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.

Short summary:

It'll be hard to find anything likable about Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza , unless you really loved the characters from the Season 1 (and I mean really loved, and I still probably wouldn't recommend it).

Long summary:

In season 1, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu was about a boy, Yuuto, that meets a girl, Haruka, who is a very rich but kind girl that has a secret - she loves anime. In order to learn more about her, he begins to learn about various aspects of anime as he builds a relationship with her. This made season 1 a delightful little romance/comedy, which was ... rather fun and charming. However, the same cannot be said about Purezza. In fact, the reason I just recapped season 1 was because there is essentially nothing to talk about regarding season 2's plot.

Story: (3) Poor

The first two episodes of Season 2 talk about anime topics to some degree, but from then on the practice of integrating anime concepts into the episodes disappears. Haruka's anime secret is a non-concept this entire season. For that matter, Haruka herself isn't even really present for half the season. However, in exchange, we get increased fanservice. Yay.

Season 2 instead has essentially 10 episodes of filler, where various returning supporting characters interact with Yuuto, and a couple new minor characters are introduced. The episodes themselves have very little in common with each other. The two episode "dramatic arc" near the end of the season has the most semblance of a plot, but unfortunately the story is fueled by Yuuto and Haruka's cluelessness, making it difficult to accept the arc seriously (and is immediately followed by a hot springs episode, which is the season finale).

Art: (6) Fair

The art is similar to that of season 1's, in that characters are generally drawn pretty well and there's nothing painful to look at, but at the same time nothing particularly stands out about the animation.

Sound: (4) Decent

The opening song is appropriate for the anime, and is catchy enough where I didn't get tired of hearing it after two times. The ending has a fun song sung by the VA cast, and fits the mood of the anime.

The quality of the voice acting is excellent, as there are some fantastic VAs involved in the series. My issue is that they were all underused - partially because of too much spread out attention on all the characters, but mostly because there just weren't enough interesting scenes to utilize talents. A prime example of this is the participation of Rie Kugimiya. She voices a fitting tsundere character in episode 3, but otherwise voices the character of Alice, which other than like 3 lines, says nothing but one word repeatedly for all her appearances.

Character: (4) Decent

Most of the characters from season 1 are back, which is a good thing. However, this is overshadowed by the fact that in Purezza the characters seem to have actually devolved. Both Haruka and Yuuto have become timid, awkward versions of their former selves, and their relationship seems to have been reset as well. (At the end of season 1 they very likely kissed, and yet by the beginning of season 2 not only were they not dating, but they couldn't even hold hands properly).

The supporting character suffer from similar fates. For example, the maids and Haruka's parents, who all played big parts last season, are barely present this season, and when they do appear they don't do anything new. It's almost like the characters traded character growth in exchange for the ability to lose their clothing more often instead.

Conclusion (Overall (4)):

I was looking forward to Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza, because season 1 was funny and delightful. However, the lack of plot in Purezza, combined with character devolution, was just too rough to handle. Even though I watched the anime all the way through and tried my best to like it, I simply can't bring myself to recommend Purezza.

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.

Story ( 1 )
What a joke, what a sorry excuse for a second season. This was absolutely horrible. What a utter and complete waste of my time. All I can say is WTF?!? From start to finish there is absolutely no progress in the relationship between the two lead characters. REALLY!!! no kiss, no sex, no nothing! What kind of shit is this!

The first season had SOMETHING to do with the whole anime secret but no the second had little or pretty much nothing to do with the secret, WHAT HAPPEN! The plot is missing in action.

Character ( 2 )
The character development is balls, ... I could care less about the characters because there wasn't even a bother with showing more on the characters, just tidbits on who the new characters are and what they do. Not to mention that Haruka was missing in quite a few episodes; One of the main characters missing in the show, what were they thinking?!

Art ( 7 )
The animation I have to say was good even though the overall season was garbage.

Sound ( 6 )
The opening is descent and I thought the ending was pretty cute, no homo.

Enjoyment ( 2 )
I hated it. I was hoping to be pulled into some romance since the first season left off with a some sort implication that Yuuto and Haruka would eventually fall in love, i was mistaken. The second season being an ass just strung me along with nothing to show for except teases and shortcomings.

