Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san Volume 6 Discussion

Playcool said:
I was not hyping this volume at all, sure a few things I wanted to see concluded that from the last volume, but I had mild expectations at best, in the second half, this volume goes CRAZY, in paper, if you were told what would happen, it loses some of the impacts, but when you are readying and see things escalating and escalating, shit happening everywhere, everything that was building in the background slowly coming together, what fucking EPIC volume. This was easily peak drama for the series, and for most of the stuff I have ever read, I just did not ever expect it to go as HARD and CRAZY, and deliver them feels like it did.

10/10 Volume.

To the meat of it. The first half was the romcom stuff anyone having read this far expects, that is if you skip the prologue, you should not do such a thing, it was a tease to the climax, the insight of how Alisa truly feels about Masachika, it has a tragic beauty that is explored in depth in the second half, but now from both perspectives, Alisa and Masachika DONT HOLD BACK on this volume, and after this volume, they seem to gain an extra layer of vulnerability, and you just ship them fucking harder, because they compliment each other so damm well~~

Elf-sama was probably Alisa's best costume ever, it was just perfect, and overall this is one of the best-illustrated volumes (kinda wanted to see how was Masachika's wizard costume lol).

Concerning volumes 5 and 6, we see quite a few new characters first showing up, my favorite was Sumire's character, the strong and gallantius female prince, her illustration is also beautiful, and it is interesting to see the cast expanding with this much potential, this far into the series, and I hope many of these newcomers become regulars (just as Nonoa and Sayaka become).

Yuki talking about her brother to Alisa was such a tease, the writer is building on it slowly and not easily giving in, so I expect the reveal to be quite climatic (already seen volume 8 ending lol).

I was expecting the bear to go for Alisa, but Masachika is a sly one, there were numerous times this volume surprised me, I expected something and was amazed how it played out, freaking critical hit on his devilish imouto, giving her the teddy bear was so adorable (again superb illustration).
More than ever, this volume feels like Alisa is not the main focus, and that is okay, the writer is more than happy to go and give proper development and spotlight to all these other characters, and in the scheme of things, Alisa is just a key player, surrounded by many others.
I love that because the LN can be great without focusing on Alisa, that scene was for Yuki and much later on, it is Maria's time to shine, I appreciate the fact the writer is not forgetting about his characters aside from the main couple, they are treated so well here.

Masachika corned Alisa quite a bit in this arc, she did need to gain way more experience, and she met his expectations and surpassed them, but it got me emotional when he realized that he was putting a lot of pressure on her, more than he intended, without realizing what this would be concerning her personality, when he realizes this, it stuck with me, and it was just a relieve to see it stopping there, he acknowledging his mistake and properly praising her and rewarding her in a way.

Ayano redeemed herself a bit this volume after the knife she stuck last one, that maid chapter with her and Masachika alone was out of nowhere and was truly blissful SoL, I kept expecting her to do something crazy, but it was so peaceful and soothing, I kinda wanted more of both interacting alone like that, but honestly, imagining her eyes alone would give me a fright lol (she takes her role as servicing her masters, very seriously), and that illustration with her at the of the chapter, what an angel, that hairstyle looks so much better on her.

It was good to see the systems behind the school getting some focus with these two volumes, now we understand better why people want to get into the student council 2 top roles, and what motivates Yuki to fight her brother to the point of playing really dirty, she wants to enter the Raikokai. I'm just guessing, I haven't checked for spoilers on this on either vol.7 or 8, but I feel Yuki needs to get inside that circle, to be in a position to negotiate with her grandfather, maybe concerning Masachika's situation...

And then you got sucked in the pacing, and expected something more normal to happen at Alisa's concert, and maybe a bit more events, some more light stuff to end the volume, and shit hit the fan, for what the series is about, this escalated to epic proportions, and it was executed very well.

Tension rises up, nowhere it seems safe, and Alisa was slowly building her leadership skills, putting them in full display more than ever, but she is only one character in this story, Nonoa was going crazy at it too, ready to pocket that fucker's eyes, damm, and Masachika going around saving the ladies, I dont blame Nonoa if she starts getting into him lol.

The hints that something would happen were in the last volume, Yusho was cryptic then, and an asshole, something was up, but the dude was crazy all right. But his character becomes more interesting when you learn his background, and this plays so well with Masachika's past, and the development he was getting along with Maria (who was the most supportive in this arc alongside Yuki, Alisa needs to step up her game).

Masachika become really ruthless towards Yusho and it was great to see, despite everything he was always one step ahead of the fucker, and at first, you will feel Yusho was crazy and he would never be able to get away with this plan, but the Raikokai was twisted bunch for real, so tension just keeps building up. You realize Yusho was very crafty all along, and of course, I wanted to see him getting owned by Masachika, but things took a very unexpected turn.

