氷の城壁

It may not be as clear in Polar Opposites, but Ramparts of Ice shows how good Agasawa is in putting words to describe feelings. That stutter when trying to apologize because you have so many things panting up to you so you can only cry is something deeply personal yet somehow so damn relatable. Then again, if you are alone enough like Koyuki, perhaps it’s only natural if you develop enough zen points to be a good self reflector.

The way this author handles conversations is amazing. So real, full of the withholding that people often do, which leads to misinterpretation and hurt feelings, even in people who don’t show obvious signs of it. Really impressed by some of the emotional nuance of this series. I wasn’t enjoying it on the same level as Polar Opposites, because I was more in the mood for the quirky positivity there, but it’s quickly (if sneakily) growing on me. I especially like that the same creator can do both.

I've been saying this time and time again, but Agasawa-sensei is a maestro at capturing these subtle, in-between emotions that you barely notice IRL or just struggle to put into words. It's these small, easily overlooked moments that can lead to misunderstandings or communication breakdowns, and yet the author lays them out so matter-of-fact-ly, without ever coming off as being edgy or pretentious (this is the biggest thing to me).

I'm so invested in this anime. The story is so well done and koyuki is very relatable. The times I end up crying when I am trying to apologize have been too many. I figured last week that she would end up apologizing since she's very empathetic. I'm glad it turned out well. I am not sure if Minato knows she's the person from the basketball team that was bullied during middle school. In his thoughts it seems he reacted based on her expressions. Seems like Minato already has a crush on koyuki, and who would blame him after seeing her blush and smile.

Was she too harsh? There really was no other way through to Minato who had already been warned repeatedly to stop being so overbearing. She's extremely self conscious so believes she acting harshly but the facts don't support that. The story is struggling to make no one the bad guy in this encounter but it's definitely Minato. Anyone trying to "unlock" another human being would have to be more sensitive than him to avoid the backlash. Even in Minato's head he explains to himself that he deserves instant friendship - people getting along with others better than him is some sort of crime.

No the story is telling you they were both wrong. You are the one trying to make him the bad guy. He has been warned by whom Miki?? Like seriously he should listen to other people telling him not to talk to someone when he doesn't know what the person involved is thinking? Why are you coddling Koyun. She can say what she wants. But she never did. The first rebuttal from her ever is disgusting. She could say hey dont talk about Middle school or I hate talking about the past. Or hey Igarashi we don't get along. She lied and said they don't know each other. Igarashi also said they don't know each other.. So how is he gonna know Igarashi is a bad topic. Mind reading? Also no he never said he deserves instant friendship he said he hoped if they talked more they could be friends. Are you even hearing yourself. You are literally twisting every sentence to suit you

Yeah that kind of stuff makes me dislike Minato as a character. He totally ignores boundaries and acts like the other person is at fault when they react badly. People who badger others like he was doing genuinely irritate me to the point where I either avoid them IRL or just intensely dislike them if they’re fictional like Minato is. Could Koyuki have done a better job enforcing her boundaries before getting to the point where she lashed out at him? Sure. Was she in the wrong for getting overwhelmed, though? No. Besides, Minato was already told (by Miki) that he should back off and that his sanctimonious bullshit is a bad habit of his. Just totally blew right by what she said to him. Honestly, I don’t understand people who think Minato was in the right here, or that Koyuki deserves to be punished for what she said to him. Yes, Koyuki’s social circle is really small, but she’s not the one who has issues with that, is she? Minato was trying to “help” someone who neither needed nor asked for his help. It reeks of sanctimony and self-righteousness. I really didn’t like how Koyuki ended up being depicted as being in the wrong for not giving Minato a fair chance and not getting to know him before rejecting him….when he also didn’t really try to understand her either. I don’t even want to say he made assumptions about her because that would imply he was actually thinking about her rather than just foisting his ideas of normalcy and what people should want onto her when she seemed to be doing just fine. I’d say that’s worse than just shutting someone out. I feel like it vindicates Minato’s bullshit to a degree and it really shouldn’t be vindicated. Idk, we’re just about halfway through the season and I heavily dislike Minato, which is making any developing feelings between him and Koyuki feel awkward at best for me. Like “oh, he spent the first half of the season making her extremely uncomfortable by forcing his ideals onto her and now she feels bad for rejecting him and they’re now forming a connection from there.” I dearly hope they don’t continue like that because that would be extremely disappointing imo.

