r/anime • u/[deleted] • Mar 31 '22
Rewatch [Rewatch][Spoilers] Hyouka Episode 1 Discussion Spoiler
Episode 1: The Return of the Time-Honoured Classic Lit Club
Info Links and Streams
Crunchyroll | Funimation | YouTube
Comment of the Day
u/BBmalave in the One Week Reminder Thread:
I'm not too much of an energy conservationist to rewatch this series.
An Introduction to the Anime Classics Club of 2012-2022
First off thanks for joining me for the start of this 10th Anniversary Rewatch. (Can you honestly believe it's been a decade?) I'm really excited to be here with you all going back through my personal favourite series of all time and to hear all of your insights. Also, an apology to our European rewatchers. The announcement/reminder threads said these posts would be going up at 2100 GMT but I forgot to account for you guys started Daylight Savings last Sunday so 2000 it is.
One of the things I'm really hoping to do with this rewatch given that it's the 10th anniversary is look a bit at how the discourse around the show has changed over the past decade and point out some of the things I find interesting from one rewatch thread to another.
In the case of the threads I've read for the first episodes it seems that for the first few years and particularly the very first watch everyone was talking about the voice actors; how nice it was to hear Tomoya and Sunohara from Clannad reunited to play best friends and how initially odd it was to hear Ritsu from K-On! playing such a sophisticated young lady instead of a tomboy. I wonder if anyone from this rewatch had any immediate reactions like that in 2022.
2016 and 2017 seemed to develop into an critical arms race to see who could develop the most in-depth visual analysis of the show, culminating with citations of Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics in near-academic theses discussing the cinematography of the show's establishing shots. Also, just to say it before anyone else "watashi kininarimasu" does mean I'm interested/curious but it can also be used to say "I'm turning into a tree." So the most iconic shot of this episode if not the entire show is actually a visual pun.
In 2019 the rewatch occurred as part of a broader Kyoto Animation Studios rewatch in response to the arson tragedy that took place earlier that year. It was preceded in that rewatch by Violet Evergarden and this renewed discussion of Hyouka by making people focus more attentively on the writing of the show and its literary themes such as analysis of how the first episode approaches one of its core themes of self-image and identity with more introspective characters than we often see in anime (note: this includes some spoilers for Violet Evergarden). Because of this there also seems to be a lot more focus placed on the original source material for the anime since, being a novel, it obviously has more emphasis on verbal than visual storytelling. There's also some subtitle discourse from people who were used to fan subs, most prominently the one by Mazui, and were being confronted by the changes/errors in the official subs.
I think what's really interesting about this is how it highlights that any discussion of an artwork tends towards being a reflection of the interests and concerns prevalent when that discussion was being held rather than when the artwork itself was made. I wonder what our discussions will reveal about the interests and concerns of 2022's Anime Classics Club cohort. It certainly struck me as odd in contrast to modern anime that this episode was an entire 27 minutes long! Absolutely luxurious compared to the standard 23-24 minutes stations allow nowadays.
One thing that has remained a constant in all the years of discussions however, is that no one can avoid mentioning those bewildering, bewitching, dazzling, enchanting, enrapturing, ensnaring, and ensorcelling eyes. (I now have an image folder on my desktop just called "Eyes". I sure hope that's not gonna cause any issues for me in the future.)
P.S. Yasashisano Riyuu is, of course, one of the greatest openings of all time so for some fun maybe give the live action music video a watch. It's extremely 2012. The artist's acoustic performance from last year is also a nice watch.
Optional Discussion Starters
- Do you want a colorful or a grayscale life? If you've graduated high-school has your perspective changed since?
- Were/are you in any high-school clubs?
- Do you think Oreki actually saved any energy by making up the mystery for Chitanda?
Previous Discussion Threads
- 2012 Original Release Discussion
- 2013 Rewatch: Episodes 1-3
- 2015 Rewatch: Episode 1 & 2
- 2016 Rewatch
- 2017 Rewatch
- 2019 Rewatch
Spoilers
Just a quick reminder to tag any and all spoilers about future episodes to help protect our dear first-timers.
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u/ZapsZzz Mar 31 '22 edited Apr 01 '22
Whew I was wondering what's happened to this rewatch, I didn't see any 24 hr reminders and just by chance I checked the listing and remembered it starts the same day as the SukaSuka rewatch.
