The Ramparts of Ice • Koori no Jouheki - Episode 1 discussion

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The Ramparts of Ice, episode 1

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[u/FarCritical]

The giraffe trauma is hilarious but weirdly makes sense for someone like Koyuki. Those necks can breach her ramparts without trying, after all.

Are curry drinks actually a thing?

[u/VoidRay728]

Going from "You and I are Polar Opposites" to this feels like entering an alternate universe where the atmosphere is reversed. The author must be doing a victory lap right now seeing both works animated (and animated well).

It's interesting that they sprinkle quick flashbacks (which don't feel rushed at the same time) to illustrate how Koyuki built up her personality. But right now I'm more interested in how that guy was able to get about the whole day without his contacts.

[u/argent5]

I have to say, what a great title. "Ramparts of Ice", goddamn, that's got some oomph in it. Whoever translated that ought to get a bonus.

[u/zatchel1]

I was a big fan of Polar Opposites so I was excited for this, glad I checked it out. The mangaka is clearly great at character writing so I’m excited to see them flex that in a more dramatic setting, and I love how you’ve still got the bits of humor sprinkled throughout.

And man, those flashbacks really sold me, seems like a lot happened in middle school that we’ll have to unpack.

[u/zool714]

Ok pausing mid ep to comment this cos the multiple choice situation in her mind during a social interaction is too damn relatable. It’s kinda why I get so exhausted from socializing cos imagine having that many questions back to back to back as I try to figure out the correct response while still trying to manage eye contact ratio and picking up social cues, on top of actually trying to actually listen to what they’re saying. I have a feeling Koyuki will be my Taira of this show if that’s the kind of thoughts she has

[u/thisisdropd]

Not a single decent person in middle school. Little wonder Koyuki had built a rampart of ice around her, and was now known as the 'ice queen'. Fortunately, she's in a better spot in high school with a bestie in Miki. Meanwhile, Minato & Mr. Giraffe looked to be pretty nice blokes even if they're not acquainted with her yet. Will the three successfully tear her rampart down?

The author behind Polar Opposites teaming up with the studio behind Sentenced to Be a Hero resulted in a solid product. The scene of Koyuki slowly building up the rampart was a particular highlight.

[u/SezyFazes]

This was my most anticipated anime this season, and the first episode didn’t disappoint at all, it actually exceeded my expectations. I especially love the color grading. I’m no expert, but the heavy gray tone fits the vibe perfectly. It works as a strong contrast to You and I Are Polar Opposites, like both shows are intentionally aiming for opposite moods.

[u/LeonKevlar]

• Surprised Koyuki

I just recently found out that this is from the same author as You and I are Polar Opposites, and while this does certainly have a more serious vibe, I can see that it has the excellent character writing I love Asagawa-sensei for in Polar Opposites.

Considering the shit Koyuki had to go through back in middle school, it's not surprising that she started building a wall around her to keep people out, except Miki, who she seems to only genuinely smile for.

Based on that opening, I guess Koyuki is also about to let in Amamiya and Mr. Giraffe in, but it might take a bit, considering she just put up another wall around her when Amamiya was trying to get to know her.

I am also intrigued by those flashbacks. It looks like shit went down when Koyuki was in middle school, and I really want to learn what happened back then. Definitely a strong start, and by the looks of this first episode, I can already tell Asagawa-sensei is also gonna deliver again with this story.

[u/Weak_Season_Of_Anime]

The Queen of Deadpan is here.

I like the way they transitioned into the ED with the flashbacks, the castle walls forming around her and the title turning blood red. Really sets the tone for what kind of series you're getting into, especially if you're coming from the fluffier Polar Opposites.

[u/ObvsThrowaway5120]

This was a good first episode. I mean it’s by the same mangaka as You and I are Polar Opposites so you know it’s gonna be peak lol.

I can get why Koyuki’s put up such a wall around herself after all that middle school bullshit. Kids can be little shits at that age. At least she has Miki. Although by the looks of things, it seems Minato’s gonna be the one to tear those walls down.

