fix: non-NEP-50 case

src/awkward/_nplikes/array_module.py

@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ def apply_ufunc(
         args: list[Any],
         kwargs: dict[str, Any] | None = None,
     ) -> ArrayLike | tuple[ArrayLike]:
+        # Does NumPy support value-less ufunc resolution?
         if NUMPY_HAS_NEP_50:
             # Determine input argument dtypes
             input_arg_dtypes = [getattr(obj, "dtype", type(obj)) for obj in args]
@@ -188,16 +189,15 @@ def apply_ufunc(
                 for arg, dtype in zip(args, resolved_dtypes)
             ]
         else:
+            # Otherwise, perform default NumPy coercion (value-dependent)
             resolved_args = [
                 self.asarray(arg, dtype=arg.dtype) if hasattr(arg, "dtype") else arg
                 for arg in args
             ]
-        # Broadcast these resolved arguments
-        broadcasted_args = self.broadcast_arrays(*resolved_args)
         # Allow other nplikes to replace implementation
         impl = self.prepare_ufunc(ufunc)
         # Compute the result
-        return impl(*broadcasted_args, **(kwargs or {}))
+        return impl(*resolved_args, **(kwargs or {}))
 
     def broadcast_arrays(self, *arrays: ArrayLike) -> list[ArrayLike]:
         assert not any(isinstance(x, PlaceholderArray) for x in arrays)