Review: Hyouka

Watching high schoolers solve insignificant mysteries is oddly addicting.  Besides seeing the list of themes on its description, I didn’t know what this anime was truly about.  I’m happy to say that its refreshing nature and light-hearted atmosphere was a pleasant surprise.  Simplicity can come in many forms and evoke different emotions in all of us.  We either hate it or love it—hit or miss.  Some may find it boring, while others soak it up as if their licking their dinner plates clean.  Nonetheless, it’s great when an anime can capture a sense of realism to such a degree.  Where characters remain believable and situations never spiral into craziness, this show offers a peaceful story with enough heart to put a smile on your face.  From Kyoto Animation studio, Hyouka is a 22-episode series that revolves around a group of students entering high school.

Houtarou Oreki is a sleepy kind of fellow, and he doesn’t like wasting energy on unneeded things.  He has nothing against individuals who carry out energetic lives, but his motto is “don’t do it if I don’t need to, and if I have to, do it quickly.”  He doesn’t desire the dramatic, rosy life that other people his age dream about.  Joining extracurricular activities are out of the question for him.  However, all that changes when he receives a letter from his older sister asking him to save the Classic Literature Club from closure due to no members.  Unbeknownst to him, another female student named Eru Chitanda has already joined.  Instead of dropping his club obligations, Houtarou ultimately stays in the club because of Chitanda’s hypnotizing gaze of curiosity.  He strangely can’t resist her overwhelming passion to figure out the answer to puzzling predicaments, and her ardent pleas for him to help her find the answers for one of her obscure childhood memories piques his own curiosity.  As the story progresses, his friends named Satoshi and Mayaka enter the club and they assist in solving mysteries around the school.

Unfortunately, the mysteries, which Houtarou ends up figuring out the majority of the time, aren’t something that you can solve before their conclusions.  A few key factors will occur off screen, or realizations will pop into a character’s mind and not be uttered aloud until later.  Things are purposefully left vague as an attempt to pique your curiosity.  Such methods to hook the viewer won’t be for everyone, feeling cheap and less engaging for those looking for a hardcore mystery series.  Although the bigger picture is evasive, the smaller components of the mysteries can be frequently understood.  Their meanings and implications are enough to keep the average viewer entertained—preoccupied with thinking of all the possible outcomes.  Whether your predictions are correct, you will have to wait until the particular side story comes to its final scenes.  Everything is revealed as Houtaro runs through the different elements and evidences he has found up to that point.

The deductions can occasionally leave you scratching your head wondering how Houtarou made such leaps and bounds in logic.  In other words, there were a couple instances where I doubted one boy could have woven such intricacies of certain mysteries together.  His conclusions are so finely wrapped in neat, little packages that you speculate if the kid has telepathy.  Nonetheless, I liked that the series eventually tried to show his imperfection by sometimes causing him to assume incorrectly.  His friends do help by providing him with reminders and information that he may have forgotten.  Also, the overall presentation of the conclusions alleviates the cheapness of not knowing everything.  I loved how a character’s sensations were creatively conveyed through the mind’s eye and imaginations going wild.  Recollections of the past are grainy like an old film reel, and it doesn’t get overly complicated or hard to follow as it jumps from one moment to another.

One aspect that I really enjoyed was how the show never strayed from its main intention.  Hyouka ultimately sets out to tell the lives of typical kids growing up; it captures how people change and learn as time progresses. Mingling with different people and seeing their passions and ugliness begins to shape Houtarou for the better.  He feels confined within the boundaries of a stereotype, but he starts to understand that stereotypes are real only when the person believes in them.  Friendships get people through hard and happy moments, and maturation comes along with experience. The changes he and other characters undergo are gradual and believable for people their age.  As they move forward into the second and third year of high school, they endeavor to find their goals in life.  Using simple happenings and mysteries to tell the peaceful stories of fictional characters, the series brings up questions about a person’s future.  Its themes are heartfelt and hold a compelling sense of realism.  You become attached to Houtarou’s personality and interaction with Chitanda; these characters come alive through their many quirks and motivations.  They appear simple on the surface, but they feel complex the more you scratch at their surfaces.

The animation is great, considering the series’ straightforward and simplistic story.  Surrounding artwork is beautiful and detailed, the lighting adding a perfect touch to the visual splendor.  Character models are nothing earth-shattering but possess a palatable appearance; their eyes and hair have the most detail on them.  Consisting of classical string and piano scores, the soundtrack is easy to listen to and helps engross the viewer into the scene.  The tracks never feel out of place or distracting when playing.

Some scenes and events—chiefly the school festival portion—can be too slow, losing their potency in the process.  They can get bogged down with dialogue and information dumps about previously unknown side characters.  Even though I was glad to stick with the main cast for so long, I think this anime would have benefited from being a little shorter.  Twelve or thirteen episodes would have been a sufficient length, and it wouldn’t have dragged on in certain parts.  On the other hand, the 22-episodes could have been used in a wiser way.  While the school festival could have had fewer episodes, the ending could have had more dedicated to it.  Although I can live with it and recognize what the writers were going for—life inevitably moves forward one simple step at a time—the ending is rather abrupt.  People may feel shortchanged by its outcome or lack thereof of the potential romances.  Others will argue that it’s more of a non-ending, possibly leaving it open for a sequel.  A second season hasn’t been announced or even hinted at yet, so the latter group might just be wishful thinkers.

Regardless of its flaws with pacing and logic, Hyouka is a series I’m glad I decided to watch.  It’s overwhelming charm and lovable characters sucked me right into its slow movement.  I found myself cheering for Houtarou and his want to improve himself, and the mysteries were interesting enough to string me along to their ends.  It’s perfect for a person searching for something to watch on a peaceful evening.  The atmosphere is laid back and calming.  Even though it won’t be for everyone, it’s simplicity with a lot of warmth and worth investing in.

Rating: Watch it

*all screenshots taken by me, taviastrife

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