Introduction

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian (Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san) is a very deceptive anime that aired this summer 2024 season. At 12 episodes and done by studio Doga Kobo (Oshi no Ko, Monthly Girls’ Nozaki-kun) the story seems at first to be all about ecchi, romance, comedy, and just a hint of drama for good measure.

By episode 12 though, things change quite a bit and you’ll see this show pulled a stellar move to grab the audience’s attention.

A romance story involving a Russian transfer student, a lazy boy, and a dubious sister seems to all fade away to become a drama about a battle brewing for the next student council president! Is Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian a worthwhile show or should you hide yourself from these quirky characters?

Let’s find out in my review! Warning, minor spoilers to come so maybe watch the show first!

Ecchi, Sisters, and Hot Russian Girls

At first glance, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian screams a perverse rom-com with little substance. Following high schooler Masachika Kuze, our lazy protagonist seems to only care about anime, gatcha games, and all things we cherish here at SunsetNerdVerse. Meanwhile, our female lead, Alissa, or Alya as Kuze calls her, is the polar opposite of our good-for-nothing male lead.

Cold by nature and seemingly a loner, Kuze, oddly enough, gets along with her to the level of using her nickname, and she, in turn, seems to adore him going as far as to say cute/romantic things to him in her native Russian language. Unbeknownst to her, Kuze knows Russian and tries to act like he doesn’t completely embarrass our ice princess.

Aside from that, we have Yuki Suou, Kuze’s sister who equally is an oddball. At school, the two act like they are just friends (or something a bit more that activates Alya’s jealousy). When she hangs out with her brother, she acts so perverse and ecchi it’s basically the format for the first several episodes of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian. Those into sister fetishes will no doubt fall madly in love with Yuki and wish they were her sister.

When this series acts comedy-driven and adds perverted scenes galore, you can’t help but think this is what we’re getting for the majority of the series. Lo and behold though, after a bit, we start to get more substance, and that changes the focus of the entire anime.

Yes, those elements don’t go away and are still very present near the end of the show, but it feels like they are toned down considerably in order to tell a different story. This shift, though, is what ruins the overall experience and while I still loved Alya, I can’t deny I felt like this show pulled an interesting yet, almost manipulating move.

Grab Their Attention With Boobs

As someone who is accustomed to public speaking, sometimes on larger scales, I’ve learned that speaking requires an art form that most don’t master. One of the best tricks and easiest to teach is to capture the audience’s attention immediately. Whether you tell a joke or perform some random action (as conveyed in the final episode), this move will make the audience focus on you when they might have ignored you entirely.

In many ways, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feeling in Rusian is like a good speaker in anime form.

The ecchi we mentioned earlier, plus the almost constant fan service, grabbed most of our attention and made you feel as if this series would be completely fan service-related. Then the series has Alya trying to run for student council president, Kuze ends up being her running mate and Yuki/Ayano (her maid) are now their opponents.

This switch in gears is a bit jarring, to say the least, and while I don’t dislike it, I can’t say it’s as interesting as the comedy or romance portions.

These Girls Be Gorgeous

One thing that never changes in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian is the art/animation. If they do change, it’s only a few times that the anime looks even nicer at times. The character models really pop and each girl has a nice design that makes them perfect for waifu wars.

I kind of expected this level of art/animation though, when you have a studio that has a nice portfolio of great works under their belt. Studio Doga Kobo didn’t push their limits to the max with Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian like the other more recent anime, Oshi no Ko, but I won’t try comparing apples to oranges.

This show looks rock solid and kept my attention.

Listen to the ED!

One of the more polarizing elements of any anime series from Naruto to Demon Slayer, is the ending music. Opening songs are usually the focal point of most anime series, and too often, audiences will skip the ending after hearing it once. I would highly advise not skipping the ending music in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian as the ending songs change quite often and pay homage to various other works.

One ED is a Hatsune Miku reference to the song “World is Mine” and another is a reference to the Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Each song is done by the quite talented, Sumire Uesaka, who voices our main girl, Alya. I challenge all of you readers out there to name all the references in these endings as there are over 10 of them and even a few of them I had to look up before writing this review.

Season 2 Now, Please, and Thanks

Here’s a kind of grim reality. While season 2 was announced and I’m excited to see it, the wait is what will kill this anime for me and I’m sure others too. Imagine, 2 years go by and after a slew of very promising anime like Re:Zero Season 3 and Dragon Ball DAIMA, will anyone even remember Alya? That is a result of this series and the sudden change it has.

The story isn’t bad like I said before, but it isn’t something I’ll remember for decades, sadly. I want a second season soon, as I feel that is the best chance for me to keep enjoying Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian but I know crafting anime isn’t an easy thing to accomplish, after all.

Closing Thoughts

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian wasn’t, by any means, a great anime but I liked it and I’m sure I’m not alone. While I feel they could have added some more substance and maybe didn’t pull the obvious move they did, the overall anime had enough to warrant a full watch.

Solid animation, a great cast of characters, and a fun story (with plenty of humor) made for an entertaining ride throughout. Plus, a second season was confirmed to be released in the future, which means we will get even more of Alya, Kuze, and his sometimes scary sister, Yuki.

Till then, I’m going to boot up some of those first episodes again for…research purposes…and occasionally laugh at the ridiculous issues our cast find themselves in. I hope you, too, enjoyed Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian and this review!

Comment below with your thoughts and who your favorite girl in the series is. Mine is Yuki…I can’t deny her nature captures you from episode one and doesn’t let go.

—Aaron