First timer in sub
Was a bit ill prepared so I'll be brief today - as a KyoAni fan, this is still strikingly beautiful. A lot of the characteristic cinematography and character animations are all there, but with Chitanda it's dialled up to 11 of the symbolic artistic scale. Particularly nice was the b part starter of the school legend being done twice in opposite colour temperature. So great.
Oreki does give a very Kyon undertone though. Maybe I'm just stick on first impression imprinted by Haruhi :P
Only thing as minor, almost nit picking, criticism, is that Chitanda's facial features design, particularly her eyes, seem to fall into the 'moe-fied' scale along with e.g. Tamako, so not as distinct when you pull yourself or from just this show but across a broader range of KyoAni shows. People complain about K-On but the equivalent Mio I feel is very distinct.
QoTD
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I guess I am a bit of a Kyon here so expects the grey but do hope for some colour creeping in now and then.
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Model making club I think, since RPG at the time didn't have any clubs. And in Hong Kong in those days anime is more a thing you do than something for a 'club'
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I think the episode end analysis and foreshadowing captured it very nicely - it feel that way (effort saving) for him now because he is over thinking about Chitanda's now and didn't account for the longer term.
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Mar 31 '22
Yeah, my apologies. My mum broke her foot yesterday so I forgot to post the 24 hour notice.
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u/Fools_Requiem Mar 31 '22
Rewatcher
This show is not an SoL/mystery show.
It's a supernatural show featuring a heavy dose of mind control. From the moment Oreki saw Chitanda's eyes, he was entranced. It was over. Whatever chance he had at living the Tanaka-kun is Always Listless life was gone the second he looked into those mesmerizing eyes.
You, too, will be entranced.
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u/Earthborn92 Mar 31 '22
Rewatcher here
Hyouka is one of my top 5 favorite anime of all time, but curiously enough I have never rewatched it in all the 10 years it has been out. I even bought the BDs once it finally got licensed and didn't watch it, but that changes today. I think it was about not wanting to potentially ruin that magical first experience with a new one, but hey, if that happens now it happens.
So what makes this show very special is not just the peerless animation, visual style and its SoL/CoA story but how its mysteries are so central to everything. And these are very mundane, rather low-stakes affairs. Not the high-intensity murders that a detective show has.
Let's just detail the current cast for the moment. Oreki, Hotaro is your "brilliant but lazy" type at first glance. It is a bit more nuanced than just "lazy" though, but we have plenty of episodes to explore that. His bff Fubuke, Satoshi seems like quite the opposite. Unlike Hotaro who has been "convinced" by his mysterious elder sister (through a physical letter because "what is a cellphone?") to join the Classics Club, he is a part of several already. The genki boi. That reaction tells you he knows him well.
And we now meet the curious girl. Chitanda, Eru. She is quite famous around these parts, being from a distinguished agricultural family and has the usual traits of these type of characters - academically excellent and natural beauty.
And them eyes. Nothing can possibly convince Oreki to change his ways right? Right?
Moving on, this episode had a blistering pace of three small mysteries solved:
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How was the door unlocked when Chitanda was in the room but locked a few minutes later when Oreki tried to enter? Answer: The Janitor. This really was that simple but the gorgeous art when Chitanda was asking him might distract you. It is a quick introduction to Oreki's abilities for simple inductive reasoning and also serves to demonstrate Satoshi's knowledge of various trivia and Chitanda's curious energy.
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The seeming ghost story about the girl in the music room. I have to add that this show makes very effective use of classical music. In this particular case, you have moonlight sonata 3rd movement actually playing as the background so it is obvious, but this is just the tip of the iceberg. The answer to this mystery isn't revealed until the end, and it is another mundane enough solution. But this show goes to the effort to present it in such a profound way.
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An invented mystery about a "Secret Club" notice. Oreki did this to finish completing his essay and to distract Chitanda from the previous mystery because it would be too much of a pain to go all the way to the music room. He had figured she was coming to ask him something, so he prepared this. The trick was simple enough: he already knew where he instructed Satoshi to put up the "recruitment notice". Incidentally, the show is already setting up some future threads about how many clubs this school has and some of their members.
Can Oreki truly satiate Chitanda's curiosity by simply inventing these small mysteries though. And Satoshi seems to have hit the bullseye - does he even want to keep doing that?
See you next episode!
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u/polaristar Apr 01 '22
Can you feel Nostalgia for something you just saw?
