You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2

Episode 6

Since we're down to the last pair to hook up, it only makes sense that at least 80% of this episode is just the Taira and Azuma show. It's not like they don't need every second of it, though, because even with how much their relationship has gradually improved, it still hasn't really sparked into anything romantic. With just a few episodes left, the clock is ticking. For the most part, that lack of romance doesn't change much here, as even with this much spotlight on them, Taira's intimate relationship with his own headspace hinders any serious progress they could be making. Still, for all the awkward moments that create, we're finally starting to see some actual feelings blossom.

As always, it wouldn't be a heavily Taira-focused episode if there wasn't a ton of emotional baggage for him to unpack, and the bulk of that gets frontloaded to the beginning. Azuma comments on one of their train rides home together that she's never seen Taira laugh before. It doesn't take long for us to discover that this is related to yet another one of Taira's bad childhood memories, since he stopped getting in the habit of laughing after other kids made fun of how creepy his laugh was. Since he's been largely content to keep that particular story to himself, the fact that he's willing to open up to Azuma about it really shows how comfortable he's gotten around her. It's a feeling that he's actually starting to take better notice of.

That revelation isn't without its comedy, as Azuma mostly reacts to his story with indifference. Still, much of that indifference stems from her worrying that he's holding himself back the same way that she used to, and she remarks that it's only thanks to him that she's learned not to let other people walk all over her. It's evidence that Taira is a much better person than he tells himself, but rather than acknowledging how he might have helped Azuma change for the better, seeing her grow from her past experiences makes Taira realize how much he uses his as an excuse not to, which keeps leaving him in a never-ending spiral of self-loathing.

In a worse-written show, Taira and Azuma's relationship would center itself around Azuma “fixing” Taira by getting him to learn how to love himself. Thankfully, it's a lot smarter than that, and we've seen that Taira is already a pretty decent guy, so the only fix he really needs is escaping the orbit of his own brain. That makes it pretty fitting that the thing that pulls Taira out of his latest downward spiral is him watching Azuma sleep on the train with her hoodie fully covering her face, which is so outrageous even he can't help but laugh. There might not be too much romance yet in these two serving as each other's anchor for better, ignoring what other people think of them, but it is a functional enough dynamic that we're starting to see how they could make it work.

We are supposed to be watching a rom-com here, so I'm glad the second half of the episode manages to squeeze at least a couple of explicitly romantic scenes between them. The first comes with White Day, as while the other two couples exchange nice gifts, Taira decides to pay Azuma back for the piece of gum she gave him for Valentine's Day with an assortment of random snacks. From Azuma's perspective, this seems like overkill for something she did on a whim, but in Taira's mind it's his way of wanting to pay her back for all the times she's helped him out over the years, as he only now sees how important her presence in his life has been. But rather than saying all that outright, he tells her he wanted to do something for her. Although it's a little disappointing he couldn't be more honest, this is still probably the smoothest thing he's said to her over the course of this entire show, so the gesture still comes off as genuinely sweet.

However, the biggest sign of life for these two potentially becoming an item happens when Azuma invites Taira to grab a meal with her so they can hang out longer before going their separate ways for spring break, and even if Taira does spend a decent chunk of it worrying about being seen by anyone he knows, they still get enough banter going between them to have a fun time. With how much I've mentioned Taira's thoughts throughout this entire review, you'd be forgiven for thinking this episode would end with him being the first to realize there might be more going on between him and Azuma. It's actually the latter, as Azuma notices that she likes being around him more than she thought. Part of me does wish it was Taira who came to this epiphany first since it'd be interesting to see how he'd try to avoid wrestling with himself long enough to try asking Azuma out, but since he's so self-conscious that he'd just as soon dismiss the idea of them being a couple as he'd entertain it, it does track that Azuma may end up being the one to make a first move. Now that Azuma's started catching feelings, the question now is how she'll handle them, especially when her biggest rival for Taira's heart is his own head.

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