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Haruka Nogizaka's Secret Finale · review

★
Top reader Mar 15, 2013 · 4 min read
↑ Recommended
7 /10

First off, I'm writing this review more as a review for the entire series, rather than just this OVA itself, as the OVA itself does not contain the entire essence of this series. In addition, I have neither read the light novels, nor it's manga adaptation, so my memory of the anime itself is my only gauge for this. As you would know, the basic premise of this story lies in the development of the relationship between the series two main protagonists, Nogizaka Haruka, and Ayase Yuuto. Story: 6 Essentially, this story is best described by the evil "C" word - Cliche. You can roughly expect toknow what comes next throughout this entire series, for both TV seasons, and this OVA. Twists and Turns are not to be expected, and if you enjoy that kind of story, this is certainly not for you. However, you can expect that the essential points of a series focused on a pure teenage love would be shown, and it eventually does end well (as seen in the OVA). One other big issue about the story is how when there is a case of conflict... it somehow gets resolved WAYYYYY too easily. It fails to demonstrate the problems and issues of a teenage couple being in a relationship of such nature, and often these issues are either not brought out, or are easily resolved. If you are hoping for some real good drama, this story may disappoint you (hence, lower your expectations).

Art: 8
The art improves with each season of the series. Not to say that I believed that Season 1 had bad art, but i certainly would've given it a 6. At least with the passing of time and improvement of technology, the art for this series has gotten better. Basic character designs stay the same throughout (a good thing, because they generally appealed to me, save for a few characters), but the backgrounds and color quality improve, and in a pretty obvious way by the time it reaches this OVA.

Sound: 8
The OPs and EDs for the entire series do not always fit, particularly the OP for the 2nd season, but they don't entirely disappoint (they do encourage me to unleash my ultimate skill of fastforward though). I'm mainly giving points here to the overall soundtrack. The inclusion of many classical themes (as fitting of a story involving a rich ojou-sama, yes?) suits the story of each episode, and the music fits well with the series in general.

Character: 6
The characters are generally not unexpected. As this is not a harem romcom, we get a decent individual for a main character, and a really shy ojou-sama as the other. However, sadly, while they are given lots of screen time, they do not come across as strong main characters. The best characters in this story are in fact the side/supporting characters. I'm not even speaking of "almost-main," but definitely recurring characters that don't always need to make an appearance (Nobunaga!) However, even with the issue of the main characters, it is not a complete failure, and the strength of the protagonists sometimes does show, normally more with Ayase Yuuto (i'll attribute this to the story component).

Enjoyment: 7
Since the story is cliche, the most important thing that will make this series a success is the execution. However, the execution does some massive acrobatic yoyoing tricks at times. For example, the first two episodes of the 1st season were thoroughly enjoyed, but it slumped really badly for the next few, to rise again, and then fall, and then balance. However, it has it's moments, as when it does do well, it really can match with the top animes in terms of enjoyment. Consistency is the greatest issue here. When I got to laugh, i really did, but when it fell, it really plunged a massive hole of disappointment in me. If there's one thing this OVA does do that the rest of the series doesn't (oh, producer, why you dragging on the story?), it gives closure to the series.

Overall: 7
Overall, this series is not a waste of your time. It is certainly not a must-watch, and you must be prepared to not have high expectations for it. However, the important points of the story are covered, and throughout, it is best if you don't compare it to better series in the genre of a pure romantic comedy. It is slightly unique in it's own way with how it treats the problems of a rather... draggy relationship, but it will not spoil your day, and at it's best, it may actually be quite a fun ride.

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