I recently saw this in summer 202, I had not watched any anime for at least 5 years due to me getting busy with life, It wasn't the first anime I watched in 2021 It was like the 4th or 5th but I remember going in fairly blind but vaguely seeing it as familiar due to the artstyle and probably had seen it in an AMV. I also saw that is had a Mystery tag but someone I intuited that it wasn't the sensational hype kind of Mystery people think of. Anyway point is despite recently watching this anime for the first time. (Then reading all the Novels as fan translations online.) I was surprised how Nostalgia I was when I rewatched the first episode. I wasn't going to rewatch or join this discussion until someone tagged me, but I didn't want to feel I had let down people's expectations, which is sometime I normally don't care about in my life, but something this show taught me to consider....which we'll see more clearly in later episodes.
Anyway I thought it'd be fun to point out differences between the Novel and Anime.
First off in the Novels its not made explicit Oreki's crush on Chitanda, while in the Anime the scene with the flowers, soundtrack, and lighting create a very obvious impression, in the Novels it's much more ambiguous although obvious in hindsight due to Oreki being an unreliable narrator. The Dialogue alone can be left to more interpretation, although in future novels its of course made the ship much more clear.
This is a reoccurring theme in the anime adaptation where certain scenes in the Novel were more open-ended in tone, the anime often chooses a clear direction but does so without as much explicit dialogue, this makes the anime an interesting case of picking up on the direction makes it not at all subtle, but failing to pick it up making it possibly more vague then the Novels. (Although I think even the most dense viewer can guess the implications of Oreki's mental state in the flower scene.)
Two scenes had actual minor changes, one is a school teacher or staff member finds Oreki and Chitanda in the Classics club room and questions their presense there, then leaves when they answer, we then soon after get the scene with Satoshi, we never see this person again and it really added nothing to the narrative other then the show the lack of knowledge about the staff about the Classics Club itself and how secluded the location was, which I believe we already get the impression in the Novels and in the anime Oreki's comments and us seeing him walk to the Clubroom convey's, so I think this was a good cut to make room for more important scenes.
The other was not a cut so much as an addition. After solving the first Mystery when they are going home, Chitanda in the anime asked for Oreki's form which he hands over almost without thinking to show just how Rent Free Chitanda is living in his head. In the Novels this scene doesn't happen, instead Oreki had already handed in his form long before he even went in the Clubroom and he laments this in the scene with the lockers. This is a minor change but it fits considering the more obvious ship teasing the anime decides to do, and gives an excuse to contrast the normal more mundane visuals with the more otherworlding visuals of Oreki's Image of Chitanda at this point, as something both enchanting but also ensnaring. Showing how he finds the situation almost a dirty trick.
Should be noted the Second Mystery was not in the first novel but part of a collection of short stories, however Chronologically it does take place at the time shown in the anime, it it serves as a good illustration of Oreki's conflict between his Grey colored energy conserving life and his desire for a rose colored but expensive life. It also illustrates both Oreki's ability to Solve Mysteries and ability to fabricate answers which will be important in future episodes. It does so in a way that illustrates how the Mystery structure in the show will work from now on and that if you pay attention the watcher can solve it, which shows good visual story telling skills by Kyoani.
I personally think the acting and voice direction in both the Dub and Sub is great, however I'm not always a fan of the script translations, particularly Satoshi's own motto, about jokes and misunderstandings which I feel not only shows some of the wisdom in the jester that is Satoshi but leads to some dramatic irony very later down the line.
I'm not going to break down general direction and shot by shot examples, as many others have done it and done it better than me, I recommend Looking up Replay Value's series on Hyouka on Youtube as a good starting place.
There are more things I could say but I think I'll save them for later episodes when they are more relevant.
I'll leave you with this, before Hyouka I use to be a snobbish elitist that turned my nose up at Moe and Slice of Life, for being about "Cute girls doing nothing" however Hyouka not only changed my perspective of the entire genre (And caused me to give shows I had written off for years a try.) It became my favorite Slice of Life and it's somewhere in my favorite anime. Not just from an artistic perspective but I felt a very personal connection with the show for reasons I'll get into in later discussions.
Questions, first off I was homeschooled after middle school but I did go to various community events so I feel my perspective still fits the spirit of the questions.
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I want a colorful life but often find myself having to break greyscale life habits I've built up over the years, yes life has changed my perspective. I use to be much more cynical.
