Hyouka Episode 21 Thoughts

I’m not too fond of University, but I hate being in the hospital even more. =_=

To my surprise, there’s one more episode AFTER this one, so I apologize for causing any tear-induced misunderstandings. Afterall, a bitter ending is no way to end a series. Since we really don’t have much time before the finale, I’d like to talk about just one thing about this episode… one very, very important thing, and that’s the stressful bond our Classics Club have.

I’m such an idiot.

It’s Valentine’s Day! Guaranteed to be the happiest, saddest, or boring…est… day of your entire youth! The day when you can walk up and confess to your special someone, or to simply show your gratitude. It’s the day where Mayaka can finally get an answer from Satoshi, although it may not be exactly what she expected. Unlike the Valentine’s Day you’d normally see in something like, say Acchi Kocchi, this one in particular is not sweet, cute, or even bittersweet. No, it’s bitter; chunky, raw, dark chocolate bitter. And it leaves us wondering just what kind of relationship these four have after all.

“But you hurt Chitanda in the process.”

Houtarou’s abilities are at such a level that Satoshi’s efforts will never amount to anything, so he doesn’t try. Now, we know that’s his biggest reason for his jealously for Houtarou and why he had to hurt Mayaka; he’ll never be the best at anything, and even if he does it’ll be boring. Truly, all of his effort will never amount to anything. So he’ll stop obsessing over anything, and find enjoyment that way… even if it means hurting & lying to the people he cares about.

Satoshi loves Mayaka, there’s no doubt about that, but he’s afraid to go with it. So he tries to avoid it in ways that causes her the least pain despite knowing her feelings. On the other hand, Mayaka knew it was him all along, but chose to keep quiet about it either out of love for Satoshi, or because she believes it was his “answer”. She told Eru, who then figured Houtarou lied for Satoshi’s sake and decided to kept it a secret from the former. Finally, Houtarou knew who the culprit was since the start, lying to Eru to spare her the further breakdown and to spare Satoshi the blame.

“Sorry. In the end, I didn’t really understand you at all. But I can’t really say that to him.”

I may be stretching it, but the Classics Club may be a deconstruction of the “family-group” KyoAni’s previous shows were so fond of; Lucky Star‘s Konata & friends, Clannad‘s Theatre/Drama Club, Haruhi‘s SOS Brigade, K-On‘s Light Music Club, and Nichijou‘s fun-sized cast – all of them have had a common theme of being a “family”, “friends-for-life”, or “true companions”. But as pointed out by my brother, the Classics Club are “Strangers on a Tide”; they all lie, keep secrets, and hurt one another. They don’t really understand each other’s hearts. But they still want to be together.

Well, that’s enough analysis for now. Don’t worry Mayaka, I still love you. ^_^ I’m sure Satoshi will come around and tell you how he really feels. As for Satoshi himself, I have even more respect for him now. Also, I didn’t think Eru would be so hurt over this ordeal. She really loves her friends, doesn’t she? As for Houtarou, well, good luck to you, man. I’m burned out, but at the same time, I’m burning for the last episode! Of course, no matter how it all ends, I’m going to be crying either way.

Thanks for reading!