Hyouka - General Discussion

[FlareKnight]

Originally Posted by FredFriendly

So, you think he should go out of his way to be inconsiderate, rude, and insulting? After all, he agreed to meet with her, so any blame lies equally with himself, if not more so, since he could just as easily refused to meet with her. We don't know why, or how late she was (it could have only been five minutes, for all we know), but she certainly seemed to have been trying her best to get there on time (she was breathing hard when she showed up, as if she had just been running). My guess would be that she was unfamiliar with the cafe he told her to meet him at, and she found it difficult to find. It seems to me that he waited ten minutes after she did arrive before asking her why she called him out just so that he could justify his anger. He could just as easily have asked her right away, which would seem to be the most logical thing to do for someone who professes to want to get things done as quickly as possible.

If, after a month, she still annoys him so much, he should do the honest thing and tell her he doesn't want to associate with her anymore, and quit the club. But, we already know that honesty is not one of his better qualities.

As for the scene where Eru forces the book in Houtarou's face, personally, I found it quite amusing, along with forcing him to choose the red menu. Sure, she may be pushy, and she may be inconsiderate (blindly, in my opinion, not intentionally, like Houtarou), but she's not insulting and a mean-spirited jerk. If Houtarou doesn't like it, he could make the choice to opt out of the relationship.

Don't think he was really going out of his way. Eru isn't the kind of person who will be swayed by polite and subtle responses. Think you're trying too hard to pain this guy as some monster. Like he was just looking for a chance to rip into this girl because he's inherently a terrible person.

I'm much more with Random Wanderer in that free time for some people can be incredibly precious. I get pretty annoyed when those precious hours are wasted by someone else. He was bound to be a bit frustrated anyways due to getting called out like this and based on past history it'd be to simply sate her own curiosity. The question he's got to be asking himself is whether this couldn't wait until the next day? I don't doubt she had legitimate reasons for being late, but calling someone out and being late is going to make some people frustrated regardless of that.

What do you think Houtarou was doing when he tried to walk out? He made plenty of attempts and I'm rather impressed he gave as much effort as he did in this episode of trying not to get involved. I think it's over the top to say being pushy and inconsiderate is better because it's entertaining for a viewer. Should Houtarou have behaved in a way that had more entertainment value and would that have made his response better then? If he wanted to leave that cafe he had to be that rude since otherwise Eru wouldn't get how frustrated he was. Simply trying to walk away or saying no doesn't get through to her after all.

[Kaoru Chujo]

1. The similarities between this and Haruhi are really, really thin. Medaka Box is a lot closer, and isn't that close.

2. Anyone who refuses to watch Haruhi is making a huge mistake. It's one of a small handful of anime I consider a masterpiece.

3. Houtarou annoyed me a bit by treating Eru curtly, but I ended up not blaming him. He's not thinking how cute this girl is, just that she is (a) his senior, (b) part of this club his sister roped him into, and (c) is making it more trouble than he expected. And I expect him to gradually become ensorceled by her, so all is well, lol.

4. Satou Satomi is doing a very nice job with Eru's voice.

[Flower]

"Ensorceled", eh?

Good word!

I agree with your summary of how Houtarou sees Eru, though....

Ep 2 was also enjoyable for me. This one is definitely a "keeper"....

[Proto]

Nothing to add. 11/10. I was pleasantly entertained.

[Vexx]

Originally Posted by FredFriendly

I would say, for one thing, I watch each anime for its own merits, and I don't go in for a lot of comparative analysis. Watching a first episode I like to enjoy (or not) the anime for whatever it has to offer, not what it has to offer as compared to some other anime.

A lot of people see one or two series and then everything else they encounter is somehow referenced to that. That's called "lazy ass stereotyping" as it would be if you based all future Swedes off of the first one you saw.

Watching some of the postings on this series is like watching someone use Battlestar Galactica as the comparison tool for "EVERY SCIENCE FICTION MOVIE EVAR MAED".... (exercise: Battlestar Galactica and Blade Runner, compare. Why yes, both movies had things that flew and killer roboty stuff!)



Homework for some posters who keep grasping for tenuous straws of comparison: go watch "Sketchbook ~Full Colors~" (a co-ed setting about an art club). No, I'm not comparing it but maybe more exposure might be informative???


As far as I'm concerned *so far* - the only way this series might be better is if they'd set it in college but at least we're seeing more series that have an actual co-ed cast.

[Ithekro]

If things progress, he might be forced to do more than just waste energy with Eru. Can't imagine his reaction to having to part with precious bodily fluids.....

