Romantic comedies are the bane of my existence and Tokidoki Bosotto Russiago de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san (Alya-san Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian) had a great premise that is sure to set up some great comedy with a very simple hook. Simplicity is oftentimes the best way to go; however, did Alya-san succeed in a way where it kept things entertaining?
Let’s go!
First Episode Synopsis
Alya is a transfer student who is the daughter of a Russian and, therefore, she can speak Russian. She gets asked out by the best-looking boy in school; however, she thoroughly shoots him down without hesitation! The reason for this is that she already has her heart set on someone – her classmate Kuze.
Alya loves to tease Kuze and sometimes she will talk down to him; however, she will sometimes speak Russian where she will openly confess her true feelings and thoughts for him. There’s only one little problem… Kuze knows how to speak Russian and can perfectly understand her; however, she doesn’t know this!
I wish I could say more about the first episode but, that’s basically all there is to it. The whole episode deals with them going through school, talking to each other, and carrying on the running gag that Kuze can understand her the whole time. Of course, they do mix it up a little by introducing the student council which Alya is on. One of their other members, Yuki Suou is childhood friends with Kuze! She wants him to join the student council but he refuses. When Alya learns this, she instantly sees a threat to her plan of warming up to Kuze as a love interest!
The episode ends with a classic tease into an embarrassing misunderstanding situation! Kuze has to chase Alya around the school until they both run out of breath in order to call a truce for the mishap.
Worth Watching?
YES – In this case, simplicity is the best formula. While this is a 12-episode series, I can see the joke getting old pretty quickly; however, it can be kept alive through some creativity. Of course, the hook for this show is if, one day, Kuze slips up and she learns that he can understand Russian. That, of course, is the massive moment we want to happen because it will either lead to them getting together or a complete and utter disaster. There is also the Yuki situation where I can see them competing over Kuze’s affection and given how 12-episode shows like this go, I expect a number of episodes to have a bit of a rivalry just to extend and/or preserve the gag.
Despite being a bit on the predictable side, the writing was pretty good, nothing was too over-the-top, and when Alya goes into Russian mode, she does a complete 180 in her personality and becomes super cute. When in her Japanese personality, she acts like a tsundere that you can adore and get behind.
Overall, the show hit all the right notes right out of the gate and made me want to see more! While this show is the type where things can get stale, the first episode gives you a good indication that there’s only a small chance of that happening. It just feels like a winner!
That and plus Alya has some of the coolest-looking eyes I’ve seen in a long time!
