Quote:
Originally Posted by Dop
...In the final analysis I think Hyouka was never actually a mystery show, but really a coming of age / slice of life show with mystery trappings. What the show was really about was character development, as we see Houtarou's character change throughout the course of the series.
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This. People's frustration with the somewhat lame mysteries was understandable, but in fact something else was going on all the time. I even enjoyed the characters when they were
not developing, lol.
And in this case, the guys developed more than the girls, it seems. Maybe Eru's development was being attracted to this outsider Oreki, gradually coming to admire his strengths, and finally realizing he could be the right man for the job of Chitanda Eru's partner. Did Mayaka develop? I'm not sure, but I found her pretty vivid and interesting throughout: dark but able to receive light; prejudiced toward Oreki but open to seeing the good things he did. Natural and honest.
I can't help thinking that the brown-haired guy who got the route changed might be another candidate for Eru Chitanda's partner, perhaps one favored by her parents. But that's a fan-fic rather than part of this story, I guess.