The Ramparts of Ice
Japanese manga series
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The Ramparts of Ice (Japanese: 氷の城壁, Hepburn: Kōri no Jōheki) is a Japanese web manga series written and illustrated by Kōcha Agasawa. It was first published as a webtoon, and was later serialized through Line's Line Manga digital service from January 2020 to April 2022. Shueisha published its chapters in 14 tankōbon volumes from July 2023 to February 2025. An anime television series adaptation produced by Studio Kai premiered in April 2026.
- Line Corporation (digital)
- Shueisha (print)
- NA: MangaPlaza
| The Ramparts of Ice | |
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Koyuki Hikawa | |
| 氷の城壁 (Kōri no Jōheki) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Romantic comedy[1] |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Kōcha Agasawa |
| Published by |
|
| English publisher |
|
| Imprint | Jump Comics |
| Original run | January 10, 2020 – April 28, 2022 |
| Volumes | 14 |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Mankyū |
| Written by | Yasuhiro Nakanishi |
| Music by |
|
| Studio | Studio Kai |
| Licensed by | Netflix (streaming) |
| Original network | JNN (TBS) |
| Original run | April 2, 2026 – present |
| Episodes | 5 |
Synopsis
Koyuki Hikawa has trouble interacting with others, instead preferring to keep her distance and spend her time alone. However, when she meets Minato Amamiya, he suddenly starts trying to close the distance between them.
Characters
Main characters
- Koyuki Hikawa (氷川 小雪, Hikawa Koyuki)
- Voiced by: Anna Nagase[2] (Japanese); Erika Harlacher[3] (English)
- A heavily introverted high school girl. Due to prickly encounters and teasing from boys (on account of her diminutive stature) while growing up, Koyuki keeps her distance from most people except Miki and keeps up a cold exterior represented visually as ice palace walls, which causes her to be dubbed "The Ice Queen" by her fellow students. However, she slowly loosens up over time after becoming more open with her friendship with Miki and getting to know the two boys. Because of her trauma and limited social interaction, Koyuki overthinks every single thing she says, creating awkward moments. Initially, she does not like Minato at all, as his extroverted and invasive personality scares her. However, she eventually warms up to him.
- Miki Azumi (安曇 美姫, Azumi Miki)
- Voiced by: Fūka Izumi[2] (Japanese); Brianna Knickerbocker[3] (English)
- Koyuki's childhood best friend whom she has known since elementary school. She has a compulsive need to please people and look good in front of them, which causes her to hide her rowdier, more casual self with a friendly, picturesque exterior. As a result, she has become the class idol, a label she holds displeasure with. This causes her to limit her interactions with Koyuki inside school until the latter befriends the boys. Miki is initially wary of Minato's reputation as an insincere player in relationships, and fears his pushy behavior will end up hurting Koyuki further. However, as Minato learns from his mistakes and warms up to them, she begins to appreciate him more.
- Minato Amamiya (雨宮 湊, Amamiya Minato)
- Voiced by: Shōya Chiba[2] (Japanese); Kyle McCarley[3] (English)
- Part of the school's "loud group". He believes that everyone has a problem that he can fix, represented by him "unlocking" them with keys. This draws him to Koyuki, who he believes to be a particularly hard case, and befriends her in the hopes of helping her, even though she desperately avoids him at all costs. Minato has a reputation as being insincere because of this, and inadvertently becomes a player in his romantic relationships. However, when Koyuki finally snaps and disowns his actions of making her uncomfortable, he slowly realizes his mistakes and learns to be more genuine as he befriends the girls. He eventually falls in love with Koyuki, but does not want to admit it out of fear of being rejected.
- Yota Hino (日野 陽太, Hino Yōta)
- Voiced by: Satoshi Inomata[2] (Japanese); Jason Griffith[3] (English)
- Minato's childhood best friend, and a friend of Miki's from cram school. Yota has poor eyesight without his glasses and, despite being incredibly tall for his age, is a kind person who gets along well with most people. This quickly endears him to Koyuki, to Minato's initial surprise.
Supporting characters
- Tsubasa Igarashi (五十嵐 翼, Igarashi Tsubasa)
- Voiced by: Chiaki Kobayashi[4] (Japanese); Ryan Colt Levy[3] (English)
- A soccer team member who was classmates with Koyuki and Miki in middle school. Due to the bullying and trauma she experienced in her past, and how other girls constantly accused her of having a crush on him, despite her vehement denials, Koyuki has become afraid of him.
