The Netflix anime film, Words Bubble Up From Soda Pop, is a simple yet heartwarming movie that tackles the beauty and pains of adolescence. It has romance and the slice-of-life theme to it. The story is quite easy to follow, but the ending may have meanings that still needed explaining.
Like why is the ending with Cherry declaring his love out to Smile during the festival? Can’t it just be a private affair? Why did he have to admit this when he is about to leave? Why is the ending like that?
In this article, we will answer why the ending to this film has happened and why it led up to it.
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Cherry’s Inner Conflict
Throughout the film, we were presented with the inner problems the two main protagonists are facing. They are both lacking in confidence in the hobbies they are pursuing. They are at the stage of adolescence wherein they are trying to establish their own identities. These hobbies of theirs represent their interests, so it reflects who they are.
Kouichi, better known as his online alias, “Cherry”, is interested in writing poems, particularly haikus. He can express himself better through his haikus, and he posts them online. Even though it does not gain much online traction, he still keeps posting them.
However, he struggles of being confident in what he write. As such, he is afraid of reciting his haikus in front of people, even if they are someone he knows. Deep down, he wanted to recite his haikus and be proud of them, but he cannot bring himself to do so.
Cherry reciting his love haiku towards Smile at the end symbolizes his newfound confidence and change. He realized that he has to admit his feelings for Smile before he moves away. At the same time, Smile’s support of his hobby contributed to overcoming his self-doubts. Is it not that deserving of a heartwarming recitation of a love haiku to someone?
Smile’s Inner Conflict
Yuki, known for her online alias, “Smile”, is an online influencer. She has this cheerful and bright persona, always encouraging other people to smile. She is also very engaging with her viewers, which is why she has a lot of traction.
Unlike Cherry, Smile is more confident of herself with her skills, except for her appearance. She hides half of her face in a mask, because she has a bucktooth. As an influencer, she thinks that having a buck tooth is not befitting. While she shows confidence online, she still experiences low self-esteem issues from the way she looks. It is also ironic that she wants her viewers to smile, but she cannot even show them her smile.
In the end, she is able to finally remove her face mask because Cherry loved and accepted her for how she looks. The experience with the vintage record owner, Fujiyama, contributed to this because Fujiyama’s late wife was actually a bucktooth herself – yet still managed to become a successful singer. On top of that, Fujiyama loved his wife with everything she was – including her bucktooth.
Cherry and Smile’s Growth
To sum it up, the ending of Words Bubble Up From Soda Pop indicates the growth of Cherry and Smile. They supported and inspired each other throughout their time together. Eventually, they were able to gain the confidence they needed in their interests. They managed to grow together by helping each other out. This is love in its purest form, that it will definitely overcome the impending long-distance relationship between the two of them.
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