Hyouka

Hyouka is one of those series that was on my list to watch that just didn't interest me for many years. The series came out in Spring 2012, about the same time Fate/Zero came out. You may recall me getting around to watching that series back in 2014. The only thing I recall was that small gif floating around with a girl's hair spreading across an entire room. That alone gave me a "mystical girls" feeling. Then I was a little surprised to see this series under a romance category list. People stated that the series is really "mystery" but I had this sinking feeling (ironically pointed out in one of the episodes) that it was also a "horror" anime. So I decided to be brave and watch it. Here is my review:

The series is a mixed bag. It does have romance but nothing like a true romantic comedy. It has maturity in the chemical makeups of a couple forming a relationship while still young. I had to be reminded that they were just coming out of middle school. In fact at one point there was a statement about looking 10 years in the future when the main character says "What would I be doing at 25 years old?" Honestly I felt like these kids shouldn't be worried about love and romance but that never stops anime, eh?

I was warned the anime had a lot of dialogue and very little action. That holds true. There are episodes that deal with several different kinds of mysteries but nothing serious enough to hold merit. In fact the biggest repeating gag is the fact that the girl tends to investigate because... and I know many who have watched the series may not like hearing it... she is... curious. Many times the mystery is so minute (checks Dictionary.com to see if that is the right spelling) that you feel worn out over nothing by the time the episode (or even episodes in story arcs) ends - which is sad really.

There was barely anything to hold my attention and I almost didn't complete the series. They elude to the fact that these characters are growing up by the way they act over the long period of time the episodes air. But I didn't find myself invested to their evolution (lack of a better word). The settings barely changed and the dialogue was really, really long. Perhaps the only thing I did enjoy was hearing the theories behind the mysteries and counter-arguments.

Oh well, maybe next anime will provide something better.

 

6-20-2017