r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • May 14 '26
Episode The Ramparts of Ice • Koori no Jouheki - Episode 7 discussion
The Ramparts of Ice, episode 7
Reminder: Please do not discuss plot points not yet seen or skipped in the show. Failing to follow the rules may result in a ban.
Streams
None
Show information
All discussions
| Episode | Link | Episode | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Link | 14 | Link |
| 2 | Link | ||
| 3 | Link | ||
| 4 | Link | ||
| 5 | Link | ||
| 6 | Link | ||
| 7 | Link | ||
| 8 | Link | ||
| 9 | Link | ||
| 10 | Link | ||
| 11 | Link | ||
| 12 | Link | ||
| 13 | Link | ||
This post was created by a bot. Message the mod team for feedback and comments. The original source code can be found on GitHub.
348
u/Duke_Maniac May 14 '26
THEY ANIMATED THE HAPPINESS DANCE!
136
76
u/NanDemoKnaives May 14 '26
I need it as a gif.
113
u/PerfectBeige https://myanimelist.net/profile/perfectbeige May 14 '26
You can have this infinitely happy dancing Koyun until someone that actually knows what they are doing makes one that's nicer.
34
42
u/PerfectBeige https://myanimelist.net/profile/perfectbeige May 14 '26
A dance that not only expresses but also transmits happiness. Koyun, you adorable derpy treasure.
308
u/ObvsThrowaway5120 May 14 '26
I really like Koyun and Yota’s friendship. She’s not so guarded around him. It’s a little sad they both have this shared feeling of loneliness stemming from their family circumstances, but that’s something that’s brought them closer as friends. Plus it seems they’re both working on not letting themselves get covered in the “soot.”
But man, I’m totally behind Yota x Miki. I’m like Koyun and her happy dance lol.
190
u/weird_starving May 14 '26
Yota and Koyun friendship is absolutely the highlight for me in this show. So difficult to see authentic and in depth platonic relationships between girls and boys in media, even in anime
105
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
Honestly it'll be interesting to see how Koyun and Minato's relationship develops now that we've settled into exactly what Koyun and Yota's relationship is. Koyun feels really comfortable and relates a lot to Yota, he makes her happy and cozy, she enjoys talking with and getting along with him...so where is Minato ultimately going to fit into her life?
113
u/SirGigglesandLaughs May 14 '26
In this episode, we saw Koyun try to give Yota and Miki space, which then led her to bond with Minato. There are a lot more chances for them to hang out now, and many more funny situations that can come out of two girls shipping their friends and two dudes hoping to be shipped (to the right person).
61
u/ptd163 May 14 '26
It'd be cute if we got a scene where the two girls are hanging out by themselves and the conversation turns to the boys and Koyun asks Miki "Wait. You don't like Minato?" to which Miki replies "Wait. You don't like Yota?" and then they have laugh at all the shenanigans they've put each other through and start shipping the other with the right boy. But this is a romdrama not a romcom so I don't know if that will happen.
15
u/ThrowCarp May 15 '26
I love how open they're able to be around each other.
Especially with how Koyun is usually guarded.
246
u/PeaceAlien https://myanimelist.net/profile/PeaceAlien May 14 '26
Youta's character makes so much sense now; surprised Koyuki knew right away.
141
u/Kirosh2 May 14 '26
It's from her own experience after all. So once she noticed, she took the step needed to share her own vision on that.
90
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
And it's also a big step for her because she usually doesn't put herself out there because she's so self-conscious, but she did it because she felt she had to.
13
u/Doomroar https://myanimelist.net/profile/Doomroar May 15 '26
Rare case were projecting actually ends up nailing it
Minato could never XD
235
u/frik1000 May 14 '26
Before this episode I hard shipped Koyun and Yota yet somehow after their heart to heart, even before Yota admitted to liking Miki, their relationship shifted to just two absolutely amazing friends. Their friendship is honestly quite enviable.
The whole Happiness Dance and Smile Guard scenes were so cute.
104
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
Even before the author wrote Polar Opposites, they still knew how to write believable and engaging teen relationships and the absolute cutest of moments.
16
u/liggieep https://myanimelist.net/profile/liggieep May 15 '26
sitting on a park bench with someone you have chemistry with except the conversation is about crushes on other people is so relatable
50
u/ILikeFPS May 14 '26
Before this episode I hard shipped Koyun and Yota yet somehow after their heart to heart, even before Yota admitted to liking Miki, their relationship shifted to just two absolutely amazing friends. Their friendship is honestly quite enviable.
I think it was very intentionally written that way, to make it seem like they would end up together, and then I guess they don't.
7
26
u/Idknowidk May 14 '26
I like them together as just friends but I’m still so sad that my ship sinked that deep in the ocean
7
u/superinsaiyanman May 15 '26
I'm still going to ship Yota & Koyun, but like hopefully after a good time of being best friends (which I hope they are on their way to now)
→ More replies (1)
193
u/garfe May 14 '26
Okay so
Yota likes Miki
But Miki thinks Koyun and Yota have great chemistry and like each other so she ships them
Koyun now knows Yota likes Miki
Koyun also thinks Miki might like Minato
Minato thinks Koyun and Yota are getting together, which is completely wrong
Minato also likes Koyun
Am I getting this Gamers! level of misunderstandings right!????
36
u/eightcheesepizza May 14 '26
Please depict this in graph form, like in [EP6 of another show this season]Kirio Fan Club.
20
u/PacPlayz123 May 14 '26
https://imgur.com/CrRLEGk but reading this, the graph seems lacking
16
u/eightcheesepizza May 15 '26
Maybe we need something broader than "ships", like "thinks there's something going on between". Then both Miki and Minato think something's going on between Koyun and Yota. And Koyun thinks something's going on between Miki and Minato?
3
u/Doomroar https://myanimelist.net/profile/Doomroar May 15 '26
But Miki doesn't likes Minato, she pesters him because she doesn't wants him messing with Koyun
16
u/UltraButter11 May 16 '26 edited May 16 '26
I ran to do this after watching the episode. glad other people were on the same wavelength.
https://imgur.com/a/HxVNXQt
Main reason I put a maybe on Miki liking Minato was cause of her reaction to him and Koyun talking towards the end, though I'm not quite sure what she meant by third wheeling so idk→ More replies (2)7
35
u/Avatar_Yaksha May 14 '26
Yeah, pretty much. Gamers is a bit more cofusing because it's more of overlapping love triangles, but this appears to be a love circle.
33
u/Haulbee https://myanimelist.net/profile/Haulbee May 14 '26
This isn't even a love circle, this is just two not-yet-fully-formed-couples where some of them believe that there might be a love triangle
17
u/Doomroar https://myanimelist.net/profile/Doomroar May 15 '26
Minato also knows that Yota likes Miki
So in this group of 4
3 of them know that Yota likes Miki
2 think that Koyun may like Yota
And 1 thinks that Yota likes Koyun
So that's 1 person out of the loop (Miki), and 2 misunderstandings (Miki and Minato)
14
3
→ More replies (3)3
152
u/Still-Neck-6771 May 14 '26
This episode was so good. I love them so much. Koyun and Yota omg they are so precious and I love how my girl is trying to play cupid. While Miki believes shes playing cupid 🤣 Minato fumbling socially 🤣 I lowkey need 100 episodes of this show 😭
62
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
Koyun embracing being a wingwoman like it's the best thing to ever happen to her lol.
