You and I Are Polar Opposites

Episode 4

If there's such a thing as an episode that's running almost entirely on vibes, then this week's installment of You and I Are Polar Opposites would fit the bill. While it's not entirely devoid of more relationship hijinks between Miyu and Tani, the romance takes a bit of a back seat in favor of the comedy, and most of this one involves watching the cast casually goofing around. For a different series, it would all feel a little too slow for its own good, but as always, this show can operate almost entirely on its sense of charm, and this episode has just enough of that to work.

The first segment centers on Miyu and her friends studying for their exams, and it's by far the most relaxed of the bunch. We've seen hints of this before in the first three episodes. Still, it is funny that Miyu is one of the few in her friend group who actually bothers to study. With how often her head is in the clouds, the idea of her having been designated as the smart friend before hooking up with Tani is pretty amusing to think about. This also makes it fun to watch as they all immediately gravitate towards Tani when Miyu gets stingy about letting them crib off her notes, and I got a solid laugh out of watching them talk themselves into believing they've become geniuses after putting in a few minutes of actual effort. Beyond that, there isn't much going on here besides a brief introduction to Miyu's friend Sato who seems to be the most mature one out of the bunch and thus gels with Tani the fastest (which in a different show would be something I'd flag as a setup for possible rivalry but this doesn't really seem like the kind that would throw our leads into a love triangle). Still, it's nice to at least see Tani starting to come out of his shell to blend in with the group more.

Our second segment sees Miyu go out for a night at the convenience store, where she gradually runs into all her friends, and, as with their library study session, much of the comedy here is fairly relaxed. That said, it also provided us with the best joke of the episode when Taira talks about having gotten a job at this store so he can avoid running into anyone from middle school followed by a few seconds of perfect dead silence when Miyu asks him why he wouldn't want to talk to his old friends, so I can't knock this for not being funny. It's also fun to see these characters in more casual attire, which becomes a bit of a sore spot for Miyu when Tani shows up and she runs for the hills to avoid letting him see her without makeup. Being as earnest a guy as he is, it goes without saying that Tani doesn't think Miyu needs to put too much stock into her appearance and is happy to be around her in whatever mode she's in, but Miyu doesn't quite see it this way and wants to show him her best as much as possible. Compared to some of the other clashes in their personalities, this one is pretty minor, but it fits the episode's casual mood. Given how easy it would have been for the show to default to a stock message about appearances not mattering, it's refreshing that both their points of view are considered here, and that it also acknowledges there's nothing wrong with Miyu's desire to look her best for her partner.

Last on the agenda is Miyu and Tani going on a date to a local festival, which ultimately amounts to 6 to 8 minutes of Miyu cycling through an ever-increasing variety of wacky cartoon expressions as she's swept up in the romantic atmosphere. Despite some warnings from her friends about not getting too mushy during this date and to soak in all the good memories she can in case her relationship doesn't last, our girl can't help but turn to mush the entire time, and it makes for some cute interactions, even if there isn't much else besides that. The only conflict we get here is Miyu thinking the two of them would kiss after being taken to a secluded spot, only to find out that Tani just wanted to watch the fireworks from there. However, any disappointment Miyu feels is immediately negated by Tani saying he wants to see the fireworks with her next year too, indicating that he wants them to stay together for as long as possible, which is a sweet way to wrap up a largely frictionless episode. While that lack of friction has left me with very little to talk about here, there are worse things than watching a show run on pure charm, and for now, this still has plenty of that in spades.

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You and I Are Polar Opposites is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.