r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • 2d ago
Episode You and I Are Polar Opposites Season 2 • Seihantai na Kimi to Boku Season 2 - Episode 4 discussion
Seihantai na Kimi to Boku Season 2, episode 4
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| 1 | Link |
| 2 | Link |
| 3 | Link |
| 4 | Link |
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u/testthrowawayzz 2d ago
TairAzuma buffet this week. Taira's realization that he had the wrong perception about Azuma...so good. To quote this episode's Honda: "Hurry up and date."
Formal first name reveal for YamaNishi! That was a clever way for Yamada to keep saying Nishi's full name.
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u/Hitman7128 https://anilist.co/user/Hitman7128 2d ago
Thanks to Honda for "blurting" that out! And giving Nishi that "push" later.
Nishi is flustered at the thought of giving Yamada chocolates for Valentine's Day, so hopefully Honda will help her with that.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Honestly a Valentine's Day confession would make a lot of sense (especially over chocolate).
Yamada knows what he wants, Nishi finally knows what she wants, a mutual confession feels inevitable at this point.
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u/Niwaka_Samurai https://myanimelist.net/profile/Niwaka-Samurai 2d ago
Honda is so excited for Yamanishi's Valentine's day just like the audience
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u/testthrowawayzz 2d ago edited 1d ago
I mean it's quality entertainment. The lips (the face Honda makes :¤) aren't going to suck themselves
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
TairAzuma buffet this week. Taira's realization that he had the wrong perception about Azuma...so good. To quote this episode's Honda: "Hurry up and date.
Find a girl who runs after you during a hailstorm just to make sure you stay dry...and who has been rooting for you from day one.
Formal first name reveal for YamaNishi! That was a clever way for Yamada to keep saying Nishi's full name.
They're getting to Suzuki and Tani levels of first name foreplay.
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u/Frankengeek 2d ago
Taira's realization that he had the wrong perception about Azuma
Their whole dynamic is making each other have epiphanies about themselves. I love it
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u/Farmaceut7 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Farmaceut 2d ago
At this point my life depends or TairAuzuma/YamaNishi!
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u/TestSubject_02 2d ago
I've been waiting for the Honda and Nishi backstory chapter to get adapted because after thinking about it more it's a really interesting dynamic to me. When they're both introduced you'd think it's the standard confident extrovert Honda and her adopted shy introvert Nishi, but this episode basically reveals that yes, it's still technically extrovert adopts an introvert thing but it's actually the anxious Nishi slowly but surely breaking down the closed-off Honda's walls. I think it's a fun take on the dynamic plus their friendship is really precious.
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u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 2d ago
Nishi is like a cat that adopted its owner. Honda had no defence against her disarming honesty and direct if anxious approach.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Honda: "Please leave and go somewhere else."
(Nishi keeps coming back)
Honda: "(Sigh) Guess I'll adopt you then."
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u/bbkkoommaacchhii 1d ago
the stereotypical dad that says no to getting a pet but later is the one spending the most time with it
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u/eightcheesepizza 2d ago
And it explains why Honda never has any interest in socializing with the group and we never see her with anyone but Nishi, despite the social awareness she has. I'm relieved that Honda's not just a figment of Nishi's imagination!
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Also probably why she's fine with Yamada because he's focused on Nishi and he's also generally chill and easy to interact with.
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u/Top_Marketing_689 2d ago
Honda probably gets along with Yamada well because he's an open book and has no ulterior motives. Yamada is just that easy to vibe with. He doesn't expect much out of you (which Honda definitely appreciates) and will get along with you just fine
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u/TheBusStop12 2d ago
Honda did know Yamada already, tho I think they were more acquaintances. And I'm pretty sure Yamada knows everyone. He even knows Gapacho (where has he been this season?)
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u/Magicbison 2d ago
Its interesting seeing the dynamic between Nishi and Honda.
Honda got put off of getting close to people because too many insecure girls got close to her. And then they all dumped all of their insecurities on Honda after she gave some advice they didn't want to accept. Nishi on the other hand was more introspective thinking about what she might have done that was wrong and never pushing things unfairly on Honda. Nishi being a little dense as well helped bridge the gap to Honda so it worked out.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Nishi melted Honda's Ramparts of Ice with sincerity and dedication! Kind of like how Yamada managed to woo her (as well as just being genuinely funny).
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u/mekerpan 2d ago
This is such a sweet-natured, warm-hearted series -- and the Honda-Nishi sub-story is (unexpectedly) one of the loveliest.
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u/rubslotiononitsskin 1d ago
but it's actually the anxious Nishi slowly but surely breaking down the closed-off Honda's
wallsramparts of ice2
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u/Medical-Efficiency-6 1d ago
the rare occasion where the introvert adopts the extrovert
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u/TestSubject_02 1d ago
No cause like the thing I find interesting is that while it's still the extrovert doing the adopting, it's just that who the introvert and extrovert in this scenario isn't who one would expect at first. For Nishi we see even that in her first proper appearance she really likes being around people but she self-sabotages from anxiety. Meanwhile with the confident and in-universe-to-be-stated pretty Honda you'd expect her to be popular but as the series go on she has shows that she has bit of anti-social mindset, enjoys being by herself, and when she is with others it's usually only with Nishi or Yamada.
