Sunday 3 June 2012

Hyouka - Episode 7

The summer break means that it's time for a little trip for the members of the Classics Clubs this week; otherwise known as "KyoAni does a hot springs episode".  Yes, really.

Sadly for Houtarou however, it appears that he isn't the type to travel well - not only does he get car sick despite a relatively short journey to the hot springs, but he also doesn't handle sitting in the hot springs too well either, leaving him feeling dizzy and decidedly out of sorts come the end of the day.  This means that he misses the evening's entertainment, that being some good old-fashioned ghost stories.  But hey, it's all just nonsense right?


Or is it?  The next morning, both Chitanda and Ibara swear that they've seen the "hanging ghost" in the fated room seven during the night, with the latter in particular decidedly disturbed by the whole thing.  Houtarou refuses to believe ghosts have anything to do with this entire scenario of course, but what's the real answer?  Reluctantly, Oreki sets his mind to figuring out the real reason for the sighting of an "apparition" in a normally unused and sealed room, and needless to say it's something far more mundane than any kind of supernatural encounter.

We certainly seem to be well and truly entrenched in Hyouka's modus operandi by now, presenting us as it does with episodic, small-time mysteries which it's up to Oreki to solve in short order.  To be fair, given our protagonist's attitude, propensity for snappy one-liners and general demeanour as he bounces off the rest of the cast, this remains a surprisingly entertaining way of doing things, backed up as always by that continually gorgeous animation which manages to be classy even when we enter into what is normally a typical anime fan service territory.  Hyouka isn't quite a show that I'll race to see before everything else this week, but I am rather enjoying it in its own subtle and quiet way for the most part, ensuring that I remain curious as to whether it can last the course by delivering this kind of story week upon week.

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