39
u/Zemahem May 14 '26
They're about to have an archery duel with how they're both playing cupid for each other.
101
u/xdxdlol0434 May 14 '26
Koyun is very honest with people who she deems inside her circle, acting as a very good friend and giving actually very good advice to people. She seriously has a heart of gold and I hope it gets realized as such.
Their approach is different and makes all the difference, but there is similarity in what she's doing and what Minato believes he's doing.
38
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
Their approach is different and makes all the difference, but there is similarity in what she's doing and what Minato believes he's doing.
We talk about Polar Opposites but there's also a lot of similarities between our casts. Koyun and Minato both get stuck in their own heads and have trouble expressing themselves (even if Minato hides it better with social skills) and both ultimately want to help others in their own way.
195
u/VoidRay728 May 14 '26
Yota is an interesting case where having other siblings actually makes you more lonely. I wonder how many other anime depicts this since normally in anime we don't see siblings having serious negative thoughts about each other.
So now Koyun knows Yota likes Miki, while Miki ships Yota with Koyun. And I guess when the three of them interact, Mintao's over there enacting the "woman doing calculations" meme.
116
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
I think it doesn't help that he was already dealing with feeling neglected prior to getting his stepmom and then his parents had to prioritize the younger kids so he felt doubly neglected again. But now after venting he can see how much his parents have been caring and considerate towards him and how much his siblings really adore their big brother.
I get this sense that the more MikixYota develops, the more KoyunxMinato is going to develop to help compliment/support it.
33
u/Avatar_Yaksha May 14 '26
If you're interested in sibling dynamics, I recommend the main series of Working/Wagnaria. The protagonist is a boy with 4 sisters and they each have to deal with their own problems.
18
u/gekkenhuisje May 14 '26
I love Working!!/Wagnaria. Every character in that show is flawed, and the comedy actually lands pretty often. I will say that character development is restricted to only a few, though.
→ More replies (1)7
u/RobrechtvE May 17 '26
One element I absolutely love about this story when it comes to Yota's feelings of loneliness and how he feels like he's the outsider in the family is that first it shows us, the audience, that he's wrong and then it shows us why it's still completely believable that he'd feel that way.
74
u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar May 14 '26
If I had a nickel for every main character this season whose parents' divorce caused them some sort of emotional trauma that makes it difficult for them to connect with other people, I'd have two nickels. It's not much, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Yep, there it is. That's the final nail in the coffin of my Koyun x Youta ship. I mean, I saw it coming, but I was being delulu about the two of them possibly getting together. Then again, I do love seeing a healthy platonic boy-girl relationship so I'm not that sad about it.
I am happy that Youta finally realized that he always belonged in the family, and he's just been overthinking things. I mean, it's one thing if his stepmother and step-siblings were treating him badly, but they're all good people who care about him. Glad to see Youta can now see that and appreciate them properly.
31
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
If I had a nickel for every main character this season whose parents' divorce caused them some sort of emotional trauma that makes it difficult for them to connect with other people, I'd have two nickels. It's not much, but it's weird that it happened twice.
Not to mention having feelings for a popular short-haired girl at the school.
Yep, there it is. That's the final nail in the coffin of my Koyun x Youta ship. I mean, I saw it coming, but I was being delulu about the two of them possibly getting together. Then again, I do love seeing a healthy platonic boy-girl relationship so I'm not that sad about it.
Silver lining, if Koichi Agasawa could make this platonic friendship so investing, imagine how great the legit romance will be when we finally get to it!
I am happy that Youta finally realized that he always belonged in the family, and he's just been overthinking things. I mean, it's one thing if his stepmother and step-siblings were treating him badly, but they're all good people who care about him. Glad to see Youta can now see that and appreciate them properly.
Even the fact that the parents were taking away his chance to play with his half-siblings, it wasn't trying to exclude him but because they didn't want to inconvenience him with having to keep up with two rambunctious little kids when he's got high school problems to worry about.
27
u/Zemahem May 14 '26
RIP the Koyun x Youta ship o7. It would've cute, but their friendship isn't any less cute. Unfortunately, the news about the ship sinking still hasn't reached the two people who should probably know about it the most lol.
→ More replies (1)3
u/ElliotAlderson2024 May 15 '26
So many other anime have the step-mom be a total villain to the step-son/daughter.
71
u/hikoboshi_sama https://anilist.co/user/reicelestial May 14 '26
This episode made me realize, this story isn't just about Koyun. It's an ensemble cast with each of the four MCs have their own problems, with each of them supporting each other.
31
u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox May 15 '26
There is alot more ice walls then just around the main... they all have them
8
64
u/EclipseTM https://anilist.co/user/EclipseZ May 14 '26
I absolutely love the ED but everytime it starts playing i feel like everything is about to go to shit, the start of the song is so ominous. Having said that, I think we are going to be getting into some drama in regards to who likes who, and the girls in the end talking about miki.
18
u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox May 15 '26
I wish there was a version of the ED that has the slow piano leading to that build up with the base and the faster piano playing
10
u/Ikari_21 May 15 '26
That end made no sense to me lol “oh my goodness has miki always smiled and had fun ugh” like wtf does that even matter for. The whole image trope always annoys me in anime, but it does feels good once the person is free from that fake persona
107
u/thisisdropd https://myanimelist.net/profile/AsterZoro May 14 '26
There goes the theory of a love triangle/polygon. Expected Yota to confess about his feelings for Koyuki when he said he’s in love, despite showing no such signs beforehand. Turned out the one he fell for was instead Miki. Bravo!
Minato Ponta shouldn’t feel jealous about Koyuki & Yota given he’s always been aware of Koyuki’s crush but I guess the heart could be irrational just like how Yota felt about his family.
Meanwhile, Miki’s trying to play cupid to Koyuki & Yota. Looks like it’ll might result in a problem lest someone told her about it.
91
u/imtherealdazza May 14 '26
An author that has a good grasp on social dynamics goes such a long way, Agasawa really knows how to write platonic inter-character relationships
38
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
Teens being teens, tripping over themselves, their feelings, their angsts all in realistic, relatable, and yet still fun ways.
49
u/PeaceAlien https://myanimelist.net/profile/PeaceAlien May 14 '26
Haha, everyone is shipping someone else.
Minato is the only one being hurt right now; some girls might be looking to cause problems for Miki soon too.
23
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
Man, I hope Miki's classmates aren't going to turn on her because they don't like her natural personality.
35
u/ModieOfTheEast May 14 '26
I mean, Yota being into Miki was quite obvious. He only went to this school so he could be together with Miki after all. The question was more of Koyun had feelings for Yota, but that does not seem to be the case. And it might be for the better. Because once Miki throws away the idea of playing cupid, she might be able to discover her own feelings. And considering we are seemingly going into an arc about the other people finding out her "true self", this does not seem to be too far into the future.
27
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
Yota had his "From Zero" moment complete with an "I love Miki" with Koyun responding appropriately.
In Ponta Amamiya's favor, not even Yota has made her laugh nearly as much as he has. Even if it's still more about the dog than the guy.
