This episode was probably my best of the series so far, and it’s also the episode where I hated Alya the least. The last episode ended with a direct challenge to Kuze, but I liked that Alya turned the attention to herself. While you could argue that she’s only there for her husband, she first has to prove to the students and the audience that she has what it takes to apply for this position. She’s a fresh new student who barely interacts with others, so it’s very easy for people to project their own interpretations onto her. It’s hard for someone like that to apply for a position where interacting with other students and building a community is the goal. However, this is a good step towards a believable way for her to fill this role.

The debate itself really intrigued me and I wish the back and forth between Alya and Sayaka had lasted a little longer. However, I do like the underhandedness with which Alya is caught off guard. If she could do everything on her own here, I don’t think she would have felt deserving given her previous interactions in very stressful situations. But I like how her insecurities are slowly dissolving and how Kuze empathizes with her. If this is brought to the forefront as something she needs to overcome, then maybe I’ll start to like her more as a character. Also, this debate shows the whole idea that Kuze and Alya are basically two sides of the same coin. They’re both very intelligent but can emotionally satisfy something for the other, even if they don’t want to admit it yet.

This idea of ​​perceptions being projected onto you, however, ties into the final third of the episode, where Sayaka explains the lesson. I was surprised at how explicit the text felt at the end. Much of the message could have been delivered a little more elegantly: Sayaka outright said that she projected this ideal version of Kuze and Yuki onto them, and that’s why she had to fight this battle. It felt clunky, as most of the episode was tightly written without being explicit. What didn’t feel clunky, however, was that this was a real step forward for our main duo as a team. They handled their first debate well, and were even able to open up to each other emotionally a little. I’d love to see more progress in the rest of the season.

PS: The part at the end where Yuki looks over everything and gives a monologue like a supervillain was probably the funniest gag of the entire show.

Evaluation:

Alya sometimes hides her feelings in Russian is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

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