Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle

I’ve read some comments and reviews about Chitose in the Ramune Bottle, and some people say it feels pretentious, that the main character isn’t likable, and that he comes across as, “Yes, I’m 16, and I’m that deep.” I can see where they’re coming from, but I really love this show. Interestingly, I felt the same mix of annoyance and affection toward the main character, Chitose. That’s what makes him compelling. If he existed in real life, I would 100% have a crush on him. In the show, he’s annoying and pretentious, yet adorable and lovable. By the end, he’s still just a human being—not perfect,not untouchable. This show feels like it’s made for people who appreciate poetry. It’s dreamy—the choice of words and the way events are presented give meaning to life in small, subtle ways. It feels realistic in a way that paradoxically makes it feel slightly unreal. Yes, he’s 16 and remarkably thoughtful—but that’s the point. The show condenses the essence of teenage life, with all its drama and small triumphs, into a concise narrative, and it shows a character who is, in a sense, “perfect” yet still human. Some people say they don’t understand what this anime is about. For me, I chose to take it at face value. The show tells you what to feel; it doesn’t force you to overanalyze the writing or the author’s intent. Yet it remains mysterious, because this clarity—this sincerity, bluntness, and honesty—is rare. The emotions it evokes feel genuine, like real life. In reality, we often don’t see the point in analyzing everything. We don’t try to understand everything because we know we can’t. Expecting to fully comprehend life or art isn’t realistic. I would like to say that even the art style of the animation is atmospheric and gives that feeling of an artsy product and sensibility. Chitose in the Ramune Bottle is not a mimicry of reality; it is a piece of reality that we get to witness. To me, it’s a masterpiece.

Initially, I thought this was just going to be another generic trashy harem anime. You know the type where an ugly, stupid, or antisocial MC suddenly gets superpowers, extreme luck, or an instant glow-up that makes all the heroines cling to him and fall in love for no clear reason. Honestly, I always feel the need to apologize for judging this anime way too quickly before actually watching it. One of the strongest and most brilliant selling points of this show is the characterization of the protagonist, Saku Chitose. He is not a dense MC who is completely clueless. Chitose is portrayed as highly intelligent andgreat at reading the room. His position at the top of the social hierarchy is earned through hard work and his ability to maintain his persona. He knows exactly what to do to keep his friend circle intact. His character writing is incredibly solid. We get to see from his perspective that being the reliable one is exhausting, and popularity is not just about showing off, but also about the heavy social responsibilities that come with it. As I continued watching, I realized Chitose Is in the Ramune Bottle operates on a completely different level compared to those cheap tropes. Unlike those trashy shows, everything here feels very new and fresh. The storytelling approach is much deeper, the problem-solving is logical, and most importantly, the characters feel incredibly human because they are simply responding to the demands of reality and the circumstances around them. On the technical side, this anime also deserves a lot of praise. The OP and ED songs are great and the vibe perfectly represents the show. The soundtrack accompanying various scenes is also quite good at building the atmosphere. One thing that really left an impression on me is the visual direction. The way this anime handles and plays with lighting often feels very poetic and is a treat for the eyes. Even though this anime successfully shattered my low expectations and delivered a stunning performance, it is certainly still not perfect overall. Because of that, I am giving it an 8/10. It is a highly worthwhile and memorable youth drama!

