Score: A+

Here arrives the final episode for Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian! It has been a long ride and yet this episode also catches me a bit by surprise. Part of me just didn’t want to take in that the show was about to end. It’s been a lot of fun diving into this show and thinking about what it wanted to say in any given moment. There are some shows that are difficult to break down and talk about. But a show like this just always gave me plenty to chew on. Sometimes I think a bit too much which has resulted in some long posts! But I’m glad that I kept up with this one.

Holy smokes this expression!

I loved the confrontation with Masachika and Yuki. Obviously these two aren’t going to lose their sibling bond over an election. But I like the heat in that conversation. In a sense it’s like Masachika has been half-asleep when it comes to this election. Yuki’s stunt was like a slap that woke him up immediately. Also, just wow at the metaphor comparing his sister to a pet dog! Yuki definitely looked a little nervous. I’m sure she has wanted her brother to come at her seriously and to defeat him (and Alya) when he’s at his best. But actually, getting that intensity pointed directly at her must’ve been quite the feeling. And if nothing else it worked to really get Yuki thinking about both the aggressive stance from her brother and trying to understand his aims. Beside those two…you have Alya and Ayano just standing there taking in the spectacle!

But I did enjoy the brief chat with Alya and Yuki before that. Alya’s position is that of the good natured and hardworking girl. So, taking Yuki’s stunt as an opportunity to reevaluate herself is very much like her. Alya is responsible and serious about this sort of thing. It does leave her open to tricky maneuvers but that’s why she needs a clever ally and she’s got that. That allows Alya to focus on just upfront sincerity. Even when she was down last episode it wasn’t about being mad at Yuki, but being mad at herself. She may see Yuki as a rival in many ways, but that doesn’t veer into hate.

Yuki’s not lack in the expression department

The intensity of the siblings was great this week. Masachika’s original aim was very much what Yuki thought. He intended on going for the safer option of easing Alya into the competition. Letting Alya make a positive first impression was fine. But Yuki’s stunt changed everything. Masachika went from being happy with a tepid start to wanting to crush Yuki right away! And honestly this approach works way better for telling a dramatic story. Alya is our protagonist and having her go first and following by her rival would be a bit lacking. Instead, we got to build up Yuki as a threat and give no hints as to Masachika’s plans leading up to the speeches. I know some people haven’t cared for the student council president stuff, but I don’t mind it.

Yuki did a good job. It was a masterful speech that got the audience hyped up. Convincing people that their ideas would turn into reality is a thrilling thing to throw out there. The use of props was solid and throwing out the idea of seasonal events is the kind of thing to grab some attention. It was full of political BS, but that’s politics for you. I will say having her choose Ayano as her running mate was perfect. It creates the right balance between both sides. Yuki and Masachika are the clever and fairly charismatic element of their respective teams. Just one is playing the lead and the other the support. Ayano and Alya aren’t on that level and are more “safe and stable”. They aren’t exactly the same but there are similarities. It’s just a question on which team can make the most of what they’ve got.

Alya stood her ground

Alya did good. It was a challenge to go second and to face a crowd that pretty much was all in with Yuki at that point. Great suggestion there by Masachika in order to grab the crowd’s attention! Just let Alya go all in with her Russian. Nothing quite like having an unfamiliar language boosted by the microphone. I can’t judge Sumire Uesaka’s Russian. But I salute her efforts in just going for it! Also, I’m surprised on how long they just let her go on too! I figured she might say a sentence or two just to get attention, but nope! And it did get everyone’s attention. Yuki provided a masterful and clever speech. Alya just barreled forward with an earnest expression of how she feels. Different ways of hitting the audience.

Alya’s charm is that she’s got room to grow. I fully agree that right now Yuki outshines her and Masachika is deservedly the main character in this show. But in that sense, I appreciate the series handling Alya as a candidate and character in the same way. It’s about growth and improvement. The way she’s going to win is by showing herself getting better over time. Yuki still has room to grow, but it’s easier to see level 50 go to 100 than level 100 to 105. Alya is more visibly not a finished product and I think she’s got the ability to grow stronger as the series goes along. No idea how that’s played out in the source material, but I can appreciate what they are setting up here.

