After earning the title of the most anticipated anime of Summer 2024, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian (Roshidere) had a great episode 1. Combining the power of the motherland, waifus, and socks, it was also able to win over the public and was voted the best anime of week 1. How does that combination work? Let’s find out.
A Classic Setting
Roshidere has a very classic setting for an anime romcom, with the complete package of the high school setting, the protagonists sitting next to each other (specifically on the typical protagonists’ seat, or the last row of the window side of the classroom), and the female lead being secretly interested in the male lead from the start for unclear reasons.
We even get introduced to the childhood-friend-that-was-secretly-in-love-with-the-protagonist-all-along during the first. The fact that such an anticipated show is not afraid to whip out all typical tropes shows that it is very confident in executing well on the story, the likability of its waifus, the shtick of Alya speaking Russian, or perhaps all of the above.
The Beauty And the Милашка
The main gimmick of Roshidere is Alya randomly speaking Russian whenever she is too embarrassed to say something. Given that Alya shows some tsundere aspects in episode 1, it is a way to show the watchers what she is thinking without really affecting the story. Well, if we do not take into account the fact that Masachika understands Russian but is keeping it to himself.
It is an interesting twist on the tsundere type where the usual dynamic is the tsundere is misunderstood because of her inability to express honest emotions, while it is reversed here as Alya lets herself be way too honest when speaking Russian. It will be interesting to see how this evolves, as the more Alya flirts with Masachika with this gimmick, the more likely it is to be uncovered.
Socks are Very Powerful
The most memorable of Roshidere’s episode 1 is the scene where a smug Alya tries to embarrass Masachika by asking him to put her socks on, and he takes her head on. It is clear watching this scene that a lot of effort went into it, with very smooth animation and a detailed depiction of a certain body part. The animators clearly knew what they were doing and they successfully summoned a certain demographic. The editor of Roshidere even commented on the week 1 poll results, joking about the power of socks. Do you believe in the power of socks? Socks are great!
The Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian (Roshidere) anime is based on a light novel written by SunSunSun and illustrated by Momoco. The novel was initially published online as two short stories on the self-publishing website Shosetsuka ni Naro in May 2020. It was later acquired by Kadokawa Shoten’s Kadokawa Sneaker Bunko imprint in 2021.
Kodansha’s Magazine Pocket is serializing the manga adaptation by Saho Tenamachi, which was launched in October 2022. The manga is licensed in English by Yen Press:
Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou is Seiren Private Academy’s “solitary princess.” She’s a half-Russian beauty with silver hair, at the top of her class, student council accountant, and… completely unapproachable. For some reason, she’s also taken on the responsibility of reprimanding the slacker who sits next to her in class. Masachika Kuze is constantly frustrating her by falling asleep, forgetting his textbooks, and just being an overall unexemplary student.
Or at least, that’s how it looks from the outside. She may put on a tough act, but she doesn’t mind Masachika as much as others would think. She even lets him call her by her nickname, Alya. Anyone hearing the comments she mutters in Russian under her breath might know how she really feels, but since none of her classmates understand the language, she’s free to say whatever she likes! Except…there is one person who knows what she’s saying. Masachika eavesdrops on her embarrassing revelations, pretending to be clueless, all the while wondering what her flirtatious comments actually mean!
© SunSunSun/Momoco/KADOKAWA/Alya-san Partners
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