Have you experienced liking someone? I know this question sounds stupid because—I mean, who hasn't, right? Everyone has, at some point, experienced liking someone, and also at that point, most of us were somehow too shy and scared to admit it. That feeling would then haunt us until we felt that were at the popping point—ready to burst. Ahhhh reminiscing those days in my younger years was both nice and somehow embarrassing, and that exactly happened yesterday when I was watching this anime movie. Like the main characters, I was afraid of a lot of things—things that felt foreign. The feeling that made me anxious and nervous for days, the thoughts that had been bombarding my mind, and the erratic beating in my chest—they all felt new and really dangerous for me way back then.
However, unlike the main characters, I was a coward. I don't like getting into a situation that I'm not familiar with, and seeing that I totally had no idea what those feelings were all about, I learned to quell and slowly distinguish them until everything became just a mere remnant of what I used to feel. You may seem to find it tragic because what if that feeling turned out well? What if we'd been together until now? Well, for certain I definitely know the reason why those things didn't happen, but what if that happened to you? Or the MCs? Well, it really happened to them, so now let's see if they're able to beat the odds and tell each other what they feel when those Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop.
About the Movie
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop (Cider no You ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru) is a romance anime that aired on July 22, 2021. This movie was animated by Signal.MD and Sublimation and was produced by flying DOG. This lighthearted romance movie's themes are music and drama. It's a one-hour and 26-minute original movie that has both novel and manga adaptations.
So the story starts with a girl and a boy who both have self-esteem issues. Yui Sakura or "Cherry" loves to make haiku however he doesn't have confidence to read them to other people. He never had the guts to read them aloud so he just post them in his social media account only to be liked by his mother. On the other hand, Yuki Hoshino or "Smile" is a quite famous live streamer on the internet. She is completely the opposite of Cherry, but just like him, she doesn't have that much confidence in herself—specifically about her teeth. They're accustomed to living their lives that way, but a bump in the mall changed their humdrum lives.
After that fateful encounter, they soon find themselves getting interested in each other and one day Smile finds herself working at the same day center where Cherry works. The two also became closer as they assisted the weird old man, Fujiyama, to look for the vinyl record he lost. That vinyl is close to his heart and it holds a lot of memories, so he wanted to find and listen to it before his memories will completely fade. With their search for that vinyl record, slowly and steadily the two grew fond of each other, but good things don't last forever because Cherry is already moving to another place as soon as the Daruma Festival begins. Although they're bound to part, can they be honest and confident enough to express the feelings they've been keeping in that summer or will it like a bubble that once popped—will disappear forever?
Honestly, I don't have much expectation in this anime because I didn't look up on what's the plot or genre before watching it. The romance wasn't that noticeable in the first parts of the movie because they're too subtle or I'm just used to the too obvious ones. Even though it's a movie, it felt that its pacing was slowburn at first because it allowed me to get to know gradually the characters before it jumps to a faster pace where the conflict was introduced.
Other movies' plot usually went immediately to the intriguing part, they skip the character-building and proceed to introduce the main plot, which is fine because it's a movie. However, this one was different because watching it gave me a cozy feeling. It's really good that I haven't read anything about its story because if I had I wouldn't have enjoyed the gradual unfolding of the plot.
As for the characters, I really like how diverse they are, ranging from young adolescents to late adults. When I saw elderly people in the characters, I was immediately curious about how will story goes. I have a soft spot for elderly people so it's heartwarming to see the movie feature their lives. Also, I really got emotional when I watched Mr. Fujiyama's backstory. His backstory was lighthearted and at the same time sad. The feeling of loss and fear of forgetting the people you love is really portrayed well.
I loved how it ended both in a satisfying and cliffhanger way. Satisfying in the sense that it achieved the goal of its plot. I would leave the details out why it ended satisfyingly, but rest assured that it is worth finding out. And cliffhanger in a way that it ended in its climax, and we didn't get to see what happened next. Its end is basically like an open book and the beginning of something new—but would it be good or bad? That part is left to the viewer's imagination.
One of the aspects that made this anime movie distinguishable is its art style. Their art style wasn't really that detailed and sophisticated compared to other anime that has those kinds of art styles, but there's something about it that makes it eye-catching. The color palette it used isn't what I usually see in other anime. The colors are bright and bold, and just staring at it entertains me. The characters were drawn in a way that they were comfortable to watch.
Meanwhile, like its art style, the soundtrack was somehow comforting. Honestly, it's like a bunch of ringtones in the background, but surprisingly it fits and enhances well the mood of the scenes they're in. They all sound pretty laid-back and it's good that they don't overpower the dialogue because there are really times when both the song and dialogue converge. At that time, I often got confused about what should I pay attention to, but thankfully this movie does have a nice soundtrack that complements well with the dialogue. Further, I like how nostalgic the Yamazakura song is because just listening to its tune brings back a lot of nice memories. Also, the daruma song sounds both cute and cool with its quirky instrumentals. The soundtrack may not be that memorable, but it did well in making this movie more enjoyable.
Overall, my personal rating for this anime 8.5/10. It's really a heartwarming anime that's both entertaining and at some point tear-jerking. The story may not be that new, but it's definitely something that will make your heart flutter. I thought at first this wasn't a romance because it's more like a slice-of-life, but like a bud that's bound to bloom, it gradually showed as the story went on. Young romance may be mostly shallow and superficial, but let's face it—it once made us feel that we had nothing and everything to lose. Those feelings are at the same time, pleasing and confusing, so if you're up for a romance that felt like that—or at least it felt like that for me, then you must watch Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop.
Before I end this review, I'll share with you its trailer, so—
Have you watched this movie before? Or is this your first time seeing it? If you have comments about this movie feel free to share it. That's all for now, minna-san! I hope you enjoyed reading my review.
Arigatou and tanoshinde ne~
The pictures that didn't have source were screenshots from the movie while the last picture was edited in Canva.