As graduation draws near, Suzuki is worried about her relationship becoming long distance, and I guess that’s a fair concern for most couples. You really have to make an effort to stay in touch, because college is… well, I wouldn’t say full of temptations, but you do finally get to stretch your legs out and really explore who you are as a person. But that might just be me seeing things through a Western lens. It’s possible that college life in Japan is just an extension of high school. I know from watching other shows that college students will still participate in circles and social gatherings like drinking parties. So there’s still some sense of freedom in there. But Tani isn’t really the party animal type, so it’s not like Suzuki has to worry about him potentially meeting someone else or anything. And I suppose the reverse is true as well.
The bigger concern, however, is Tani stretching himself too thin and bottling up his feelings. Even though he’s studying more than ever, he still sees Suzuki just as much as before. As a result, the kid is barely holding it together. He needs rest, but he doesn’t want to admit it. Obviously, a good girlfriend would tell you to prioritize your studies. Suzuki has shown, however, that she is willing to put some distance between them if it’s for his sake, and Tani doesn’t want her to be tempted into playing that card. He’s deathly afraid of them breaking up. I guess they never really had a proper discussion about their future, huh? As soon as Tani locked into his chosen university, they should’ve mapped out what this would mean for them going forward, i.e., “I’m going to have to study x amount every week, and this might impact our time together.” But they’re kids, so it’s fine if they have these awkward stumbles in their relationships every now and then. Now Tani knows he doesn’t have to be superman. If he’s feeling anxious or nervous, he needs to speak up.
And just like that, we skip right to graduation. The winter months may as well not have existed. I guess there wouldn’t have been much to see. Just the kids studying and studying.
On graduation day, Taira is in tears as he realizes that it’s all over. He got everything he ever wanted out of high school, and it took him so long to realize it. Seeing him like this, Azuma also starts crying. They’re good enough friends to be this vulnerable with each other. I honestly think that’s remarkable. A lot of people chase after the highs of a relationship. They call it chemistry, and when the highs start to ebb — as they naturally do — some people begin to feel restless. Their eyes start wandering, because they’re practically in withdrawal. I think what’s really great about a relationship, however, is the ability to feel comfortable. That sounds boring, but it really isn’t. Rather, I think that’s real chemistry. The chemical reaction has to finish at some point, and you have to be happy with the product at the end of said reaction. Sometimes, you and your SO can simply exist in the same space without talking, and it doesn’t feel awkward like it might with anyone else. That feels wonderfully serene. As for Taira and Azuma, the fact that they are comfortable crying together like this is remarkable, especially for a culture that prides itself on being so emotionally restrained. They can break down together, and this says more about Taira and Azuma’s closeness than any passionate makeout session.
Eventually, Taira thanks Azuma for “everything,” and there’s a sense of finality in his words. It’s almost like he accepts that this is it for them and their friendship. As a result, I don’t blame Azuma for feeling a bit resigned. Yeah, I would’ve ideally wanted her to fight for their romantic relationship and thus confess her feelings. But like Suzuki with Tani, she seemingly prioritizes Taira’s happiness over her own. I think Azuma has concluded that the ball has to be in Taira’s court. If anything were to happen between them, it would need to come from him taking the first concrete step. After all, he’s the one who needs to fix his negative outlook on life, and to be fair, he mostly has! But maybe he isn’t quite ready for romance yet, and Azuma accepts that. She wondered early on if she should copy Suzuki, but this is ultimately her form of pure-hearted love. She admits that she’s head-over-heels for the guy, but she won’t force him out of his comfort zone.
Right on cue, Taira takes that first step. This guarantees nothing. This doesn’t mean they’ll end up becoming a couple. But you gotta start somewhere, and Taira admitting that he needs her in his life post-graduation is a major development for a guy like him.
Stray thoughts & observations:
— Yeah, I can’t really relate to how hard kids like Tani have to study. I didn’t study that hard for my SAT and ACT. I buckled down a bit for AP Calculus, but that was about it. I coasted pretty much all of high school. I even had enough credits to leave my afternoons blank, so I got to go home at noon every single day (much to my mom’s dismay). I’m the classic example of high school being too easy that I developed bad habits for college. I didn’t flunk out of uni or anything, but my first year’s GPA was certainly a lot lower than what I was used to. What do you mean I can’t cram the morning of an exam and get an A? Luckily, college also meant I was an adult, so I refused to even show my parents my grades. They weren’t paying for it! I had a free ride!
— This is very Nabe. I’m not disappointed that this series was so short-lived. I don’t think we need to stretch out these relationships if the mangaka was straining to develop them further. But we could’ve explored Nabe and Sato more as characters. We didn’t need every single chapter to be about the three couples.
— Suzuki still hasn’t learned how to smile, but at least she has a yearbook photo? I skipped out on mine. I don’t really care either. Once they started making you buy yearbooks, I stopped getting one. I really don’t care about the past. Like I’ve said before, high school was neither good nor bad for me. It was just a period in my life. I remember college fondly. K-12 is just a blur in my memories by comparison.
— I thought each couple would get equal time in this episode, but we don’t get much on the Nishi-Yamada front. Hell, it’s more of a Gapacho gag than anything.
— Speaking of Gapacho, some people always scream “WHO THE HELL IS GAPACHO?!” and I’m just like, “Jeez, calm down.” It’s just a joke character.
— The difference between main characters, side characters, and extras…
— Most of Azuma’s friend group knows exactly who she likes; only Sato remains clueless. It makes you wonder how obvious Azuma’s been about it. See, there’s enough content here for like half an episode. There are small moments like these that the mangaka could’ve explored. They all ended up in different classes, so they had to make new friends. What was that like? Instead, we got very little of their lives — so much that the third year felt empty. I really enjoy this series, so I don’t want to make any assumptions about the mangaka, but it really felt like she just gave up on it.
— Honda notices Azuma running off after Taira, and she quickly connects the dots. What’s even more interesting is how she immediately distracts Yamada so he couldn’t inadvertently ruin their moment. You can subtly see Honda’s lips quivering as she realizes what might happen between Azuma and Taira. The thing is, she’s not really friends with those two, nor would she really get to see the big payoff, i.e., finding out whether or not those two finally get together. So why is she invested in their relationship? Why does she want to help them out? Honda is another character I wish we could’ve learned more about. Again, I understand that a show titled “You and I Are Polar Opposites” would focus on the couples, but it needn’t necessarily be just about the couples. Honda, Nabe, and Sato are such wasted opportunities.
— Taira’s message is so vanilla.
— I think it’s crazy that they don’t even know where they’re headed until after graduation. I believe in America you find out in the middle of your senior year. My calc teacher had a tradition where she prints out banners for every student, letting everyone see who is going where. I suppose it’s a sense of pride, especially if you got into a prestigious school. I think only a single kid in my class got into Stanford.
— The episode ends with a “See you next episode,” so we’re getting a 25th episode. But from what I remember, all that’s left in the manga are a few extras — certainly not enough material for an entire episode, right? I wonder, then, if we’ll get some anime original content. Oh wait, they’re going to adapt Tani’s POV from the first chapter, right? Eh, that might take up most of the episode.
— I think a lot of fans like me are coping, because we still want something definitive out of Tairazuma. But even if we don’t, I think what we got is fine. I normally despise the typical will-they-won’t-they scenarios, because they mostly exist to pad out a series. But we got two couples that are firmly together. Hell, we were spoiled from day one when Suzuki confessed to Tani. As such, I think it’s fine for Tairazuma to be different.