Hyouka is mature.
Sometimes I wonder why we generally associate a “mature” show with one that contain violence, death, suffering, destruction, sex, etc. Would we call a person with those qualities mature? No. Hyouka is a mature show by being calm and collect on how it present itself. It does not make the characters betray their own character to drive the story. It does not conform to the general demand of “exciting” storyline or “cool” characters. It plays on its own set of rules: use everyday mystery to develop the characters. It does not cheap out by using the usual plot devices found in its peer (murder, supernatural event, etc.). On the other hand, it does accomplish the job. I have to repeat myself a bit about how Hyouka shows character development instead of screaming it out at the audience. To me, that show a respect to both the viewers and itself. I found that mature, or “classy” as someone else might want to call it.
Hyouka is beautiful.
I don’t exactly mean the visual. It is top-notch, but it’s only a part of Hyouka’s beauty. I’m very impressed by the way the story flows and how the characters develop. There is something in how Houtarou’s energy conservation mindset gradually crumble and how he and Eru getting closer ever so slightly every time he solved a mystery that I found very charming. I think it’s like a breathtaking view of on top of a mountain as oppose to a skyscraper in a city. It feels natural as oppose to artificial.
Hyouka is magical.
It takes a great skill to make a good show out of an interesting premise, but when one take a simple premise and make a great show out of it, I call that magical. Hyouka has flaws, but I feel like a lot of those are intentional. I wrote an (bad) idea on how to make Hyouka less “boring” in the last episode thread, but it would have broken the spell. The mundane part define Hyouka as much as the active one. It’s the same with how Eru presented herself in the last episode. Both the ever-curious with sparkling eyes girl and the very composed lady behind the curtain are one and the same Chitanda Eru. If you want her, you have to take all of it. I’m glad I did.*
I’d give it a 9.5/10. It’s clearly above 9 for me, but not quite a perfect 10. But I’ll vote for 10.
A bit of a personal note: Hyouka is the first show I decide to take part in the discussion here. I enjoyed myself for these past six months. Thanks everyone for the great discussions.
*Watched the show. Too bad I can’t take her
.