Our first slice-of-life teen observation of the day is how Azuma once again goes with the flow, which Suzuki doesn’t necessarily approve of. Rather, she has first-hand experience with boys of that ilk, so she knows that they’re not truly nice. I guess Suzuki is being overprotective, because Azuma has mentioned preferring scummy boys. Moreover, it’s the smaller, subtle things. Azuma no longer replies to “messy” texts, but she doesn’t outright block them either. At that point, why even let drama stick its foot in the door? These one-off interactions with random boys are the same way. Azuma plays along with their antics, thinking that it’s harmless. But why let them in at all?
We then see different groups of kids hesitate to respond to Azuma when she tries to make small talk with them. One trio of girls even kinda cower in her presence. Dramatic much? Well, some people genuinely do just want to keep to themselves. Azuma, however, doesn’t think twice about any particular interaction. She’s almost too friendly. I get it, though. It’s like… you’ve never talked to me before. Why are you acting friendly now? But while it’s fair to think that, you shouldn’t let your cynicism show.
The girls also speculate that since Azuma is so open to jerks, when others are slow to warm up to her, the contrast feels strange and annoying. Hm… but then why does she stick so closely to Taira? Again, they’re not in love yet. And if we’re talking slow and cautious, there ain’t a slower and more cautious dude than Taira. More importantly, however, I don’t think I wholly agree with this assessment about group interactions, because it makes it seem like the introverts are totally innocent compared to the raucous boys. Look, I’m introverted too, but when someone talks to you and you just mumble something in response, that’s plain rude. It doesn’t matter if you’re suspicious of them.
Which brings us to Taira, a character who feels like he’s from another show but somehow got isekai’d into a chill, slice-of-life anime. When the group breaks up at the end of the night, he starts feeling self-conscious about being alone with Azuma again — even though they’ve done this countless times before. Dude, you’re just walking home with a friend. What is the big deal? We’re privy to his inner thoughts, so we learn that he’s actually worried for her sake. But if it bothers him that much, then why not just come out and ask if she’s okay with people seeing them together? If you’re going to torture yourself by overthinking everything, you might as well do something productive with those thoughts. But all these overthinkers ever do is let their doubts fester until they do something stupid.
As a result, Taira tries to make up an excuse to ditch Azuma, which — after those incidents earlier in the day — inadvertently leaves the girl feeling rejected. And why shouldn’t she? The friend she’s known for years has to act like she’s radioactive when deep down he’s just being an insecure dork again. And now she can’t help but look back on their previous interactions and doubt them as well. Luckily, she’s an open book, so even Taira has no problems realizing that he’s being an ass. To rectify the situation, he quickly and dramatically races back to her side. Baby steps towards their inevitable pairing, I suppose. Azuma seems happy with the end result.
At the end of the day, Tani and Suzuki are still the main couple, so we end the episode with them trying to bake a tart. I guess that’s a pretty safe choice. Tarts are notoriously easy. But that’s not the big worry here. Rather, it’s the fact that this show keeps teasing their first kiss. When a bottle rolls off the table, both of them try to catch it together. I guess their lips touched here, but the anime won’t show it ’cause it’s not an official kiss. Of course. Tani then wants a do-over, but their second attempt gets kiss-blocked by her brother returning home… kinda. This time, their teeth clash. That’s why you don’t make such a big deal outta kisses. If they had just planted smooches on each other with reckless abandon like normal teenagers, they’d have their first official kiss already. But no, every single attempt has to be accompanied by super slo-mo and crescendoing music. It’s really not that special. It’s just a damn kiss.
