[LIGHT SPOILERS ARE MARKED WITH TAGS]
#Overview
At first glance, The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague might seem similar to a known romcom anime: Wotakoi.
Is this true?
Only in some ways.
Like Wotakoi, we have a colorful main cast of four, with one couple taking center stage and the second couple getting ~~not that much~~ some attention. And we also have another couple more towards the back. And of course, it takes place in an office setting in Japan.
The similarities pretty much end there.
Were you expecting something like Wotakoi, where the couples get together early on?
If you were, well…
This show is absolutely not like that.
You were warned!
Himuro is the descendant of a yuki-onna yokai, aka snow woman. Somehow, this is why he makes winter weather – snow, ice, blizzards, you name it, he makes it –whenever he feels strong emotions. This guy literally freezes up when he’s nervous and makes snowmen when he’s happy.
Anyone can tell how he’s feeling with a glance.
Then we have the polar opposite of him: Fuyutsuki. (who is human btw)
She’s pretty, but her face is expressionless most of the time. She was called cold and stoic for most of her life.
You can’t tell what she’s feeling without practice, and even then it’s a bit hard.
They say opposites attract, don’t they?
And this couple is no exception.
There is no linear plot, mostly we just see the work and daily lives of the characters as they blush and get to know each other.
In case this wasn’t hinted at enough already,
Spoiler, click to view
This is a situationship show and the couple never actually confesses or becomes official. Just blush blush, and acting obviously way more than just colleagues. It’s absolutely frustrating
Now that you have a general idea of what to expect, I can move on to the next topic.
#The Good
So, what is the first thing worth mentioning, hm…
The art style/animation is of decent quality, that much I can say. A show that’s worth its appearances. It’s not stunning or anything, don’t get me wrong, it is just an office romcom after all. It’s worth noticing if you pay attention to those kinds of details though.
What do I mainly notice about it? The eye movements, that’s what made it more unique and gave the art style/animation more than a single sentence. It doesn’t have a huge impact, but I haven’t really seen any shows that pay attention to little eye movements.
I think it was mostly because Fuyutsuki needed a way to express her feelings to the audience without stating them outright or using a thought voice-over. Or even just to amplify the effect, since she’s known to be expressionless after all.
Even so, it’s a nice little Easter egg detail. Points added.
I like how they mixed the supernatural and office work together. It's one of those contrasts that mix well: the normal and mundane, and the strange and uncommon.
I honestly wasn't expecting that when I heard the word "ice guy", since I didn't really look at it too hard when I started. This overall idea is just nice. Points added.
All the couples' interactions are fun to watch, if I had to name the best one it'd probably be Komori and Saejima. (I like Komori's personality and her literal foxy ness ngl) Himuro and Fuyustuki can be nice too, and even though Komori and Saejima needed more screentime, it wasn't annoying how centered in the spotlight they (Himuro and Fuyustuki) were. As frustrating as it was, the blush blush and "she's too damn cute!" was pretty entertaining. Points added.
Shout out to Himuro's VA, good work Kobayashi Chiaki
Some other good random details?
Fuyustuki is pretty, I like her design. Her outfits look great too. It feels realistic, the way she switches them everyday.
Komori's ears and tail match her quite well
Moving on....
#The Bad
The main thing I have to rant about is how they NEVER become official
We have dates, we have hand holding, we have blushing, matching sets....
Spoiler, click to view
BUT NO CONFESSION
We build up and up over 12 eps...
But nothing happens.
A spark is felt, they get close,
But the couple in the spotlight doesn't actually become a couple
Extremely disappointing and frustrating.
Not enough attention, imo, is given to Komori and Saejima, even though they deserve it. Otonashi and Katori got enough time for me, but I'd have enjoyed more Komori screentime.
This can be a common issue in romcoms, unfortunately
Other point deductions are non-existent or come from lack of excitement. I was more eager to watch the Campfire Cooking ep every Tuesday when it aired, and watched this after.
So yeah, not that excited, although I prioritize this over some other shows this season.
Let's move to the last section.
#Do I Recommend?
Tricky question.
Are you looking for a decent to tolerable office romcom? A unique idea of supernatural mixed with mundane?
Looking to try a situationship anime, or increasing the count for a genre?
If so, yeah.
Since bullet points are easier to understand, I'll restate that in simpler terms (and because that's just how I write reviews)
- decent office romance
- supernatural stuff, like ayakashi/yokai
- situationship (this is less about enjoying it and more about tolerating it cough cough)
- a male lead with an intense crush on female lead
- blush blush between adults
- zero lewdness, unless Spoiler, click to view
Hand holding and that overused "fall on top of the other person"
Then go ahead!
Watch Ice Guy.
I warned you about the frustration though.
(Also added in my Shout-out to OP/ED music list)
