MANGA REVIEW | "You and I Are Polar Opposites" - Volume Four
Field trip arcs are normally a big thing in manga rom-coms. It’s a situation that places two characters outside of their normal surroundings, getting to know one another whilst the rest of the school mindlessly wanders from tourist spot to tourist spot. When done well, these arcs can be the point of breaking in the foundation for a couple’s relationship. However, as You and I Are Polar Opposites shows in its fourth volume, doing it badly can cause a disinterest in just about everything it tries to offer.
The school trip to Kyoto takes up most of the time in this volume, as the students prep, attend, and return from the trip. At first, the narrative starts out well, with a story involving Azuma and her place in Miyu’s friend circle. She has a hard time figuring out where she fits, to the point where she fears that there’s actually no spot for herself. Fortunately, it takes an impromptu outing with Watanabe and Sato to reassure Azuma that there’s always a place for her.
There’s also another in-the-making couple of Nishi and Yamada, who are both too shy to make a move. It becomes so awkward that Honda leaves the room so they can have some sort of alone time. Is progress made? Not yet, but it does lead to some very cute moments of them squirming in their chairs as they try to figure out what to talk about!
That’s when You and I Are Polar Opposites goes right into the field trip. This is where I wish I could say the meat of the volume is found here. Alas, throughout three of its four chapters, it feels like nothing is happening. Only in a moment where Yamada asks Nishi out properly does something of remote interest occur. Other than that, it’s just random field trip shenanigans that would make some folks fall asleep reading it.
However, when the students go to USJ, there are bright moments in store between Miyu and Yusuke. The two have a fun time together at the park, wearing animal hats, eating food, and genuinely getting closer to one another. There’s even a moment where Yusuke — the more reclusive of the two — actually goes in for the hand-holding. It’s cute, it progresses the story, and I wish more moments like this were featured in this field trip arc.
Where You and I Are Polar Opposites has fun though is on a legit date night. Two couples — Miyu & Yusuke and Nishi & Yamada — have a day planned out. What they didn’t count on is both of them going to the exact same places. Split into two chapters, we see the same day from the two couples’ perspectives. There are some sweet moments, some laughable situations, and a good amount of progress made between both couples.
Volume Four of You and I Are Polar Opposites has some good moments. Sadly, it takes soldiering through a subpar field trip arc to get to them. Thankfully, some relationship progress is made, which is something loads of manga rom-coms really drag their feet on. Hopefully, we can see more of that next time around, albeit in a volume with far more interesting stories to tell.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
