Hyouka – 03

Episode 03 –

While Hyouka is continuing with it’s simple “mystery of the week” setup, at the same time it seems to be slowly tying the smaller mysteries in with a much larger-in-scale mystery. The show is slowly allowing details to trickle in with regards to the larger mystery that involves Eru’s uncle, and the resulting character interactions are actually rather enjoyable. Eru’s enthusiasm, in combination with the main protagonist’s grouchy laziness, makes for a surprisingly fun combo. The usage of some great classical music in the background, along with some top notch animation, has so far made Hyouka a rather enjoyable (albeit slow paced) anime.

The one trend that might become apparent is how everything might end up related to the larger mystery involving the Uncle, his disappearance in India, and a forgotten incident from over 40 years ago. The odd reaction from the librarian last week may have been the first, subtle, clue as to the magnitude of the mystery at hand, and I am now starting to suspect that Oreki’s sister is aware of the issue as well (which would explain why her letters conveniently help push the newfound Classics club in the right direction). Of course, this is all once again speculation on my part, but speculation is part of the experience when it comes to stories about mysteries and unknowns.

If there’s one aspect that I’m more mixed about with this show, it’s in the actual character development. The central focus to the story at hand is undoubtedly the overarching mystery regarding Eru’s uncle, and her own traumatic memory of her chat with him. The noticeable result here is how the characters interact in predictable ways, which is used to further push along the mysteries at hand. There’s Oreki’s acceptance of Chitanda’s mesmerizing stares, the energetic “best friend” character whom provides very little aside from comedic relief, and Oreki’s inevitable “solve the mystery”moment that reveals all.

On the upside though, this show continues to push forward Oreki’s rather complex characterization, ranging from his constant internal struggles with his own “gray” lifestyle with other’s “rose-colored” lifestyles. In the context of the Japanese language, “rose-colored” does have an inherently different definition than one might think. “Rose-colored” has the connotations of youth, happiness, and cheerfulness. Oreki’s constant comparison of himself with those around him (including the scene where he was reading of his sister’s arguably “rose-colored” adventures in the world) is a constant reminder of his desires for a “rose-colored life”, even if he might consciously reject such a notion. I’ll go out on a limb here and say that the transition from the heart-shaped pendulum to the regular pendulum is also indicative of this unconscious desire of his, as well as his brief daydream of a younger Eru frantically digging for answers.

Hyouka might seem a bit slow to those that find the minor mysteries rather boring, but I personally have found the level of detail and thought put into this series as quite impressive, especially with an impeccable pacing and the slow but steady buildup of the main mysteries. There are a ton of small little details that I haven’t mentioned in this post, but do a splendid job of crafting a more multifaceted, complex story than what initially meets the eye. 8thsin, by far, has done some of the best coverage of Hyouka as a mystery series, and I highly suggest you check out his posts here.

Overall Enjoyment: 3.6/5

Screenshots are later in the post.