English Dub Review: The Ramparts of Ice “Recognition”

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Overview (Spoilers Below):
With Akine’s words ringing in her head, Koyuki’s feelings become complicated.  Later, an accident causes something to shift between Miki and Yota.

Our Take:
The drama keeps on swinging as we’re heading towards the end of the season.  Koyuki’s constant encounters with Akine have raised more questions as to whether she’s akin to her sister, who ruined Koyuki’s life.  Now, with Akine asking her to support Momoka’s pursuit to win Minato’s heart, we may know that answer soon.  Until then, we have another episode featuring a sports festival plot similar to those seen in other school romance anime that came before it.  Fortunately for us, it utilized its basic formula to further explore the gradual development of the four best friends, as they take their complicated feelings to the next level.  In Koyuki’s case, she continues to suffer from her complicated feelings towards Minato following her encounter with Akine.  But the real deal occurs towards the end of the episode, with Miki discovering Yota’s feelings for her after he saved her from a falling box.
At this point, “Recognition” has begun to show repetition in the characters’ misunderstandings and hidden feelings.  However, rather than succumbing to the narrative’s tedium, the episode continues to display it through its continuous charm and development.  In this case, we see that both Koyuki and Miki are concerned that their friendship with Yota and Minato will change once they unveil their true feelings to them.  This isn’t anything new in its genre tropes, but its execution and likable characters still shine through its frozen exterior, making it more enjoyable than I thought it would be.  We’ll see how this whole scenario is resolved next week, as their complex feelings continue to reach their breaking point.

About Marcus Gibson

I'm a recent writer for BubbleBlabber who has an extraordinary passion for films and television, especially from the animation genre. I also spent plenty of hours playing video games, most notably from the Kingdom Hearts franchise. My goal is to provide the most friendly and entertaining reviews on the planet. Whenever something might be good or not, I always remain optimistic and curious about a specific concept from a film or television show.