Overall (4 )
Avoid this crappy second season, you'll be dissapointed with the results. This season to me was more like just a random assortment of episodes that have nothing to do with the plot, oh wait there was no freaking plot this time around, WHAT HAPPENED! This was just a bunch random episodes mashed together to make this middle finger in your face season.

This is my first time giving a review so bear with me.
I was hesitating to watch this anime because of the MAL users score about this anime but I give it a try. This anime is not that bad as the other viewers says. The prequel is pretty good.To summarize Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza gives the supporting character a story and little development between the main characters. A kiss on cheek, a hug, holding hands and other fan service. I really enjoy this anime because it's light hearted story. maybe I'm getting tired of unusual stories. this anime is about normal people doing normal ... things (sometimes unusual but it's part of an anime). One thing i want to say, Give it a shot. Don't judge an anime if you haven't watch it.
Overall I have fun watching this series.

Ok, I'm aware that this series has both a manga and a light novel series, but i've not seen any of them. However, I've watched S1 of this series. And I've seen a few reviews written about this series in MAL too, and most say this seires is not that good. I disagree, my reasons are below...

[Specialty-Harem and Slow Romance]
[Weakness- some unconnected episodes and unexplained stuff]

Story:6
To be honest it's a bit disappointing. Cause there were quite a lot of scenes loaded with some form of fanservice, or at least were short on details. I infer that a lot of content from the light novel has ... been cut out.

Those who watch this after S1 may feel a bit dismal at the quality of the storyline. Reason being: the main focus of Haruka being an otaku is gone, cos she no longer has to keep it a secret, and the original plot you can't really see it in S2. S2 is more of the romance build-up between Haruka and Yuuto (slow type, like Yume de Aetara manga), some unconnected episodes featuring new girls who fall in love with Yuuto, and some events here and there.

I really like the unconnected harem episodes where Haruka disappears and the episodes where Yuuto and Haruka "bond together", cause there were often many emotional scenes. That's why although the S2 isn't as exciting as the first, it is still of a fairly high quality in storyline and progression.

The ending was similar to S1, and still a lot of harem relationships were still not resolved and unexplained (That's why I said they are unconnected).

Art:8
Fairly hgih quality, a few great special effects, but not much change of art quality. Same to S1.

Sound:8
It may be a mistake, but I actually felt that S2 is better than S1 in terms of the bgms. They were well-placed and well-cut-off and as usual, the voice acting is good, some parts having excellent voice acting. And the bgms really raised the mood for most of the scenes, especially the emotional ones.

Character:6
This is quite sad. A lot of characters show up but play almost no part in any of the episodes, for example the rest of the maid team that did not show up in S1. Then a lot of side characters may disappear for 3 or more eps then come back again. And the new girls who fall in love with Yuuto (Yes, the harem is realistic) may feature in only 1 or 2 full episodes then disappear again.

1 major flaw could be that Haruka isn't really an otaku or a very well-known girl in this season. Most of the times I have an impression that she is just a normal girl who likes 1 show, the Lacrosse High School Club or sth. So, S2 is really not as exciting as S1 as 2 unique points of the main female character had been more or less abandoned.

And 1 problem with Yuuto is he's really really super dense. It 'wows' me at times. And he's also super super kind at the "right" times. A little too perfect of a gentleman...

Enjoyment:6-8
Really can't decide. At the end of S2 I feel quite empty. Cause a lot of things were unexplained and unresolved. So many things that I wonder if S2 is following the main novel. Some potential passed on from S1 were still undeveloped in S2. Really sad...

But to be honest I liked S2, some eps were very touching, and at other times inspirational. I enjoyed the very realistic setting of the romance featured between 2 reserved people, and could really feel the love between the 2.
Aww

This absolutely entailing romance story will make you realize or remember what it means to be a man in adolescence to cope with your uneasy feelings to the one you love. This story wraps you around action, comedy, envy, erotic guilty pleasure in this world… of pure innocence.

It continues where the story left off but it’s like Yuuto and Haruka never kissed at the end of the first season. The series gives you the exciting impression of a rival seriously coming into play. Shiina, however, never really does anything but just appear in one or two scenes every two episodes which taunts you at ... first but then the director really was trolling. She was the only one with a respectable personality that wasn’t completely flat. Instead, we are treated to a childish romance with no story at all. Yuuto and Haruka have the lowest human intelligence imaginable in that kind of relationship. “Blinded by love” is an understatement.

