Tenderness
It’s been bugging me for a while now, but to distill the charm of Haruka Nogizaka’s Secret into discernible words has been something I’ve got brewing on the back burner. Except it’s like watching water boil on low heat–that moment of clarity has not yet come.
At first I simply thought, to be precise, that this is the kind of romance anime made for heterosexual guys who reads shoujo and josei comics. I mean it in a way that there’s something feminine about the entire experience that makes it attractive for guys. Kind of like how a guy can find a feminine girl attractive?
But that’s not quite it. Really stretching things, I thought about all those confused fanboys and fangirls in the west that confuse genres entirely, thinking manga like Love Hina or anime like Popotan are for girls. Maybe my explanation from before points at the root cause of the confusion.
There’s more, however. The word I’ve been coming to, seeking for help, is tenderness. Looking back, I have only considered this in the context of Touka Gettan’s wiles, but I think that is an appropriate starting point.
In some way, Touka Gettan is about tenderness. Well, beyond the visuals; both of the lead roles had chips on their shoulders. That tenderness is what weaves them together emotionally despite their transcendental destinies and the nonsense plot.
The story of Haruka’s Secret is thankfully easier to digest. Ultimately, it is about our nice guy protagonist. He’s reasonable, level-headed, even if not the smoothest kid on the block. In fact, in a lot of ways Yuuto’s stubbornness and old-fashioned (dare I say, normal?) way of life is what makes this show appealing. And it is about his tenderness towards Haruka that makes the character interaction blossom.
And since there is no real alternative to handle Haruka (but nicely), the buck really had to stop there (to the relief of many and the chagrin of those who’ve already dropped the show like the bag of cliche they think it is). Being nice to the girl you like is, after all, normal.
I think this is really what I mean by “shoujo manga.” From a certain level of abstraction, the composition of the primary relationship that drives the story is a version of the social ideal. Without much probing or pretense, Haruka’s personality as revealed to the audience is simply an idealized persona with a dark underbelly. It is the secret. However what is dark isn’t her cynical or doormat personality, but a fear all too common to many, otaku or not.
But with all that said, the underlying character drama and exposition become one that is built upon understanding and maturing rather than one about evolution and discovery as partners in a relationship. In other words, this is going to be a very fluff story that hinges on people getting over themselves rather than actual, growing characters. It’s a story of becoming who you are and not becoming something more beautiful? It’s a subtle distinction.
Then again, this sort of treatment is probably unfair. Haruka’s Secret doesn’t pretend to be anything more than a bag full of late-night anime references and romantic cliches that appeal specifically to that audience. In fact one of its obvious redeeming point is its shamelessness in cross-referencing other works. With just 6 episodes we were graced with at least 3 voice acting crossovers, and the seiyuu fanboy in me squeals. We’ve gone through entire calendar years with fewer such occurrences!
Anyways, I tried. And I think that moment of clarity has not yet come. So while we’re waist-deep in this summer’s seasonal offerings I will continue to dwell on this little fluff show rather than talk about the other interesting offerings on the air right now. Beats talking about Otakon again at any rate. And by the way, I do have something for WAH as I promised in his podcast. Maybe later.
>>Really stretching things, I thought about all those confused fanboys and fangirls in the west that confuse genres entirely, thinking manga like Love Hina or anime like Popotan are for girls.
CHOBITS IS SHOUJO CLAMP MADE IT
I definitely agree with everything you’ve said here… which is exactly why I’m totally on the fence about the show. ‘Moment of clarity’ indeed…
> With just 6 episodes we were graced with at least 3 voice acting crossovers, and the seiyuu fanboy in me squeals.
You’ve just reminded me why I missed Hayate no Gotoku….
The 2nd season couldn’t come fast enough.
The only reason I can think of as to why I’m so eager to follow this show till the end is because of Haruka and Yuuto’s fluffy romance. That’s the clarity I found amidst the mix bag of shoujo-ey and male fanservice elements :3
That’s cause Yuuto is an awesome male lead who doesn’t succumb to every pair of tits he sees
>> That’s cause Yuuto is an awesome male lead who doesn’t succumb to every pair of tits he sees
He just succumbs to the first pair he sees. :D
I think there’s something for everyone looking for a good time in a romantic comedy, at least. But it does all of this with a shade of pink. PINK.
I totally had a double-take when I saw that this series runs in a seinen magazine.
(I figure the reason everyone likes it is because it eschews all of the stupidity that masquerades as comedy in romantic comedies. HARRRR HE BUMPED INTO SOME TITTIES HARRRRRRRRR LAUGH AT THIS HARRRRRRRRRR, etc.)
Somewhat related: Hidasketch x365 ep 7’s joke between Yoshinoya and Yuno about “being mature” hints at the distinction I am trying to draw between Haruka’s Secret and other shoujo/josei romance stories. If you got the joke anyways.