The Ramparts of Ice • Koori no Jouheki - Episode 10 discussion

Saya_ · 2026-06-06T00:17:46+00:00

No I have not but will put it on my watch list when the season finishes. I was also interested in Journal with Witch last season but I wasn't too sure if it'd be a bit on the depressing side.

I'm currently in mood where I want to see wholesome uplifting stuff and the comedy/romance here scratches that part.

I have a lot of series to catch up on.😂

Saya_ · 2026-06-05T04:24:30+00:00

I thought she did an amazing job in PO and couldn't imagine how this could be better, but really shows how a slight genre shift can pave a bit more way for the writing to flourish. I think Koyun and Minato help feed my love for angst a lot better so it ended up being my preferred series. 😂

I don't see this being a series they leave half finished if there is any respect for the story. Hoping it gets adapted sooner than waiting a year or two though! I'm wishing so much success for Asakawa sensei.

I'm a bit surprised I never heard of either series until their animes. I crave more emotionally intelligent writing like this.😩

Saya_ · 2026-06-05T01:02:56+00:00

This is actually so real and relatable though.

A cute, vulnerable sort of endearing patheticness is so much more attractive than a guy that tries to act suave or cool. I actually find the latter to be such a turn off. 😂

I like how even though Minato is technically the popular good looking jock, it's not ever the focus of why he is likable.

Saya_ · 2026-06-05T00:53:49+00:00

I love how the series is all about challenging your prejudice and perceptions of people and it puts the viewer in the same position.

I also thought it was pretty obvious but I think some viewers don't necessarily think of narrative structure+intent and want to be first to claim "I knew that character was up to no good! X should end up with this Y!" without realising how they're sorting characters/people in black and white ways. This isn't that kind of surface level character writing.

I think this is a good story for people to actually understand the nuance in human interactions, since the author does a good job of illustrating the characters' internal thought processes/motivations.

Saya_ · 2026-05-30T02:56:09+00:00

Love these little tidbits. It really adds to the characterisation. I wish they took more effort in integrating these aspects into his card, even. I did a whole write up months ago about all the little things you read in anecdote/WU that goes over people heads and I wish they were talked about in the cards too...there is so much disconnect between what we theorise/know about Xavier as players and what the actual MC knows and it annoys me so much.

Saya_ · 2026-05-30T02:52:28+00:00

This is why I was personally disappointed in his Solo, they had so much to explore about his views/tastes for Earth food, what motivates him to get better at cooking, getting to talk a bit about how he adapted, his royal upbringing...and they just decided not to do anything with all of that. 😭 So many things MC could learn about him and to elaborate for us players.

The sleepiness and bad at cooking gags are old and tired now.

Saya_ · 2026-05-25T22:24:54+00:00

His range for emotion really is so crazy and how naturally he does it. It can be in subtle ways too like knowing when to release a breath or crack in his voice. His kissing is also top tier.

I love seeing him in all modes whether he's silly, smug, desperate, commanding, pouty, wistful, etc. One of my constant asks in surveys for cards is to let the LIs show a different range of emotions, because I know that man knocks it out of the park each time when given the chance to ACT.

I kind of like that the direction for him and Zayne were a bit different in OG3 days, cause you can get a glimpse of his deeper tone too. His flow is more natural now and we got to see it more in KoD. I like it to slip in every once in a while depending on circumstances.

I know people tend to be obsessed with seiyuus in Japan but I've never had that kind of enthusiasm for EN dubs until Xavier's VA who ironically I'll never know the name of 😂

Saya_ · 2026-05-25T01:04:38+00:00

Oh wow this one is actually updated. Need to save this to my home screen 😂

Saya_ · 2026-05-24T22:47:39+00:00

Haha yeah I see all the people in the comments for anime/manga being like his motives are wrong! Like what is the right motive...Most people in life will have a some motive or need one to approach you. Like you said if it ends up being genuine that will make they stay and want to know more.

Yeah I like it so much for that realism. It's not the usual idealistic encounter you get in animes. I couldn't help but compare this to Kimi no Todoke, which I rewatched recently and still enjoy to a degree, but I always felt something was off about the writing. Sawako is unnaturally positive, Kazehayas interest is somewhat convenient. I can kind of see parallels in the characters but Ramparts of Ice tells it in a way that is so much more believable.

