English: Haruka Nogizaka's Secret
Type: TV
Episodes: 12
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Jul 3, 2008 to Sep 25, 2008
Producers: Geneon Universal Entertainment, Diomedea, ASCII Media Works, Studio Mausu
Genres: Comedy, Romance
Duration: 25 min. per episode
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (Haruka Nogizaka's Secret) is an Ecchi, Romantic, Comedy about a relationship formed from a secret shared between two high school students. This anime doesn’t offer anything remarkably different to your average Rom/Com; however it certainly has a refreshing feel to it.
Yuuto Ayase is a fairly normal guy and Haruka Nogizaka is the school idol but their separate lives soon intertwine when Yuuto discovers Haruka’s secret hobby (Anime). Hardcore anime fans may enjoy the concept because it’s easy to relate to the stigma that may comes along with being an ‘open anime fan’, even though it does go a bit overboard. Though what makes this anime worth watching is the sweet romance that develops. The story moves at a steady pace, dealing with one issue at a time however the problem with this is that the episodes feel very disjointed, as there’s no real flow between one episode and the next. Also once the major issue about Haruka is resolved, this ends up becoming yet another typical romance anime.
Like in most romance anime, this one centres on the characters in the main relationship. Well unlike most protagonists in these kinds of Rom/Coms, Yuuto is quite the appealing guy and acts how a guy is supposed to be and is a welcome change from all the spineless loser-kuns. Then there’s the main attraction, Haruka who is seemingly perfect and has a cute timid personality, however she also comes with her own problems. The supporting characters do an alright job providing some comedy, but can be a real nuisance when it comes to the story.
Just from looking at this series’ picture, anime fans can expect this anime to go for animation and music that we are used to. The art style is very typical for this type of anime, with very simple big-eyed character designs but the way it is animated is certainly better than some similar looking anime (Myself; Yourself, H20, etc.). On the other hand this series doesn’t perform too well in the sound department. The music is sub par and can easily go unnoticed during the non-dramatic scenes.
Overall Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu is one of the decent Rom/Com of its season, though I feel that there can be an unnecessary amount of fanservice. The comedy is okay, especially on the rare occasions that it includes some obvious anime references but it does get stale after a while. Nevertheless the endearing romance is the only real reason worth watching this anime. It’s a shame the romantic relationship lacks a sense of progression and is littered with trivial problems.
Opening:
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