English Dub Review: The Ramparts of Ice “Inversion”
Overview (Spoilers Below):
Koyuki broods over her complicated past with Akine’s sister, Manatsu, and what the first year might know. Meanwhile, Momoka sets her sights on Minato.
Our Take:
It didn’t take us long to encounter another figure connected to Koyuki’s past who may or may not affect her development. This time, she runs into Akine Atagawa, who turns out to be the younger sister of Manatsu, who confronted Koyuki about her “relationship” with Tsubasa back in middle school. More importantly, Manatsu is revealed to be the entire reason for Koyuki’s current condition, as she and her upper-class classmates bullied her. It’s also worth noting that this flashback comes full circle with Miki’s own background back in episode eight, with Miki getting wild towards Manatsu for picking on her friend. In short, Manatsu is basically the average “mean girl” you’ve come to expect, and also someone who deserves a good old-fashioned wake-up call for her attitude.
Because of that, it’s no surprise that Koyuki was having a hard time being around Akine, though she may be nothing like her older sister. We can’t confirm whether that’s the case because this scenario was only brought up in the first half. However, I still admire this episode for bringing everything full circle regarding Koyuki’s past and suggesting we may see Manatsu again in the last few episodes. As for the second half, the episode highlights another competition in this awkward love circle, Momoka, who begins to have a crush on Minato. With Koyuki’s friendship with Minato being her window, Momoka has the opportunity to make the first move before she does. Again, this is what I expected from a rom-com anime: plenty of awkwardness and more girls hoping to make their moves on a boy they like. I prefer the episode’s first half for Koyuki’s “full-circle” reasoning behind her introverted nature, while the second half underscores her possible new obstacle: her struggle to open her heart to someone before anyone else.