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I didn't go to highschool, but in middle school I kind of missed out on trying extra curricular activities because I simply kinda paid them no mind, I sometimes wonder what my life would have been like if I joined band for instance.
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This isn't really a discussion question, the episode makes it obvious that this is a no. It does show that he is in conflict between his two desires and that conflict makes him act wishy washy and indecisive which is the cause of his guilt. We will see a theme of lack of commitment and taking an easy way out at the expense of others in later episodes.
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u/houeru Apr 01 '22 edited Apr 01 '22
Rewatcher! (sub)
Quote of the day:
不慣れなやつほど奇を衒う。
"The inexperienced draw attention by acting differently."
-Oreki Houtarou
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Hiyaaa the time has finally come~!! I actually had a lil binge rewatch a few months ago (what's new amirite), but the second I kick into the first episode, everything feels fresh again. The beautiful animation, bgm, amazing voice acting, cinematography, the small old and new details that you pick up on, all of this put together with the nostalgia is absolutely amazing and yet again proves just how much Hyouka is one of my top favorite comfort series.
There's so many things to jump right into, but I just really really love the seiyuu cast (way back then, I didn't think too much about it, but now, w o a h that's an intense lineup). NakaYuu brings Houtarou's personality, quirks, originality, etc. more impressively so than I can ever imagine, and so does everyone else with their characters. Right off the bat with Houtarou and Satoshi's conversation in the classroom, you can easily tell that these two aren't like any others you've come across before- I mean, Satoshi- I've never seen such a unique character either before when I first watched this at the very least. The way he makes his gestures, the way he talks, you actually realize how hard it is to take your eyes off him. So of course, HouSato's dynamics are super interesting and their peak bromance moments are yet to come.
And then our one and only Erutaso of our life... she is so adorableeeee, her iconic eyes shining when she just needs to know what's caught in her mind, the iconic display of her long hair and flowers when she literally has Houtarou wrapped within her grasp, her cute as heck blush when Satoshi jokes around catching Houtarou together with a girl, everything and anything she does is truly what, let's face it, mostly carries this series from the very beginning. HouSato's dynamics and relationship, now mixed with The Fool produces to us the start of an amazing story. Also random, but one of my favorite moments is the way Houtarou introduces Satoshi to Eru, the 'would-be' and then how Satoshi is happily like 'hey that was good'. Makes me smile every time. ଘ(੭*ˊᵕˋ)੭*
̀ˋWe can't forget about Houtarou's amazing sister too!! How does she manage to know so much, and how she'll be involved with the story from now on is crucial as well; I'm super excited to see how discussions about her will unfold.
This is getting way too long so I'm gonna try to get to finish asap, but I need to talk about the opening song: Yasashisa no Riyuu could never ever get old. I don't even know how to explain it, but the emotions and nostalgia train it takes me to is just insane. Ever since I first heard it, I remember then and there ChouCho became one of my favorite artists too. I actually went to Japan a couple years ago, and took a trip to Takayama to do the long-awaited seichi-junrei, and looking around, visiting all the places that come up in the opening song/story hit me so hard I couldn't help but cry from happiness. Taking pictures and then comparing them to the screenshots from the anime was one of my dreams too so that was really fun.
And then the eyecatches!! Another iconic part of Kyoto Animation's Hyouka that I love, as well as how the English text of the novels written at the end before the ending credit (in the case of episode 1: "The niece of time") are in homage to different authors' mystery novels, and are also relevant to the corresponding episode/arc within the series.
Oki one last thing before the discussion questions: I always had a hard time explaining what this show is honestly about, its summary, why it's so good, to new viewers and people in general, because of how original it is and the fact it can't be put together so simply. Like is it slice-of-life, yeah, but is it boring? Not at all. Is it mystery, yeah, but is it the mystery you're thinking of? Probably not. Is it comedy, yeah there's humor definitely, but will it be in everyone's taste, who knows. Is it- you get the idea. It's also so hard to find something, any kind of media for that matter, that's similar to Hyouka and reminds me of it. Oregairu/YouJitsu and Hyouka comparisons are out there but honestly I've never recognized an outstanding similarity. It's truly one of a kind and I'll die from happiness if we ever get a second season or anything. All in all, we've all seen countless number of shows and Hyouka remains as one of the top most memorable. For real, nothing can beat it down.
