9.3/104 votes#1 - White Darkness
Season 2 Episode 16 - Aired 1/30/2009
Winter comes and Nagisa enters the final months of her pregnancy, but she becomes sick again. On a snowy day, Nagisa goes into labor two weeks early and her family, unable to transport her to a hospital in time, is forced to have her give birth at home. After an excruciating process, Nagisa successfully gives birth to her daughter, Ushio, but the delivery and her illness combined take their toll on her and Nagisa dies moments after seeing her newborn baby. Tomoya, who has stayed by her side for the entire time, does not take the sudden turn of events well. His dream of raising their daughter together as a family is shattered.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Fumihiko Shimo
9.0/101 votes#2 - Episode 17
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 7/24/2011
Sakamoto loses his scarf to a very polite crow, three people are buried alive, and Yukko is determined to no longer call out Mai's jokes.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Maiko Nishioka
9.0/101 votes#3 - A Swim-Off in a Foreign Land!
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 9/18/2014
Upon Rin’s invitation, Haruka finds himself venturing to “a certain country.” Knowing that Haruka has hit a wall worrying about his future, Rin opens up and speaks to him about his own thoughts and feelings. Afterward, Rin quietly asks Haruka what he will do about his own future...
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Masahiro Yokotani
8.7/103 votes#4 - Senior!
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 4/7/2010
Yui, Mio, Ritsu, and Tsumungi are all in the same class and members of the same music club. They want to bring in more members so their friend Azusa won't be the club's only member once they all graduate.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Reiko Yoshida
8.5/102 votes#5 - Welcome to High School
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/8/2015
Kumiko enters Kitauji High School having been unable to forget what Reina said at a middle school concert band competition. She goes to visit the concert band at school along with classmates Hazuki and Sapphire, where they meet Reina again.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Jukki Hanada
8.5/104 votes#6 - Small Palms
Season 2 Episode 22 - Aired 3/13/2009
The girl in the Illusionary World is dying in the snow, and the robot regrets having her take the journey. The girl can finally hear the robot, and tells him that they once existed in another world. As she hums the tune of "Dango Daikazoku", the Illusionary World starts to collapse. As the robot is swept away, the girl calls him "Papa" and disappears with the world. Back at the hill, Tomoya calls after Nagisa, and she is glad that he did so. Nagisa brings Tomoya through time, and together the voices of the robot and Tomoya note the end of his long journey. Tomoya awakens to Ushio's birth, but this time, Nagisa miraculously survives. After Nagisa watches Tomoya give Ushio her first bath, she and Tomoya see that countless orbs of light are floating throughout the city outside the window. They both sing to Ushio and from then on, Tomoya and Nagisa experience a happy life raising their daughter together, finally free of their cursed fate.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Fumihiko Shimo
8.3/103 votes#7 - Graduation Ceremony!
Season 2 Episode 24 - Aired 9/15/2010
Graduation day comes and goes. Azusa is happy for her friends but is sad to see them go.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Reiko Yoshida
8.3/104 votes#8 - A Season of Beginnings
Season 2 Episode 10 - Aired 12/5/2008
Shortly after his graduation, Tomoya decides to be more independent, and works toward this goal by first taking up a job at the bakery. Meanwhile, Nagisa has begun her new school year, although she makes few friends and her attempt to reestablish the theater club ends in failure. Tomoya eventually moves out of Nagisa's home to a small apartment of his own, while taking up a job as an electrician with Yusuke Yoshino. After his first day of work, Tomoya returns to his home completely exhausted, barely able to stay awake during his dinner with Nagisa.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Fumihiko Shimo
8.0/102 votes#9 - Episode 5
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 5/1/2011
Why do magnets attract each other? God is dead! The baby is coming! I'm going to draw an awesome man!
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Jukki Hanada
7.8/104 votes#10 - A Room Without Anyone
Season 1 Episode 17 - Aired 2/8/2008
After watching the basketball game, the choir club decides to share Koumura with the drama club, but the student council will not allow it. Nagisa collapses at school and cannot come to school for a few days. During this time, Tomoyo starts waking up Tomoya and Youhei before classes start so they will not be late anymore. Kyou continues to set up situations where Tomoya and Ryou are together, such as eating lunch together. Yukine tries to help Tomoya with a charm book, and he performs a charm to get locked in the gym equipment room with Kyou, which ends up happening. Kyou does not act like her usual self while in the room, and thinks that Tomoya may end up trying to have sex with her. Tomoya undoes the charm and the door is opened by one of Kyou's classmates. Tomoya and Tomoyo start to walk home after school, but a a bunch of gang members are at the school's entrance looking to fight Tomoyo.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Fumihiko Shimo
7.7/107 votes#11 - Abolition of the Club!