Well, Suzuki’s brother eventually leaves. Tani and Suzuki have their privacy again; they can now just kiss. But nope, it’s tart time. Let’s be real, though: two lovestruck teenagers aren’t going to quit trying to kiss just because they got interrupted a couple of times. No damn pastry is gonna get between them either. These two are just being strangely pure for no good reason. You and I Are Polar Opposites stands out precisely because the romance didn’t wait ten bajillion years to get going. So why are we playing around and being coy with the kiss? Right before the credits roll, Suzuki tries to cope — she wants to argue that a kiss isn’t as important as her boyfriend’s love for her. She’s not wrong, but if it’s truly not that important, then just rip the band-aid off and do it already. Agasawa-sensei, you’re not being consistent~
Stray thoughts & observations:
— Tani lands a direct hit right from the start by simply calling Suzuki by her first name. Personally, I’ve been referring to these characters by their family names for the first twelve episodes, so I’m just going to keep doing that.
— This show doesn’t take a ton of risks, but after the drama-laden The Ramparts of Ice, You and I Are Polar Opposites is a breath of fresh air. Clearly defined couples with no threat of a love triangle in sight!
— The first OP is pretty tough to beat. In terms of just the visuals alone, I actually like the new OP a lot. The song, however, is unremarkable.
— It almost looks like Chie and Rise from Persona 4 crashed the party.
— When asked about her love life, Azuma mentions how something could have bloomed during summer break, but nothing happened. I wonder whom she’s referring to. Eh, likely some offscreen character. Now, it’s obvious that the story will pair her up with Taira, but I don’t think either of them has gotten to the point where they’ve actually developed feelings for each other yet. They’re just really, really comfortable together.
— Suzuki’s besties then rightfully call her out, because she didn’t slowly approach Tani at all. Whoops.
— I can’t imagine listening to your principal yap about winter break. I actually can’t even remember what my high school principal looked like. In fact, did I ever hear them give a speech…? Well, they would’ve done so at my high school graduation, but I skipped it!
— Honda’s question is pretty fair. Who the hell wants to grab a greasy piece of fried chicken while on their way home?
— Most people seem to favor the Nishi-Yamada pairing. Eh, I wouldn’t say I have a type, but I’m definitely not into shy, mousy girls.
— Huh… are pizza places really open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas in Japan? For people who don’t celebrate that particular holiday, people here usually get Chinese food.
— Taira is always so dramatic. Making small talk with your friend isn’t going to ding your mental health.
— The side characters remain side characters because they’re always busy.
— Yeah, that’s too gaudy. I think America’s obsession with lawns — especially in dry-ass deserts like Los Angeles (technically semi-arid) and Phoenix (truly a desert) — is pretty silly, but lawns actually have one use during Christmas. That water-hogging patch of grass serves as a buffer between you and all the bright lights, so you can actually stand back and take it all in. Meanwhile, the decorations here are up in your face, because there is no buffer.
— I wanted to ask if this is Minato’s dog, but it’s being walked by some old geezer.
— Why does Yamada react like this when Suzuki teases him about his first date with Nishi? What is there to be embarrassed about? Ah, I don’t miss being a teen.
— Dang, Suzuki still holds a grudge. Girl, that was like episode one of the entire series.
— Suzuki already wants to arrange a double date. What’s with extroverts and double dates? Man, I just wanna spend my alone time with my girl, not entertain another couple.
— I guess it’s fair for any parent to issue this warning, but she’s met Tani. Does Tani look like someone who is going to go hog wild? These two kids can’t even kiss even though they’ve been dating for… what, half a year now? C’mon. In fact, Suzuki’s mother’s misgivings are due to an incident with her brother. That’s not fair. Don’t treat your other kid differently just because your first kid messed up.
— That’s a lot of stuff for a one-time tart.
— Maybe they should’ve delayed this season until the winter.
— That lone drumstick just sitting there in the middle looks so silly.
— Also, Tani has never invited Suzuki over to his place, huh? Why is that? Embarrassed of what his parents might think? In fact, we barely know anything about his parents, but we’ve seen Suzuki’s parents pretty often (relatively).
— Suzuki’s brother is extra mad when he realizes she has a guy over. Why? People are so weird.
— Even though tarts are easy to bake, ain’t no way two kids can whip something like this up out of the blue.
— These are such boring gifts, ha. Plus, it’s already winter. Practical presents should be given early.
— The new ED’s alright.