REVIEW: ‘You and I Are Polar Opposites’ Season 2 Episode 4 – “New School Term”

In a marvelous turn, You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 Episode 4 delivers both the funniest single frame/transition of Season 2 and the most tender. Both are executed tremendously and delight in different ways, amounting to a standout episode in a series so packed with highlights. “New School Term” doesn’t break the format, but the humor and heart are so staggeringly on point that it feels fresh even while sticking to its best formula. 

And, as always, the bigger emotional payoff comes with our resident storm cloud, Taira (Wataru Katoh). The more we learn about him, the more we realize his first introduction as a semi-vapid, self-involved ball of social anxiety was only the half-truth. Yes, he’s concerned about his appearance and how people perceive him, but it stems from anxiety stemming from being teased for his appearance and judged for his frank demeanor.

He wants both to be liked and be involved while simultaneously believing he wants to go unnoticed. It’s why, we learn in You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 Episode 4, he walks the extra length to sit in the empty train car, lest he be picked apart by people he once knew. And, because he went to middle school with Azuma (Miyuri Shimabukuro), back before he’d figured out his style and ways to do his hair, he believes any comment she’s made about how he dresses, or new purchases, has been a teasing jab rather than what they are: support.

Taira is moved to learn that Azuma has always been in his corner, rooting for him. 

Like Taira, Azuma remains one of the more low-key, most interesting characters in the series because of her more subdued approach to shojo adolescence. You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 Episode 4 reveals more of her personality, as she’s less reserved around Taira. Her aloofness is part of her charm, but there’s something so effective about when she’s straightforward with him.

She recognizes his interest in style, so she doesn’t understand why he wouldn’t want to take joy in it. And that, plus a playful sprint through unruly winter weather and her confession of always having rooted for him, brings Taira to his moment of emotional reflection. That sense of comfort is overwhelming, moving him to tears in the safety of his own home, and it’s such an incredibly sweet scene that it momentarily makes you wish for a series dedicated only to the two of them. 

But then Suzuki (Sayumi Suzushiro) appears onscreen in full chaotic gremlin mode, and we remember that this series is so winsome because the ensemble is so fantastic.  That said, Taira and Azuma’s storyline, their similar, more subdued demeanors compared to the likes of Suzuki and Yamada (Anji Iwata), and how they both push for the other to choose to find more happiness and inner strength, no matter the driver, is demonstrative of a series that knows the pains of youth while understanding that comedy isn’t lost in the face of sincerity and vice versa. 

You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 Episode 4 thrives on Suzuki’s chaos. 

Taira and Azuma only occupy one part of You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 Episode 4. While theirs is the most touching of the three vignettes, Suzuki’s is the funniest. Scheming to force Yamada to hang out with Nishi (Kokoro Ōmori) more and develop their relationship beyond the awkward, friends-but-more middle ground they’ve found themselves in, she orchestrates a reason for the two to go to the library, where Nishi and Tani (Shogo Sakata) are both working. 

It’s hilarious, and Suzuki remains such a vibrant personality that she can’t even be contained by the standard character design. From her dramatic entry to the library, her whooshing away, to the excellence of Yamada walking back to her as she sits in beast form, the series takes pains to show that sometimes teenage girls are so overflowing with impulsivity and emotional turbulence that they transform to match the energy they emit. Whenever she becomes a massive pink blob of chaotic intent, the show hits its hilarity peak. 

Part of the charm of her trying to manipulate Yamada’s love life is that Tani finally puts the pieces together on his own as well. That he does so while telling Suzuki he knows she lied about coming to the library to visit him shows how much he’s grown. He’s starting to catch a bit of the chaos bug, too, and is happy to share a piece of gossip with his girlfriend. 

Nishi and Honda’s friendship pushes the series thesis to the forefront. 

While Suzuki and Tani are having fun on Yamada’s behalf, Nishi is struggling with what to do. But rather than once again watching her ruminate on how to approach the relationship, You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 Episode 4 takes a more fun approach by letting Nishi’s friend, Rikako Honda (Tomori Kusunoki), drive the plot forward. 

Exemplifying the thesis of the show, we see not just how Honda is different from Nishi, but how she differs both from how others see her and her own self-perception. She doesn’t think she’s warm and lacks patience with others’ inability to act. And yet she’s friendly with Nishi and considers her her best friend, despite her initial frustration. She’s been a fantastic addition to the cast, and “New School Term” gives her the chance to shine, her blunt attitude and ability to push Nishi forward refreshing amid all the romantic tension. 

You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 Episode 4 continues to prove the series excellence. As each frame and scene come alive with thoughtful color schemes and lively, infectious performances, the series cements itself as one of the best shojo anime in years. Each scene has a purpose, and the cohesive story, along with how the plot builds to tie together stories that mirror one another, brings greater life to a story that lives and breathes through the characters’ relatability and their endless pools of charm. 

You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 Episode 4 is available now on Crunchyroll. 

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