A brief synopsis of Hyouka — "a high school mystery drama" — doesn't really feel special, yet this work from Kyoto Animation studio released in 2012 captured a lot of hearts and still makes people wish for another season.
This anime is based on a manga series by Honobu Yonezawa, which is still being released and currently consists of 14 volumes. The main character, Oreki Houtarou, tries to lead a very energy-conserving lifestyle, with minimal movement or mental load. But his wishes don't come true: he becomes a member of the Classics Club which, despite the nature of the subject itself, is far from being peaceful. One of the members, Chitanda Eri, is the complete opposite of Houtarou: she has a bubbly, curious personality, she wants to be everywhere at the same time, and most importantly, she wants to know things. So Houtarou, smart and logical, alongside other members of the club helps her solve the mysteries they all discover throughout their school life.
The premise also doesn't feel special, but the way the story is delivered makes up for the boring synopsis. One of the main selling points of Hyouka is its wholesomeness: it's not cluttered by fanservice, fight scenes, romance, or gags. It focuses on being a lighthearted yet mysterious drama.
Houtarou is not the only person who solves these mysteries: every member of the Classics Club contributes to it, showing real teamwork. They all have different backgrounds and different scopes of knowledge and they point out various details in the stories that allow them to piece everything together. As the show progresses, the characters develop at a very organic pace, and the mysteries that they solve are just a facade, an action that shows us how they evolve.
But the way that this story is told is the reason why it's so loved. It's the beauty of KyoAni: the combination of smooth animation, colorful and realistic art, and a beautiful classical-based score. It's aesthetically brilliant, every frame can be used as wallpaper, and KyoAni's signature style fits the progression of the story and the genre.
Love for Hyouka stems from the perfectly nailed vibe: the mysteries are not as eerie as they could be, aside from a couple of cases, and KyoAni's approach to showing them feels sincere and realistic. It's the epitome of the slice-of-life genre that focuses mainly on the characters that are starring in it but spices it up by adding a detective element. This combination of wonderful style and thought-through story is what captivates people and makes them ask for more.
The grace of being slow.
A brief synopsis of Hyouka — "a high school mystery drama" — doesn't really feel special, yet this work from Kyoto Animation studio released in 2012 captured a lot of hearts and still makes people wish for another season.
This anime is based on a manga series by Honobu Yonezawa, which is still being released and currently consists of 14 volumes. The main character, Oreki Houtarou, tries to lead a very energy-conserving lifestyle, with minimal movement or mental load. But his wishes don't come true: he becomes a member of the Classics Club which, despite the nature of the subject itself, is far from being peaceful. One of the members, Chitanda Eri, is the complete opposite of Houtarou: she has a bubbly, curious personality, she wants to be everywhere at the same time, and most importantly, she wants to know things. So Houtarou, smart and logical, alongside other members of the club helps her solve the mysteries they all discover throughout their school life.
The premise also doesn't feel special, but the way the story is delivered makes up for the boring synopsis. One of the main selling points of Hyouka is its wholesomeness: it's not cluttered by fanservice, fight scenes, romance, or gags. It focuses on being a lighthearted yet mysterious drama.
Houtarou is not the only person who solves these mysteries: every member of the Classics Club contributes to it, showing real teamwork. They all have different backgrounds and different scopes of knowledge and they point out various details in the stories that allow them to piece everything together. As the show progresses, the characters develop at a very organic pace, and the mysteries that they solve are just a facade, an action that shows us how they evolve.
But the way that this story is told is the reason why it's so loved. It's the beauty of KyoAni: the combination of smooth animation, colorful and realistic art, and a beautiful classical-based score. It's aesthetically brilliant, every frame can be used as wallpaper, and KyoAni's signature style fits the progression of the story and the genre.
Love for Hyouka stems from the perfectly nailed vibe: the mysteries are not as eerie as they could be, aside from a couple of cases, and KyoAni's approach to showing them feels sincere and realistic. It's the epitome of the slice-of-life genre that focuses mainly on the characters that are starring in it but spices it up by adding a detective element. This combination of wonderful style and thought-through story is what captivates people and makes them ask for more.
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