It’s not something to be taken lightly when your friend who is a famous skating star is participating in an international competition. It’s very important to cheer him. But Chitose Igari is passionate about her career; she loves her job in health and life magazine, SASSO and is looking forward to her new important project which will give her chance to travel to Bazil. On top of that her handsome boss Sawada will also be going there. The problem is that her travelling plan clashes with the Grand Prix Finale in Canada in which KoKoro Kinijami (nickname: Kokoppe) will be competing. Chitose (Nickname: Se-Chan) is the only one who is familiar with Kokoro’s secret of being otaku. From outside he is a good-looking knight on the ice but from the inside he is an otaku and so he needs Se-chan to be present in the rink to motivate him with a spell from their beloved childhood anime that will boost his spirit. But how would she able to so that when she won’t be able to make it sue to her new project.
Knight of the Ice is written and illustrated by Yayoi Ogawa who is popular because of her lively josei series You’re My Pet/Tramps Like Us. Her beautiful can be seen in this romantic comedy manga with the beauty of ice skating. Her art style has developed since the beginning of Kimi na Pet and it can be seen in this amazing visual of ice skating including Kokoro and other skaters performing on ice. It’s very eye catching. The characters in this manga are intriguing which is not surprising for the fans of the Yayoi Ogawa manga. Little Chitose who is referred a ‘Little My’ by her boss is kind and compassionate character. Chitose and Kokoro are very close to each other but they have not realized their feelings for each other. The supporting characters are also very lively and vibrant including Kokoro’s clumsy coach, Chitose’s handsome boss, and other dashing skaters. Interestingly the you can also see mangaka herself in the series in an unrecognizable disguise.
The translation done by Rose Padgett is fascinating as she has brilliantly managed to deliver the difference between the Fukushima dialect that Chitose and Kokoro dive into, when no one else is around. In the end of the manga Translation Notes along with useful information about the skating is mentioned that consist of three pages for each, followed by a profile page about Kooro Kijinami. There is also a Thankyou page on which she has mentioned her team and her skating coach to whom she is grateful. In addition to that a trailer page for Volume 2 is also included. The gorgeous cover page is worth admiring which is illustrated by Phil Balsman. The choice of background suits well with the knight of ice and the typography of the title is enough to attract the readers.
If you are a fan of ice skating and love the stories about it (like Yuri!!! On Ice) this manga is worth reading. Unlike Yuri!!! On Ice, it not a yuri manga but it is a well written josei manga and will be loved by the josei fans as Yayoi Ogawa is skillful josei manga and if you have read her previous manga, you won’t deny this as her style of delivering a compelling story at an active pace is fascinating added with the interesting characters that sufficiently develops throughout the story.
