Monday 20 August 2012

Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu - Finale - Episode 1

If I had to explain the worst thing about being a horrendous completest, I imagine that Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu would perhaps be a perfect example of the woes of such an attitude.  Despite a hardly stellar first season and disastrous second, here I am again to take in the final death throes of this light novel to anime franchise, and I simply don't know why I'm bothering.

Of course, as we rejoin this series things are the same as they ever were - Yuuto and our titular star Haruka are still crazy about one another but too terrified of voicing their feelings to let one another know properly, while poor old Shiina watches on as this hapless couple makes a pig's ear of everything - goodness knows what she sees in Yuuto to be honest.  However, perhaps her big chance is about to arrive, courtesy of a school field trip to Hokkaido - first though, there's time for a meeting to discuss said trip which turns into a party for all concerned... and you can't have a party in Japan without playing the King's Game.  The rest of this particular aspect of the plot writes itself.


From here we head off to Hokkaido, with Shiina determined to voice her feelings to Yuuto - provided she can actually find some time to spend with him that is, as he sticks around Haruka the entire time, proving that she is also unable to take a hint.  Still, while Haruka is taking a bath Shiina spots her chance and drags Yuuto out to confess her feelings to him - but whaddya know, Haruka just happened to show up to hear the whole thing.  Drama!  Roll the credits! Wonder how they're going to eke another three episodes out of this formulaic crap!

Really, I can't think of anything nicer to say about this opening episode than "formulaic crap" - it's such a by the numbers production that even Yuuto's voice actor doesn't seem to be trying too hard, while the plot is typical harem-esque romantic comedy stuff with mild fan service here and there, and stronger fan service that gets blotted out by the unique way in which light in Japan reflects off the female body in given situations.  Its characters are dull and two-dimensional in every meaning of the phrase, but worse still its plot is one-dimensional - yet here I am, knowing that I'm going to be sitting through the rest of this show.  It seems safe to assume that those remaining episodes aren't going to improve in the slightest.

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