There is this gloominess and thorn feeling reading through Oreki Hotaro as described by Hyouka Anime's Director Yasuhiro Takemoto is the first thing I felt when picking up this novel after rewatching the anime for the 100th time. This review is created post the Anilist wave of separating volumes entries so this will only focus on Book One of the Koten-Bu Series.

But even this option was a bit too gray-colored for me ~ Oreki Hotaro

Every single line that I read of this volume I could vividly picture from the anime moments that happened. The way that Oreki reacts to character lines I can visualize his little smirks or little non reactions especially with Satoshi. Some things pacing wise in comparison to the adaptation will be discussed up front because well I literally can't not compare them when my own mind goes directly to the anime for these visuals. I have not really read any japanese media by itself first without the visuals so it's just how my brain processes things.

One of the advantages to the Novel and this volume itself is how it sets up the foreshadowing for so many of the future story points in small "throwaway" text in the form of the evidence gathered for the Sekitani Jun incident. One is the lightning striking while students were hiking a mountain, A call forward to the classroom stand alone story I am assuming in one of the later volumes. Also cut lines like how Oreki deduced Chitanda was in the same elective class in their initial encounter leads directly into the reader being primed for the later mystery about the library book.

I was afraid of the thought of living while being dead inside ~ Chitanda Eru

Even though it's a line said by Chitanda, because it's her uncle who is a really great cautionary tale for Oreki, I'd say it applies to him as well. That in reality, we may not be able to remember the halcyon days but it is better to not have regret eat away at us. That rose-colored life, if stained too brightly will have that high of a fall as well.

Some of the changes that I was happy that were made to the novel into the anime helped streamline the character interactions. A teacher doesn't come in and interrupt their first conversation. Good thing it is only Satoshi because he is relevant to the main cast. Great job at trimming the excess. I love the change where Oreki gives Chitanda his application instead of where he had already submitted it earlier in the day. Gives Chitanda more of that overbearing presence which fits the visuals perfectly.

All in all I love my energy-conserving high schooler who is special to at least one other person and someone I relate to way too much on that fact that I too contemplated that rose colored life, chased it way too hard, and crashed just as much. Oreki obtaining for that gray life means a lot to me.