Knight of the Ice Volumes 2 and 3 by Yayoi Ogawa
This series is rapidly becoming one of my favorite pandemic distraction manga, and I started it fully enthusiastic for a new Ogawa manga. I haven’t felt disappointed so far! The first volume did a good job setting up tiny magazine editor Chitose’s secret relationship with her childhood friend renowned figure skater Kokoro. While this is certainly a josei series, Kokoro’s extreme shyness and sheltered secret otaku lifestyle makes the romance aspect of the manga as slowly developing as any series with high school protagonists. This is a comfortable pace for the reader, because after the first volume the series is able to settle in for a little bit and introduce more of the supporting cast and further explore the world of high-stakes international figure skating.
Given that Chitose’s boss Sawada seems to be taking an unusual interest in one of his junior employees, it isn’t too surprising that she gets caught sneaking off in order to cast her magical girl spell on Kokoro right before he competes. When a fan spots Chitose and Kokoro together and starts posting rumors online, Kokoro’s dynamic and scary manager Moriyama invents the cover story that Chitose is part of Kokoro’s coaching team. As Chitose spends more consistent time with Kokoro, she begins to be more aware of her feelings and it is clear that Kokoro is using his feelings for his oldest friend to motivate him to perform even better in his sport. At the same time Sawada has an uncanny knack for popping up whenever Chitose is experiencing a moment of extreme distress.
As the figure skating season unfolds, Kokoro is able to turn in some of his best performances thanks to some unorthodox motivation from Chitose, but he’s also plagued by a nagging injury. While the slowly developing romance between Chitose and Kokoro keeps moving forward (there are kisses on the cheek!), I found myself enjoying the quirky supporting cast in the series more and more. Moriyama’s blunt pronouncements about just how far Kokoro can go with his potential relationship certainly provide a contrast to the more innocent romance that’s happening. Kokoro’s twin sisters intervene when another skater is about to get taken advantage of, and if Kokoro doesn’t have enough pressure to deal with it becomes more clear that his career and public image is being controlled behind the scenes by his father. Chitose is starting to become more confident about advocating for herself and her own feelings. Between skating drama, romance, family issues, and Ogawa’s quirky humor there’s plenty to keep a reader entertained in Knight of the Ice.
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