Ranked #1854

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza

The first season of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu (Nogizaka Haruka's Secret) was a quite enjoyable little romance anime. One day, by accident, the very ordinary guy Ayase Yuuto finds out about the titular secret of the shy, ladylike school idol Nogizaka Haruka, the secret being the fact that she's an otaku. Having been ostracized in her previous school due to her otakudom being exposed, she naturally becomes afraid of the same thing happening again. But being the nice guy he is, Yuuto swears not to reveal this fact to anyone. One thing leads to another and they eventually fall in love, though neither of them consider themselves an official couple by the end of the series.

It goes without saying that one expected at least some development of the two main characters in this second season, Purezza. Problem is, there is none to be had. The reason being that Purezza possesses nothing resembling a real plot. But let's go over the good stuff first - don't worry, it won't take long.

The somewhat unknown studio Diomedea is behind the rudder for this anime, just like they were with the prequel. Purezza's animation is - while not original or impressive in any way - crisp, clean and consistent.

The opening animation should also be complimented; it shows a browsing through a magazine starring the show's characters and is pretty detailed and well-designed. As for the opening song, it couldn't be more forgettable; just your standard j-pop fare, albeit a little more rocky than usual. The same applies to the ED and the BGM, with them both being non-descript to the point of absurdity, but not really grating.

As I mentioned, this anime is devoid of an overarching plot. The major reason as to why this is the case is because Purezza spends most of its running time focusing on its plethora of minor characters (most of them girls, with almost all moe stereotypes covered) and their relationships with Yuuto, more often than not putting them in indecent situations with him (of course). What once was a cute, semi-innocent romance has completely deteriorated into a generic ecchi-harem.

There's even one particular scene with Yuuto applying "erotic, sexy massage" to three girls, resulting in moaning that would make your average hentai blush with embarrassment. I found myself becoming increasingly irritated with Yuuto as the episodes went on and he degenerated into a simple tool with an uncanny resemblance of School Days' Itou Makoto, fooling around with - and getting used by - about every female character around.

Not having read the manga, I don't know if this is the case, but it does feel jarringly obvious that this season is riddled with fillers. And with it being 12 episodes short, it goes without saying that it's unacceptable.

Consequently, the time Haruka and Yuuto get to spend alone is reduced to a select few occasions. And with them both being annoyingly shy and indecisive, their relationship is never given a real chance to progress. Add to this the fact that the scarce romantic events between the two are generally interrupted by the Nogizaka family's obtrusive maid team or some other random (un)supporting character(s) and you have a recipe for disaster.

There are admittedly a few laughs to be had while watching Purezza, but they are always followed by ten or so minutes of painful facepalming. By the end of this season, it felt like Haruka and Yuuto had gotten at most a couple of centimeters closer to each other (not that I gave a damn about their relationship at this point). It also felt like my brain had been thoroughly decomposed.

I could continue ranting about the worthlessness of this anime and perhaps mention the episode in which Yuuto works as a butler for a loli ojou-sama voiced by Kugimiya Rie, but I'll leave it at this. Purezza is a prime example of what's wrong with the anime industry of today, replacing plot with moe pandering and excessive fan service.

Needless to say, this second season of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu was a complete trainwreck and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone expecting a decent romance anime. And if you're in it for the ecchi, there are also better picks than this one. Thusly, we're left with a series that is simply bad and useless. With competent writing, this story could've been told well within 12 episodes, instead of dragging on for 24+, considering that the manga isn't even finished and that a third season is hinted at after the horrible ending.

The only purity found in this anime lies in its complete and utter shittiness. Do not watch. read more

I question if this is an actual continuation of the pleasantly sincere and straighforward 2008 series, because it resembles nothing of what it originally was. Originally a series about a rich girl who didn't want people to know she was really an otaku, the series seems to have thrown its entire narrative out the window in favor of half-assed melodrama, shameless self-promotion, and a LOT more of the fairer sex's skin. In short, because it was profitable enough to bear a second season, it has turned to pandering.

Is it all bad? No, not really. The animation is still top-notch work with appealing and interesting character designs. The OP/ED combination is also a lot catchier this time around, an improvement on the first season, but the voice acting seems to have gotten much more stale. No one here feels like they're attempting to do anything beyond reading what is on the script which really hurts it in the long run.

But as many of my review readers have come to know about me, I think technical details mean squat on the whole, and this is certainly no exception. The subtitle of the second season "purezza" is Italian for "pure", a word that I would in no way use to convey this series. It's sullied right down to the core. For starters, the titular "himitsu" no longer exists. Oh yes, Haruka still watches anime. Her current interest is Nocutre Girls School Lacrosse Club with lead character Haruna voiced by Amiko Noto.

*crickets*

Don't worry. I wasn't expecting you to laugh. Hell, I don't expect you to laugh at all at what this series has been degenerated to, given it is nothing but cheap ecchi sight gags and this terrible tongue-in-cheek referencing. Much of the plot is entirely inconsequential, mostly because Haruka and Yuuto have become one of the most indecisive couples imaginable. What committed couple after months goes on a date blushing furiously like they're sinning against God?! Grow up, you two!

But they aren't the only infuriating ones. New one-line personality characters have been added (shy loli who can only speak one word, Rie Kugimiya Stereotype #592 and idol singer whose existence breaks the fourth wall) that add nothing to the plot and are incredibly inconsequential as well. How did a series I championed for having well-utilized characters turn out a second season where they do absolutely nothing interesting!

I don't really know what to say in the end other than I'm incredibly disappointed. If you're a fan of the original Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu for whatever reason, you'd be best off avoiding this. The characters meander, the comedy has been turned down to the lowest denominator, and it would rather promote itself than go anywhere useful. There are few generally likeable shonen romances these days. Watching one shoot itself in the foot is a sad thing indeed.

Overall, I give Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza a 4 out of 10. read more