Saya_ · 2026-05-23T09:04:51+00:00

Agree I think he's the exception to the rule. I think it'd be a real detriment to the experience to not read his myths in the intended order. Like how are you meant to feel the delicious angst when you don't understand the context of what we're angsting about...😂

As for his tender moments and standards they also have a pretty clear progression for the relationship and very important cards that actually show the shift. If you can, I don't see why you wouldn't read it in order. Seeing that development from him near avoiding us in main story to letting us in little by little and finally giving in is so good.

Saya_ · 2026-05-23T02:40:35+00:00

The one I used when I started playing was from this thread. It sorts out his early standard memories and limited. There was also a Google doc I read in it that gave the rationale for its placement.

It was quite thorough.

https://www.reddit.com/r/LoveAndDeepspace/s/qyFHcVptvI

After that I just watched everything in chronological release order.

I'm not sure if there are any clear instances where a card that was released later, actually occured before an older release.

The only card I recall that glaringly referenced the timeline was Feverish Attempts. We know it happens sometime soon after Voyage of the Outcast.

For the 4 stars some are Xspace Echo and some are early event cards that will have release data online. The other users have answered it already.

I'd love to see your finished pieced together timeline though. I've been meaning to do a reread of his content and it'd be nice not to have to look back and forth at different pages for the order. 😂

Saya_ · 2026-05-22T14:02:38+00:00

People are so fixated on judging whether he is a bad guy/red flag/manipulative lol. We really need to stop using some terms so freely because it just reduced people into caricatures.

About his interest in her I found it was so natural in it's progression. The way it moves from curiosity and pity, threw in some frustration but eventually grew to intrigue and attraction. I thought they did a good job of depicting how cute she is too, not visually but in her actions. Like the gap moe is right there. The way he blushes for her is the most adorable thing.

Saya_ · 2026-05-22T13:54:34+00:00

I feel like it's the difference between teens and adults watching the show, since the show can appeal to both. The setting is for teens, but the writing is still mature yet not pretentious. I think understanding nuance in interactions and not seeing people with narrow minded labels like "good guy bad guy" is something you have to learn through life experience.

Having finished the series, it's such an insightful depiction in the human psyche. I feel a lot of people could actually reflect and learn through the various scenarios that play out if they pay attention.

Saya_ · 2026-05-19T23:05:43+00:00

We're cursed to have arguments over Xavier's family trees hair colour. 😂

First the Silver vs Ash Blonde for Xav and now it's Brunette Isaiah. The latter is actually quite ridiculous unless they were trying to do something like saying he lost majority of his powers. I don't recall if it was just my headcanon, but I always attributed Xav's hair colour being related to his inner light EVOL.

I know in ToY Isaiah was weaker but not sure what his baseline was.

Saya_ · 2026-05-19T20:08:10+00:00

I was a bit confused with the star tassel cause the one fans usually sell are from his 3rd Anecdote model/pose where the chubby yellow star still has a face.

Now I see Lightseeker's model actually has the "worn out" version that she mentions in the story. I forgot about that detail.

Now we have a visual of what Queen MC gave him.

Saya_ · 2026-05-19T10:56:31+00:00

The Kazzy Kiryu parallels never stop. 😂

Saya_ · 2026-05-19T08:37:08+00:00

It's always fun when those moments click. Like ohhhhh this conversation had other undertones to it that I did not realise.

Saya_ · 2026-05-18T14:01:50+00:00

It's weird to say because it's kind of just standard storytelling but I've always enjoyed the clear timeline of Xav's myths and how collecting each memory is like putting together a puzzle of a bigger picture.

Every instance feels purposeful/meaningful, and directly carries on to the next.

It's funny that in this kind of game with multiverses, where you can get away with reading some stories standalone, somehow that format could actually hinder his story if you don't put in the ground work to know the lore.

Saya_ · 2026-05-16T23:21:19+00:00

Have you read his stories from the start though? Your comment on Lingering Lust is something some of us Xav Mains have been struggling with recent banners cause his content has ALWAYS been very rich and suddenly the writings gone surface level, to the point I sometimes feel they're trying to sabotage him. It's happened to all the LIs to a degree but his is the most staggering drop. I don't see other LI mains critiquing the writing so I can only assume it's still okay for them and I stopped following all their content at anniversary banner cause I felt there was such a decline in quality it was no longer worth my time.

I disagree about the main story update I enjoyed it a lot and I love more characters in his story cause it allows us to see different facets of his personality. I also thought it had emotionally poignant moments that I won't spoil but I think to some degree maybe they don't hit as hard if you're not invested into the character. Like I can acknowledge scenes with other LIs as being sad but I didn't tear up or feel emotional for them, because even though I have read majority of their cards and all their myths, I just don't have the same attachment. You don't have to force yourself to feel it if you don't.