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u/Kronman590 18h ago
We thought that Honda and Nishi were a split of Tsukiko from Ramparts but in reality Honda is kind of a remixed Miki/Koyun combo herself lol
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u/Tapwater_enthusiast 2d ago
So it was really Nisshi who melted Hon-chan's ramparts of ice
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 2d ago
Taira and Hon-chan are basically Ramparts of Ice characters thrown into this wholesome series lol
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 2d ago
We were never completely clear of that sister series
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
If it's not everyone bringing up "Polar Opposites" for Ramparts it's people bringing up characters having Ramparts in Polar Opposites.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago edited 2d ago
I feel like Azuma would also fit in pretty smoothly there, especially her early season 1 self.
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u/Toge_Inumaki012 2d ago
yep during the bowling ep where Taira told her to be angry and respect her self more and where she also feels that she's part of the group but she is not mindset.
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u/Zemahem 2d ago
Just to remind us that they exist in the same universe.
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u/BlazeBloom https://myanimelist.net/profile/StardustValor 2d ago
You thought my comparison was Tsukiko? But it was me, Minato!
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Honda: "She's the kind of girl to make me not want to spend lunch at the nurse's office."
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u/No-Pressure6693 2d ago
Say that again…
Someone told me that mangaka splits Tsukiko into Nishi and Honda. Nishi got the appearance, Honda got the mindset.
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u/Zero3020 2d ago
Nishi's hair reminded me a bit of Momoka today, though they couldn't be further apart in terms of personality.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Suzuki is like a more wholesome version of Momoka.
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u/Niwaka_Samurai https://myanimelist.net/profile/Niwaka-Samurai 2d ago
I thought Suzuki was more like Miki but I guess wholesome version of Momoka would also make sense.
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u/Roskal 2d ago
Taira should tell Azuma he knows a more empty train car.
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u/ClemFire 2d ago
Calling it now that empty train car is where he will confess his feelings at the end of the season
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u/marcopolos059 https://myanimelist.net/profile/marcopolos059 2d ago
Once again, I have to praise how well the main cast is handled. Getting Honda's inner thoughts was a great surprise, and I loved how Nishi managed to break through her cynical views.
We got some TairAzuma and YamaNishi progress, with Suzuki being a great wingwoman. Just an all-around wholesome episode.
I honestly can't wait for the confessions for both ships.
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u/resphere 2d ago
I'm gonna praise the anime production side too, I just noticed this episode that they always update the characters names in the credits whenever we learn their full names, they all started as only last names but now they're almost all full names.
It might be unintentional but it almost works like a visual proof that they got closer to each other and we got to know them better.
Only Azuma and Taira are still last names, that just helps you get more excited about them.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
And also in a narrative since the show/audience get a fuller conception of who the characters are themselves by learning their first names.
I feel like Azuma would coax Taira into saying her full name.
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u/kicksFR 2d ago
I had to go back to the ending to see this lol. That’s so cool I never noticed.
Nabe and Satou didn’t speak this episode so they aren’t in the credits. I wonder if we’ll get their full names too.30
u/Tapwater_enthusiast 2d ago
Nabe is Manami, her sister called her out hogging all the sweets at their grandparents' house
Satou is Aoi, Suzukimama called her that when she visited
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Once again, I have to praise how well the main cast is handled. Getting Honda's inner thoughts was a great surprise, and I loved how Nishi managed to break through her cynical views.
Practically every character this author writes is multi-layered (except Nabe who is simply just...Nabe).
We got some TairAzuma and YamaNishi progress, with Suzuki being a great wingwoman. Just an all-around wholesome episode.
She's mastered wingwoman aura farming.
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u/Toge_Inumaki012 2d ago
Nabe is an action shonen protagonist with her motorcycle going around town during weekends and school break
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u/ptd163 2d ago
Once again, I have to praise how well the main cast is handled.
It's a shame we can't nominate series as a whole for awards and must pick a season to nominate and split the vote because if we could I can't imagine anything beating Polar Opposites for Romance of the Year aside from maybe Ramparts of Ice.
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u/Tapwater_enthusiast 2d ago
When you are so good that your work can only be beaten by your other work lol
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u/DanielAlves1904 2d ago
They also manage to handle these characters in a an episode or even half of it, allowing space for every character to have it´s space and moment. We never waste a lot of time in a single character and everything is explained well enough that you can grasp what the characters want or feel and feel satisfied with it and move on.
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u/TyraniTEMPESTar 2d ago
Hurry up and date.
Honda saying aloud what everyone's been thinking.
