Plot Summary: Hōtarō Oreki doesn't like to do things that he considers a waste of energy. However, things start to change when he enters high school because even though he does not want to join any non-compulsory school activities, his older sister requested him to join the deserted Classics Club so that it won't get demolished. Unknown to him, another student Eru Chitanda already planned to join; but instead of being free from club obligations, Hōtarō eventually joined as he is strangely unable to refuse nor to escape from Eru's passionate gaze of curiosity. Together with his friends Satoshi and Mayaka, they began to discuss a variety of mysteries in school that only Hōtarō seems to be able to solve; including the mystery that lingered on from Eru's childhood memory.
I probably should have did this back when this show first ended its televised run, but ya know what they say, better late than never!
Hyouka is one curious show, (not the same way as Eru's never ending curiosity). Its intriguingly ordinary. Ordinary settings, lack of fantasy elements, ordinary perspectives. Yet this somehow manages to me in every time i watch it. Then again, perhaps this is the charm of the show. Its wasy to relate to the characters and the character development. And don't lie, i won't do things i don't have to and if i absolutely have to, i'll do it with the least amount energy required, you gotta admit thats a pretty attractive philosophy. (do pardon me but i'd like to think of it is a philosphy of life, ohohohoho!)
of course hyouka isn't the first 'ordinary setting' show to strike the gold. Classics like tear jerker Clannad and the romance anime True Tears are some that come to mind, but each one of these shows have something that distinguishes it. In this case Hyouka is at heart a mystery anime, a refreshing take on mystery in a high school setting. No world changing threats or supernatural mysteries, but rather mysteries like thieves at school festivals or the ending to an incomplete film script.
This setting is not without challenges though, as it runs the risks of being rather bland, with the show suffering from a slow pace at the start. But Hyouka definitely gets it right in the latter episodes by developing every character's personality and traits and integrating them in the mysteries they solve.
Voice acting is pretty decent with Nakamura Yuichi and Sakaguchi Daisuke producing the same chemistry they had as Clannad's Tomoya and Sunohara, though in a different context. Satomi Sato's role as Chitanda Eru is a far cry from her role as Tanaka Ritsu in the hit slice of life K-On!, with Eru being considerably more mellow that her K-On! counterpart. While her voice does get monotonous at times -with her using either a dignified tone or an enthusiastic tone when she's excited- she does nail the voice of Chitanda Eru (though it can also be attributed to the character design of Eru, in which she mainly only acts either calm or excited when she gets curious about something). In contrast to Eru, Kayano Ai's role as Ibara Mayaka brings out a wider variety of emotions. Mayaka's spunky attitude and frequent quips at Houtarou are well brought out by Kayano Ai, along with her more timid moments in the presence of the her sempai's in the manga club as well as her energy and drive when it comes to arguing for what she believes in.
Character development is perhaps the biggest strength of Hyouka. The problems that the characters go through are problems that students go through everyday. Watching the characters undergo a development through the challenges and mysteries they face. Pardon the slight spoilers, but for those who do not mind, (highlight the lines to view) I particularly liked how Satoshi was struggling to match up to Houtarou in terms of deductive skills and eventually having to accept that he simply did not have the same talent that his friend. Satoshi coming to the realization and deciding to instead support Houtarou through his own niche abilities is one of the favourite moments to watch in Hyouka. Jealousy, not one that is ugly but pure in its intent to improve oneself. Its a perspective that has yet to be explored by many writers. So kudos to Kunobu Yonezawa, who wrote the light novel. My biggest quip with the character development is that there is perhaps close to none for Chitanda Eru -save for the Sekitani Jun mystery early on in the plot- which makes her character less interesting to watch apart from the rest. Then again her role is instead best defined as developing Houtarou's character instead of her own.
All in all, if you can get past the slow paced start, Hyouka is a wonderful anime full of surprises along the way.
Verdict: Like it!
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not bad siol
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