Gi-Oh drawn in the Pop Team Epic sort of style.

Some users pointed out that this is the version of Yugi from the earlier parts of the series. Back in the beginning, Yugi used a normal cord to hang the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. However, during the Battle City arc, he changed it to a silver chain. Other comments refer to him as AIBO, which is the nickname Japanese fans gave him. This is due to how “aibou” means “partner” in Japanese, and it’s what Yami Yugi consistently referred to Yugi as during the series. Time will tell if Okawa plans on drawing other characters from Yu-Gi-Oh. The next piece of artwork he posted was of Okami Mio from hololive.

You can watch Yu-Gi-Oh on streaming services like Crunchyroll.

The post Pop Team Epic Artist Drew Yugi From Yu-Gi-Oh appeared first on Siliconera.

As part of a collaboration with One Piece, Japanese skincare brand Sekkisei will release UV protection items that feature characters from the Straw Hat Pirates on the packaging. They’ll appear in Japan from February 16, 2025. [Thanks, Game Watch!]

You can get goods with Luffy, Zoro, and Chopper on them. The packaging includes the marketing line “Leave fighting the sunlight to us!” as if the Straw Hat Pirates plan on literally punching away UV rays before they can hit your skin. Luffy adorns the UV essence gel, Zoro is on the essence milk, and Chopper is on the UV softening milk. You can purchase them via the Sekkiei online shop, as well as any physical store that handles Sekkisei products.

Sekkisei is a very popular Japanese brand in Asia, and people of all ages and genders can use its products. It touts that it can give luminous and translucent skin, and is a go-to brand when it comes to brightening and whitening skin tone. You can now purchase it in countries outside of Asia. However, it’s highly unlikely that Sekkisei stores in countries like the United States will carry the One Piece collaboration skincare items.

One Piece is available on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, and Viz Media localizes the manga. Part 2 of the Egghead Arc in the anime will resume on April 6, 2025.

The post There’ll Be One Piece Sunscreen From Sekkisei appeared first on Siliconera.

Aniplex and Beard Papa’s announced a promotion that allows people to buy Mashle: Magic and Muscles cream puffs in real life. Buying certain numbers of items will get you bonus merchandise based on the manga and anime. There will be certain flavors and types tied to characters from the Mashle series. It is live now as of January 15, 2025, and I expect we’ll only see the bonus items while supplies last.

There are five Mashle cream puffs based on characters at Beard Papa’s. When I checked the order online option, they didn’t come up, so it seems you will need to visit a location to order these specialty items. Here’s the full list of flavors:

• Dot Puff: Strawberry crumble cream puff with strawberry cheesecake-flavored cream.
• Finn Puff: Chocolate eclair cream puff with chocolate cream.
• Lance Puff: White chocolate eclair cream puff with chocolate cream.
• Lemon Puff: Lemon crumble cream puff with strawberry cheesecake-flavored cream.
• Mashle Puff: Cream puff with vanilla custard, whipped cream, and powdered sugar.

And here are the official images showing how each one looks:

As for merchandise, there are three items. Two of them are only available by buying Beard Papa’s cream puffs. The third is sold separately. The crossover six pack will come with an acrylic standee that shows all five characters and Beard Papa’s mascot. This option is available now. If you buy the 12 piece box that will be available starting February 22, 2025, you get a tote bag with the same design as the acrylic standee. 

Here’s how those two items look:

There is also a $24 unisex shirt in sizes small through 5XL. That starts at $24, but can cost up to $42.50 if you go with a 5XL. It is available in navy or yellow. These can be purchased in-store or online. 

Here’s how those look:

The Mashle: Magic and Muscles Beard Papa’s crossover is live with cream puffs based on characters and merchandise. Viz Media handles the manga outside Japan, while the anime is streaming on Crunchyroll.

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The upcoming Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid movie will release in late June 2025. The announcement came from the official website, which also included a few snippets from the voice actors and their thoughts about the upcoming film. It will release on June 27, 2025 in Japan. A worldwide release has yet to be announced.

Alongside the announcement of a release date, Kyoani shared a trailer for the film. It features several short scenes with the main cast and, of course, dragons. The trailer does have English subtitles, which means English speaking audiences can glean what the upcoming movie will be about, which involves the appearance of Kanna's real father.

