#Sarah Natochenny Sometimes Speaks Russian in the English Dub of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian

This interview has been edited for clarity and length. 

Although many know Sarah Natochenny as the English dub voice of Ash Ketchum from Pokémon, many may be surprised to learn that she can speak fluent Russian — a skill she flexes in her performance of Alisa “Alya” Kujou for this summer season’s Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian. 

Anime Trending had a chance to talk with Natochenny on the subtleties of the Russian language in the show, her initial thoughts on the series itself, and whether Alya and Masachika make a good pair. 

How were you first approached for the role of Alya, and what were your initial thoughts on the show itself?

Sarah Natochenny: This was an offer for me, which I’m so grateful for. Mike McFarland is a friend and he’s an [ADR] director at Crunchyroll, and he recommended me to Shawn Gann and to the team. I’m a native Russian speaker, so I imagine it was an easier sell. I didn’t know the show at all before I got the offer. Thankfully, there was an episode or two at the time, so I watched them and I was like, “This is really cute. I have to do this!” I talked to my team, and we all agreed. 

Obviously, you weren’t familiar with the series beforehand, so how did you prepare for taking the role of Alya? 

Sarah Natochenny: I watched the show to understand who she was and talked to a few people who were familiar with the series because I didn’t have very much time to read the entire light novel. I also was told that the [series] is not a one-to-one comparison to the light novel. So, I just wanted to talk to people about her character and how she was going to develop a little bit. I didn’t really need to know too much ahead because I only know as much as my character knows, so it was fine to just kind of know what’s happening in episode one, record episode one, and just keep going.

Did you have a chance to check out the light novels now that the series’ [first season] has ended?

Sarah Natochenny: I have to admit, I haven’t! Should I? 

I mean, it’s pretty good from what I hear too. There’s also a manga available too, if that’s your style. 

Sarah Natochenny: Yeah, okay. Thank you! Maybe. 

You mentioned that you’re a native Russian speaker. How involved were you with the ADR and/or scriptwriting process, especially when you were handling those Russian language scenes in the anime? 

Sarah Natochenny: Matthew Green is our writer, and we had some Russian speakers behind the scenes who I’ve never actually met. But I didn’t get the scripts in advance, so we approached everything as it came. I would sometimes see Russian [in the script] and be like, “Oh, that’s a little weird for me.” I’d have to call my mom sometimes. Just to make it short, I was born and raised in New York, but my parents spoke Russian to me. I didn’t learn English until I was five years old. 

So, I’d have a little conference [with my mom] and make sure that I’m not going to [mess this up]. We’d come to a consensus and record based on that. [For the English portions], there were hardly any changes. There were a couple of moments where I was like, “I’d be more comfortable saying this…” but that always happens. It’s really well written. I’m very happy about it. 

There’s a great flashback scene in the third episode where a young Alya and her classmates are talking to each other in Russian. For that particular scene, did you work with other native Russian speakers for that scene? What was the recording process like?

Sarah Natochenny: It was recorded like any other dub. Unfortunately, we don’t get to work together [later on], so I was all by myself. But I heard them, and they were great. I wish we were all in a room together, but sadly, we were not. 

Your Japanese counterpart for Alya, Sumire Uesaka, also speaks a good amount of Russian and is a fan of various aspects of Russian culture. Have you had the chance to hear some of her lines in Russian during her recordings? What were your impressions of her overall performance? 

Sarah Natochenny: She’s amazing, I love her performance. We take it scene by scene on this show, so I watch the entire scene in Japanese and then I re-record it in English. I’ve been hearing her in my ear for the last eight or 10 weeks. So yes, I’ve been enjoying her performance a lot. She’s fantastic and her Russian is excellent. 

Just watching the series and kind of seeing [Alya’s] character development overall was really interesting. She goes through a lot of ups and downs in the anime, especially with Masachika during the moments when they’re preparing for the school elections. 

What did you think of her overall character development throughout the first season?

Sarah Natochenny: She started out as ice cold, especially with that boy in the very beginning, Ondo. I remember that scene very well. Over the course of the show, Masachika really brings so much warmth out in her. Watching her warm up romantically to him and as his partner in the student council was really awesome to see because it’s not easy for a girl like her to do. 

So, I’m really glad we got to see it, especially with the cultural element. You know, there’s a [small] stereotype that Russian people are cold, which is not actually true! But there’s a lot of literature that portrays us as characters that are cold. So, it’s really nice to see her in the very first season take her journey from being a very kind of standoffish and protective girl with boundaries to being like, “I think I love this guy, and he might actually be really helpful to me.”