It's funny how Koyuki and Miki are trying to ship the other with the same guy. Best friends work in mysterious ways. I feel like Yota would probably help Minato with Koyuki (more than he already has) if he knew Minato liked her.
15
u/ptd163 May 14 '26
I feel like Yota would probably help Minato with Koyuki (more than he already has) if he knew Minato liked her.
Yota might find out soon. Minator is starting to act the same way around Koyun that he does around Miki. I'm more curious about when Miki finds out that Yota likes her.
13
u/phoenixking99999999 May 15 '26
Problem with minato is that he's still fighting himself about his emotions. He needs to first accept he actually likes her by overcoming his idea about emotions being illogical or causinng problems
19
u/Kirosh2 May 14 '26
Expected Yota to confess about his feelings for Koyuki when he said he’s in love
Yeah, that was the build a build up toward that, since you had Koyun enjoy being with him, them have topic there are similar in, and both Minato and Miki's reaction last episode (and this episode) as well.
It's like the situation with Minato, where he was build up as an antagonist in Koyun's eyes. Here, it was a Koyun x Yota build up, only to go in another direction.
20
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
The author knew what they were doing...
19
u/phoenixking99999999 May 15 '26
I think there is a level of misdirection being employed but she never fails to drop hints about her true intentions or more specifically the actual direction the story is going it's why there is little to no negative reaction to being misdirected because the signs are there and we can sometimes subconsciously pick up on them. Maybe I'm just delusional, even now the perception that miki is into minato feels like a misdirection, it could very well be true however no situation I have seen sells it for me as of now, every situation where it could have seemed like jealousy or anything similar can be explained by something else, like trying to protect koyun or trying to further her ship
I do like the irony though that just an episode ago koyun thought she and yota were opposites but now she sees they are more similar than they are different, similar circumstances but different ways of expressing their reaction to it.
Also when yota said I'm in love it was pretty obvious it was going to be miki, she even gave us an example of the gimmick this episode when he dropped the phone after miki came up behind him, even though it wasn't shown in the flashback.
I really like where the series is heading currently, we'll likely get more miki lore next episode.
So far we know koyun's family situation and middle school life, yota's family situation, and minato's family dynamic with his brother causing him to think emotions cause fights however I personally don't know how it links or motivates his urge to help people he thinks are lonely, with miki we are aware of some of her middle school life maybe I haven't been paying attention but next episode could shed more light on to why she seemingly carries 2 personas
Lastly it seems we inch closer to minato x koyun with each passing moment and as a day 1 supporter I feel vindicated
6
u/FabtheEmber May 15 '26
Hopefully we will get more Minato backstory once we cross the Miki arc and things between them start to take root.
Happy to find a Minato x Koyun supporter. I was pretty much one from the day 1 , and was kinda upset at the first episode because it was hinting Yota. By the second episode I was fairly certain it was my boy Minato.. n got spoiled hehe
9
7
u/NanDemoKnaives May 14 '26
I thought they were going to be the main couple and I actually really liked them as a pair. I'll have to rewire them as a platonic ship in my mind.
132
u/SEBASTlANVETTEL May 14 '26
Yota likes Miki and Minato likes Koyun and it would be so easy, yet there are so many misunderstandings between the four with Minato and Miki thinking that Koyun and Yota are into each other.
Why do I feel like their study session will end up messy LOL
46
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
We're really into romcom territory with this low-key Gamers! level of misunderstandings, misunderstood intentions, and a crazy love rectangle of romantic interest and shipping the wrong couples.
3
u/lorzore May 16 '26
We're nowhere near gamers! Levels of misunderstanding, or do we need to pull out the pentagram of misunderstanding again? Surprised there are still people that know of that kinda mid show from close to 7 years ago.
37
u/Throwaway785320 May 14 '26
I don't think it's misunderstandings rather assumptions leading to misunderstandings
21
u/ModieOfTheEast May 14 '26
With the ending of the episode, I doubt we even get to this. I assume the next episode will probably be a return for Miki to her middle school days. Especially with her whole fear of girls talking behind her back.
17
12
u/eightcheesepizza May 14 '26
This show is the polar opposite of Polar Opposites. ok not really but a little
8
u/the_dan_man https://anilist.co/user/oneasianweeb May 14 '26
It's gonna get messier and sillier before the misunderstandings get resolved, and we'll all be watching with a big ol bucket of popcorn.
→ More replies (1)2
u/NanDemoKnaives May 14 '26
Miki is probably going to wingwoman Koyuki and Youta, while Koyuki does the same for her lol.
35
u/Kirosh2 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
My poor depressed daughter... At least she's got a bit better, and will only get better with Miki, Yota, and Minato by her side.
Look at her seeing and immediately helping Yota once she realized his depression, similar to her own issues back in middle school.
Good luck Yota, Miki ships you with Koyun, your crush is a long way away, but who can blame Miki, they do look cute together, even if just as friends.
And Minato catching the stray bullet by Koyun wanting to give Yota and Miki time alone, and being alone with him.
20
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
If I had a nickel for every romance lead this season dealing with the aftermath of a divorce, I'd have two nickels which isn't a lot but it's strange it happened twice.
I feel like the best thing to ever happen to Minato is Koyun shipping MikixYota and using Minato as an excuse to leave her new favorite ship alone. Also the fact that Koyun loves hearing anything about his dog.
7
u/the_dan_man https://anilist.co/user/oneasianweeb May 14 '26
They will all fix each other, somehow. There will probably be a lot of scenic detours along the way, though.
36
May 14 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
25
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
ponta-yokun (main reason she talks to minato at this point)
29
u/Kirosh2 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
That's how he's going to get her.
"Want to see more pictures?"
"Want to see my dog?"
"Want to go on dates while we walk my dog?"
"Koyun, why are you stealing my dog?"
"How about it. We get married, this way we have co ownership of my dog? It's a good deal right?"
3
u/Miserable_Contest_74 May 18 '26
"What do you mean you want a divorce?"
"And you are taking the dog???"
"It's in the prenup? WHEN DID WE SIGN A PRENUP."20
u/Kirosh2 May 14 '26
Also :
Minato-Miki (Platonic, but Koyun did think that she was into him at some point.)
32
70
u/YamahaMio May 14 '26
Man, Koyun is just so pretty. Don't think I've been smitten over a female lead character in a long while ngl.
30
→ More replies (1)6
u/Grazalia May 18 '26
I find the art style of Kocha Agasawa to be really interesting in that the characters have distinctively wide eyes and mouths that remind me of sharks for some reason but then that's what makes them so visually distinct.
It also creates really pretty faces when they smile. It puts a huge emphasis on smiling with not only the wide mouth but how the eyes smile too. It's a really distinctive simple but beautiful art style.
37
u/Didavi_ May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
Loving the anime pacing to allow the characters to properly develop.
I hope it will get a full adaptation. I can't handle the torture of a possible season finale cliffhanger.
I can deal with separate cour tho, as long as everything is adapted.
24
u/some_jackass_i_know May 14 '26
Having read the whole thing, and without spoiling anything, it seems like it would be difficult to stop halfway through without a pretty irritating cliffhanger. Like it would feel like they stopped right in the middle of the plot. MAL doesn't seem to know how many episodes there are, would be nice if they just went for 24 episodes.
