#ツーオンアイス

[animehouse-moe]

Two On Ice Chapter 1: Reunion Spot

Wow. I'll say it one more time, wow. Of all the new series that have appeared in WSJ this year, I don't think it's an understatement to say that this is arguably the most promising first chapter bar none. Hell, even going into 2022 and earlier it would remain a standout. So lots to talk about. Lots and lots to talk about. But first, you should go read the chapter

So, let's start with the concept. Off the bat, incredibly great idea. Placing the kid that only ever had eyes for the top alongside the girl that was always forced to maintain her position at the top is such a great concept. It mixes the ideas of always looking forward vs always looking over your shoulder. The passion and desire to continue, vs the strain and requirements of holding your position. And that narrative begins with this loaded statement from our lead character Hayuma.

As a concept for a character driven story, it's a flawless chapter one approach, and is right at home with all the other accoutrements.

Take for example, the character design. It's sharp and detailed, almost blocky even. But all the characters are totally unique, even the way they get drawn is. They're all great with expressiveness, and off the bat the mangaka isn't afraid to play around with the character designs and introduce some chibi style to make the comedy pop.

But that's nothing compared to the most important piece in a manga like this: movement. And man, does it ever feel like it moves. The mangaka uses two "simple" tricks, but it makes all the difference in the world.

The first trick is to bend the rules of paneling. When you really want to convey motion, stretch the limits. Draw outside the lines to really sell the perspective on the scene. It works wonders when employed effectively like it is here. There's three instances of it as well. The duo breaking the panel edge with their legs, then the man's hand overlapping, and then the woman stretching 3 panels. All of it expresses just how fluid that movement is, that it can't be contained by lines or limits.

And number two, collages. Perhaps not the best choice in words, but allow me to explain. What do you feel from the above image? Obviously you grasp the intent behind the movement, but you don't actually see the woman get thrown up in the air. But still, you feel it. Why? Because of what the mangaka chooses to show you. A simple hand reaching upwards is enough to convey that motion, and readers perfectly grasp that.

Similarly, look at this example. We have Hayuma imposed atop the skating rink, as well as a single image of one of his legs. But yet, you perfectly grasp the intent and flow. He uses that leg to stop himself and turn into his triple axel, and you feel that intent so clearly.

I guess there's really three tricks, but I think this last one is something that mangaka should be aware of regardless, and that's blurring and linework. In both images, there's a lot of extra lines and hatching that speaks to the movement of the characters. Not just the lines on the ground/ice or even around them, but how the shading/hatching of the characters appear. The linework on the characters themselves bends towards the motion that they are doing. In this chapter it's largely spinning, so you'll see the hatching align with the rotation of the characters to help sell that movement.

I think the only thing I could speak on that could use improvement is just the choices in paneling. The dynamic feel is incredible, but some of the more "still" panels where characters are focused on talking can feel a little.... typical? Not at all in a bad way, but just sorta something that feels like what you'd expect.

It's something I really hope the mangaka will quickly grasp and improve upon, because some of their ideas have really incredible potential, like this panel. It's really good in its current state with how it uses distance and space, but it could be even better if it used the window frame as the frame for the panel itself. It's just simple stuff like that, where they have really great ideas through this first chapter, but just miss on going the extra mile to do something really incredible.

Anyways, easily the best first chapter in WSJ this year and, personally speaking, the best opening chapter in WSJ since Sakamoto Days. I'm really hoping that the follow up chapter can provide the same energy and excitement as this one, so I'm really looking forward to it!

[prostrayer]

3/21 旅は終えたが休暇ではある。ジャンプ読んでツーオンアイスに震える。

3/22 まだ休み。キンプリことKING OF PRISMのシリーズ再始動新作公開決定の知らせを聞く。今はもう熱心に追いかけていないが、迷子に愛を教えてくれた大切なコンテンツにまた息が吹き込まれるのはとてもうれしい。きっと観にいこう。

3/23 引き続き休み。なんも記憶がない。

[animehouse-moe]

Two On Ice Chapter 2: Side By Side

I was really hoping that this second chapter would continue on with the great display that chapter 1 had, and I'm very happy to say that I wasn't disappointed. Great work that potentially has an awkward bump to start with, we head right into pairing up Hayuma and Kisara and get to see all of what that entails.

Right off the bat, I love how Hayuma is handled. His character is meant to mirror Kisara in some ways, and we understand that immediately. He's alone, isolated even. His athletic prowess is used to separate him from the people around him, much like Kisara's skating ability does for her.

But at the moment he doesn't mind that isolation, because he has Kisara. And I love the idea. Yes, the time skip can be a little awkward, but it's absolutely worth it for what we're treated to. The pair end up skating together for a while, and both express enjoyment at the act despite how much Hayuma is struggling. Why?

It's because they're each seeing another side to skating. Hayuma gets to see the beauty and incredible nature of figure skating, while Kisara is treated to the pure joy and passion of someone that hasn't been absorbed by the pursuit of pure perfection and competition. I absolutely love the idea because it sets itself up for a future clash incredibly well. I can already see it where Kisara and Hayuma end up in a spat over their results in a competition, and it's going to be great.

Speaking of great, the art remains wonderful in all the ways I had previously stated, but adds even more depth to its approach, not just relegating it to figure skating. It makes it look so great as they place so much effort in conveying skating as a 3-dimensional sport.

Not so surprisingly though, they also do a great job with conveying the details and technical pieces of figure skating. They explain moves, the logic behind pair skating, and even discuss form and execution with great effectiveness. Just look at this panel, the differences are subtle but they paint such a great image of the difference between Hayuma and Kisara's execution of a move.

They just hit all the right notes with the chapter and continue to build the characters so that they have plenty of potential for development or plot points down the road. Two On Ice really seems poised to join some of the great series we've seen pop up in WSJ in the last few years, and I'm very hopeful it can manage to reach that status.