I gave Hyouka a 10 for one reason, there's something special about it that almost anyone who has watched it can feel. The special feeling you get when watching Hyouka isn't one that you can sum into words, but it truly takes you out of this world and plants you into the anime world. Through this review I'll try to express how Hyouka creates this feeling for anyone who hasn't seen it, so here goes nothing:
Story: 10/10
Hyouka doesn't seem to really focus on a main plot, it's more like a make up of a ton of sub-plots put together into one big show. If you were to take the time and really think about it, Hyouka is really just kids in an after school club solving miscellaneous mysteries that pop-up in daily life. Of course this doesn't sound special and it hardly sounds like something that would catch an anime watchers eye, but it's strange. Even though the mysteries that are solved are quite small and short you are still dragged into each and every one of them. At first you'll probably think "Oh, it's just some lame mystery that has no purpose, boring.", and well... You're right, but the thing that makes Hyouka stand out so much is that it can take these boring mysteries and make them fascinating, because it expresses each piece of evidence and then gives the viewer time to ponder on the conclusion as the characters do so as well. As you think about the answer the characters move along and obtain more clues, leading you closer and closer to the answer you want and then if you get it right you get a small feeling of joy as you took part in the anime yourself, even if all you did was solve a "mystery with no purpose."
Art: 10/10
Hyouka has some interesting art, it's nothing absolutely amazing but it is different from the common anime and it does catch your eye. Of course when animes like Guilty Crown came out people were going crazy over the art from start to finish, but that's not really how Hyouka is. The art in Hyouka doesn't exactly make anyone go crazy over how good it is, but still it's elegant and there is a vivid use of colors and textures that help you to feel more like you're actually there. The art used seems to immerse the brain in the plot and mystery, especially during segments where Oreki (the lead character) is thinking, and that's really all a mystery anime needs. If the art can bring you into the mystery then the plot of it can work to keep you there, so in that sense the art in Hyouka is great.
Sound: 10/10
I really like the sound in Hyouka, like, I REALLY like the sound in Hyouka. There are a few music tracks within the anime that repeat themselves, and each music track seems to express a different mood. The music will have you go from pondering on the mystery, to laughing at the characters jokes, to hoping a romance will develop between the characters. The music in Hyouka really brings out each segment of the show, and when you get to certain parts and expect a track to come on, it normally does, and you can't help but smile about the foreshadowing of the music. The tracks that are played when the characters are stumped leaves you feeling stumped as well, and it agitates you, but the quicker the characters get to finding the conclusion to the mystery the faster paced and more vibrant the music becomes and naturally when they find it out you grin and say "I thought so", and the music serves as more of a victory tune for you and your mystery-solving ways. Along with that the character voices fit all too well and help to bring out each characters individual personalities, and the expression in each voice helps to express each character as a real person solving real mysteries, just another aspect that pulls you into the swing of the anime.
Character: 10/10
If there's anything I've wanted to write about in this review, it'd have to be the characters. The characters in Hyouka are all so unique and you can't help but grow attached to them through the course of the anime. To break it down I'll separate each main character and give my two cents about all of them.
Oreki: I love Oreki. Well.. I don't actually love him, but I love his character type. Oreki is so different from the normal anime leads that he really stands out. Oreki has the motto "If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, I'll make it quick." and he really follows it. This is so different from our normal protagonist who is always so outgoing and wants to 'beat up the bad guys'. Another thing that's different about Oreki is how shy he is. Most anime leads spend episode upon episode curling up and being shy because the girls in the show are attached to them, but Oreki usually just blushes and then gets on with it. He doesn't waste any time, which is what makes him so great.
Fukube: Fukube is quite interesting as well. Despite being Oreki's best friend he is almost the polar opposite of Oreki. He's out-going and he's good at almost everything, however throughout the anime he seems to change and more is revealed about his character that helps to build him up in a unique way.
Ibara: Ibara is strange... but in a way she has to be there or the group isn't complete. Ibara is a member of the manga club and also a very shy girl, generally she serves to insult Oreki and fawn over Fukube, but at the same time she is also her own character. She's very shy even though she doesn't express it, and the love interest between Fukube and her really adds a large sub-plot to the anime that interests the viewers who are attached to these two characters.
Chitanda: Chitanda is so strange, but you can't help but love her. She's very out-going and awkward in the sense that she's so interested in mysteries. She seems to get very involved in even the tinniest little cases and she's probably the biggest enemy of Oreki's style of life. However without her you wouldn't get Oreki to do anything, so we can be glad to have her around provoking the mysteries that do come about. Chitanda is so unique as a heroine of an anime that you'll eventually grow attached to her, and with that you'll be able to feel the same way that Oreki does when she goes on her "I'm curious" streaks.
Enjoyment: 10/10
After typing all this up I would find it hard to believe that you don't already know I enjoyed this anime. Out of the 600 or so anime series I've watched this might be one of my top 3, and nothing very significant has even happened, so that says a lot about how the show brings you in. It gives you a chance to be a part of the anime yourself solving mysteries, and it presents so many of them that you have multiple chances to try your brain out. Along with that so many things happen that aren't related to mysteries you'll end up loving the anime just because out of all the things happening you'll likely find yourself pulled into one.
For my final statement (TL/DR): If you love anime, watch Hyouka, or you'll likely regret missing out on this fantastic anime.