The episode pretty much spelled it out from his own point of view: he acted towards her as he thinks he would like someone to act towards him. It did not occur to him that this is not advisable for all people. He was not malicious, but he was immature in that he did not yet know that his golden retriever personality can be overbearing to more reserved personalities, even unintentionally. He acknowledges that later on in the episode. Koyuki is also shown as being immature and a tad hypocritical in that she judged a situation without having full knowledge of what was going on first. This is the type of behavior she loathed in her bullies: Minato is more or less irrelevant to this, but the very act of judging a person prematurely is something she can't accept in herself. Neither person acted maliciously. Both acted immaturely, and both recognized their own immature actions. Yes, Minato overstepped, but also yes, Koyuki acted incorrectly based on her own principles. Both can be true without any contradictions.

He means well though. He is trying to find a way to relate to her, and he made a mistake by prodding into something that, at the end of the day, really wasn't any of his business, but he wasn't doing it for any malicious reason. He really was just trying to find something to talk about that would get her to open up. I think the implication is that if you are approaching someone who is completely averse to human contact, as she obviously is, prying into her personal life is an incredibly incorrect and offensive way of trying to get to know her, but it doesn't make him a bad person. It's more like a faux pas on his part. He knows he offended her and he won't make the same mistake again, though.

In most Japanese anime it is almost automatic that one someone apologizes you instantly apologize back. Minato does mention that he was the one troubling her but it's not an apology and in his head he simultaneously even walks that back. The show already established that Minato has a lot of trouble dating girls. He showed a tiny bit of progress by concluding he should just not interact with Koyuki further, but he is a long way from initiating an apology and can't even properly reciprocate one. The forcing his ideals onto her is a good point. His ideal seems to be breadth of relationships. He believes that morally everyone should have a relationship with everyone else. I think his trouble with dating stems from this - his girlfriend doesn't feel special cause she's not.

I genuinely didn't view it as shitty just a tad bit manipulative, in the sense he was trying everything he knew worked when trying to get to know people, koyun is just an anomaly in this case because basically everything he does only seems to make the situation worse, he initially has no clue that her middle school life was horrible when for people atp in their lives it'd normally be a great convo starter and despite being able to read people he has a hard time reading koyun. Granted maybe I'm headcannoning and just forcing my perception of him because he's my favorite character

Right? All the people who were saying that Minato was 100% at fault and Koyuki was 100% justified last episode more or less vanished lol. It was two people struggling to communicate with each other. Minato crossed Koyuki’s boundaries and realized it too late. Meanwhile, Koyuki expected Minato to know about said boundaries without ever opening up, and treated him way too harshly in response. They both have preconceived, although differing, notions about how others want to be treated and how they themselves should treat those around them. The latter part of the episode showed the beginning of them breaking down each other’s walls, or ramparts, if you will. It was honestly so damn cute!

Lol "interfere". He reached out to get to know someone who seemed lonely (who he found out is mutual friends with his friends) and asked a few basic questions like what her hobbies are and if she knew a kid he knows who went to her old school, which she never said she didn't want to talk about. Sounds like redditors are just loners who never want to talk to or meet new people and expect everyone to read this minds but assume the worst intentions of others 😂

