Mundaneness is one of the things people mainly avoid.

The thought of being stuck in an endless loop of boringness mentally tortures a person. Even when you crave that quiet loneliness, there will always be a breaking point where you seek something else. That “something” can be anything as long as it feeds your curiosity, whether it's finding spider webs underneath your bed or creating stories from the little sticks that's somehow next to you. No matter how much that information you consume can be of relevance or necessary for one's life, that curiosity inside you is nonetheless fulfilled.

Hyouka is a series that highlights the mundanity of mysteries. It's hot the same as other mystery shows where there is one big mystery that lingers throughout the plot and the truth gets revealed episode by episode, but a series that explores small and rather arbitrary mysteries that don't really have their own huge weight when it comes to being worthy of being solved if you look at it at face value and logic, but for the person who was faced with the mystery, their minds will wander all around it until they feel satisfied with the solution. The series presents this in an episodic adventure and sometimes an entire arc where we follow different kinds of engaging mysteries that's entertaining and fulfilling once the mystery is revealed.

The mystery structure of the series is a bit loose since it follows a slice-of-life narrative. But once the focus is the mystery, the series rarely lets you go by holding you in and convincing you to watch throughout, despite the mundanity of the mystery. There is an entire episode where all they're trying to deduce is figuring out why the announcement felt odd or why the parade changed its planned route. These mysteries aren't usually the ones that people engage with because of how trivial they are, but the series convinces you to not let go, which in turn makes you even more curious about how they close. This has been greatly enhanced by the direction of the series, its unique take on visualizing inner thoughts that's captivating and engaging, the choice of music, and an overall beautiful-looking anime.

Another aspect where this show really hooks you further is the characters. Houtarou Oreki (Yuuichi Nakamura) is a protagonist who is disinterested in anything other than doing nothing, and Eru Chitanda (Satomi Satou) is an innocent, bubbly soul that seeks wonder. Oreki and Chitanda’s character dynamics on screen are by far one of the most warm and engaging on screen, despite how subtle they are. As the episodes went along, their chemistry together grew stronger. Mayaka Lbara (Ai Kayano) and Satoshi Fukube (Daisuke Sakaguchi) are also fun supporting characters on screen who have their moments to shine and their own small character dilemmas and growth that's equally engaging.

Overall, Hyouka is a series that shows mystery elements and combines them with slice-of-life elements. Creating one of the most relaxing and engaging series that stood the test of time by being one of the best mystery series and slice-of-life series around.

So, are you curious? ***