From the looks of it, Koyuki, our protagonist, was bullied and teased relentlessly in elementary and middle school. She was even ostracized because a girl got jealous. Even now, jerks will target her (though this will likely happen to any girl or woman just trying to mind her business in public). As a result, she has developed a defense mechanism; she projects an icy exterior that keeps others away. I’m glad the series decided to literally show us what the rampart might look like. Y’know, just in case the metaphor hasn’t sunk in.
One day, an extroverted boy takes an interest in her, which also draws in his taller friend — so tall that he triggers unpleasant memories. So bam, her life is changed forever! It’s that easy! Kinda like with Tani and Suzuki, except a lot more serious and thus a lot more dramatic. Maybe this is why the start of the manga didn’t hook me in like You and I Are Polar Opposites did. So far, the dramatics aren’t entertaining me. If anything, I find them a touch over the top. If everyone was too friendly in You and I Are Polar Opposites, a lot of the people in The Ramparts of Ice end up being too mean — too Asian drama mean, if you get what I’m saying. There’s a reason why I abstain from certain popular series like The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity. I simply can’t take the melodrama seriously. And yet, it’s because I like the mangaka’s other work so much that I’m now attempting to give this one a shot.
Right or wrong, I think you need to stand up to bullies and hit back. Hitting back doesn’t necessarily mean you have to get physical, by the way. If they insult you, insult them back. That sort of thing. Basically, stand up for yourself. Others might not respect you, but you gotta at least have some self-respect. Granted, I also don’t think I would be a very good father, so take my advice with a grain of salt. I just think standing there, wondering why people can be so mean won’t actually solve anything. All the justification in the world (probably) won’t make you feel better, and your private, unspoken thoughts obviously can’t and won’t influence the real world.
Unfortunately, Koyuki is also kind of a pushover. She complains a lot, but only with her inner voice. For example, when someone takes her seat, she doesn’t speak up. She just lets it happen. The other girl only ends up moving because she sees Koyuki’s resting bitch face. So sure, Koyuki’s “ramparts” end up working, but only inadvertently. Asking someone to give you your seat back should be a cinch. Is this why Tani ended up being an introvert who can speak his mind? Point is, I like headstrong characters. If you’re dissatisfied with the world, then do something about it. Koyuki, however, is unhappy about the world and too passive to do anything about it. Hopefully, her eventual character development at least teaches her to become her own champion.
Again, I’m not vibing with the dramatics. Who gets scared so much by somebody’s eyes that they literally drop their lunch? Who cowers when someone like Koyuki walks by? I hate it when anime exaggerates. It tricks people (usually impressionable kids) into thinking that they’re main characters. That awkward kid who mean mugs his way down the hallway because he thinks all the normies are against him? You can probably blame that on edgy AMVs set to Linkin Park’s “In The End.” In reality, people don’t actually care about you to such an extent. They often don’t care about you at all. But people overreact a lot in this show. For example, Koyuki doesn’t know how to react to a guy trying to make her laugh by mimicking what she did earlier in the episode — at least, that’s what I think that’s his intent — so she gives an awkward smile before ducking away. In response, one of the guy’s friends calls her creepy. Huh? What’s creepy? The awkward smile? Again, isn’t that a bit of an overreaction? Nobody has any chill.
And yet, despite Koyuki’s seeming unpopularity with the rest of her classmates, she’s besties with the school idol. Minato, the extrovert, also realizes that Koyuki deliberately distances herself from others, so he seems determined to become her friend. But is he doing it out of the goodness of his heart? Or is he doing it because he sees a challenge and he’s undaunted? Maybe a little of both. And then there’s the giraffe guy who keeps fortuitously bumping into Koyuki all throughout the episode. I dunno, so far, I’m not optimistic about the show. I hope Koyuki mellows out, and as a result, we turn the dramatics down a couple of notches. And at the moment, I’m not hoping for any romance, because I’m not feeling it with either of the boys. But it’s only the first episode, so I should let everything play out. I did not get too far into the manga, so a lot of this will be completely new to me.
