Kara Dennison
September 16, 2024 
Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian is a charming rom-com hit that’s been enchanting us this summer. Voice actress and idol Sumire Uesaka voices Alya, who carries a torch for protagonist Masachika Kuze. And she tells him so—albeit in Russian. What she doesn’t know is that Kuze speaks Russian!
While Alya may hide her feelings in the narrative, she sings her heart out for every ending. Each episode features a new cover of a well-known song, performed by Uesaka as Alya. All of them are worth a listen, but here are three we especially love!
Episode 2: “Kawaikute Gomen”
The second episode of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian ends with Alya’s cover of “Kawaikute Gomen”—a song that’s become very popular to cover since it debuted. Even if you’re unfamiliar with its origins, you’ve likely heard a VTuber or other online personality perform it at some point.
The song originally belonged to Chizuru Nakamura. A character in HoneyWorks‘ Confession Executive Committee franchise, Chizuru is a seemingly shy and withdrawn student on the surface. When working at a maid café or professing her love for idol duo LIP×LIP, though, she operates under her outgoing “Chuu-tan” persona. While their actions are different, Alya and Chuu-tan are both definitely aloof schoolgirls with more going on beneath the surface.
Episode 4: “Hare Hare Yukai”
The star of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian, Sumire Uesaka, reminds us a bit of another notable voice actress. Nearly 20 years ago, Aya Hirano became one of the first well-known idol voice actors, breaking into mainstream popularity and paving a way for people like Uesaka. And while Alya may not have the same paranormal abilities as Haruhi Suzumiya, Hirano’s most famous role, there are some similarities. A smart and beautiful girl with a secret side that only the boy she likes fully understands? We can certainly draw a line.
Anime fans of a certain age will certainly have jumped to their feet upon hearing “Hare Hare Yukai,” the famous ending theme of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya season 1. It brings to mind an era of flash dance mobs at conventions and the prevalence of Haruhiism in fandom. We love a bit of nostalgia.
Episode 9: “World Is Mine”
Many songs are synonymous with virtual idol Hatsune Miku. But we can name that song in two notes! “World Is Mine” is one of the former Vocaloid’s most notable songs. Penned by ryo, it tells the story of a girl who’s convinced the world revolves around her. Even so, she can’t get her crush to look her way or hold her hand. This also serves as the ending of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian episode 9. And while Alya is nowhere near as self-centered as Miku’s character in the song, the whole “oblivious crush” thing fits.
It’s an interesting parallel, though. Alya is voicing her feelings out loud, and Kuze is hearing them. It’s just that she doesn’t know he knows. Rather than her feelings simply not reaching her crush, they are despite her best efforts to keep them secret. Maybe someday soon they’ll talk this whole messy situation out…
Read about some more of our favorite anime girls from this season!
Related Posts