I think everyone thinks that because Russia is very cold, especially during the winter. 

Sarah Natochenny: Yes, it’s cold, but the people are actually very warm. 

I’m Canadian myself, so I know I can’t beat the cold stereotypes as well. 

Sarah Natochenny: But you guys have a stereotype! You guys are super friendly. Everybody’s like, “Oh, the Canadians.” 

We grew up in a cold environment, but we’re super nice. 

Sarah Natochenny: Exactly! 

Going back to Alya and the main protagonist Masachika: what were your thoughts on their overall dynamic, such as the way they bridge that cultural gap between Japanese and Russian? 

Sarah Natochenny: First of all, the chemistry between the two of them is amazing. I love it so much. I can’t believe this is an animated series, and I should believe it! But it was really, really cute, a little bit sexy, and really fun. I’m really happy with how it turned out. 

Culturally, I felt like [Masachika] is such a chill dude, and he’s really smart. He kind of chooses to be laid-back, but he’s actually very capable, so he always has this air of confidence about him that she’s like, “Why are you confident? You’re kind of a slacker? What do you mean?” 

Eventually, he does prove himself over the course of the series and she accepts him for that. He’s always treated her like she’s not an outsider at all. He treated her like she’s perfectly within the realm of her culture. So, he’s a good guy. 

Expanding on their dynamic, it doesn’t help that he understands bits and pieces of Russian, and it sounds like Alya doesn’t know that there are people who can understand!

Sarah Natochenny: Yeah, exactly. 

You mentioned that you’re of Russian descent and you grew up in America. You had pretty much a normal background as well, but were there moments when you felt like you kind of connected with Alya, especially growing up in a culturally different environment or when she’s having difficulty fitting in? Have you ever dealt with those kinds of experiences before? 

Sarah Natochenny: I had some trouble fitting in, but it had nothing to do with being Russian, I wouldn’t say, because I grew up in New York and there were so many Russians and Ukranians. There were people from all over the former Soviet Union, or the Republics, and I got to be friends with them early on. Then, I learned English and I diversified and started being friends with everybody. My best friend in first grade was George Gonzalez — not a Russian. 

I was a little bit of that kid who would dig for worms during recess. I was also that kid who’d try to plant this flower. And I still am! So, it didn’t have anything to do with me being Russian, but I appreciate those who do feel left out in almost every other part of America. It’s a very tough thing to be an immigrant or a child of immigrants in a place where there aren’t any others. 

With the first season of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian completed and second season being greenlit, which moments with Alya did you enjoy voicing? 

Sarah Natochenny: I loved her when she was changing in the dressing room. That’s actually one of my favorite scenes because I totally get it — she’s trying to show this guy who she can be for him, like, “I’m not that girl anymore!” But ladies, c’mon. We’ve all done that! It’s like, “Oh, maybe he likes her because she dresses like a tomboy! Maybe he likes the tomboy thing!” When she comes out, he’s like, “Oh, I thought you were more of a sexy girl, and you’re actually really, really cute.” I really got that [scene]. 

Let’s see what else… I mean, the scene where he basically tells her that he loves her. That was really wonderful, yeah! She’s got a partner in crime and a love interest all in one moment! That’s cool. 

For any kind of rom-com fan, that’s their big cheering moment whenever that happens. 

Sarah Natochenny: Yeah, yeah. 

With season two coming out soon, what are you most excited or looking forward to?

Sarah Natochenny: I’m very excited to see where she goes with Masachika because I love their relationship. I’m excited to see her friendship with the other girls in the class because there’s been drama. I’m excited to see how she handles her new position at school.

Do you have a final message to send to the people checking out the anime series for the first time? 

Sarah Natochenny: I love it! I don’t watch a lot of anime, and I really love the show, so if that’s anything for you guys. I’m looking forward to it every single week. I love her character, and I love the intrigue. I found myself criticizing the other girl [characters] while recording and being like, “Get away from him! He’s not yours!” So if you like feeling that way, it’s a slice-of-life rom-com, so it’s a very chill watch. It’s not something you gasp [about]. It’s a very relatable show. If you’ve been in school, been surrounded by girls, and you have a love interest, this is the show for you! 

Great pitch!

Sarah Natochenny: And if you want to hear me speak Russian, that’s one of the places you can do that! That’s a message to my family, mostly.

This interview was conducted by William Moo over Zoom. Questions were submitted by William Moo and Agnes Nguyen. Special thanks to Crunchyroll for the opportunity. 

The first season of Alya Sometimes Hides Her Feelings in Russian is streaming on Crunchyroll in both English subbed and dubbed. 

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