Hyouka Episode 14&15 Thoughts

Adorable.

Well, this is late. REALLY late. I had to deal with a heck load of crap from my dad regarding career after University and stuff like that. What the heck’s wrong with the arts anyway? I suck at science! Alright then, enough of that.

Episode 14 is part 3 of the Kanya festival! Things really heat up during the Wildfire cooking contest as the Classics Club scrambles to prepare a dish or two. It’s like watching a show right out of the Food Network, except real-life people can never compare themselves to the endearing cuteness of Ibara and Chitanda… and Misaki Sawakiguchi! Who appeared- no, descended from the heavens, along with her winning smile and atrocious cooking! Surely, this calls for a celebration.

YES.

Ibara couldn’t find “A Corpse by Evening” but at least she and her senpai reached a truce of some sort. Which is good, since I’d much rather admire her in her lovely cosplay than watch her and her senpai start a needless conflict. It’s great that we’re exploring a bit more of Ibara’s character – these moe moments for her allows us to see another, more likeable side of her. I still would like to learn more about the tension b/w her and the Manga Society, especially if it means seeing her in more cosplay.

AAAAW. x3

For once throughout the entire festival, Oreki did something! Turns out he was calling Fukube’s name during the preview (and the fangirls scream), and thanks to him, the Classics Club just barely won. A sack of flour from some pumpkin-girls before the cooking match? He just evolved from Chekhov’s Gun to literal Deus Ex Machina. And yes, that is awesome.

After three episodes of light-hearted fun and games, Hyouka returns with a mystery in episode 15. Everyone knows by now, but the stolen items with a “Juumonji” note left behind all lead on to a perhaps the most ambiguous mystery yet. Well, it’s spelled as “Juumoji” (ten letters), although Oreki wasn’t the only one to figure out this out; the entire school’s in an uproar, with students like Fukube (and the News Club) all racing to uncover this thief and his/her next move. I don’t know why, but I get the feeling the Vocaloids have something to do with this.

“This is bad.”

Speaking of Vocaloids, those cosplayers are the kind of people I absolutely hate; loud gossipers, schemers and attention whores. What do they have against Ibara anyway? Even Kouchi-senpai isn’t that mean… surprisingly enough. Instead of bickering with Ibara, she helped her out for a bit. It even turns out that she knew the creators of “A Corpse by Evening”. The class president herself also seems to know more than she lets on. Hmmm… I’m very curious.

FABULOUS.

I think this is the first time I seen anyone other than Oreki get so worked up about a mystery. I’m not sure why Fukube’s so riled up over finding the culprit and solving the case. My guess is that this has to do with his jealously of Oreki’s talents – his monologue at the end of this episode is proof. I’m curious as to how this Juumoji case will play out with Fukube actively playing the detective; a database can only go so far, after all. And knowing Oreki, he’ll solve this case by next episode. Assuming he’s willing to leave the comfort of his chair, that is.

PFFT, as if.

Chitanda pulling Tougaito to a private corner seemed funnier to me than it should have, and by the end of the day, she smiles gleefully at just the mention of the Classics Club. She still has long ways to go before becoming more Irisu-like, although I wouldn’t mind having this assertive-but-can’t-come-off-as-too-serious side of her. As least for the rest of the festival.

Part 4 of the Kanya Festa ends with plenty of mystery; it’s not too exciting, but it keeps the gears turning. There’s plenty to speculate, like what’s in Fukube’s head and how’ll Ibara bounce back, or whether or not Oreki found a clue (“Oh? They’re selling stuff online, too?”). For now, I’m praying Chitanda gets enough energy to go through another day of advertising and selling the Hyouka anthology.

Thanks for reading!