REVIEW: ‘Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings In Russian’ Episode 4 — “An Outpouring Of Emotion”

While Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Episode 4 does not include many revelations or interesting events, it does a great job of displaying the strengthening connection between the two leads.

The episode picks up right after the last and begins with Mariya and Kuze returning from their errand. Once Kuze arrives, the Council President thanks him and instantly tries to convince him to join the council again. Kuze declines for a third time and claims his experience as part of the Student Council in middle school is why he refuses to join. This triggers a very brief flashback, showing Kuze and his sister in middle school as she asks for his support to become council president.

Mariya then suggests he just join on paper, but he declines this offer as well. The President tries to convince him that his reasons for joining don’t matter as long as he joins. He does this by telling him he only joined to impress his girlfriend. Kuze is shocked upon hearing this and decides he’ll at least think about it.

This episode’s opening felt quite slow compared to previous episodes. The conversation between Kuze and the Council President feels irrelevant, as the president’s story of how he met his girlfriend doesn’t make any sense in trying to recruit Kuze, and the whole scene feels like filler with no substance. What’s worse is that while Kuze has mentioned that he disliked his experience in middle school, he never states why, and the flashbacks rarely reveal much information, rendering their existence useless.

Afterward, Kuze, curious about Alya’s absence, asks the president where she is, and he tells him she’s mediating a conflict between the baseball and soccer clubs. He decides to check in on her and sees she’s having trouble resolving the conflict between the two groups. She’s having so much trouble, in fact, that she visibly tears up and asks for help in Russian under her breath to no one. Unsurprisingly, Kuze just so happens to be listening and has superhuman hearing, so he decides to come to her rescue.

The two clubs are arguing because of a scheduling issue, and each party is adamant about playing on the only available field in the school. They believe they’re entitled to it. Kuze solves this by suggesting the baseball club play at a nearby riverbank while the soccer club takes the school field. In exchange, the cute female soccer managers will help the baseball club set up their practice session. The two groups agree, and the conflict is quickly resolved.

Afterward, Kuze apologizes for stepping in, but Alya thanks him for helping. He then and there decides to join the Student Council and tells her he will devote himself to making sure she becomes president. Alya, filled with emotion, thanks him and says something unclear in Russian. Her words trigger another short flashback and memory of Kuze and his Russian childhood friend. Alya notices his demeanor, gets angry that he’s thinking of another girl, and slaps him.

After Alya helps him recover, Kuze escorts her back home. Feeling guilty about slapping him, Alya kisses Kuze on the cheek, leaving him dumbfounded. The episode continues after the credits and reveals that the Russian words Alya said earlier were her confessing love for Kuze. She was trying to come to terms with it. Mariya then comes home and tells Alya she met Kuze and that she understands what she sees in him. She then ends the conversation by advising her to confess her feelings, or someone will steal him away from her. The episode ends with Alya feeling confused after the conversation.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Episode 4 proves how capable Kuze can be by showing his conflict resolution skills. However, the way events played out in the episode left much to be desired. For one, the episode revealed that Kuze already had prior knowledge of some students involved with the two groups. As such, he knew both groups would accept his suggestion. And because this was revealed with no build-up, his solution feels less impressive.

Learning these important details as the anime progresses and then using them at the right time instead of revealing them on the spot would’ve been much more engaging and rewarding to viewers who pay close attention to the narrative. Additionally, several moments in the episode, such as the various flashbacks, were too short or vague to leave any lasting impact, rendering them quite boring and useless.

Besides that, Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Episode 4 does an excellent job of highlighting the best of its protagonists, showing their deepening bond, and inciting hope for future episodes.

Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian Episode 4 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.