Review of Hyouka

When you think about your current or previous life at school, was it bright and rose-coloured, or dark and grey? Hyouka, a show that tackles a genre that doesn't often come by itself - Mystery (without the tags of Horror or Thriller or Drama), certainly delivers a strong message regarding this question, all from the perspective of a protagonist who's views on the world are rather glass-half-empty. The anime shines not just in art, as a show produced by Kyoto Animation usually is, but more so in the sound direction, flow of the plot, and the shining star - the characters. The sound direction inHyouka is likely the most impressive OST that KyoAni has ever made. It's not every day where you find a mystery-based anime without the rest of its stereotypical tags, making it difficult to compose for. Still, through the use of around 10 different tracks overall, the composer was able to express the sense of the unknown while also drawing out elements of music that paid homage to the Japanese heritage of Chitanda's family, to Satoshi's playboy-esque nature, to Oreki's unstable will to do anything.

This music goes hand in hand with the way that the plot is presented to the audience. Unlike certain mystery stories out there, you as the reader have all of the information required to deduce who was responsible for what. It's just a matter of how closely you look. To be honest, I was quite surprised by this as after each big reveal I always paused, took a breather, and collected myself, basking in the sheer awe that was how the writer of the Koten-bu series was able to so perfectly create setups and payoffs that didn't seem completely random, but rather depending on whether you, the audience, was actually paying attention to every tiny detail, from the smallest crack in the wall to the tinest smudge of paint of a book.

Yet what drives this show and is the raison d'être of why anybody should watch this is because of the characters. Expressing ones emotions isn't always the easiest thing, as it could make or break relationships that had previously lasted the test of time. The show understands this concept and shows it in the only way that those who are feeling troublesome to their core usually deal with it - suppressing their feelings deep into their hearts and never letting go. This can be seen in certain characters more than others, and to differing levels of depth.

Moreover, aside from purely being individual characters, the cast itself serves as an extended metaphor for the many struggles and ways of adapting during school life, though you'll have to see for youself how they do so, as everybody does it yet not many wish to admit it in person.

Hyouka is, quite to the literal meaning, a slice of life. High school life is always over or under portrayed in anime, but this show has certainly hit the nail on the head. With art that makes me realise how important eyes and colour are to define a character, the masterful background compositions that determine and drive and scene's tone, the visual and aural climaxes that are entailed in watching the OPs and EDs, the ingenious plot setups and payoffs of each and every mystery, the subtle character development and interactions, and finally an ending to tie it all off.

There truly is no better time to watch Hyouka than now, for no matter if you're a grown adult or in the process of your growth into becoming one, watching how other in similar situations came to become more mature is undoubtedly something that everybody can take away, perhaps shaping the type of rose coloured future we all have in store for us.