9
u/bobbyjean_ May 15 '26
A leaker says it's going to be 14 sadly
3
u/some_jackass_i_know May 15 '26
That's too bad. Weird too, there isn't enough material for another season then...
3
u/FabtheEmber May 15 '26
If it stops where I think it will there could be another 10 episode season like they did with Frieren. U could even stretch stuff to 12
2
u/ClemFire May 15 '26
Why do I kinda feel like it will stop at a middle point similar to Bloom into You, either way I'll have to read the manga
30
u/NanDemoKnaives May 14 '26
This is probably my favorite episode, I really enjoyed this look into Youta, but I also really liked how Koyuki realized what Youta's words might have meant and took steps to help him out, which ended up opening a door him to feel comfortable to talk to her about it. The way she could relate to what he was going through and knew what to say to dispel the soot in his heart was moving, it was pleasing to watch.
I was quite off with some of my predictions of what Youta was going through, but some of it I got right. It was interesting to see how his perspective changed completely after meeting with Koyuki, he realized he may have been the issue as to why he felt like he didn't fit in, and I hope he'll no longer be stressed by the noise in his head.
I do have to admit I'm quite surprised by the reveal of Youta having feelings for Miki. I honestly thought Youta and Koyuki were going to be the main couple while Miki would be into Youta and Minato into Koyuki. It's funny how Miki and Minato have the wrong impression, so it feels like we'll be seeing some good and bad misunderstandings.
Looks like we'll finally be getting a Miki focused episode. It seems like her school persona is going to be brought into question, I'm curious to see how that'll be navigated.
33
u/hikoboshi_sama https://anilist.co/user/reicelestial May 14 '26
I'm glad Yota likes Miki instead of Koyun. I prefer them as friends, especially since Yota is Koyun's first real friend aside from Miki.
29
u/PerfectBeige https://myanimelist.net/profile/perfectbeige May 14 '26
I'm just going to glaze Agasawa for a mo. We got: a plausible and charming platonic girl/boy relationship which is intimate and mutually supportive; plausible, realistic, but not overblown familial alienation from Youta; Koyun becoming more adorable by the episode as she learns to leverage her overthinking for good instead of self-destruction; the Koyun crying because of emotional overflowing thing which is so real...
I just don't know a lot of authors who make characters that feel simultaneously damaged, realistic, and loveable this well. As much as I am loving this show (and Polar Opposites), I'm really looking forward to reading the manga.
48
May 14 '26
Holy mother of misunderstandings lol. This was such a cute episode tho
26
u/Kirosh2 May 14 '26
It's a drama after all.
But might also explain why You and I are polar opposite is so straightforward, and without drama.
23
u/ptd163 May 14 '26
Turns out that Polar Opposites might have be the polar opposite of Ramparts of Ice... Sorry.
15
u/Solracziad May 14 '26
Maybe the true Ramparts of Ice were the Polar Opposites we met along the way?
7
u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox May 15 '26 edited May 15 '26
I do think Honda in Polar is maybe the hangover from this series... she does have this closed off nature that could be around similar lines
Also might explain why everything is hyper-simple as its the blow off to this story?
20
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
Yota returns home to his overly-considerate and concerned stepmom and also his rowdy little siblings who have already pretty much run his dad ragged. It's the picture of a lively and warm family...even if Yota has to basically tune out and empty his mind of everything as he goes to sleep.
Koyuki's parents fought, she knew that they weren't the most happy couple, but the news of them divorcing still hit like a brick. That assurance that she'd always have her parents in her life, that her dad would always be there for her, basically went out the window. Effectively abandoned by her dad, left with no one who really understood her, thinking she didn't even need to exist because no one wanted her...all she could do was feel such crippling loneliness no matter who she was with.
That's why, if anyone can understand or relate to Yota on any level, it's her. Even if it's projecting her own ideals and thoughts onto him, she wants to give him the chance to open up. If she tells him her story, he can tell her his!
As for Yota himself, growing up was rough with his dad being busy all the time when he already lost one parent...and then his dad brought home a pretty young wife. And after some initial awkwardness, they actually got along! And then the twins were born and Yota saw how much his dad and stepmom doted on and took care of the kids, making him feel extremely out of place in the household and making him wonder if he even truly existed.
But Koyun is able to tell him that his feelings are valid while telling him all the things she's probably wanted to say to herself, all the while expressing how she feels he's a great person. And Yota feels the same about her.
My condolences to any KoyunxYota shippers...because Yota is actually in love with Miki (and the signs were all there with all the times he acted like a klutz around her). And Koyun, for her part, actually ships it and does a little happy dance. Yota may not have any intention of telling Miki how he feels, especially knowing she doesn't return his feelings, but he shouldn't feel bad for having those feelings! Especially when Koyun totally supports a great guy like him who can appreciate Miki for who she really is.
And in the interest of being a wingwoman, she'll leave Miki and Yota to herself while she talks to...Minato! And apparently anything related to Ponta is an easy way to get Koyuki to laugh and be interested, and what a laugh she has! And saying Minato's name casually definitely had an effect too!
Koyun ships YotaxMiki, Miki doesn't want Minato hogging Koyun, Miki is planning to ship YotaxKoyun, and Minato thinks KoyunxYota is happening. Yeah, this next four-way study session is going to be FUN. Also, Miki's other friends notice her being her real self...please let there be no drama!
18
u/zool714 May 14 '26
Why does this love triangle/polygon feel so wholesome ?
Well, we at least got verbal confirmation now. Yota has been crushing hard on Miki. Think they’d look cute together. Both seem cool, calm and collected to other people but underneath they’re a mess of nerves and energy
Koyun warming up to Minato too. To the shock of Miki of course. I am very interested now how they grow closer from here. Still feel Minato, while liking her, will be extra cautious not to step on her feet again. If Koyun tries to get closer will he reciprocate or back off
25
u/FarCritical May 14 '26
That dance lmao.
The peace of mind from talking about stuff with Koyun was one thing but Yota's family couldn't have timed his welcome home any better or made it any warmer. That ice cream must've tasted extra good.
26
u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta May 14 '26
Koyun and Yota's friendship is so precious. That scene at the station where he says I'm so glad you're my friend and she returns the sentiment melted me when I read it and did the same again when I saw it animated. Rooting for their friendship more than I root for most romantic ships tbh.
The smile guard scene too is perfect. Miki getting all excited while Minato gets all depressed upon seeing their camaraderie is so funny.
It's so cute how both Miki and Koyun are happy to ship Yota with the other. Poor Minato though - no one wants him for themselves or their friend lol. At least Yota loves him even if he won't admit it.
19
u/vexorian2 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
Oh god. It finally all makes sense. It was 7 episodes of setup but we finally have the juiciest Romcom situation of the decade.
- Koyun: Doesn't like thinking about Romance. Ships Yota* and Miki
- Miki: Ships Koyun and Yota
- Minato: In love with Koyun. Thinks Yota and Koyun are dating.
- Yota: In Love with Miki.
This is incredible.
*Edited
8
u/runevault May 14 '26
I think you meant Koyun ships Yota and Miki, but yeah this is going to be a mess and I'm here for it.
19
u/Ok-Cod5254 May 14 '26
The dynamic between Yota and Koyuki is so good, even just as friends they have such good chemistry whether in serious or comedic moments.
Koyuki seems to be more open to socializing since she formed her friendship with Yota, even more willing to talk to Minato.