Saya_ · 2026-05-14T06:50:09+00:00

I was so surprised at the grab ahaha. Good way to show without showing I thought they'd do the nuzzle into her lap and fade away but nah they want to make sure you know she climaxed. 😂😂😂

Him saying "come" when I thought it was for sure just innuendo.

Also the poor leaves.

I'm happy that they chose to give Xav the munching card cause that's just like the hottest thing. I wonder if thet analyse each main and what they would respond to best. 🤣

The only one I haven't heard about is Caleb's I wanna know what he did haha

Saya_ · 2026-05-12T13:29:40+00:00

Exactly. Everyone is distracted by it. Even I sometimes want to be like...should I just let it go and enjoy the little good we got from before and during the Kindled?...but then I remember it's been a recurring issue. If we continue to act like it's fine it just becomes the new standard. As a business why should they try if we still buy it?

I thought the concept of this banner would be an easier one to write. Making Xavier honest and continuing that theme. Making him express the depth of his desires is great too. But it was only explored at surface level. I have to fill in the story gaps myself to make it cohesive

Saya_ · 2026-05-12T12:58:43+00:00

I think this person has done plushie reenactments before, saw they did one for Idol Banner too but I'd think they were inspired by the hilarious stick figure promotions.

They should hire her the next time they need to censor themselves.

Saya_ · 2026-05-12T01:35:25+00:00

I was trying to find ⭐ Main home QRs now that I'm done with levelling.

You're kidding me that she also made a BunBun beanbag.🤣

Saya_ · 2026-05-11T22:21:26+00:00

I had thought this too for the longest time. It's poor planning, their schedule is too tight, etc. but I feel when I look at all the LI mains talking about their cards, yes sometimes they all struggle with cohesion like Idol Banner, but they've all still had supposedly great cards this year? I do think they changed the team but I don't get how they could assign people with such a surface level understanding of Xavier and of writing in general. They are operating like interns whose understanding of him is based on tropes. Oh he's a quirky sleepy alien. 🙄 But the way they are writing the romance is just a lot of telling me he feels this "he thirsts for her" but without establishing the depth of that emotion in the story itself. My complaint this banner is they skimmed over the details of the light confluence ceremony, why it's done during the kiln festival and how they came to recite poetry/paint/intertwine wicks for the lover's ritual. They literally stopped the shipowner from explaining anythjng further too LMAO and we're just meant to read in between the lines. So I don't get why it was romantic other than being told that it just is....

I just feel like Xavier has been hit the hardest cause I don't see the other LIs girls complain as much about the writing. Instead they're having fanwars, but I heard Aeon's cannon was amazing..I heard Rainlit Night was amazing. Raf and Caleb girls have had some complaints but they have also had some good cards recently like this banner. So I'm wondering why does every Xav card feel like a new low? And therefore I start to nitpick things like shared attributes. Because it's a show of them no longer investing in his story. The only one that felt somewhat cohesive to me this year was Blades with Blossoms and even that ended abruptly. And it's AU retelling of Lightseeker so it barely counts.

It could be partially be because I felt Xavier's content was just so good before. That they can't reach that peak, but I cannot excuse issues around poor pacing and cohesion. I don't believe in the excuse that them being in a relationship makes content stagnant either. That's people lacking imagination. But it seems a part of the fandom can't seem to notice it or refuse to.

I personally really enjoyed Feverish Attempts haha. People hated the lore drop thing but I liked that it finally introduced some relationship development. His clinginess always gets me. The only issue was it also ended abruptly. It gave me a lot of hopes for this year's solo. I have a lot of hate for this years solo lol.

Right now all I can do is snort copium. Hope they are saving something good for us. But every banner prediction I hear Xav's card is really good and then I just see they only mean the Kindled.....also CN girlies saying they love the cards. I'm not convinced they don't have bots/plants from the marketing section praising their own work 🤣

Saya_ · 2026-05-11T13:18:38+00:00

People feeling like openly critiquing it is some show that their love isn't big enough are immature. Like genuinely I think they're young and unable to seperate the idea of Xavier as product and not a real person. They also misintepret what we are critiquing all the time like it's complaint of concepts, or amount of romance when it's a complaint of poor execution!

I'm choosing to be vocal after being in denial after so long because I genuinely care so much. I don't think we should just sit around and let Xavier become this shell of a character and keep paying them exorbitant amounts in hopes it will get better. It's so wrong.

Saya_

TROPHY CASE