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I like that the feelings Minato is developing have a real reason and feel deserved. If you look at his past, he seems to really be a people pleaser, trying his best to seek validation by getting people to rely on him, all based on assumptions and pity of course, not by actually caring about that person. Even his previous girlfriend broke up with him because of this. What's different with the main gang, that is, miki and youta, is that they also seem to push back onto him and recognise parts of him that he doesn't. Basically, while he never fully shows his true thoughts and personality, these two seem to see it anyways. Even when miki confronts him earlier, he realises his approach to making friends isn't the best. Now that Koyun has broken his perception of her, by running up to him and apologising, she has essentially given him a chance even though he didn't get her initial validation. She laughs and smiles when he hasn't put up an act to make her his friend. In fact, she shows parts of herself to him, only when he starts to ignore her completly, which is basically him dropping the act. I also really like the way this episode dissects the different feelings and steps that go into real communication. Even after the apology, it's not like everything will go back to normal immediately, there's a lingering awkwardness. It's really well done. Its really interesting how these two seem to be really different but are actually quite similar in how they judge people and keep them at arms length. And they are aware that the other does this, so being let in by Koyun and also seen quite authentically without an act, of course makes Minato more than flustered. Tldr: these two are looking to be a really well though out couple with such a smart dynamic.

I really liked the POV switch to Minato this episode and it reveals while he is afraid to be forgotten and Koyun is afraid to be remembered they both put up their own walls and assumptions of other people compared to Miki and Yota who are more flexible and secure. I like the slow burn a lot and it's a great choice to have Koyun be the one to take action to break down Minato's walls. Minato may have a lot of connections compared to Koyun but they always feel like an arm's width away and I wonder if this is me projecting but I wonder if he talks so much to direct the flow of conversation because he's afraid of it going in a direction that makes him uncomfortable

I guess that’s the major problem for me. I don’t get biased to the perspective of an MC and never have. I try to evaluate the events of a story objectively, and it’s always seemed to me that MC is, to put it nicely, a jerk, and she has at least done much worse than Minato ever did. He puts in the effort to befriend her. All she does is ignore him, make him feel left out with his own friends, and then ultimately call him disgusting. And then some apology is supposed to solve all that. His fault is, I guess, trying to befriend her in the first place? I don’t know. Maybe he shouldn’t have tried to get to know her more by asking about her middle school. It would’ve been much better if they went with MC having to live with the bed she made and actually have to be the one to earn his friendship now if she wanted it, but I guess they’re going to say this is all solved with some little apology.

I should preface this by saying that I stopped watching ten minutes in, because I was too disgusted with having to watch her redemption arc when she only had to live with the consequences of her words for like six, seven hours. However, from what you’re describing, I think that’s great. Because of Minato. His capacity for forgiveness is admirable. I’m just saying I wouldn’t have forgiven her so quickly, and, frankly, neither would most people. You know how most people are. We’d be saying she had crocodile tears if it happened to us in real life!

I mean . . . yeah I’ll give you that. I haven’t really been considering the romantic side of this all admittedly. Minato clearly likes her. She likes him too, even though all her fans are acting like she doesn’t. If we weren’t into each other, I would never forgive someone for that literally the day of the incident before the other person actually has to live with the consequences. If it’s someone I love though, okay, maybe I could have done what Minato did

I love how you call yourself “unbiased” and yet your reply practically has a neon sign with flashing lights around it saying “I AM VERY BIASED” in all caps. He was trying to befriend her, sure— but the whole approach was wrong and his mindset was as well. Miki even pointed it out to him when they talked at the vending machines. He can be very arrogant and sanctimonious and pities people just because they don’t fit into his ideal of what social interaction should be like. Maybe some people just prefer being alone but no, he has to meddle and “”””””””””””””””””help””””””””””””””””””””” them like they’re somehow incapable of doing it themselves if they really wanted. Also, the funny thing is, she was warming up to him. He’s the one who kept mentioning middle school, Igarashi, etc etc. Granted, she could have explained she was uncomfortable, but he seemed capable of noticing her reactions. If that’s true, what kind of inconsiderate or at best dense person just plows ahead in that situation? That was far from the first time he’d stepped on a landmine with her. If he actually wanted to befriend her, doesn’t that also mean taking her feelings into account?