The way they stall the plot is to be shy all the time, distractions of Haruka’s maids and her sister and random fanservice. The ecchi is sometimes badly timed to break the mood the director was working on.

The parts with story are taken from other sources which leave it ridden with cliché for horrid after tastes. Zero originality.

Yuuto is an enemy to most of the male audience for being too much of a wimp to do anything! If he does try to do something, he acts it out poorly and then gets backed up by maids… MAIDS!! The girls are more “manly” than his wasteful existence. Let me compare him to a rock and you know what I mean. A typical rock is sturdy for support in the world. It erodes to make soil and whatnot or is recycled into the mantle. Yuuto does little to nothing. The rock wins!

Haruka is an overly innocent girl and dumb as shit. On a positive note, they are made for each other. It’s a shame the secondary characters are more developed since all they do is obstruct the “story”. Aside from Haruka’s father, ALL the male cast are failures.

As you drag yourself along this already “fruitful” (but forgot to pick the fruit however it still ripens) series, you just don’t care anymore to see the inevitable, cheesy, obvious romantic conclusion with zero satisfaction guaranteed (unless your experience is low).

Generic ecchi + poor romance story = below average score. Nuff said, nuff said.

"Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza" is more-or-less a tease of an anime. You're left with a nice glimpse as to how "Purezza" will actually treat its viewers if you remember the "rainbow-eel scene" at the end of season one. We are the rabbits on the treadmill chasing the carrot on the stick - which in this case is their relationship.

Knowing that there was a season two, I highly enjoyed the first season. Probably more than I should have - ignorant to the fact that I would be getting this same treatment for another 12 episodes.

I held onto this audacious chance of being satisfied until ... the very end. But long before that, I had an inkling that season two would leave me wanting more without answering any questions (good marketing though, right?). Coinciding with my failing sense of hope with season two was that my pessimistic side was beginning to grow. I started to just get outright frustrated - more so than is normal in other animes. Basically, if the show was pointing towards this happening: I wanted the complete opposite of that. But believe me when I say I was justified.

As the episodes progress, you get a feeling of "how far the creators are willing to go with anything." In the eyes' of the many, that isn't very far, unfortunately. And this is where the show begins to predominately fail. All the "quasi-confessions" (I... I... I want to be with you) are recycled in an endless repetition that they seem to blend together into one commitment-less ball.

However, there's something about it I enjoyed enough for me to keep checking in very, very late every Monday to look for the new fan-subs. Although it was most likely hope, I would like to think it's something more.

Every episode definitely has a "Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza"-complex. Meaning that each had their own charm that's specific to each show, but seldom happens in anime. So, going by the "Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu: Purezza"-complex, even the episodes that were deemed of a larger importance seemed to fall short in the devotedness and ended up being good "no Himitsu" episodes, but none that were good as "episodes".

Sometimes it's good to have a definitive close to things, where something is wrapped up nicely and given a good send-off. I guess the creators' didn't really understand that. If you want to be teased with no foreseeable closure, "Purezza" is the right anime for you. However, if you're normal and do not like to be screwed around with, you're not missing much if you saw season one, but elect not to pick up two.

There is a little something we're left with in the end credits that basically says: "Let's see each other again." Whether that might mean an OVA or a season three, I have no idea. All that I can infer is that season 1 sold well, most likely meaning this season will probably sell well, too. Usually when you're making stuff people are buying, you keep making it, so I would not be surprised if there is something as lengthy as an entirely new season or just a few OVAs. Being that the creators' REALLY, REALLY left this one with A LOT of places yet to go, I would say it's 70% likely. Don't expect it for a year or so, though.

"Purezza" has an unexplainable charm that draws you back in when you want to let go. If you haven't yet decided to watch this, and are deciding between this and another anime, watch that other anime - you're not missing anything by leaving it at season one. However, if OVAs or a season three is announced, I would pick "Purezza" up. Because the writers have a sometimes annoying habit of bringing back key pieces of past episode[s] to grasp the present episode[s].
6/10.

Feedback is appreciated!
Would love to have a profile-to-profile chat on this review or on others that I've posted.

