"I'm curious, I can't stop thinking about it!"
These words best described how I felt as I swept through the Hyouka series. Though initially slow, as I watched more and more episodes, I began to feel myself pulled into the curiosity of Chitanda Eru and the mundane school life of our protagonists, Eru and Oreki. By the end, I found myself personally enjoying the Hyouka series greatly and wishing for much much more. But here's a disclaimer; If you're looking for a thoroughbred Mystery or Romantic slice of life, you won't find it here. In the words of one of the main cast, (Fukube) - "I won't be the best at anything, or rather, I've stopped trying to be." and these words fit Hyouka perfectly.
Hyouka is not the heavy mystery we're typically used to seeing attached to that tag. There are no violent or ingenious crimes which require an equally ingenious protagonist to tackle, nor are there deep and dark underlying secret behind the characters' actions, neither are there floods of epic romance as with most other school / slice of life anime. But what Hyouka does succeed in is by maintaining a harmonious balance of the school life / mystery elements in a setting which we can consider completely average and mundane school life. And the lens through which it views the events which constitute this school life is what makes the show so amazing, albeit hated by some.
STORY: Let me get this straight. This is the kind of story you get from an average student plucked straight from school. There are no events which stick out all that much. It is an accurate portrayal of how one would expect a Japanese student to be. While this might be offputting for some, the way which these mundane daily tasks are viewed through the eyes of Chitanda and Oreki are what really makes the story shine.
While most would just move through their day without even noticing such trivial matters, seeing them through the eyes of Chitanda and Oreki allow the viewer to see mystery in seemingly meaningless and small events, making the smallest of things, like a school rumour or a library book the subject of an entire adventure with its own backstory and explanations. And though trivial, the boundaries of the mystery is usually highlighted early and the evidence is presented to the viewers early as well, allowing the viewer to play along with the mystery if they wish to. Ultimately, the mysteries are well crafted without overstepping its boundaries as a school-themed mystery, though specific incidents were rather boring. (Such as the first 2...)
However that being said, some arcs were also especially strong, particularly in my opinion the first arc and the third arc and may hit you slightly in the feels when you least expect it. All in all, a pretty well written story despite being completely average which still manages to achieve its goals, but suffers when the incident at hand fails to pique the viewer's interest or is simply too easy to solve.
ART: This quality of art is rarely seen in a slice of life anime. The reason being that slice of life is rarely an art or animation intensive genre unlike fantasy. Yet, the opening scenes of Chitanda's sparkling eyes and even in the OP, one can easily tell how much effort went into animating those scenes. The artwork is just gorgeous and the animation flows perfectly. You get exquisite detail and you can even see flowers and hair bobbing in the wind at some points.
SOUND: I have no complaints with the sound. The sound complements the moods of the show well, and OP 1 is a particular favorite of mine. Yasashisa no riyuu is playlisted in my anime playlist and it's been stuck on repeat in my head for quite some time. Not forgetting Mikansei Stride (OP 2) and Kimi ni matsuwaru mystery (ED 2) which are also excellent and extremely fitting tracks in their own right. I draw a blank when trying to think of ED 1 though, I didn't particularly like it.
CHARACTERS: The characters I felt contributed to my enjoyment of this series greatly. Though initially they felt rather stereotyped or fitting into certain archetypes, after awhile their quirks began to differentiate them from the bulk of other characters. Who could mistake the sparkly eyed 'Kimi narimasu!' of Eru and the hair twirling sigh of Oreki. Their quirks made them enjoyable.
As the series progresses, we also begin to see the backgrounds of all 4 of the main cast, getting insights into their life, their past and their philosophies. More importantly, it allows you to see how the four of them grow as the Hyouka series progresses, particularly that of Oreki and Fukube. Seeing them grow made me really glad to have invested in those characters and their relationships with each other (Particularly Chitanda x Oreki), though I must say the inconclusive ending was rather disappointing.
ENJOYMENT: As someone who likes to think and immerse himself in the world of the characters presented, I found this extremely enjoyable and I constantly found myself trying to theorize the explanations behind the mysteries presented and extremely eager to click 'next' and find out more after every single episode. It was the perfect treat, stimulating my brain cells without me having to tax them ceaselessly, as such I enjoyed it greatly.
With all these factored in, what else is there for me to say. Hyouka has been one of the most enjoyable school-life / mystery anime which I've come across. It's definitely not the anime for everyone, but if you're into a more light-hearted mystery series with a hint of romance and school life, then you'll definitely enjoy it as much as I have.