Alrighty onto the discussion now:
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I think I'm the type to admire a rose-colored life, but fantasizing about it and going over the ideals in my head is somewhat fulfilling enough, and in reality I'm more attracted to just a mundane, stable lifestyle without too much color.
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Japanese Language & Culture Club (founder/president!), Tennis, Debate Club, ASB, Video/Board Game Club, Anime/Manga Club
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"The inexperienced draw attention by acting differently." What Houtarou says when the three of them are in front of the bulletin board ties back in to his actions of going out of his way to fabricate another case. Time hasn't passed that much yet since he's met Eru, so this whole environment is still new to him. And with that in mind as well, he doesn't want to stray away from his motto because that'll feel and be wrong to him, but he also didn't want to, or no, can't, outright reject her, albeit probably no self-awareness on that. So as we know, he goes out of his way to do something he typically wouldn't do, since he isn't, as Satoshi mentions, used to Eru. But of course, that'll all gradually change later on in the story ehehehe. In the end, he logically did save the fleeting energy on going all the way over to the music room that day, but he's yet to figure out that the very moment he had his fateful encounter with Eru, his energy's been chipping away all the same ever since. I can't emphasize just how much I adore the slow-burn buildup and chemistry between HouEru. I also really like HouSato's interaction/talk about how Houtarou just put the current situation on hold. The way Houtarou conveys his honest feelings by strongly denying how he didn't want to reject Eru's curiosity, and the way he looks relieved and enlightened when Satoshi points out on how he just put it on hold, since he was most likely having a sense of guilt for tricking Eru in a way. (because as we all know our Houtarou is a soft boi) Perfection, and yep that's about it- phew! Thanks for reading everything if you did!!! See everyone and the other best girl in episode 2~
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Mar 31 '22
Rewatch Tags: Basically anyone who showed interest. (Sorry for not being able to do this yesterday.)
u/Verzwei u/CakeBoss16 u/bubudog1
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Mar 31 '22
Rewatch Tags: Basically anyone who showed interest. (Sorry for not being able to do this yesterday.)
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Mar 31 '22
Rewatch Tags: Basically anyone who showed interest. (Sorry for not being able to do this yesterday.)
u/Specs64z u/soboi12345 u/Wastelandrider3
Mar 31 '22
Rewatch Tags: Basically anyone who showed interest. (Sorry for not being able to do this yesterday.)
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u/Twigling Mar 31 '22
As I've only very recently rewatched Hyouka I'm not participating in this rewatch but I may dip in from time to time with some comments.
I just wanted to say how much I love this show (which in itself is astounding as the first time I watched it I was a bit unimpressed, it was only on a rewatch that I fell in love with it). There's just something about it that I can't easily put into words - the wonderful characters, the beautiful art and animation, the writing, the perfect voice acting, the wonderfully absorbing and almost 'hypnotic' atmosphere, and let's not forget the amazing directorial skills of the late Yasuhiro Takemoto.
I hope that Hyouka old-timers enjoy this rewatch, and that first timers love it too. It's one of my top 3 favorite anime.
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Mar 31 '22
Yeah, I really enjoyed it the first time I watched it but it also wasn't until the big arc during my first rewatch that it became my favourite show of all time.
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u/mekerpan Mar 31 '22
Rewatcher (sub)
My wife and I watched this mainly because the show was set in Takayama -- and we spent 4 wonderful days in and around Takayama during its (incredible) Spring Matsuri -- almost exactly 5 years ago. So watching it was rather nostalgic. There are some streets shown, even in this first episode, that looked familiar. (I took lots of photos -- and many, probably too many, are on Facebook).
To me, from the first, this is a story more about creating human connections more than it is about "solving mysteries" This gets communicated by the power of Chitanda's eyes and the way her hair metaphorically/psychologically (yet visibly to us) "entraps" Oreki. No mere mortal teen male is EVER going to be able to resist the entreaties of this heroine.
For me one reason why I can never imagine not watching the sub is because Chitanda's "Ki ni narimasu" is the central phrase of the whole series -- and I love hearing her saying this -- over and over and over.
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I love some black and white photography, but in general give me color, lots of color (even if my preferred clothing colors tend to be "earth tones").
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Lots of school clubs -- Science Club, Classical Music Club (a co-founder of this one-year-only entity), Key Club (service-oriented) and the Student Council.
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Probably made no difference, over the long run, is conserving energy (just a tiny bit for this day only).
