Story: 7.4/10
Although this take on the genre of mystery was fresh and exciting, eventually, the charm of the mundane mysteries wore off a bit. A small portion of the problems presented became slightly predictable; however, what was appealing was the initial satisfaction that I felt after solving them. The vulnerability of the mysteries being solved by the anime viewer is a mix of pros and cons and its enjoyment factor will vary among the person. Not only is there mystery in this anime though. There are slice of life and slight romance elements present in Hyouka. This allows the show to potentially appeal to a wider audience and those slight additions from other genres are welcome as flavours to add to this bizarre dish of an anime.
Art: 10/10
This is definitely one of the best animes I have seen. The characters are gorgeous, especially Chitanda :D The backgrounds have a certain crisp and detail that are awe-inspiring. The colours are very kind to the eyes, as they have a certain subtlety and earthly style. I have nothing bad to say about the art. It is just phenomenal because it is KyoAni.
Sound: 8.5/10
1 great OP, 2 pretty good EDs, and 1 average OP. The first opening definitely was the best song out of the four. The melody is very good and the singer does a solid job of portraying the feelings of the protagonist (wonder, potential, lost). The two EDs are both pretty decent, providing contrasting satisfactions at the end of an episode. The OST is great. Many songs are so "slice of life ish" that I really begin to appreciate the soundtrack later throughout the anime.
Characters: 8.4/10
The characters are very good. Our protagonist is very likeable and his character traits are very consistent. I have not encountered a character quite like Oreki, which is a refreshing taste for the anime. The main female, Chitanda, is controversial for many viewers. Her energetic personality means she can be very likable or annoying depending on the person's point of view. Satoshi and Mayaka also are solid characters because they had more depth than I initially expected from what seemed like a simple mystery slice-of-life anime.
Enjoyment: 9/10
Most of the mysteries are very enjoyable because of the feeling of almost getting to it. Oreki's solutions are incredibly realistic and in the reach of almost any viewer. It is when he reveals why this happens that creates an amazing feeling inside the viewer. However, some arcs kinda drag out in the middle or end of the anime, which kinda distracts and lowers my potential enjoyment overall.
Overall: 8.75/10
