Hyouka Episode 22 Discussion

ThanatosPersona said:
I don't know what happened in the 5th volume of the LN but I want to know.

groundfish said:

However,the author say he will continue to write about Chitanda and Oreki after they graduate from highschool.I hope he write at a faster pace and we will see season 2

Lelouch22 said:
Damn, that was an incredibly beautiful and immensely satisfying conclusion; likely the best episode of the entire series.

The relationship between Oreki and Chitanda has developed in a very satisfying manner, becoming one of the best aspects of the show. As such, Oreki and Chitanda's relationship took center focus throughout this episode, and it was, once again, fantastic, despite the somewhat open ending. They complement each other extremely well, due particularly to their great chemistry. Their final conversation was amazing, and a perfect sequence to close the series on. It drew on so many elements of their developed characters, particularly the contrast in stature and class between the two of them, resulting in a rather significant portion of insight into Chitanda's state of mind. That entire conversation was framed beautifully, with a strikingly colorful aesthetic that effectively highlighted the distinctly extensive change that had taken place in Oreki, and how significant his feelings had become for Chitanda. I thought his "confession" strongly mirrored the scene in the very first episode where his imagination creatively portrays an illusion in which her vines entangle him.

As utterly brilliant as the Festival arc was, I’d have say that these last few episodes have, surprisingly, been even better, as they’ve fully delved into the characters, delivering a satisfying pay-off to all the bits of small character development that filled the earlier parts of the story. The pacing of this episode was quite excellent, effortlessly balancing the complex workings of the procession with the more isolated focus on Houtarou's thoughts and his feelings toward Chitanda. The tone of this episode was in such distinct contrast to that in the previous one, creating a very noticeable dichotomy between the melancholy nature of the Valentine episode and the sweetly romantic nature of this one. As superb as they usually are, the production values were particularly incredible in the final episode, from the dream-like procession to the final conversation beneath the sunset.

As for the series as a whole, the story was exceptionally structured, deftly weaving a plethora of subtle emotions gradually into the characters and, consequentially, the story. The direction delicately handled these nuances with a mastery that’s really rather impressive. I thought the story benefited considerably by having Oreki’s perspective be the central focus, since it allowed for the most satisfyingly complete character arc, portraying how significantly his outlook evolved over the course of the show, due especially to Chitanda’s influence and inquisitive nature. I loved how the show quietly detailed Oreki’s gradual development into a character willing to do much more than is required, culminating with his participation in the procession, something he would never have put any actual effort into achieving earlier in the series. Since these character developments were allowed to slowly build over time, it resulted in these moments of noticeable growth to be more strongly resonating and important.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected insight into Satoshi’s flaws, and how difficult it was for him to pursue an actual relationship with Mayaka, despite how strongly he felt toward her. It seemed as though there was a bit of happy resolution to that somewhat troubled relationship here, since it showed them together, potentially dating, after what I now assume was a pleasant phone call at the end of the last episode.

The animation was astoundingly good throughout the entire show, especially when dealing with the very particular, subtle facial expressions that often illuminated the intentions behind specific moments far better than words could ever have hoped to have likewise achieved. This was especially evident during quiet interactions between the characters, such as last episode’s bridge scene and the sunset conversation from this episode. The music often evoked a certain poetic wistfulness that accompanies many scenes quite wonderfully, and the specific selection used for the last scene of this episode is easily my favorite.

The layered, multi-dimensional characters often elevated the story above the occasionally mundane mysteries. As such, the mysteries, for the most part, ranged from mediocre to outstanding, but, alas, they certainly weren't the main draw of the series for me. The best mysteries were those that dealt specifically with the main characters, since they usually allowed a heightened level of fascinating insight into their complex emotions and ideologies. The story never faltered in it’s execution, rarely failing to be interesting, hardly ever slipping into an unfortunately dull nature, save for episode six, which was the only exception. However, I can’t complain about that episode too much, considering the other twenty-one episodes, because, in those episodes, there was a distinct energy that permeated the story, even during the more subdued arcs. There was, above all, very few flaws of any particular significance within the story or characters that I could elaborate on, save for, as I’ve already mentioned, the terrible sixth episode, which is best left forgotten entirely.

All in all, Hyouka was an extremely impressive show, particularly excelling with it's terrific writing, direction, artistic composition, animation, and character development. This was, for me, the best show of the year so far, and it's final episode has only reaffirmed that belief. Really, this was KyoAni at their best.

10/10 for me. Simply exceptional.

darkwap said:
Edit: Just wondering is the light novel ongoing? I know the author released 5 volumes. Anyone know if there's going to be more. If there is I'd think they'd be more chance for a 2nd season