[0:00] Most of the time, I talk about shows
[0:02] after they've finished airing. I prefer
[0:05] to do analysis like I do in my longer
[0:07] videos once I have the full picture of
[0:09] where the season is going. But today,
[0:12] I'm making an exception in a big way.
[0:15] You and I are polar opposites was a show
[0:17] I had on my radar for a while before the
[0:20] first episode aired this last weekend.
[0:22] It looked like a fun little romance with
[0:25] a vibrant style, but in just one
[0:27] episode, it has already proved it is
[0:30] worth much closer attention than some
[0:32] run-of-the-mill high school romance
[0:33] anime. Let me briefly tell you why. You
[0:37] can immediately tell that this project
[0:39] is a labor of love. It's not just that
[0:42] the show looks great or that the voice
[0:44] acting is awesome or that the story is
[0:47] compelling. There's another level to it
[0:50] all, a commitment to cranking the dial
[0:52] to 10 on every bit the show throws at
[0:54] you in its 24-minute runtime. The peaks
[0:57] and the valleys are as high and as low
[1:00] as you can imagine without making
[1:01] everything feel disjointed. There's
[1:04] always a fear that the pilot episode
[1:06] will be a higher level of animation than
[1:08] the following season, but this is more
[1:11] exceptional direction than just the
[1:13] visuals, which would be much more
[1:14] surprising to see Degrade moving
[1:16] forward. What really made this pilot
[1:19] special though is how much it broke from
[1:21] my expectations. On the surface, this is
[1:24] a very straightforward story. Miu is
[1:26] loud and popular. Yusuke is quiet and a
[1:30] lone wolf. And the two of them grow
[1:32] closer together for 12 episodes before
[1:35] finally confessing their love to each
[1:36] other in the end. I was thrilled to see
[1:39] that I was entirely wrong. Immediately,
[1:42] we get a real reason that Miyu likes
[1:44] Yusuke. She is boisterous and liked, but
[1:48] she's also a pushover. She's anxious
[1:51] about people liking her. She admires
[1:53] that Yusuke doesn't care what people
[1:55] think of him. That's a simple idea, but
[1:58] it gives so much more weight to their
[2:00] romance than you sometimes get in more
[2:02] surface level anime. And at the end of
[2:04] the episode, we get a peak behind
[2:06] Yusuke's curtain, too, and why he likes
[2:09] Miyu's personality. Opposites attract is
[2:12] always a winning formula, but this show
[2:15] makes it cute and relatable in a way
[2:17] that feels fresh. I'm burying the lead
[2:20] here, though. The huge standout in this
[2:22] pilot is that we get a confession. This
[2:25] is what really got my attention because
[2:27] it entirely changes the shape of the
[2:30] show. This won't be a slow burn where
[2:33] Miyu finds her voice. She is able to
[2:36] speak up right here and right now. And
[2:38] now what lies ahead is much more
[2:41] obscure. That's exciting and has way
[2:44] more avenues to go off of that aren't
[2:46] buried in cliches. My mind immediately
[2:49] went to Hory Mia, which is one of my
[2:52] favorite romances due to how quickly the
[2:54] couple gets together. A beginning like
[2:56] this allows for more open communication
[2:59] between our main couple and also way
[3:02] more space for the side characters to
[3:04] have their own lives and stories.
[3:06] Starting like this is surprising and
[3:09] full of interesting possibilities. You
[3:11] and I are polar opposites impressed me
[3:14] more than any romance pilot I can
[3:16] remember. It's hard to make something
[3:18] wonderfully goofy that can also
[3:20] downshift to serious at a moment's
[3:22] notice. Granted, it's only been one
[3:25] episode, but it looks great, sounds
[3:27] great, and nailed the emotional beats.
[3:30] If that doesn't get you excited for the
[3:32] next 11 episodes, I don't know what
[3:34] will. Have you watched the pilot? If so,
[3:38] what did you think? I can't wait to hear
[3:40] your thoughts below. And if you like
[3:42] romance anime and want more analysis,
[3:45] including of this show, liking and
[3:47] subscribing helps a ton and will keep
[3:49] you in the loop, as does hitting the
[3:51] hype button on the mobile app. I'm Slam
[3:54] Anime, and I'll see you next time.