Hyouka

A nice unpretentious high school story spiced up with the solving of various mysteries. The mysteries weren't anything surprising, but that's not the point of this anime. Rather, it's that four different people got together, had an effect on each other, and without realizing it, really started to change (grow up?) subtly and view the world a little differently. Strangely enough, the viewer was able to see this, by which I mean that the filmmakers managed to capture it well. On the other hand, we can see more character development in the boys, and the girls are not very much involved in the series from that perspective. Rather, Oreki and Fukube are there as a lubricant for a change. But it's still pretty fun on the whole. The OST wasn't exceptional, for me it falls under the "forgettable" column. The animation was pleasing, the characters not particularly annoying, the story not particularly overcomplicated or so simple as to annoy the viewer. A nice 3 stars. (09.05.2015)

After watching the last episode of Shōshimin Series, I felt an overwhelming urge to revisit Hyouka, and even after all these years, I’m still loving it. Oreki is a character I relate to so much, sometimes it feels like he’s speaking directly to my inner self. It’s not that I’m lazy—I just like to conserve energy, and when I do have to get something done, I aim to finish it as quickly as possible so I can get back to relaxing and, well, conserving more energy. I also adore Chitanda. She’s that curious, lively type who always means trouble, but somehow manages to drag you along with her energy. Who could possibly resist those big, bright eyes brimming with excitement and that iconic “I’m curious!”? I get Oreki so much—I've met a few girls like that who managed to pull me out of my comfort zone and push me to actually try. The chemistry between the main duo is one of my favorite parts of the show. But it’s not just them—the side characters don’t feel like background noise either. They contribute to the story and the solving of these everyday mysteries in meaningful ways. And speaking of the mysteries, they’re presented so well. Sure, sometimes you can figure out the twist early (though in my case, my memory might be kicking in since I’ve seen it before), but even when they’re dealing with seemingly trivial things, it’s always engaging. One thing I have to praise is the production quality. The animation is fantastic, even from the first episode. The way the show blends fantasy with reality in certain scenes is just magical (like Oreki’s first meeting with Chitanda or the moment she’s depicted as an angel). Kyoto Animation really knew what they were doing back in 2012, and the animation has aged beautifully, like fine wine. And the music—the soundtrack is phenomenal. The OST is great on its own, but pairing it with classical pieces from Beethoven, Bach, and others adds such a perfect touch to the mood of each scene. For a show set in a "Classic Literature Club" (where, ironically, they rarely talk about literature), I couldn’t imagine a more fitting score. All in all, even after all these years, Hyouka remains a solid 9/10 for me. (17.09.2024)