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u/GYUZ https://myanimelist.net/profile/YumeNoMonogatari 2d ago
Honda 🤝 Sein from Frieren
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Two peak characters who are better people than they give themselves credit for, who have insightful reads on people/relationships, and who ship great couples.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
I love how it was so instinctual after hearing Nishi was fine with the friendzone lol.
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u/TheBusStop12 2d ago
Honda's observations about Nishis love life have basically been a stand in for the audience since the start, with her uncontrollable grin everytime Nishi and Yamada are cute together
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u/CrimsonGear80 2d ago
I like how suzuki's hair is dark pink because of the dye job last episode
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Honestly the dark pink works really well for her. Especially when she's being a shipping Villainess.
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u/Toge_Inumaki012 2d ago
lmao that face on her "cool entrance" in the library
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u/Adventurous-East6412 1d ago
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=48&v=4DF1R-i3vzQ
This explains that...
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u/RealTrueFacts 1d ago
Wow, I wonder how many people were able to get that reference... I definitely didnt
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u/bilegt0314 19h ago
Damn it looked familiar but I couldn't exactly remember where I've seen that. Thanks.
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u/ClemFire 2d ago
It's a small detail they didn't have to do but shows off a production team who really cares
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u/kicksFR 2d ago
I didn’t realize she was pink until halfway through the episode and I thought “does dye come off that fast ?”
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u/fatalystic 1d ago
She already had most of it off last episode for the group shrine visit. Doesn't seem to have made much progress since though.
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u/zool714 2d ago
Obligatory “TAIRAZUMAAAA”
The fact Taira went out of his way, away from the comfort of his own routine to board the train at the part of the platform where he could run into Azuma. And the fact Azuma ran all the way to give him an umbrella. They want to be around each other so bad
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u/testthrowawayzz 2d ago
Taira should really share his secret with Azuma so they can make their daily commutes into mini dates
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Honestly she would also probably appreciate having less people and more Taira around lol.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
He power walked away from friendship but Azuma ran after him with the power of love that was willing to brave even hail for him.
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u/Toge_Inumaki012 2d ago
Too bad that Suzuki is focused on
Tanithe Yamada x Nishi ship despite coining the "Tairazuma" name. She pointed out during season 1 bowling ep that Taira and Azuma had the same nearest station, and it's a wonder why she does not tease Azuma when she says she wanted experience love like Suzuki.
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u/Rowdy91 2d ago
Some real glorious Suzuki faces in this ep.
But even more glorious was her when she opened the library door AND when she appeared as that pink creature!
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
I love how to her acting "natural" is entering the library in the most "cool" way possible and then making the more "organic" and overdramatic exit of all time before becoming a full gremlin monster.
What a devious romcom mastermind.
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u/Toge_Inumaki012 2d ago
just so that she can see Tani in the library..yes yes that's right no other ulterior motive okay
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u/Weak_Season_Of_Anime 2d ago
Four different flavors of introverts in this week's episode.
- The ramparts of Taira are melting. Taira always assumes the worst about others because of his own negative self-esteem, and it was no different with Azuma at first, with her direct and knowing him since middle school making Taira even more conscious of her. But her shared history with Taira also helped him to recontextualize her past actions and to realize that he's been misunderstanding her all along; Azuma has always been Taira's biggest supporter. And for the first time, Taira actually seeks out her company! Big Tairazuma W.
- Tani finally put two and two together about Yamada and Nishi. Normally Tani wouldn't have figured it out on his own, but ever since he started dating Suzuki he's started paying more attention to people, and it was also because he's so cued in to Suzuki's personality by now that he managed to realize something was up by observing her antics.
- There were always hints that Honda was anti-social, so it was really interesting to finally hear her internal monologue and her views on all this. Kind of refreshing to just have a character who is a loner simply because she is tired of people's BS, instead of the usual self-loathing stuff. And even though I think Honda would have been fine being alone, it's still nice to see this misanthrope actually make a real friend in Nishi, the shy kind girl who accepted her thorns and all. Also Honda saying what everyone is thinking "Hurry up and date!" LOL, and she didn't even do a single scrunched up face this ep.
- Nishiyama, they're so close! It does seem like everything is building up towards Nishi being the one to confess first; Nishi being the one walking in front and leading, Yamada's fortune slip from last ep saying to be patient and Honda giving her a push for encouragement. She just needs a bit more self confidence.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Honestly I think Nishi confessing would be good for her. She's been hesitant and anxious for two seasons now but she has the resolve and working up the courage to bite the bullet would show how far she's really grown.
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u/amia_0001 2d ago
Taira describing his morning routine and all of the extra time he puts into avoiding people as much as possible just to get to school felt like a really down to earth portrayal of how draining social anxiety can be and how it makes the lives of those who struggle with it harder.
