Hyouka's soundtrack is perfect, everything from the music to the foley is handled with such a ridiculous level of care that it not only stands out as an exceptional soundtrack but also bolsters every other aspect of the production.
While the soundtrack as a whole may be truly exceptional, what stands out the most is the score. Hyouka's score consists entirely of orchestral music, using many already existing, and well known classical pieces. The mystery/detective genre has a long history with classical music. This may be because of the long history that the genre has, or it may be because somewhere along the line, somebody realised
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that classical music perfectly fit the tone of a mystery/detective story. Either way, the use of classical music in Hyouka is fantastic. Not only does it contribute to the overall tone of the show, but it also serves to immerse the viewer in the world of Hyouka. Hence the viewer develops a much more personal relationship with the characters and the situations that they are put in. Hyouka is the perfect example of how important it can be for an audiovisual piece of media to have a tonally reflective score.
I'll also note that during Hyouka's more emotionally impactful moments, the score always brilliantly compliments the breathtaking animation that is present. I mentioned previously that Hyouka's soundtrack bolsters every other aspect of the production; this is a prime example of that.
To depart from the score, another critical aspect of Hyouka's soundtrack is the carefully constructed foley. Seeming as Hyouka is a Kyoto Animation production, it should be no surprise to anyone when I say that Hyouka's foley and also ambience are nothing short of masterful. Hyouka's soundtrack is full of small details, be it the rustling of a character's clothes as they move in their chair, or the quiet sound of someone clicking their pen on the other side of the classroom, the audio department of Hyouka considered it all. This serves to, once again, immerse the viewer in the world of Hyouka, and therefore grow closer to the characters.
In conclusion, Hyouka's soundtrack is one that, through careful attention to detail and an overall understanding of music, can immerse the viewer in the world of Hyouka, and even elevate every other aspect of the production.
The Rose Coloured Life in Hyouka (Part 1):
At the very core of Hyouka is the idea of "the rose coloured life." Studying, falling in love, developing meaningful relationships, all of these ideas fall into what Oreki considers to be the rose coloured life. The most critical aspect of Oreki's character progression across the course of the series is his departure from being directly opposed to this idea, to accepting it. However, Oreki's journey is not a simple one, nor is it a linear one, it is a long and arduous journey, and perhaps the single most significant aspect of Hyouka's narrative.
No scene exemplifies Oreki's stance on the rose coloured life more perfectly than the very first scene in the entire show. (See the second slide.) Oreki is surrounded by his classmates, and also the falling petals of a nearby cherry blossom tree. Oreki stands out from every other element in this scene. What is mostly a bright and cheerful scene, courtesy of the fantastic colour design is very apparently disturbed by the presence of one Oreki Houtarou. Oreki is bathed in a much darker colour palette than the rest of the characters on screen; I would interpret this as Oreki's cynicism towards the idea of the rose-coloured life coming to life and bathing him in a colour palette that is directly opposed to it. This is successful in both cluing the audience into the general demeanour of Oreki, and also serves to distance him from the idea immediately.
The point in which Oreki's demeanour towards the rose-coloured life is explicitly shown to change is the opening scene of episode five. Satoshi has already established Oreki as being grey earlier on in the show, a colour that is directly opposed to the rose colour. Grey has also consistently been a thematic counterbalance to the rose-coloured life. Oreki, a character who has always wished to be as far away from being rose coloured as possible, admits in this scene that he is in fact, "tired of being grey." Oreki's self admittance to this is crucial as it represents his desire to change. It serves as the starting point for Oreki's gradual progression into the rose coloured life, and therefore also normalcy.
Part Two:
Having expressed the desired change, and to depart from being grey, it is only natural for the narrative to push Oreki towards his goal. All of Oreki's progression throughout the series comes to fruition in the final episode of the show, more specifically, the final scene.
