Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu episode 8

We start off this episode with Mika hanging out with all her friends, it turns out she’s considered the smart one for romance, which is an odd thought. Though, this little intro before the opening is just a set up to lead us into the Mika eccentric episode and we know this for sure when Mika gets asked about how a date is like. No doubt, was Mika able to describe the whole experience and it was pretty funny how far she went (or almost went) in showing examples, though even if she seems to know it all; she still wants to live the experience. As Mika was in the car with  Nanami she explained that she had a plan, to not only feed her needs, but also enhance Yuuto and Haruka’s relationship. Though, the thing that obviously comes first is them spying on Haruka’s and Yuuto’s personal day hanging out alone in Haruka’s room. Naturally, Mika and Nanami take this situation out of control and had insane laughs on the way home. They weren’t the only ones who were making a big deal out of Haruka and Yuuto because Haruka’s dad was freaking out, proclaiming that them being alone is just too impure. He was ranting all this to his wife, which I thought felt almost awkward considering before the last episode she wasn’t even a thought in anyone mind! It just bothers me because they are already taking her character as if she has always been there, which evidently isn’t the case.

When everyone was back in the house, the talk was obviously all about what was going on in Haruka’s room and when Mika and Nanami tried to listen in on Haruka and Yuuto’s conversation, they were surprised by what they heard. It was absolutely ridiculous how inappropriate their conversation sounded and you find out soon enough that it was only because they were baking pancakes, which is a very lame excuse. Though, evidently the writers for this series must be enjoying themselves as they write these immature jokes; not that I’m complaining. Through this whole experience, it made Mika realize how Yuuto needs to learn more about being a boyfriend than just talking and baking pancakes apparently.So, Mika decides to trick Yuuto into bringing her on a date, which he was surprisingly alright with. Everywhere she went on the date, it was exactly how she described a date to her friends at the beginning of the episode. First off was when she had ice cream (a lot of ice cream!), naturally we were all just waiting at it to fall and when it did, Yuuto saved her from getting it all over her. He continues being a great guy as Mika persuades him to hold hands and when she trips, he catches her. At least he’s a nice guy because he sure doesn’t have looks and on the subject of superficiality, why was he wearing his glasses throughout the whole episode! I was really hoping they would spontaneously fall off in some sort of freak accident, but I guess things don’t always turn out the way you want. The next part of the date is when they go see a movie together and she teaches him some things to do in certain situations like there own. It was odd how she fell asleep during the film and started saying weird things in her sleep, she claims it was on purpose, but I’m not too sure.

The last part of there date is that they are supposed to see fireworks together, but Haruka was meant to come along at one point too. Shiina also made her appearance once more, but it was completely pointless because the main point of her conversation was making fun of Yuuto and basically saying he has a Lolita complex; she doesn’t stand a chance against Haruka. Though, I am glad that Mika did take notice over how much attention he gave to Shiina and tracked him away. When everyone was in their kimonos, I actually thought that Mika with a side ponytail look very good. I’d be lying if I didn’t agree that he seemed a little too comfortable holding Mika’s hand, but I guess that’s just because they both think of there relationship as more of a sister to brother type thing. It also makes sense because when it comes to someone he really likes, such as Haruka, he starts blushing insanely in a situation like this, but that is only because he really loves her, which is kind of cute if you think about it. The fireworks looked very pretty, I love watching fireworks, but they always seem so loud! Right before Haruka finally comes, Yuuto does another nice thing for Mika, which is lifting her up so that she can see all the fireworks. I find it nice, how even if Mika wants a lover, she’s still happy to see her sister with someone that she obviously admires as well.

This episode made me realize how sad it is that the day Yuuto spent with Mika was probably the most romantic day he has spent with anyone since this series started. I mean, after the fireworks, nothing even happened between Haruka and Yuuto! It was definitely lame, but at least Yuuto has some pointers now. Finally they are back from summer vacation, it felt like a long time because in most series the summer episode only last about one or two episodes. The cultural festival is coming and two members have to be chosen for the class. Shiina and Yuuto got chosen, which of course sucks. They make a horrible match, but I’m at least glad that the series is trying to continue the love triangle part. I was surprised by the way Haruka was just smiling at the end without feeling a little bit of jealousy; she has before, so why not now? Anyway, I don’t think I ever mentioned  it before, but I actually really like the ending song. It is stupid and only meant for the characters to be in maid outfits, but the song is really catchy! Though, maybe I only think that because it’s miles better than the opening at least. In general, there wasn’t much point to this episode, but it was still entertaining. Mika is a surprisingly good character and this episode definitely played on the fact that they wanted the audience to like her more and it worked! She may be obsessive and annoying, but that’s what I’m starting to like about her. The quality didn’t seem as good as usual, but it wasn’t too big of a difference. I’m not too excited for the next episode, only because it’s probably going to be mostly about Shiina and Yuuto, which aren’t a good combination, but you never know!