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Eh... essentially the question boils down to if or not there is such a thing as value or merit. It's a little bit of yes, a little bit of no and yes but no and no but yes and yeah but not really and no but if you think about it, yeah and all that etc. Essentially, there is no correct answer but that doesn't mean that we don't, can't or shouldn't pick an answer as correct. It's natural to choose one and&or the other depending on insinuating circumstances etc. The only thing that really matters is to realize that all these constructions we come up with are guides, tools etc. to help us and not to rule, limit us. There are multiple paths to take to reach a destination, multiple tools to solve a problem, multiple weapons and fighting styles to get the job done etc. etc. What's important is to not limit yourself to just one path, just one tool, just one style, just one train of thought etc. etc. You choose one (or sometimes, many) depending on what you need. Also, goal doesn't have to be one state or one destination. It can also be the journey, for instance. In that case, you would choose paths and mix and match and all that good stuff.
Masterpieces are born masterpieces but one man's trash is another man's treasure. Quite literally so in this particular episode of Hyouka. Reviews aren't useless, far from it, but they shouldn't be treated as the end-all word of god either. Any work, depending on it's reader, can be interesting or not but dumping all the responsibilities for the value of a work on it's audience is cheating and being hypocritical and finding an excuse to be complacent. What's really important is that the author be diligent, sincere and honest in their work. It is true that the audience will perceive it as they see fit but it wouldn't change the true efforts and passion the author put into the work.
Reviews are tools that help the author see how others see their work and are vital in the process of reconciliation of the author's creativity with the pragmatism required to suit it to the audience. They are also important to show outliers to the author so that they can improve their own boundaries. Reviews also help the audience tailor their tastes towards whatever they already like. They help the audience expand their own horizons as well. And most importantly, in writing a review, a reviewer engages in a proactive and alive communication that encompasses and engages themselves, the audience and the author. Reviews are thus platforms to shine different shades of light on a particular work.
At the same time though, reviews can also limit the creativity of the author. They can misguide the audience. They can highlight the reviewer's own bias and make that bias even stronger. They can and more often than not, do, sow seeds of discord in the very community that they were products of etc. But that's okay. Yes there are downsides to reviews, but they aren't useless.
It is important to always take any review with a grain of salt. It is important to always proactively try to broaden one's horizons and to improve at whatever it is that one wants to excel at. The moment you stop trying to get better, you get worse. It is important to realize that your opinion of the work is subjective and that though you may not like it, others may very well be enamored by it. But it is also important to note that there is nothing wrong with sharing your perspective as a review. In fact, it's better if you share it because that can help refine everything included. Communication is vital. But it's not okay to be condescending, to try and censor an opinion or even to be so passionate about something that you keep getting distracted from your immediate goal. etc. etc. etc.
What's really interesting about Hyouka isn't that it gives us contrasts, it's rather that it gives us contrasts without siding with any and experimenting with all these different sides and shades.
It also apparently gets me to write tl;drs when I should be doing other things instead. ;_;
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