Anime Review: Hyouka

Title: Hyouka

Air Date: April 22nd – September 16th, 2012

Episodes: 22

Genre: Slice of Life, Mystery

Languages: Japanese, English

Where to Watch: Funimation

Introduction:

Hyouka is a 22 episode anime adapted from the novel of the same name by Honobu Yonezawa. The story's premise features Houtarou Oreki, who joins the Classic Literature club at school because his sister blackmails him.

Upon joining the club, Oreki soon realizes that he's signed up for more than he bargained for when he gets roped into a mystery surrounding the club that took place over 40 years ago. He's accompanied by fellow companions Satoshi Fukube, Mayaka Ibara, and Eru Chitanda. Chitanda poses the biggest challenge for Oreki's lack of will with an ever-curious need to get to the bottom of a mystery.

Trailer:

Animation:

I'm never calling myself an animation expert; throughout the series, each scene, especially those featuring the outdoors or stunning.

This was a good representation of when Chitunda performed her yearly walk near the Sakura trees. It was the first time Oreki saw his friend's beauty and was changing, which was due to seeing how she was around the trees.

Pacing:

As a man with a love for a good mystery, I enjoyed the pacing of each situation

within this show. The majority of the issues lasted no more than three to six episodes. This gave more than enough time for the audience two months to solve the mystery and not get bored with it.

Each time a new mystery is solved, we learn more about the characters and see how much closer each event brings them. Oreki enjoys this time being as lazy and exerting as little force as possible. Still, we see slow changes each time he solves a situation that Chitunda "has to know."

Character Development:

By the end of the story, Oreki does a complete 180 from how we initially see him, which is helped by Chitunda. He is shown as a modern-day Sherlock and is seldom curious about things that happen around him because his ability to discern the truth behind what people say is unexplained isn't so to him.

Chitunda is the opposite of Oreki. She walks into the room and is bursting with energy while Oreki sits there reading a book. Her curiosity drives her ambition and consistently poses a challenge that Oreki becomes permanently unable to escape from.

When Chitunda says, "I just have to know!" Oreki feels himself slipping into a situation where he must spend more than a moderate amount of energy. While a portion of me feels for Oreki, I can't help but laugh. Despite doing whatever he can, to escape, he inevitably gets pulled in. While he doesn't outwardly show it, he realizes how happy he is to be Chitanda.

Romance aside, the dynamic between the two characters is rather funny. Before a mystery takes place, this situation is set up so despite what Oreki does, he can never escape Chitunda's dying curiosity.

Oreki thinks he's inching closer to finally escaping the active life with each mystery solved. Which is the biggest lie told throughout the show.

Although they had purchased too many books to sell during the school festival, Oreki remained committed to attempting to sell the books while putting in as little effort as possible.

Overall:

The show was fun and witty for the most part; the mysteries were good enough to suck me into the show and binge it all within 24 hours. But, I'll also admit my 10-page paper due that day didn't come out as great as either.

I was initially upset that nothing majorly romantic happened between the two characters in the last episode. Then, finally, the confession occurred, but not much else took place after that. Given the entire series led to damn possibly getting together, I expected at least the kiss at the end.

I did a little research on this, and it turns out then although the books were still being published, the anime didn't get as far due to the author writing slowly. Given the date that the anime aired, even though they have enough source material to create a second season, I highly doubt they will.

So if you're interested in more mystery and have fallen in love with these two characters, please pick up the books and support the author. And spoiler alert, I've read that the full romance between the two kicks off in volume 5.

OP: Choucho ‘Yasashisa no Riyuu’

CL: Satomi Sato and Ai Kayano ‘Madoromi no Yakusoku’