Japanese Light Novel Book Club discussion

The selection for our May 2025 Light Novel Group read, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop by Kyohei Ishiguro, English translation by Kevin Gifford, (Japanese: サイダーのように言葉が湧き上がる, Hepburn: Saidā no Yō ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru) is a light novel slice-of-life romantic comedy-drama. Published English translation by Yen Press. There is a film version produced by Sublimation and Signal.MD and directed by Kyōhei Ishiguro. An album of the film music is also available.

“Cherry struggles with communicating—even more than the average teenager. He keeps his noise canceling headphones on to avoid conversation and has trouble putting his thoughts into words. Writing haiku seems to be the only way he can express his emotions. It’s the final summer vacation of his high school years, and it’s passing by fairly uneventfully as he packs to move out of town and works part-time at a senior care center. But one day, he encounters Smile, a live streamer who’s self conscious about her buckteeth and braces. Days with her are more exciting, and as they help one of the seniors track down an old record he lost long ago, Cherry suddenly finds himself more inspired and invested than ever before. Fans of the hit anime movie will fall in love alongside Cherry and Smile in this detailed look from the characters’ perspectives!”

I think this is a first read for any member (me too!).

got my copy

I see that Netflix has the movie. This might be a good multimedia month if you like the LN.

I just finished it. Such a good book. Very wholesome

Something on the main characters:

Yui Sakura (さくら ・ ゆい, Sakura Yui), better known as Cherry (チェリー, Cherī). Being one of the main protagonists alongside Smile, he is a 17-year-old high school student who enjoys writing haiku. Not being the best at socializing with people, Cherry tends to use haiku as emotional outlet, even posting his work on a platform called "Curiosity". Due to the fact that Yui's last name happens to be Sakura, his friends and acquaintances often call him Cherry, as sakura directly translates to 'cherry' blossoms in English.

Yuki (ユキ, Yuki) better known as, Smile (スマイル, Sumairu). She is a 16 year old high school student. Her birthday is on April 11th. She is very self-conscious about her teeth, so she wears a mask most of the time. She is one of the main characters alongside Cherry. She's a famous JK streamer and one of the most popular on the "Curious Live" platform.

The English title of the series is Words Bubble Like Soda Pop. It could also be translated as Words Bubbling Up Like Cider (サイダーのように言葉が湧き上がる Cider no Yō ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru) or Words Well Up Like Cider.

“Haiku is like capturing a moment in a photograph”

This is a deceptively, on the surface, simple slice-of-life story as we witness Yui, “Cherry”, and Yuki, “Smile”, develop feelings for each other and, in the process, learn more about themselves. Below this is a much more rich interplay between making precious memories and the loss of precious memories.

I find Mr. Fujiyama’s story compelling. The respectful interchanges between the young protagonists and Mr. Fujiyama, his family and his lost memories build a surprisingly complex and realistic slice of life experience that is relatable on many levels and for different readers.

I understand now how this story was popular in the three forms of LN, Manga, and movie.

“Words exist so that we can all convey the roar within each of us”

Excerpt From
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop