This car only has one working pedal, and it’s not the brake.

I gotta say, an episode of Seihantai na Kimi to Boku is like going ten rounds with Mike Tyson. And prime Tyson too, not the fat old guy who fought the pissant YouTuber. Everything is cranked up to eleven – the pacing, the cuteness, the dorky deformed face gags. I love it but it doesn’t give you any breathing space, that’s for sure. The thing is, though, there are some nice subtleties hidden in there – you just have to really be looking for them (which itself is a nice subtle touch from this episode, in fact).

It may not have escaped your notice that above description is pretty much a description of Suzuki-san herself. And indeed, she dominated the premiere and You and I Are Polar Opposites is more or less – so far – a first love chronicle that sees the event through her eyes. I noted in last week’s post that it was critical we get things from Tani-kun’s perspective this time. So did we? Sort of. More than the premiere, anyway. He’s still largely a cipher but it kind of fits because our experience is that of dealing with Typhoon Suzuki, just like Tani is.

Basically, Suzuki seems not to have an unexpressed thought. Which belies her self-image as someone obsessed with hiding her true self. Was her read on herself that far off, or is this the effect of true love? Maybe both, if I had to guess. Tani-kun barely expresses his thoughts, which is obviously where the tile comes in. But she’s trying to learn how to listen more (as her pals’ romance instruction manuals instruct). And he’s being drawn to express himself openly, swept up by her gravitational pull. So much so that he abjectly confesses – in the second episode! Talk about warp factor 9.

There were a lot of moments that really made me ROFL here, and that’s a great sign – the “com” half of the genre name is 50% of the battle after all. Like when Tani accidentally shows Suzuki-san his search history – revealing “how to talk to girlfriend” and “how to keep up with the conversation”. That was hilarious but also revealing (not least to Suzuki). These two are more alike than they realize in this very important way – they’re both clueless about what they’re undertaking and insecure as hell about it. Shakespeare’s “The undiscovered country from whose bourn no traveller returns” was referring to something even scarier and more mysterious than romance, but that’s what it feels like to these two.

Miyu and Yuusuke each have big blind spots, but they’re largely different – as with Kyoutarou and Anna, if I may drop those names again – and I think that difference is healthy. Tani is worried about what being linked with him will do to Suzuki’s “reputation” – which is that of a goofus, but his social literacy isn’t high enough to know that. She talks and has friends, ergo she must be an idol. Her awkwardness extends to everything – her (hilarious) wardrobe, her table manners (that burger scene was another ROFL moment).

This theme comes into play in the movie scene and its aftermath, which is where Seihantai displays that there is some depth and subtlety to this relationship and its depiction. They’re watching the same movie (“The North Witch and the Yeti“) but come away with totally different experiences. He remembers all the details – character and place names, et al – and is astonished she doesn’t. Hell, she doesn’t even remember that the “fluffballs” were yeti. But she picked up on the symbolism of a key scene (the meal) that he totally whiffed on. Vive la différence, as the French say. Opposites do attract sometimes (though if we’re honest it’s the exception rather than the rule).

The third big laugh of the ep came on the walk home, where Miyu compensated for her nervousness at hand-holding by launching into a ferocious arm swing like a five year-old. I mean, I think you have to be kind of a yeti yourself not to be charmed by this stuff – it comes off as totally authentic and unpretentious. Seihantai na Kimi to Boku seems to be a series extremely comfortable in its identity and confident in its narrative voice. There are no tricks here because none are needed – it knows it’s charming as hell and doesn’t bother pretending otherwise.