Sumire Uesaka, the Voice of Alya in the Anime "Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian," Appears! Passionately Discusses the Appeal of Her Favorite Classic from 1983

On ABEMA, the 50th episode of "SHIBUYA ANIME BASE" (#ShibuAni, pronounced "ShibuAni") was broadcast live on June 13, 2025 (Friday), from 9:00 PM to 10:00 PM.

This time, the guest was voice actress Sumire Uesaka, and a special feature on "Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian" was presented.

The broadcast began with the segment "This is My Beloved Recommendation," in which the guest talks about the anime works that have shaped their life. The segment focused on Uesaka’s history with anime.

The first work Uesaka mentioned was the real robot anime "Armored Trooper VOTOMS," which aired in 1983. It is the story of soldiers fighting on the battlefield in mass-produced machines. Uesaka passionately explained, "Right now, this is the hottest robot anime. It’s been at the peak of real robot anime since 1983," "When I was in high school, I just happened to catch the movie version on TV, and realized it was completely different from the super robot anime I’d seen before," "I was struck by how the protagonist pilots and wears out mass-produced mechs, switching from one unit to the next," and "The experience was so shocking that it overturned all my preconceived notions about robot anime. The theme song is also incredibly cool, and for a high schooler like me who loved Showa-era pop songs, the lyrics ‘I’ve grown tired of fighting’ really hit home."

When program host Iwai from the comedy duo Haraichi asked, "Did you have any friends to share this with?" Uesaka recalled, "I didn’t. But when I started looking at online forums, I realized there were people out there, somewhere in the world! I felt like I could keep going, and it gave me courage."

Next, Uesaka brought up the Sanrio character introduced in 1996, the golden retriever "Pom Pom Purin," famous for his beret. She explained, "His greatest trait is that he makes an impression with just his beret, without relying on cosplay," "He goes his whole life wearing just that beret—and nothing else. He lives his life honestly, with nothing to hide." In response, Nakamu, another guest, quipped, "Wait, are you saying you recognize him as actually naked? That’s kind of weird!"—causing laughter to erupt in the studio.