You can watch the trailer for Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved movie below:

In 2022, Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: Burst Forth!! Choro-gon Breath received an English release. This special title was a shoot'em up, or shmup, with the story of the game centered on the characters being sucked into a haunted computer. Purchasing a physical copy of the game provided consumers with a Weiss Schwartz trading card.

The new Miss Kobayshi's Dragon Maid movie, Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid: A Lonely Dragon Wants to Be Loved, will release in Japan on June 27, 2025.

The post New Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Movie Debuts in June appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco announced its Bandai Spirits One Piece Nefertari Vivi Glitter and Glamours prize figure in both offline and online crane games in Japan. This is ahead of its wider debut, which includes the $24.99 figure being sold at places like Crunchyroll in April 2025.

This is a non-standard scale figure, but she is somewhere between 1/7 and 1/8 size since she stands at about 9 inches (23 cm) tall. It is static, so there are no additional face plates or arm parts to change her poses. As the Glitter and Glamours name suggests, the line is about portraying the characters at their best and most extravagant. As such, she’s wearing a pink dress and there are accessories with metallic gold paint on them. 

Here’s a closer look at the figure from different angles in official photos: 

The last One Piece character in this prize figure line was Princess Shirahoshi. She appeared in arcades in December 2024.

We’ll be seeing more of the character in 2025. This is because she’s already confirmed to be a part of season 2 of the One Piece live-action adaptation on Netflix. 

The Nefertari Vivi One Piece Glitter and Glamours prize figure is available in Japanese arcades now, and it will eventually be sold worldwide.

The post Nefertari Vivi Glitter and Glamours One Piece Prize Figure Debuts appeared first on Siliconera.

It seems we could be building up to more major One Piece live-action season 2 announcements, as Netflix shared another three supporting actors for the show. This time, the latest social media post shared the identities of Dragon, Igaram, and Ipponmatsu. 

In this batch of new One Piece live-action supporting actors for season 2, Dragon is the most notable. Spoilers aside, he ends up being a major influence on characters like Luffy and Sabo in the story. He’s played by Rigo Sanchez, who most recently played Lightner in the show Outer Banks. 

The other two characters are notable in their own ways. Igaram is also known as Mr. 8 and is associated with Miss Wednesday. He’s played by Yonda Thomas, whose last role was the show Red Ink. Finally, the store owner Ipponmatsu will be played by James Hiroyuki Liao. He’s appeared in Blue Bloods and Presumed Innocent most recently.

Here are Netflix’s official images that show the One Piece supporting actors alongside the art of the characters they’ll play.

This is the second One Piece live-action supporting actor reveal this week. On January 14, 2025, Netflix revealed the identities of Miss Goldenweek, Chess, and K.M. Of the three, Baroque Works antagonist Miss Goldenweek is the most notable, and she’s played by Sophia Anne Caruso.

We still don’t know who plays one of the more notable additions in the second season of this adaptation. Tony Tony Chopper will debut in the new episodes. We’ve seen teases of the character from the back, but no official footage of him or details about his voice actor.

There’s no launch date for season 2 of the One Piece live-action adaptation yet, but the full first season is live on Netflix now. You can find the anime on Crunchyroll and Netflix, and Viz Media handles the manga outside of Japan. 

The post 3 More One Piece Live-Action Supporting Actors Shared appeared first on Siliconera.

Netflix took to social media to share three more of the One Piece season 2 live-action actors. One is one of the more major Baroque Works characters, Miss Goldenweek. The other two are Chess and K.M.

Miss Goldenweek is played by Sophia Anne Caruso. She is best known for musicals like The Sound of Music Live and the Beetlejuice musical. Anton David Jeftha is K.M. He previously appeared in both Dominion and Homeland. As for Chess, Mark Penwill plays him. One of his most recent parts was in Catch Me a Killer.

Here's the announcement, which shows pictures of the characters alongside the actors who will play them in season 2 of the live-action adaptation of One Piece.

Many of the latest One Piece season 2 live-action actor announcements involved both major and supporting cast members. Things started with a number of Baroque Works villains the Straw Hat Pirates will face. After that, we learned about more major characters. For example, Netflix started off by sharing that Callum Kerr is Smoker. We know Charithra Chandran will be Miss Wednesday, while Sendhil Ramamurthy is Nefertari Cobra. Some of the last ones revealed were Miss All-Sunday and Mr 0. They’ll be played by Lera Abova and Joe Manganiello. 