The most obvious thing to point out is that the entirety of this scene is bathed in a gorgeous rose colour, clearly reflecting that Oreki has finally embraced the rose coloured life that he was once so averse to. In the first scene of Hyouka, I mentioned that Oreki was bathed in a much darker colour palette, as opposed to the environment and other characters, however, this scene is very different. Oreki is no longer immersed in the darkness that was his cynicism towards the rose-coloured life; he is now bathed in a rose colour, the colour that symbolises the rose coloured life, the colour that Chitanda is also immersed in, the colour that the environment around them is bathed in. This is a perfect example of showing and not telling, through the use of strong colour design, this scene can perfectly reflect the culmination of all the character progression that Oreki has undergone across the course of the series.
I say that Oreki has finally embraced the rose coloured life. However, this is merely my interpretation. Oreki has made a tremendous amount of progress in these 22 episodes, yet, he still has not reached the rose coloured life that he desires. Hyouka shows us an illusion of Oreki confessing to Chitanda in this beautiful rose coloured environment, before cutting back to reality, to show us that this did not happen. What this serves to do is tell the viewer that while Oreki may not have reached the rose coloured life yet, he will play shortly. I much appreciate this as it allows the audience to have a clear understanding of the trajectory for Oreki in the future, and also ends the show on a very optimistic note, the perfect ending.
Oreki Houtarou's character arc in Hyouka is one of my favourites in all of fiction. It could have been shown in a much simpler way, but the addition of the idea of the rose-coloured life reflecting his character progression was a lovely touch and the greatest aspect of Hyouka's narrative.
Satoshi as "Shocking Pink":
Oreki is not the only character in Hyouka whose role is explored about the rose-coloured life; Satoshi Fukube is another fantastic example. While Oreki may be described as grey by Satoshi (a colour that is not meant to be demeaning in any way, but like any other colour, one with different shades, if Satoshi wanted to insult Oreki then he would have called him colourless), Satoshi describes himself as "shocking pink." While shocking pink may seem close to rose-coloured, there is a very important distinction which recontextualises Satoshi's entire character. Rose-coloured is sincere, a colour with heart, whereas shocking pink, while being a shade of pink, and therefore closer to the rose-coloured life than grey, is all about shock value. Satoshi being shocking pink is another way to say that all he has is his initial impression, and after that, he is a surprisingly hollow person. Hollow is the perfect way to describe him, as Satoshi is obsessed with gathering and consuming information, even going so far as to call himself the "human database." However, Satoshi is only consuming this information in an attempt to fill his hollow personality. When examined in this way, Satoshi being shocking pink is a perfect thematic counterbalance to Oreki being grey. While grey may seem off-putting at first, the more that it is examined, and the closer you get to it, the more complexity you see, whereas shocking pink is just that, shocking.
The plot thread in Hyouka that exemplifies Satoshi's hollowness the most is his constant disregard of Mayaka's feelings towards him. Satoshi is scared to be anything other than shocking pink, seeming as he describes himself as a human database, he also takes the next logical step and says, "a database can't draw conclusions." Satoshi uses this excuse to keep Mayaka in the dark as to how he truly feels about her, only causing the two of them pain, but even so, Satoshi's insistence that he is no more than a human database belittles not only himself, but also the relationships that he has built with the people around him.
In conclusion, the addition of various colours being used to reflect the personality of the characters in Hyouka is an excellent one. Satoshi being shocking pink is particularly fantastic as it does reflect his personality perfectly. He is cheerful and pleasant on the outside, but when you look beyond the surface, you see a conflicted individual, someone who is too scared to be anything other than shocking pink.
An Analysis of Hyouka's Second Opening:
While Hyouka's first opening may be good in its regard, the second opening is what I would consider being the perfect anime opening. It perfectly reflects the core narrative hook of Hyouka, Oreki's relationship with Chitanda, or more specifically, the way that this relationship benefits Oreki, helping him to grow as a human being.