Ok firstly there are bangers of line drops Minato said in this episode which I love. He accepts that he is arrogant for assuming she needs his help and would want to be friends eventually. But also says Koyuki is arrogant as well for judging people and grouping them. Something that Koyuki herself recognized. Another line I loved a lot is Minato saying 'We know we shouldn't do unto others what we wouldn't do to ourselves" But the reverse is not always true?? That is such an interesting theme to bring up. Especially since Minato thrives in helping others open up. Maybe he wants someone to approach him similarly?? Everyone acts based on what they think is right or wrong but doing good for others is extremely complicated if two people have different definitions of what is considered good. I guess Minato now realizes he needs to focus on the other person's needs before judging good?? Also I like that Hikawa apologized. Not because she was at fault. We all believed her ice walls would slowly melt because of some other person's warmth and encourage. Hence everyone wanted it to be Yota as she is comfy with him . But No! She brought down her own ice walls because she didn't want to hurt someone else. In a roundabout way, Minato is helping her but the results come from her own decisions not just her subconsciousness. That makes for a much better character journey rather than one where the bullies person passively accepts the warmth given to them and slowly heals. It is about her consciously taking the decision to open up. Like last episode and this one Hikawa is proving she is more than someone who needs to be healed or protected. Love a conscious character journey rather than a passive one. We can see more of that as Minato might keep challenging her perception of people she thought outside her comfort zone..

I agree: having Koyuki take action is a really important decision. Both of them actually thought through things and made decisions this episode. Minato planned to give her space, and she planned to apologize. It's really nice seeing characters think through issues (even with help), then come to their own decisions without being forced by plot or a third party. Neither of them had to do what they did. Good character moments that tell us a lot about them.

I like how this conflict between Koyuki and Minato got resolved pretty quickly, fortunately for the both of them Youta overheard and followed up. Otherwise, I think their connection would have ended because of this incident.  I do like how Koyuki opening up to Minato has actually gotten him to develop a crush on her, he's got his work cut out for him since Koyuki still didn't include him to visit Miki's workplace over the winter break lol.  The post-credit scene makes me hopeful we might see some backstory of Koyuki and Igarashi's relationship, I wonder how Miki's involved. I can only think that she might have pushed the two to get together and she feels responsible maybe?  Talking about the post-credit scene, Suzuki and her two friends from the You and I Are Opposites! I was not expecting that cameo, my shock was audible lol.

I'm feeling very justified with my decision to not assume the worst about Minato last episode. Flailing around for a conversation topic trying to make small talk only to realize too late you may have picked the worst possible one is a bit too relatable. Really love the dynamic, confrontation leading to both of them confronting their biases and faults: Minato realizing that following the Golden Rule when it comes down to personalities might not actually be a good idea. He would ordinarily want someone to do the same thing to him in terms of approach and friendliness, but he's gotten to realize that what works for him doesn't work for Koyuki. And Koyuki on her part realizes she made assumptions and judged Minato before making sure she got the facts correct, the same sort of behavior her bullies did towards her. Great to see both of them own up to their shitty behavior, and now it seems we might actually be entering the romance portion of this. Though it seems we're not done litigating what happened with Igarashi. Seems like it'll be a huge hang-up for Koyuki, it'll probably have to be resolved before any progress can be made with any sort of romantic relationships involving her. Still easily my AOTS when it comes to writing and dialogue, it's been fantastic.

Though it seems we're not done litigating what happened with Igarashi. Seems like it'll be a huge hang-up for Koyuki, it'll probably have to be resolved before any progress can be made with any sort of romantic relationships involving her. I would not surprised if Minato is one that helps Koyun litigate the Igarashi business and that allows her to see him as a romantic interest instead of just a friend like how like their talk this episode allowed her to "let him in" so to speak.

He always had social awareness, both him and yota do just in different ways of being expressed, this whole situation with koyun only got so bad because his go to socialising methods all failed, number 1 was when she looked in the mirror and he approached to him he was joking with her to her it reminded her of the teasing she experienced in the past, when he copied the face she made in the mirror he thought it was a cool inside joke, to her it further cemented her views on him atp he kinda didn't have a chance, she closed herself off, conversation became difficult and she kinda gave him the deadpan which makes her far harder to read, he tried talking about middle school and unbeknownst to him her middle school life was pretty bad, all these moments combined with his inability to adequately get a read on her basically put them in a situation where he thinks he's being friendly but from her perspective he's coming and reopening all the wounds she had covered up.

