Kadokawa unveiled a character video on Friday highlighting the character Maria "Masha" Mikhailovna Kujō for the anime of writer Sunsunsun and artist Momoco's Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian (Tokidoki Bosotto Russia-go de Dereru Tonari no Alya-san) light novel series.
The staff also revealed a new commercial video, which previews the opening theme song.
The staff will reveal a new character video each week until the show debuts. Last week the staff streamed a video for Yuki Suō.
The "Crunchyroll presents KADOKAWA Anime Panel" at Anime Expo will host the show's star Sumire Uesaka and producer Kōsuke Arai on July 6 at 10:30 a.m. PDT. Anime Expo will also host an hour-long screening of the anime on July 4 at 7:15 p.m. PDT.
The anime will star:
- Sumire Uesaka as Alisa "Alya" Mikhailovna Kujō
- Kōhei Amasaki as Masachika Kuse
- Yukiyo Fujii as Maria "Masha" Mikhailovna Kujō
- Wakana Maruoka as Yuki Suō
- Saya Aizawa as Ayano Kimishima
- Maki Kawase as Chisaki Sarashina
- Kaito Ishikawa as Touya Kenzaki
- Ikumi Hasegawa as Sayaka Taniyama
- Yoshino Aoyama as Nonoa Miyamae
- Kōdai Sakai as Takeshi Maruyama
- Taichi Ichikawa as Hikaru Kiyomiya
Ryota Itoh (My Senpai Is Annoying, Shikimori's Not Just a Cutie) is directing the anime at Doga Kobo and is also in charge of the series scripts. Yūhei Murota (Love Live! School idol project) is designing the characters and also serving as the chief animation director. Ryo Kobayashi is the series producer. Hiroaki Tsutsumi is composing the music, and Takeshi Takadera is the sound director. Risa Wakabayashi is the art director.
Alya (as voiced by Sumire Uesaka) is performing the opening theme song "Ichiban Kagayaku Hoshi" ("The Brightest Star"). Uesaka (as Alya) will also perform a cover of a different famous song for the ending theme of each episode.
Yen Press is releasing the novels in English, and it describes the story:
Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou is Seiren Private Academy's “solitary princess.” She's a half-Russian beauty with silver hair, at the top of her class, student council accountant, and…completely unapproachable. For some reason, she's also taken on the responsibility of reprimanding the slacker who sits next to her in class. Masachika Kuze is constantly frustrating her by falling asleep, forgetting his textbooks, and just being an overall unexemplary student. Or at least, that's how it looks from the outside. She may put on a tough act, but she doesn't mind Masachika as much as others would think. She even lets him call her by her nickname, Alya. Anyone hearing the comments she mutters in Russian under her breath might know how she really feels, but since none of her classmates understand the language, she's free to say whatever she likes! Except…there is one person who knows what she's saying. Masachika eavesdrops on her embarrassing revelations, pretending to be clueless, all the while wondering what her flirtatious comments actually mean!
Kadokawa publishes the novels under its Sneaker Bunko imprint. Saho Tenamachi (Shōsetsu no Kami-sama; Itsuka, Nemuri ni Tsuku Hi) launched a manga adaptation in October 2022 on Kodansha's Magazine Pocket app.
Source: Press release