- Tsukiko Shimojima (霜島月子, Shimojima Tsukiko)
- Voiced by: Sakura Shinfuku[5]
- Koyuki's classmate and a member of the art club
- Momoka Kuriki (栗木桃香, Kuriki Momoka)
- Voiced by: Akari Kitō[6]
- Yūki Azumi (安曇優希, Azumi Yūki)
- Voiced by: Kakeru Hatano[6]
- Akine Atagawa (熱川秋音, Atagawa Akine)
- Voiced by: Natsumi Kawaida[6]
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Kōcha Agasawa, The Ramparts of Ice began publication as a self-published webtoon for about two years, before being serialized through Line's Line Manga digital service from January 10, 2020, to April 28, 2022.[7][8][9] Shueisha published the manga in print, under its Jump Comics imprint, with 14 tankōbon volumes released from July 4, 2023, to February 4, 2025.[10][11][12]
The series is published in English on NTT Solmare's MangaPlaza website.[13]
Volumes
| No. | Japanese release date | Japanese ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | July 4, 2023[14] | 978-4-08-883544-0 |
| 2 | July 4, 2023[14] | 978-4-08-883582-2 |
| 3 | August 4, 2023[15] | 978-4-08-883583-9 |
| 4 | September 4, 2023[16] | 978-4-08-883648-5 |
| 5 | October 4, 2023[17] | 978-4-08-883649-2 |
| 6 | November 2, 2023[18] | 978-4-08-883650-8 |
| 7 | December 4, 2023[19] | 978-4-08-883750-5 |
| 8 | January 4, 2024[20] | 978-4-08-883751-2 |
| 9 | February 2, 2024[21] | 978-4-08-883752-9 |
| 10 | March 4, 2024[22] | 978-4-08-883753-6 |
| 11 | May 2, 2024[23] | 978-4-08-883754-3 |
| 12 | July 4, 2024[24] | 978-4-08-883755-0 |
| 13 | September 4, 2024[25] | 978-4-08-884198-4 |
| 14 | February 4, 2025[12] | 978-4-08-884404-6 |
Anime
In January 2025, it was announced that the manga would receive an anime television series adaptation.[26][27] It is produced by Studio Kai and directed by Mankyū, with series composition by Yasuhiro Nakanishi, characters designed by Miki Ogino, and music composed by Kanade Sakuma and Natsumi Tabuchi. The series premiered on April 2, 2026, on TBS and its affiliates.[2][28] The opening theme song is "Tōmei" (透明; 'Invisible'), performed by Novelbright, while the ending theme song is "Sakasama" (逆様; 'Upside Down'), performed by Polkadot Stingray.[5] Netflix is streaming the series globally.[28]
Episodes
| No. | Title [29][30] | Directed by [a] | Storyboarded by [a] | Chief animation directed by [a] | Original release date [31] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Lines and Walls" Transliteration: "Sen to Kabe" (Japanese: 線と壁) | Teru Ishii | Mankyū | Miki Ogino | April 2, 2026 | |
|
Koyuki Hikawa has trouble interacting with others and is viewed as being cold and unapproachable. While wondering why people avoid her, she meets Minato Amamiya, who compliments her humorous side. Koyuki also relaxes around her best friend Miki Azumi, who laments that she is not able to express her true self to the people who revere her as the school's popular girl. Koyuki remarks to Miki that people will befriend her regardless of how she presents herself, adding that she personally prefers being alone. The next day, Koyuki meets Yota Hino while returning Miki's notebook, and she shares her appreciation of his laid-back demeanor. Minato attempts to talk with her on their next encounter, though Koyuki remains wary of his motives. Minato senses Koyuki is closing herself off, as Koyuki recounts how she chooses to be alone after experiencing constant teasing and bullying in middle school. Koyuki is then pestered by a group of men on her way home, when she runs into Yota. | ||||||
| 2 | "Locksmith" Transliteration: "Kagishi" (Japanese: 鍵師) | Mamoru Enomoto | Mamoru Enomoto | Miki Ogino & Koto | April 10, 2026[b] | |
|
Koyuki uses Yota to escape the men and apologizes to him. Yota states he understands her situation, allowing Koyuki to know him better. They discuss their common connection to Miki, while a bewildered Minato sees them by chance. Miki later joins Koyuki and Yota's banter, where Koyuki learns that Minato is their acquaintance. Koyuki comes to respect Yota and befriends him. Meanwhile, Minato continues to take an interest in Koyuki's distant behavior when his current girlfriend requests that they break up, pointing out his insincerity. Minato then grows disconcerted on seeing Yota and Koyuki talk cordially at school. Yota invites Koyuki and Miki to a study session for the upcoming exams at his classroom, reassuring them that Minato and his peers would be gone during their stay. After going home, Koyuki is surprised that she experienced fun with Miki and Yota, which conflicts with her desire to remain alone. Koyuki and Miki meet Yota for the study session, as Minato also decides to join the group. | ||||||
