Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka

Saku Chitose appears to lead an enviable high school life. Extraordinarily charismatic, tremendously confident, and effortlessly friendly, he is the kind of person others naturally look up to. But his popularity carries its own burdens; not everyone views him kindly, and whispers of cynicism follow wherever he shines too brightly. To Saku, living an ugly life is worse than death—a belief that drives his need to maintain his perfect reputation.

At the start of his second year, Saku's homeroom teacher asks him to help bring back a classmate who has stopped attending school. Initially hoping to resolve the matter quickly, Saku finds out that the shut-in Kenta Yamazaki harbors open contempt for him and everything he represents. A simple favor instead exposes the distance between those who live within the social light and those who were never given a chance to shine.

Surrounded by the expectant gazes of those who both admire and despise him, Saku treads the delicate line between sincerity and performance—searching for what it truly means to live beautifully in a world that sees only the surface.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Chitose, Saku Main

Sakata, Shougo Japanese

Nanase, Yuzuki Main

Hasegawa, Ikumi Japanese

Hiiragi, Yuuko Main

Iwami, Manaka Japanese

Nishino, Asuka Main

Anzai, Chika Japanese

Aomi, Haru Main

Ookubo, Rumi Japanese

Uchida, Yua Main

Youmiya, Hina Japanese

Mizushino, Kazuki Supporting

Toki, Shunichi Japanese

Yamazaki, Kenta Supporting

Miyazaki, Masaya Japanese

Misaki-sensei Supporting

Hikasa, Youko Japanese

Cock-a-doodle-doo Supporting

Nagaoka, Ryuuho Japanese

Iizuka, Aya Producer

Motonaga, Satoshi Producer

Higashi, Mao Producer

Okamoto, Junya Producer

Reviews

Dec 16, 2025

Lizziez

Recommended

Preliminary (8/13 eps)

For a last few episodes its build up momentum and developed to exactly that was expected - brilliant story with a morals.

it would touch your soul indeed

earlier reviewers havent read the novel nor watch even half of episodes, so might be a time to catch up.

the heroes are maturing and kadokawa is on its best again.

based on novel story is quite simple from above but down deep you might find all kinds of event and connections making story really great.

(review editor keep asking for a spoilers and such otherwise I cant publish it but I'm very hesitant doing so. watch the ... series guys and gals and you will find something interesting for every one)
This is the best show of 2025 and I appreciate Kadokawa and other producer teams for doing so.
Glad you reached this end line and hope review will be finally published

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Jan 18, 2026

PsychWE

Mixed Feelings

Preliminary (5/13 eps)

Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle — Review (Episodes Watched: 5/13)

This anime is genuinely very good so far. The first episode does an excellent job introducing the story and setting the tone. Visually, the series stands out with strong character designs, clean animation, and appealing cinematography.

The protagonist, Saku, is one of the anime’s strongest points. He is attractive, confident, and socially adept, but more importantly, he is straightforward and grounded in how he talks and acts. His personality feels natural and relatable rather than exaggerated. The show presents him as a popular, kind, and capable guy—essentially an idealized but believable “nice guy.” Ironically, this is ... also the kind of character that tends to attract jealousy or resentment, both in fiction and in real life, which the anime acknowledges quite well.

The main female characters are beautifully designed and have distinct personalities, making them memorable and easy to differentiate. In contrast, the male supporting cast—especially Saku’s friends—are underdeveloped. The anime does not spend enough time showing why Saku and his friends are so close, which weakens the emotional weight of their relationships.

The themes and messages of the story feel realistic and grounded, particularly in how social dynamics, misunderstandings, and personal boundaries are handled. However, despite being labeled a romance anime, the romantic progression itself is somewhat underwhelming. At times, the series feels more like a slice-of-life comedy than a romance. The pacing is also slightly fast, though this is understandable given the 13-episode format.

Overall, despite its flaws, this is one of the more realistic and grounded romance anime to come out in recent years.

