Review of Hyouka

If I could describe Hyouka in one word, it would be understated. Hyouka is the definition of understated, from the characters (average Japanese high schoolers) to the plot (slice of life/light mystery, anyone?). Heck, even the romance, which a lot of times anime likes to hit us on the head with, is slow to develop. Yet, for all its subtleties--or maybe because of them--Hyouka manages to be an entertaining and profound show that exceeds all my expectations. The premise for Hyouka is simple. The protagonist Houtaru Oreki has only one major philosophy that he abides by: energy conservation. More specifically, his mantra is: "I don't doanything I don't have to. What I have to do, I do quickly." Yeah, we got a winner right here. Per his elder sister’s request, he joins the dying Classics Club. There, he and three other students solve the everyday mysteries that plague them. It’s interesting to note that solving mysteries is not the main function of Hyouka. The cases serve as a plot structure, or a device to reveal the characters personalities and bring them closer together.

I chose to watch Hyouka because of Froggy kun's blog post discussing his connection with certain anime characters. Thus, with characterization in mind, I began Hyouka with tepid interest. At first, the main cast of characters all fit the stereotypical anime tropes. Oreki was the boring, aloof protagonist. Satoshi, the joking sidekick. Chitanda was the naive and kind heroine. And Mayaka… was just there. However, the characters really started to grow on me. After several mystery cases, you begin to see the character dynamic and what each person brings to the case. Although Hotaru often steals the spotlight in managing to solve the mystery, the rest of the cast reflects the viewer’s thought processes and reactions.

Another thing that really stood out to me in the very beginning was the animation. Holy cow, it’s freaking gorgeous. Judging from other reviews, this is to be expected considering that it was produced by Kyoto Animation, the powerhouse of beautiful animation. If I hadn’t previously watched another anime by KyoAni, Clannad, this show would’ve stolen the cake for best animation that I’ve seen. The animation has a great attention to detail. We see minute changes in facial expressions, adding to the characterization of the cast. The art basically tells a story of its own.

I think it was during the culture festival arc that I really saw the potential in this series through its characters. Hyouka follows each character’s interaction with one another in such a natural, human way. Some of the animes or even TV shows I’ve seen have had bombastic situations that either change the characters in a life-altering way or not at all. However, in Hyouka the characters develop little by little, episode by episode, in a way that doesn’t make an obvious show about it. At the end of the show, by the way he goes out of his way to understand his best friend, Satoshi, or even his coming to terms with his feelings for Chitanda is proof of Oreki growing up. Rather than waving his arms and making claims of “Hey, see how much I’ve changed!!” (as some anime does), his actions display Oreki’s growth. And that, I think, speaks volumes for the show.

In the end, there are no flashy robots, killer notebooks, or body length swords. The show is essentially about teenagers growing up. However, the simple premise, the characters, the themes, the animation is so well executed that I can’t help but put Hyouka on my favorites list. And I suspect that it’ll be there for a very long time.