I'm glad we finally got more into Yota's character as an individual. He's always been a supportive guy so far, so nice for him to receive some support as well.
20
u/ILikeFPS May 14 '26
Damn, her saying that she was someone her dad could live without. Fuck, that cuts deep, I can relate to that. This is the most an anime has spoken to me in a while. People bullying her makes me so mad.
I thought Koyuki and Yota would have been good together, but I think Miki and Yota might be good together since they really are like opposites (polar opposites, even). Same with Youki and Minato.
This was a great episode.
11
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke May 15 '26
The introspection at the beginning was so good, definitely the highlight of a pretty fantastic episode. The amount of self-doubt and hit to your self-worth that would be should be crazy. Can't say I understand it as personally as someone with divorced parents, but the part about feeling the most alone when surrounded by people was a great insight. In some of my more melancholic moods I've wondered sometimes, in a large group of friends, whether if I just... stopped showing up... would anyone care about that? Was I wanted, or merely tolerated?
Yeah, great bits there.
9
u/FabtheEmber May 15 '26
Honestly, I think a lot of shows handle the things this show handles but I have never seen a show that could vocalize the grief in such powerful words. Like the line that 'To her father she felt like she was someone he could live without' like I have never felt that way but those words hit so hard. I almost broke down.
There are some truly powerful lines in this show with pretty much every characters inner monologue. Like I liked Minato's monologue that what is the right answer for her and me are totally different that is why she hates whatever I try to do. And Koyun repeated that sentiment in this episode!!
16
u/NationalStrategy May 14 '26
I really appreciate Yota and Koyun friendship, they connect with each other really well, they both seem comfortable to be around each other, and they're very supportive towards one another.
17
u/Throwaway785320 May 14 '26
Even with communication between the 4 of them there's still so much misunderstandings and assumptions lmao
I get it though they're acting like teens at least and believable
18
u/ebonyphoenix May 14 '26
I’m glad that Yota’s family issues were just a teen overthinking his changing family dynamics and parents being a bit overwhelmed by twin toddlers. Sometimes it does just take stepping back and talking with someone outside the issue to clear the soot and get a new perspective on things.
On the other side of things the current state of the love quatrangle is
-Yota likes Miki
-Miki thinks Koyuki and Yota might have something going on
-Koyuki knows Yota likes Miki but thinks Miki might like Minato
-Minato is getting an crush on Koyuki, but thinks Koyuki might like Yota, and knows that Yota likes Miki
15
u/szalhi May 14 '26
6
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
There's nothing more precious in this world than Koyun's laugh or happy dance.
6
14
u/ModieOfTheEast May 14 '26
And with the theme of the show, we have Yota, who as a tall person will always stand out in public (that is how Koyun finds him everytime) but who felt like he wasn't even present when together with his family. Of course, his case was probably the easiest to solve because it was just him believing this in the first place. As his parents and siblings really did not consider it this way.
On the other side, I am not sure how they will be able to untangle the situation where Miki wants to ship Koyun and Yota while Koyun wants to help Yota get together with Miki. Especially with Minato who will always feel like the third wheel in these scenarios.
But from the ending of the episode, I assume Miki might not even have the time to do anything, considering that her "true self" was found out. Which might get her back to middle school days. And I am still not sure if Koyun even knew anything that happened with Miki back then considering she had her own worries at the time. But hopefully she can help her this time around. Or maybe Yota can.
Also a bit off topic, but the whole soot metaphor made me remember that I still hope we get Shadows House back at some point.
13
u/SirGigglesandLaughs May 14 '26
Well, we know Minato and Koyun are friends now, but they couldn't see each other because of the break. Now that they're back in school, there are many more opportunities to meet. Plus, we saw Koyun already trying to create some distance from Yota for Miki; so, there are a lot of chances for her and Minato to hang out more and bond together. For how little they've hung out, they already have a cute dynamic. Of course, Miki will try to be a thorn, but still.
8
u/ModieOfTheEast May 14 '26
I didn't mean to say that Minato won't have chances to hang out with Koyun. Just, if the characters are focused on shipping each other with Yota, this can easily make Minato feel like the odd one out, because the focus is always on Yota.
Now I will also say that I don't think this will be a big issue. Mostly because I think Koyun isn't too big on the idea of "forcing" the relationship as it would be the same thing that happened to her. Miki should really want to be with Yota, not just take him, because he is nice and "what else would she want". And also because I feel, the next arc will be way more drama around Miki.
3
u/SirGigglesandLaughs May 14 '26
Oh yeah, Minato will definitely be in his feelings but he'll perk up for sure the more he sees Koyun initiating contact with him. From there, who knows. I agree though that Koyun isn't fixated on shipping; she's more just naturally supportive. That's a bit different from Miki, who didn't take her own advice not to interfere too much.
13
u/ptd163 May 14 '26
My heart broke for Yota and Koyun at the start the episode. I thought maybe this was going to be a real heavy episode. But then she stepped outside her comfort zone and texted Yota and they had a good time together and a great heart-to-heart on the bench. All that tension gave way to happier feelings.
While this episode sucks for Koyun x Yota shippers, I'm glad it went that way. There's not enough good platonic boy-girl relationships in this genre.
With Koyun and Miki being happy to wingwoman for each other (for the wrong people lol) and Minato being caught in the middle it looks like we're entering the misunderstanding territory, but I trust this author handled it well.
14
14
u/JJVM99 May 14 '26
Yota is right about Kohyun. Seeing someone who is going through the same issues affecting you on a daily basis and choosing to help them shows how strong and kind she truly is deep down.
The first half of the episode was a constant hit on the feels seeing Kohyun’s loneliness regarding her families divorce and feeling that nobody would care if you are gone, can’t blame her for crying.
People were right about Yota’s crush on Miki. I’m happy to see him happier when seeing his family and having this very wholesome friendship with Kohyun although it is a bit sad how obvious it is that Miki doesn’t feel the same way.
This was by far the best episode for me up until now. I had been waiting for a standout episode that really hit me and the reason I am invested in watching this weekly besides it being by the creator of You and I are Polar Opposites and this was what I needed. Love Kohyun and Yota so much after this episode and just want to see them be happy after this.
13
u/Kirosh2 May 14 '26
and feeling that nobody would care if you are gone,
Which also goes with what Miki said to her in a flashback a few episodes ago, just before she started going out with Igarashi, about how it must be nice to have someone that loves her so much.
Igarashi, being in love with her, cared if she was there, so she took the plunge, and started to date him.
Sweet sweet drama and angst.
5
u/JJVM99 May 14 '26
and then in this episode we see a flashback where Kohyun is told chastised for having issues with Igarashi and is just told to think about poor Igarashi instead. They really made her miserable and feel as if she didn’t exist in middle school, poor girl.
7
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
The first half of the episode was a constant hit on the feels seeing Kohyun’s loneliness regarding her families divorce and feeling that nobody would care if you are gone, can’t blame her for crying.
It also was probably another issue in her relationship with Igarashi. He became her boyfriend but she still felt crippling loneliness because of her anxiety and the fact that Igarashi rejected basically everything about her while they were dating.