However, we don’t know who the voice actor for Tony Tony Chopper will be yet. The character’s design hasn’t even been fully revealed yet. Netflix only teased it so far. However, Katey Sagal will be Dr Kureha. 

There’s no launch date for season 2 of the One Piece live-action adaptation yet, but the full first season is live on Netflix now. You can find the anime on Crunchyroll and Netflix, and Viz Media handles the manga outside of Japan.

The post Netflix Shared More One Piece Live-Action Season 2 Actors appeared first on Siliconera.

Bandai Namco announced that the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2025 is canceled due to the fires in Los Angeles, California. There is no new date set for the events planned to happen during the events. It was originally going to be held at the Shrine Auditorium between January 18-19, 2025. 

In the statement regarding the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2025 cancellation, the Bandai Namco cited the decision as a safety measure due to the Los Angeles fires. It noted a desire to ensure everyone stayed safe, while also offering consideration to those affected by the disaster.

Here’s the full message shared on social media. 

As usual, the event was going to provide a chance for the company to make announcements about video game and TCGs based on the Dragon Ball series, as well as hold finals tournaments for other titles. As a result, the Dragon Ball FighterZ, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, Dragon Ball Super Card Game Fusion World, and Dragon Ball Super Card Game Masters tournaments will be rescheduled and held at a different time. The event was also going to include promotional opportunities, such as a booth promoting the new Dragon Ball Daima anime running on Crunchyroll and a chance to take on a Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle challenge.

Bandai Namco isn’t the only company changing plans as a result of the fires in Los Angeles. Square Enix also halted automatic housing demolition in Final Fantasy XIV. This was only done on North American Data Centers’ worlds, out of consideration for victims of the fire who would be unable to play due to evacuations or other tragedies related to the fires. 

There’s no word yet on when the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2025 events will be held now that it is canceled. Dragon Ball FighterZ can be found on the Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC. 

The post Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour 2025 Canceled Due to Los Angeles Fires appeared first on Siliconera.

Ironmouse will be one of the Vtubers appearing to perform at Sanrio Virtual Festival 2025. The VShojo Vtuber will appear twice at the virtual event, which will run throughout February and March 2025.

Sanrio has put up a webpage dedicated to Ironmouse on the event's official site, and it is also available in English. The page also includes a comment from the Vtuber, whose favorite Sanrio character is Cinnamoroll. The latter is arguably the most famous Sanrio mascot in recent years, as he has won the Sanrio Ranking Contest for five consecutive years from 2020 to 2024.

Here is Ironmouse sharing the Sanrio Virtual Festival 2025 announcement on her X account:

Ironmouse will not be the only one from renowned Vtuber groups to appear at the Sanrio Virtual Festival. The virtual event will also feature the appearances of Nijisanji's Higuchi Kaede and Tsukino Mito, Hololive Indonesia's Moona Hoshinova, and JKT48V—the Vtuber unit of AKB48's Jakarta-based branch JKT48.

Sanrio Virtual Festival will run from February 9, 2025, until March 9, 2025. Ironmouse will appear twice at the virtual event on February 23, 2025, and March 9, 2025. A Time Shift broadcast for the archives will also be available on March 17, 2025.

The post Ironmouse Will Appear at Sanrio Virtual Festival 2025 appeared first on Siliconera.

Anime is going to have a massive 2025 year. The four seasons of anime ahead look to be some of the most exciting in a long time. There are brand new series like Sakamoto Days, alongside returning ones like Dragon Ball Daima. It is also the year for the end of many of the most popular anime series. But what is the most anticipated anime of 2025? Here is what the Siliconera staff has to say about that.

Siliconera Speaks Up: Most Anticipated Anime Series of 2025

Mine right now is Gnosia. Yes, part of it is because Gnosia is my current obsession, but I'm also really curious as to how the anime will adapt its unique story structure. It'll obviously have to keep the time loop thing, but how will it also have the different story events and Werewolf segment? Until we know more information about how many episodes it'll have, it's so hard to picture that I can't wait until it actually starts airing. I'm also super excited for the Twisted Wonderland anime, too! -- Stephanie

The most anticipated anime for me in 2025 has to be My Happy Marriage Season 2. The first season wowed me with its beautiful blend of romance series like Fruits Basket and Violet Evergarden. It tragically reminds me so much of a Kyoto Animation series and the wonderful people that were lost far too soon in 2019. If you want a stunning series with the best couple in anime in 2025, be sure to watch this one.

