I said in my preview that Hyouka is one of the show that has potential to be great, not just because of Kyoto Animation but the intriguing story line, if the synopsis isn't misleading that is. I have read quite a few opinions about this show on Twitter, especially when it was first released, and some of that opinions weren't exactly encouraging. So here I am several weeks later, trying to form my own opinion about this show.
First few minutes after watching the show, especially after Houtarou met Eru, I got this desperate feeling of wanting to rewatch The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya again. Too bad I'm in my office and the DVD of Haruhi is nowhere near me otherwise I would have stopped Hyouka and totally rewatch Haruhi again. Surely I am not the only one with this feeling, am I?
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| It's pretty obvious, isn't it? (c) Hayo Kiki |
Hyouka is about a boy who is happy leading the "gray" life. His name is Houtarou and he is the kind of person that don't give a fuck about anything but not in the rebellious kind of way. He has a good friend by his side who is the total opposite of him, Satoshi. Houtarou joins the Classic Club at his sister's request. He thought that he would have some quiet time but when he entered the clubroom, there was already a girl there, Chitanda Eru.
It seems like Houtarou is drawn to Chitanda and he has no power to refuse her and her curiosity. I love the metaphor that Kyoto Animation used; Houtarou wrapped up in Chitanda's hair. There are something mysterious and at the same time romantic about it. And just like that, there are three members for the Classic Club that don't do anything classical at all but instead, solving the curiosity of Chitanda.
Since this show is produced by Kyoto Animation, I found no fault in the art and animation. If there is one thing they are good at, it's that. Same goes with the overall sound which includes the seiyuu the songs used for the OP and ED. However, atfirst, because of my desire to watch Haruhi again, I thought that Houtarou would have been perfect if they used Sugita Tomokazu for his seiyuu instead of Yuuichi Nakamura but towards the end of the episode, I have a changed of mind/heart.
Needless to say, I fall in love with this show, just like I did with The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. It was pretty much in an instant. I guess it has to do with the characters more than anything else, after all when it is all said and done, I'm the character-driven kind of fan.
Having said that, if every episodes is about Houtarou solving Chitanda's curiosity, I'm not sure how long my interest in this show will last.
Number of episodes: 21
Season: Spring 2012
arts & animation 10/10
story 9/10
characters 9/10
sound 8/10
enjoyment 9/10
overall 9/10
2 comments:
I really like this show. In addition to excellent Art/Animation, it has interesting characters, and attempts to do something I have never seen before: it ties to make a Mystery show, in which the mysteries are not much too large for the characters (who are just students, after all). Most Mystery shows throw in murders week after week, which I never found believable, unless the detective is working as a police officer. Hyouka actually has mysteries I can believe the characters would be likely to encounter, and capable of solving.
and it isn't exactly mysteries, more like random things that pique Chitanda's curiosity. I hope they have much more to offer than just that though otherwise things will get boring pretty fast in my opinion
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