Summer’s here and that means warm weather and summer homework. As Tani and Suzuki navigate their first summer as a couple, they’re not the only ones who might find love. Minus a couple slight bumps in the road.
The secret sauce of why this story is good is one that many manga should be terribly envious of - this entire cast is a heck of a lot of fun to spend time with. They feel like friends with world-ending problems that are anything but in the grand scheme of things. So, teenagers, basically.
We start off with a very silly late night convenience store run that turns into an unscheduled meet-up and emphasizes an ongoing wrinkle in an otherwise smooth relationship - Suzuki is far too quick to make assumptions about how Tani feels about things.
Which is something that many, many relationships have to adjust to, so this reflection of the honeymoon phase is pretty spot on and adds a little friction to what would otherwise be one terribly cute couple (see: the very next chapter, which is wonderful).
But, as happens, it is the introduction of the woefully shy Nisshi who runs away with the volume with her burgeoning crush. The fake-out implying that this is a crush on Tani is mercifully brief and gives the very bouncy Yamada something to do.
In fact, Yamada goes from a one-note nothing to kind of an amazing character this volume with the introduction of Nisshi, who absolutely catches his eye in a way he can’t quite figure out (young love, so pure).
The way he goes about getting her contact information just before summer break is one of the sweetest, nicest moments I’ve ever seen in a manga and it is absolutely a moment of pure joy in a pretty great story.
Everything else bounces around between school stuff and summer stuff, although miraculously no beach appears in this volume, plus a clear appreciation of cats (bonus points for that).
It’s all incredibly enjoyable and there’s a real joy to be found in simply kicking back with this group of kids as they slowly grow up and learn about themselves and one another. I really want to see if that other, other coupling happens too.
There are a couple times where it goes a little slow, Nisshi can take forever with her lack of self-confidence, and Tani’s nature means that he is often the eye of a very energetic storm. But that’s pretty small stuff compared to what’s on offer.
4.5 stars - I wasn’t going to round it up, but dang was this ever good, and Yamada pretty much sealed the deal. The term ‘feel-good’ was made for series like this.
You and I Are Polar Opposites Vol. 2 continues the charm from the first volume. It is cute. It is fun. The art works perfect for the story and characters. I especially like that the friction in the relationship feels like normal school age stuff and not some overdramatic plot line to ramp up tension. It is relatable. It feels low stake and unforced. Outside the main couple, the other characters continue to feel fleshed out with their own personalities and quirks. The focus bounces between characters in a way that works great for this ensemble of kids. I am as interested in the secondary characters as the core protagonists. This series just works at every level. It makes me feel good when I am immersed in it, and I am eager to see where things go.
These two are just so cute!!!! I love the whole gamut of characters who are rooting for them. Also really refreshing that they actually communicate lol! Like nothing gets swept under the rug or anyone over reacts and just states how they're feeling. Love it!!!
I'm really enjoying this so far. I'm also really liked the discussion of past relationships and dating history. Love that it's very funny and god easy to read cart. Wait for the next volume.
Tani and Suzuki are off to a great start to their romantic relationship (even if they're both a little awkward), but they are not the only opposite couples that are in this story.
Yamada is interested in a socially awkward introvert from the next class over. And despite him being obvious, she's oblivious. And nothing has actually happened yet, but I get the feeling that Taira is going to end up with Azuma.
But I do like that the story allows Tani's feeling to be complicated. Because that's something I struggle with too. Having emotions along with a rational brain means you end up working through your emotions mentally and can even come to the conclusion that what you're feeling doesn't make sense. But it does absolutely nothing to stop the feelings from happening so you get stuck in a spiral of "I feel this way" but "I shouldn't feel this way" and "Why do I feel this way?" and it helps to have someone just to listen (and sometimes force you to confront the root cause of the issue).
I'm really enjoying these new manga titles that are more about healthy relationships than the drama. Polar Opposites does that while throwing in some good laughs. In volume 2 we get hints on what may be a new couple from our cast, or at least they're working on getting to know each other. I look forward to reading the next volume. (I received a free ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.)
Aww they're so cute. I like them falling in love and enjoying themselves, but getting too self-conscious of how much they're enjoying themselves and worrying whether they're supposed to be having that much fun. And I like that at the end they went into 'dating history' and previous relationships (or lack-thereof), it felt like a necessary hurdle to go through especially with how insecure about himself Tani can be.
Still super cute and definitely has my attention to read more volumes! I liked that we expanded into some of the other characters and got their POVs outside of the main couple. I also really liked the discussion of past relationships and dating history. It continues to be a funny and easy to digest read and very light-hearted.
continues to be v cute. I'm not sure I love the second couple yet but we shall see where that goes. tani's grandmother is SO FREAKING CUTE lol I loved the vegetables scene.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.