Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu is a new anime currently being shown in Japan as we speak. It is a short anime series (12-14, I found sites that disagree on how many episodes this series will be) and the basic premise of this show is the popular girl in school, Haruka, has a DEEP, DARK SECRET!! What is that secret?! Why, that she is a Akiba-kei or Otaku and in Japan, that has an extreme negative connotation. She tries to hide this hobby of hers, but fails when a fellow student Yūto bumps into her and finds some otaku material in her possession. Yūto decides to keeps Haruka’s secret, but soon it becomes more complicated as other students nearly find out. Yūto also helps Haruka with her hobby and tries to show others just because you have a certain interest, it does not make you disgusting or a freak.

When I first heard about this show, I was like COOL another Lucky Star type show. I loved Lucky Star despite it’s slow moments. It showed how dedicated one could for their fandom and how funny it can be when others think you have dipped into some crazy section of insanity. And I thought that this new series could ADD to Lucky Star, throwing in a romantic interest into the mix. Sad to say, this show is really not like Lucky Star nor is it AMAZING on it’s own.

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First off, the main character Haruka is the typical annoying, helpless girl who needs rescuing. But not rescuing from monsters or actual dangerous situations, but on quests to get a DS or convincing her father she is not a maggot who does not deserve air because she reads a certain magazine. Every situation comes across as so desperate, it gets boring at times. That and her constant apologizes are annoying as well. I actually enjoy Yūto, he has been sucked into a world he does not seem comfy with at times, but as a true boyfriend to be, he will endure it to be with the one who makes him happy.


Another issue I have is Haruka’s knowledge..or lack thereof about her hobby. In Lucky Star, Konata was ON TOP of her game to a point where it was scary and awesome at the same time. Haruka couldn’t plan going to Comiket correctly, something that most otaku know how to do. Her aversion to yaoi is almost homophobic to a point, as if she is that brain dead that she had no CLUE such dōjinshi exist. She seems clueless on everything that is supposed to be her hobby. And yet she has been an otaku for YEARS, as the same clip from years ago play as she received the first copy of Innocent Smile from a younger Yūto tells us. Yet she has not progressed in her hobby at ALL? Does she really only read this magazine in the library? That really does not qualify her as an otaku in the sense of the word. She seems to really be a light fan of anime and manga at best. She is definitely no Konata.



Another thing that I found disturbing was the name calling. I have lived in America all my life and have friends who embrace the anime and manga culture. I never have referred to myself as an Otaku before, knowing of the negative meaning it has in Japan. So while I am use to people saying “you still watch cartoons?” or “isn’t all anime pokemon or porn?”, I have never been called something really, truly mean. However, if I were a fan of anime or manga in Japan, apparently be living in fear from constant threats and name calling to such a degree that one might turn to suicide as an answer. This is either a crazy exaggeration to make real otaku’s laugh at the insanity of how others view them or Japanese people truly hate all otaku’s and hope they all die in bus accidents. Either way, it did not come across funny to me or make me feel sympathetic to Haruka’s situation. I would think a few “dude, you are still into anime” and” you waste you money on that junk” comments would have sufficed.

I am not an ecchi or huge fan service fan. I understand that it is used to get male viewers and cause some laughs. But seriously, the busting slutty teacher is so annoying to me. Not to mention the teacher reminds me so much of Mitsuka, it’s not even funny. It really turns me off to see massive boobs all over the place, it is just used for cheap laughs.

Perhaps I had too many expectations for this anime. I suppose when you go into a situation comparing a new work to an old one, you are bound to be disappointed. I did find things I liked about this show. I thought ninja maids were a nice touch to the show. I found the over the top father trying to send the hell hounds to track down his otaku daughter was over the top. :) Yūto is a very likely male character. He is not the typical pervert within this almost harem like atmosphere, he seems genuine, and he finds humor in the little things. Overall, it is a nice little anime. If I were asked which one was my favorite, I would have to pick Lucky Star in a heartbeat though. In conclusion, I would say this anime is okay to watch when you have nothing else to do, but I am not waiting desperately for the next episode.