Artstyle alone, the color palette is reminiscent of the anime Tsuritama, while the line art reminds me of Masaaki Yuasa's works. The soft, heart-warming music is also its own standout-- my god, the climax with the music's crescendo is absolutely epic.
In terms of storytelling, I love how expressive this movie is without having an abundance of dialogue. The emphasis is on the visuals of the movie as well as the delicate words spoken amidst frames of beautiful scenery over a gentle melody. The written haikus littered across this movie's runtime feel like a precious treasure, and it's a shame that the subtitles aren't able to translate each one.
There's not much of a plot; it's very much of a slice-of-life anime where the focus is on the characters and how they experience the world around them. In that way, Cherry and Smile did not disappoint as the leads for this movie. At first glance, they appear to be different as night and day, but as the story progresses, you start to see the parallels between the struggles they go through. They're also just really endearing characters to follow.
Cherry is this socially awkward, extremely shy guy that wears headphones without any music in them to avoid talking to people, as well as being a poetry/ haiku enthusiast, always whipping away some pretty stellar 3 line bars. As for Smile, she's just like her name: cheerful, bright, and exuberant, and yet it's a little ironic because we never actually get to see her smile because she's really insecure of her buckteeth, and hides behind a face mask. Oh, and she's also this big influencer who live streams her life daily and describes everything as cute.
Overall, I'm so glad I picked this movie up. Since a year ago from when I saw this movie's poster, I was immediately enamored by how pretty the animation looks. I can now happily say that the contents also did not disappoint. Although, it's a shame Netflix didn't advertise this movie more; I feel like it deserves way more recognition than it's getting. In short, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is a vividly unique spin on a boy meets girl story that tackles topics such as social anxiety, body image, and the uncertainties of falling in love. An absolute must-watch.