Special shoutouts also go to the final seasons of My Hero Academia and Dr. Stone, both of which should be spectacular. My Hero Academia’s most recent season is arguably its best and it should continue this trend into its final season. The same goes for Dr. Stone. In fact, I am fully expecting to put both of these series in the overall top 25 anime of all time when all is said and done for both of them. -- Cody

The post What Is the Most Anticipated Anime of 2025? appeared first on Siliconera.

While one of the two new shojo anime series debuting on Crunchyroll in January 2025 took quite some time to go from manga to animated adaptation, Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You ended up rather swiftly heading to screens. Honestly, I can see why. I get it. This story is rooted in the COVID-19 pandemic experience, and telling it via another medium as swiftly as possible helps ensure those watching will better connect with it. But the thing is, I feel like this adaptation isn’t leaning as much into telling a unique love story shaped by how society changed and reacted to the pandemic as it could, though I hope future episodes could prove me wrong.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for the first episode of Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You below.

While most shojo series begin completely focused on the heroine and her school life, the early moments of the Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You anime adaptation don’t. Rather, it is about setting a scene. Instead, it begins with a vision of a Japanese city. The color palette is washed out and feels dismal. The news report is on the screens in the city. When Mizuho Nishino, our heroine, finally appears, it is an adult version of her. She laments the fact that her birthday was terrible, and a business email just came in asking if Megu Kawaguchi’s series could end that year. After seeing a high school girl walk past with four of her classmates, she is reminded of her own past and what happened on her 17th birthday. I really loved how it started, as it felt different from other shojo series and left me feeling like maybe it could pull from real-life events to make this reverse harem love story be unique.

From there, things flash back to July 2020. This would be about the height of the pandemic. It’s 95 degrees out, and the radio is warning about the heat and “infectious diseases,” which is COVID-19 of course. Mizuho’s father walks up to her room with a meal, to find her sleeping on the floor alongside her childhood friend. Her sketches of him are all around them. He’s understandably upset, of course, and cautions them about acting like they did when they were little. She says Kizuki Hazawa is like her little brother, which he doesn’t seem to pleased to hear. So we meet her first possible love interest, and realize that due to everything going on in the world that it is actually her birthday.

We meet the whole reverse harem once Mizuho leaves her house to head to school. In addition to Kizuki, she also grew up around Airu Izumi, Shin Kashiwagi, and Shugo Hoshikawa. In a fairly short span, we learn she stays up late drawing manga, suggesting she’s the “Megu Kawaguchi” referenced in the introduction, and quick snippets of Airu, Shin, and Shugo’s personalities come up in response to her being lazy about wearing makeup and staying up late. It’s a bit rushed, though I suppose that makes sense since this first episode is more about swiftly establishing things and focusing on Mizuho and Kizuki’s relationship. 

But right away, I’m also feeling like there are missed opportunities. It’s like the Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You anime adaptation is doing more telling than showing. I sort of would expect more people to be wearing face masks during this period of time, given it was July 2020, but there are none. (Given that they want to highlight the art and character designs, I guess I can understand.) References to current events are minimal. We don’t really see so much the effect of things, rather than hear they happened. Prime examples include the initial report on the radio, Kizuki noting that swim practice finally resumed after being halted due to the pandemic, and upper-classman Saito Ryosuke mentioning classes being canceled for a time due to “some infectious disease.” But instead of properly responding to it in potentially meaningful ways in the first episode, we instead see it as an excuse for Airu to tease her about her crush on Saito or Saito to talk about how events, class trips, classes, and sports were canceled for a while. 

I suppose I hoped for more reactions like Saito’s. It’s only about halfway through this first episode that we see someone react to current events, and it isn’t even one of the established “main” characters in Mizuho’s group. It’s a supporting cast member acknowledging his depression over things that happened. The fact that Mizuho reacts to his admission the way that she does also left me disappointed. I knew it was coming, since I’m familiar with the source series. And I’m still impressed with Saito’s characterization and response to her reaction. Honestly, it’s the moments with Saito and Kizuki opening up that left the strongest impressions on me here, as they’re the two that seemed to have the strongest emotions and reactions here. Both in terms of feelings about the current state of things and emotions relating to Mizuho, they seem to really ring true and make this first episode.

