We finally get a proper introduction to Nishi, and she’s personally pretty relatable. It’s not that you ever want to eavesdrop on the conversations around you, but we have ears. Even when you try to distract yourself, you can’t hear but hear things with those same ears. Luckily, her chatty classmates don’t seem to mind. They even try to loop her in, but she just can’t keep up with their tempo. In any other show, there would probably be a side plot where Nishi gets bullied by the popular kids, thereby forcing one of Suzuki’s friends to step in and save her, blah blah blah… then bam, romance. I’m just glad this isn’t that type of show. I’m not trying to deny that bullying exists, but from a storytelling perspective, I’m just so tired of it.

We also have Honda, Nishi’s bestie. In a longer series, she’d probably have her own character arc. But like Sato and Watanabe, she’s sadly relegated to being a tertiary character. You have Suzuki and Tani, the primary couple. Then you have the secondary couples, which are easily identifiable from the OP. Finally, there are the tertiary characters. There’s nothing wrong with them; they just don’t get character arcs. I guess that’s sort of a spoiler, but it’s like pointing out how Chewbacca doesn’t get a character arc in the original trilogy.

Even without the OP spoiling things for us, however, it doesn’t take a genius to predict who Nishi will end up with. The girl is a shy, little bean, and the show is called You and I Are Polar Opposites. There are only three guys to work with, and one of them is already taken. Who would be the opposite of Nishi? Well, it sure as hell ain’t Taira. I think it’s funny how NIshi initially assumed that she and Tani were the same, i.e. “I thought you were my people!” The thing with Tani is that he has no trouble speaking to people. He just doesn’t feel compelled to. It doesn’t occur to him to make random small talk. On the other hand, Nishi wants to speak up — she wants to be vibe with others — but she can’t for one reason or another. They’re kinda opposites… but there’s a better fit out there for her.

Nishi’s first impression of Yamada isn’t entirely positive. When she tries to describe him to Honda, she calls him a yankee. Is it the blonde hair? Or the way he speaks? He’s not a punk, though. When we hear the word “delinquent,” we tend to picture someone who gets into trouble on a regular basis. That definitely isn’t Yamada by any stretch of the imagination. So, y’know, maybe Nishi can be a little judgmental. Welp, time for a little exposure therapy.

Yamada and Honda used to be classmates, so lately, he’s been coming over to their class to chat her up on a regular basis… only as an excuse to rope the shy Nishi into their conversations. Honda sees right through his ruse. but the best part is how she’s not even mad about it. She wants Nishi, the wallflower, to come out of her shell, especially around boys, and she knows Yamada is the ideal candidate. I like this, because in other shows, this would have been an golden opportunity to mine for drama. Mirror Honda would either get offended or jealous over Yamada inadvertently using her as a wingwoman. But no, the real Honda is supportive. We get enough overwrought drama elsewhere in anime. What I find appealing about this series is that it’s relatable. For the most part, my day-to-day interactions with others is rarely ever dramatic.

I also really like how this show doesn’t drag things out — most things. Suzuki liked Tani, so she worked up the courage to confess to him in the very first episode. So what happens this week? We find out that Yamada is interested in Nishi. He has spent the last few lunch breaks trying to talk to her, but he hasn’t made much progress. With summer break looming large, he won’t be able to see her in person for a while. As a result, Yamada decides to just go for it: he straight up asks Nishi for her contact info. The episode isn’t even over yet! For anyone who has seen Kaguya: Love Is War, remember how in the first season the main couple lamented wasting their entire summer break not talking to each other? That shit is frustrating. So I have to applaud this show for being full of characters who are more than happy to take action and get what they want outta life. The funniest part is how Nishi has no clue what Yamada’s intentions are. She just sees this as an opportunity to practice making conversations without all the oh-so-intimidating elements like eye contact.

