You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2

Episode 4

At this point, I've gotten used to the perpetual slow burn that is Taira and Azuma's relationship, so I was a little surprised at just how much of this episode was dedicated to the two of them. They are in desperate need of that time. They've gotten a lot more comfortable hanging out, but there's still a lot of miscommunication going on regarding how exactly they view each other, and that's put a pretty big roadblock on their friendship alongside any lingering romantic feelings they might have. A lot of that miscommunication, of course, comes from Taira, whose self-loathing cuts so deep that he still can't help but push people away on instinct, regardless of how they actually feel about him. Although the last couple of episodes have done a lot to help explain why he's like this, it's in this one that we see just how far he goes to avoid other people, whether it be isolating himself on train rides to school, or always walking home by himself if he has no reason to stay after school, and even though he knows that continuing to distance himself from others like this isn't exactly making himself happy, he's gotten so comfortable doing so that he can't break free of continuing to feed that habit.

With all that introspection going on, it just makes it feel even crazier when Azuma comes sprinting in through a hailstorm to offer Taira an umbrella. Still, considering how their dynamic is almost always played for drama, it's a welcome change of pace to see them bouncing off each other with the same cartoony expressions as our main couple. This exchange also doubles as a way of showing just how reflexive Taira's need to avoid other people is, as even when's got literal hail raining down on him, he keeps insisting on trying to tough it out on his own, and it makes Azuma's insistence on him accepting her gesture feel as funny as it is vital when it comes to helping Taira to stop purposefully making himself miserable. Though for as much as Taira's general attitude towards life remains the biggest hurdle with these two it's not quite the only one, as in looking back on their shared past in middle school it somehow never occurred to Azuma that Taira's desire to change up his image was done in response to him being bullied than actually wanting a new look for the sake of it, and considering how long these two have known each other, it says quite a lot about just how bad she is at reading other people's feelings. Still, it does work out, as the realization that Azuma's constant pestering about helping him change up look was done out of a genuine desire to help him rather than her making fun of him ends up being a huge step in Taira realizing just how much he's been jumping to conclusions in thinking that everyone's always looking down on him, and it lets him see just how unfair he's been to her all this time. It's a pretty big step forward for their relationship, and even though that step still isn't leaving a lot of overt romantic undertones in its wake, it's at least good to see them doing better at figuring each other out.

After all that drama, spending the rest of the episode on Yamada and Nishi makes for some hefty tonal whiplash, but since these two are also in pretty desperate need of screentime, I'll take it where I can get it. Unfortunately, that screentime doesn't translate to a lot of progress in their relationship, but it doesn't make their scenes any less enjoyable. Even though there wasn't a whole lot going on with their stint at the library, it was still nice to get some cute bits of banter between them, and it at least shows how casual their relationship has gotten, even if they haven't reached the dating phase yet. It also provided another opportunity to watch Miyu play Cupid, and her inability to be subtle about it provided plenty of wonderful wacky faces, so between that and the closing gag of Tani being the last one to realize these two are into each other, there were enough good jokes to compensate for the minimal romance.

I also appreciated getting a segment dedicated to Nishi's unwilling wingwoman Honda, and learning a little more about how their odd friendship holds together. Having also been on the receiving end of being perceived as more wise and empathetic than I am despite not knowing how to deal with most people's problems, I could certainly relate to Honda's struggles of constantly getting used by others as a springboard while also having to deal with their assumptions that she's too put together to have any of her own. That disconnect also makes it understandable that despite not caring much for Nishi when they first met, having her take her advice so seriously makes Honda feel as though she's found someone willing to accept her, even if that acceptance makes her feel bad for being so initially dismissive of Nishi to begin with. For now it looks like Honda is content to keep these feelings to herself, but it does at least seem as though her desire to help Nishi with her relationship problems is more genuine than it often appears, and that does end up helping get Nishi to finally admit to herself that she does want to be Yamada's girlfriend. With how much this show enjoys taking its time, it's a toss-up as to exactly how soon she'll act on this revelation, but it's so far never failed to make good on that time investment, so for however long it takes to get there, I'm willing to trust in the process.

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You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.