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 4/3/2009
Just starting high school, Yui is having trouble fitting in and decides to join the light music club. But she first must buy and learn guitar.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Reiko Yoshida
7.5/102 votes#12 - Chartreuse Light
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/30/2013
Mirai isn't allowed to hunt youmu for one month as punishment for going near the Hollow Shadow. Now she must get a part-time job to pay the bills. As Mirai comes out of her shell, perhaps she will heal the hearts of those around her...
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Jukki Hanada
7.4/105 votes#13 - Hearts Out of Synch
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 10/17/2008
Yohei and Sanae go out on a date, accompanied by Mei, Tomoya and Nagisa. During the date the group witnesses a young girl being bullied by some slightly older boys. The scene is resolved by the girls older brother rushing in to help his sister. Mei remembers how Yohei used to be like that, but once he joined the football club he didn't seem to care about her any more. The group then tries to provoke a brotherly response from Yohei, to get him to stand up for his sister; Tomoya pretends to be romantically interested in Mei, but despite being shocked, Yohei doesn't say anything to oppose them. Mei decides to stay a little while longer, as she can't leave things the way that they are.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Fumihiko Shimo
7.3/109 votes#14 - New Dragon, Elma! (She's Finally Appearing, Huh?)
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 3/2/2017
Kobayashi and Tohru challenge each other to a cook-off to decide who will make a lunchbox for Kanna's field trip, with Tohru ultimately getting disqualified for using an otherworldly fruit for dessert. Later that night, Tohru's rival from an opposing faction, Elma, comes to try and force Tohru to return home, but Tohru puts an abrupt end to their battle. Unable to return to her world, Elma begins working under Kobayashi at her company, prompting some jealousy from Tohru.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Fumihiko Shimo
7.0/101 votes#15 - Early-Spring Epilogue
Season 2 Episode 13 - Aired 12/29/2016
With the competition over and the third-years graduating, Kumiko is left to sort through her feelings: Is it a love of concert band, of the euphonium, or of something else?
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Jukki Hanada
6.5/102 votes#16 - One Style Final!
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 8/21/2013
As prefecturals draw near, Haruka and the other swim club members continue to improve. Meanwhile, Rin reveals his motivations for swimming. The swimmers must now show what they have accomplished at the tournament.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Masahiro Yokotani
6.0/101 votes#17 - The Sigh of Haruhi Suzumiya (1)
Season 1 Episode 24 - Aired 8/14/2009
North High School is preparing for the North High Festival. Kyon and Haruhi's class, class 1-5, decides to do some questionnaire. Haruhi does not like that decision and tells Kyon that the SOS Brigade will do something more interesting. She decides to make a movie clip that has Mikuru as the protagonist. One day, after school, Haruhi, Kyon, and Mikuru go to stores in order to get a camera and airsoft guns.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Nagaru Tanigawa
6.0/102 votes#18 - The Furuoka Deserted Village Murder Case
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 6/18/2012
In search of a conclusion to their movie, the assistant director, the prop master, and the publicist meet with the Classic Lit Club members one at a time to propose their solutions to the unfinished murder mystery.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Shoji Gato
6.0/101 votes#19 - If You Don't Belong to the Heike, You Won't Be a Person
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 1/13/2022
The Taira clan, also known as the Heike, has reached unprecedented power and influence in Japan. Through strange and terrible circumstances, a biwa-playing girl finds herself enmeshed in the story of their political strife.
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Reiko Yoshida
5.5/102 votes#20 - Wild Fire
Season 1 Episode 14 - Aired 7/23/2012
The Classic Lit Club cooking team competes against three other teams in the Cooking Club's timed "Wild Fire" competition. However, Mayaka is delayed drawing posters for the Manga Club. Will she be able to finish in time to compete?
Director: Naoko Yamada
Writer: Katsuhiko Muramoto
Popular searches:
The Best Episodes Directed By Naoko Yamada
Every TV Episode Directed by Naoko Yamada Ranked from Best to Worst by Thousands of Voters
Naoko Yamada Ratings Summary
"White Darkness" is the best rated episode directed by Naoko Yamada. It scored 9.25/10 based on 4 votes. It was written by Fumihiko Shimo. It aired on 1/30/2009 and is rated 0.3 points higher than their second-best episode, "Episode 17".