Solid plan by Masachika

This episode is honestly really easy to just dive into. Loved Masachika’s play with his side of the speech. Alya is just getting her feet under her. But he dropped a huge bomb to get people to take them seriously. Alya may be a fresh face to many of them but Taniyama isn’t. And I presume most know she wasn’t part of this current student council despite her being someone that would naturally be invited. But from their perspective Alya managed to win her over. Their side can offer a solid foundation for a new student council from the start of their campaign. If Masachika, Taniyama, and Nonoa have faith in Alya then maybe they should have that faith too…

I really like these two

It was extremely cute that Alya wasn’t prepared with her side of the bet because she believed in Masachika! And that left him needing to spin things in the direction that Alya truly wanted. I’m not sure either of them was prepared for the emotional damage of her saying his first name! It’s an awkward but cute kind of young love. Being hardworking and being clever doesn’t necessarily help either of them out in this case. Summer plans were still made and the show ended off with a lovely smile from Alya. Not a bad way to wrap things up!

A great ride from start to finish

Not a bad way to end the season in the slightest. It is fantastic news though that we got that season two confirmation right away! This is a show that I fully expected to get another season, but it never hurts to have that as a certainty. This season ended on a strong note and there’s plenty of fun that the show could potentially dive into with more episodes. Summer vacation is upon them and dates are undoubtedly going to happen. And honestly if they want to take this campaign seriously then I’m completely up for that. With the characters so invested I think it’s easy to take it all in as part of the audience. The wait for season 2 will be long, but I’ll gladly wait for more of this.

It could have just been this premise

Final Thoughts

This was a show I was looking forward to from the trailers. But actually, seeing that first episode made it an instant contender for a show I wanted to talk about this season. Encouragement didn’t hurt either (thanks Mentar), but the show itself just made it easy. Nothing more fun than a show somewhat coming out of nowhere and getting to be completely surprised by it. This could have been a show that simply coasted on the romcom qualities of the title. Just have Alya say some cute things in Russian and be left unaware of Masachika’s knowledge. That did hold true in the sense that she still doesn’t know. But that also probably would have lost its luster quickly if that’s all that it had.

This girl brought constant entertainment

Thankfully the show had way more than just that premise going for it. Early on it really hit hard with each episode bringing a new character or revelation to what these characters have been through. Yuki of course was a treasure and very often took over the whole show! She was a little sister that brought so much energy and was entertaining with us getting to see her true self. When she first showed up, I just saw her as a classic romantic rival with maybe a hidden twist in there. But I didn’t expect all the personality she did have or the familial relationship.

But it wasn’t just about Yuki. Whether the show as introducing Masha, the student council president, or just diving into the troubled family situation for Masachika it was doing things right the whole time. I honestly appreciated the show dropping what hints it could without much of the monologues that naturally are part of light novels as a source material. The show often gave just enough to work from and then rewarded the audience for paying attention.

Alya was my personal favourite

I will honestly say that I loved Alya in this show. She does have her flaws and is very much a work in progress as a person and character. But she was a lot of fun. Her honest reactions to things often had the right level of charming to them. I still remember getting a good smile from her and Masachika suffering damage from her showing off outfits and him complimenting her. That was a treat as well. Same goes for Alya losing her head in a tsundere way early on with the kick to the face only to be seriously worried about his neck! Alya managed to keep herself entertaining whether she was on the back foot or taking a bold step forward. I totally get people preferring Yuki, but I never had a problem enjoying everything about Alya.

Great EDs every week

A special nod should go to the beautiful EDs this show unleashed every week. It has been a long time since I’ve seen a show get so absolutely bold with its endings. Every ED had its own charm, song, and visual that accompanied it. I’m sure that added so much extra work, but it made watching until the very end of each episode worthwhile. It’s always a treat when a show goes above and beyond to do something that stands out like this. Not sure if they’ll continue that in a second season, but it’d be pretty great if they did.

See you in season 2

It’s great to know that a second season will be coming here. One other strength for the show is that often I had no idea what was coming. And I honestly can’t be sure what kind of craziness will go on as the characters are heading into their summer break. We can expect plenty of romcom hijinks. But I also wonder how things will play out for the siblings who just got their competitive sides fired up in the last episode of this season? There’s no telling if I’ll cover a second season (it’ll depend on circumstance), but you can bet I’ll be watching when this show does return! Until then!