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A lot of romance manga can, well, feature a lot of drama. There’ll be all sorts of rivals, characters can have misunderstandings, and it can be a lot. Sure, it gets the reader invested in a way. Especially when cliffhangers get involved. But sometimes the “will they or won’t they” gets to be a lot. That’s why I loved the execution of the first volume of The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl manga, as is a romance that is pleasantly free of things that can get exhausting about other series.
The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl is set in a world where supernatural beings exist. Himuro is descended from one of them. A yuki-onna is in his family, which means he also has some ice abilities influenced by his emotions. For example, if he gets nervous his whole body can become trapped in ice, and being really enthusiastic or happy about something can cause a snow storm inside or out. His coworker is Fuyutsuki, a woman who seems very cool and stoic, even though she’s warm inside as well. The two are working together at the same company, and we get to watch short vignettes of their developing relationship.
What’s so pleasant about The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl is that right away, it’s a romance manga with very little ambiguity. We can tell Fuyutsuki cares about her coworker to some degree, even though they don’t know each other terribly well yet. So much so that she notices things he likes or that bother him, and goes out of her way to make him happy or help him. Most chapters end with him blushing furiously, causing snow showers, and thinking about how wonderful she is in turn.
Likewise, Himuro is similarly considerate of and thinking of Fuyutsuki. We see him offer a gift to alleviate her potential discomfort from his condition. He pays attention to her and attempts to help do things she’d like or that would help bring them closer.
This means we have a series where the two leads are paying clear attention to each other. While they are nowhere near the “confession” stage in volume 1 of The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl, we can see the feelings develop from the first chapter to number 14. A comfort builds between the two of them, resulting in Fuyutsuki sort of teasing Himuro at one point and Himuro mustering the courage to offer an especially special gift.
It also seems like the relationship is one in which both may be helping to make each other better. Which again helps this feel like a more mature take on a romance manga. Fuyutsuki helps Himuro feel more comfortable about his condition. She also provides opportunities and motivation for him to go outside his comfort zone, in a way that might help him in general as well. With Fuyutsuki, the bonus story especially shows how she was considered “aloof” and “cool” before, which she worried distanced her, and the story shows the progression of her building a relationship and getting to be herself.
The whole execution of volume 1 of The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl makes me feel like it’s a more mature romance manga. There are no rivals. There are no situations in the entire first entry that suggest drama. Characters are considerate of one another. While they aren’t talking a lot yet, they’re starting to communicate. It feels refreshing and I can’t wait to read more.
Volume 1 of The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl manga is available via Square Enix. The anime adaptation is streaming on Crunchyroll as iThe Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague.
