Review: Honey Lemon Soda (TV Anime Soundtrack)

Sony Music and Milan Records recently released the complete soundtrack to the Honey Lemon Soda TV anime adaptation, which features Japanese pianist and composer Akira Kosemura’s prodigious talent spread across 21 individual tracks, split between full tracks and incidental music used throughout the series.

The anime series is described as such:

After middle school, with its bullying and nicknames, Uka Ishimori is excited for a fresh start at Hachimitsu High School. Kai Miura, a cool and uninhibited boy, sits next to her in class. Uka remembers she met Kai in middle school and with a single word, he had convinced her to attend Hachimitsu. Though he’s popular, Kai supports Uka in her efforts to fit in with her new classmates.

The 21 songs range in mood and emotion from gentle melodies to moodier, introspective pieces that reflect the rollercoaster of emotions experienced throughout the series between love interests Uka Ishimori and Kai Miura.

Having spent the previous weekend’s evenings fully absorbing the soundtrack, I can confidently say that the Honey Lemon Soda original soundtrack is worth playlisting on your personal streaming service of choice, even going as far as to suggest purchasing a copy.

Kosemura weaves very delicate, almost sparse melodies to evoke the strong emotions of teenage love and longing present in the series, as far away as possible from the high energy pop of the opening and ending themes by &Team.

Standout tracks include “You’re My Sunshine”, while others of note include “Overflowing”, Honey Lemon Soda (Main Theme), and “Distance Between Us”, showcasing the delicate blending of motifs that recur throughout the soundtrack in subtle melodic cycles.

This is not a soundtrack to just throw on in the background while you work, this is a soundtrack that demands your full attention and appreciation, not by bombast and power, but by subtlety and by tugging at your heart strings through evoking feelings of nostalgia and intense emotion.

The Honey Lemon Soda original soundtrack is well worth your time and even deserves a permanent spot in record collections, especially if you fancy yourself a fan of Akira Kosemura outside of his work in film and TV.

Honey Lemon Soda is currently streaming on Crunchyroll while the manga is currently available from Yen Press. A digital copy of the soundtrack was provided by Sony Music/Milan Records for the purposes of this review.