It all came full circle, sad that Masachika couldn't be there for the live performance and for Alisa, but the stakes were so high, the volume just kept building and building up, and then it came full circle, Masachika deciding to confront his past more, to have a piano contest with Yusho, and to reach a conclusion towards his feelings for Maria and Maa-chan.
I could not put the volume down, I had to finish it before going to sleep, thus only stopping at 5:00 am lol, honestly from now on I can't be reading this series to sleep, not safe.

The piano contest was the culmination of so many things, his mother is present and we get more development with her (my theory is that she wanted to help her son back then, but she could not go against her father's wishes, so she let this destroy her son's childhood and life.
I felt like this ever since volume 3, his mother is not the root problem, but a victim and she regrets everything making the whole situation rather tragic, and Yuki is caught in the crossfire too.
So there is a lot of height for his mother to be there, and react like that, and what I love about Masachika is, he knows his talents, but doesn't take them for granted, or thinks he is more than the rest, if anything it is because he was fundamentally like this, that Alisa shines like the sun for him (the two see one other as ideals, when they are truly 2 halves and united they are truly one).

Masachika expected to lose the Piano contest, and more drastic, he was ready if he failed to rile up Yusho, to take the fall with him and have Alisa and Yuki together succeed, he just doesn't care about himself as long as those close to him can be saved, a lot of feels this volume, in so many details and things coming together...

And what sours it more so is that when he finally finds a goal, someone he could dedicate his piano song, it was to Maria, he lets it all out finally, all the feelings suppressed, and in doing so manages to beat Yusho, but there is only pit on this for him. He doesn't like to rely on his talent and cheat skills, he respects when others put in all the effort to achieve goals, yet once again it shocks and disgusts him that he still won, despite having not played for so long, he did not deserve to win.

It is a bittersweet victory, but IMO, it is really good character development that this is used for him to finally come to terms with his past, I honestly feel this was it for Maria, and she realized this too, and it got me emotional when she wonders how much it would have been different if he had known back then, that she would also be waiting to meet him again, that he was not forgotten or abandoned by her.

And while this is going on, and you feel Masachika is closer to actually falling in love with Alisa, and accepting that, we get Alisa PoV. She was worried about him not being there, and then regretful and miserable because she never truly was able to understand what was going on inside him, and jealous he was suddenly expressing this much emotion and pain through his playing.
This volume cuts deep into the feelings, you feel this doom approaching, a lack of hope from both sides, they spend this much time together, yet so little they know about each other, and the longing of them wanting to know more, but feel it is too late at this point...

How this volume plays with your feelings and expectations, what a masterpiece. It is truly a ride, but then the storm passes, and Masachika and Alisa have truly grown, realizing their mistake, despite being so depressed hope blossoms in their hearts, it is a rare beauty and wonder how this volume goes, how it develops its characters and after all the pain and disaster, hope persists.

This last chapter, both together, was the necessary medicine after such fuckery adorable, and comforting one's soul.
I have to state here again that Alisa is a tsundere but once again breaks the mold, and that goes for Masachika too, they are so embarrassed together, but find solace in each other... the spice was great truly.
Better yet, while the volume ends on this scene, the start of volume 7 is continuous, instead of showing the next day or something (which would have been truly disappointing), and then.

Alisa being in that costume (Elf's was a bit better still) and saying "Yes, please take care of me." and then in Russian "Though, forever.", such a mischievous being, the volume was not about her alone, but she ends up stealing the spotlight at the end, in a way that only her can.

Season 2 (has to happen, refuse to believe it won't), will most likely end her, and if volume 3 was already a crazy good spotting point, this is another. If the staff holds for S2, just like Oshi no Ko, this series too seems to be built to make extreme success, they do not need to organize and shuffle around that much, and the potential from the source is there to give two amazing climaxes for both seasons (just like it will happen for Oshi no Ko, knowing the manga).
Getting ahead of myself, if we ever get a Season 3, I do wonder, if the show will manage another epic climax like both of these... we will need to wait a few more weeks to know how Volume 9 ends.

This volume truly surpassed my expectations, it is by far my favorite from the series, but the writer still keeps pulling more punches, having come this far, we get a short story focused on the past, and then after his afterword, another one, more comical, focused on Yuki and her "over abuse" of her maid, and now all makes sense, I would say poor Ayano, but she loves it lol.

Volume 6 sets the bar quite high for the series, I don't need to say more about why, I conveyed it too exhausting above, and with this volume, so does my appreciation for the series grown, I had already read quite a few romcom LNs over the past two years, mainly Days with Stepsister and Otonari, IMO Roshidere beats both of them.

