English Dub Review: The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague “The Okinawan Sea and Melting Feelings”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
A business trip to Okinawa has Fuyutsuki-san doing her best to reassure Himuro-kun, who is fearful of what might happen under the blazing southern sun.

Our Take:
The show’s first episode was decent enough to introduce me to its “cool” concept (no pun intended). It also introduced us to two calm yet sincere characters that’ll likely become anime’s next cute couple if only Himuro’s ice magic doesn’t ruin their chances. Luckily, Fuyutsuki is kind enough to help Himuro control his powers with her gifts. Although, her gestures only excite Himuro, who develops a crush on his colleague, thus causing his ice powers to go crazy. The main characters and charming tone are enough to see where the show goes from there, especially since that episode ended on a concerning cliffhanger.
Last week’s episode ended with the company announcing their trip to Okinawa, but Himuro is scared to go. The second episode reveals that Himuro is worried about ruining the trip for everyone with his snow storms, resulting in Fuyutsuki making him a surf drum to practice being calm at the beach. Unfortunately, that didn’t help much, as Himuro ended up causing the storms due to him being flustered over Fuyutsuki. It’s also revealed that Himuro and hot weather don’t mix, as a heatwave causes him to run into hiding.
Seeing that Himuro is the descendant of the Snow Woman, it’s evident that Himuro would melt if he were exposed to the hot sun. But here’s the real kicker. Instead of turning into a puddle immediately, Himuro ages in reverse when he melts, resulting in him resembling a child version of himself. If he melts further, he becomes a baby, giving Fuyutsuki another obstacle in her quest to help Himuro live a normal life with his powers.
The previous episode showed Himuro’s disadvantages of having ice powers, especially when he’s touching stuff like flowers. Although, from a storytelling standpoint, the show had trouble keeping this element consistent, as he had no issue touching anything else besides the flowers and cats. However, the second episode fixed this issue with Himuro’s latest downside. With Himuro melting due to a heatwave, it gives the show a boost in its stakes regarding the characters’ relationship while maintaining its gentle and adorable tone.
“The Okinawan Sea and Melting Feelings” offers a relaxing and often humorous work retreat that’s also a slight improvement over the first episode regarding Himuro’s powers. Aside from Himuro’s goofy scream after learning about the heatwave, Lee George continues to do solid work balancing Himuro’s unruffled nature with his inner excitement toward Fuyutsuki. There’s also a scene with Fuyutsuki finding Himuro’s child form adorable, which sounded uncomfortable given its context but managed to be irresistibly cute instead. After the first two episodes, I hope things work out between the two colleagues because they’re such a delight together despite their tranquil appearances.