Welp, we just got more than enough Nishi and Yamada for the week, so it’s time to remind the audience what this show is really about: Suzuki and Tani. Again, it’s summer break, so if they want to see each other in person, they need to make plans. One thing leads to another, so our girl somehow finds herself in her boyfriend’s home for the first time. Again, I like how we’re not dragging this out. Each episode is a step forward in their relationship. This time, Suzuki meets Tani’s grandmother. After their earlier conversation, Tani decides to be upfront about their relationship… sorta. He’s not going to climb onto the roof and scream about his girlfriend, but his grandmother is the first to find out about Suzuki. This then emboldens Suzuki to open up to her mother about her relationship, which is kinda cute. I mean, things really get serious when you starting meeting the parents, right?

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Stray thoughts & observations:

• It’s really a shame that Honda doesn’t get a character arc, ’cause she’s got like a hidden freaky streak to her.
• When Nishi says she’s been thinking about Tani lately, it doesn’t mean she has romantic feelings for him. But this reminds me how people like to jump to conclusions. Friends? “I ship them!” Enemies? “Oh my god, I ship them even harder!” Glanced at each other once in like ten episodes? “S-H-I-P T-H-E-M!” I don’t want to rain on people’s parades, but something about shipping is just so annoying. I think it is mostly because people will ship two characters not because the pairing makes sense, but because the ship itself caters to their own kinks and preferences. As a result, it gets too personal.
• Ah, the classic “I’ve tried nothing, and I’m all outta ideas!”
• Everyone has a type, but this sure is a specific type.
• Bit of foreshadowin’.
• Taira’s reaction makes sense. He seems to think every possible action you take can potentially destroy your social standing. Not only that, he always thinks he’s going to roll snake-eyes.
• Seriously, what a Debbie Downer.
• Apparently, this is what you get if you scan Yamada’s QR code.
• Honda’s reactions are the best.
• Some people can pinpoint the exact moment they fell in love. But for a lot of people, it just happens so gradually. I bet you Tani is the latter. Suzuki was like a battering ram. She just kept making random conversations with him everyday until it felt like she was an intrinsic part of his life.
• This is also relatable. I didn’t have an annoying sibling, but I did have nosy Asian parents who would lecture me nonstop about how I shouldn’t worry about girls until I became a doctor. Welp, the joke’s on them, ’cause I never became a doctor (nor did I ever want to).
• The only time I ever had summer homework was for AP English.
• Do Japanese libraries really get this full in the summer? I have never seen a public library like this in the US. College libraries will fill up around finals, but that’s different.
• Suzuki’s first reaction to potentially meeting Tani’s parents is to yank her pants up. Could I see my Asian parents judging one of my girlfriends for baring her navel? Sadly, yes.
• When Tani tells Suzuki that no one will be home, her mind goes places. C’mon, girl, your boyfriend isn’t like that.
• Reality is sobering.
• Suzuki wonders if Tani has told his parents about them. He confesses that he doesn’t tell them much about himself. I’m kind of the same. Probably for different reasons than Tani, though. My mother likes to lecture. Every topic is an opportunity to lecture me about something. Her life didn’t turn out the way she wanted it to, so she likes to double down on making sure I don’t screw up. That might sound harsh, but it’s true.
• My room has always been similarly minimalist. Worse, actually, because I don’t have anything like his legally distinct Pokemon mouse pad. I actually do own plenty of novelty stuff related to my hobbies and interests (i.e. games and anime). I have all sorts of collector’s items in their original, unopened packaging. They’re just all sitting in my walk-in closet. I’m not ashamed of my interests or anything like that. I simply think my room looks cleaner without them. Less distracting. My bedroom doubles as my office where I do all my serious programming (for work or otherwise). I don’t need to turn and see Malenia, Blade of Miquella, staring at me while trying to build around a new API (she came with the Elden Ring collector’s edition, okay?).
• I definitely don’t have yearbooks. They cost extra, and my family was poor growing up. You wouldn’t find my picture in them anyway. Once I started high school, I refused to take the yearly photo.
• I’m surprised this is the first time Tempura showed up to greet Suzuki. My former cat would be staring you down the first minute you stepped foot into the house. Basically, this is her domain, and you’re the invader.
• Tani’s grandmother seems cool, and sadly, this is the first time I can’t relate to this show. My maternal grandmother hated my mom, so by extension, she never gave a shit about me. My paternal grandmother died before I was born. People have all these stories about how special grandmothers are, but I have nothing to contribute.