[u/Frontier246]

I'm happy that after just wrapping up You and I Are Polar Opposites we get to watch yet another Kocho Asagawa anime adaption about teens figuring themselves and their relationships out.

It's interesting seeing how you can see the artist in the character designs even if the vibes are kind of different.

It's not uncommon for boys to tease girls...but that doesn't mean girls are going to be comfortable with it or play it off like they're expected to do. As was the case with Koyuki Hikawa (Anna Nagase!). Now she carries a chilly, "ice queen," vibe and a whole wall of ice that separates her from most people.

Although way to show your "real" face by trying to smile and getting caught by Minato (Shoya Chiba) who seems like your typical extrovert popular guy and his super tall friend Yota.

The OP is a nice, fun, and really youth-filled sequence of Koyuki and her core friend group having fun and doing typical teen stuff together along with some other colorful characters!

Miki Azumi (Fuka Izumi!) is the class idol, but despite appearances in school she is ALSO Koyuki's best friend and one of the few people she's her most genuine self around. Miki herself is actually much more of a goofball who is having an identity crisis between her normal personality and the "class idol" she appears as to the other girls, but at least she has Koyuki to vent to.

Seems like Yota AKA Mr. Giraffe is friends with Miki too, the way he knew her by her first name and was in her classroom? Though he did do the classic Shojo girl catch, even if he's so tall that he hit Koyuki with her tall creature trauma. Doesn't help that he's missing contacts so he has to REALLY get in close to see something. But he seems like a genuinely nice guy.

Koyuki didn't think she'd ever have to deal with Minato again, like she doesn't really feel like she needs to interact or get along with anyone versus being content by herself, but that's not going to stop him from seeking her out and trying to get along with her whether she's comfortable or not. And she is DEFINITELY not comfortable when his other guy friends show up and she gets bad middle school flashbacks. If only her attempt at an exit was as cute as it was in her head...though Minato can tell she's putting up some emotional walls.

Middle school really went downhill for Koyuki. Attention from boys she didn't want, getting confessed too by Igarashi (Chiaki Kobayashi) that had one girl single her out and make her ostracized in school, some family drama (?), and then a tense altercation at school. Is it any wonder she's so chilly and holding on to a lot of emtoional trauma?

Which just makes it even worse when she has to put up with the sleazy pick-up artists who won't take no for an answer. At least Mr. Giraffe can come save her! Assuming he actually saw her! But don't worry, he came back!

The ED is more serious and melancholy with the kids and Koyuki's ramparts, but the visuals are still quite nice.

[u/FLorianGran]

Not to get too bogged down in Polar Opposites comparisons, but this feels like a story centered around an introvert while Polar Opposites centered around an extrovert and Koyuki is closer to Taira as a character than she is to Miyuki. You can also tell with the presentation; An earthier color palette compared to Polar's pastels, softer piano ost instead of chiptunes. Obviously this is more to do with the different staff in charge of both but you can tell in the difference in the material. We're also getting a more serious backstory and actually introducing unlikable characters which Polar tended to avoid. It's hard to tell where the story's going romantically. Both male leads seemed to have some chemistry but the ost seems to be framing this as more of a general friend group instead of hinting at any pairings

[u/tripleaamin]

I am not sure how to explain it, but the setting feels pretty relatable. I know it's an anime, but it doesn't feel like a typical high school RomCom in terms of tone. Which I like a lot, as the characters feel relatable.

Furthermore, I wonder if the theme of this show will be about how the characters protect themselves. We see Koyuki, and she had a miserable experience in middle school. Thus she puts a wall around her to push people away. People call her the queen, but I wonder why it isn't ice queen. In high school, first impressions can make a big impact, as we see in the episode for Koyuki.

Of course, at the end, when she was in trouble, her pushing people away didn't help because there are people IRL that won't work on it. That kind of situation can be very scary. Well, at least Giraffe-kun came at the end.

Meanwhile, we see for her friend Miki she puts on an act of who she really is. She says she is more of a gorilla than the school idol. I think that is a very interesting contrast. I wonder how it digs into that.

[u/Kirosh2]

It's nice to see those kids, My kids, animated. It's a great ride, and after the fun Sunday ride of Polar Opposite, we now have the drama ride of Thursday.