I don't think any of those things are examples of Minato showing social awareness. The series also basically opens with Minato being broken up with because of a lack of awareness of his feelings and/or how his actions make other people feel. I wouldn't say he hasn't had any social awareness skills up to this point but he certainly hasn't been using them enough. The situation with Koyuki got so bad because he didn't adjust his actions at all in his attempts at befriending her.

There are more instances like when yota, koyun, azumi and him were talking and he felt koyun was being left out of the convo and tried to include her, which is also him adjusting his approach. He did adjust his approach though him acknowledging that talking about middle school is a bad choice is him adjusting his approach all the instances I gave above are him adjusting his approach. He tried asking questions about her odd interaction infront of the mirror, which got him nowhere, he tried mimicking as a form of inside joke, he tried asking about middle school in the form of clubs, previous relationships and the like, and he noticed that wasn't working and acknowledged that the middle school topic doesn't work

The first 2 interactions he had with her weren't prying and he still didn't find success, in episode 2 koyun literally acknowledges that when someone is different from her she can't help but be suspicious and wary, which is what caused him to not find success. The only reason he and koyun eventually made up is because she noticed she had been treating him unfairly and decided to actually give him a chance, there is no approach he could have done that would have worked due to preconceived notions she had about him. Getting to know someone isn't prying information, mind you until she blew up she never even explicitly or implicitly showed that it was something she didn't want to talk about we being the audience knew because we have nore information than him, but be can't read minds, and when they were in the restaurant together he asked about what she does at home and if she comes to this restaurant often and those were both dead ends. I don't want to go through every single interaction they have in order to get my point through, but it is impossible to force someone to be your friend the only success minato found was after he had already given up on pursuing her he didn't change his approach which finally made koyun see his "good" side.

We now return to the Minato getting told off by Koyuki, and we even get to see in real time as he pieces together how much he's screwing up and stepping on landmine after landmine to the point where Koyun rejects him! Poor kid, he was genuinely trying his best. Of course Koyuki doesn't feel any better about how she acted, which is just another thing for her to be self-conscious and upset about, especially when she doesn't know what to do now or let alone how to apologize. HELP HER NORIKO!!! At this rate the entire gang is going to start eating lunch at the nurse's office, but at least Noriko can approve of Yota being positive for Koyuki's mental health. I've seen so many anime's where people are surprised the nurse isn't in that I was kind of shocked Noriko had a sign to let people know when she's making the rounds. Yota is WELL aware of all of Minato's faults, but he also knows that Minato is a genuinely good person and ultimately meant well. Besides, he and Minato had both figured out middle school was a sore subject for Koyuki because Miki had more or less told them about Koyun's bullying and how Miki couldn't do anything about it. Koyun and Miki were POLAR OPPOSITES which is why she didn't want to drag her sports star bestie into her drama. Yota thinks Minato won't be bothered but he's definitely not taking it well either. Was he wrong in his approach? Was Koyuki too dismissive? Are they simply incompatible in any sense? Can they truly never relate/understand each other? Are they better off staying away from each other? Pretty bad time to get caught up in your feelings/anger while playing a game with friends. But just when it seems like Minato has given up and Koyun can't bring herself to face him...she runs to him and apologizes and tries to fully express her feelings. Even if she can't get the words out, even if she cries because of all her overwhelming thoughts/emotions, her intentions are sincere and that's enough for Minato. Nice save, Minato! And seeing his pomeranian is enough to make Koyuki FINALLY laugh and smile at him! And even if their parting is a little awkward, that smile does things to him! I feel like this is a new dawn for the both of them, especially when the sun comes out. Did Igarashi try to pretend like he didn't know Koyuki? Or was her last name not "Hikawa" when they were dating? Ha! Minato doesn't want to lose to Yota when it comes to being close to Koyuki. It's still somewhat awkward, but Minato and Koyuki can interact with each other a lot more naturally now and seem to be more or less getting along in their own way. Koyuki now understands that she doesn't have to completely close herself off and reject people without getting to know them...and Minato is down bad for Koyun. Suzuki, Sato, and Nabe!? Well, it's nice to see that Koyuki actually has more female friends from junior high than just Miki, Even if the girl talk amounts to Miki confirming that all her junior high relationships ended badly when they discovered the "real" Miki and couldn't handle her at her Gorilla best. She fully intends to confess to her next crush (which doesn't seem to exist at the moment so...sorry Yota?). Koyun, for her part, has an Igarashi-shaped PTSD for relationships so she has no intention or interest in ever getting another boyfriend. Though it seems like the only reason she got involved with Igarashi was because...of Miki!?

