Hyouka

High school freshman Houtarou Oreki has but one goal: to lead a gray life while conserving as much energy as he can. Unfortunately, his peaceful days come to an end when his older sister, Tomoe, forces him to save the memberless Classics Club from disbandment.

Luckily, Oreki's predicament seems to be over when he heads to the clubroom and discovers that his fellow first-year, Eru Chitanda, has already become a member. However, despite his obligation being fulfilled, Oreki finds himself entangled by Chitanda's curious and bubbly personality, soon joining the club of his own volition.

Soon enough, the club's membership grows to four, as Oreki's friends Satoshi Fukube and Mayaka Ibara join. Driven by Chitanda's insatiable curiosity, the members of the Classics Club solve the trivial yet intriguing mysteries that permeate their daily lives.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Oreki, Houtarou Main

Nakamura, Yuuichi Japanese

Chitanda, Eru Main

Satou, Satomi Japanese

Fukube, Satoshi Main

Sakaguchi, Daisuke Japanese

Ibara, Mayaka Main

Kayano, Ai Japanese

Irisu, Fuyumi Supporting

Yukana Japanese

Oreki, Tomoe Supporting

Yukino, Satsuki Japanese

Juumonji, Kaho Supporting

Hayami, Saori Japanese

Sawakiguchi, Misaki Supporting

Ise, Mariya Japanese

Toogaito, Masashi Supporting

Okiayu, Ryoutarou Japanese

Punk Supporting

Taniyama, Kishou Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Hatta, Hideaki Producer

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Senami, Riri Producer

Reviews

Jan 24, 2025

ABRARTCM

Recommended

One of the most popular slice of life aka Hyouka is a good mix of slice of life and mystery. Not only it has good animation quality, the storyline is quite nicely paced and you may also find relatable characters (And the show literally understood the true meaning of 'Slice of life')

The story focuses on the main character Oreki Houtaro, who is the type of person who likes to conserve his energy, so he likes his life being plain and boring with nothing exciting. Even he mentions his motto is "If I don't have to do it, I don't. If I have to do it, ... I'd do it quick". However, things change when his sister forces him to join her club that's going to die if no one joins. After joining, he encounters Chitanda Eru, who's known to be very curious who'd be changing his life. The show also focuses on Satoshi Fukube, who's known to have knowledge on things that are mostly useless and Ibara Mayaka, who's literally a perfectionist. The story shows of them facing different mysteries and their perspective toward the answer

The show has deep meaning but it's not that hard to understand as well. The show understood the meaning of 'slice of life'. It focuses on character's daily life, everything that normally should be happening in real life and the mysteries blended so good that it can make anyone hooked into this series. There's little romance in characters leaving the viewers to use their imagination to ship whoever they like. The characters were also relatable most of the time. The soundtracks are masterpiece cuz they nailed it when the show needed the most serene environment ever. And the opening and endings were good as well

Overall it's a 10/10 as a slice of life

Reviewer’s Rating: 10

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Feb 23, 2025

jennisiaria

Mixed Feelings

Let's talk about Hyouka. This anime was all over the place when I first heard about it. The fandom was going wild, and I’m like, "Okay, what’s the deal with this one? Is it some deep, mind-blowing mystery show, or is it just a high school drama with a twist?" I heard it was supposed to be about solving mysteries, but the first thing I saw was a kid who looked like he just woke up from a nap and had no idea what was going on. I’m already intrigued, I guess.

But here’s the thing. I was sold on the whole "solving mysteries" bit, right? ... Like, I expected a series of cool detective moments where they cracked cases, uncovered secrets, and maybe uncovered a dark conspiracy or something. But no. What I got instead was... well, a bunch of kids solving the most mundane, boring mysteries ever. Like, there’s this whole episode about figuring out who wrote an anonymous letter. Another one’s about finding out if a guy ate a rice ball or not. I swear, at some points, I was just waiting for them to start solving the mysteries of who left the milk out in the fridge or why the school bell keeps ringing. If I wanted to watch people solve random, small-town mysteries, I’d just binge Scooby-Doo.

