Honey Lemon Soda finally started airing, and it is already getting the hype it deserves. It was one of the most awaited anime series of Winter 2025, mainly because of its emotional storyline. The anime is based on the manga of the same name.
The story follows Uka Ishimori, who had a tough time in middle school. She struggled with performance anxiety and would freeze whenever she was around people.
This made her an easy target for bullying, and her classmates started calling her “stony.” Things got so bad that she even forgot how to say simple greetings like “hello” or “good morning.”
Now, at 15, Uka decides she wants to change her life. Instead of going to a better school where she could have avoided her past, she chooses to attend Hachimitsu High School.
She wanted to challenge herself and turn her life around. But trouble follows her there too. Some of her old classmates, who used to call her “stony” are also at Hachimitsu and start bullying her again.
That is when Kai Miura, another main character with a totally opposite personality to Uka, steps in to help her deal with her problems.
The first episode also hinted that Kai was one of the reasons Uka chose Hachimitsu High, Kai doesn’t even remember their first interaction! Honey Lemon Soda Episode 2 will reveal that Uka Ishimori is in love with Miura.
Honey Lemon Soda Episode 2 Release Date
According to the schedule on Crunchyroll, Honey Lemon Soda Episode 2 will be released on 16th January at 1 AM JST.
While in other countries, the episode will be available on 15th January at 8 AM PT. I have attached the complete schedule below!
| Region | Release Date & Time | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| Pacific Time (PT, USA) | January 15, 2025, at 8:00 AM | Crunchyroll |
| Central Time (CT, USA) | January 15, 2025, at 10:00 AM | Crunchyroll |
| Eastern Time (ET, USA) | January 15, 2025, at 11:00 AM | Crunchyroll |
| United Kingdom (GMT) | January 15, 2025, at 4:00 PM | Crunchyroll |
| Central Europe (CET) | January 15, 2025, at 5:00 PM | Crunchyroll |
| India (IST) | January 15, 2025, at 9:30 PM | Crunchyroll |
| Philippines (PHT) | January 15, 2025, at 12:00 AM | Crunchyroll |
| Australia (ACST) | January 16, 2025, at 1:30 AM | Crunchyroll |
| Japan (JST) | January 16, 2025, at 1:00 AM | Crunchyroll |
Spoilers Ahead
What To Expect From Honey Lemon Soda Episode 2
As the title says, the next episode is gonna show that Uka Ishimori has fallen in love with Kai Miura after he helps her again with the bullies. In the latest episode, Kai taught Uka that it is okay to ask for help when she’s in trouble.
By the end of the episode, Uka decides to give it a try. When the bullying happens again, she asks for help, and Kai steps up. He warns the bullies that if they mess with her again, they will have to deal with him. That stops the bullying for now.
But the best part isn’t just that the bullying stopped. The whole thing gave Uka the confidence to ask for help, and now she’s got friends on her side. Earlier, when Kai asked her why she never asks anyone for help, she said who to ask. That moment really hit hard.
In Episode 2 of Honey Lemon Soda, Kai will keep helping Uka grow and pushing her to speak up for herself. We will probably see even more positive changes in Uka as she slowly starts to come out of her shell.
Recap
The first episode of Honey Lemon Soda, titled ‘Because I Met You’ starts off slow, covering just the first chapter of the manga. It begins with Uka Ishimori sitting on the ground in front of a shop, surrounded by school pamphlets.
She is trying to decide which school to go to when the second main character, Kai Miura, shows up in front of her.
The scene then shifts to a school morning where Miura gets teased by two boys about his hair. In response, he shakes up a lemon soda and throws it at them, but they dodge it, and the soda ends up splashing all over Ishimori instead.
Miura gives her a half-hearted apology, and the girl next to Ishimori checks on her, worried. But Ishimori, not used to this kind of attention, just apologizes and runs off. Ever since her first interaction with Miura, and, she has had a little crush on him.
Since her uniform got soaked, Ishimori changes into gym clothes. She starts worrying about getting in trouble if the teacher notices, but then Miura shows up in gym clothes too. When the teacher points them both out for not wearing uniforms, Miura brushes it off with saying we got Lemon Soda on our uniform.
Later, at home, Ishimori’s parents ask if she’s okay at school, and she lies, saying everything’s fine. The next day, she is practicing how to say “Good morning” when Miura shows up.
He helps her say it properly since she is so out of practice with simple things like greetings because of how badly she was bullied before.
Struggles from the Past Resurface
Eventually, Ishimori makes her first friend at school, Ayumi Endou. But things take a turn when some of her old classmates from middle school show up.
They used to bully her and called her “Stony” Overwhelmed, she runs off and hides in the library. Miura finds her there and tells her to stop apologizing so much.
Those ex-schoolmates of Uka end up throwing her stuff in the trash, and it hits her hard. She realizes that even though she wanted her high school life to be different, it is turning out just like before.
Miura notices what is happening and tells her to ask for help, but she replies, “Ask who?” It’s the most heartbreaking moment of the episode.
A flashback from earlier in the episode plays again, but this time with more context. We see that the reason Uka was sitting on the floor with her pamphlets scattered was because her old classmates had pushed her down.
Miura happened to be walking by, and he helped her pick her stuff up. He casually mentioned that the school she’s thinking about, Hachimitsu High, would suit her, and that he is there too. This small moment was one of the main reasons she decided to attend that school.
A Turning Point with Miura’s Help
The scene then shifts back to the present. Uka goes to buy a lemon soda, which is Miura’s favorite drink. But as she’s heading back to class, the bullies show up again. This time, she remembers what Miura did when he got teased, so she shakes the lemon soda and sprays it at them. They get angry and push her.
Miura shows up and says, “What did I tell you? What do you need to do?” Uka finally works up the courage to ask for help. Miura steps in along with his friends and tells the bullies that if they mess with her again, they’ll have to answer to him.
She apologizes again, but this time it feels different. Things are finally starting to change. For the first time, she has friends she can count on. The episode ends with Uka feeling like her high school life might actually turn out to be different this time.
