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Weekly Shonen Jump: Two on Ice Chapters  1-28 Review

I feel like there are a lot of skating related manga out there but this is my first.

Two on Ice

(Elck Itsumo)

September 2023 to April 2024

28 Chapters

What I Liked

  • Hayuma is a nice take on the ‘pure’ shonen mc (as in he’s not dumb as bricks)
  • The way they acknowledged the differences between the sexes when it comes to skating technique, and the issues that can result from that
  • Love the detail in the routines and the layers of meaning
  • How they emphasised that you can be pairs and not romantically involved (while also showcasing how being romantically involved can end up awkward 😝)
  • The immense trust required fits the shonen mold perfectly
  • Very interesting characters with rich backstories

Where I Think Things Went Wrong

  • I guess figure skating just doesn’t appeal to the demographic?
  • Maybe not enough ‘battle’ for WSJ? I mean there is scoring, but there is no clash between opponents, even the routines are completely separate (unlike say Food Wars where the dishes must follow the same theme)

Conclusion

I end all the ‘missteps’ speculation with question marks because I personally do not see where this missed the mark. The art, characters and the plot structure all felt very polished to me. I felt like if it wasn’t given the axe everything could have been fleshed out wonderfully, but ended up being rushed because of the circumstances. I was also really rooting for KisaHayu and for pairs as a sport.

Essentially I feel like this one didn’t flail about like a lot of other recent series to get the axe. Sad to see it go, will buy the digital tankobons when they are released.

Categories: Simulpub Review

Tagged as:

hikaru

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