Hyouka Final Impressions

Well, Hyouka‘s finally ended, and as I expected from an anime based on a novel, it leaves the series open for a continuation. Now all that’s left is for KyoAni to take one up along with tons of other series they need to continue.

My feelings about this episode basically sum up how I feel about the series as a whole. It’s a quiet, relaxing series that uses mundane mysteries to provide a plot device for amusing character interactions and development. Hyouka is what happens when you take the detective/mystery genre and put a slice-of-life spin on it. It’s entirely focused on how much you dig the characters. That uniqueness makes it not a bad anime at all, but also makes it so that it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, so to say.

For me, much of the appeal of this series came from Chitanda’s antics and seeing Houtarou’s energy-saving ideal slowly degenerate because of her. Houtarou himself is a big example of the abilities a human can discover within his or her own self if they go out of their comfort zone. The mysteries themselves weren’t all that interesting, but it was pretty fun seeing Houtarou deduct the causes and effects. I won’t go as far as calling Hyouka the highlight of 2012, it’s pretty average and (in all honesty) may put some people to sleep in comparison to the other choices within the same time-slot, but its production certainly offered a quality that’s unique.

Well, cheers to their next series, Chuunibyou Demo Koi ga Shitai!. May they someday continue Full Metal Panic!, Haruhi Suzumiya, Lucky Star, and now a second season of Hyouka.

(Damn you, Kadokawa!)