| 3 | "3+(←)1" | Yūichi Abe | Yūichi Abe | Miki Ogino & Yuki Muraosa | April 16, 2026 | |
|
Minato shares his recent breakup to Miki and Yota during the session. Minato remarks his sadness before attempting to make small talk with Koyuki, much to Miki's annoyance. After the study session, Minato remains bothered by Koyuki and Yota's friendship, and he tries to speak to Koyuki again. Koyuki begins assuming Miki has a crush on Minato and tries distancing herself to avoid conflict, but fails. Koyuki begrudgingly exchanges contact info with Minato before running away upon seeing Miki. At another study session, Minato observes Koyuki relaxing around Yota, so he asks Koyuki if she is dating someone. Koyuki is dumbfounded by his question and sees Miki glaring, further confusing her. Miki privately confronts Minato on his intentions with Koyuki, revealing that Miki is aware of Minato's savior complex in approaching lonely people since meeting him with Yota at cram school. | ||||||
| 4 | "Impenetrable" Transliteration: "Fukashin" (Japanese: 不可侵) | Shigatsu Yoshikawa | Yūko Horikawa | Miki Ogino | April 23, 2026 | |
|
Miki angrily scolds Minato on his self-righteous behavior and warns him not to pity Koyuki, though Minato professes his innocence. He apologizes for pitying Miki back in cram school and regards her as a friend and equal, which Miki accepts with tears of joy. They return to the session, where Koyuki is shocked to see Miki's eyes swelling. Koyuki asks what happened, though Miki is evasive. Koyuki and her peers survive the exams, and Miki invites her, Yota, and Minato for lunch. Koyuki seemingly sees Miki and Minato being on good terms, when Minato asks Koyuki on what she does in her free time. Minato's question causes Koyuki to recall her hobbies being mocked by Tsubasa Igarashi, a former classmate of hers and Miki, so she states she does nothing. Koyuki internalizes her evasiveness being a mechanism to avoid people from seeing her true self and face rejection, leaving her in doubt. After exams, Miki encounters Tsubasa by chance. Miki hopes that Koyuki does not run into him, but Koyuki sees Tsubasa talking to Minato. Fearing the two boys might discuss about her, a traumatized Koyuki expresses disgust to Minato on his behavior, disowning him. | ||||||
| 5 | "Change" Transliteration: "Henka" (Japanese: 変化) | Teru Ishii | Teru Ishii | Miki Ogino & Xiao Bei Zhang | April 30, 2026 | |
Reception
Before its serialization, The Ramparts of Ice received a special prize at the "Shueisha Shōjo Manga Grand Prix Powered by Line Manga Indies 2018 Summer".[33] It ranked nineteenth in the web category at the seventh Next Manga Awards in 2021.[34] It ranked first in the Comic CMoa Annual Ranking's josei manga category in 2022.[35] It ranked second in AnimeJapan's sixth "Most Wanted Anime Adaptation" poll in 2023.[36] It was nominated for the 69th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2023.[37][c] It ranked fifteenth, along with The JoJoLands, on Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga of 2024 for male readers.[38] It was ranked sixth in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees Recommended Comics of 2024 list.[39] The series won the 2024 Vertical Manga Award in the completed comic category.[40]
See also
- You and I Are Polar Opposites, another manga series by the same author
Notes
- Production staff information is taken from the ending credits of each episode.
- Due to the broadcast of the 2026 Masters Tournament, this episode aired at 1:28 a.m. JST, 1 hour and 32 minutes after the original air time on TBS.[32]
- Unlike previous years, the nominees are not divided into categories in the 2023 award.