Post credit scene with Polar Opposites crew cameo! And we finally learn that Koyun used to go out with this Igarashi who's left her with some major anxiety. I remember being taken aback when I learnt this first but it was telegraphed better in the anime. Wonder if any anime onlies were surprised to find out. I hope people will look more kindly on Minato after this episode. Like Yota says, he's not a bad guy even if he can be a bit overbearing. Hopefully the peek we got into his head this episode (starting from the replay of the scene with Koyun from the last one all the way through) makes it clear that he's just a well-meaning guy who's been out of sync with Koyun. And that's at least partially her fault for making assumptions about him based on her past experiences and not really trying to see or get to know the real Minato. She's finally realised this and is actively trying to change, which led to that lovely scene with the two of them at the end (with the ED lead in which I can't get enough of - so perfectly placed each time). And made him lose it. Boy is b-dmp'ing big time. All aboard the Koyun x Minato ship!

I can understand people reserving judgment on him before this ep. But I do think it’s cynical to label him all those things outright from what we’ve got of him so far. Like Yota himself said it, he’s overbearing but he’s not a bad guy. So I really wonder if people don’t like him because of the labels they put in their heads or do they just find him annoying and justify their hate with those labels.

Glad the misunderstanding didn’t take too long. Instead of letting it dwell and drag out for a couple episodes it’s addressed in less than one. Sure, it might not have been entirely cleared but Koyuki & Minato realised they’re not on the same page and have begun to work on that. Youta’s got an apt judgement of Minato – he might lack some tact, but he’s got no malicious intent. We’ve got a reciprocal cameo. Koyuki & Miki appeared in one episode of Polar Opposites and now Miyu & Manami are here. A fun easter egg. So Koyuki & Igarashi were indeed in a relationship, and the rumour had merit. Clearly it didn’t end too well, so am curious as to what exactly had happened.

Seems like they're setting up that Minato is going to slowly ease down Koyuki's ramparts and help her realize she can be in a relationship without it ending as badly as it did with Igarashi who was apparently the epitome of the worst first boyfriend a girl could have. After all, this author understands that the best relationships are POLAR OPPOSITES. It seems like maybe Miki...I don't want to say pressured, but suggested Koyun give Igarashi a chance not knowing how bad it would end up? Maybe Miki also felt pressured by societal expectations to push Koyun into a relationship.

I think what we are seeing here is Koyuki putting down her own walls through effort and realizing it wasn't so bad after all.. Like in this episode she thought she hurt someone and because she is so sweet she brought down her ice walls and apologized almost breaking down in tears. Then Minato with his kindness and helping her hide her tears surprised her and broke down more walls. When she later apologized for crying she was still assuming things about him, and he once again proved her wrong. Twice she put down her walls to be vulnerable thinking she will be shot down and twice she was proved wrong. That will encourage her to consciously put down more walls.. Aah I would like that for the both

Don't miss the after-credits scene, or you'll miss an important scene, plus a fun cameo. Koyuki and Amamiya actually share something interesting; they both size people up pretty quickly and let that shape how they engage. Where it gets different is how much room either of them leaves to be wrong about it. Koyuki's the more rigid one; when she's decided someone isn't worth the energy, she tends to pull back or make herself hard to reach, which means a bad first impression rarely gets a chance to get corrected or updated. Amamiya stays in contact, though (for better or worse), and that keeps things open naturally; the way things eventually shifted with Miki is a good example of that. Neither approach is healthy in my opinion, but both make sense given their backgrounds (Koyuki's especially, given what she's been through). It's good that she recognized that. I've been there before, and it's not fair to others either (plus you miss out on many friendships and can isolate yourself more than necessary). You can start to think the world is worse than it actually is or that fewer people share your interests than you'd expect because you assumed they wouldn't. What were those assumptions based on, though, and were they fair? It's hard to judge without knowing the person a bit first and putting yourself out there, which can be hard.

