Review of Hyouka

At a first glance, Hyouka seems like an ordinary "slice of life" school anime with romance. In reality, Hyouka transcends the typical cookie cutter archetypes of school-slice of life stories with a great mix of mystery. While this anime can't necessarily be called "mystery" because it does not deal with thefts and murders like the Detective Conan series, it deals much more with "everyday mysteries" - small questions that sometimes need good answers. I'll save you the summary, but let me say this: Hyouka's story is not only strong and enjoyable but also touching. This anime is a mixture of many emotions: happiness, curiosity, fun,jealousy, love, ambition, and even despair. The anime's mysteries aren't what drives the show forward, it is the relationships forged from them which truly make this show propel towards greatness.

The beginning of the anime Oreki Houtarou and Chitanda Eru are two strangers meeting in the same club room, and by the end their relationship becomes much more meaningful. Through all the "mystery cases" the classics club solves, they group of four teenagers (Houtarou, Satoshi, Mayaka, and Chitanda) reveals their backgrounds, struggles, and personal stories. This slow unveiling of the characters creates an immersive experience albeit quite slow for some viewers.

One of the best aspects of Hyouka is its art. Kyo Ani has once again impressed me again with their amazing artwork and beautiful graphics. The first episode is full of amazing eye candy visuals, and the series continues strong with great display. Hyouka and Pet Girl of Sakurasou are quite arguably the best visuals I have ever seen, and I was never disappointed with their art.

If you're familiar with classical music (fitting, since the story revolves around a "classics" club), then you will definitely enjoy the music in this anime. Being a classical music lover, I recognized many of the music played in the anime such as Bach's Cello Suite No 1.

Overall, this anime might not be for everyone. It doesn't have a straightforward plot, and it focuses more on telling the stories of four characters coming together as part of Classics Club. It's a beautiful tale of friendship and love, and it is arguably one of my favorite series so far. I recommend this series to anyone who enjoys an immersive story telling experience.