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Originally, I was going to pass up on this anime because, it didn’t interest me from the get-go. I had never heard of the main interment for this show before and that’s what turned me off however, it was exactly that, that made me change my mind. The idea of learning about something, I had never heard of before, sounded interesting.

I liked how the story progressed. The elements of the show that it revolved around made the pacing feel great. It was as if, in every episode, that things just escalated and escalated. I enjoyed watching the progression of the characters as like me had ... no idea what the instrument was, learn and come to enjoy it. If I had any quarrels with the way that the story was told, it would be that it fell apart a bit towards the ending. It was like watching someone dance on a balancing beam that just didn’t stick the landing. Though that shouldn’t be the takeaway, nor the focus of how the story played out.

The art was great. I loved the detail in the environments quite a bit. The surroundings that the instruments were being played In, were just as interesting as what was being played itself. I have never heard of the studio that made this anime before, neither have I watched an anime by them before. They did a really good job. It was colourful and detailed. I loved the scenes where the instruments were being played. It contrasted nicely.

The music was the key focus of the anime and therefore was something that stood out to me the most. The style of music was implemented well. Having never heard the instrument before, it was pretty to the ears. I also really liked the opening though, the ending I wasn’t too partial to.

The characters were interesting. I invested a lot of my attention with the main character. While I didn’t really enjoy, he’s journey as it came across as fumbling, it was interesting to see how he developed he’s sound and why he developed he’s sound. The other characters were a nice addition, though it is too early to tell as there too little there. I am looking forward to seeing how they evolve and find their own sounds in the future.

While it didn’t stick the landing I was looking for, I enjoyed the ride along the way. This anime to me was all about those moments where the instruments shined and boy did, they shine. This was a relaxing anime to watch. While you could compare it to its counter parts to a certain degree, this anime stood out well for the season it came out in. I really look forward to anything else that comes out about this anime.

This is one of those anime where when I first read the name and saw the key art for the show, I thought that it would be best to avoid it as it looked nothing new to me. Last night I was rather bored and wanted something to watch and decided to just at least give it the three-episode rule and to my surprise it has been an amazing watch.

The story is everything with this series. There is so much information getting thrown in your face that it always keeps you attentive to what’s going on. Sometimes I look away from the screen and ... I have no idea what is going on when I look back. It doesn’t help that from episode one you are simply thrown into the series, and you just learn about everything amongst everything else as the episodes pass by. As for everything that unfolds along the way, it is simply just so interesting to watch. It makes you wonder what’s going to happen, how to get out of such and such areas and what the trump cards are. One of the main things I noticed with this series is that despite it only being 12 episodes long, it feels a lot longer.

The characters are interesting but the connections they have between one another is even more interesting. For instance, when it comes to character deaths you would expect remorse and mourning and something bad. In this series, when someone dies it is what the death means rather than the sadness of someone passing. The same can be said for marriages. These things are typically known as happy occasions and something to celebrate. In this series, it’s what a marriage brings about rather than the marriage itself. I just find that whole dynamic entertaining.

The music is perfectly fine. I quite like the opening, but I very much prefer the ending. Everything just really suites the show well. A lot can be said the same about the actual animation. While it isn’t something that jumps out at you, it is something that is there and serves its job well.

Overall, that is all I can really say about the show or is of note. I had a really good time with it when I thought that I wouldn’t enjoy it at all. I really like these types of shows and I wish there were more of them around. The way the show ended inferred that there is much more to come but it is anyone’s guess whether we will ever get a second season. If it did, then I wouldn’t hesitate to watch it on a weekly basis. That’s about it. If you are thinking about watching it yourself then I would say that it is worth the watch. You might even find yourself in the same situation as me and ending up having a good time with it. You never know.

I had never really heard of this anime before until my brother brought it up after giving the manga a shining review so when it got adapted, I just had to check it out much. Coming from a company that I was either which way about because it is new to the scene, and the titles it was releasing left a lot to be desired. It’s fair to say that I didn’t have my hopes up, but they were there. After originally putting it on hold one time. I picked it up one evening and binge watched the lot.

The story is truly nothing new at ... its heart, but boy does it tell it perfectly. When it comes to these types of shows you tend to find that the whole story works up to a confession or you find out that they have a happy ending after the credits roll. Not this show. Oh no. You are truly thrown into it from the first episode and everything that follows is just pure wholesomeness. You have your doubts from time to time that the interest will dissipate because all the big things have come to pass but you are quickly proven wrong with many scenes each episode that keep you hooked.

