The first member of the Classics Club is Oreki Houtarou, who at first glance, appears to be a simple unmotivated high school student with little to no aspirations other than getting through life in the most cost efficient manner possible. However, he is quite intelligent and has a knack for logical deduction and reasoning, although he isn't fully aware of it himself. He joins the Classics Club due to the request of his older sister, and treats it as simply another task he has to complete, but as a result gets more than he bargained for. However, as the type who won't do something unless he absolutely has to, what possible motivation would he have in putting in the effort to solve these mysteries when it conflicts with his very nature?
The answer to that question is our second member of the Classics Club, Chitanda Eru. A veritable ball of energy, she is described as "a person that cannot be ignored" according to Houtarou. The daughter of a distinguished family, her insatiable curiosity often forces Houtarou to quench that curiosity with a logical explanation. She serves as the foil to Houtarou's personality, and pulls him out of his comfort zone and shows him how life doesn't have to be a series of bothersome tasks. A polite and talented girl who excels in academics, she joins the Classics Club to discover a certain truth.
Joining the Classics Club as our third member is Fukube Satoshi, Houtarou's middle school friend and the one known as a walking database. Jack of many trades but master of none, he encourages Houtarou to use his talents and realize his potential while hiding his own feelings of insecurity about his own abilities. He joins the Classics Club to humor Houtarou and keep him company. While on the outside he appears to be a cheery troublemaker and handyman, his issues with confidence and struggle with who he wants to be constantly worries a certain girl who's had an unrequited crush on him since middle school.
With that, we introduce our fourth and final member of the Classics Club, Ibara Mayaka. A girl who enjoys reading and drawing manga and giving her friends endearing nicknames, she serves as the foil to Satoshi's personality. Whereas Satoshi is indirect and not honest with himself, Mayaka is more straightforward and blunt, and pushes Satoshi to be more sure and confident in himself and his abilities. She joins the Classics Club due to her interest in Satoshi.
Hyouka is broken up into various arcs with a couple of standalone episodes. Other than the first arc, Hyouka does not have a set end or goal in mind, and oftentimes the plot involves some mystery the group stumble upon, and the process in which they solve that mystery. Thus, Hyouka's biggest selling point lies within the dialogue between the characters. It reveals how each character approaches a problem, and their mindset on how to solve that problem. I personally found Houtarou's thought process and logic quite clever and was a large factor in my enjoyment of the show. The mysteries do seem to lack substance and motivation, and it does become tiring to hold interest at times, but at the same time, others were clever and creative and were enough to keep me watching.
The art, in typical KyoAni fashion, is hit or miss for a lot of people. However, the fact that it is well animated and fluid means it is pleasant to watch. The animations for the deduction process in particular were impressive and creative. The music is a typical high school slice of life soundtrack. As Hyouka is fairly uneventful, the music is quaint and appropriate. I found myself watching the OP and ED every episode; they are quite creative and catchy, with some nice animations.
If you're looking for an adrenaline filled, high drama mystery show, look elsewhere. Hyouka's relaxed atmosphere and logical nature may seem to make for a boring show, but if you put in the effort to understand and appreciate the dialogue and logic, it's certainly worth the watch.