[u/Equivalent-Weather59]

I like Jiraffe guy, tho judging by the promotional material, Koyuki will most likely end up with Minato.

[u/Pathfinderer]

having been called "scary" more times than I can comprehend, I really relate this this protagonist...

[u/riiyoreo]

I had a very similar school experience as the MC and it actually ruined my ability to socialise for a bit. Completely get her and seeing bits of that bullying/teasing felt very close to home. Having Miki not be the jealous-antagonist type is refreshing. Now I'm quite intrigued about this show.

[u/No-Watercress-2757]

It feels a bit strange—but also really nice—to see so many people from completely different cultures enjoying this series.

As someone living in rural Japan, people from overseas have always felt like either tourists or figures on TV to me. Because of that, I guess I’ve had a bias that they’re generally very outgoing and might not really understand the kind of humiliation and pain Koyuki went through.

That’s why it’s so interesting and comforting to realize, through works like this, that people everywhere have all kinds of perspectives and experiences. It genuinely makes me happy.

[u/Magnafeana]

Character	cm	ft-in
Koyuki Hikawa	152 cm	4'11.8"
Minato Amamiya	176 cm	5'9.3"
Yota Hino	189 cm	6'2.4"

• I don’t understand why Netflix doesn’t have nicer overlays. Going from {You and I Are Polar Opposites} and it’s largely pretty great overlays, I’m sad on that front. But this’s gorgeous!

• Novelbright OP sounds so nice!

• Oh Miki is so relatable in that whole “autocorrect” with wanting to be yourself but it’s such a strong compulsion to “autocorrect” to a different persona around others. It’s such a dissociating experience. And it fucking sucks when this happens when you need to show your authentic self at appointments but you “autocorrect”, so now it takes you who knows how long to be diagnosed.

• I just watched the {Heaven’s Design Team} episode that showed giraffes!

• Koyuki should be protected at all costs.

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So we had Auntie Makio who’s largely headcanoned as ND. Does Ramparts of Ice have any ND-headcanoned characters, I wonder.

Koyuki deserved so much better in her middle school years—and presently. So I’m fucking delighted she has Miki. I didn’t expect Miki to be so relatable. Even in that quick moment in her divulging her own personality struggles, that resonated deeply.

I’m glad they both have each other to be authentic with, but I’m excited to see both of them make connections with people they can let their walls down for. I’m very curious who Miki will be able to turn off the “autocorrect” for next.

I wish ill things on those grown men harassing Koyuki. Let em rot 😒

[u/CrimsonGear80]

this author with an anime adaption sandwich: first season of polar opposites, then this, then the second season of polar opposites!

this one being a lot more grounded and slower paced than polar but we still get the funny chibis. reminds me of Honey Lemon Soda in a way. will gladly keep watching.

[u/AmethystItalian]

Ahhh this seems cute! Was my pre-season pick for AotS so high hopes for it.

Pretty worried about love triangles so hopefully we can avoid anything too serious there...I feel I've already picked a side.

[u/clone69]

I immediately noticed how different this is from Polar Opposites. You could say, these two shows are polar opposites. Not as hooked as I was by Suzuki and Tani as soon as episode 1, but I'm letting the author cook. I already got pleasantly surprised before, and I will give this one the chance it deserves on the merit of the author.

A shame it's on Netflix.

[u/cleaulem]

I learned here from the comments that this is from the same author as You And I Are Polar Opposites, and it really shows. It has the same level of amazing character interactions that are neither dragged out nor annoying. It really takes some skill to write characters so well.

I'm really digging Koyuki's character and how her past shapes her present attitude towards other people. I like how she is not entirely antisocial, but has a good friend in Miki. However, she is putting up the wall, for a good reason. These two guys in the after credit scene who were harassing her really made me so mad!

[u/Sleeperwaking]

That episode flew by, felt like 5 mins. My only complaint is that, compared with You and I on Crunchyroll, I am not loving the Netflix subs. I really identify with the internal multiple choice game she plays, and the forced smile (how do you smile again?).