When I watched Hyouka for the first time, I was surprised. It showered me with fantastic visuals, elegant tricks and wonderful plot. Characters were all so likeable that I could not tear my gaze off the screen. You simply can't just watch their antics without empathising with them.
However, it was a bit notorious at the start. I'd be completely honest: had it not been for the light novels, I would have never watched Hyouka. I am pretty sure about it. At least, people that I know would not have encouraged me to give Hyouka a try. I feel that I was cheating because Kinny did a pretty good job with keeping up with anime adaptation for the time being.
Let me elaborate a little bit. Hyouka starts off slowly. Its charisma does not show itself openly, so it's not easy for Hyouka to hook audience. The premise is your usual "revive the club", which doesn't give the series any bonus points. Also, Chitanda's antics may scare off some people. The mysteries are thought out well enough, but they're too simple. In the end, you're confused. What do I watch? Why should I continue watching it?
At this stage, half of viewers drop Hyouka. It's not up to their liking. Some part of them is just angry at KyoAni for animating some random things, instead of continuing Suzumiya Haruhi or FMP. They have a point, perhaps. It's not the point, though.
The nest stage is even harder. Hyouka's got some 'filler' episodes in-between the first arc and the second one. Also, the second one's mystery is a bit underwhelming. That's where remaining viewers take a choice. Should I still continue? Should I drop the show?
The answer depends on how they perceive the charm of Hyouka. If they don't get it, they drop the show. If they do, the answer is pretty clear.
With that out of the way, I'd just say the main point. Hyouka is a series that is easier to re-watch than to watch. Does it make sense to you? For me, it does.
First of all, Hyouka is not about solving riddles. Sure, they play an important role, but not in hooking the audience. Nope, they are there to help characters develop. Besides, it's always interesting to look out for the clues you've missed on the first try.
Second, Hyouka's selling point is not plot. Let's be frank, Hyouka's plot is generic once you think about it. However, the author cleverly pieced together details to get to the reader, and then to the watcher. That's impressive. But Hyouka's about charasters' interaction and development. These two points give Hyouka a unique flavor compared to a generic 'Slice of Life'. Also, it's hard to get bored of them due to KyoAni's impressive efforts. Voice actors' work, great animation, perfectly chosen background music - everything works perfectly.
KyoAni managed to get to me. They really did. I'd never forget Mayaka's hot dash from school to competition. The festival was great, that's for sure. Did you notice that in still shots side characters were moving? Not one by one, but simultaneously, just like in real life. It was ab-so-lute-ly amazing. Let's not forget about Houtarou and Satoshi's development. A bored genius who thinks that he's a normal human, and a normal human who strives to grow more than he could. Isn't it an interesting pair of characters? They make an interesting contrast, that's for sure.
And, Chitanda. She moved even more than Satoshi, but animators still made efforts to make her movements gracious. What a sight to behold.
Side characters were certainly not bland. God damn, can you really forget Irisu? Or Astronomy Club's leader? Cooking Club's President? Nope, you can't. And that's cool.
I think, I'd get back to Hyouka over and over again just to feast on this incredible show.
P.S. I did go off tangent, silly me.
Anyway, perfect 10 out of 10.