[Arya]

Originally Posted by DemonOfWrath

I'm getting the feeling that the show is a bit like Houtarou, it's doing the bare minimum required to get me to watch the next episode, it's honestly somewhat boring, but there's just enough under the surface at the moment that I want to find out what's going on.

I had quite the same feeling. I also kind of understand Houtarou's behavior, I mean, why should I waste time and energy doing taht boring stuffs? And then Eru shows her eyes and Houtarou gets convinced to, and so do I. But I have to say that even the cliffhanger was boring. Not a chance that the third episode could be a turn point, eh? Like, let me guess, Satoshi getting killed by a wit.. a mistery.

[Chaos2Frozen]

I can't be the only one that is actually interested in the 'mystery' right ? Well it's not so much a 'mystery' as it's a riddle- Simple and everyday, it's not exactly intriguing and keeps you on the edge of your seat, but it does pip one's curiosity at a very basic human level. Or maybe I just like puzzles?

IF, this can be considered slice-of-life, then it's definitely miles ahead of what a certain other SOL-club has done for me.

[OceanBlue]

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

I can't be the only one that is actually interested in the 'mystery' right ? Well it's not so much a 'mystery' as it's a riddle- Simple and everyday, it's not exactly intriguing and keeps you on the edge of your seat, but it does pip one's curiosity at a very basic human level. Or maybe I just like puzzles?

I definitely don't think you're the only one. I may have said it was mundane, but I think puzzles are always interesting if they're done well. I'm not the brightest person, so I can't solve mysteries as well as many other people here can, but I had fun thinking of a bunch of possible solutions and narrowing them down as they presented more information. I like the cast enough that I enjoy going along with them too as they try to solve it .

[kari-no-sugata]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

3. Houtarou annoyed me a bit by treating Eru curtly, but I ended up not blaming him. He's not thinking how cute this girl is, just that she is (a) his senior, (b) part of this club his sister roped him into, and (c) is making it more trouble than he expected.

Sorry to bring up something so minor... but "his senior"? They're both in the same year. Or are you referring to her being club president...?

[FredFriendly]

Originally Posted by FlareKnight

Don't think he was really going out of his way. Eru isn't the kind of person who will be swayed by polite and subtle responses. Think you're trying too hard to pain this guy as some monster. Like he was just looking for a chance to rip into this girl because he's inherently a terrible person.

I'm much more with Random Wanderer in that free time for some people can be incredibly precious. I get pretty annoyed when those precious hours are wasted by someone else. He was bound to be a bit frustrated anyways due to getting called out like this and based on past history it'd be to simply sate her own curiosity. The question he's got to be asking himself is whether this couldn't wait until the next day? I don't doubt she had legitimate reasons for being late, but calling someone out and being late is going to make some people frustrated regardless of that.

What do you think Houtarou was doing when he tried to walk out? He made plenty of attempts and I'm rather impressed he gave as much effort as he did in this episode of trying not to get involved. I think it's over the top to say being pushy and inconsiderate is better because it's entertaining for a viewer. Should Houtarou have behaved in a way that had more entertainment value and would that have made his response better then? If he wanted to leave that cafe he had to be that rude since otherwise Eru wouldn't get how frustrated he was. Simply trying to walk away or saying no doesn't get through to her after all.

I'm not trying to paint this guy as a monster (if he's trying to become one, he's doing a pretty good job himself) but just expressing my own opinion of his actions. If he isn't inherently a terrible person, I'd be the first one to rejoice, so let's see if he apologizes for being curt and insulting to her (and, no, a gentleman does not wait until someone else apologizes first). I'm not going to hold my breath, though.

Since he agreed to meet with her on his precious day off, particularly with the foreknowledge, as you say, "it'd be to simply sate her own curiosity," and especially as he already knows, or thinks he knows, what type of person she is, as well as already knowing what affect close proximity to her has on him, he really should just suck it up. Like I said, he should have just refused to meet with her since his day off was so precious to him. Blaming someone else for the way he acts is just, well, putting the blame on someone else.

And, yes, if he was more entertaining, maybe I wouldn't be so annoyed with him. Another case of personal taste, I guess. Some people seem to like him just the way he is. I don't.

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

1. The similarities between this and Haruhi are really, really thin. Medaka Box is a lot closer, and isn't that close.

2. Anyone who refuses to watch Haruhi is making a huge mistake. It's one of a small handful of anime I consider a masterpiece.

3. Houtarou annoyed me a bit by treating Eru curtly, but I ended up not blaming him. He's not thinking how cute this girl is, just that she is (a) his senior, (b) part of this club his sister roped him into, and (c) is making it more trouble than he expected. And I expect him to gradually become ensorceled by her, so all is well, lol.