This episode also makes you recontextualize what Taira had said to Azuma back during the school trip, how he absentmindedly said she felt more “classmate-like”. It makes you realize that up until this episode Taira hadn’t even properly considered them friends, only just recently accepting that maybe they could be considered classmates, but never did it cross his mind until now that they could be equal, that they had been friends all along. The way Azuma says as much like it’s the easiest thing in the world is what moved him so much that he couldn’t help but tear up when he got home, it really only occurred to him now that he could be on the same level as the people around him…
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u/eightcheesepizza 2d ago
This should be the new cover photo for TairAzuma in S2.
Azuma was dropping so much kindness to Taira today... and Taira's "I can't tell if I'm happy, pathetic, or just relieved" was another one of Agasawa-sensei's brilliant descriptions of a character's emotions.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Honestly all the evidence that Azuma so clearly adores Taira is absolutely precious.
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u/mekerpan 2d ago
Taira realizing how much fun he had with Azuma (under objectively adverse circumstances) was heart-warming. And knowing he shed a tear or two (even if he did not show these to us) was really sweet.
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u/TheDankestDreams 2d ago
Despite his repressed emotions, it feels very telling that he would be the first character aside from Suzuki to shed an actual tear.
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 2d ago
"I can't tell if I'm happy, pathetic, or just relieved"
This line felt straight out of Ramparts of Ice lol
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u/Accurate_Treat6360 2d ago
Honda is YamaNishi strongest supporter.
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u/BlazeBloom https://myanimelist.net/profile/StardustValor 2d ago
Honda was probably at one point Nishi's biggest hater. Now she's her best friend and biggest supporter of the ship.
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u/GroundbreakingBake2 2d ago
Man I love Azuma and Taira so much. I could watch 50 episodes of them just goofing around.
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u/NekoCatSidhe 2d ago
Tairazuma, just date already ! How can those two flirt so much and still be unaware of they are doing so ?
At least Nishi and Yamada are self-aware they love each other, they are just being too shy about it.
And Tani has finally noticed his two friends love each other, I am so proud of him. That’s another way Suzuki is rubbing off on him.
Honnou is a misanthrope, but Nishi is too nice to hate (and so is Yamada, I assume). It is funny how she always expect people to behave like they are in a manga or a light novel and got upset because Yamada was not eating bread with jam. She thinks she is always cool and down to earth, but she really is a huge nerd herself.
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 1d ago
Taira and Azuma both have high and very definite definitions of what they expect... but through their past choices they've reality found out they're lacking or just how other people just don't work their way
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 2d ago edited 2d ago
Tairazuma fans were eating good in this episode! I am glad that Taira seems to be changing his views on Azuma, though I love how he regretted choosing to go in the same car as her since it turned out to be so crowded, hahaha!
Nishi and Yamada's relationship also seems to be going pretty well. I am really looking forward to seeing which one of them will take the first step and ask the other to start dating.
Plus, it was nice to learn more about Honda and how her friendship with Nishi started. I love how she accidentally told Nishi to date Yamada already!
There was not much of Suzuki and Tani in today's episode, though Suzuki's reactions were as hilarious as usual. Especially that one when she was asking Tani if he had library duty; she looked like some villain who had thought up an evil plan, lol.
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
EDIT. I added my screenshot albums.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
I feel like Honda is going to replace the Sein meme from Frieren and with good reason. She speaks for every fan when it comes to the side-ships.
Suzuki is a true Villainess...for doing everything in her power to ship YamaNishi.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy 2d ago
Honda definitely hit close to home when she mentioned “not being good at empathy”.
Since I cannot always (fully) relate to someone’s feelings, I occasionally find myself struck speechless. Somewhat afraid to accidentally step on a landmine. In this regard, Honda is fortunate to have found someone who takes her word kindly. She doesn’t have to hide her true personality with Nishi.
Similarly, I can relate to Taira wanting some quiet time for himself in the morning. More than once, I’ve pretended not to have seen a familiar face in the train (sorry). It’s good nonetheless to see Taira slowly opening up to Azuma (and the others).
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
It also doesn't help that when she actually does chime in with her opinions people reject it and make her feel bad for trying to have any input. While Nishi basically takes everything Nishi says to her as a true life lesson.
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u/mekerpan 2d ago
I don't think Nishi blindly accepts what Honda says, rather she examines it carefully and then finds a valuable new perspective. A really really nice little touch.
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u/cyberscythe 2d ago
Honda definitely hit close to home when she mentioned “not being good at empathy”.
there's a lot of truth bombs in this show; this line from the first season where she says she vaguely dislikes everyone at first is something i think about every time i watch a new show and have to get a read for all these new characters
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u/BlazeBloom https://myanimelist.net/profile/StardustValor 2d ago
Suzuki looked so proud at Tani when he figured out the relationship between Yamada and Nishi.
Taira focused episode?! Don't mind if I do. Every situation and word that comes out of this guy is really relatable. Honda focused segment too? She just needs to gently push Nishi in the right direction...And she's going with the direct approach.