On the Criticism and Comparisons

I have seen many reviews criticizing the anime because of Saku’s character or comparing it to Oregairu. Much of the hate toward Saku stems from people misinterpreting his confidence as arrogance. As Saku himself implies, the way he speaks and acts is simply his approach to" living life to its best or die". That confidence is what leads characters like Kenta(at first)—and even some viewers—to resent him.

The comparison to Oregairu is especially questionable. The two main characters are fundamentally different. Hachiman is a loner—antisocial, pessimistic, and physically unremarkable—while Saku is popular, attractive, socially skilled, and emotionally intelligent. Hachiman pulls baddies by building relationships through shared vulnerability and personal growth, whereas Saku already possesses many traits that makes women's pants drop.

Ironically, Hachiman is often praised as “realistic,” while Saku is labeled “cringe” or “unrealistic.” In reality, confident and attractive people like Saku do exist, and they also face their own problems. One of the anime’s more mature points is how it addresses the difficulty of maintaining friendships once romantic feelings are revealed. When someone you see as a close friend confesses, the relationship becomes harder to maintain—and that is a very real issue (the anime did address this in Saku's monologue).

In my opinion, much of the backlash against this anime seems to come from viewers who cannot relate to or self-insert into Saku’s position, unlike many romance anime that rely on more average/insecured/introverted protagonists who somehow bags baddies. And that is fine—not every story is meant to be escapist or self-insert fantasy.

Ultimately, Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle is a strong series that tells a realistic story about confidence, perception, and relationships. Unfortunately, its target audience is relatively niche, which makes it harder to resonate with viewers who identify more closely with characters like Kenta or Hachiman. Nonetheless, it remains a refreshing and well-executed take on modern romance anime.

Yes, I did use chatGPT to polish my review.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Jan 18, 2026

mcvanime

Not Recommended

Preliminary (10/13 eps)

I just can't really recommend this anime unless you are way too happy and needs something to counter balance all that happiness!

The only problem that I have with that and I'm not recommending this anime is because of this: Genres: Comedy, Romance

I just read the review of someone pointing out that this anime should be recommended because of the breath of fresh air! I agree! 100%!!!

What kind of rom-com is this?
Romance is calculated like a equation using a mix of philosophy, string theory and analyses by a second year of a psychology student remembering when she was 15.
And comedy, you know, as in bullying, ... "UN-consensual love making attempt", assault, childhood traumas hahahaahahah I'm pissing my pants laughing... that's all so funny!

The anime starts in a way and it takes a dark turn right at the start and you just keep guessing "when will the comedy will start?".
And if the person who wrote this script thinks of romance like this, well, that's very Woody Allen of that person!

Reviewer’s Rating: 2

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Exceed Expectations Part 3

by yamikilluaa

45 Entries · 47 Restacks

2025 New Romance Anime

by Doggo1195

41 Entries · 138 Restacks

Anime with extra long first episodes

by GreatTeacherKen

18 Entries · 8 Restacks

Final Three Episodes of 'Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka' Delayed to Spring 2026

The official website for the television anime adaptation of Hiromu's Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka (Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle) light novel announced o...read more

Dec 30, 2025 9:42 AM by nirererin | Discuss (15 comments)

'Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka' Delays Broadcast of Sixth Episode

The production committee for the Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka (Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle) television anime announced on Tuesday that the broadcast and str...read more

Nov 4, 2025 4:43 PM by Vindstot | Discuss (4 comments)

	Poll: Best Girl! K_Abhishek - Jan 29	8 replies	by LightForest »» Feb 1, 6:58 AM
	Episode 11 where? Shiroi_Alt - Jan 30	4 replies	by Rom-Com_lover »» Jan 30, 11:31 PM
	Poll: Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka Episode 10 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Dec 30, 2025	90 replies	by MatheusHoshino »» Jan 28, 6:37 PM
	Ep 11-13 in Spring 2026 AP24 - Dec 30, 2025	18 replies	by The_Sum_of_Zero »» Jan 28, 10:50 AM
	Poll: Chitose-kun wa Ramune Bin no Naka Episode 8 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Stark700 - Dec 16, 2025	53 replies	by Tennouji »» Jan 25, 4:41 AM