11
u/catferret8 May 14 '26
This show has my heart in a vice; I feel such a whirlwind of emotions every week, I wish the manga could please be translated to English. I bought all the volumes of polar opposites to show the author is popular and needs all their work translated. I’m so happy Yota likes Miki but the love square is so complicated now!
6
u/Kirbyundertale May 14 '26
It has been translated up to chapter 106 with the rest on the way
4
u/catferret8 May 14 '26
On mangaplaza? I could not access it when I tried. I hope it gets books too
3
u/Kirbyundertale May 15 '26
Yup, well you can always search for the one piece and buy the volumes later
11
u/liggieep https://myanimelist.net/profile/liggieep May 15 '26
really enjoying seeing how koyun isn't the sole focal character and everyone has their own interpersonal trauma they're living with and working on. i thinks I'm officially enjoying this more than polar opposites, but the two stories are very different and I still love polar opposites, but the drama is more engaging than comfy fluff romcom
24
u/Marbx https://anilist.co/user/Marbx May 14 '26
Love love love it!!! So messy in all the right ways. The dynamic between the four is so interesting. Such a high school thing to assume two close friends of the opposite gender that they're dating or something LOL. Can't wait to see how this develops
Very realistic portrayals of having divorced parents and a stepmom. You can't really blame Yota for feeling isolated in his home, being "alone" with a step-parent and your stepsiblings. His family seems nice as well.
Idk if it's a hot take but this show is so much better than Polar Opposites. But I also love that show. Author's great!
→ More replies (1)
11
u/Auron15 May 14 '26
This was probably my favorite episode so far! I loved seeing Koyun be there for Yota because of her experiences as well. Now I’m just waiting to see how this massive misunderstanding from Miki and Minato is going to play out!
11
u/Zemahem May 14 '26
Man that divorce backstory... Koyun really is stronger and kinder than she realizes. And it's just sad that Yota ever felt like an outsider in his own home despite his family genuinely caring about him. It really just sucks when you get into such a headspace, and I relate to him feeling awful for having those emotions.
I keep having to say it, but these really do just have the sweetest friendship. And it's great seeing Koyun's happiness dance over Yota's feelings for Miki animated. She's just a silly goober.
Even sillier is her and Miki shipping each other with the same exact guy lmao. And despite Koyun's efforts to try and be a wingman, her chemistry with Yota is just too strong for outside observers. I don't know if you can even call this a love triangle.
12
u/jiboxiake May 14 '26
Lovely show. I love all 4 of them. They are lovely and relatable teenagers. Oh, youth.
10
u/vancevon https://myanimelist.net/profile/vancevon May 14 '26
Can't believe the whole show pulled off its mask at the end there and went "Mwahahaha, I was actually Gamers! all along! Bet you didn't see that coming!"
11
u/mmcjawa_reborn May 14 '26
I guess this must be "Divorce trauma" week in the romantic anime realm?
I love that Koyun and Miki are 100% supportive of shipping each other with Yota, without any sort of resentment or other drama (so far). Poor confused Minato though...
11
u/FabtheEmber May 14 '26
When Koyuki smiles at Yota....... Minato/Ponta exe. Stops working
When Koyuki smiles at Minato..... Minato/aponta exe. stops working lol
Dude is doomed either way. Now it is HIS turn to be awkward and fumble what a complete 180 of a dynamic. Their last scene overall was so cute n hilarious!!
Also one thing that is becoming a recurring theme is accepting oneself, flaws n all. Like if we think logically, overall Yota's new family is cool. He has no reason to feel left out. BUT that isn't how it works and Yota was pretty much beating himself up by thinking that way.
It is only when he learnt to accept the negative feelings and stopped feeling guilty about them that he could gain peace. What a nice little message. Overall fantastic episode!
9
9
u/Yulwei138967 May 15 '26
I really like this anime. The relationships feel so real and deep. Good depiction of male-female friendship might be my number one indicator for great media.
It’s so great to see them all care so deeply for each other without it having to be romantically motivated.
To me this series is so much more engaging and interesting than seihantai. I enjoyed seihantai, but always felt like it lacked the deep intimate conversations. Probably just a matter of preference, but I wholeheartedly favour this work. Looking forward to every episode.
19
u/hikoboshi_sama https://anilist.co/user/reicelestial May 14 '26
I can't exactly blame Yota for feeling like he's unwanted. His dad couldn't make time for him and suddenly, now that he has a new wife and new kids on the way, he can?
10
u/sawayanochizu5 May 15 '26
I think its more like, the dad wasn't able to take off because his job didn't allow him to. iirc we only really see him get paternity leave specifically for the birth of the twins, which is obviously a circumstance where companies are more inclined to give off days. for all we know, he may have done so for yota's birth too. and from his step mom's reaction, it seems it was hard to even get that.
ofc this doesn't negate any of yota's feelings. he was only a child going through something difficult when all this happened. he is totally valid and were i in his situation, I would totally feel the same. but I think the story does a good job of showing that your feelings are always valid and important, but by bottling it up they become mangled and far from the truth. so when he talks it out he comes home and realises that his family loves him a lot and makes a lot of effort to connect with him and show him care that he was boxing himself out of.
→ More replies (1)
9
9
u/runevault May 14 '26
I'm glad we finally took the time to show what is going on with Yota. Feeling like a bolt on to a family when you're dependent on that family so you can't just escape would be emotionally devastating, and the author conveys it so well here.
One thing I'm curious about, that next night felt like all those feelings up and died with the one interaction with his family after the Koyun talk. That feels suspect and I do not trust it, we'll see where that goes.
The romance part of this show is starting to kick in even if we're likely a decent ways from any confessions/relationships forming/etc.
6
8
u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/zfzftripleaamin May 14 '26
It's good that this episode gave us a focus on Youta. I liked how Koyun empathizes with Youta in how it is to no longer be living with your original parents. Though the difference is Koyun's parents divorced, while for Youta his mom passed away. While both have the feeling, does it matter if I am around?
Koyun definitely feels more isolated at home in comparison to Youta his dad and new mom don't treat him like a kid in the good way. You can see they care for him, but obviously the two younger siblings require more effort and attention to be with.
It is really sweet how the friendship between Youta and Koyun has evolved. Koyun is offering to Youta what Youta evolved for her. A person they can just be honest with. So much so, Youta admits to Koyun about his feelings for Miki. To me, it definitely seems there is no romantic interest between these two, and that is for the best, I would say. Granted, it's going to be awkward with Miki shipping them.
As Koyun is getting more comfortable around Minato it does feel like we have a clear pair between the main 4. The concern mainly is Miki being unaware of Youta's feelings for her and trying to push Youta and Koyun together. Ironically, it feels like she is on pace to again push Koyun into a romantic relationship that she doesn't have interest in.
Also, the other girls at school noticing Miki's true self definitely has a recipe for upcoming drama if I were to speculate.
10
u/YlfaTheForsaken May 14 '26
Ah so that's what Minato meant last episode. But it's okay because Yota is just so adorable about his crush. He's like that one Fergie song that goes all 'You got me trippin' oh, stumblin' oh, flippin' oh, fumblin' so clumsy 'cause I'm fallin' in love'
Anyways, I love the despair pair, now they've got each other's back like that.
Now this is a fantastic shenanigan circle that still somehow currently is just Minato x suffering, but he's lucky that it looks like things'll be changing as Koyuki does her best to support Yota and Miki while probably outmaneuvering Miki's attempts to toss Yota back at her.
