Reading through the manga, the kids’ third year definitely felt rushed. You immediately get that sense from the start of this episode as well. What do you mean we’re already in June? Nothing of interest happened in the spring at all? Well, we know they had sports day, but it occurs entirely offscreen. All we get to see is Nishi and Yamada reminiscing over some photos. How unfortunate. Maybe the mangaka ran out of juice. Or maybe she felt she had to devote more time and energy to her other series. We may never know why You and I Are Polar Opposites got cut short.
Personally, I feel like the third and final year should’ve gotten more time to tell a proper story. Sure, on the surface, you can claim that these kids are just busy studying for their entrance exams. On the deeper level, however, they all find themselves at crossroads in life; they all have major decisions to make over the year — some heavy, weighty decisions. Again, that requires time.
Anyway, you know the drill: we kinda sorta have three different couples, so we’re going to go through their stories one by one. And like last week, first up are Nishi and Yamada. Nishi worries that she and Yamada will have to cancel their plans because it’s suddenly pouring. He throws her a curveball instead by inviting her over to his place. Welp, it’s Nishi’s turn to have an awkward “meet the family” encounter. Yamada’s mom and sister sure are flashy. They’re also kinda quirky. The mom makes it sound like the dad has already passed away, but no, he’s just working away from home (anime parents seem to do this a lot).
Eventually, the two kids find some time alone, and I love how Yamada doesn’t waste any time. He comes right out and asks if he could kiss Nishi. This boy ain’t no chicken. As for Nishi, she initially freaks out, but once she has time to properly process everything, she eventually gets over the hump. We see them kissing in the rain after the hangout. You could arguably say they’re progressing a whole lot faster than Suzuki and Tani ever did. Some fans joke that the original couple are now side characters.
We get around to Suzuki, but it’s about how she doesn’t get to spend time with Tani anymore. Yeah, yeah, they gotta study for exams. I still think it’s weird though that they can’t set aside an hour for couple time. You don’t even have to do it every day either. It can just be two or three times a week. Losing those two or three hours a week is not going to have any impact on your studying. If you’re honestly studying so much that you can’t even see your loved ones, then you’re probably overdoing it. The mind can only absorb so much information at a time. Plus, seeing your partner can give you a boost in motivation. It certainly powers Suzuki right up.
Okay, so we know what Tani wants to do; he hopes to become a teacher. What does Suzuki intend to do in the future? She confesses to him that she doesn’t have anything she currently aspires to be. From the sounds of it, schools try to get kids in Japan to make a choice early on, so they have a plan for college and beyond. This doesn’t reflect my experience at all. We had a career day, which consisted of going to the library and doing some cursory research on jobs we might be interested in. None of the adults ever asked us to lock in. Granted, I had an Asian mom, who constantly badgered me to become a doctor. After watching a few medical shows like Scrubs and The Pitt, I can safely say I would not have been able to deal with all the bodily fluids or the cutting and suturing.
After hearing Suzuki out, however, Tani starts thinking about what he truly wants. He realizes that he’s lived his life just going through the motions. He simply assumed becoming a teacher like his father was the right thing to do. Being with Suzuki, however, has opened him up to new experiences he would never have considered without her. So y’know, it’s time for Tani to grab the reins and decide his own future. On the other hand, is there any point to this contemplation if he’s just going to ultimately choose education anyway? ‘Cause I feel like Tani is the sort of person who will just come to the same conclusion anyway, and that’s a bit anticlimactic.
Then we have Azuma and Taira, who are fittingly last because they’re not quite a couple yet. Taira tells Azuma that he intends to apply for some recommendation program for a certain school. She immediately clocks that it’s far away. That doesn’t mean he’ll get in (spoiler: he doesn’t). Still, Azuma’s inner voice seems disappointed. The funny thing is, she thinks she’s still trying to decide whether she likes the guy. She already does, though; she just hasn’t accepted it yet. What she’s really trying to do is assess whether she wants to date the guy — whether they have a future as a couple. As a result, there are two possibilities: either they break up when either of them has to move for college or they embrace a long distance relationship, which doesn’t work out for everyone. Maybe it’s better not to date Taira if it’s just going to lead to headaches in the future. But like I said, she doesn’t even know if he’ll get into the school he’s talking about (and again, he doesn’t), so this is all moot.
Whether they end up together, Azuma and Taira certainly have a new dynamic. She always puts him off his worries. He could be locked in a doom spiral for the last ten or fifteen minutes, but as soon as he bumps into Azuma, he completely forgets what he was even thinking about. Meanwhile, Azuma finds herself blushing profusely… not that Taira would ever notice. That’s the problem, though. Will Taira ever notice Azuma’s feelings? And if he does, could he even believe it? Or will he do what he always does (doom spiral) and assume he’s not good enough for her?
Stray thoughts & observations:
— I’m actually surprised that Yamada’s room is so clean. Generally clean, sure. But this is straight up spotless for a teen boy.
— Sure, Nishi’s mom teases her, but if this is it, then it seems pretty damn mild.
— I keep hearing horror stories about people quitting this career path because A) low pay and B) kids these days can barely read or write. But I can only speak for America. I have no clue if the brainrot has spread to the East or not.
— The anime makes it seem like Kawasaki’s advice is what ultimately gets Suzuki to ask Tani to see the summer fireworks. But from what we know about Suzuki, I feel like she would’ve done this anyway.
— Honda eavesdrops on a conversation between Taira and Tani. Apparently, all three of them are interested in the same school. Or they were; Tani eventually changes his mind, and he swears Taira had no influence on him. Still, what a coincidence. Is this a particularly prestigious university or something?
— Azuma just so happens to see Honda and Taira walking and talking together, and her mood is immediately ruined. Honda and Taira are in the same school committee, so this doesn’t mean anything. Even if they weren’t in the same committee, it still wouldn’t mean anything. I doubt Honda would go for someone like Taira anyway. Still, I doubt Azuma knows that. It’s easy to overreact when you’re that age.
— Hm, I can’t say I’m surprised that Honda got the recommendation over Taira.