4. Satou Satomi is doing a very nice job with Eru's voice.

1. Agree about Haruhi but haven't seen Medaka Box.

2. I agree with this, as well. I also own the movie which I have watched many times and, in some ways, prefer it to the series, probably because Suzumiya has less air time. Frankly, of the four main characters, the only one that I don't find annoying, at least in part, is Yuki. It is a testament to the producers, directors and staff that, although I don't really like the title character, I keep watching the darn series over and over again.

3. Maybe I should instead blame Houtarou's parental upbringing for not instilling in him the proper etiquette of interacting socially. Maybe he's not interested in girls, but is Eru really (a) his senior? I thought they were at the same class level (1-A and 1-B, I was under the impression, perhaps wrongly, that she would have to be at least 2-xx to be considered his senior); (b) it certainly did seem to really piss him off that there was already someone else in the club whereas he thought he'd have the place all to himself and could relax all on his own without being bothered with having to interact socially (or anti-socially, as the case may be), and (c) when she looks at him with those big googly eyes he probably feels like he's sinking fast into the quicksand pit. I, for one would love to see some more of that magical aura shown in episode 1.

4. Absolutely!

@Vexx: I had to laugh at the suggestion of comparing Battlestar Galactica and Blade Runner. I know I saw both of them when they first appeared in the cinemas, however, whereas I can't really remember a single thing about Battlestar Galactica, the original theatre release of Blade Runner with Harrison Ford's narration is one of my all-time favorite Sci-Fi movies.

Originally Posted by Chaos2Frozen

I can't be the only one that is actually interested in the 'mystery' right ? Well it's not so much a 'mystery' as it's a riddle- Simple and everyday, it's not exactly intriguing and keeps you on the edge of your seat, but it does pip one's curiosity at a very basic human level. Or maybe I just like puzzles?

IF, this can be considered slice-of-life, then it's definitely miles ahead of what a certain other SOL-club has done for me.

Nope, you're not the only one. I think that this is one of the reasons why I haven't given up on this series yet. Even some of the most mundane problems can lead to complex and intriguing mysteryies, as I learned from reading the Sherlock Holmes stories. As much as I don't particularly like the main character at the moment, I do like his analysis and explanations of the puzzles he's presented with.

Hmm, wonder what SOL-club series you could be referring to?

[ultimatemegax]

Eru is in class 1-A. Houtarou is in class 1-B. Satoshi is in class 1-D. Mayaka is a first year, but her class is not given. They are all on the same level except that Eru is the president of the Classics Club. That would command a slightly higher level of respect from those under her, but giver her personality, I'm not sure it would occur.

[Arturia Polaris]

This show ranks as a B+ in my list atm, definately seeing it through to the end.

OP and ED are class, the animation is top notch, and the storyline is... interesting.

I'm interested.

Niker

[Chaos2Frozen]

Originally Posted by FredFriendly

Hmm, wonder what SOL-club series you could be referring to?

Eheheh, best not to open that can of worms

Lets just say that you-know-that-I-know-that-you-know

[FredFriendly]

@ultimatemegax: Thanks. Forgot about Eru being the club president. The MC certainly isn't showing her any respect.

[Random Wanderer]

Originally Posted by FredFriendly

@ultimatemegax: Thanks. Forgot about Eru being the club president. The MC certainly isn't showing her any respect.

Is there some reason why he should?

[FredFriendly]

Originally Posted by Random Wanderer

Is there some reason why he should?

From your point of view, obviously not. But, from my point of view, yes. Not because she's the club president, since I'm not Japanese and that's not my cultural norm (although that would seem to be a good enough reason why he should show Eru a modicum of respect in a Japanese anime), but because the norm (or should I say my norm?) is to respect other people, and she hasn't done anything to deserve the level of disrespect that Houtarou dishes out. Like yours, mine is a personal opinion.

[Utsuro no Hako]

Originally Posted by Kaoru Chujo

1. The similarities between this and Haruhi are really, really thin. Medaka Box is a lot closer, and isn't that close.

If this is close to anything, it's Bungaku Shoujo. Houtarou is much closer to Konoha than Kyon, and Eru's method of getting him into the mysteries is closer to Touko's gentle prodding than Haruhui's full frontal assaults.

[ultimatemegax]

Details for ED single have been released.

Madoromi no Yakusoku (Dozing Promise) by Chitanda Eru (Satou Satomi) and Ibara Mayaka (Kayano Ai) will be released on 05/23. It will contain the title track and a b-track entitled Romance wa Mada Hayai (Romance isn't that quick) plus instrumentals for both tracks.

[OceanBlue]

I was kinda hoping we'd get an Oreki + Satoshi duet as the extra track.