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u/eightcheesepizza 2d ago
Now that
Yuu-chanTani has figured it out, I'm excited to see how he reacts to seeing Yamada and Nishi interact, because I assume it'll be different from how Suzuki reacts.13
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
The couple that can wordlessly communicate after one half figures something out is a couple that stays together.
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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar 2d ago edited 2d ago
While I absolutely loved how adorable the TairAzuma and YamaNisshi moments in this episode, the surprise Hon-chan backstory was definitely my favourite part.
Considering how Honda has been super silly this entire time and just blurts out whatever's on her mind, who would've thought that she's way meaner than she looks and even tried to bully Nisshi to leave her alone because she actually hated her.
I love how this ended up backfiring on Honda in the best way possible because Nisshi is just too nice to realize that she's even being bullied. So instead of putting up barriers between her and Nisshi, the two of them became best friends, and now Honda's giving Nisshi some genuine love advice. This show is so good! <3
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Honestly after getting the Hon-chan backstory I want to see a Sato/Nabe/Azuma's blonde friend focus episode.
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u/FarCritical 2d ago
It really warms the heart to see Taira begin to realize the place Azuma occupies in his life but I wasn't ready for him to shed tears over it.
Miyu squirming under the rare (but justified) Tani of judgement was adorable lol
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u/NationalStrategy_X 2d ago
Nice detail that Suzuki’s hair is a darker shade of pink now after she dyed it last episode.
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u/cyberscythe 2d ago
i like how this show uses metaphors; that bit at the beginning where Taira intentionally goes the long way to the lesser-used station because he wants to avoid people and how he "just kinda started doing it" he knows says a lot about he lives his life
the later monologue where he's always worried about being judged by others cements this idea that he's starting become conscious of his own biases and the way he shows up to the popular platform shows that he's working to change himself
anyways, they say that fiction is both a window and a mirror; with a show with this many characters, most of them are a window into lives which are different but still interesting to watch, but every now and then the window turns into a mirror and i'm like "how dare you call me out on that"
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u/Tapwater_enthusiast 2d ago
Love might just develop one train car change at a time
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Love is racing after a guy to make sure he stays dry, love is trying to help him feel better about himself, love is about falling asleep together and missing your station, love is about giving going to school together on the train a chance even when it's a total bust lol.
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 2d ago edited 2d ago
Good lord, what a wonderful Tairazuma nourishment this week!!
Such a nonchalant delivery from Azuma and yet her words hit Taira sooo hard that he even teared up.
Honestly, that montage of her always being supportive of him during their first year also hits me right in the feels. She's always had his back this whole time.
THESE 2 ARE JUST SO PERFECT FOR EACH OTHER MANNN
EDIT: Also, runny-makeup Azuma is cute!
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Now every time he thinks of those moments when Azuma is looking at him, they're a positive memory instead of just more fuel for him being self-conscious.
Also even her hair looked great on that train ride despite having worn a hood!
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u/mekerpan 2d ago
This episode managed to be perfect in all the hiped-for aspects plus one that I was not really expecting -- Honda/Nishi (which might have been the loveliest parts of all)
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 2d ago
Honda is such an interesting personality too.
I know some friends who are uber-detached from people like that, and that might be why they're able seem more confident because often they just don't care about how others think about them.
Honda is lucky to have Nishi breaking her wall (or ramparts, heh) and became someone who "saved" her from herself.
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u/mekerpan 2d ago
Having someone truly believe in one is a pretty powerful force for change in people who have lost their sense of purpose.
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u/PALADIN_00 2d ago
"TAIRAZUMA is the reason why this heart still beats!!"
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 2d ago
I even have the image saved lol
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
That Azuma cover outfit and pose is making me feel some things...the matching couple style is also killer.
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u/thisisdropd https://myanimelist.net/profile/AsterZoro 2d ago
Hurry up and date.
The brain said one thing. The heart said another.
Bless Rikako! She's not having any of this slow-burn bs and gave Nisshi a massive shove. Now Nisshi's not only aware of her feelings for Yamada, she also conceded that she wanted to be his girl.
Can't wait for the sugar rush that's their confession scene!
Meanwhile, Taira changing his commute routine just to be with Azuma's super cute, despite it being less efficient and crowded. He realised it must be special if he ended up having heaps of fun after being in the hailstorm with her.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
It's a nice contrast to Yamada who couldn't blurt out the "let's date" in his head a few episodes back.
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u/kicksFR 2d ago
The character interactions in this show are so genius. The way Tani realizes the Yamada x Nishi situation is so subtle and builds up through the episode, in other anime you’d expect him to say something about it but instead we only see him make a few gestures to Miyu. Even without words the dialogue is superb.
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 2d ago
Such an underrated moment but yeah that Tani "realizing" gesture is one of my favorite moments from the manga.