The animation really wasn’t anything that I needed to worry about after all. It absolutely suites the show’s theme well. There is a good balance of scenery, especially time of day where you really get immersed in the scenes because they are adapted well from the manga. I especially love all the night scenes which is kind of fitting because of the title of the anime. I just think when I am watching it. Man. This is nice.

The music is good as well. The opening and the ending are just super rememberable and fitting. I often revisit the opening the most as it is so good. The OST in general fits the show nicely. It isn’t showy, it’s just fits into the background of things.

All the characters in the show are likeable, interesting and developed. I really like the main character. I just see a lot of myself in that character, and he’s personality is awesome. Yes, it is one of those rare shows where I don’t dislike one character which is great. It has a good balance.

All in all, this show defied my expectations, left me all warm inside, and wanting more. It was the complete package for all the right reasons. The animation was great, the music was awesome, the characters and the story were just perfect. I think it has some good rewatch value as well. I kind of want to watch it all again at some stage just so I can relive some of the scenes that I enjoyed from the first time I rewatched it. Highly recommended show for anyone who loves a good rom com.

I was originally drawn to this anime because it was animated by the people who did Uzaki-chan and it was created by the person who made cautious hero. I accounted for both factors and concluded that this would be an interesting watch.

In the beginning the story really interested me. The concept of the anime isn’t something viewers would be new to, but the setting was a nice change up. In this world where fully vr games are norm and good games are sussed out from the bad ones. We find the main character delving into this comedic journey of subverting your expectations by being ... incredibly unlucky and making all the wrong decisions. It’s something I really enjoyed but grew to have a distaste with since you always knew that things weren’t ever going to go the main characters way. I enjoyed the pacing and what they chose for the contents of each episode.

The art was something I was initially drawn to because, I knew the people who would be animating it. I specifically watched it, because I enjoyed the art style. Its nice and colourful. I love the background of the scenes as well as the designs of the characters. The music wasn’t anything that jumped out to be however, I really enjoyed the opening for the anime. I think that the ending isn’t all the rememberable though.

I struggled to like any of the characters. While I could always see where the main character was coming from, he never did anything that I found to be likeable. I think the fact that the character is always getting a beating and is always unlucky is just hard to watch. I don’t know why but, it is also apparent that the characters don’t particularly bounce off well from one another. Everyone always seems like they are there because of there own agenda. There quirks are overbearing, and it can make the characters feel distant. While it might be a style of character design for some people, it wasn’t for me.

I had a good time with this anime, and it did make me laugh on the occasion. There were scenes that made me surprised, and I looked forward to each of the episodes as it came out every week. I lost a bit of interest towards the end because, I grew tired of the characters but it’s not something I hold against it. If they were to make more of this anime, I would check out the following episodes, but I can’t say that I would watch the whole series.

I didn’t have any expectations for this anime and, prior to watching the series, I had never heard of it before. However, the genre is something which I am highly partial too, seen as though I am very into all things paranormal. So, after hearing one of my friends watch it, I decided to give it ago myself.

The story I found to be incredibly fun and entertaining. The style of writing reminded me a lot of something like a mix of The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Gabriel Dropout. Don’t ask me what makes me say that. I have no idea myself. I feel like ... the horror aspect and comedy aspect complimented one another quite well though I think that has to do with the setting and character choice. I liked how it was introduced, the story along the way and the ending left a lot to be asked.

The art in my opinion was simply fine. I think it is to be expected currently, where animation just keeps getting better, and better. Though it is to be said that I think that the studio choice, was actually a good choice. I have seen quite a few anime from this studio before, and I think the style of the studio was a good fit for what this story is about. I think it was adapted well from the manga’s art style.
I quite liked the opening to the series. I never skipped it. It is one of those openings that you just instantly recognise as that anime. The voice acting choices were perfect though as for the OST. I would need to go back and listen to it to give you an answer as it has slipped my mind.

The character design was perfect. I enjoyed the personality of the main character a lot. You could put yourself in her shoes, in every episode. The contrasting supporting characters were enjoyable and I thought complemented the main character rather nicely. There was not one character which I looked at and thought. I don’t like that character.

This anime caught me off guard and I seriously enjoyed it. It was one of my top ten anime of 2021. I think that the anime is super for anyone who enjoys things that centre around the paranormal but fun for all the family. My only grudge that I sort of didn’t like in some regard, was how unnecessarily lewd it was with some of the scenes. But that’s about it. It has me wanting more, it really does. I hope that maybe it gets a season 2 and we can see what’s next in stores otherwise, I am seriously considering, reading the manga.