Now, the main guy, Houtarou Oreki, is the absolute definition of “don’t care” energy. This guy looks like he’d rather be anywhere else in the universe than solving mysteries. His vibe? "Why bother, everything is pointless." He’s basically the human embodiment of the word meh. I get it, he’s supposed to be lazy, but his entire character arc revolves around the slow, gradual process of realizing, “Oh wait, maybe I should care a little.” You know what I’m thinking? “Bro, you should've figured that out in the first episode.” He’s like the guy who only shows up to class because he knows they’ll hand out the grades, but never actually participates.

Then there’s Chitanda, the other main character, who’s basically “the most enthusiastic person in the room” at all times. She’s like, “I don’t know why, but I’m excited to solve this incredibly small mystery!” And Oreki’s over here like, “I really don’t care, but okay, let’s do it.” The dynamic between them is like watching someone excitedly trying to pull someone else into their overly complicated jigsaw puzzle, and the other person’s like, “Okay, fine. I’ll help. But I’m not having fun.” The thing is, though, their back-and-forth actually works in some moments, but in others, it’s like watching a hamster on a wheel—constantly moving but going absolutely nowhere.

Let’s talk about the “mysteries” for a sec. At first, I thought, “Okay, we’re gonna get some real mind-bending cases. There’ll be twists, maybe some psychological tension.” But no, every mystery they solve is basically like reading a mystery novel written by a sleep-deprived author who ran out of ideas halfway through. “Oh, you want to know why the vending machine broke? It’s because someone didn’t press the button hard enough.” Oh no! What a revelation! I’ve never been more on the edge of my seat in my entire life.

It’s like, okay, I get it. The show’s meant to be low-stakes, subtle, and more about the characters’ growth than the mysteries themselves. But I’m sitting here thinking, “Why am I watching a show about kids who get excited over who gets the last cupcake in the cafeteria? I want someone to solve a real mystery.” Like, is there a ghost haunting the school? Is there a treasure map hidden in the library? Nah. It’s just them figuring out the intensity of a high school cultural festival. So... cool.

But I will say this—Hyouka is a beautifully animated show. Kyoto Animation knew what they were doing when they put together this production. Every shot is crisp, clean, and gorgeous to look at. You’d think a show about solving the most mundane mysteries would be a snooze fest, but at least the art keeps your eyes entertained, so there’s that. Also, the soundtrack is soothing, perfect for a slow-paced, “thinking deeply about life” kind of vibe. I could watch Oreki just standing in front of a vending machine for 10 minutes, and the background music would make it feel like some grand philosophical moment.

In the end, Hyouka is a mystery anime, sure, but it’s the most relaxed mystery anime you’ll ever watch. If you like a show where absolutely nothing happens, everyone looks pretty, and the stakes are basically nonexistent, this show is your jam. It’s like watching a group of kids solve the hardest problem of all—whether or not the school’s festival is gonna be a success. You won’t get your Sherlock Holmes moment, but you’ll get a lot of introspective looks, some charming moments between the characters, and that very “I’m too chill for this” vibe.

So, if you want a break from high-octane thrillers and just need some low-stakes drama with pretty animation, Hyouka is right up your alley. Just don’t expect any groundbreaking mysteries, because the only thing that’ll be solved here is your desire for a relaxing, low-key watch... and maybe whether Oreki will ever stop being the most apathetic guy in the room.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Dec 27, 2024

MidniteAndBeyond

Not Recommended

So... imagine you're watching The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. Except you get rid of all the supernatural elements and make the characters incredibly generic. That's what this show felt like. A "mystery" show about a class club that goes to the ends of the earth to solve the world's most mundane and nearly nonexistent mysteries, all because... well... the girl "just had to know"... A lot of the mysteries involve Japanese wordplay and writing structures, so its very difficult to follow along if you don't know the language. But even then, the answers just sometimes get pulled out of nowhere, so it's never really a ... show like Conan where you can follow along and come to the conclusion before the characters do. You just sorta have to sit and watch the characters monologue for 30 minutes on how they figured it out without showing you. And like I said, the mysteries are very inconsequential, so it all sorta amounts to nothing at the end of each episode. The romance side of this show isn't that compelling either since Okeri is so aggressively determined to spend as little energy each day as possible for no explained reason to the point where he just snaps at anyone for engaging with him who wants him to... take part in the plot. It was just such a nothing sandwich with no memorable characters or interactions to speak of. The slightly longer run time for each episode only lessened my enjoyment, overall. I had no idea what to expect of this one, going into it. Kinda sad with what the end result wound up being.

4/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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