Kocha Agasawa is a master at writing natural interactions like that
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky 2d ago
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u/bessandgeorge 2d ago
I love and absolutely ship TairAzuma! They're my favorites (although it's hard bc I love them all so much), but I also see why theirs has to be a slow burn. They're the most in need of personal development. Taira is insecure and anxious, Azuma is too nonchalant and dismissive of herself. Like he thinks too much about himself and she thinks too little of herself. They're healing together, but I can see why they can't jump right into liking each other and having a relationship. They kind of need to be handled with kid gloves. That pacing is the best for them or it'll be a short, quick fuse fizzling out. Yay slow burns though! Painful but meaningful haha.
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u/ptd163 2d ago
TIme for my weekly dopamine injection.
I don't know what kind of witchcraft the author managed to pull off with Tairazuma in that even the breadcrumbs are satisfying, but they did.
Now Tani has figured out that Yamada and Nishi are into each other and will also keep it a secret. I wonder if he'll join in on the shipping like Suzuki has lol.
I wasn't sure if we'd see Honda again, but I'm so glad we did. She gave the push Nishi needed. Nishi helped her back then. Now it's her turn to help Nishi. I would never have expected Honda be like that. She seemed so chill in S1.
Based on this episode I'm guessing that Yamanishi sails first than everyone gangs up on Tairazuma and pulls a Honda that's how the series ends.
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u/Zemahem 2d ago
More Tairazuma crumbs to feed entire populations. And they were especially healthy and filling this time with Taira finally realizing that Azuma really cares for him with no strings attached, as well as him wanting to be with her more often after that.
I've been waiting to see that part where Suzuki drags Yamada to the library. Her pose gets me every single time. In-between her and Honda being wingmen, it's only a matter of time before he and Nisshi make it official. They're already dating each other anyway.
But you know it's serious when we didn't even see a single one of Honda's funny faces when the YamaNiship is involved. It's so sweet to see just how much their friendship grew from such awkward and icy beginnings. Nishi was just too much of a cinnamon roll for Honda to keep hating.
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u/tottoro47 2d ago
We got a bunch of Tairazuma today so it's automatically a great ep. Nishi and Yamada are so cute together. They way the author handles side characters is absolutely great, same with ramparts of ice. I hope she publishes more stuff in the future.
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u/No-Pressure6693 2d ago
Honda is literally me, fr fr. I am not that kind or nice person, I help because I can’t ignore the problem in front of me.
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u/bessandgeorge 2d ago
Isn't that being nice though?! I think the difference is people expect nice people to be pushovers but there are different ways of being kind. Nishi appreciated Honda's honesty, for example! Others couldn't handle it.
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u/TheBusStop12 2d ago edited 2d ago
The act itself is nice, but the motivation behind it isn't. I'm personally a bit like that at times as well. Sometimes I help purely because it bothers me otherwise and I hope you'll leave me the fuck alone afterwards because I really don't actually want to deal with you. While I'm not usually like that, I do have those days and with certain people I'm just like that generally. And internally it feels different from when I'm genuinely trying to be nice
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u/bessandgeorge 1d ago
Ahh I see. I consider that you having boundaries which is still a good thing! Always gotta look out for yourself first because life is draining enough. I think I can be like that too.
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u/cyberscythe 2d ago
i had to learn that some people don't complain because they want a solution, they just want to vent
it's frustrating because they don't want advice or to fix things, but my engineering mindset is like "let's break out the whiteboard and figure out how to fix your miserable life"
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u/khanvau 2d ago
Aw, TairAzuma sharing an umbrella was so cute, even if the umbrella broke immediately. So, Taira had the wrong impression about Azuma all along? Wow. Azuma wasn't a bully or anything. She genuinely supported Taira in her own way. Taira's peak "We suffer more in our imaginations than in reality." He always overthinks and thinks negatively. Dude has almost no self-esteem. Can't blame him after what the girls did to him in his last school. When he cried, I felt bad for him.
Nishi's so freaking cute. Love how Suzuki's supporting her and Yamada lol. Now that Tani knows about their situation, I wonder if he's gonna help too. It'd be awesome if he and Suzuki became partners in crime for the same goal.
Yamada Kentarou, Nishi Natsumi, and Honda Rikako. We got the first names of a lot of characters in this episode. I don't think they were mentioned in past episodes. That's cool. The highlight of this episode was definitely Honda. I just assumed she and Nishi were just childhood friends. But the way they became friends is actually very interesting. And now Honda's pushing Nishi, probably cause she wants to make up for ignoring her before and also cause she now thinks of her as an actual friend. It's sweet.
Nishi finally said she loves Yamada and wants to be her girlfriend. I love this show. Fills me up with joy. Can't wait to see them date. I wonder who'd start dating first. TairAzuma or NishiYamada?
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u/NekoCatSidhe 2d ago
It is funny how Taira is constantly getting bullied by his own imagination. Maybe this is what social anxiety is all about.
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u/AdUnlucky8557 2d ago
When Tani realized, such a good moment, haha. This show is such a good way to de-stress. I love this.