This was an anime I was highly interested in from the get-go. I have read plenty of Webtoons before, so the thought of what one adapted would play out like, had me attentive. I have read a lot of this webtoon before, though not all of it. Therefore, I had a good grasp of what to expect heading into the animated series. Nevertheless, I gave it all my attention and watched it all as it came out.

Firstly, I think that the story for the most part was bland. It’s super cookie cutter. I mean as a webtoon it works quite well because it’s a ... webtoon but transcribe that into an anime and I mean it really gets mixed in with the crowd. It has all the typical tropes, so I am not really surprised at all one bit when things happen in the story. I don’t think that it is at all a bad thing though. Sometimes when you know what is going to happen then things feel familiar and therefore it is easier to get into or immerse yourself into the story.

The art is kind of weird in a good way. I find the colour scheme and the linework intriguing. It’s like they transcribed the appearance of the webtoon and really went one to one with it. It feels so familiar, and I like it. It’s colourful, and vibrant. It evokes a positive atmosphere to it. Sometimes I do feel like it is lacking in some scenes where I find it too simplistic and therefore it takes away from being immersed in the story, but I am not going to scrutinise the series for it.

The characters were truly uninteresting. Everyone is like another character trope that I am all too familiar with and therefore it is hard to like one character. All the characters also feel so series all the time which is something I don’t enjoy. It’s like they are all friends and come across as not being friends at the same time. If I had to pick a character that I liked, then I suppose I would have to pick the main one. I kind of like he’s personality and he’s the main one you really follow I suppose.

Where the anime truly shines is when it comes to the fighting scenes and let me tell you. There are plenty of them. This anime is all about that. They are big, long and action packed. If you are a fan of Shonen anime, then this is something I think you are going to find enjoyment out of. Other than that, apart from a rememberable opening and ending this anime is kind disinteresting. Maybe a mind blowing second season would change my mind. We will have to see.

During early 2020, everyone found themselves indoors and it’s fair to say that the anime that came out was of the quantity weren’t used to for quite some time. This meant that you were more invested in the shows that were coming out. This was a show I watched with intense.

The story is something we are all too familiar with therefore, I won’t bore you with the details. It’s what sets itself apart from what it doesn’t, that is the interesting bits. What it did do differently I think it did quite well. While the setting was something I was already used to, the ... way it was executed was enough to set itself apart. I enjoyed the pacing of the episodes quite a bit. While the introduction was something familiar, it was the centre part of the anime that I found to be quite enjoyable. I enjoyed those episodes quite a lot. Though I think it leaves a lot to think about when all is said and done.

The art was as about what you would expect. The darker palette and gritty feel to it, added to the overall tone well. The scenery and characters were adapted quite nicely to say the least. The studio I had never heard about before as they lack the portfolio however, what they have done is quite notable and I have watched before. Though what I had watched was from a few years back, so it was nice to see the progression and development in the art style.

The music was quite simply as you would expect from something like this. Not that notable from what I remember as it is not fresh in my mind. Just what it is. The opening I found to be enjoyable and rememberable, but the ending was just fine. My attention was not on the background as it was quite an action heavy anime, so I was therefore more focused on the scenes.

The character design didn’t really help itself. There is far too much anime like this, with the characters. That being the contrast between the two main characters. It didn’t bother me all too much. It was just fine as all. The characters were all likeable, and I enjoyed the main character a bit, it just wasn’t something I was already used to seeing.

The anime was a good watch. I had a good time watching it as the weeks went and I looked forward to every episode. In hindsight, it might have been a bit same as it didn’t set itself apart enough, the areas it did set itself apart from, such what was shown in the centre part of the anime, I quite enjoyed. I get the feeling that this story will get very interesting down the line and that it’s only just begone. I look forward to seeing where the story goes next.

Every now and again I get the need for a power fantasy. There are always at least one or two every season and this happened to be the series that caught my fancy having come across the opening a few times in AMQ. My brother also talked about it on occasions, and therefore I thought okay. I must give this a go.

The first thing that truly jumped out to me is the actual story. From the first episode to the last it is truly cookie cutter. Now to be fair that can work both ways which I love. If you know what to expect that ... has its advantages. However, if you already know what you are in for then it can become boring fast for some people. Within the first minute of the series everything you expect to see happens and it made me laugh quite a bit. Every episode after that is just the same as well. It’s exactly what I signed up for and was hoping to see.

The actual characters themselves are not all that interesting but the types of roles they play I found super interesting. For instance, Gerard plays this old wise gramps character and its endearing. Likewise with Rion who is this little sister character. Everyone plays this role in the group and it’s like one big family. When the first episode played out, I thought that the main character was going to be quite the loner. I will say he’s antenna looking thing behind he’s ear is so stupid. It is just so out there that I cannot stop starring at it.

