Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 review: The next masterpiece from Doga Kobo after Oshi no Ko?

Produced by Doga Kobo, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 has garnered a massive buzz in the anime community following its release on July 3, 2024. While the episode only covered the first three chapters from SunSunSun's light novels, Doga Kobo didn't fail to drive home the pivotal focus of the series: Alya and Masachika's unique chemistry.

The budding romance between the drop-dead gorgeous Russian-Japanese girl and the otaku-gamer boy may seem like it's doomed for failure, but the powerful narrative seamlessly binds them in a knot. The recipe for romance is further enriched by a misunderstanding, which becomes the narrative's backbone.

Every aspect, from fluid animation and art quality to voice acting, contributed to the success of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1. As such, the question arises—is this the next big thing from Doga Kobo after Oshi no Ko?

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 review: Alya and Masachika's chemistry and the narrative of language

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The reception surrounding Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 was astounding. As a highly anticipated title from the Summer 2024 anime line-up, the adaptation has promised a lot with only one episode released thus far.

Alisa Mikhailovna Kujo, the gorgeous diva of the Seirei Academy, turns down the proposal of her peer with sheer coldness and sends other students' hearts aflutter. Undoubtedly, at first glance, it may seem like a generic beginning to a series.

However, upon a deeper examination, Alya's "cold" introduction has much more meaning, when we see her with the protagonist, Masachika Kuze, the only male student with whom she can be herself.

Alya, as seen in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 (Image via Doga Kobo)

Alya reprimands Masachika for staying up late at night to play video games and later, pulls a prank on him. Why would a school's diva go to a certain length to converse with someone like Masachika, who neither has the popularity nor the academic brilliance?

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 proves that Masachika has something that other students lack, and at least that's what Alya feels, based on her bashful and playful reactions.

Gradually, the episode comes to the actual hook. It reveals that Alya tends to blurt out her actual feelings in Russian. She feels Masachika won't understand, but unbeknownst to her, the otaku boy comprehends the Russian tongue. He used to be friends with a Russian girl in his childhood, which is why he can fairly understand the language.

Alya and Masachika, as seen in the anime (Image via Doga Kobo)

Undoubtedly, this misunderstanding serves as the hook, which propels the episode forward. Throughout the episode, the diva blurts out words of affection for Masachika but the boy feels Alya does that deliberately as a "mental exhibitionist."

However, the episode makes it clear that Alya has feelings for Masachika. Otherwise, she wouldn't have gotten jealous when the School Council's Spokesperson Suou Yuki revealed that she and Masachika had been friends since middle school.

Perhaps that's why the Russian-Japanese girl felt elated when Masachika revealed that she (Alya) was also his friend. Besides that, language plays a key role in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1.

Alya, as seen drinking her favorite drink (Image via Doga Kobo)

Doga Kobo has expertly used the situations where Alya's Russian tongue was most needed. Whether it's her constantly telling Masachika that he's cute or showing jealousy through a language she feels the boy doesn't know, this theme lends the narrative its scaffold.

It'll be interesting to see when Alya realizes that Masachika comprehends Russian. However, until the milk is spilled, Alya and Masachika's chemistry will only evoke intrigue in fans. As such, we can say that the theme of language greatly compliments their chemistry.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 review: Doga Kobo's brilliance and Sumire Uesaka's performance

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As an animation studio, Doga Kobo has garnered considerable fame, especially after the tremendous success of the Oshi no Ko anime. Aside from the animation, what makes Doga Kobo Studio's works brilliant is the character and background art.

The studio cannot match the level of Ufotable (Demon Slayer) or MAPPA (Jujutsu Kaisen) in terms of animating high-octane action sequences. Yet, when it comes to doing justice to the rom-com adaptations, very few studios would come close to Doga Kobo.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 was another delightful example that raises expectations from Doga Kobo. As stated earlier, the episode only covered the first three chapters.

Alya, as seen in the socks scene (Image via Doga Kobo)

The production studio has deftly added and removed elements from the source material to cater to the episode's needs. The socks scene toward the end of the episode truly showed the heights of Doga Kobo's production skill, as the studio seamlessly combined tension and fan service.

The final scene, where Masachika gives Alya a drink at the schoolyard, actually takes place in the classroom in the original novel and the manga. These aspects did elevate Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1.

Alya hits Masachika in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 (Image via Doga Kobo)

Besides that, Sumire Uesaka's performance as Alisa Mikhailovna Kujo, aka Alya, deserves a special mention. Fans would like to know that Uesaka has majored in the Russian language. Therefore, she is the perfect fit for the role of Alya.

While her dialogues in Russian had a slightly Japanese accent to them, her delivery was impeccable. Undoubtedly, she elevated Alya's character through voice acting. The scene where the Russian-Japanese girl shouts at Masachika in Russian for embarrassing her showed Uesaka-san's skills as a voice actor.

Conclusion

Alya, as seen running in Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 (Image via Doga Kobo)

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 1 was truly a promising start to the adaptation, under Doga Kobo's production. The episode vividly portrayed the written words from the light novel to animation form, giving fans a glimpse into the lives of Alya, Masachika, and others.

Considering how the episode elevated the source material, it wouldn't be off-shot to say that the series might become the next hit from Doga Kobo, after Oshi no Ko.