This review contains spoilers.

While there are timeless stories of romance that makes sense and connect just as well today as they did twenty years ago, Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop is a story told now for now. It feels contemporary and current. It speaks to people aged the same as the characters as they are right now, not to the teenagers of the future, nor to the creator’s selves when they were that age.

This isn’t to say that social media, or being shy, or being concerned about ones’ appearance are new things to tell a story about, but Words Bubble Up connects these things in a fantastic way and is aware of how they are important parts the current generation’s world. I know a girl who was just like Smile, who hid her teeth when she had braces. I know people who were just like Cherry and retreated from the noise and didn’t want to be bothered. I know many people who feel more comfortable expressing themselves through text rather than through speaking.

So it is in that that Words Bubble Up breaks free from what would otherwise be an unremarkable romance story. The characters all felt familiar and recognisable, like people I know that are that age. The mask and the headphones donned by the main characters become poignant and recognisable symbols that are put up to shield the world, whether that be to hide yourself from the world or to hide from the world itself. And they work well as these symbols because I’ve seen them used this exactly way by people their age.

And while it connects deeply with the generation of now, it also seeks to link to the generation of the past. The divide between old and young is bridged through artistic expression, the haiku and vinyl. For Cherry, haiku is how he can communicate to the world, how he can leave his mark. For Mr Fujiyama, he connect to his late wife through her artistic expression - immortalised in vinyl (until it cracks - please handle vinyl with care, people). And both generations share this appreciation for the forms, Cherry and Smile connect to the past and to Fujiyama through the Yamazakura record, and in turn it connects them as well.

Visually, World Bubble Up was spectacular. The gorgeous blue skies and beautiful clouds evoke the feels of summer just as much as Cherry’s haikus. The vibrancy of the mall and the bright colours of the characters leap off the screen. And contrast against the grey of the apartment, there was some great visual storytelling. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but it was beautiful - it was a joy to watch.

So while I can’t pretend it told an innovative romance story, Words Bubble Up was delightful. It felt highly relevant, with spectacular characterisation that elevates the story above its simplicity. It tells a story for today, of teenagers from today for teenagers of today.