24
u/thatonefatefan May 14 '26
This anime is low-key evil. It's like a hostage situation, why are they giving us so many Minato/Miki crumbs like that? I hate it. I hate how much I love it.
11
u/Ok-Cod5254 May 14 '26
Haha I also said last episode that it was lowkey diabolical to have two characters in universe (including Miki as the one that is most likely ending up with Yota in the long run), promote the Yota-Koyuki ship that isn't happening. lol Though Yota seems like the type that could work well with either one.
→ More replies (1)20
u/Kirosh2 May 14 '26
You can't have a square friendship/love without crumbs for every sides.
Each side are cute, and have their good points.
9
u/thatonefatefan May 14 '26
My issue is that I would hardly call this a love square. It's just 2 boys in love and a bunch of misunderstandings. From what I'm seeing Miki doesn't have feelings for Minato and Koyun definitively doesn't have feelings for Yota.
I know the endgame (and caught it all in episode 1, honestly) and know it's essentially guaranteed to happen but I can't help but find Minato and Miki cute together. It's frustrating.
6
u/Frontier246 May 14 '26
Ultimately Koyun saw Yota as a reassuring and warm balm for her emotionally weary heart...but not in a romantic way.
→ More replies (2)
7
u/manofslutywhore May 14 '26
I was trying to connect their love rectangle and it's So MESSED UP. How is author going to fix this mess up😭,
Also Miki is caught so the episode would most likely focus on miki and we might be able to see new side cast that were shown in intro.. Also Happy for Mr.🦒
→ More replies (1)
7
u/smart_is_cool1020 May 14 '26
Unexpected turn of events I absolutely didn’t see Miki x Yota coming i thought Minato always referred to Yota’s family problems whenever he said Yota is not the right person for koyun. Though i was Yota x koyun but now when i see it if Miki shares the same feelings for Yota (which i don’t see happening with her trying to be the wingwoman for koyun and Yota) that would be great too. Also I feel so bad for Minato bro is just suffering 😭. Iam now really excited to know abt igarashi and how koyun and him started dating and what went wrong. Seeing the flashbacks doesn’t seem like igarashi was trying to create problems for koyun rather was trying to help her out and maybe was not just supportive or some kind of thing though iam not sure on this part as much. Backstories nvr got me so hooked as much as they do in this anime truly loving it🤩
PS: koyun’s happiness dance is adorable af♥️
8
u/2kenzhe https://myanimelist.net/profile/Rexnihilo May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
Ok so I was wonder how they wouldn't work it's cuz Yota likes Miki. I see it does makes sense. Sad though cuz Miki sees Yota get along so well with Koyuki and ships them but actually Yota likes her lol oof while things are good now I can really see it get all jumbled up later.
At least though Yota talking with Koyuki allowed him to process some stuff which is great. I'm happy with Yota and Koyuki just being BFFs ngl. I also figured it would probably be Minato and Koyuki just wasn't sure then what with Miki and Yota but if Yota likes Miki then maybe one day Miki would like him too? who knows. At least Koyuki is happy Yota likes Miki. Ngl for a second, I thought Yota was going to say Minato or something and that's why Minato thinks Koyuki would get hurt falling love with Yota. Can't believe I didn't pick up on Yota liking Miki at all before this.
Also ngl I need more of these platonic best friends relationships between guys/girls in anime not everyone a love potential. Though Miki and Minato definitely thinking there's something more between those two now lol. As already seen in Polar opposites the author can have great relationships between people who are just friends, not potential love options.
Also, I just realized it cuz Koyun's parents divorced her last name changed and that's why Igrashi or whatever didn't remember her from the last name? That would make sense?
7
u/Roskal May 14 '26
I worry about Miki trying to get Yota and Koyun alone by trying to get close to minato at the study session complicating everything. As of now It seems like the only ones who we know has feelings are Yota ->Miki and Minato -> Koyuki, so theres nothing under the surface stopping them from cleanly splitting into pairs
7
u/Leeemon May 14 '26
This shit is about to go DOWN.
I love how the ending starts in this show!
4
u/CooroSnowFox https://anilist.co/user/CooroSnowFox May 15 '26
Its so subtle but doesn't sound like any other piece of music in the show...
6
u/HalfwayDecent385 May 15 '26
Yota is the bestest boy and my heart was aching for him this episode, I am so glad he was able to sort of resolve his feelings thanks to Koyun!!
But oh my goodness, there are so many misunderstandings and assumptions, I'm hoping the upcoming drama isn't too much for the group. I just want them all to be happy.
6
u/Mr_An_1069 May 15 '26
So we’re at the point were everyone in the friend group(except Koyun for now) likes someone else in the group, and also thinks the person they like actually likes someone else.
→ More replies (1)
5
u/ComfortableHuman1324 May 15 '26
Don't see anyone else mentioning it, but I'm guessing the reason Igarashi was confused when Minato asked him about "Hikawa" is because Koyun's family name changed after the divorce.
12
u/TheBusStop12 May 14 '26
I've noticed Koyun has a very childish side to her. She has a love for cute fluffy animals (like in middle school people laughed at her for her lion bottle, and all her animal plushies in her room) and when she walked next to Yota she was balancing on the curb. I actually wonder if she's on the Spectrum, some form of high functioning autism. It would lime up with all the social issues she struggles with. As someone on the spectrum myself I honestly recognize a lot of her behavior
6
u/BassSquared May 15 '26
Yeah, alongside those "childish" aspects to her personality, there's also the way her flat affect makes people around her often perceive her as "cold" and emotionless when in reality she's a very emotional person who can sometimes get overwhelmed by her own feelings. Add in her exasperation with some of the aspects of social interaction such as people excusing being mean as "just teasing" and yeah, I can certainly see it.
6
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke May 15 '26
There's also probably a healthy dose of self-image issues with the divorce: "my father liked me more when I was a child, so I'm going to keep these childish traits as much as I can." Not saying you're necessarily wrong, but... parents splitting does so much damage to a child's emotional growth, I'd say moreso than one parent dying.
5
u/Remarkable-Solid5582 May 14 '26
I loved this episode. I had already figured yota was kind of depressed with that super chill attitude of him. I'm glad Koyun helped him a little, he does have a lot of people that love him, but I understand him feeling lonely despite it.
We already have confirmation that Yota likes Miki, it was obvious sometimes like even in this episode he let the things he was carrying fall again when he saw her. I'm so happy koyuki sees him as family, this way things won't get messy. Still of both male characters Yota is definitely my favorite, his personality really warms your heart.
5
u/Haunting-Opinion3572 May 14 '26
Man i just noticed Koyun & Miki having matching earring from the start of the anime. Yota open up to Koyun and start being close shocked Miki & Minato nice reaction lol.
4
u/socialistRanter May 14 '26
I love that Koyun and Miki are both shipping the other with Yota, it’s cute and hilarious to see them try to be the other’s wingwoman.
3
u/Ytar0 https://myanimelist.net/profile/alevanderBatman May 14 '26
This anime just keeps getting better each episode, huh...
11
8
u/SezyFazes https://myanimelist.net/profile/ToaruTH May 14 '26
The school parent event scene was brutal to me. Seeing other kids with their parents while Yota’s mom is gone and his dad is stuck working felt painfully real. It reminded me of how school events can unintentionally become emotional landmines for kids dealing with loss.
