English Dub Review: The Ramparts of Ice “True Feelings”
Overview (Spoilers Below):
Reeling from the news that Minato and Momoka are dating, Koyuki fights to keep her composure. Miki, meanwhile, confronts Minato about his true intentions.
Our Take:
It’s bad enough that Koyuki and Minato are back to square one, but to make matters worse, Momoka manipulated her way to his heart. Talk about getting your heart stabbed for the second time. Granted, it’s not a romance anime without a love triangle, but after seeing the end of the previous episode, I can understand why the source material’s fans were in so much pain. Of course, I’m not just talking about Momoka’s toxic behavior towards Koyuki. But it also makes for enticing drama that blends kooky comedy with a serious tone. It’s not an easy feat, but so far, The Ramparts of Ice seems to get this mixture right in my eyes.
“True Feelings” aims to reflect this mixture further, notably when Koyuki finds herself in deeper turmoil upon hearing the dreadful news. It also doesn’t help that Koyuki desperately tries to act normal around Minato without revealing her true feelings. As before, it’s a stressful, heartbreaking experience to witness, but it also helps season two find its footing in its narrative and tone. As for Minato, I can see why he’s willing to give Momoka a chance because of his conflicted feelings, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get a good talking-to from Miki. Minato believes dating someone who likes him would be easier, but it can also be a recipe for disaster, especially since Momoka is actually a manipulative witch. Let’s face it. Love is really, really messy, no matter what you do. The episode also does a great job developing Akine through her conversation with Koyuki about her hatred for Manatsu. Given Manatsu’s heinous actions towards her and Koyuki, Akine definitely deserves to despise that heartless B-word.
Regarding its balanced tonal shifts and Akine warming up to Koyuki, “True Feelings” continues to display the warmth and heartache of the situation without bottling them up. Another thing I should note is that the anime is getting some flak for skipping some chapters from the manga to fit this structure. I haven’t read the manga before watching the show, so I couldn’t compare the two. But I will say I honestly didn’t mind how the story progressed as long as the characters are well-developed and the narrative is interesting. So far, it’s able to do just that, despite the pain this scenario is causing me.
