Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop
Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop (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 Japanese animated slice-of-life romantic comedy-drama film produced by Sublimation and Signal.MD and directed by Kyōhei Ishiguro. It premiered at the 2020 Shanghai International Film Festival.[1] It was released to Japanese theaters on July 22, 2021, and on Netflix the same day internationally. Set in a rural part of Japan with a large shopping mall, the film follows two people who have trouble communicating with others. Yui "Cherry" Sakura is a shy boy who can only speak through his writing of haikus. Yuki aka "Smile", covers her mouth with a mask to hide her braces that try to fix her buckteeth and is an online influencer. A fateful meeting at the mall starts a romance between them.
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| Kanji | サイダーのように言葉が湧き上がる | ||||
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| Directed by | Kyōhei Ishiguro | ||||
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| Music by | Kensuke Ushio | ||||
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Running time | 87 minutes | ||||
| Country | Japan | ||||
| Language | Japanese | ||||
Plot edit
At the local Oda Nouvelle Mall, Kouichi "Cherry" Sakura is working at an elderly care center for summer break. Cherry is a quiet and reserved boy who prefers to write haikus to express his feelings but struggles with reciting them in front of an audience. Amidst a chaotic chase between delinquent Beaver and the mall security, Cherry accidentally swaps phones with Smile, an online influencer who wears a face mask to hide her buckteeth. The pair become acquainted, and over time start to take an interest in each other's hobbies.
Smile starts working at the elderly care center and helps in rehearsing the Daruma Folk Song for the upcoming summer festival at the mall. Fujiyama, a vintage record shop owner and regular at the care center, tells Cherry and Smile of his wish to listen to the record "YAMAZAKURA" one more time, of which he only has the album cover. Cherry and Smile decide to help Fujiyama in finding the record and find out that it is a music recording made by Fujiyama's late wife.
Surmising that the record may be hidden somewhere in the shop, Cherry and Smile employ the help of several friends at the mall and scour the entire place, finally finding the record behind a refrigerator. While making preparations to play the record, Smile asks Cherry to watch the fireworks at the summer festival together, and Cherry accepts. However, Smile shortly after shatters the record while attempting to flatten it.
The next day, Cherry and Smile decide to apologize to Fujiyama once more but are sidetracked when it is discovered that Cherry will be moving away on the day of the festival. Disappointed, Smile bids farewell to an ashamed Cherry.
On the day of the festival, Smile presents Fujiyama with a reassembled record as an apology and is shocked to find a working copy repurposed as a wall clock in the elderly care center. Reenergized by this revelation, Smile devises a plan to play the record during the care center's performance at the summer festival. As Cherry's family car drives past the mall, he sees his haiku written about Smile spray painted on the street signs by Beaver. Mustering his courage, Cherry races to the festival and confesses his feelings for Smile in the form of a haiku atop a tower. As the fireworks show starts, Smile reciprocates by taking off her mask and revealing her smile.
In the post-credits scene, Cherry and Smile share a kiss while the old record plays.
