Anime Japan 2024 was held at Tokyo Big Sight last weekend on March 23 and 24, showcasing more than 100 upcoming and currently airing anime series in Japan. The event Alya Sometimes Hides Her Emotions on Stage in Russia was held on the Green Stage, with the appearance of many guests and new information about the series.
This is Kadokawa's special report on what happened during the event.
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Meet the Anime's voice cast
As the event began, a brand new preview of Alya Sometimes Hiding Her Emotions in Russian was shown. After the screening, Kohei Amasaki (Masachika Kuze) appeared on stage and asked the audience to shout out the characters' names as the guests came out. “Alya! Yuki! Ayano! Masha!” were shouted in turn when Sumire Uesaka (Alya), Wakana Maruoka (Yuki Suo), Saya Aizawa (Ayano Kimijima) and Yukiyo Fujii (Masha) stepped onto the stage.
When all the voice actors appeared on stage, they sank their teeth into each character's acrylic stand on the table in front of them. They then participated in a panel discussion titled “Favorite Characters! Roshidere Corner” is divided into two parts: Explosive Tsundere” and “Attractive Characters”. This segment allows audiences to share their favorite parts of the series.
Explosive tsundere: Kohei Amasaki and Sumire Uesaka
In the “Tsundere Explosion” genre, Amasaki and Uesaka performed an excerpt from the original novel, impressing the other voice actors and the audience with their performance. The performance features lines such as Uesaka saying “Милашка” (Mirashka), which means “extremely cute!” in Russia. Immediately after, the segment continues with Uesaka's own Russian lesson.
Maruoka excitedly said, “I couldn't stop reading the original story because it had the perfect balance between tsun and dere!” Fujii added that “the original story is amazing, but when I heard Uesaka-san's character Alya in the studio, I was so moved!”
Compelling Characters: What each guest thinks of their character
In the “Hot Characters” segment of the show, the anime's voice cast discussed their first impressions of the characters they play.
Uesaka excitedly declared, “My love for silver-haired heroines is engraved in my DNA!”
Maruoka said, “Some of you will only know her from the anime, so I can't talk too much about her character yet, but the deeper you get, the more interesting she becomes!” She added that Ayano's charm goes beyond the first impression when you meet her.
Fujii thanked the entire cast, saying “I was nervous because I haven't played a character like Masha recently, but everyone encouraged me a lot!” She thanked the entire cast for their support.
Aizawa-san gave a quick analysis of her character Ayano, saying, “Even though she is a quiet character and her facial expressions don't really change, she is a very special girl.”
At the bottom of the corner, a new key image of Alya Sometimes Hiding Her Emotions in Russian was announced. The image is an illustration of Masachika and five other characters gathered in one place, and all the actors are excited to see which character is facing which character.
Supporting Character Speeches: Introducing the main cast
In the “Character Support Speech” portion of the show, Uesaka, Maruoka, Fujii, and Aizawa showed off the charms of the characters they played through various performances. The order is decided by Amasaki by drawing straws.
Uesaka was chosen first, saying “I thought she seemed unapproachable, but she's actually right next to you and is adorable in Russian! This is the best!”
Maruoka, who came in second, began speaking as a host on a mail-order shopping program. “She's very nice,” she said of her character Yuki. She is a swamp! You all love the swamp, right?” Aizawa-san asked the audience, “Don't you also want a maid?” and introduced Ayano with a campaign speech-like catchphrase, “One for the family: Ayano Kimishima,” and a modified version of the title, “A super-dominant maid who will never be able to utter lovely Russian words to the rest.” of her life.”
Fujii was the last to speak and shouted, “Let's vote!” Then she said: “Modern people are so tired! The heroine will soothe you immensely!” to show off the character's charm. “Masha is Alya's older sister. If you choose her, Alya is part of that package! she said, trying to attract the audience and bring in votes for her.
After listening to her speech, the audience voted and the winner was… Masha of Fujii. She commented on her win with a smile, saying “I look forward to working with both of my sisters!”
Final greetings and new anime information
After the discussion corner, new information about the original light novels, manga adaptations, limited edition “Anime Japan” merchandise, collaboration cafes, and store pop-ups were revealed. Additionally, Alya's web radio show Sometimes Hiding Her Feelings in Russian will feature Amasaki and Uesaka as hosts.
It was also announced that a special event previewing the first episode of the anime will take place at a later date. The audience and the five actors all applauded with joy at this announcement.
At the end of the event, the cast sent the audience their final messages about the anime series that will begin airing in July 2024.
“I had fun during the recording and I hope everyone can feel the atmosphere as if they were at school,” Aizawa said.
“We have been recording harmoniously since the first episode. I can't wait to bring everyone such a gentle and touching story!” Fujii added.
“I look forward to the day you all get to know the many different sides of Yuki! If you are a fan of the original story, please watch it with a big smile!” Maruoka said.
Series lead Uesaka added: “The scenes of Alya being cute in Russian are important, so I'm trying to pronounce the words cutely. We're working with the original author and sound director to find ways to make Alya as cute as possible, so stay tuned!”
“I think we will see a new side of Kuze-kun in the anime. So I'm taking this role as seriously as possible! Anyway, Alya is so cute so look forward to every episode starting in July!” commented Amasaki.
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The theatrical event ended with each of them expressing their excitement for the anime adaptation.
Source: press release