The Ramparts of Ice Season 2 ‒ Episodes 15-17
While I do think The Ramparts of Ice falls a bit short in developing believable romantic chemistry, it excels in believable teenage character interactions and relatable portrayals of self-doubt. Season one ended with major revelations, with some characters confessing while others decide to keep those emotions more bottled up, and season two seems to be all about everyone suffering the consequences. Some characters make choices that make me want to pull my hair out, but it's never in a frustrating way that feels inorganic. I know exactly why everyone is making the decisions, and compared to a lot of other romantic dramas out there, the characters are at least making attempts to talk to people in order to better process their unstable adolescent emotions. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I wish some adults in real life talked to each other the way that some of these characters did.
I do wish there was a bit more follow-up and development when it comes to Yota and Miki's relationship, especially since the climax of season one treated Yota's confession like it was the bigger bombshell. However, Yota is such a good boy, and Miki ended up actually approaching this from a far more layered perspective than I have ever seen before. The burden of taking on someone's feelings can be a difficult one, and it is a difficult place to move past. I think the show is setting up more confrontations between Yota and Miki in the future, and I love the fact that their remaining friends feel like a necessary compromise because of how important that friendship is.
No, the main focus of these episodes is on Minato, who I feel bad for but also want to punch in the face. This guy is a textbook example of how a lack of self-love can manifest into emotionally destructive tendencies. Minato is a character who is so good at reading other people, but that's because he spends more time watching other people than he does looking inwardly at himself. In season one, he described social interactions like he was trying to find the right key to unlock everybody's heart. However, his heart might be one of the most closed-off things ever, and, ironically, I'm praising the show for its ability to portray characters having strong and emotionally gripping conversations with each other, while Minato is not doing that! I wish some of his friends were a bit more insightful about what are clearly self-destructive tendencies. Everyone is yelling and telling him that he can't keep doing this, but no one really seems to be asking WHY he keeps doing this. However, Minato doesn't make it easier at all by keeping all of his emotions so close to the chest so there's this negative feedback loop where he doesn't feel comfortable sharing anything about how he feels, he does something thinking that it's for the greater good, but then people end up getting hurt and then it reflects badly on him. Granted, he's trying to change, but then Momoka comes along and screws everything up.
I hate Momoka as a character mainly because, at the end of the day, she doesn't care about anybody else's well-being except herself. I have met people exactly like her, and it is disturbingly uncomfortable how well the show writes this archetype. Hearing the other characters be very open about the fact that she uses them until she feels like she gets what she wants, while also acknowledging that there really isn't a lot they can do about her, is very realistic, and the fact that she is willing to prey on the worst aspects of Minato's self-loathing as a means of guilt-tripping him into dating her is a good way of keeping the drama ongoing.
I hope it doesn't stay that way too long because I want to get to the part where Koyuki is finally forward about how she feels. Koyuki is also dealing with a lot of self-hatred given her past actions. The show is setting up her having a massive confrontation with her ex as a means to finally forgive herself and allow her to say how she feels, which might end up being the catalyst for Koyuki and Minato to finally get together. But I hope all of this focus on Minato also means that he will eventually realize that he needs to stop if he wants to have a genuine romance with somebody that will actually love the person he is behind the door he keeps sealed shut.
Rating:
Bolts also streams regularly on Twitch as the indie VtuberBolts The Mechanic where they talk about and play retro media!The Ramparts of Ice Season 2 is currently streaming on Netflix.
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