The art is mega basic at best. It does the job and that’s about it. There are a lot of scenes that use 3D animations especially the fight scenes. But as I said to my brother who watched a few episodes with me. They don’t hide that, and he put it best. Its like a cut scene. Sure, it is a sudden jarring thing to see in the animation but its not awful. It adds dynamics to the scenes that wouldn’t have otherwise been possible.

The sound design is good all things considering. I really do like the opening though it is something that took a couple of listens to get used to. Likewise, the ending is not too bad either. It has a dark souls esc feel to it. In some of the scenes along the way some of the soundtrack caught my attention and I was like. Oh, I want to go back and listen to that when I have the chance.

I knew what I was getting into when I first went into the first episode because I went looking for it. I was bored and it was a good way to pass the time. I had a few laughs, and the pacing wasn’t awful. The animation and cookie cutter story hold it back. If you are like me and want to just binge watch a power fantasy that has recently been adapted, then this is what you want to feel your boots with. If you want something a bit more unique, and a bit lengthier then this is best to be missed. It is not for everyone despite appealing that way.

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

I first remember watching this series many a year ago. It was as simple as binge watching it, rating it as one of the highest anime I have ever rated and that was that. The other day I thought to myself, did I enjoy it as much as I did; has my opinion changed? So, I proceed to rewatch it. It took me a whole day, but I got through it all and at the end of it, left with conflicted feelings. Yet at 07:00 AM in the morning, wide awake in my bed, starring at the ceiling, I couldn’t stop thinking ... about it. It’s fair to say that it left an impression on me once more.

Let me begin by saying, Hyouka shouldn’t really work. By that I mean there is so much not to like about this series. When you compare it to other anime and stack it all up, it’s no wonder why I have heard friends finding it hard to get through and why you can find an abundance of mixed reviews.

• Yes, it’s another anime set in a High School.
• The main character is gloomy.
• Everybody constantly has personal issues.
• Every character relationship is strained and convoluted.
• Every happy event turns sour E.g. Valentine’s day, New Years.
• There is no love anywhere. E.g. The boy doesn’t get the girl.
• The mysteries are often dragged out and dull.
• The pacing is completely all over the place.
• The ending is left unresolved and up in the air and is abrupt.

If bullet points weren’t enough, allow me to go into even more detail. It’s another high school anime set on the pile. The main character is always monotoned and unenergetic. Yes, he preserves he’s energy. If other anime is anything to go off like Classroom of the elite, My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU and Tanaka-kun is Always Listless. If you were to look at how people have scored it, you would find that it’s highly scored but you will hear people complain that it’s hard to watch when the main character is boring because they have no life in their voice.

Yes. Everybody always has issues. Everyone always wants to be a version of themselves above who they are all the time. Not only that but the way each character interacts with one another is also hard to watch sometimes. Ibara doesn’t get on well with the manga club, Satoshi doesn’t get along well with Tani, Oreki doesn’t get along well with Irisu etc. One episode after the next.

Then every event that happens in the anime doesn’t go happily as you would expect. The valentine’s day episode. You would expect this is where connections are made, and plot develops but what you are left with is a hard to watch episode where everyone is not happy. To quote Oreki and the end of the episode. It’s bitter. Not to mention the New Year’s episode. I wish that had gone a little more smoothly. Then you have the cultural festival which is just full of sadness. Satoshi gets frustrated with Oreki, Ibara falls out with the manga club, President Tanabe’s message doesn’t get heard.

There’s no love whatsoever as well. If the previous paragraph was anything to go off. It’s cliché but the boy doesn’t get the girl vis versa. There is no romance. Not only romance but just love in general. The Classical Club just feels more like a collection of people who found themselves there rather than a bunch of friends. Even friendship is hard to understand in this anime. Satoshi is constantly frustrated with Oreki and whenever Ibara talks with Oreki she’s always moody. Chitanda’s circumstances also just make her feel more of a passer-by as well.

The mysteries can be a real hit and miss. Sometimes I’m completely absorbed in them, and other times I keep checking to see when the episode is over. This also ties in with the pacing of the anime. There’s no structure. It’s like overall here is a mystery to work out and It can take multiple episodes or just the one. On top of that, it always feels like there’s gaps where there should have been more. Like the episode just stops at an important part for all the wrong reasons. For example, the New Year’s episode. I wanted to see them through to the new year instead of it just ending like it did. Also, after the whole cultural festival. I wanted to see them tell Chitanda the mystery. And let’s not forget the biggest point, the final episode. It just doesn’t feel like a final episode whatsoever.