I feel Otonari would be the better comparison, the couple is extremely cute together, but that is also what I expected from Roshidere, and where I was shocked is how much love, care, and appreciation the writer is ready to give to the characters outside Alisa, and truly I feel this volume more so, the writer gave his fucking all, and the payoff was tremendous.

10/10 volume, I expected some mild Kaguya sama vibes with the start of the series, they the writer is mad crazy, and adds in Oregairu, Classroom of the Elite, and a bit of Bunny Girl (Masachika just like Sakuta, you couldn't be more proud of them), and this being his first major work, he manages to pull it off.

I encourage everyone skeptical to truly give the LN a chance if you are reading this and thinking I'm a hype beast.
What a pitiful and sorrowful being I was, foolishly thinking it would be just another enjoyable romcom, and then I found a diamond in the rough, with each passing volume getting more and more polished, ready to shine the brightest.

Playcool said:


Yeah, but one would never expect to go for something like this, volume 3 turns a drastic turn, but it is a much smaller scale and there was not much build, the writer is talented to be able to pull of so many genres together like this, it is impossible to ignore this is just a normal romcom with some drama, hell most of the times it hides its nature behind the romcom, to strike quite nastily, and surprise the viewer, and as readers, we want to be surprised and engaged.

I favorited both the LN and Masachika after reading this volume, I think he is the main reason of me being this surprised with Roshidere because I already expected something from Alya. I was happy to see my expectations surpassed, but the drama surrounding him and his family made me more attached to the characters. When that happens, you also then enjoy the romcom aspects of it.

DragyG said:
Actually I don't really feel like the romance is that big of a thing

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG WOAHHH!!!! MASACHIKA REALLY DID SINGLEHANDLE YUSHO!!! THIS WAS SUCH A DAMN BADASS CHAPTER!!!


Masachika went Ayanokoji against Yusho. Except, he seemed so sinisterly and psychopathic. I was grinning the whole way. And that reveal at the end... damn. So good. Loved it. 10/10.


This is definitely the best volume after V4.

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG So basically, Atsuomi Ayanokoji from COTE is Gensei Suou in Roshidere.

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG Even still, the price that Ayanokoji had to pay was well worth it. He became almost emotionless and incapable of feeling emotions such as love and sympathy for others. His way of life revolves around seeing and using people around him as his pawns (or tools) to exact whatever objective he may have. Became unbeatable and practically invincible in everything. Treated as peerless in the WR.


Masachika still stands absolutely no chance against Ayanokoji, though. In every field. He would be no-diffed.

DragyG said:
Yuki however might be a match for Koji (physical strength aside)

DragyG said:
Yeah even more when Masachika doesn't know how to go back to his former capacities.

aurora_yuuki said:



How so?


I hope you've got an excellent argument to back up your statement.

aurora_yuuki said:



So Masachika isn't functioning at his 100% potential in the LN, is what you're getting at?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG So it's 80% he's functioning at?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG In other words, Yuki is smarter Masachika, is what you're saying?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG Then Masachika is both smarter and more intelligent than Alya?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG If not Suou?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG Maybe Masachika will go back to being a Suou if his parents or the Suou household makes up.

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG We can only speculate.


As of V9, he is still a Kuze, right?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG How can he, in your opinion, revert to Suou?

aurora_yuuki said:
MASACHIKA GOIN' HEAD-TO-HEAD AGAINST YUSHO FINNA BE SO PEAK~


NOT TO MENTION THAT HE HASN'T TOUCHED A PIANO FOR MORE THAN 5 WHOLE YEARS. THIS IS SO THRILLING, GODDAMNIT!!!


IF ONLY HE COULD BE ONCE AGAIN AS GOOD, IF NOT EVEN BADASS IN THE COMING VOLUMES LIKE HE IS IN V6. ESPECIALLY IN THE ELECTION ARC. IMAGINE HIM BEING MANIPULATIVE, DECEPTIVE AND VIOLENT, AND GETTING RID OF EVERY SINGLE EVIDENCE THAT COULD BE TRACED BACK TO HIM!!!!

ENOUGH TO GIVE ME GOOSEBUMPS.


WE'D ALL BE EATING SO GOOD~ ╰⁠(⁠＾⁠3⁠＾⁠)⁠╯

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG EVEN BETTER.


So it'll be December in V10?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG In other words, Roshidere will end before Masachika and Alya become sophomores?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG Imagine Masachika and Nonoa going all-out and head-to-head during the election arc.

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG What's sus?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG Aww, so it's the abbreviated term for suspicious?

aurora_yuuki said:
@DragyG Finished reading V6. Masterpiece of a volume. IT WAS PEAK. As always, 10/10.


Let's see what V7 is cookin'.