Honey Lemon Soda, Band 06

ハニーレモンソーダ [Honey Lemon Soda] #6

by Mayu Murata

Als die Sitzordnung im Klassenzimmer geändert wird und Uka nicht länger neben Kai sitzt, trifft sie das schmerzlicher, als sie zugeben möchte. Für sie fühlt es sich an, als würde Kai Stück für Stück aus ihrer Nähe verschwinden. Als er dann auch noch meldet, jemand sei in den Lagerraum eingebrochen, wird dieser verschlossen. Uka spürt, wie die Distanz zwischen ihnen wächst, und macht kurz darauf eine interessante Entdeckung …

Genres: Manga, Romance, Shojo, Young Adult, Contemporary, Graphic Novels, Slice Of Life

Kindle Edition

First published December 25, 2017

About the author

Name (in native language): 村田真優

Works (in chronological order):
- Dokuro X Heart [ドクロ×ハート] (2007)
- Mousou Cinderella [妄想シンデレラ] (2009)
- Nagareboshi Lens [流れ星レンズ] (2010-2014, 10 volumes)
- In the chocolate [インザチョコレー] (2011)
- Mata Ashita [またあした] (2015, 3 volumes)
- Fukashigi Closet [不可思議クローゼット] (2015)
- Honey Lemon Soda [ハニーレモンソーダ] (2016, 26 volumes ongoing)

Reviews

[Laura A. Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I want to touch your heart."

I love Uka so much! Her stubbornness in this volume had me close to tears SO many times in the first quarter! The way her friends rallied behind her, the way she protected what was important to her, and most importantly, the way she was so vulnerable, real, and transparent with her parents for the first time. She is amazing!

There was a subtle shift in this volume as it focuses on Kai and UKA entering into HIS world. She's been making steps to this moment and was SO very proud of her for choosing to get to know him and learn about who he is. Even when she knew that he didn't really want her to see things about his life, she still moved forward because she wanted to be there for him. (I did have to laugh because she was nicknamed Kai's stalker by his "friends" but baby girl was and is NOT a stalker. LOL!)

It was interesting seeing Kai more closed off this volume and think another reviewer said it best that it scares him to have someone enter into his heart. With how much he has helped Uka, how could she not want to do the same for him and simply be there for him?

Them questioning what they are to one another has me excited because change is coming, and I think it will only lead to good change!

Another very well done volume and still continues to be one of my faves!!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uka is finally ready to clear the air with her parents, who take it about as well as any caring parents would upon discovering that their child was hiding the fact that she was being bullied so as not to worry them. That means that her parents are convinced to let her remain where she is, although her dad's still not sure about this Kai person. But that's okay, because as this volume makes clear, Kai isn't sure about this Kai person either. He's largely skated through relationships, both platonic and not, by keeping things at surface-level, but Uka's not going to allow that to continue; she's earnest to a fault, and it looks like it's starting to get to Kai in a couple of ways. This allows the story to begin a slow shift away from Uka's troubles to Kai's, and now it's her turn to try to be there for him. The trick will be getting him to let her - and unless I miss my guess, his biggest issue is that he can feel himself letting her in...and that's terrifying.

[Ângela · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5⭐️
I love these humans

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uka’s father is about to pull her out of her school, but Uka’s decided to stand up for herself for a change. After the air is truly cleared, it’s back to business as usual, except… why is it that nobody seems to know what business as usual even is for Kai anyway?

Bluntly, this is kind of a choppy mess at times; I think the story remains deliberately messy at some points and unintentionally muddled at others (there’s a confrontation with the third years that isn’t presented the best).

But, honestly, the way it presents itself reflects that they, meaning the cast, are also messy kids with more than a single thing to describe them. It’s not Skip & Loafer, nothing ever is, but there remains something compelling about this cast and how they interact.

Partly that’s down to how they actually change and, when they do, how it feels like change. Uka’s still not there on Kai’s level yet, but she keeps pushing herself in ways even she probably can’t predict.

The whole situation with her father is a little schmaltzy, but not necessarily to its detriment. The way her friends rally around her is delightfully done and neatly shows how far they’ve all come.

Plus, dad gets a real wake up call from his reality. This is probably the most wrenching part, as neither of Uka’s parents realized this and they have to grapple with their daughter having spent her entire middle school years miserable and struggling on her own.

If most of it goes a bit too smoothly, the triumphant nature of it carries it over the bump to be really enjoyable. The crazy confrontation(s) with her former bullies is kind of fascinating because they might not have much to do with her any more, but that doesn’t make them nice people either. Shades of gray abound here in a welcome touch.

So focused has the story been on Uka and her growth that it comes as a bit of a surprise when the manga casually reminds us that we haven’t learned a thing about Kai in five volumes and counting.