Okay, “and breath”. Now I have gotten all that out of the way, let me tell you about the things that I feel they got right with this anime. Of course, you can agree with me and you can disagree with me to your hearts content.

• It’s a Kyoto Animations Work. It’s beautiful to look at.
• The opening’s and endings are iconic.
• The original soundtrack is awesome.
• I love the space that the main character gets.
• It’s different in the way that it’s not like other mystery/high school anime.
• I enjoyed watching it, I’m glad it left an impression.

Please. Allow me to expand on these bullet points and provide more detail. First, if I couldn’t feel the love with the character interactions, I felt the love put into making this anime. It looks incredible. It’s super pretty in any scenario whether that be displaying environments, seasons or times of the day. I really enjoyed watching this anime or more specifically looking at it. They did an amazing job with it.

I do think that the openings and endings are completely iconic in the sense that if I was to hear the music used in the anime or outside, I would instantly know what anime that is from. Even more so the soundtrack for the anime really took me back. Often at times something would be going on in the anime and my attention would be entirely focused on the sound instead because I would be like. That sounds amazing.

It’s an odd thing to say, I suppose it is a personal preference, but I really enjoyed seeing the main character on he’s own. I enjoyed the little breaks in between things happening when the character would be just at home or walking back home or when he’s just conserving, he’s energy and starring out the window. The problem I find with a lot of anime is that characters are always interacting with other characters all the time and they are always in the same frame. I feel you can get a lot of character development when you present the character as an individual on their own.

What is the first thing that springs to mind when you think of mystery? I mean of course it would be solving a murder or a crime. Hyouka does things interestingly different by making the mystery mondain but interesting in an interesting setting, which is that of a high school. I mean. Sure, there are plenty of mystery anime set in a high school, but none compared to Hyouka.

Lastly, yes. I really enjoyed watching it again. Despite my criticism. Most anime I just simply watch and then that’s it, it’s onto the next anime. After I watched Hyouka at god knows in the morning I was starring at a sunlight ceiling thinking. Why am I thinking about Hyouka? I think I can boil it down to two things. The first being just because it had that much of an impact, it was just that type of anime. The second being because surprisingly Hyouka has a grounded feeling to it. Yes, there were all these negatives that I named of but, because of these negatives it felt. How do I but it. Realistic and relatable. I mean, when it comes to compare it to real life, you can find pieces of yourself in each of the characters. On top of that, considering the type of genre of the anime, it’s not out of the realms of possibility for crazy things to happen, its normal and realistic.

Yes, it’s fair to say Hyouka is an excellent anime. The only thing it lacks is resolve and resolution. We want to see the characters become better versions of themselves, we want to see boy gets the girl and we want to know what happens next. I think it’s only natural that after watching Hyouka you would want to know what happens next because throughout the anime you get all these mysteries that are solved, one after the next. And then suddenly your left with one big mystery and it’s left unsolved. And I’m curious. But at the end of the day I guess you could say, seen as though it’s a mystery anime, its all a mystery.

I think we have been rather blessed with the amount of romance anime that have been released these past few seasons and to top it all this season. Don’t toy with me Miss Nagatoro. When I first started to watch it, I was apprehensive of how it would adapt to animation as well as how other people would view the anime, but those quickly became apparent from Episode 1. But I was rather happy with it all in all. I watched it every week and loved every episode.

I thought the pacing was good, the story tied in well and the amount of episodes/time was ... perfect. The way the episodes progressed, started and finished was perfect. It didn’t exactly leave me hanging on the next episode, but it just kept me interested enough that I’d watch the following episode the following week. I didn’t get bored with this series either.

I liked the characters when I thought I wouldn’t. I thought I wouldn’t like their personality’s, but they quickly grew on me when I saw them in different environments and under different emotions.

The opening and endings were quite catchy as well. I mean the opening is an instant, “oh I know what that anime is” tune, and the ending grew on me slowly. I thought the ost was alright at times and served its purpose well. What really drew me in was the sound effects. Like the wind in the classroom, when they were drawing etc...

To nail it off the art was perfect I feel like it transcribed well to how it looked in the manga. It kept to the colour palette and theme. Which was lovely because that doesn’t particularly happen all too often.

Overall, I really enjoyed it from start and especially the finish. It left me feeling all warm inside and completely content. They could make a season 2 and that’d be a bonus but that was perfect as it was. To top it off, i'm already considering re-watching it.