English Dub Review: Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian “Rom-commy with a Chance of Hypnosis”

Overview

Kuze tries to capitalize on their victory in the congress, but Alya has some conflicting thoughts about benefitting from Taniyama being ridiculed. A confiscated book leads to some shenanigans among the student council members.


Our Take

This time around we get to see the other side of the Suou family who are not quite what they seem, with their grandfather pushing Yuki to surpass her brother Kuze, revealing where the family’s priorities lie. Meanwhile, Kuze returns to his usual slacker ways after the student congress, leaving Alya to field questions and take the credit. Alya, however, isn’t fully content, especially with the lingering tension between her and Taniyama. Even the secretive couple, Kenzaki and Sarashina, can’t help but add to the confusion as the council room’s antics nearly push Alya to her breaking point.

Despite the chaos, it’s clear that relationships are evolving. Yuki, pressured by her grandfather, seems indifferent to actually surpassing Kuze, focusing instead on maintaining their bond. Meanwhile, Nonoa and Taniyama’s friendship deepens, with Nonoa calling out Taniyama for undervaluing herself. Amid the humorous hypnosis mishap involving Yuki and Alya, the Kujo sisters add to the escalating absurdity, with Yuki’s mischievous nature coming into play in the most unexpected ways imaginable…

Overall, the episode balances fanservice and humor, while also delving into deeper family dynamics and evolving character relationships. Yuki’s home life, overshadowed by a strict grandfather and a seemingly passive mother, gives insight into her eccentric personality. The wild hypnosis scene, coupled with the show’s self-aware humor, makes this easily one of the highlights of this episode while hinting at further character development, even if I was slightly irked by the implications of it, it thankfully didn’t go too far. The question is, what else will we find out about Kuze and Yuki’s family in later episodes?