#two on ice

[studentofetherium]

wonder if this is going to go anywhere

[choujinx]

TWO ON ICE (2023-2024) by itsumo elck

[raamitsu]

HERE ARE THE REST OF THE MANGAKA COMMENTS IN WEEKLY SHONEN JUMP #17.

[demifiendrsa]

Official English translated author comments featured in Weekly Shonen Jump 2024 issue #16

Blue Box chapter 141 - Kouji Miura

Kill Blue chapter 45 - Tadatoshi Fujimaki

Nue’s Exorcist chapter 42 - Kota Kawae

Akane-banashi chapter 102 - Takamasa Moue

One Piece chapter 1110 - Eiichiro Oda

Sakamoto Days chapter 159 - Yuto Suzuki

My Hero Academia chapter 417 - Kohei Horikoshi

Witch Watch chapter 147 - Kenta Shinohara

Super Psychic Policeman Chojo chapter 6 - Shun Numa

Dear Anemone chapter 5 - Rin Matsui

Mission: Yozakura Family chapter 218 - Hitsuji Gondaira

The Elusive Samurai chapter 149 - Yusei Matsui

Kagurabachi chapter 25 - Takeru Hokazono

Undead Unluck chapter 199 - Yoshifumi Tozuka

Me & Roboco chapter 177 - Shuhei Miyazaki

MamaYuyu chapter 26 - Yoshihiko Hayashi

Shadow Eliminators chapter 14 - Kento Amemiya

Two on Ice chapter 24 - Elck Itsumo

Green Green Greens chapter 15 - Kento Terasaka

RuriDragon chapter 9 - Masoki Shindo

[shysheeperz]

[shanksreviewsr]

Shonen Jump NEXTWAVE First Impressions

Apparently these are all by people were nominated for Shueisha's Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize award. And that's all I have to say as far as preamble goes.

MAMAYUYU: The names in this one are very silly. This might've been better served being split into two or three chapters, but it's still really good. Check it out.

KAGURABACHI: Bloody revenge story featuring yakuza and goldfish powers for kids. What's not to like? (seriously, though, it's great)

TWO ON ICE: Normally I wouldn't bother with this one because it's a sports manga about a sport I'm not interested in, but the other two manga were really good, so... In any case, this one is also really good. I'm probably not going to continue with it because, again, I don't care about figure skating, but if you do (or are simply a fan of sports and/or romance manga in general), you'll probably enjoy it.

[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!

[mangapageappreciation]