Action has been a big part of the current anime world with series such as Jujutsu Kaisen, Dan Da Dan, Demon Slayer, and My Hero Academia. Another genre that has been an important part of anime culture is the romantic comedy, with plenty of current anime that fit that bill, including Hana Kimi and You and I Are Polar Opposites.

You and I Are Polar Opposites

You and I Are Polar Opposites is a cute and funny anime series based on the 2022 manga. The down-to-earth and relatable series follows Miyu Suzuki (English voice by Celeste Perez), an energetic and popular high school student who falls for Yusuke Tani (English voice by Brandon Acosta), a quiet, stoic classmate.

“The magic is how relatable it is,” Perez tells Nerd Reactor about the magic of the anime. “Every time that I record an episode, I think a lot about being in high school, being a teenager who’s just full of energy. All of the side characters are also so relatable because they’re just like our best friends that we used to have as kids.”

“I also want to say to our director and our script writer, too,” Acosta said. “They really helped us find that vibe, that tone with our voices and everything, our characterizations. And I love that all the characters feel like high schoolers. It reminds me of when I used to hang out with my friends back then.”

Hana-Kimi

Hana-Kimi, based on the manga from 1996, follows Mizuki Ashiya (English voice by Katelyn Barr), a girl who disguises herself as a boy at an all-boys school to be closer to her idol, Izumi Sano (English voice by Wyatt Baker), a star athlete. To add drama to the mix, another student, Shuichi Kakatsu (English voice by Dallas Reid), likes Mizuki, creating a good ‘ol love triangle drama.

“So, Mizuki, when she’s speaking aloud, she’s doing her boy voice, and she’s keeping her facade up that she’s a boy at this boy school,” Barr said of her character. “But inside her head, she’s still girly girl. So it’s been really fun to find moments. It’s not always a clear A voice, B voice. There are interesting moments in the middle where she’s in mixed company, or she doesn’t know if somebody knows she’s a boy or not.”

“To me, my favorite part is picking out what level of boy voice to do in what moment. It changes every episode, too, because different characters know the secret or don’t know the secret. It’s been a really fun little acting challenge. I think speaking outwardly in a boy’s voice is more fun for me.”

Hell’s Paradise

What is Hell’s Paradise doing here? Even though it’s an adventure set in Edo Japan about the search for the elixir of immortality, the main protagonist, Gabimaru (English voice by Alejandro Saab), just wants to live a peaceful life with his wife.

“Funny enough, for me with Hell’s Paradise, one of my favorite parts is the more subtle romance moments,” Saab said. “I know in this world of immortality and action and fire and all this stuff, that it’s just nice to get, for it to calm down and then realize that it’s like, ‘Oh, Gabimaru’s just trying to get back to his wife.’ And I love those moments where it’s very subtle. The most subtle one is where he just pins down Yuzuriha and is like, ‘I’m married.’

“And then the not-so-subtle moment where it’s that monologue in season two where he’s talking about his wife. But I mean, I do love the action. The Chobei fight looks awesome. But there’s just so much in the show that I really like. But I’m a sucker for rom-com stuff.”

Hana-Kimi, You and I Are Polar Opposites and Hell’s Paradise are now available to stream on Crunchyroll.