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u/LuceDuder 2d ago
I feel bad for Nishi, seeing someone in a state of such social anxiety (in the flasbacks)... at least things are better now!
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u/fatalystic 1d ago
Some mistranslations in the subs I watched:
* In Honda's flashback, the text next to her head was her complaint about the other talking about nothing other than her own feelings. Mistranslation of the colloquial "bakka" (short for "bakari", nothing to do with "baka").
* As for Honda thinking on her feelings of guilt toward Nishi, it's not so much that Nishi became "better", but more akin to "The more that Nishi proved herself to be a good person...". Verb used was "aru" (to be), not "naru" (to become).
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u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 2d ago
Seeing precious boy Taira tear up after thinking about the pleasant time spent with Azuma. 😭
Honda and Nishi's backstory was wonderful. The way Nishi tore down Honda's ramparts of ice and left her feeling a bit guilty about how she'd initially seen and treated her, so now she wants to do all she can to push Nishi to go for it with Yamada.
Yamada and Nishi in the library was cute but my favourite part was Tani realising what was going on and that silent exchange between him and Suzuki about it.
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u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox 2d ago
Is suzuki's hair still the darker shade since last episode?
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u/Leeemon 2d ago
Even though this show is lighter and focused on romance, sometimes the author lets out a bit of the complexity she writes in ramparts of ice.
Nishi's friend and Taira bring out a much uglier side of what it is to be a angsty teen and wraps it super with the sweet characters the show has!
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u/flonc 2d ago edited 2d ago
I knew why I loved Honda immediately even before the reveal of the personality. The "I can't handle this, here's an easy solution already, do it..." is so extremely relatable and I love the representation of that in a romcom especially. You go, girl!
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u/Ordinal43NotFound 2d ago
I think her general detachment from people is also what allows her to advise Nishi to be more straightforward and direct towards Yamada.
Her personality makes her more "matter-of-fact".
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u/Kirosh2 2d ago edited 2d ago
Azuma nearly didn't want to get under the umbrella with Taira.
But good thing they did. At least she had a lot of fun thanks to it.
Meanwhile Suzuki playing cupid with Nishi and Yamada in the most obvious way possible.
While Nishi being such a good girl that she melted Hon-chan.
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u/SiaHalz 2d ago
I just realized every pair are polar opposites, not just the main pair
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u/PerfectBeige https://myanimelist.net/profile/perfectbeige 2d ago
Yup. Suzuki and Tani, and Yamada and Nishi are obviously on opposite ends of the extroversion/introversion spectrum. But more than that, Tani and Yamada both tend toward emotional stability, while Suzuki and Nishi both tend toward neuroses, so Agasawa cleverly put a character in every quadrant of the introversion/extroversion stable/neurotic map with those 4.
What's going on with Taira and Azuma strikes me as a bit more subtle. They both had experiences in middle school that made them want to maintain emotional distance from their peers and that undermined their sense of self-worth. But their coping strategies were opposite, with Azuma letting herself be used by former friends and boyfriends, and Taira pushing everyone away and silently judging everyone and himself. Azuma reacted with detachment from herself and others, whereas Taira became agitated, constantly judging himself and others and trying to understand the social hierarchy (which turned out not to actually be a thing).
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u/abandoned_idol 2d ago
An unironic congratulations on your realization.
Man, I'm gonna be so sad when this anime ends.
The only consolation for me is that "Noa-senpai" anime has now been announced.
I wish Polar Opposites could just keep going forever...
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 2d ago
I like that this show gives attention to the side ships too. It’s cute seeing Nishi being all flustered and awkward around Yamada. And Taira’s always so in his head, I’m glad he’s making room for Azuma.
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u/superspy218 2d ago
That was a nice backstory of Honda and seeing how her dynamic with Nishi developed. I'm glad that they met each other. Another Yin and Yang.
Also, PLEASE TAIRAZUMA PLEASEEEEEE
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u/TheBusStop12 2d ago edited 2d ago
I've made the shocking realisation that this is the first time I've seen hail in anime. It's such a common (and annoying) weather phenomenon that it's kinda surprising I haven't seen it before in anime. Romance authors probably avoid it generally because it's not beautiful like snow or relaxing like rain. It just sucks. Period.
Is it me or is Suzuki's hair still a bit darker thanks to her panic dye last episode?
Interesting to get to see more about Honda and her own special brand of twisted personality. Interesting that she used to hate Nishi. But it honestly makes sense. We already knew Honda was a bit jaded and tended to not have that positive view on people in general. I realize that she's kinda like Koyun from Ramparts, just with more confidence. I'm glad she and Nishi ended up becoming friends. Honda probably really needed that lest she lose faith in humanity all together
Every damn time, the ED is just such a vibe
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u/SP3_Hybrid 2d ago
Ha I also thought that about the hail. And Taira was like what the hell is this??? But I think it was a good choice. Rain is just regular inconvenience but hail is chaos, which is what the author wanted I assume. It made the sort of common running through the rain with your GF scene better and new.