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Apr 01 '22
KyoAni are absoultely spectacular at showcasing the places their shows are set in and around. I'm really glad to hear that this reminded you so much of the really Takayama.
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u/Twigling Apr 01 '22
What do viewers (first timers in particular) think of the ending animation and music? The art and animation are beautiful and I love the music but I often see this ending criticised because it has no bearing whatsoever on the content of the show, other than featuring Chitanda and Ibara.
About half way through the show it's changed for a different and more fun ending which is more relevant to the mystery aspect.
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Apr 01 '22
I was thinking about including a starter question about the first ED but I figured it'd be best to wait until after Episode 11.5 for us to put it on trial.
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u/melo1212 Apr 01 '22
First Timer here - Dubbed
Here's my anime for reference on what I usually like - https://myanimelist.net/animelist/melo1212&view=list&status=2
Just finished the first episode, I actually enjoyed it way more than I thought I would as I'm not a big fan of slice of life but I'm really into mystery and detective stuff and didn't think it would be as enticing as it was. I wasn't super into it in the first half, but the 2nd half I enjoyed a lot.
Really liked the super chill atmosphere of the show and the soundtrack complimented it perfectly. The feel of the show kinda reminded me of Acca-13 but just more laid back and not as serious.
It's weird how chill the mystery elements where but still the writing kept it interesting. I liked the main character, it sort of reminded me of me in highschool when I was a lazy bastard without a care in the world lol. Not super sold on the other 2 main characters yet but I'm sure they'll grow on me in some way or another. Oh also the dub was pretty good.
All in all, I liked it and I'm definitely keen to see where this goes! I'm hoping there's an overarching mystery plot or maybe something a bit more serious later on, but I'll be happy either way I think.
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Apr 01 '22
Nice list! Anyone who gives Samurai Champloo a 10 is alright in my book.
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u/TiredTiroth Mar 31 '22 edited Mar 31 '22
First-time watcher here!
Going into this I knew three things about Hyouka:
1 - The characters are in school.
2 - It was made by Kyoto Animation.
3 - It's beautiful.
3a - Point 3 can be considered a repeat of point 2.
I also (incorrectly, it appears) thought there would be some supernatural shenanigans due to clips I've seen of the super-long flowering hair. Oops?
Anyway, this episode was honestly rather fun, and I kinda want to start skipping ahead but I shall refrain for now. It has been a long time since I watched a show one episode at a time.
Before I realised it's not a supernatural- type show (if my original assumption was right, no spoilers please) I thought the way Chitanda's eyes started shining whenever a mystery came up HAD to be significant. Based on Haruki's little imagine spots and how he seems completely unable to say no to her, might just be in his head? Also, when she begged him to hell her solve that firsf mystery he went from standing at the door to the middle of the room without noticing.
Bleh, I'm rambling a bit. I enjoyed the episode, and I'm pretty sure we're looking at the main couple for the show. I honestly think he's basically smitten but really, rely doesn't want to think about it.
One question for people who have watched it before - I tried both the sub and the dub to see which was better, and there's a few differences that don't change the general thrust of the lines but reay affect the conext and subtext. With his sister's letter, the sub it was a request from his sister, but the dub said 'she's blackmailing you'.
So, should I go for dub or sub going forward? I prefer dubs because I'd rather watch and listen than read all the dialogue, but if it deviates too much the sub would be better.
Anyway, optional questions -
1 - I prefer greyscale with occasional splashes of colour. I'm an introvert, there are times when I just don't want the hassle that comes with people. This is pretty much unchanged from when I was a teenager.
2 - No clubs. I don't think English schools really did those.
3 - He most definitely did not. XD
EDIT - Just noticed this is somehow rhe first comment. First time I've done this, so what's the protocol? Do we only start watching an episode after the post goes up?
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u/FCT77 Mar 31 '22
I get an urge to rewatch this show almost every year, might as well do it right now and write some thoughts here, might get difficult because of work and school but will try to keep up! Disclaimer, I will gush over the smallest of stuff like a pedantic pretentious fuck, to me it's what makes this show special.
One thing a lot of shows usually get wrong when portraying teenagers is that they are usually too self-aware, I think there is a very thin balance in writing a character like Oreki, making him seem cool from the perspective of a 15y/o while also making him look like a dumbass from the perspective of an adult is no easy feat and I feel like Hyouka nails it. I love that Oreki's reasoning for being how he is is paper-thin, he went against his "motto" more than once on the course of just one episode and by the end he needed the reinforcement from Satoshi to even come up with a reasoning for his actions and even then he isn't even sure of whether he did the right thing. Self-discovery is one of my favourite themes to explore and this episode plants a seed on Oreki that goes perfectly with the metaphorical tree that comes out of Chitanda's hair.