Now that she’s really brimming with something approximating confidence, Uka decides to start to unravel this mystery, which leads to pretty boy part time jobs and also a surprising amount of pushback from Kai.

There’s an ongoing visual motif with some caution tape and how it represents Kai’s closed off nature that might be a bit obvious, but I’d quite prefer an obvious visual motif than nothing at all. A little extra effort often pays off, case in point.

This is where most of the romance starts to slowly creep in, as the wall that is Kai is quietly being overwhelmed by the persistence and good nature of Uka. You can see the payoff from all these volumes coming as we shift the story and it’s a clever way to keep the narrative fresh.

Some muddling aside, this is a very strong shojo that has all the ingredients you want, plus somebody at the helm (mixed metaphor and all) who knows how to transform it into something familiar, but worth your time.

Uka alone is a real winner of a heroine and some of my easiest recommends for stories like these are the ones where the two leads stand toe to toe rather than having one be woefully underwritten. Put Uka up against the lead of Anyway, I’m Falling In Love With You and it’s not even a contest.

4 stars - really strong, really good, really worth the time and effort. Even better, it feels like we’re just getting started and it’s been interesting from the first volume. Great book, great series.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE MY CHILDREN

[Thu Giang · Rating 3.75 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Kai ist mir so ein Rätsel…

[Isabel Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this volume they talk more about kai's 'secret life' in a sense and I do like how the author kind of built up to this reveal considering that he has consistently always been terribly sleepy in school
I think that this volume was certainly interesting in helping us understand more about kai's character but its still just average for me in a sense?
while each volume is great but not anything ground breaking I can't stop reading all the volumes at one go
i think this series in general is very bingeable and it's a solid romance!

[**Sognatrice di libri** · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sempre carino e tenerissimo.

[Coco · Rating 4 out of 5]

what can I say, it is cute.

[m ٠ ࣪⭑ · Rating 5 out of 5]

UKA AND KAI ARE MINE

[Eleana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encore un tome de Honey Lemon Soda qui nous fait passer un délicieux moment ! Toutefois, l'ambiance générale devient un peu plus douce-amère. Et pour cause : ce sixième volume possède deux parties distinctes. La première se concentre sur la confrontation entre Uka et son père : celle-ci prend son courage à deux mains pour s'ouvrir sur son passé, lui confier le harcèlement qu'elle a subi dans son collège, afin de lui faire comprendre qu'elle est heureuse aujourd'hui au lycée, entourée de tous ses amis. Leur discussion est très touchante à suivre. Honey Lemon Soda aborde le sujet du harcèlement sous un angle encore peu abordé : celui des victimes qui ont reconstruit leur vie et de l'"après". On peut regretter les accents un peu théâtraux de ladite scène, en présence de tous les amis de l'héroïne, mais ça reste beau. Ensuite, nous avons la seconde partie : celle consacrée au personnage de Kai. Uka réalise douloureusement qu'elle ne le connaît pas si bien que ça, tout comme nous, lecteurs et lectrices. Nous allons en apprendre plus, pour notre plus grande satisfaction, même si cela cache certaines réalités plus dures. La suite nous en apprendra davantage, mais c'est très plaisant de voir nos personnages se rapprocher de manière plus "réaliste". Pourtant, même si Uka ne reste pas passive et agit, son comportement peut dérouter (le suivre pour découvrir ses secrets, vraiment?). C'est très cliché et un peu mélodramatique parfois, mais ça nous fait passer un bon moment et nous avons envie de voir Uka et Kai se rapprocher encore et encore, alors nous en redemandons à chaque tome. Vivement la suite ! Cependant, espérons qu'Uka ne tombe pas dans le cliché de la jeune fille qui n'existe que par le regard de l'élu de son coeur...

[rowan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why is everyone in their class so nosy? Other people’s private lives are literally none of their business. I get that they’re teenagers and teenagers tend to be stupid as hell, but OH MY GOD I can’t stand any of them at all. As someone who was bullied throughout elementary and middle school I found the scene where Uka’s middle school bullies suddenly show up out of nowhere to “save the day”(in front of her parents to remind you) loudly claiming that they did indeed used to be her biggest bullies just because she was too quiet and that supposedly annoyed them. I also wish Uka held more of a grudge instead of trying to talk about anything with them. Personally, I would never even think about doing something like that. Kai’s behaviour continues on being confusing. One moment he’s pushing Uka away, telling her to stop looking for the lemon soda bottles he leaves around (which are how she usually finds him in his recharge spots) and the next, he’s showing her where he likes to go when he wants to be alone? I’m still not even convinced he isn’t planning on leaving Uka once she can stand on her own, just like he did with Serina in the past. Because his actions seem like he’s definitely thought about it. Kai’s coworkers are also a little questionable not gonna lie. Especially that one guy who said he doesn’t care if Uka is a high school student, he’s still interested?? As usual it’s a nice quick read, especially rn when I’m in a reading slump, but it’s not anywhere even close to my actual favorites

