- Titles: Cider no You ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru, Palavras que Borbulham como Refrigerante, Palabras que burbujean como un refresco, Nos mots comme des bulles
- Genre: Romance, Slice of Life, Colours
- Lenght: 1 hour 27 minutes
- Studio: Signal.MD, Sublimation
Cherry has a tough time with words. He just isn’t that great at expressing himself. Sure, he can write haikus like a master but as soon as he has to say anything out loud, the words get stuck in his throat and die on his tongue. Smile doesn’t have that problem. She’s already a super popular influencer with thousands of people happy to listen to her. But she also isn’t all that confident, so she lets her words out from behind a mask. Fujiyama is an old man who wants to remember something very important but he forgot what it is. All he knows is that an old record holds the key. And for one summer, Smile and Cherry are brought together to help this old man find his dream again. And maybe, they’ll find something important for themselves along the way.
It’s a good time to be a fan of colourful anime. Between this and Great Pretender, Netflix has got me covered. I know there is such a thing as scenery pr0n, but is there something specific for cloud pr0n? Because if there is, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is it. Clouds like floating dreams, Paint the sky with their beauty, Like fluffy fireworks.
Production
Did I mention the colours? Words Bubble up Like Soda Pop is a technicolour feast for the eyes. And I quite liked the art style as well. All in all, I thought the movie looked beautiful and moved impressively. Not that there are any big action scenes to really push the animation but there are a few running scenes that looked great. And a lot of tiny animation moments. Characters fidget, when they run they lose their footing here and there and have to adjust their stance, background characters tug at their parents because they’re bored. Just little movements all over the screen that liven up the scenes.
Honestly, as far as production goes, I enjoyed Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop tremendously. In fact, it may be the most impressive production either of the studios has put out. I don’t know much about Sublimation but I think Signal.MD has put out some great anime that I’ve enjoyed a lot. And Mars Red certainly had some interesting production choices. But nothing has looked as great as Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop to me.
I feel like I should just start mentioning voice acting when I have something to say. But then I feel bad. Because take this movie for example. I don’t have anything particular to say. I don’t think one performance stood out or something was really that striking. But at the same time, I think everyone did a great job. So there you have it, good voice cast.
Story & Characters
So Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is primarily a romance anime but the relationship between Cherry and Smile sort of blossoms as a parallel to their quest to find the record. So the movie isn’t spending all its time on angsty teenagers wondering what to text next. Well, there is a little of that but it’s not the heart of the action.
As some of you may know, I’m not exactly a huge fan of the romance genre. I usually need something else to even it out and I just rarely enjoy romantic fiction. It has to be really tailored to my tastes for me to like it. So was Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop for me? Not really…
But despite that, I actually think it’s a good movie. A bit shallow in places, potentially not dramatic enough for some but all in all an enjoyable little adventure if you ask me. The characters are underdeveloped but sweet. The quest to find a lost record for Mr. Fujiyama is surprisingly compelling and the looming obstacle of the two getting separated when Cherry has to move adds a sense of urgency to the whole thing that adds some really great tension.
And when I say it isn’t for me, I guess what I really mean is that I didn’t get invested in the central relationship much. I like the characters, I want them to be happy, but I don’t care about the romance bit. I cared about it more in A Whisker Away and that was a much less reasonable romance. But I did care about everything else in the movie. Including the characters themselves. So it’s not like I didn’t enjoy it more like well, it wasn’t exactly for me.
However, if you are a fan of romances and you don’t need to have huge drama or grand sweeping gestures in your stories, then I think Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop would be a great movie for you. It’s pretty to look at, the designs are pleasant and it’s full of nice kids doing nice things.
Oh and there’s a secondary romance story that I liked a lot. It had a really nice kiss scene. I find animating, and really filming kiss scenes to often look sort of awkward, even in live-action. This was a good one.
You might like this anime if:
You like calm romance stories and/or colours! You got a thing for clouds.
My favourite character:
Beaver. I think it’s the first time I see a Spanish character in a Japan set anime and I like the idea of learning Japanese by graffitying haiku all over the place. It’s sort of sweet.
Suggested drink:
Champagne Cosmopolitan Cocktail
- Every time Cherry recites a haiku – listen carefully
- Every time simle’ braces shine – take a sip
- Every time there’s a Daruma doll – take a sip
- Every time Smiles sisters come to the rescue – cheer
- Every time the street lamps light up – take a sip
- Every time Cherry blushes – awww
- Every time anyone is walking while staring at their phone – take a sip
- Every time we see clouds int he sky – awwww yeah!
- Every time Smile thinks something’s cute – take a sip
- Every time we see graffiti – take a sip
- Every time Mr. Fujiyama repeats himself – take a sip
I save all my screencaps on my Pinterest and you can find more there if you are interested. But I still like to show you a few in the post. If you’re like me, screencaps are something that really helps you decide to watch an anime or not.
