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| Overall | Art | Animation | Character Design | Music | Series Story | Episode Story | Reviewer | |
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| Watch | 7 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
 Ggultra2764
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[series:1835#1552] |
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Secret of Haruka Nogizaka is as mostly as typical as you can get for an otaku show in its focus on male lead Yuuto Ayase becoming close friends with popular and attractive Haruka Nogizaka, who is secretly an otaku. Much of the show revolves around Yuuto becoming acquainted with Haruka, her family and otaku way of life mixing around elements of romance and comedy. While it does have some things to freshen its premise up and the majority of characters are rather likeable, the show still mostly stays firm in conventional territory with a number of its gimmicks, Yuuto's sister and teacher easily make for the most obnoxious characters in the series and the relationship between Yuuto and Haruka advances no further beyond the two just being close friends. I hear the relationship between our leads deepen for its second season. But unlike Oreimo which has a somewhat similar premise and had enough uniqueness to it for me to watch on to its second season, Haruka Nogizaka does not offer much to break the mold for an otaku-focused title and I am not as invested in the series to watch onward to its later seasons.
Last updated Friday, December 18 2015. Created Friday, December 18 2015. | ||||||||
| Rent | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 8 |
 Devil Doll
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[series:1835#752] |
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[Score: 74% = "Rent-"; same basic premise as Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai] Low on substance but fun to watch. More comedy than romance, and despite being a generic "nothing ever happens" school romance with pool episode and school festival it has lots of likable characters and great OP song vocals.
The otaku theme (and Haruka's fear of being exposed) loses importance over time but is revived occasionally. All the important characters are nice (with Hazuki being my favorite, her being drunk was priceless). So while the Series Story is nothing to write home about I feel at home here, much like in Hanaukyo Maid Tai La Verite. This is a funny and cute show. Last updated Saturday, October 16 2010. Created Monday, October 11 2010. | ||||||||
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 Forbin
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[series:1835#1573] | ||||||
Analysis :All Fansubs watched
Hmm...a series where the main boy character is not an idiot. He's protective of the girl, can read her mind (Not really but it seems that way), and is willing to be the ridicule of the school for her. Add the fact that his sister is bossy and his teacher is from DearS and the girls staff is just as wacky. This is a Romance comedy more than anything else. Full Review : RENT-- : Barely a rent. Hmm with a series of a competent protagonist we lose a little something from the hentai hero. The series revolves around 4 subplots (Otaku, Family, Jealously, Inadequancy)
 Comic Party. It was nice. And that's about it.
Last updated Sunday, October 05 2008. Created Tuesday, August 12 2008. | ||||||||
| Watch |
 Stretch
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[series:1835#628] | ||||||
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(All episodes watched): Going in, I had high hopes for this show, given the basic premise and the previews I'd watched. But, while the show was amusing and by no means bad, neither episode one nor the series as a whole completely lived up to my expectations. Likewise, Ayase is competent and Nogizaka is multitalented, but both still seemed kind of shallow at the end. Her secret life as an otaku didn't seem all that startling to me; she keeps it well hidden and finds the time to excel in numerous other activities, so it hardly seemed anything to be ashamed of. I had expected something more outlandish, like her turning out to be a secret VA or mangaka herself. Having a secret fault (even if it is a very minor one) does make the otherwise perfect Nogizaka easier to like. I'd be willing to bet that some of the same people who worked on Final Approach were also employed here. Still, it was a cute, fun show and I immediately decided that even if this was as good as it would get, I'd definitely be watching NHnH to the end. I remained curious and eager for additional episodes, and my patience was rewarded. Episode two was fun as Haruka asks Ayase to accompany her to Akihabara, a place she's afraid to go by herself. The jokes are fairly funny, and the otaku 'spin' they have makes them even more enjoyable. The episode was educational about things any otaku would want to know. Haruka's VA seemed somehow inappropriate at first; a little too mature, compared to the helium whiffing girls I'm used to, but I soon got used to it. So, perhaps this is the show I wanted; episode one was hopefully just an anomaly. The visit to Summer Comiket was another fun otaku-themed episode. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for numerous tie-ins to other popular series. My personal favorite was the Inukami yaoi doujinshi which Haruka is traumatized by. Despite my early misgivings this has become a fun show with likeable characters and I'm always eager to watch it. The problem is, I wish these otaku-themed episodes had been the rule, rather than exceptions. They are the anomalies, not the relatively dull stuff like episode one. I had high hopes for them but they didn't really play that great a part in the show. This was basically a teen romance, and not an exceptional one. The series ends with a predictable Cinderella-like conclusion, and the fact that the two had met as children was obvious long ago. Nogizaka Haruka was a fun show, certainly, but in the end not particularly memorable; definitely not as good as Nanatsuiro Drops. But I am not disappointed, just not as pleased as I might have been. My thinking is that I'll probably rewatch the Akihabara and Comiket episodes someday, but not the series as a whole. Good at times but for the most part unremarkable; it did not dare to be particularly original. Last updated Saturday, December 19 2015. Created Tuesday, July 15 2008. | ||||||||
Other Sites
| Name | URL |
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| Official (Japanese) Series Web Site | http://www.nogizaka-haruka.com/ |
