English Dub Review: The Ramparts of Ice “Impenetrable”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
At Miki’s prodding, Minato clarifies his interest in her best friend.  An unexpected visitor triggers Koyuki’s bad memories, leading to a harsh outburst.

Our Take:
Minato was completely shocked by Miki’s question about him and Koyuki in the previous episode.  While he does clarify what’s going on between him and Koyuki, Miki only saw that as an excuse to make himself feel better.  It was revealed in the last episode that Miki was aware of Minato’s savior complex, which led him to feel sorry for those who are lonely without actually knowing them.  Although things were all cleared up, with Minato and Miki remaining friends, that still doesn’t change the awkwardness that comes between them and their school buddies.  With the final exams over, Koyuki has found herself confronting another issue that is worse than studying for an exam: her former middle school classmate, Tsubasa Igarashi.
Ever since Minato first mentioned Igarashi in the previous episode, it was only a matter of time before he first arrived at the scene, giving Koyuki more anxiety than ever.  The reason is that she became the target of several rumors and gossip involving her and Igarashi, further limiting her social interactions.  Don’t ask me why middle school students love to make others feel bad with this crap, because I don’t even know why.  All I know is that, whether you’re in middle or high school, you’ll be the target of humiliation just for being yourself, which is the same situation Koyuki is in now.  At this point, I’m pretty concerned about what’s going to happen next between her and Minato now that her awful memories start coming back.