Tags: Comedy, Romance, School Life, Slice of Life

Sub-Tags: Cute, Heartwarming, Introverts

Love Thaws the Ice Queen’s Heart!

Ice thaws as the heat of love kicks in, as the latest review catches up on the concluding volume of How to Melt the Ice Queen’s Heart.

Social Butterflies

As the series’s final volume, the story pays much attention to Fuyuka and the steps she takes to improve herself. Her sociability is one of the main changes she plans to make, becoming more approachable to her classmates and lowering her ice queen persona.

However, these huge changes require baby steps, and Asahi plans to ease her into the social scene by introducing her to his two friends – Chiaki and Hinami, the so-called “obnoxious couple.”

There’s a great dynamic to be found between the four newly formed friends – banter and back-and-fourths are never too far away whenever they all get together. Moreover, Chiaki and Hinami make for great characters in their own right. They have several standout moments throughout the volume, usually bringing attention to Asahi and Fuyuka’s growing relationship – giving them subtle encouragement about their next steps into something more romantic. 

The Ice That Forms

Returning to Fuyuka, the final volume also reveals the reasons behind her developing the ice queen persona in the first place. It stems from a childhood trauma involving losing her mother at a young age and estrangement from her adoptive father.

It’s a touching story that adds some much-needed emotional depth to the series. I find it a lot more understandable from learning of this perspective why she decided to hide away and use isolation and harsh words as a defence mechanism. It’s certainly a more believable form of trauma in comparison to some of the reasons other series in the genre give.

The Ice That Thaws

This trauma once again rears its ugly head at the climax of the volume. After visiting her mother’s grave, she unexpectedly meets her adoptive father bringing back all the bad memories of the past.

In danger of reverting to her old self, Asahi comes to the rescue solidifying the connection they have and preparing their relationship for the romantic endeavours of the future. Whilst it falls just short of an actual confession, it does leave little room for manoeuvring, ensuring that their future together will be a bright one.

To conclude, whilst How to Melt the Ice Queen’s Heart was cancelled over in Japan, it thankfully manages to offer a satisfactory conclusion to the story. The final volume features plenty of laughs and emotional moments that’ll please any rom-com fan.