Final Impressions: Hyouka / 氷菓

Posted by DarrenW
September 22, 2012

Hello readers,

It's been a while! Well the main reason why I was away for so long was due to the fact that I am in the final stages leading up to a huge examination, which will begin in about 40 days.

So today I will be doing a review on an anime which has just ended only a few days ago, "Hyouka / 氷菓!"

So, ever wondered if there was ever a person who was so lazy that he would do anything to save it?
Well, here he is, introducing our main protagonist, Houtarou Oreki.

Houtarou Oreki

Chitanda Eru

Satoshi Fukube

Mayaka Ibrara

Basically lazy to a serious extent, Oreki is able to strictly decline any invitation that is presented across him if that it involves him wasting his energy. He does not like to put in effort in things that wastes his energy, and does not join a club or co-curricular activity of any sort. "Don't do anything you don't have to, what you have to do, do it quickly." However, due to a request by her sister to save a dying club know as the "Classic Literature Club", Oreki has no choice but to join it as an only member.

However, when he unlocks and enters the club room, he finds our other main character, Eru Chitanda. An enthusiastic girl, she is always eager to solve a mystery when one is presented in front of her.

Wait a second, how did Eru enter the clubroom when it was locked? Feeling puzzled, she faces Oreki with an excited face and basically tries to get him to join in to solve the mystery together. And for the first time ever, he accepts to help investigate. Its like a sort of Achilles heel for Oreki.

Joined by his childhood friend, Satoshi Fukube, they attempt to solve the mystery of the locked door, only to be puzzled. However, Oreki has a skill that nobody knew. He is able to process mysteries and puzzles at lightning speed.

As he shows the mechanism of his thinking process, we start to see that, though he is lazy, he has an excellent skill in solving mysteries. As the anime progresses, more cases show up for the club. The mystery of Eru's uncle, the Jumonji incident, and other, mysteries within the school. I won't go into them because I don't want to give you spoilers. It will only spoil the mystery for you guys.

Hyouka was funny. In some parts of the show, humor is injected and I found it very relaxing. It adds a nice feel to the show as a school-type anime. The art used in this anime was simply awe-strucking. It was really well done and a lot of attention was put into making the scenery shown in the anime.

Kan'ya Fair

The mysteries, which made up most of the plot and development, was just fantastic. Well, though it isn't the case-of-the-decade thriller mysteries like detective conan, it manages to have a mystery feel to it, and adds some realism, if you were a high school student and had something which ignited your curiosity. Though I have to admit, the plot was a bit draggy and 22 episodes (especially the Kan'ya fair period) were a test of my commitment, it turned out pretty well. I liked the show very much.

Hyouka focuses more on the school life aspect rather than an actual backbone story in which symbolises the entire show, which explains why most of the episodes are not interlinked with one another. A few key aspects of the anime were the many profiles expressed by the four, which I found to be most enlightening. The show also focuses on life values, morals and character at the same time.

The mysteries were another upside to the anime. Mysteries that incited my curiosity, in which I couldn't stop thinking about it when introduced to them. The way Oreki presents his theories will blow your mind apart, BUT, at the same time, managing to stay within the boundaries of being logical.

And lastly, MUSIC. I really liked the first opening of Hyouka, which had such an awesome tune to it. Yasashisa no Riyuu by Choucho was an excellent song, of which the OP kept me captivated.

Overall, it has a good impression and you guys should really catch this anime if you are into mystery. It's certainly an anime to watch if you like slow developments and an all rounded anime that doesn't rush into things that feels stressful to watch.

Hyouka has 22 episodes, premiered from April 22 to September 16, 2012 and was fansubbed by Commie, gg (dropped) and Mazui. It also comes in novel and manga form, the novel dating back since 2001 and the manga since 4 months ago.



Have fun watching!

Hint: →→Burst→Link→!!→→
DarrenW
Edited by FayeA