Roshidere Review: One of the Best Rom-coms in Recent Memory

Article at a glance:
The dynamic between Kuze and Yuki, as well as Alya’s growth, drive the story and make it compelling.
Doga Kobo’s visuals and the diverse ending themes enhance the viewing experience.
Roshidere stands out this season with engaging characters, stunning animations, and great music, earning a 9/10 overall rating.

I had a few reviews planned for this week but two episodes got delayed this week, those being Oshi no Ko Season 2 and The Elusive Samurai. So I have to write the Roshidere review a little sooner than I expected. But hey, I’d have done next week by the latest anyway. Episode 10 just dropped this week after all. And yeah, as the title says, I really liked this anime and I am going to try and explain just why I love this so much.

So welcome back to another review, today we are talking about Roshidere. And yes, I will be referring to it as Roshidere. Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian is too long to write again and again lol. So let’s get started.

Plot

The plot isn’t usually the strong suit of a rom-com or SOL anime. But Roshidere managed to give us an interesting plot as well. It is nothing too crazy but like Kaguya-sama, Roshidere has a lot more things going for it than just the characters. And because the characters are so good, your investment in the story will also be strong. Yuki and Kuze’s interesting dynamic exists because of their unique circumstances.

The plot ties into character motivations and developments really well. I know the plot may seem a little silly at times but from the perspective of the characters, it makes sense.

Characters

As I alluded to earlier, this anime has some amazing characters. Kuze has quickly grown to become one of the favorite rom-com MCs in recent memory. He is up there with Miyamura (Horimiya) and Shirogane (Kaguya-sama) for me. He doesn’t fall into the introverted weeb stereotype a lot of rom-com MCs tend to be and he actually is a capable person. He just didn’t have the motivation to work hard till now and thanks to Alya, he found one. His family history with Yuki is quite interesting, combined with Yuki’s personality, this gives the two an awesome dynamic.

Yuki is by far the best character in the show. She is chaotic, she loves to play the villain even though she just wants her brother’s attention. She never fails to create amusing situations and sure enough, they are hilarious. Alya herself got a lot of character development in recent episodes. She is the type of person who isn’t very socially adept but works hard and tries her best at everything she does. And this is exactly why Kuze’s outgoing nature compliments her personality really well.

Another character I’d like to highlight is Masha. She is mature, she is cute and it is crazy how perceptive she is. She loves playing the “carfree big sister” role for Alya to not “get in her way” even though she is more capable than she lets on.

Animations and Soundtracks

It is Doga Kobo, the studio that made Oshi no Ko. So that should give you an idea of how good the animation quality is. The art is stunning, the animations are smooth, the colors are pretty, I love the character designs, pretty much everything you need. The soundtracks are pretty good too. The opening theme is nice. The ending theme is different from every episode and the ending theme lineup includes popular songs like “Kawaikute Gomen” and “CHERRY” and again, they’re really well illustrated.

Summing up

Here are my final review scores for Roshidere

Plot – 8/10
Characters – 10/10
Animations – 9/10
Soundtracks – 9/10
Enjoyment – 10/10
Overall – 9/10
Yuki, best girl – 11/10

Those were my thoughts and opinions on Roshidere. I love this anime and I know that summer 2024 has kind of been an underwhelming season but this and Oshi no Ko Season 2 are my personal favorites from this season. And that’s funny in itself because Summer 2024 would’ve been a good season in any other year. It only feels underwhelming because of just how insanely stacked the other seasons in 2024 are lol. But yeah, I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my thoughts on the JJK manga ending here!