Feb 21, 2021
I'm gonna write this from Volume 1 (until Chapter 3)perspective only and review as a sport manga reader and Figure Skating fan.
It's been a while since we get manga/anime about Figure Skating. 1st manga I know was Ginban Kaleidoscope from 2003 and then; Yuri on Ice anime, in which, was okay but it was below my expectation in term of sport entertaining aspect.
Story:
Now, we get to see manga about Figure Skating(FS) which focused on Competitive skating. Tsukasa, a retired average-no-job Ice Dancer met Inori, low self-esteem, 5th Grade girl who sought to learn FS but started a tad late according to her age. Nonetheless, she
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bears a glimpse of talent. Mangaka invested time to research FS and went FS on their own, and said that they had an injury from ice rink before releasing volume 1. Not only that, they also cooperate with Skating Expert to help furnishing the Skating domain. and this was about Women FS which was I've been waiting for a long while, hence this passed my checklist box. The training element, tournament was very good, met my standard. The skating scene during tournament wasn't just come and go. Even though we won't hear a music or watch an animate scene, but Mangaka did a great job to express the scene for us to grasp the atmosphere. Looking forward to the story in the future. I bet this is a coming-of-age which means there must be time-skip scene (or at least she must grow in age). In no way they gonna let her be 5th grade forever had she wanted to compete Olympics. Not to mention, there was many real-life drama inserted here e.g. No funding to support skaters— it was pricey hobby after all.
The Art:
was so neat, delicate and clean. The facial expression was funny, on point, dramatic. I just love it. It seems the author was very competent at digital art. Good for them.
Character:
The character development gonna put so much into play here. So far, it met my expectation: The rivalry b/w Inori and other skaters.(The rivalry b/w athlete? count me in), The trust b/w Coach Tsukasa and Inori. Inori has to change herself from low-self esteem into someone who has a lot of confidence in order to shine in her career.
Overall:
It looked promising and was one of a manga that you wouldn't see much in rare genre as Ice Skating, it's worth a try, especially if you are Figure Skating fan. You gonna love it.
UPDATE: Completed Vol.1 and wrote the first review on 2021, now I completed vol.11 on 2025, I dare say this is a sport manga that has qualities I'm looking for. It's rare to find FS manga that gonna explain the complicated Figure Skating rules in detail such as this one. The MC is a beginner, so no worry if you never watch FS, they will teach you the rules step-by-step. Since FS has complicated rules, many pages contain technical detail that it requires you a lot of focus to digest the information. Regarding the character depth, it is not flat here. Mangaka gives depth and backstory to each main characters, so you get attached to them. Although, I wish some character has more backstory to it. Speaking of Figure Skating depiction accuracy, it stays true to the reality, with the easter egg such as the real ice rink, but some elements were changed a bit to fit the story, but the manga noted them in a side note, so you know which one is real or fiction.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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