The narrative that is told in this opening is as follows; Oreki falls asleep in one of the Classic Literature Club's after school meeting, he then dreams of being trapped in things such as windows, mostly anything with a reflection (just watch the OP in the slides.) What this means is that Oreki is invisible to everyone. The idea of Oreki being unable to interact with anything and anyone around him, and therefore having no one else interact with him is a great one as it perfectly encapsulates Oreki's position before meeting Chitanda. The opening largely consists of Oreki walking through his high school, seeing many of the other characters that he interacts with during the course of the show. However, it is when he enters the Classic Literature Club's room that this changes. Immediately upon entering the room, Chitanda, Satoshi, and Mayaka all turn around to look at him. The significance of this is that, despite wanting nothing to do club activities and engaging with fellow club member since this would contradict Oreki's disdain for the rose-coloured life, he still turns to them when he is in trouble. It is also fitting that this is the second opening, as, at this point in the show, Oreki has already undergone a significant amount of character progression. So, it is not entirely out of character that Oreki would turn to his fellow club members when in his time of need.
The best part of this entire opening is the moment in which Chitanda pulls Oreki from the reflection in the glass that he resides in, bringing him into the real world. Oreki, who once occupied his own space, completely alone and unable to bring himself to strive for normalcy, and the rose-coloured life, is now being dragged from that mindset by Chitanda, the character whom he has the most profound connection within the show.
Chitanda is the one which ultimately leads Oreki down the path towards the rose-coloured life, and in this opening, we are shown this in the form of a visual metaphor. This idea is further built upon by the fact that, as Oreki is pulled into the real world, the colour palette changes from a rather cold one to a much warmer one, representing Oreki's emotional state. Oreki is understandably sorrowful at the fact that he is alone, but being reunited with Chitanda and the others, people who have has come to consider friends, he becomes far happier.
This opening is nothing too complicated, nor is it hard to understand. But even so, it's a grand opening to place in the second half of Hyouka, as it perfectly encapsulates Oreki's character progression, and what has caused this character progression. This is what I would consider being the perfect anime opening.
Hyouka's Most Impressive Scenes Part One:
So far in this series of Hyouka posts, I have gone into a great deal of depth regarding Hyouka's key themes and narrative throughlines (not including the soundtrack post), but now I would like to transition into discussing Hyouka on a moment to moment basis. Because after all, a story can have crafted masterfully from a writing perspective, but if it is faulty on a moment to moment basis, then the entire package will fall apart. So, join me on this long journey to discuss all of Hyouka's most impressive scenes.
For this first post, I will be discussing Oreki and Chitanda's first meeting. For two characters who will go on to form such a strong and meaningful relationship in the future, it is crucial to selling the audience on the sheer importance of this first meeting, and as you may have guessed, Hyouka does a splendid job (see a scene in slides.) What is perhaps the most immediately apparent in this scene is the lack of any music. What makes this so unexpected is that, as I have already discussed, Hyouka has a fantastic score, so it seems like a rather strange directorial decision to leave any music out of this scene. Hyouka uses its score at many of the most important and emotionally impactful moments, so why would the decision be made to leave what is perhaps the most important event of the entire show practically silent? The answer to this is simple; the fact that there is no music is what truly sells the importance of this scene. With almost every other important scene in Hyouka being scored to absolute perfection, the lack of any music in this scene stands out as being eventful, which is exactly how this scene functions in regards to the narrative. This scene is the moment in which Oreki's mundane life is changed forever, the moment in which he meets the most important person in his life, the moment that sets forth the events of the next 21 episodes, and what emphasises the importance of all this is the lack of any music.
While this scene may be lacking any music, it is far from silent. The most prominent sound in this scene is Oreki's loud echoing footsteps as he walks towards Chitanda. The echo effect gives this scene an almost dream-like feeling, a feeling that abruptly ends as Oreki stops walking. The echo effect of Oreki's footsteps ends as he takes his last step, any effects cut out immediately, leaving only the gentle sound of the wind blowing through the classroom, disturbing the curtains on its way through, creating a calming and somewhat nostalgic environment. Fantastic sound design, as expected from Kyoto Animation. I would interpret this section of the scene as Oreki being snapped out of his dream-like state at the sight of Chitanda. Oreki is walking through life, disconnected from the things around him like he is dreaming; however, upon seeing Chitanda, the audience is shown that this will not last. The loud echoing footsteps cutting out, and being replaced by the sound of the classroom symbolises Oreki's transition from being disconnected from the things around him to entering the real world, all because of Chitanda.
