It’s been a while since I felt the spark for a post idea and thank you Honey Lemon Soda for the spark.
One of my favourite immersive investments I get out of watching anime is characters reaching new potential for themselves and feeling the struggles and advertises you have felt in your life. I felt a huge dose of this from catching up on the romance series Honey Lemon Soda. Episode 5 or 6 I can’t recall writing this right now, one moment clasped my heart tight and my tears just welled up. It sparked the idea for how I felt like this over time with certain characters that I dearly love and connect with. Maybe reading this will spark some memories for you haha.
Uke Ishimori (Honey Lemon Soda)
Let’s get out of the way who sparked this post idea and made me ball my eyes out in the bathtub. By nature I have been a people pleaser majority of my live and constantly saying sorry for things that is unnecessary to say it for it. I mean it is pretty stupid and do I still do it now? Well yeah but I am getting better with it over time of not. Uke has a terrible case of people pleaser syndrome from never expanding outside of her bubble and dampening who own confidence that she cannot experience or have what others possess. I can see some people not being gravitating towards her character and will find her annoying and pathetic but I encourage you to look beyond the scope. With the help from lemon blondie Kai she slowly begins the momentum to think for herself and find that drive for herself, there is no denying Uke receives a lot of aid before she starts to make moves for herself. In the later episodes though she begins to delvulge and invest in her own thoughts of what she wants and what is going on around her particularly when she realises her feelings for Kai. Facing her old school bullies shows the influence of those around her adding as positive motion that is taking off for herself although the interaction with her school bullies feels awkward, I still felt inspired by it. I am very keen for towards the end of the series to see in what kind of Uke she manifests into. Her own turmoil of people pleasing I related with strongly especially growing up and reminds me of the less people pleaser I am these days.
Ichikawa Kyoutarou (Dangers In My Heart)
2024 was the year I watched one of the most refreshing rom com anime in a long time Dangers In My Heart. Following a young adolescent couple who navigates the field of hormone emotions and evolving love before them. Ichikawa’s obstacle through this new phase in his life with our main love interest Anna is lack of exposure to the untouched experiences he has not given a chance. Ourselves are our worst enemy for not pursuing new things, Anna may have been the sunshine to bring shed new light for Ichikawa but he has to work at it from the bottom. Classed a complete shut in and his own informed opinion of how people find him, Ichikawa’s world is boring and dull until he starts to see in the mirror. What he sees is bad self imaging towards his self but slowly through the hilarious encounters with Anna and inconveniences she brings, a positive engaging new form for himself begins to take over. Pretty soon you’re seeing middle school students spilling out hormones and emotions they shouldn’t be touching for at least their teens. This aspect of the show is what makes for watching Ichikawa’s character spill out such a overwhelming experience. Ichikawa stopped being the doormat of what others take you for and began showing up for what was beginning to matter so much, this is the closeness I found in his character. What others expect of you or assume and suddenly you jump over that shit, leaves them with the best gasping expression.
Megumi Tadokoro (Food Wars)
Timid and roll over people like myself once let opportunities pass us by and stand at the door doing nothing. Megumi had a food dream but lacking the tools of self drive to get there. Nobody gives you that you have to find that inside somewhere. The repeating of sorry and remaining in the background are the result of conforming to this invisible privilege that people possessing a strong passion and watching them succeed is not within our grasps. In turn telling ourselves when we know within it’s there but something has to move you to reach that stage you’re reaching for. Megumi’s time was when she experienced her first shokugeki, boy was there another kind of Megumi you got to watch after that. Until you go through a experience that moves you is only then truly something ticks over, watching Megumi continue to grow and latch onto the inspiring people around her, the girl came into her own. Taking off the rose coloured glasses and seeing the real food rainbow of possibilities, nobody was going to do that for her. The life I lead now than compared to five years is incomparable, I didn’t know who that was person then but she was without much drive. The things going on are a result of not conforming to the negative in my head, Megumi reminds me of that.
Yamaguchi Tadashi (Haikyu!)
The jump float serve can tip over the balance in volleyball creating a rising change in atmosphere and shifting the momentum of everyone’s giving efforts. Yamaguchi didn’t know this essential role he played was so substantial when it came too it. Before this he was just a follower following aspirations and glorified successes of others, Yamaguchi really didn’t think much of himself and tiptoed around what could be for him. He’s only the most unmotivating kind of person to be around but this was only in the beginning. How I have been that person I wouldn’t want to either honestly. Yamaguchi out of everyone had to dig in really deep even after the amount of times he psyched himself out of not being able to do it. Eventually all the practice of each time your attempting to do something, the less embedded negative gets to fight back. Yamaguchi realises the role he can play for his team and better himself, feeling an essential part to something can be the saving grace sometimes when it comes to your on confidence and who I am moments. Yamaguchi turns into a non-sorry boss in the end towards his new love of being jump float and begins to inspire others. Nobody will ever know the steps you took to make a change for yourself, your own brain and external factors always are the stop signs for us to feel like we are flourishing. Yamaguchi reminds me of knocking out all those stop and sorry signs for what I have carved for myself, turning myself into a opportunist.
God I can’t believe this post is actually is written because this is my second time writing it. The first draft never saved when I went to press publish and I couldn’t revisit till a week later or at all haha. What I had wrote prior to me had sounded so much better but I am happy still while trying to find the original inspiration, wordpress you dick haha. Hope you enjoy the read!
Lita xx
