Review of Hyouka

Life can be pretty boring most of the time. So boring in fact, that we desperately want something odd. Something out of the ordinary. Something that really piques our curiosity and challenges what we know as possible. When we see some odd occurrence, our mind likes to run wild and paint a picture of what strange otherworldly force could be responsible. Unfortunately, the answer to these occurrences is usually as mundane as life itself. But, hey, there’s nothing wrong with being curious like the humans we are, is there? Life can really wear you out and take a lot of your energy away. Some people mayrelax or do something similar to recharge that energy. Or maybe it’s better not to spend it at all. Hotaro Oreki lives his life by those words. Rather than giving anything his all, like the true energy conservationist he is, Hotaro believes it’s far better not to use energy in the first place. He believes it’s best to go through life with the minimum amount of effort possible. A wrench is thrown into His plan when his sister, Tomoe, sends him a letter “suggesting” he should join his school’s Classic Literature Club, as she once did. The club currently has no members, so Hotaro may be the club's only hope. Unable to resist his sister, Hotaro reluctantly signs up for the Classic Lit Club. Upon arriving in the club room, he is shocked to see Eru Chitanda, another student at his school. This is odd since the club room door was locked and Hotaro should have had the only key. Eru mentions that the door was unlocked when she walked in and that it should be impossible to lock or unlock the door without a key. Hotaro has always been very perceptive and has a knack for putting information together, but it’s always too tiring for him. Eru asks Hotaro to help her solve the mystery of the door and satisfy her curiosity. Unable to resist Eru’s gaze, he agrees to help and manages to solve the mystery. It turns out Eru was there because she also wanted to join the club. Hotaro resists but ultimately ends up joining as well. This old club went from 0 members to 2 just like that, but that 2 soon turns into 4 when Hotaro’s friend, the always cheerful, Satoshi Fukube, along with the steadfast, Mayaka Iraba visit the club and end up joining too.

Now, as this is a mystery anime the plot unfolds with many mysteries along the way. These mysteries are usually pretty interesting, most taking 1 episode, some taking more, and it’s fun to play detective alongside the characters like any mystery plot. These mysteries usually border the line between being real and being supernatural. Hyouka likes to show you that little mysteries, such as a mysteriously locked door, or a strange haunted shadow can happen every day. Watching Hyouka honestly made me feel like finding the nearest gum wrapper and use my detective skills to find out the truth of who could have possibly have left it. Now you could go on the opposite side of the spectrum and say this makes Hyouka boring. While I do not agree with that, I will admit that the conclusions to some of Hyouka’s mysteries are pretty underwhelming and leave a lot to be desired. It ultimately comes down to what you want from Hyouka. If you want grandiose mysteries spanning many episodes with mind-blowing conclusions, you should look elsewhere. If you want intriguing everyday mysteries that will have you scratching your head, you’re in the right place.

The characters in Hyouka are good, but leave me a little mixed. Each character in Hyouka does a good job of filling their role in the story. Hotaro acts as our detective who’s always one step ahead of the audience. Eru drives the story and Hotaro forward with her curiosity. She also plays a similar role to the audience, acting as a kind of catalyst for Hotaro to drop his exposition on. Satoshi is the self-proclaimed “database” that provides Hotaro with the random necessary information to solve the mysteries. And Mayaka honestly doesn’t have a set role in the story outside of being the kind of bossy one who helps with the mysteries occasionally. That in no way means she’s a bad character. She gets quite a bit of development outside of the classic lit club and their hijinks. I honestly wish every character was like her and stepped out of their role every now and then. What I mean by that is Eru outside of being the curious one, really doesn’t get much development. She’s the one character that I think her role consumes her in a way. I feel like the character are so stuck in their roles at times that they don’t have the chance to develop outside of those roles. This is a mystery anime, so I understand that the main focus should be on the mysteries, but it would’ve been nice to let the characters step out of their shoes for a little bit. In no way does this mean I dislike the characters, they just feel pretty one tone at times. Despite my faults with them, I do still really like these characters. They aren’t perfect and feel real because of that. They’re the type of characters that I’m happy when they’re happy, and get mad at them when they do something stupid. That’s probably why I’m a little hard on them. It’s because I truly care, and want to see the best of them. Most of the episodes in Hyouka involve the characters just sitting down talking to each other. Heck, episode 19 is just Hotaro and Eru sitting in a room for over 20 minutes. When something like that is still interesting to watch, you know must have done something right. Whether it’s interesting because of the characters, the story, the mysteries, or a culmination of everything. You have to admit it’s impressive to make an episode that is essentially an extended conversation interesting.

Where do I even begin? I have one word for the art: stunning. The art in Hyouka is absolutely gorgeous, I can’t think of anything I don’t like about it, or even find average for that matter. Hyouka is colorful, fluid, and outstandingly beautiful as I’ve come to expect from Kyoto Animation. Something that’s completely unnecessary, but is very welcomed is how Hyouka changes up its art. Usually when the gang is putting together a timeline for a mystery or other situations the art will change to a completely different style. One style could look like ancient etchings, while another one uses a lot of pastel colors. Some styles super simple, some more complex than the usual art. There’s a lot of variety that isn’t easy to explain, but it helps make each mystery and episode feel different. Hyouka art is simply timeless. It’s honestly hard to believe something in 2012 looks better than a lot of stuff coming out today. It looks great 7 years after and I’m sure it will look great many more years to come.

Even with Hyouka’s minor faults, it’s just one of those anime that really touched me. It left me with that empty feeling when you finish something good and makes you want more. As far as I know, there still isn’t enough material for a season 2. And while it would definitely be nice, I honestly don’t mind. The ending of Hyouka definitely won’t satisfy everyone, as every ending wouldn’t, but it wraps things up in a nice little bow that leaves me fulfilled. Sometimes it’s best for things to just end. Not everything needs to last forever, nor should they. Hyouka is a beautifully crafted series from beginning to end. The intriguing mysteries of the classic lit club, lovable characters, and breathtaking art formed an experience that I believe is worth a watch. Season 2 or not, I won’t soon forget Hyouka.

With all that being said, this was just my opinion and isn’t any more or less valid than anyone else’s. As always, I highly recommend you watch it for yourself and form your own opinions. Seriously, though, watch it. It’s good.

Thank you so much for your time, I really appreciate it.

I give Hyouka 9 pen spins out of 10.
(I actually spent time learning how to do that. And no, I don't regret it.)