Ok, so I'm guessing and hoping that anyone who wants to watch this anime has watched Season 1 already. If you haven't, finish S1 and don't watch Purezza.

I was a fairly big fan of Season 1: despite it's fanservice, there wasn't a huge amount of it and the story seemed quite cute to me. Plus, there were anime references. ;D So when I heard Season 2 was coming out, I thought, "Awesome! I can't wait for this season! I bet it's going to be great."

I have never been more wrong.

Purezza literally took EVERYTHING Season 1 had that was good, and flushed it down the ... toilet. It went from being a slightly fanservice anime, to an over-the-top fanservice anime. And the story was utter CRAP to me.

Overall, this was a terrible season and I was insanely disappointed. Think of it like this: They took a decent plot and tore it up, they added fanservice that goes BEYOND normal fanservice. Believe me, spare your eyes and keep the first Season close to your heart. Imagine they get together and it ends there.

Thanks so much for reading. =)

Story:
Firstly, when looking at the first season, you must be able to find something in it which sparks an interest. Personally, I found the thought of an otaku girl interesting as usually males are generally otaku and it has a negative image attached to it. However if you can't find something, many may find this similar to the first season, in that it is very predictable. Granted there was a twist at the end, but even then it was predictable and if this is something you find annoying then it may be better not to watch this.

Art:
I enjoyed watching it, the art reminded me of ... onegai sensei re-vamped. There wasn't anything particularly special, but it was enjoyable to watch it when a lot of detail was added to it, as it seemed more fluid and was overall pleasing to the eye.

Sound:
I don't really know what to say about the sound. The music in the anime does not have anything really memorable. The opening song has more of a rock vibe than the first season which was very pop, both were songs that grew on me, not that they were bad in the beginning.

Characters:
The characters are made up with the usual components. Servants and a caring sister who supports the main protagonists, a father who disagrees with everything Ayase says and does and a childhood friend just to round it off. What makes it a little bit more interesting is the sisters of Ayase who depend on him, and Ayase himself who is actually a very dependable guy in an ordinary. Also, the mother who controls the father was amusing, as she made him stop before anything actually happened.

Enjoyment:
Despite the predictability, I did enjoy watching this anime. Personally, I found a charm to Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu to carry on to the second season. At points it is cringingly predictable, but if you want a romcom with all the typical trimmings, this is the one for you.

Well this is a typical mild fanservice anime. It really just does what it says on the tin: there are no school days type OH MY GOD moments to surprise you. Ive given it a good rating because it really is just a very fun bit of light entertainment. I would say its a long way off the excessive fanservice of some animes but gives a little more eyecandy than, say, Love Hina. Haruka IS a very good perfect-girl type character and, though sometimes cringefully too perfect and shy and vulnerable, she is quite interesting.

Occassionally, i do wish the ... plot was more compelling but I think that would probably detract from the gentle romance. AND I MEAN GENTLE. Seriously, if this were real life, there wouldnt be such a thing as rape because everyone would be so good to each other. But seriously, JUST KISS!!!!!!! ARRRGH: why can't they do it!

Besides Haruka, the characters are generally in my opinion at best mediocre. Probably out of jealousy, I have irrational hatred of Yuuto: (to Yuuto) why do you exist????? (to quote Naruto abridged); stop existing!! The maids are alright but Mika's a psychopath and seriously (and this something I have against all anime) she must be like twelve or something, right?(14 at most) Its not fanservice if the girls are so young: its just wrong.

Anyway, I would still have given it nine even if all the episodes were complete crap: the santa claus outfits made me do it.

(MINOR SPOILERS)

Wow, talk about going downhill. Considering how optimistic I was of the first season, I really came into this one expecting more.

For fans of the original, prepare to be disappointed. If you didn't notice already, this season is straight into the Ecchi genre and it is no longer a minor occurrence. If you did not enjoy that part of the anime, then prepare to be slathered with it cause it is all over the place.

Oh, and the accidental kiss situations are just through the roof here. Several of them happen, including one with Mika, but none of them go anywhere. Oh, and one of ... them even occurs with a minor character. And given Yuuto is the only male lead that is significant to the story, I can assure you that your assumptions are correct and that he was the one involved in all of them.