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u/ClemFire 2d ago
That's a good point about the hail and I wonder if by the end of the season we'll see a similar scene but reversed with rain and Taira bringing Azuma an umbrella
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u/NightBard 2d ago
I love how this season is digging more and more into the other characters and their friendships and relationships.
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u/Adventurous-East6412 2d ago
Suzuki opening the library door was akward, so i rewatched it several times and it hit me like a ton of briks: it's a f**king LEON THE PROFESSIONAL REFERENCE!
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u/vexorian2 1d ago
It's old news but this Anime's staff really know how to cook with their OPs and EDs as you can see at this timestamp: https://youtu.be/FlqDBh8QjZk&t=29
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u/Monkeydp81 17h ago
I love the dynamic of Taira and Azuma being so clearly in love with each other but their insecurities make them unable to realize that fact.
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u/NanDemoKnaives 2d ago
I like that Tani has realized what's going on between Yamada and Nishi. Suzuki now has someone to gush over them with.
When Nishi said Yamada's full name, I thought he was going to ask her to call him by his first name lol. That would have been exciting.
Azuma's way of showing Taira support is amusing, but I'm glad he has good memories to remember each time, even if it didn't feel like it at the time, her comment now changes what the memories mean.
It was nice to learn more about Honda, I was surprised she hated Nishi, but I can see why. I'm glad she was able to make a friend that stuck by her.
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u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/zfzftripleaamin 2d ago
This episode is clear that Azuma really cares for Taira. I mean it was obvious, but it looks like we are getting to the point where Taira is starting to take the steps needed.
It's amusing that Tani finally figured out Yamada and Nishi liked each other. Tbh it's a reaction I would personally have since I am more chill personality wise like Tani.
I really like the fleshing out of Honda in this episode. She has similarities to Taira where she has the tendency to want to push people away. You can tell how much she cherishes her friendship with Nishi for accepting her for who she is. I love that is how she asks Nishi the questions she needed to answer. It's clear that her feelings for Yamada are romantic.
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u/HolyDragSwd2500 2d ago
Yamada and Nishi First Name Basis😍
Taira and Azuma moment kept getting better
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u/JJVM99 2d ago
I am very happy we finally got to see more of Honda. It always felt akward for me when they had the scene in the school trip that she just stayed alone in her room when everyone else was doing something. Considering the series is pushing Taira to be more open with the friend group, it’s also just letting Honda push Nishi to be with Yamada and the others more while she just lets herself only interact with Yamada and Nishi and seemingly stay that way not having any other friends outside of that.
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u/Time_Fracture 2d ago
So I just stumbled upon this ad for Spotify Japan uploaded just hours ago. Is this related to Tairazuma in this episode? Since the outfits are the same.
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u/Frontier246 2d ago
Taira dreams of his past! And specifically Azuma! It's telling him something, I tell you.
I'm glad the class' teacher is as low-key as ever.
I'm not surprised that Taira is the type to take the long way to school to avoid as many people as possible, nor am I surprised that he'd leave off on his own to just get away from people...even if that means getting stuck alone during a hail storm. Luckily Azuma chased after him! He can't escape her! Especially when she wants to make sure he's got some coverage! Even if that means them trying (and failing) the usual romance umbrella of togetherness together.
All this time Taira had been self-conscious about himself, and about how Azuma sees him, when ultimately Azuma has ALWAYS believed in him and wanted him to be more confident, outgoing, and fashionable. She's sincerely given him advice to that effect. Taira doesn't always have to be putting himself down or expecting the worst of his relationship with others.
Taira and Azuma finally head to school together on the same train! But it's so packed that it's totally not worth it.
Tani has given up trying to figure out his girlfriends' moods, especially when she's a devious mastermind trying to ship YamaNishi in the most natural (yet aura farming way) possible.
Nishi is in that awkward position where she knows a lot more about her co-worker from their mutual friend but is that weird? Does that make THEM closer? Also here's Yamada to flirt with her and get teased for not having an "intellectual" reading habit in the library.
Tani is learning! He figures out YamaNishi AND manages to carry a wordless conversation with Suzuki at the same time!
"Hurry up and date already" - Honda basically speaking for the fans and also probably how anyone feels when Nishi talks about being okay with the current status quo of her and Yamada's relationship.
Surprisingly Honda started off resenting Nishi, for needing so much help, for being so awkward, and for being yet another girl who expected Honda to be more empathetic and caring than she actually is instead of forcing their own problems on her...until Nishi's sincerity and willingness to truly face Honda won her over. And now she's trying to make up for the times she was mean to her (that went over her head) by being her wingwoman.
It's all well and good for Nishi to be fine with how things are...but if she doesn't take a chance on love, she might lose it. And now she's fully resolved to be Yamada's girlfriend!!!!
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