I am hoping that maybe Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You starts to feel stronger and more unique as episodes go on. This first one was very focused on Mizuho and Kizuki, really breezing through establishing other characters and pandemic life. If handled well, it could end up being fun. After all, I did enjoy the original manga! I just feel like with the anime adaptation, it’s an opportunity to really show and highlight what life was like during a unique period of time in Japan, and so far it feels more like any shojo love story than a period piece.

The Anyway, I’m Falling in Love with You anime adaptation is now airing in Japan and streaming on Crunchyroll worldwide, and the manga is available via Kodansha worldwide.

The post Anyway, I’m Falling in Love With You Anime Is a Pandemic Love Story appeared first on Siliconera.

Honey Lemon Soda was a staple in Shueisha’s Ribon, running in the manga magazine since December 2015. We’ve read about Uka Ishimori’s growth and developing relationship with Kai Miura for years. We saw series that ran alongside it, like Tsubasa to Hotaru and Acro Trip, inspire animated series. Now Honey Lemon Soda finally gets its change with an anime streaming worldwide on Crunchyroll, and I feel like the J.C.Staff and TMS Entertainment adaptation might have been worth the wait.

Editor’s Note: There are minor spoilers for the first episode of the Honey Lemon Soda anime below.

 Honey Lemon Soda is one of those series in the vein of Fruits Basket or Kimi ni Todoke, where you have a downtrodden heroine who gets a chance to finally be accepted and find a place for herself. Uka Ishimori found herself bullied throughout school. One of the only exceptions was the lemon soda-loving Kai Miura, a stranger who was kind to her and there for her at a pivotal moment. As a result of their meeting, she ended up at Hachimitsu High School alongside him. And even in instances when people might hassle him for his popularity or blond hair, he doesn’t let that get him down and handles it.

It’s because of one of those interactions that Uka finds herself in Kai’s life and circle again. When heading to Hachimitsu one day, some classmates attempted to bully Kai. He responded by shaking up the lemon soda he carried and opened it to dowse them. Uka ended up caught in the crossfire, which in turn brings her to his attention and helps her find actual friends in people like Ayumi Endo. It’s the impetus for her to finally get a chance at the “cheerful and fun high school life” she wants. 

Given the nature of the series, we aren’t going to see major development in the first two episodes of the Honey Lemon Soda anime. But there are strides we already get to see in these initial moments. Kai recognizing Uka and her struggles and showing consideration, even though he’s initially painted as a more quiet or stand off-ish individual, by wearing his gym uniform and helping her get the courage to greet people. Uka reaching out to Ayumi to help her after being helped a previous day. Accepting an invitation from potential friends. J.C.Staff and TMS Entertainment handle these initial moments really well, and the depiction of them ensures they feel poignant as they happen.

I also appreciated how the anime adaptation of Honey Lemon Soda never minimizes what Uka went through in the past either. We see how the trauma and stress from past bullying triggers a flashback to a past memory after getting soda splashed on her in the introduction. When others from her middle school spot her at Hachimitsu and use her nickname “Stony,” Uka panics and runs even though she’d been invited. However, Kai, Ayumi,  Satoru Seto, and Tomoya Takamine don’t blame her for the altercation, instead identifying correctly the bullies as the issue, and Kai finds and encourages her to react and get help. The resolution of the first episode left me in satisfied tears as the group banded together.

For years, Ribon readers and people following the Honey Lemon Soda manga have gotten to gradually see Uka recover, find friends, and develop a relationship with Kai, and it feels like the new anime adaptation is going to do that story justice. After seeing how it’s started, it seems like the pacing and development is taking the proper care to address the situations and bonds between characters. It feels like it could end up being quite heartfelt, and I hope more people get to appreciate this shojo classic as a result.

The Honey Lemon Soda anime is airing in Japan and streaming on Crunchyroll worldwide as part of the WInter 2025 season, and Yen Press handled the manga outside of Japan. 

The post Honey Lemon Soda Anime Adaptation Was Worth the Wait appeared first on Siliconera.