Quick First Impressions: Hyouka

I’m blinded by the gorgeousness, despite how unsanitary this is.

Wow, this is incredibly late. . . Damn you college! Who needs you anyway. . .

So, Hyouka. Kyoani’s latest endeavor. As you well know, Hyouka (along with Eureka Seven) was my most anticipated of the spring 2012 season. Did it live up to those rather high expectations? Well, I can’t quite say at this point. Honestly, while I did feel a bit underwhelmed by the first episode (and to some extent the second) I find myself wholly intrigued. I couldn’t tell you exactly why, though I think the blinding animation may have something to do with it.

While I found it to be a bit to talky at times, the fluidity of the animation still made it interesting to watch. This is KyoAni after all, if the animation wasn’t mind numbingly awesome I’d demand a refund. Though I found it kind of funny that I wasn’t the only one who thought that the lens for the piano mystery looked like the watercolor effect out of a movie making software.

I’m not a fan of the main character yet, he’s just a bit too laid back to be interesting. I’m happy that Chitanda (whom I find to be quite the catch. Do I see romance on the horizon? Nah, I shouldn’t get my hopes up)  seems to be just the person to bring him out of that rut so to speak. After all, I’ve never heard of a teenager who does nothing just to save some ‘energy.’ It just seems kind of odd is all. I mean, he’s gotta be saving that energy for something right? So, I’m hoping for some burst of energy from him sometime in the near future. You know, preferably a confession of some sort, though I’ll take Chitanda dragging him around everywhere. She’s just a joy to watch. I find her natural curiosity for just about anything refreshing. She’d be a fun friend to have.

Well, with the cliffhanger ending to episode 2, I can safely say that despite my minor disappointment, I enjoyed it and I can’t wait to see how everything plays out.