Review of Hyouka

Story: 8 - An engrossing and well-told character piece, but the episodic mystery format may fall flat for some. Characters: 10 - A likable, dynamic, and nuanced cast with understandable personalities and emotional hang-ups. Art: 10 - Gorgeously animated and directed, with expressive characters and vibrant backgrounds. Sound: 7 - Strong first OP and seiyuu performances. Serviceable and appropriate, but largely unremarkable OST. No English Dub(as of this review). Enjoyment: 9 - A compelling take on the mystery genre with striking technical merits and impressive character-writing. Full Review: Understanding people, even yourself, is pretty hard. So it's rather brilliant that Hyouka frames this conflict through the lens of classic-eradetective novels. As Oreki, Chitanda, and the others go about solving the somewhat necessarily contrived mysteries that crop up around them, they also begin to grow as people and understand each other. Though Hyouka ultimately admits that people aren't a mystery you can just solve. People are complex and constantly changing, and true understanding is something that not even Holmes or Poirot could hope to achieve. So what chance do our young sleuths ever have to accomplish that? Well, they don't, unsurprisingly. There is certainly plenty of understanding and self-reflection to be had, but the mystery of the human condition can never really be solved no matter how brilliant of a detective you are.

And this serves as the foundation for Hyouka's poignant insight. Hyouka is a story that totally understands its own characters. Every aspect of the main cast, from seemingly innocuous gestures to their respective character arcs, are all reflective of their idiosyncrasies and their personal faults. I can't even count how many little moments just made me chuckle at the screen thinking "Ohoho that is so Chitanda!" Supported, certainly, by KyoAni's gorgeous technical work. KyoAni once again demonstrates the merit of fluid, detailed animation in a genre that rarely sees the budget of its more frenetic counterparts. As I said, even the slightest of gestures and expressions speak volumes about the characters' emotions and personalities. The "solution" to one mystery towards the end of the story is made so glaringly obvious by the culprit's mannerisms that the ensuing witch-hunt is actually a little uncomfortable to watch. The entire situation is earnestly reflective of the characters involved. Hyouka is a story built upon, and driven by, dynamic and likable characters that are also deeply flawed and troubled people in the midst of adolescent growing pains.

Though the mysteries are generally fun and interesting on their own, Hyouka is a truly character-driven story, and the main cast's emotions and group dynamic fuel most of the central plot. Hyouka is actually structured much like a typical 4-koma anime, with the episodic gags replaced with detective novel mysteries. Thankfully, the individual capers themselves serve as a surprisingly strong platform for characterization and development. Simultaneously a way to flesh out the characters' identities and air their emotional baggage as they work through the various conundrums. Said emotional baggage mostly coming in the form of personal insecurities and unspoken romantic tension. Enjoyment of Hyouka is going to come down largely to how invested the viewer is in emotional struggles of the characters more than investment in the snooping and investigating, but if you really need an overarching narrative to get invested in a story, you may find that the show just isn't going to work for you.

Overall, Hyouka is a beautifully animated and passionate character study. The story of a few endlessly likable characters and their search for love, understanding, and personal truth. Like all good mysteries, the satisfaction lies not in the solution, but the journey. As is the nature of all truths, though, sometimes the answer you're looking for isn't the answer you want to find. People, like mysteries, are sometimes best left unsolved.