As far as story goes, I will just get right to the positives first. They introduced the entire team of maids this time around, though none of them come into play to join the comedy team of Hazuki and Nanami besides a little one by the name of Alistia. A little ferocious at first glance due to her exceptional shounen powers, the girl herself is actually quite innocent and is simply there to serve as another "I agree" character as she nods in agreement with the two main maids whenever they are talking about something. Speaking of Alistia, she plays a major role in one of the episodes where, for some reason, all maids and butlers decide to have a party for their services. I consider this episode to be the milestone of this whole season and, should you decide to skimp out on this season, at least watch this episode first before you do.

Anyway, Yuuto is there, but only cause he actually had a job as a butler earlier on and is considered official by their community. Later on, one other "butler" shows up, but he is actually the rich prude from the last season and he walks in all high and mighty, effectively disrupting the fun out of most of the other servants. He is a butler due to, well, the events of the last season where he disrespected one of the Nogizaka elders. And so his father forced him to be "lowered down to the level of the servants" to better understand how other people feel.

Through a series of events from earlier, Alistia stumbles into the man and spills liquid all over him. And, in what is one of the most shocking acts I have ever seen in an anime, he crudely disrespects Alistia and even spits on her. Yes, he spat on a little girl just because he didn't watch where he was going. And to make matters worse, he also stepped on one of her favorite dolls that she just obtained prior to the incident. She was in shambles and it was one of the saddest things I had ever seen in an anime and I genuinely almost teared up from it after seeing the aftermath of all the torture she went through for one incident.

Naturally Yuuto, being the good Samaritan that he is, steps in to crouch down and comfort the crying Alistia. But, the rich prude just couldn't let the whole accident go without an apology. So, he forces Alistia to bend down in forgiveness. Yuuto does it instead, but well doing so, the man spills his drink all over Yuuto and all he can do is keep his head lowered. It is there that the disrespectful man receives a call from his father, having heard all of what he did to the other servants, apologizes to all of them and says that they are free to punish him however they please.

I thought this whole scene was incredible in that Yuuto basically treats all of the servants in the room with the same amount of respect as he would a noble and tells the other man that he should do the same. All of Yuuto's lines during this were just really good and it is unarguably the best highlight of the whole season. I just wish that they had more moments like these, cause nothing came close to it. The only bad thing I could say about it is that it essentially set up Yuuto to be the good guy, but I thought the scene was still good due to the fact that some masters are actually this rude to their servants and I feel something like this had to be made, even if it was a little out of place for this particular anime.

Now, unfortunately, this is where all the fun ends and I must get negative. One thing I would like to address is that the pacing of this season felt pretty bizarre to me. For instance, there were a lot of romance scenes where, really after the Christmas one, it should have been very obvious that Yuuto and Haruka would go out. But, their relationship is not even established here, despite the events of the last season clearly showing them almost kiss on the bed. And even before this scene, they almost kissed again.

Yes, earlier, I mentioned how Yuuto actually almost kissed Mika, as well as a girl that you only see once in this whole season, but that was just a mere portion of "almost" situations. Speaking of Mika, she herself actually almost kissed one of her classmates, that was also a girl, in the last season, but I forgot to bring that up for some reason. Assuming this anime treats every "almost" kiss as though it was bound to happen if no interruptions occurred, it's safe to say that Mika would go through great extremes to show her friends how a date works, including the ending part where the kiss happens, and probably would've had her first with one of her friends if no one stopped her. That was a bit of a detour from what I was just talking about, but figured it deserved to be mentioned anyway and that I just came to the conclusion that scene was far more serious than I previously thought.

Anyway, yes, Yuuto and Haruka almost kiss so many times that you could actually lose track of it. Every time you see it happen this time around, you are not looking forward to the kiss itself, but at what comedy scenario will occur to interrupt it. Oh, and speaking of interruptions, I would just like to remind you that they, once again, do the "script" thing where the maids are showing Yuuto how he should handle his date with Haruka. And, somehow, the scenario once again ends with him holding a banana near his, well, banana, and the girl that is crouching down this time is Alistia. Really, I could have believed this was an accident in the first season when it happened with Hazuki, but it is very much implied that the maids wanted Haruka to suck him off. And like last time, Ruko walks in at this very moment of the act to, once again, attempt to kill Yuuto with her sword.

