Not so much a precise moment as an overall experience, the first episode of this bizarre yet heartwarming little romance/comedy marked the beginning of what would become one of my favourite anime of the summer, and what has since become a far more memorable harem than most.
While we all had more than a few gripes with the ending and the overall lack of story, there’s one thing I always like to keep in mind when talking about Haruka no Himitsu, and it’s the fact that the show is a harem. I’d hate to tell you to keep your expectations low so as to enjoy the final product more, but if you’re looking for a masterpiece of slice-of-life or comedy, you definitely won’t find it here.
However, what you will find is a highly entertaining show filled with likeable characters, anime references, an overdose of moe and a sprinkling of romance. Add that to the fact that the premise itself is fairly original, and you get one of the best harem anime I recall seeing in recent time. After watching the first ep, I was left wanting more – I didn’t know why, exactly, but I knew that I wanted to keep on watching. It was cliche, predictable, and all-around simplistic, but perhaps that was what I loved about it. For being an ordinary harem and yet so much more than just an ordinary harem, Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu remains as one of my more distinct memories of anime this year, and it was the straightforward yet refreshing first episode that triggered it all off. I’ll definitely be looking forward to the second season.
~ ETERNAL
つづく
