31 August 2008: Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu. The despicable life of a closet anime fan
I like how Haruka leaps out of a magazine cover in the OP.
I'm trying to catch up on some of the shows that I've missed and even venturing into currently-airing territory again. Somewhat sheepishly, I'm following Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu mostly because it is MAMIKORE.
Haruka and Yuuto.
Somewhat unexpectly, it sort of feels like the second season of Narue no Sekai I've been waiting for all these years. Well, except without the whole girlfriend being an alien part. Then again, making the most beautiful and popular girl in school a closet anime fan isn't much different from making her an alien, at least as a practical matter.
Yuuto, Haruka, and Mika.
Clearly I'm not the only one reminded of Narue no Sekai—there's at least one Narue reference in Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu. There are a lot of anime references in Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu, to tell you the truth, most of which sail over my head, I'm sure. Besides overt Shakugan no Shana mentions, there are ties to other shows such as naming Haruka's disagreeable father Gentou and casting the same actor who voices famously-disagreeable father Ikari Gendo in the role.
Surprisingly, Mika is not a cockblocker.
Overall, this is not a good show but it is amusing and mildly charming in its own unrealistic sort of way. None of the characters are especially believable, but that's kind of the point in these kinds of shows. Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu is unsophisticated, but unpretentious and unassuming as well. Don't expect Monster, but don't worry—it's not Gift ~eternal rainbow~, either.
