THE ICE GUY AND THE COOL GIRL VOL. 1
Writer/Artist: Miyuki Tonogaya
Translator: Julie Goniwich
Letterer: Lys Blakeslee
Cover Designer: Ti Collier
Editor: Sarah Tangney
Publisher: Square Enix Manga (print/digital)
Publication Date: October 10, 2023
Rating: Teen
Genre: Manga (Japan), Slice of Life, Fantasy, Magical Realism, Office Humor, Romantic Comedy
REVIEW RATING: Four Stars (Recommended)
Miyuki Tonogaya crafts a wholesome, relatable, and very funny story that had me going “awwww” at the end of every chapter.
He’s the descendant of a snow spirit, she’s his coworker. He has to keep his cool. and she’s just naturally cool. Together their feelings for one another begin to blossom as the walls between them slowly melt away…
The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl by Miyuki Tonogaya is a wonderful story about two people who, due to the abilities or personalities they were born with, simply aren’t able to easily knock down the intangible barriers that would allow them to be open with one another about the feelings they so obviously harbor. This creates major tension for the ongoing narrative without it ever feeling dragged out.
Himuro and Fuyutsuki are the main characters of the series. Himuro is a tall, relatively average-looking guy who also happens to be the descendant of a snow spirit (don’t worry, they tell you this information at the beginning of every chapter). If he can’t keep his emotions in check, he will create all sorts of snow and ice weather phenomena around him. Of course, this is generally played for laughs.
Fuyutsuki is his cool-headed colleague who tries not to let anything faze her. She’s also openly kind-hearted and likes helping others.
These two are so obviously perfect for one another that it’s almost sickening, yet at the end of every chapter I found myself bursting with happiness and immediately wanting to move on to see what would happen next. The chapters are very short, often less than 10 pages, but in that time Tonogaya is able to tell a very compelling story with a lot of laughter. It’s interesting to see what new gimmicks they come up with to explore Himuro’s powers and how that scenario helps to advance the plot. Generally, Fuyutsuki will then try to remedy the situation by doing something really nice for Himuro, thus building a relationship between the two.
I generally enjoy rom-coms and The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl is no different. I really like this story so far. My only gripe is that the chapters are so short that you can read through the volume rather quickly, making the wait for the next book rather painful. Tonogaya’s art is top-notch and the situations involving Himuro’s powers are often funny and—pun intended—cool. Every time any of the characters blush—which happens a lot—you can really feel that emotion blasting off the page.
The overall structure of The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl is very simple, so there are very few characters. This is ultimately one of the story’s strengths, as it keeps the focus on the protagonists. Himuro and Fuyutsuki each have best friends at work, allowing certain situations to evolve more naturally and rounding out the cast and world. These secondary characters are also wonderful.
I found the lettering and translation by Lys Blakeslee and Julie Goniwich to be really strong. The pages flowed well together and I could easily understand who was saying what even when a character’s speech or thought bubble was in a panel, but they weren’t. Every sentence was easily readable and emphasis was consistent throughout. It’s really nice to see this series getting such a strong English release.
To my knowledge, this is also Tonogaya’s first manga release in the U.S., which makes it extra wonderful.
This is a series I very much want to continue reading and see where it goes, and if you’re into situational office humor and rom-coms where the leads are absolutely adorable in everything they do, please check out The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl Vol. 1.
There’s also an anime adaptation of this series with a slightly different title. The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague is available on Crunchyroll in sub and dub.
The Ice Guy and the Cool Girl Vol. 1 is available in both print and digital through Square Enix Manga, which also hosts a free preview of the first four chapters on its website. Volumes 2-5 are also available for pre-order.
You can follow Miyuki Tonogaya directly on Twitter/X at @tonomyu, or on Tumblr at tonogaya.tumblr.com.
