Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop

Two strangers chase a lost record, discovering love and self‑acceptance under a hazy summer sky.

Yui “Cherry” Sakura pours his heart into haiku, posting verses online that drift unnoticed like paper boats on a river. With his family’s August move looming, he spends the sweltering summer as a part‑timer at a local welfare center, where the quiet rhythm of daily chores masks his yearning for connection. Across town, Yuki “Smile” Hoshino chases viral fame, determined to spread joy despite the insecurity of her crooked front teeth, which she hides behind a disposable mask. A chance collision throws Smile into Cherry’s world, and she soon joins him at the same facility. Their unlikely partnership takes a poignant turn when an elderly resident, Fujiyama, asks them to locate a long‑lost vinyl record that holds the last fragments of his fading memories. Armed only with a faded album sleeve and the cryptic word “yamazakura,” the duo embarks on a sun‑soaked scavenger hunt through dusty backstreets and forgotten record shops. Along the way, Cherry’s shy verses begin to find an audience, and Smile discovers that a genuine smile needn’t be perfect—just sincere. Their quest becomes a gentle meditation on the ways music, poetry, and fleeting summer moments can stitch together the broken pieces of a life about to change.

A gentle summer romance about two teens who bond while helping an elderly man find a lost record. The film handles dementia, insecurity, and first love with warmth and restraint, making it a solid pick for early teens and up.