One thing that this volume does well is showcasing how important it is to start when it comes to ice skating. Tsukasa notices the disadvantage he has when starting later than everyone else. Inori’s mom brings up the point of how Inori’s sister started before Inori’s current age. At the same time, noting how much time she had to spend. It is a good contrast to the bad parent trope that clashes with a child’s dreams. Her mom’s concerns have merit even after they see Inori skating. Though Inori passion for it really comes out well. She has the talents, but given she has the drive that Tsukasa could relate to, it seems like a no-brainer. There are 7 stages until Inori can compete in All-Japan and Top World Events.
As we continue, we expand the cast. The first being Hikaru Kamisaki, who is quite famous, but Inori comes to acknowledge her as a friend. She gives Inori a great motivation as someone to catch up to. Hikaru is kind at getting Inori’s confidence back up by saying not to mind the mean comments from the adults. The art of the magic shines as it focuses on Hikaru dancing. As Inori gets her first badge, she realizes it will be a while until she catches up to Hikaru, but that only leaves Tsukasa impressed by Inori’s motivation. Meanwhile, Rio Sonidori is an acquaintance of Hikaru. Who comes off as disrespectful to Hikaru? Showing that not everyone will be friendly to Inori.
There is the issue that Inori’s mother says she will only let Inori skate up through middle school. It makes sense for a parent to still have doubts after it failed with her first child. Tsukasa’s plan seems solid to get the mom invested again. As the pressure has been getting to Inori, Tsukasa skating helps calm her down. In which we next meet Ryoka Miketa, who has a fiery personality and rebels against her coach, Mario Nachi. Initially, Ryoka takes a liking to Inori as a friend, but Ryoka has trust issues when it comes to adults. Which makes you wonder why, especially considering her age. Obviously, Inori doesn’t want to disrespect Tsukasa who gave her this opportunity. Which creates an interesting rivalry that Ryoka creates.
For Inori the two approaches are slowly building a great foundation or going for a more results-oriented strategy. A great moment is when Tsukasa mentions to Inori, You need to be able to make your own decisions. Which is important, as Inori has had difficulty standing up for herself. Still, I do love to see the frustration from Tsukasa because he knows the best decision, but he puts her in the best position while respecting her wishes.
The extra chapters were nice. You see that over time the old man got invested in Inori being able to ice skate. Makes for a sweet relationship that I would like to see build upon more. Meanwhile, Tsukasa’s past is one that I am intrigued by. Was Meiko the mother and wife of the family Tsukasa was living with? It is nice he is back living with good people who are like family to him.