Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

Episode 9

I'll be honest, when I saw how this episode started, I was NOT expecting that end. There are times when it feels like I'm watching two different shows. We get the meta school life comedy where characters get into very self-aware, wacky situations like at the end here with the whole hypnosis bit. Was it funny? Sure. Did it feel a little too silly even for this show at its craziest? Oh absolutely. If anything, Yuki being so self-aware might backfire here because she knows how situations like this end and that's unfair to the other parties involved.

Then we get to the beginning of this show which displays the quiet family drama that bubbles beneath the surface. I love how Yuki speaks with her grandfather who came out the gate swinging like a good piece of garbage. The way he gives Yuki a backhanded compliment, how he tries to make Kuze out to be some entitled brat, and how he makes the whole situation about him tightly executed. The shot of the mother's face in particular was also great. She looks so tired and you know she doesn't follow along with any of this.

The middle part of this episode with Nonoa and all the private conversations was probably the best way the show handled mixing tones. Good conversation and character growth are going on while poking fun at some tropes like hiding in a room while an important conversation is going on (although I can't be the only one curious about what exactly Alya was going to do if they weren't interrupted). I like Nonoa as a character and wonder how she operates moving forward as a parallel to Kuze. Both of them are putting on airs while displaying a skillset far beyond how they look. If there's another debate soon, I hope to see them going head-to-head. Overall, this is a mixed-bag episode.

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Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.