Review of Hyouka

Hyouka was part of the group of shows I started then dropped/put on hold really quickly. After watching 2 or so episodes, I was bored. Then I came back to it a couple months later, as I don't like to leave things unfinished and had expectations of this show, and I ended up getting pretty into it. It feels like everything started to pick up after episode 5. Hyouka is just episode after episode of character building and mystery. Almost immediately the premise is set, the main characters are introduced, relationships are established and from there it just repeats. I, surprisingly, didn't mind this pattern.It never got boring despite the ending almost always being the same, and it's all because of the characters.

I love the MC as a character, he's the lazy, extremely down-to-earth type. Think Classroom of the Elite MC but so much more chill. His character development is slow but super worth it. Enter Chitanda, arguably the second MC, who is Oreki's catalyst for change. She had a tendency to be a little annoying, has no perception of personal space, but only in regards to Oreki, and she is always curious. I grew to like her and appreciated her role in this anime. She's best girl in this anime.

The other two characters are childhood friends of Oreki who are used to his nature. They're both quirky, and actually quite original in their personality. I'm glad they didn't have copy and pasted personalities. They were likable, interesting and played their own role within the anime.

The animation is really nice, solid 9. I wouldn't change a thing about the character designs, Oreki and Chitanda really got the best treatment here. The music was actually quite noticeable too. Not that it had songs with words in them, but they really emphasised the mood. It was pretty good.

Hyouka also features a touch of romance. It's barely there but it is very noticeable. Subtle but quiet, is the best way to describe it. I do wish they implemented more of it because i'm a sucker for romances, but I liked how they did it. It would've been a slow-burn for sure, but the type that I know I would've enjoyed because of.. the characters, again, surprise surprise. All in all, the genres are perfect for this type of anime and after properly getting into it I ended up enjoying everything.

There's also some pretty deep themes in this. The anime does well even if you don't understand them and I didn't look too deep into them, but I know Hyouka is more than just a mystery anime. It does have Slice of Life as a tag after all.

But despite being slow to start with, it started having the potential to end up on my comfort animes list. It kinda feels unfinished, but at the same time like they've done everything they could've. I don't have any complaints for how it ended, just lowkey wish it didn't. I could've watched Oreki and Chitanda forever. Overall, I'd recommend this anime but I beg you push through. It does get better and there is character and relationship development.