Koyuki's not sure if she's changing or not, but I definitely feel like realizing that Minato is actually a decent guy she can get along with and not Igarashi 2.0 is going to help her consider that she can be more open with and give other people a chance rather than just stick with her old friend group + Yota. I know in the OP she seems to be getting along with someone she's working with at the library so she might be slowly melting her ramparts over time.

Yeah, she definitely took a big step today. Both she and Minato made some realizations they'll have to chew on for a bit, but what's important is they both needed each other to force themselves out of their comfort zones. Yota and Miki don't really challenge Koyuki in that way. She became friends with Yota because she prejudged him in a good way, but the prejudging was still happening and unexamined. She might not have realized it, but that was making her isolated feelings worse. If even Minato can be friendly, who else has been misjudged and could actually be an ally? Now she realizes that maybe she can think a bit more before slotting people into place, and that's nice for her (in moderation). Minato's issues are more obvious (which is why I focus on mentioning Koyuki more here), and he already realized his assumptions about Koyuki were wrong. He also had his major moment with Miki in the last episode, where we learned he also evolved his view of her. He's still got stuff to work on, obviously. Getting closer to Koyuki is a remedy for that, since she's an angel.

So the other times I forgot to comment, but not this time so: Okay, not having even read the manga I watched this anime blind (or at least at the beginning) and I have to say that i shipped Koyuki and Minato from their first scene and I honestly love them, really a lot, and I have to say I LOVE Minato he is my favorite among all the characters, from the first scene (I have an obsession for the characters with red/orange hair). But speaking of this episode, OH MY GOD! I love this episode. I'm the endagame, but seriously, I love it. And Minato blushing!? Has he developed a crush on her? I love it anyway.

It'd be easier if I could lash out and get it out of my system. but I'm not like that. I know that about myself, but.. Actually, I end up regretting saying something at all. This felt too relatable to me. Sometimes, I feel it will be better to just lash out and get it over with but then I also feel what if I end up saying or doing something I regret since something like this happened in the past. Like Yota said, Minato definitely has some issues with how intrudes into other people's private space and how sanctimonious he could be with the whole pitying mindset that he has but he's not a bad person. I understood that last part but like Koyun, we never really got to see things from Minato's perspective and so things made it seem Igarashi might've told him about Koyuki's middle school part, he already knew about her past vaguely since Miki had shared about it with them. Had Yota not intervened, this misunderstanding would've become even worse but now that Koyuki understands it, she wants to apologize about the whole thing since she realized she reacted based on what she thought was the case instead of trying to understand where Minato came from. Sometimes, there are a lot of things you want to say but it ends up being too overwhelming that you're not able to see it and end up either frozen or overwhelm with emotions and that's what happend with Koyun. I liked how Minato's quick thinking made sure that she didn't have to suffer more embarrassment from it. I really loved how the apology scene went down and the symbolism with the weather. The weather was gloomy just like how Koyuki and Minato were feeling and once they made up, t the weather became clear . Also, I guess Minato is kinda like Yamada from Polar Opposites with how he blushed after he saw Koyun laugh . Speaking of Polar Opposites, just like how we had a Ramparts of Ice cameo in S1 Episode 11, we had a Polar Opposites cameo in this episode.

This episode was wonderful. Both Koyuki's and Minato's inner monologues really hit the mark. The self doubts, the switching between feeling sorry and angry towards the other person, asking themselves how they can fix the mess they made, the jumping to conclusions why the other person is angry. All of this really hits so hard. And how they actually talked it out without losing the vibe! This was not the typical "making up" you see in this kind of anime that in the end they are besties. There is still a lot of work to do before you can call the both of them friends, but the first step is definitely done.