Alright, you know what time it is: it’s time for my stream of consciousness meditations on painfully overwrought high school drama. Oh boy, I can’t wait. Well, right off the bat, we get to hear Momoka’s thoughts, and she isn’t wrong about Koyuki. Our heroine is way too passive and scared of being hurt. The show is called “The Ramparts of Ice” for a reason, and Koyuki’s going to lose out on precious time with the guy she likes. But this isn’t a profound revelation or anything. We’re all like that to some degree. There are dudes who hop into people’s DMs every single night and strike out almost every single time. Why bother? Because it’s a numbers game. They’ll eventually hit their mark if they keep trying. On the other hand, I prioritize my peace and won’t do that.
It’s funny to see people gnash their teeth about Momoka, though. They almost act like she’s the Antichrist. Is she being a jealous little girl? Yeah. Is she being a little nasty about it? Kinda. But in relative terms — in a high school setting where kids have been relentlessly bullied to the point of wanting to take their own life — Momoka plotting and employing a bit of minor manipulation to “steal” Koyuki’s man is nothing, man. It’s not like she’s forcing Minato into choosing her. It’s his own damn fault for being too chickenshit to talk to Koyuki about his feelings. She’s just nudging him in that direction, and he bears just as much responsibility for this mess as she does. Momoka seems like she would be unpleasant to be around, but she’s also a child trying to navigate her emotions in the wrong way. I don’t hate her. I think she’s just pitiful, and I hope that she grows up one day.
Elsewhere, Miki has no clue how she should approach her friendship with Giraffe Guy, but he has already decided to treat her normally. She ends up crying about it anyway. Man… what frustrates me is that all of these kids’ problems could probably be resolved by simply talking it out. You’ve known this guy for years. He has feelings for you, but you don’t return them. So just ask him how he wants to be treated from now on. Do we just carry on as usual? Do we need some distance? Is that such a difficult conversation to have? This isn’t rocket science. Maybe I’m just a straightforward person. I’m fine with giving people space to process their feelings, but I also don’t like to leave things unaddressed for too long. Let’s hammer this out and get over it.
After these pairings have their talk, Koyuki finally wants to open up to Miki about Minato. Yes, finally. Unfortunately, the two girls end up at the same place as the boys. What a coincidence. And lemme guess… Koyuki is going to overhear Minato say something stupid or untrue about his feelings, and she’s going to run with it all the way to the endzone? I don’t think I would’ve felt comfortable eavesdropping on my friends like this. I think I would’ve stood up and announced my presence immediately. I just think if I were in the boys’ position, I wouldn’t want people to listen in on my private conversations like this. But again, it’s easy for me to say as someone sitting in the audience.
I actually like Giraffe Guy giving Minato some straight talk. He’s not deliberately leading Momoka on, but he also doesn’t clearly define his boundaries. His actions can easily be misconstrued, and Giraffe Guy rightfully points out Minato’s long history of failed, unfulfilling relationships. Even if he strikes out with Koyuki — or is just plain too chickenshit to even confess to her in the first place — it doesn’t mean he has to hop into another relationship. He wants to give the person who likes him a chance, but he’s also just giving them false hope. What the hell is wrong with being single? Especially for a guy like Minato who is actually a lot more insecure than he lets on, being single and building himself up is probably a better route to take.
Unfortunately for Koyuki, Minato is too scared to admit that he has feelings for Koyuki, and she gets to hear all about it. From this point on, she’s going to believe that he sees her as nothing more than a friend, and who could blame her? It came straight from the horse’s mouth! But that’s the thing, though… are Minato and Giraffe Guy really that tight as bros? I guess I never got the sense that these two were BFFs like Koyuki and Miki, so maybe Minato can’t quite be as open and honest with Giraffe Guy as he should be.
Case in point, Koyuki admits to Miki in tears that she fell for Minato. See? This is what true BFFs are like. They share almost everything with each other. I never clocked Minato and Giraffe Guy the same way. I thus wouldn’t take anything Minato said to Giraffe Guy at face value. But I have the vantage point of a dispassionate viewer. I’m not a teenager full of hormones and conflicting feelings.
On the train ride home with Miki, Koyuki is determined for the four of them to hang out just as friends again, but when she’s alone in her dark, empty apartment, she goes right back to brooding. And it’s the age-old “oh my god, I thought I was special, but he’s nice to everyone” dilemma. Now it’s her turn to cry. Ugggggggh. All these conclusions, and not once has she even spoken to Minato in this entire episode. The same can be said about Minato, so don’t think I’m just harping on the girl. They’re embroiled in all these misunderstandings, but they have yet to interact with each other recently!
Maybe the atmosphere is the problem. I mean, why the hell are you sitting in the dark like that, girl? Christ, go do something. I’m not some super productive, A-personality go-getter, but sheesh, I’ll still play games, read a book, watch my favorite baseball team destroy the sport by spending billionaire money, and so on and so forth. Twice now, we’ve seen this girl just sit around the house and do literally nothing. At least give yourself a bright, happy environment to air out that musty heart of yours.
But instead, Koyuki starts coping. Oh, it’s enough to hear him say he likes her as a friend. Oh, it’s not like her to start liking someone. Maybe she’s just lonely. Sure, whatever you say — whatever keeps these misunderstandings going for the next three months of this second cour.
Stray thoughts & observations:
— Like before, the foursome split off into opposite sex pairings, i.e. Koyuki talks to Giraffe Guy while Minato talks to Miki. I still think it’s strange that Koyuki isn’t talking to her BFF first, but maybe Giraffe Guy is as important to her as Miki nowadays.
— I’m not a shipper, so I feel no strong inclination towards Giraffe Guy and Miki getting together one day. In fact, I feel like it would be more realistic for Giraffe Guy to move on and find someone else. I’m also coming from this as someone who just watched the mangaka’s other series You and I Are Polar Opposites, where we have three couples with undeniable chemistry. I guess I just don’t see Giraffe Guy and Miki the same way. I don’t see that chemistry that would make them a fun couple.
— Miki is sitting here, calling herself awful and “an insensitive jerk” just because she never noticed Giraffe Guy’s feelings. Oh man, I feel really dismissive for thinking this, but it’s just not that deep. Holy hell, it’s just not that important.
— If Giraffe Guy is gonna keep speaking truth like this, I might actually have to start using his real name.
— Damn, that burger is just sitting there, uneaten. The meat is gonna get lukewarm, the fat is going to congeal, and the bread’s gonna get soggy. Cold fries also suck. These girls are busy hammering out their feelings and misunderstandings, and my American ass is just worried about the burger. Quite apropos, isn’t it?
— Man, there sure are a lot of tears being shed over minor high school drama… I’m a little bitter that the other show ended so quickly in favor of this one.
— Hmm, the first cour’s ED was kinda iconic. The new one is too ordinary.