Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu - Purezza - Episode 10

The end of the previous episode of Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu - Purezza brought us the shocking revelation that Haruka had been entered into an audition to become a future idol - Well, shocking if you're Haruka or Yuuto that is, I'd like to think those of us watching this series of late were anything but surprised at this development.

Come the start of this instalment, Haruka of course goes straight to the production company in question to find out what's going on, only to be assured that the whole thing is a mistake, but with the women responsible for the whole thing also begging her to take part in the audition and to take some lessons in singing, acting and so on. Weak-willed girl that she is, she agrees to do so, and before he knows it Yuuto is left waiting out in the proverbial cold for Haruka's lessons to finish.


In that meantime, this new young and upcoming idol is left to her own devices while the male protagonist ends up working as the manager for an already well-established idol who he meets per chance - Hang on a second, I've just written a brief plot synopsis for White Album, is that right? Actually, yes it is, as in this episode Yuuto (the man who has had more jobs that I've had hot dinners) ends up accidentally working as the manager of idol Milan Himemiya, who of course is a total diva with a softer centre. Milan keeps Yuuto well and truly busy with her tight schedule, which runs all the way to recording as a voice actress for Haruka's favourite anime, but with both Yuuto and Haruka given so little free time what on Earth is going to happen comes Valentine's Day? Yet more disasters predictably await our ill-fated couple at the hands of Yayoi - seriously, I'm trying to lay off the White Album comparisons, but an evil manager named Yayoi?!

Anyway, despite me starting to wonder if this story arc could get any more like White Album (cue Yuuto sleeping with every girl he lays eyes on... okay, I guess we're safe from that scenario), this was actually a pretty entertaining episode - It actually made me laugh out loud a couple of times, which isn't something Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu is normally capable of, and its Carry On-esque moment featuring the Nogizaka family's maids left me shaking my head in disbelief at the same time as said laughter for being possibly one of the most inappropriate things I've seen in anime for quite a while. Anyhow, maybe this series needed a little drama and romantic tension to spice things up, and it certainly looks set to get it, which I suppose is no bad thing.