Hyouka's Most Impressive Scenes Part Two:
This is perhaps Hyouka's most well-known scene, and deservedly so. Not only is it beautifully animated, reaching heights that are hardly seen in TV anime, but the subtext is equally beautiful, as to be expected from Hyouka.
If you have seen Hyouka, then you would know that Chitanda's curiosity is constant, never subsiding until a mystery has been solved, before immediately moving onto to the next mystery. If you were to look at Hyouka from a very surface level perspective, then this is the entire plot of Hyouka. Considering this, I would assume that Yasuhiro Takemoto wanted to put as much emphasis on Chitanda's first admittance of curiosity, seeing as it's such a crucial aspect of Hyouka. And does it succeed? Most definitely. This scene is utterly unforgettable, be it because of the gorgeous animation, the brilliant visual direction, the fantastic colour design, the beautiful music, this is a scene that will never leave your mind.
Now, to discuss the subtext of this scene, I will need to examine the visual direction, and more specifically, how it reflects the subtext. The visuals in this scene are completely abstracted from everything that has been seen up to this point, what this serves to do is, not only emphasise the importance of the scene but also perfectly encapsulates Chitanda's overwhelming presence and how this presence completely catches Oreki off guard. The world around Oreki is shown to change, showing how taken aback Oreki is by what Chitanda is saying, and how Oreki sees her as a completely different kind of person to him. The visual direction in this scene serves to clue the audience into how Oreki is feeling, what would be a minor event in anyone else's life is so noteworthy to Oreki, that the world around him changes. Even if Hyouka has already given the audience enough material to understand Oreki's personality, this scene drives it home even further.
This scene is an example of Hyouka's fantastic visual direction serving a greater purpose than merely looking good, and it reflects the subtext of Hyouka, something that is seen in many more scenes in the future of Hyouka.
Mar 28, 2020
Hyouka's soundtrack is perfect, everything from the music to the foley is handled with such a ridiculous level of care that it not only stands out as an exceptional soundtrack but also bolsters every other aspect of the production.
While the soundtrack as a whole may be truly exceptional, what stands out the most is the score. Hyouka's score consists entirely of orchestral music, using many already existing, and well known classical pieces. The mystery/detective genre has a long history with classical music. This may be because of the long history that the genre has, or it may be because somewhere along the line, somebody realised ... 
Mar 28, 2020
Solo Leveling
(Manga)
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Real Talk, I'm tired of seeing these "omg this manhwa is so good you should read it the story is so good and the MC is so overpowered and kicks everyone's ass in a badass way" reviews. These reviews are dumb as fuck, and they don't contribute anything. The review doesn't look at the Manhwa from a story standpoint and how well-developed characters are. When they see Sung-JinWoo pull something badass of they, say "oops, 10/10, will read again".
Ok rant over The story isn't extraordinary—usual Weak to Strong tale that you can find everywhere. Sung-Jinwoo, A weak person, goes through a near-death experience and is ... 
Oct 28, 2018
Hikimori Awkward Main Character - Check
Appears badass To Chicks - Check Beautiful fun sized sexy anime babes - Check Furries/Demi babes - Check MC with a slowly progressing depth and coolness Check. In Short Every Guys Dream Fantasy to be the MC - Check Building up to an Actual Plot even if obvious- CHECK Another "I'm a NEET and I've been pulled into a video game!" anime. The levels of fan service are very high, and it goes well beyond just big bouncing bosoms. The main character is a tiny bit overlord-esque, but is a different take on the idea (a high-powered "badguy" player that isn't really all bad). Working some ... 
Oct 28, 2018
Goblin Slayer
(Anime)
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Four Episodes in and the series finally starts to feel it is finally finding its footing and pacing. Which is quite understandable with what needed to be phased out of the first two episodes of the series. Some of you may have guessed by now that one of the big things about the manga was it's vivid depicting of the shock factor. Which did not shy away from striking depictions of rape amongst other things? As disturbing as those moments were though, they did help set the pace, tone and narrative that is the Goblin Slayer series. They help elevator the dangers and horrors of
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