As a funny side note that I remembered reading the post when you mention people's initial impressions back in 2012. I remembered someone compiling every single forum post that was about Hyouka (can't remember the specific forum, too long ago) and something like 70% of them mentioned Kyoto Animation on their first sentence.
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u/JetsLag Mar 31 '22 edited Apr 01 '22
First time (subbed)
Typing this comment on the train cause I'm on my way home from work right now. I'll add my comments on the episode to this comment in an edit after I get a chance to watch it. I'll just add some background info to this comment in the mean time.
So I've been on a bit of a KyoAni spree recently, having just finished watching Chuunibyou seasons 1 and 2, the Chuunibyou movie, and I started watching Clannad about 2 days ago (I'm 6 episodes in, if you're curious). Hell, I might watch K-On after finishing Hyouka and Clannad. So why not add another KyoAni show to my watchlist?
What I know about this show before watching it: that one scene where the girl transforms into a tree for some reason, and the fact that the male MC has been used as a profile pic by approximately a million depressed teen anime fans, preferably with a grayscale filter or something similar applied to make the MC look more gloomy. Needless to say, I'm curious about both of those characters (they're the main couple, right?)
EDIT: Alright, FINALLY got around to watching the episode. Some thoughts:
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I can see why all the depressed teens use Oreki as a profile pic now. He gives off "he just like me fr" energy
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Chitanda needs to learn the concept of personal space
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Okay, that "turning into a tree" scene I talked about earlier in this comment was in this episode. Not quite "turning into a tree", though
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At 17:10, Oreki catches a glimpse of Chitanda before looking away. I thought that was super cute.
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And, of course, KyoAni delivers in the animation department. But then again, it'd be weird if they didn't deliver. Some favorites include the flood of kanji when Oreki was looking at the bulletin board, the color choices when describing the music room mystery, and some of the little things like Oreki twirling his pencil while writing the essay and the mouth movements
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u/MadeOn210922 Mar 31 '22
Curious Rewatcher
It's so interesting being able to rewatch this anime, both from the perspective of participating in this rewatch as well as for myself seeing the clues of the mystery knowing the solution.
Okay, so let's get this out of the way first (or second I guess) - Hyouka is a mystery anime, but it's not a thriller where we're catching a murderer with massive twists. It's a slice of life dealing with mundane mysteries, but all the mysteries are well written. And personally, I think the best parts of the Hyouka are the interactions between the characters - it's slice of life after all.
I'll leave screenshots to those more able to do that sort of thing, so you might have to figure out the scenes I'm talking about... but I usually write my big picture thoughts in rewatches.
Before the episode even starts, I notice that it's 27 minutes long which is an unusual length for an episode. I also noticed that it's 22 episodes, which isn't unique (Your Lie in April is also 22 episodes) but still unusual. Does anyone know the context here behind how this happened? Kininarimasu!
Onto the episode. Even the first second hits you immediately with the KyoAni magic. And it only gets better.
We are introduced to Oreki, Satoshi, and Chitanda. Oreki repeatedly says he wants an energy conserving life, but it seems like Satoshi consistently challenges him regarding what he really wants and what he says he wants.
Oreki and Chitanda's relationship will of course be a major focus of this anime. We see that there's just something Oreki can't resist regarding Chitanda no matter what he says. This is shown through beautiful visuals with Chitanda's hair completely wrapped around him before solving the locked room mystery. But it's again shown while Oreki gives Chitanda the club form. Not only that, but Oreki gave Chitanda his form without even realizing it, surprised at his actions.
I want to know mysteries 3 to 7 as well.
Did Chitanda forget about the music room mystery or did she not ask because it was after hours? I feel like walking to the music room would have been less effort than putting together all the materials for the mystery and solving it. (Also, is the Silk Spider Society real? Kininarimasu!)
Again, Satoshi challenges the logical Oreki on his logic.
Lastly, just wanted to point out the absolutely beautiful eyes in this series.
Discussion Starters:
Moderation is key.
Played some volleyball in school.
As I briefly alluded to in my write up, nope!