Based on Kocha Agasawa’s manga of the same name, The Ramparts of Ice's plot revolves around Koyuki Hikawa, a reserved high school student who has built a metaphorical wall around herself. In season one, we saw how she struggles to communicate with other people and is comfortable keeping her distance. However, she has allowed her childhood friend Miki Azumi to be one of the few people to be her close aide. All of this changes when Minato Amamiya enters her life. Unlike Koyuki, Minato is extremely open and persistent, repeatedly trying to get past the barriers she has created. However, becoming closer to someone does not magically erase years of insecurity, and this is what season 2 manages to show beautifully.
Koyuki’s feelings for Minato are no longer simply the ones that she can keep hidden. Behind her quiet personality is a girl who is falling in love. At the same time, her friendship with Miki is tested by the emotions that neither of the girls can easily control. The result is a plot in which every innocent conversation can have its very own repercussions. On the other hand, Yota has confessed the feelings he has for Miki, but for Miki it isn’t as easy to reciprocate the feelings as one might expect it to be. Yota appears to be gentle and is straightforward, but of course that doesn’t mean handling rejections is easy for him.
All in all, in season 2 we see bonds filled with hesitations, jealousy, misunderstandings, and poorly timed conversations that don’t make sense either. When you take a broader look at it, you will realize that neither of the characters is wrong in what they are feeling. And perhaps in the upcoming episodes, this is what we will be watching.
As of now, only the first episode has come out, so it will be interesting to see how the story shapes up. I have a lot of hopes because most of the characters look very relatable. It is like a typical high school story that is told in the form of an anime. We can also expect lots of character development between the four characters and how they work it out amongst themselves. I feel the adaptation is also pretty good so far. Season one looked amazing; hence, I feel season 2 would be even better than what we got.
The pacing is also fine. I didn’t feel as if the makers rushed anything. The prime example of this is how the makers have approached the character of Mikki. We don’t get confessions or falling in love happening right away. Instead, it is a gradual process of how these things are taking place in reality. That is what makes The Ramparts of Ice such a sweet story. I am also invested in watching Kyoki’s love life take shape. Will she lead her guard down even more, or will the attractions fade away? Let's wait and see how the show turns out.
Final Score- [7/10]
Reviewed by - Neerja Ch
Follow @NeerjaCH on Twitter
Publisher at Midgard Times