This show was such a mixed bag for me. I will say the last three episodes that were delayed until recently did show me some promise as to why the LN has such a following, because they were easily the best episodes of the series so far (mainly because it actually involved our protagonist on an emotional level), but not only can I neither ignore the first two arcs of varying quality nor the other glaring issues the show has. But maybe let's start in the beginning. Conceptually, this show isn't something you have never seen before. Basically every arc revolves around one character that isclose to our MC, Chitose. In the first arc, it's a classmate that becomes part of his friend group, in the second one, it's about one of his friends who gets stalked and in the last one, it's about the Senpai that he adores. The main idea, how this show wants to be different from others in this genre, is by not making Chitose the typical introvert type, but the cool guy at school who already has a literal harem of girls not only following him, but who even confess their love towards him which he always refuses. However, I feel the author thought this subversion of the trope is enough to make Chitose interesting. Because instead of using the first arc of the series to introduce us to the different layers of Chisote and his friend group, it strangely mostly focuses on a classmate that Chitose had nothing to do with before. And who is of course an introvert that gets "saved" by Chitose after not wanting to go to school anymore. And sure, I don't actually mind having an arc focused on a different person before we delve into the actual characters that matter (Chitose and his friend group), however the author fails to use this time to properly characterize all these people that will stay around. And I think this is the first big failure of the show. All of the characters feel very similar to another. This is mostly shown by their interactions with each other. It doesn't matter if Chitose talks to girl A or B, the general conversation always goes the same. They are confident, make witty one-liners and in some way or another try to flirt with Chitose. Also, they easily get jealous whenever Chitose spent time with another girl even though they are not in a relationship with him. Sure, there are some differences, like how two of the girls are more sport types, but since the conversation rarely revolves around these topics, you would be excused for not knowing who Chitose talks to if you closed your eyes, because they are just this similar to one another. And that is even worse with Chitose's male friends who have literally 0 personality. Now tbf, I have to backtrack a bit, because the characters seemingly do have a bit more depth than the conversations allude to. Which is shown by the second arc that revolves around Nanase. So basically, the show wants to slowly build up all these characters through their own individual arcs. But this just takes too much time and it makes the choice of having 4 whole episodes about a completely unimportant character even more baffling imo, because we could have spent the time with one more of Chitose's friends. But therein already lies the second issue, the characters are only actual characters when it's their arc. The show fails to properly utilize the large cast of characters. For example, the author could have used more of Chitose's friends during the Nanase arc and therefore already introduce who they are, but for some reason, they are so concentrated on Chitose being the "savior" that they forget that they have a cast of more than 7 characters to play with. The only reason you remember half of the characters is because the show will literally hold the current arc, so that Chitose can go on a "date" (with one or more of the girls at the same time) that never goes anywhere and only leads to the same conversations all the time. Which makes these moments feel like they mainly exist so that the audience doesn't forget that Chitose has a larger group of friends. So, the main issue narratively is that the characters are not utilized very well. But okay, what about the actual arcs that they go through? As mentioned above, these can vary in quality as well. The first arc about the introvert is really not important at all and can easily be skipped. The second arc about Nanase and her stalker problem is a lot more interesting. And I will give the show that they managed to portray the fear that comes with something like this very well. But both of these also suffer from the same issue and that is Chitose. Who just always knows the right thing to do. Even when that is not the right thing in the first place. I don't want to go into details, but there are several moments in both of these arcs where Chitose takes an action that is really not that good in the current situation. And that would be fine if the show acknowledged it. But it doesn't do that. It portrays all of Chitose's actions as the right ones. He didn't do anything wrong. Which feels especially problematic during the stalker arc (where I feel the show tried to bite off more than it can chew, because the conclusion to that arc was messy at best when it comes to solutions for such a problem). And the sad thing is, the show can be better than this, which the currently last arc shows us. Because without going into spoilers, it is an arc that doesn't just focus on the next girl, but also Chitose. He is not the perfect savior anymore, but acts emotional and therefore makes mistakes. It's the first time that the character of Chitose actually felt human. And therefore, I think it's so sad that the show didn't lead with that arc, because I feel a lot more people would have been on board with that. Tbf, that arc isn't concluded and will be focused on in the second season, so maybe I shouldn't give it too much praise already, but I will be honest and say that these last three episodes were what I was expecting going into the show. And I think it is a shame that the series is overshadowed by its really mediocre and sometimes even bad start. However, this last arc can also not cover my last criticism and this is the dialogue. Now, I won't be saying here that anime has the most realistic dialogue. We all know that is not true (with a few exceptions). However, this show takes it to another level. Chitose in particular talks in a way (not just in monologue but sometimes even with other people) that just feels unnatural, because it is such a flowery language. Like how some person is like the sun, shining bright and illuminating everything and in contrast to that is the moon, who is always lonely and stuff like that. And don't get me wrong, I don't mind a line like that every once in a while. But in this show, it is constant and it makes all the characters (that as mentioned already have problems being characters) feel even more artificial, because this is just a step too far for me to feel believable. But of course, this might be something that others don't feel as bad about. And that is why I can not fully recommend this show to everyone. It's definitely a mixed bag and if you can look past the issues (especially the way the dialogues and monologues are written), then I think you can have fun with it. It's one of the shows that yes, really gets better after episode 4, but still always has its problems here and there when it comes to how it addresses certain problems. However, I will also say that this newest arc that will be continued in season 2 is by far the best the series has to offer and depending how it is concluded can sway me more in a positive direction. If that is a enough of a promise for you, then try the show. But if you know that you will be too annoyed by the first two arcs that it will negatively affect this third arc, then it's probably best to skip it alltogether.

This show is rather difficult to rate effectively, especially since it makes little to no sense. The characters constantly make completely unnecessary monologues that feel not only meaningless but also moronic. The decisions taken to 'solve' issues are honestly terrible. Kids don't need to take everything into their hands; they're kids after all. This is something the series seems reluctant to accept. This whole metaphor of a Ramune bottle is also quite nonsensical. What does that have to do with youth? Why is he in a Ramune bottle in the first place? Is he stuck? Can he get out? Should I call the authorities? The charactersare not particularly charming; they talk like they're androids trying to find out what 'human' means. Everybody is head over heels for this Chitose fellow for some unknown, God-forsaken reason. He acts like the protagonist of a Bollywood cop movie (see: Singham). The guy is portrayed as so competent and likeable that he could regain all of the US's lost credibility if he were made the Secretary of State. The plotline also feels like a watered-down, TikTok-shop version of series like Oregairu or Hyouka (excluding the charm that made them special). This series is a mess. It's like a hamburger you eat while piss-drunk at 4:00 AM. But, all in all, it is a fantastic show to watch on a call with some friends with whom you can make fun of what's going on on the screen. Make a drinking game out of it, maybe. Unless you're a tween or a pretentious "intellectual", it'll be hard to watch it any other way. This show does have significant staying power; you'll be talking about its ridiculousness for months to come. The opening and ending sequences are quite nice, albeit not particularly relevant. They seem like the original vision or concept, before a dog swallowed and threw them back up like a Tyson Foods chicken.