[R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed messages much? The classmates pulling together to help Uka, including even her old middle school bullies was really touching, but Kai's actions and words now that she's back at school full time are more than a little confusing. It's okay for her to be in his space, but don't look for him anymore and the places she knew about are off limits, but he's also now willing to show her new hideaways that he had told her not to look for? Which is it?! Don't blame Uka for being confused on this one. It is pretty funny when she starts turning the tables on him though. Wonder if he just didn't think she had it in her to be that forward or if he wanted her to find him. It's not like he really hid all that well considering how easily she found him, but Kai does seem to like his secrets for all that he's also a major social attraction at school.

[Aya · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m glad that Uka was able to find her voice and stand up for what she wanted to her parents especially her dad and that she was also finally honest with them. How she was bullied in middle school and how going into her chosen high school was what changed her and she was finally able to come out of her shell and make friends and be part of the class like she always wanted.
We’ve finally getting into more of Kei’s background a few hints that something going on with him, has been for a while but not everything just a hint. He’s got a part time job at a karaoke bar and he moved in middle school from a house to an apartment building and he suddenly changed his hair blonde around that time as well. I can’t wait to more into what’s going on with Kei!

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The solution with Uka's Father was so brilliant and really shows how much she has grew into a person. It really shows how this story is not just light hearted and how it really develops into the deeper issues teenagers can face. Uka was learning more about Kai and they are really coming closer together with some of the secrets coming to light. They are so cute together and Uka is so hilarious not realizing that Kai loves her. Uka and Kai work so well together even with the fact that they are so opposites in personalities. This story is so brilliant and so fun of a read, with such great art and flow of the story. This is so worth the read and so enjoyable.

[Kate · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't know how to feel about this volume. The part where the bullies came in to save the day (? I'm still confused why this was a thing that happened) almost had me calling it quits, but then Kojiremi's cryptic comments to Kai and Tomoya brought me back in.

Like I said, I don't know how I feel about this volume, I don't know how I feel about this series. The pacing is odd, and there are moments where it's a little hard to follow what's happening.

[Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bien contente que que Uka ait avoué la vérité à ses parents et qu'ils ait entendu raison. Ça aurait très rapidement pu m'énerver cette histoire.
J'ai du mal a comprendre pourquoi Kai prêche un jour le chaud et un jour le froid. Oui on en apprend un peu plus dans ce tome, mais hâte de le voir s'ouvrir petit à petit à Uka.

[Amy Gideon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is probably the most chaotic volume so far in the series. It feels a bit rushed or that plot points are missing. IDK, it just felt more confusing. Something would happen, only for it not to matter almost immediately which has me wondering what was even the point. It's entertaining enough and I'm invested in the story and burgeoning relationship to carry on with the next in the series. 

[Bell Potter · Rating 4 out of 5]

La mamá de Uka-chan, con "ese" diálogo, nos representa a muchas.

(Aviso: lectura hecha en ejemplar en español, publicado en México. La presente nota se modificará cuando se dé de alta en GR la edición correspondiente).

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

A bit of emotional whiplash from going from deeply sentimental, to positive friendship vibes, then back to some of the mysterious antagonism from volume 1. I feel like something big is cooking, but it still made for a weird volume.

[Ady Weasley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Uka finalmente puede hablar con su papá y decirle lo que vivió en el pasado y el porque quiere seguir en la preparatoria con sus compañeros...Kei aún tiene un camino largo para ser aceptado.

Porque es así Kei, que es lo que realmente está viviendo? Por qué la aleja?

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

c'est vraiment trop chou. classique mais chou. les dessins sont vraiment sublimes. et la protagoniste pourrait être pénible mais je la trouve tellement mignonne. j'adore.

[damla · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5/5

[Jen W. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay cool parent drama figured out and I love seeing Uka being stubborn!!

[ⓘⓣⓐ · Rating 4 out of 5]

2025 goal 151/92

[Ambre Petit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Les premiers chapitres étaient trop chou avec leur amies qui ont défendu uka 🥹

[Kelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

bullying your dad into being a better person is always a top-tier choice—but doing it with your former bullies and all your new high school classmates? inspired choice

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5 ⭐

[Betwixtheblines · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

I haven't enjoyed straight romance this much in a while! I'll have to add more to my list and see how I feel.