It’s tempting to wonder, is You and I Are Polar Opposites a false main character series? You could actually look at that from two angles. First of all, if you go by the title and the OP/EDs you could make a case that Yuusuke is actually the protagonist even if by screen time he’s the deuteragonist. But I was actually thinking more of a “false main couple” thing, for obvious reasons. In the end I don’t think so, but it really is fascinating how so much of the denouement revolves around theoretically the C-couple.
What makes all this click is that all three pairings bring a completely distinct vibe to the narrative. In an episode as neatly divided among them as this one that really stands out. NishiYama are strictly cuteness overload. I find I can OD on them pretty quickly, but a six ot seven-minute segment is just about right. The theme here is “Spring Break For.,,” and this couple is the first at-bat. Natsumi’s idea of a spring break date is getting the break homework (seriously Japanese schools, chill on that shit) done at the library. Kentarou is (obviously) more chill and envisions a date of a more conventional nature. He asks Natsumi where she wants to go, and she picks the aquarium.
This is not the aquarium Nishimura and Hirose went to (the little “art” one in Chinatown) but the massive Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (which is super expensive by the way, and I don’t think either of these kids have a job). As usual there’s nothing too deep with these two – just cute observational stuff like his abortive stabs at calling her by her name. I also loved that Nishi uses a film camera, that’s so her. NishiYama is sort of the beginner level couple of Seihantai – purely entertainment, nothing being explored too deeply, no super-complicated feelings or conflicts.
Then it’s the “main” couple – who notably don’t bat clean-up. This is the Level 2 pairing. Everything is pretty chill on the whole, but they’re far deeper into the relationship side of things on every level. They’re old hands at this by now, which lets Koucha explore the somewhat more complicated adolescent romantic insecurities they’re low-key wrestling with. Because being MiYuusuke is second nature to them at this point, they can stress over the big picture. What happens when we graduate? What if we’re in different classes (they are)? Will he get tired of me?
When things finish up with TairAzuma, it feels so natural that you wonder how it could have been otherwise. And it’s Azuma in the driver’s seat here, her neuroses moving fully into center stage. It starts off with an invite from Yamada to come to the family restaurant. But what’s notable is that Taira makes sure Kentarou tells Shino he’s there too – which implies to me that he’s picked up on the changed vibe between them. This is not as simple as just grabbing a bite and a drink bar. And indeed when she arrives (that dude with the parfait, ROFL) Shino slips into Kentarou’s side of the booth, something I can 100% guarantee Shuuji noticed too.
Just because we’re focusing on Shino’s overthinking and not Shuuji’s doesn’t mean he’s not overthinking too. Are they becoming not polar opposites – and is that a Seihantai couple disqualifier? Well, their neuroses are still very different. Azuma-san is definitely getting there, baby step by baby step. When she looks at Taira-kun and thinks “this current relationship is definitely not like that”, that’s important. She’s definitely not going point-to-point here – this is the scenic route for sure. But I do think she’s getting there.
I love that sequence at the end, where she left school without him and we saw him slowly overtake her and just keep walking. The expressions with these two say a lot. If Miyu never has an unspoken thought, Shuuji never has one that doesn’t show on his face. The one line of (internal) dialogue from the entire ep that really stood out was Shino’s “People who are friends with me have people who are even closer to them. I mean, that’s just how it goes”. That’s deep, man. If any line ever summed up a character, that’s it. That’s why Shino is unsettled by Shuuji’s declaration that Class 8 may not be a bad one for him, largely because Yuusuke is in it. Is he growing up to the point where he doesn’t need her any more? And if so, will that prove all that was keeping them together?
