Some of the best romance anime of the decade came out last year, namely The Fragrant Flower Blooms with Dignity, May I Ask for One Final Thing?, and Kowloon Generic Romance. And now, among the sea of up-and-coming romance series, a well-loved fluffy romance manga-turned-anime is shaping up to become the next big thing.
You and I Are Polar Opposites is a high school romcom about a bubbly gyaru Miyu Suzuki, who’s in love with her classmate and polar opposite, Yuusuke Tani. It was originally published as a one-shot by Kocha Asagawa on the Shonen Jump Plus website in January 2021, but it began serialization on the same website in May 2022.
The premiere of You and I Are Polar Opposites promises us both the rom and the com, with a fast relationship progression. Our main leads, Suzuki and Tani, both shattered our first impressions of them by acting on their feelings without taking them plenty of episodes, or worse, the whole season. It has become a normal thing, so the exciting part now is how they will navigate their relationship from here.
You and I Are Polar Opposites is not entirely a slow burn, but the romantic tension during the early stages of love is there, and it effectively overwhelms both our stomachs and screens. The animation and sound design are also perfectly crafted, enhancing the scenes that are nakakakilig and the overall experience. From here on, it’s going to be pure fluff and comedy. The better part is we’re getting side couples who are even more interesting.
Takakazu Nagotomo directs You and I Are Polar Opposites at Lapin Track (Undead Girl Murder Face, Shoushimin: How to Become Ordinary), with series composition by Teruko Utsumi and sound direction by Eriko Kimura (Ping Pong the Animation, Look Back, The Tatami Galaxy).
The You and I Are Polar Opposites manga ended in November 2024 and won numerous manga awards. Asagawa’s debut manga, The Ramparts of Ice, has also been adapted into anime and will start broadcasting on April 2 this year.
You and I Are Polar Opposites is currently airing on Crunchyroll.
