Here's one thing Hyouka manages to do right off the bat - get me interested in the shenanigans of school-going kids and their curious adventures in the domain of unknown. Usually, it'd take a lot longer for me to get invested in these characters and their adventures, maybe 3-4 episodes into the series or even more, but thanks to the extremely likable characters, things become a lot easier. The main character, a lazy slob with his motto in life being modeled around the law of conservation of energy, is a lead well done due to the fact that he's not exactly a cardboard cutout like a lot of protagonists these days seem to be. His actions, at least initially, are dictated by his energy conservation principle - he weighs in all the alternatives to settle on the one which requires least expenditure of energy. His development as a character is handled pretty well with the catalyst being none other than the female lead - Chitanda Eru, a cute but highly curious character. Her curiosity knows no bounds and she often ends up dragging Oreki, our protag, into matters that he'd rather stay away from. The mysteries that are dealt with in this show are often the product of our lovely Chitanda getting all curious about something that takes place in their everyday life and our gang that comprises of two more characters, who are nicely handled for the most part, going about finding a solution to the said mystery. Now, a "mystery" that is a product of curiosity regarding something that can happen in your normal everyday life doesn't exactly seem like an exciting prospect. At least, it didn't to me when I was thinking of getting into this series. But it'll suffice to say that they manage to pull it off somehow - making the mysteries sufficiently interesting so as to make the viewer curious enough to keep them watching -episode after episode. The show definitely does deserve credit for that.
The story itself is like a loosely tied bunch of short arcs and standalone episodes. We're dealing with a KyoAni show, you know? But they're well done. The "arcs" got me invested and the standalone episodes had some good content. And each episode feels like it amounted to something so you don't come out of any episode feeling like you've just wasted the past twenty or so minutes of your life watching something that doesn't hold any weight. I'd advise against going into it expecting it to be a tightly strung story because it doesn't possess that. But the "stories" that it showcases, of our protagonists' lives, are well done and you'd probably have a nice time sitting through 'em.
Extremely appealing to the eyes and extravagantly detailed backgrounds - they've long been KyoAni staples. And it is great to see they do not disappoint in Hyouka, either. Every single frame has been given careful attention and they look exquisitely beautiful. The last episode, or more specifically the closing sequence, was nothing short of stunning as far as visual presentation goes, for instance. Character animation, in particular, is extremely fluid and just fantastic all across the board. They do not disappoint as far as the OST or the music goes, either. Should suffice to say that the OST used is very fitting and compliments each scene very well. Would like to specifically mention the first OP - 'twas catchy as hell.
Hyouka isn't groundbreaking. It isn't anything close to being a masterpiece. But it definitely isn't an experience I'd rather miss. A neatly done package with great animation, likable characters, stories that manage to stay intriguing throughout its run and a healthy dose of Chitanda's "Watashi...kiminarimasu!" make it a pretty good watch.
Recommended watch.