Besides this, the anime is practically filled with fan service. It is indeed in the Ecchi genre now for good reason, as you will find almost as much half-naked women here as you will story content. And that realization hits you real hard the longer you watch this season. If you really did not enjoy the fan service before, then I would advise you to back away from this season because it is practically everywhere this time around and it gets quite raunchy at times. Heck, the "almost" kiss scenes even start really sexually at first, with most of them involving the girl being half-naked or on top of him with exposed undergarments. Yes, it has no doubt entered the Ecchi genre now when scenes like this are plentiful.

And if there is one thing I really disliked about this season, it's the anime they chose for Haruka to fall in love with. Firstly, well the other anime with the little chibi girls was adorable and even served as a fun subplot for the last season, the anime this time is a carbon copy of, well, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu. You read that right, so stop double taking. All of the characters in Haruka's new favorite anime look just like, well, herself and the other female characters from the anime you are currently watching. They got pitifully lazy here this time around and I really expected that they would have researched enough anime to at least give Haruka something original to watch. But no, it is as lazy as one can get. And thanks to Haruka's main anime no longer being one of the subplots this time around, being relegated to just a situational plot whenever needed, it is only the tiniest bit forgivable that they got lazy with it. Yuuto even makes a crack at how the heroine sounds just like Haruka at one point.

The most major element of this season is a bitchy idol that goes by the name of Miran. I will just say straight up that one of my favorite things about her is the way they designed her because she is just so pleasant to look at whenever she pops up. After that, though, the rest of her character gets pretty nerve-wracking. I can forgive it quite easily, simply because she is an idol. Through a series of events, Yuuto somehow becomes her manager for a while. I won't really spoil too much about the second half, but it did annoy me a little at how fast they drove the whole idol thing into the plot. If you watched the opening, you are aware that she is prioritized in the song. That is because she is the new famous idol or something. I never really cared much about this plot, despite how significant it is near the end. I just found this plot to be really boring to watch. In fact, I could give you a full summary of it right now in only one paragraph.

During the second half, Haruka and Yuuto run into Miran as she is hiding from her manager. Her manager sees potential in Haruka and is basically slowly coercing her into becoming an idol. Haruka and Yuuto then go back to where they were going, Haruka somehow lands on Yuuto and "almost" kisses- oops, going into the wrong territory here. Anyway, throughout the rest of the second half, the manager, Yayoi, alongside her little lackey Nozomi, basically turn into the Saturday-morning villains of this plot and attempt to drive Yuuto away from Haruka. They claim that Haruka has to attend an "accidental" audition due to a paper error, but the real plan is to make her debut due to her "hidden potential" without the consent of Haruka. They say Yuuto should not intervene with any of her practice and should stay away from her. Yuuto attends one of Miran's concerts well his thoughts are clouded and she convinces him through mildly cryptic words to go to Haruka. Yuuto naturally realizes that he should to do this and stops her idol audition.

Well the idol stuff does not pick up until a little later after they meet Yayoi, some of the other stuff during it is not particularly bad. We have what are essentially pure fan service episodes with Shiina and Mika, respectively. And you obviously know what happens in the latter of those two, so I do not have to elaborate there again. The former is a little more, well, lined up with the anime. Besides having one of the most hentai-esque scenes in the anime, there is adequate character development between Shiina and Yuuto, which is nice.

Oh, and did I forget to mention the last episode is just more fan service. They all go on a trip to the hot springs. Yes, you read that right. They go on a hot springs trip for both the first and last episodes. Just in case you did not get your fill earlier, here is some more hot springs fun for you.

That is about all I really have to say about this season. It just disappointed me overall and I really wish it lived up to the expectations set by the first. This season just decided to take every mildly comical aspect of the last and shift it well beyond the limits it should have never crossed. The more minor things that were toned up were the "almost" kiss scenes, as they were either interrupted by the maids, Mika, both at the same time or by a phone call. From, you know, Mika, asking if anything happened. THIS WAS ONLY MILDLY FUNNY THE FIRST TIME, but to have her call just to say "have you guys done anything" so many times started to make it less coincidental. She already did this shtick last season, so to rehash it so shamelessly just hurt to watch. So, yeah, watch this season if you are just a really, really big fan of the original. Otherwise, I would just skip it. I only gave it as high of a score as I did because I was so impressed with the fifth episode.