It seems like we’re entering the new age of shoujo anime.
Summary:
- Honey Lemon Soda anime has just been announced.
- It adapts a shoujo romance manga from the Ribon Magazine, primarily aimed at elementary and middle school students.
- Fans have some concerns, but ultimately are happy more shoujo anime are being made.
It looks like the shoujo anime truly are making a return. Between the currently airing A Sign of Affection (Yubisaki to Renren) and A Condition Called Love (Hananoi-kun to Koi no Yamai), which is airing in April, we are getting more and more romance-oriented shoujo series.
The last time we actually got a year where every season had one was 2016 — and now the subgenre is back.
Another new shoujo anime adaptation has been announced as well. There have been leaks and speculations about an anime adaptation of Honey Lemon Soda for a few days now, and it’s finally confirmed. The anime also revealed a key visual — and fans are pretty hyped for it.
No adaptation of a manga from that magazine for a while
Shoujo is a very broad demographic, encompassing all kinds of media for girls — from elementary to high school. Honey Lemon Soda is a wholesome romance series published in the Ribon Magazine — a monthly magazine aimed primarily at elementary and middle school students.
It has been a while since we’ve got a proper TV anime adaptation for a Ribon manga — Yume-iro Pâtissière aired in 2009, and the last time we got one focusing on romance specifically was Aishiteruze Baby★★ in 2004.
The fact that we’re getting one again signifies a rise of interest in shoujo anime. We’re also getting Acro Trip this year — a magical girl anime also adapted from a Ribon manga.
Some concerns about the anime
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That said, there are still concerns about the Honey Lemon Soda anime. The studio being J.C.Staff is a coinflip for the quality of the animation — and the fact that they are also working on One Punch Man S3 doesn’t give this adaptation much hope.
Fans also feel that the character designs in the anime are a downgrade compared to the manga — they are less sparkly and shoujo-like.
There’s also a concern about how long the adaptation will be in the first place. The manga is very long — 24 volumes and a volume of side stories currently. There’s no way the anime covers all of that, and the slice-of-life nature of the anime and the slow pace of development might be a concern.
A lot of shoujo anime are criticized for their “one step forwards, two steps back” approach, which is way easier to get through in the manga form.
Fans are still mostly happy
That said, fans are still happy about the announcement. The nature of the manga (and the anime) is just a very cute romance without much annoying melodrama. Besides, shoujo fans are just glad to get more anime