Koyuki Hikawa: “The Queen.” Her classmates avoid her and even fear her, not because she’s done anything terrible or fearsome, but because she looks scary; her face always gives off a “don’t come near me vibe.” And that’s on purpose. After struggling through the anxiety that being teased caused her in middle school—for her shyness, her height, her cuteness—and being bullied as well, Koyuki has cultivated an image to help her avoid interacting with most other people. She’s built a wall. And while class “idol” Miki is allowed in, virtually no one else is—especially boys. But what happens when a couple of boys start to breach that wall in a sincere way that others haven’t before?
This is how you start a romance anime. Episode one of The Ramparts of Ice has a beautiful blend of drama—including a doki-doki ending and flashbacks that reveal bits and pieces of trauma—and lighter fare, mostly at the main character’s expense. And I love that we’re let into Koyuki’s world immediately; she’s the “ice queen” type, which in most series means that we’re in for a long thaw until she finally relents. And while there’s almost certain to be a slow progression in this series too, we immediately learn that Koyuki is really pretty normal; she’s just adopted a certain way of protecting herself. And because she’s kind of awkward, like most teens, she stumbles (literally at one point) and makes mistakes (curry drink??) that allow us to laugh at her and love her right away. The conversation Miki and Koyuki have at the latter’s house also helps, as Koyuki drops some lovely wisdom in it. And because the friendly Miki obviously admires and loves her friend, we’re encouraged to as well. Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned the boys, who are already showing their quality (though I think more of that will hit in episode two). The animation is lovely, the voice acting is memorable (Anna Nagase is somehow able to bring life to Koyuki’s monotone speaking), and the writing, again, is on point. I often get too ahead of myself with romance series, frequently finding them to ultimately be disappointing. Still, I have high hopes for this series based on all the above. I think we’ve got a winner!
The Ramparts of Ice can be streamed on Netflix.
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