(Sorry for the scuffed images, it was the only way to avoid Netflix's anti screenshotting mechanism)

Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is another Netflix original anime film joining the ranks with A Whisker Away and Flavors of Youth. Although I have only seen Flavors of Youth and didn't really like it, my view for this movie however is different. Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is an interesting film combining bright beautiful colors with insecurities and wanting to hide things. Here's my opinion on it. (Minor Spoilers)

First of all I love the color choice, artwork, and animation. All the vibrant colors on screen really help to give personality to not only the characters but the setting around them. There's this one shot I love where the screen is split with Cherry on the left and Smile on the right. It's each of their perspectives on what they like doing and the way they do it. A part of the scene shows them both walking down the sidewalk but Cherry has his head down and looks more uptight while Smile on the other hand has her head up and is very cheerful. In the scenes Cherry is usually in a darker more gloomy environment while Smile is in a bright colorful environment. These color choices really help to flush out the characters and show what they're like without verbal exposition.

Now something I don’t find to be the best is the plot. While the plot isn’t terrible it's definitely not the strongest part of the film. It isn’t an extremely riveting plot line that will have your eyes glued to the screen for as long as the film is shown, and there are points of really plot convenient things. In the end the plot helps the film move along with its story and characters up until the climax so it does its job well enough. Just if you’re looking for something really invoking and something to really lose yourself in, I don’t think this would be the one.

Now to end it off on a positive note, I really liked the way the haikus that Cherry made were somewhat contributing to the plot. At the start of my viewing I thought it was cool how he made haikus, but nearing towards the middle it got a little stale and annoying. However with the latter half of the film the haikus he writes actually provide meaning to the story and provide foreshadowing.

And the final scene I think is wonderful, Cherry goes up on the tower to recite all the haikus we’ve seen throughout the film which really just shows how much he's grown from the beginning. It also shows how Smile overcomes her own insecurity about her teeth. I think this scene was a great way to conclude the film with Smile smiling up at the camera.

TL;DR: Overall I think the film is pretty good, it's not amazingly capturing which you could completely lose yourself in without even noticing. But it’s not horrendously boring either. In the end I think this is a decent watch for anyone who likes romance and slice of life. I give it a 7.3/10