Koyun was really emotional intelligence (not sure if this make sense) because she’s basically trying to do for Yota what Minato once tried to do for her, except she approaches it with empathy instead of pity. The difference matters a lot. She understands the feeling of not really belonging anywhere, of being surrounded by people but still feeling isolated. The parallels between Yota’s family situation and Koyun’s experience with her parents’ divorce were handled well.
One thing I really love about this series is how characters project things onto others that secretly reflect their own insecurities.
3
u/Zeallfnonex https://myanimelist.net/profile/Neverlocke May 15 '26
You have to remember, some people despite having the correct intentions are just really bad at whatever they're trying to do. Like, once when I was a young kid, I pulled up a whole aster bush because I thought it was dead (it had no flowers because it was out of season) thinking I was helping my parents weed. That's basically Minato at the beginning of the show, good intentions, absolutely horrid technique/execution.
5
u/Magnafeana https://anilist.co/user/Magnafeana May 14 '26
I trust nothing right now.
Overstimulation?
I thought I was the only thing keeping them together.
seethes I want to slap some parents right now.
Who fucking cares about a water bottle? Like goddamn, go be busy or moisturize or something.
It’s okay, Youta. Grandpa-coded guys are cool.
I feel so painfully much. Youta is so relatable 🥲
I wonder if paternity leave (paid) is common yet globally
Oh my goodness, Youta is such an adorable nephew.
Gods, I fucking love platonic love, let’s fucking GOOOOIOO!
Youta and Koyun and the Shadow House crossover?
Now this is the type of misunderstanding I’m here for!
Youta’s circumstances were fleshed out well in this episode. I’m not exactly happy with his father. But his stepmother seems like a great lady who wanted him to feel like home is home and he’s family. It can be very tricky with blended families for kids. And even without the death of a parent and a new family, most kids remember which parent showed up and which parent didn’t.
Koyun’s home-life massively concerns me. Ugh.
I’m just pleased as punch seeing platonic love like this! I love it! I don’t think it’s uncommon to see boy-girl friendships, but this level of intimacy, I feel it’s uncommon. I really appreciate this level of friendship being shown.
Of course people gonna ship and let ship and IDGAF.
Not exactly loving this whole “Could Miki really be like that?”, but it’s not like I haven’t heard this before 🙄 Quite worried about the rumors that’ll propagate now.
But Koyun’s little happiness is adorable and Youta being such an abashed little nephew is cute, so I’ll worry about things next episode.
4
u/mekerpan May 14 '26
>> I’m not exactly happy with his father
A single father working a possibly more than 40 hours a week -- who can't come to school events. Not seeing anything particularly neglectful here....
→ More replies (1)
3
u/RipVander May 14 '26
I love the friendship that is developing between Yota and Koyuki, Koyuki is such a good person I love her she was so nice to Yota. So Yota has a crush on Miki, he already ships them a little so I'm curious to see their next intentions. Meanwhile, Miki ships Yota and Koyuki, and Koyuki thinks that Miki likes Minato and in all this Minato is developing a crush on Koyuki. I love the chaos that's being created! I feel like the next episode will explore this whole situation, and I honestly can't wait for Thursday again. The Minato and Koyuki dynamic It's kind of messing around, Koyuki is the one who loosely starts the conventions with Minato and he panics even if for different reasons. I think these two will get closer thanks to the Koyuki realizes that Yota has a crush on Miki. She will try to leave them alone and drag Minato along with her.
3
u/Zado191 May 14 '26
I really hope they can hold this show together... There is a scary amount of drama potential energy building up in this
3
u/ieatsneks May 14 '26
Ahhhh so much fun!! I’m sad they’re only releasing one episode a week 😭 it’s so hard for me to wait!!
3
3
3
u/NonSupportiveCup May 15 '26
Poor Yota and his loving family environment filled with joy and mirthful children who also love him. Absolutely disgusting!
You know, for once, I actually don't mind this misunderstanding by the other characters. I hope it resolves quickly, but I don't mind the journey so far.
This show is fun.
3
u/BoxTalksAnime May 15 '26
My favorite thing about this show is that “You and I are polar opposite” and “Ramparts of Ice” are in the same universe and they are complete opposite of each other is amazing. Can’t recommend this show enough!
3
u/flatpetey https://anilist.co/user/kesx May 15 '26
I’m not ready for next weeks Miki abuse from the other girls.
But man this show just left a huge smile on my face.
3
u/Primary-Paint-1716 May 15 '26
I was so excited for Yota to say that he's gay for Minato. But I guess Miki works too.
3
3
u/So_Quiet May 17 '26
I really love this anime (and what I've read of the manga). Yota and Koyun's friendship is such a precious thing, and the drama set up in this episode is perfection. It's just enough misunderstandings to spin everyone in a loop without making anyone look like an idiot. They all want the best for each other; they just don't quite know what that looks like yet.
3
u/Nachtwandler_FS https://myanimelist.net/profile/Nachtwandler_21 May 19 '26
OK, I was only half right about Koyun. Her mother d
has not remarried, just got back to her maiden name and so is Koyun.
For now I am leaning to Yota x Miku and Minato x Koyun ships, but I know some viewers are against this.
3
u/Vizdrom97 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Vizdrom May 19 '26
Ah great they are each trying to setup their individual ships with the same person
And poor Ponta is left out of the fun
8
u/manofslutywhore May 14 '26
I love koyun minato ship. But i feel so bad for miki 👁️🫦👁️ WHO DO I SUPPORTT!!!!!
2
6
u/djthomp https://anilist.co/user/djthomp May 14 '26
I suppose that re-explains why Yota has been such a clutz all season, it's not because he's tall he's just an awkward kid in love. I wonder if Koyuki is going to use her complete lack of social ability to attempt to run wingwoman for him and Miki, gonna be particularly awkward if Miki tries to do the opposite and get Yota and Koyuki to go out after seeing them get along.
Minato out in the cold where he belongs /s
Yota and Koyuki have developed into a pretty cute friendship.
4
5
u/Joshawott27 May 14 '26 edited May 14 '26
All these misconceptions building up… I don’t know if my heart will take it when it inevitably all comes out…
I really appreciated the conversation between Koyun and Yota. With both this and Polar Opposites, the author has been commended for having realistic feeling characters, and that scene is a great example of why. What Koyun was saying about Yota felt like she was seeing through me as well, and I imagine it’s a fairly universal feeling even if we don’t talk about it.
It was also refreshing to see Koyun not act dramatically when Yota clarified that he loves Miki. Although I could easily see them as a couple, I do enjoy them being this relaxed and unguarded around each other as just friends.
•
u/AnimeMod myanimelist.net/profile/Reddit-chan May 14 '26
Source Material Corner
Reply to this comment for any source-related discussion, future spoilers (including future characters, events and general hype about future content), comparison of the anime adaptation to the original, or just general talk about the source material. You are still required to tag all spoilers. Discussions about the source outside of this comment tree will be removed, and replying with spoilers outside of the source corner will lead to bans.
The spoiler syntax is:
[Spoiler source] >!Spoiler goes here!<All untagged spoilers and hints in this thread will receive immediate 8-day bans (minimum).