Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san

Seirei Academy is a prestigious school attended by the very best students in Japan. Alisa Mikhailovna "Alya" Kujou, the half-Russian and half-Japanese treasurer of the school's student council, is known for her intelligence, stunning looks, and rigid personality. Contrasting her near-flawless persona, Alya's unmotivated classmate Masachika Kuze slacks off during lessons and seems to show no interest in her.

Initially irritated, Alya gradually becomes more intrigued by Masachika and starts expressing her affection for him in Russian. However, she is oblivious to his secret—he understands the language fluently! Due to a childhood friend who was temporarily staying in Japan, Masachika has been studying Russian in hopes of reuniting with her.

As the two spend more time together, the playful and eccentric relationship between them quickly deepens. In the meantime, both must learn to navigate their new growing feelings for one another.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Kujou, Alisa Mikhailovna Main

Uesaka, Sumire Japanese

Kuze, Masachika Main

Amasaki, Kouhei Japanese

Suou, Yuki Supporting

Maruoka, Wakana Japanese

Kujou, Maria Mikhailovna Supporting

Fujii, Yukiyo Japanese

Kimishima, Ayano Supporting

Aizawa, Saya Japanese

Miyamae, Nonoa Supporting

Aoyama, Yoshino Japanese

Sarashina, Chisaki Supporting

Kawase, Maki Japanese

Taniyama, Sayaka Supporting

Hasegawa, Ikumi Japanese

Kujou, Akemi Supporting

Inoue, Kikuko Japanese

Kenzaki, Touya Supporting

Ishikawa, Kaito Japanese

Kobayashi, Ryou Producer

Kamata, Hajime Producer

Hasegawa, Shunsuke Producer

Arai, Kousuke Producer

Reviews

Dec 10, 2024

AShortbuskid

Recommended

Cute and fluffy. The election thing does feel like it drags, but the show is cute enough to stave off this issue.

The Russian thing does get slightly old near the end, however, I hope the future season fixes this issue and the whole trope gets
dropped.

The entire arc surrounding the school election does tire a bit, as obviously the stakes are faked and shallow. I did struggle to watch around this part, but it's my only real complaint. And it's minor enough that I feel the show doesn't suffer too much from it.

The MC and his sister are cringy and lame, however, I actually feel that ... it's a rare case where it's in the benefit of the show.

The art style is pretty and cute.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Nov 26, 2024

PandaRoomster

Mixed Feelings

I realized very early on that I’m probably not the target demographic for this anime—it seems clearly aimed at p*rn-addicted self-inserts. Since I don’t consider myself part of that group, take my review with a grain of salt.

I have very mixed feelings about this anime, so I’ll break them down into clear points:

Art and Design:
Easily the best part of the series. The character designs are beautiful, and the animation is consistently well-executed. I honestly can’t ask for much more in this department—it’s top-notch.


Characters:
There’s plenty of variety among the characters, but many feel like they exist solely to attract as wide an audience as possible. The ... main character is a pitiful attempt at a relatable self-insert—Oh, he’s actually a reliable guy just pretending to be lazy? That feels like a shallow ploy to make romantically frustrated men think, “Oh, he’s just like me!”

Yuki, in particular, left me baffled. What was her end goal? Did she want to surpass her brother? Did she wish for her brother to be happy with Alya? Or—disturbingly—was she trying to seduce her own brother? Incest is not okay, and it’s easily the most disgusting aspect of this anime. I genuinely worry about the people who enjoy such a trope in a show. Do better.


Plot:
The plotline isn’t particularly groundbreaking. The student council setting ensures that at least something is always happening, but it doesn’t reach very deep. The way the student council is treated with such gravity feels a bit over-the-top, though this might be due to cultural differences and it's definitely not exclusive to only this anime, so I won't take points away for that.

Given that this is supposed to be a romcom, I personally would’ve liked to see more emphasis on the romance. The comedy element works occasionally, but it often feels cheap and doesn’t leave much of an impact in the grand scheme of things.


Fan Service:
I understand that fan service makes money, but I don’t understand the appeal of mixing it into an anime. If I’m bored, I’ll watch an entertaining show full of drama. If I want to see women in underwear, I’ll watch an entirely different type of video. Combining the two feels unnecessary and detracts from the overall experience.

Furthermore, this series takes fan service to uncomfortable extremes. What did the hypnosis scene add to the plot? Nothing! It just made all of the unga-bungas drool because “haha boobie.” This kind of content is exactly why I feel like I’m likely not the target demographic.


Summary:
Despite its many negatives, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the show at least a little. It does have its charm, I suppose. I’ll stick around for the second season in the hope that some of these issues are addressed. The potential is clearly there.

5/10 – Average

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Dec 21, 2024

Kyou_Ryuu

Not Recommended

THE GOOD:
Visuals and character design are what stands out the most. You want pretty waifus? This show has plenty. The animation is also nice, considering that's "just" a romcom.
As far as characters go, Yuki steals the spotlight. She is the beating heart of this season: her goals and actions are what moves the plot forward, and her chemistry with the MC is better than Alya's.
Voice acting is solid, especially from Amasaki (Masachika) and Maruoka (Yuki).
Sound production is also top notch. The soundtrack is decent and it offers multiple different EDs, which are all pleasant to listen to. I'm not a fan of the OP, but ... credit's due where it's due: the quality is incredibly high.

THE MEH:
Pretty much all the characters are unrelatable. Sure, they all have their motivations, but they are far from anything the audience could experience. Not only all the protagonists are from rich families, their traits aren't exactly things you see around everyday. Alya is Russian and a textbook tsundere; Yuki is a scheming mastermind who is secretly an otaku with a brother complex; Masachika is a lazy genius with an ongoing family feud; Ayano is a loyal servant with ninja skills... yea, good luck relating with any of that. The only character that is somewhat relatable is Masha because, at the end of the day, she is just kind and always trying to help her sister.
This might not be a problem for someone, but I couldn't really feel invested in anyone from the cast because of it.

THE BAD:
I'm not a bigot, I'm not against fanservice... but this show makes abuse of it. I can handle it when used sparingly, or when it furthers plot/characterization. Here it eats screen-time without furthering anything: for the most part, it's just eye-candy for male audience.
We have the famous feet-fetish/panties scene: absolutely useless, since the MCs forget about it shortly after, and it's also out of character for both of them.
We have the camera indulging over Alya in the dressing room while changing clothes, which is gratuitous and unneeded; we have the notorious hypnosis scene, which is so detached from the story that you could safely remove it without changing a iota of the plot. And so on.
I can stomach fanservice that is part of a meaningful scene (e.g. Yuki's shot waking up her brother). But if it eats screen-time just for the sake of it, then it's a no-no.
Finally, the writing can't really convey the "genius" of Masachika. He is described as this "superior IQ" character, but nothing he does or says really highlights it. His speeches are nothing special, just filled with uninspiring sophistry, and yet they make his audience act as if they were listening to a Nobel prize. He solves conflicts by using information that is not anticipated to the viewer and, as such, he looks like he is pulling off a deus-ex-machina instead of a genuine resolution (e.g. the dispute between the baseball and the football clubs).

FINAL THOUGHTS:
One of the most disappointing series I watched this year. The hype was unwarranted, at least for me. Sure, there is some character development, but the plot is so contrived and riddled with meaningless fanservice that I couldn't enjoy it.
Recommended only if you're craving for waifus... and even then, other shows could quench your thirst while also offering something more.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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