Voice cast edit
| Character | Japanese voice | English voice |
|---|---|---|
| Cherry/Kouichi "Yui" Sakura | Ichikawa Somegorō VIII | Ivan Mok |
| Smile/Yuki | Hana Sugisaki | Kim Wong |
| Beaver | Megumi Han | Sam Lavagnino |
| Japan | Natsuki Hanae | Marcus Toji |
| Yasuyuki/Toughboy | Yūichirō Umehara | Andrew Kishino |
| Juri | Megumi Nakajima | Victoria Grace |
| Mari | Sumire Morohoshi | Yuuki Luna |
| Akiko Fujiyama | Kōichi Yamadera | Ping Wu |
| Tsubaki Fujiyama | Kikuko Inoue | Kim Mai Guest |
| Tanaka | Aya Hisakawa | |
| Kouchi | Hiroshi Kamiya | |
| Motopuri | Junichi Yanagita | |
| Maria | Maaya Sakamoto | |
| Miyuki | Manami Numakura | |
| Akiko Matsushita | Minori Suzuki | |
| Sae | Nanako Mori | |
| Nami | Shizuka Itō | |
| Kanta | Yasuaki Takumi |
Production and release edit
The film was originally announced at FlyingDog's Inu Fes concert. At the concert, it was also announced to be directed by Kyōhei Ishiguro, with animation production by Sublimation and Signal.MD, scripts by Dai Satō, character designs by Yukiko Aikei, and music by Kensuke Ushio.[2] In December 2019, it was announced that it would open in Japanese theaters on May 15, 2020, and would star Ichikawa Somegorō VIII and Hana Sugisaki.[3] In April 2020, it was announced the film would be delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[4] In November 2020, it was announced the film would premiere on June 25, 2021, following the delay.[5] After being delayed again, the film opened in Japanese theaters on July 22, 2021.[6] The film's main theme is "Cider no Yō ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru" performed by never young beach.[7] The insert song for the film is "YAMAZAKURA", performed by city pop artist Taeko Onuki.[8] Internationally, the film was streamed on Netflix both dubbed and subbed, starting on the same day as the Japanese theatrical release.[9]
Manga adaptation edit
A manga adaptation of the film by Imo Ōno started serialization in Monthly Comic Alive on November 27, 2019.[10] It ended in Monthly Comic Alive on March 27, 2021.[9]
During their panel at New York Comic Con 2022, Yen Press announced that they have licensed both the manga and light novel adaptations.[11]
Reception edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 6 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10.[12]
Kim Morrissy from Anime News Network praised the film's visuals, characters, and musical style, ultimately rating the film an A−.[13]
In 2020, the film was nominated for the Mainichi Film Award for Best Animation Film.[14] The film was also nominated for best film at the 2022 Crunchyroll Anime Awards.[15]
References edit
- ^ Frater, Patrick (July 19, 2020). "Shanghai Film Festival Unveils First Titles". Variety. from the original on September 24, 2021. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ Loo, Egan (February 2, 2019). "Signal MD, Sublimation Make Cider no Yō ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru Anime Film". Anime News Network. from the original on February 2, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Loo, Egan (December 22, 2019). "Cider no Yō ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru Romance Anime Film Unveils Cast, Story, May 15 Debut". Anime News Network. from the original on April 26, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (April 14, 2020). "Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop Film Delayed Due to Coronavirus Disease COVID-19 Declaration". Anime News Network. from the original on May 5, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Loo, Egan (November 3, 2020). "Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop Film to Open on June 25 After COVID-19 Delay". Anime News Network. from the original on June 29, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (March 27, 2021). "Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop Film's New Trailers Reveal New July 22 Opening Date (Updated)". Anime News Network. from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Mateo, Alex (July 6, 2021). "Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop Film's Special Video Previews never young beach's Theme Song". Anime News Network. from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ "サイダーのように言葉が湧き上がる / MUSIC / ARTIST" (in Japanese). from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Mateo, Alex (June 22, 2021). "Netflix Streams Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop Film on July 22". Anime News Network. from the original on August 1, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 26, 2019). "Cider no Yō ni Kotoba ga Wakiagaru Original Anime Film Gets Manga Adaptation". Anime News Network. from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Hodgkins, Crystalyn (October 10, 2022). "Yen Press Adds 10 New Works Including Sugar Apple Fairy Tale Manga, Sasaki and Miyano Novel". Anime News Network. from the original on November 2, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2022.
- ^ "Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ Morrissy, Kim (July 22, 2021). "Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop Review". Anime News Network. from the original on July 27, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Pineda, Rafael Antonio (December 23, 2020). "Demon Slayer Film, Violet Evergarden Get Mainichi Film Award Animation Nods". Anime News Network. from the original on December 25, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
- ^ Loveridge, Lynzee (January 18, 2022). "Crunchyroll Announces Nominees for 6th Annual Anime Awards". Anime News Network. from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
External links edit
- Official website (in Japanese)
- Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop on Netflix
- Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop at IMDb
- Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop (film) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia