Hyouka

"Will the day come when our stories become a classic for someone in the future?"
-Kouriyama Youko, Hyouka, Chapter 5.

The Koten-bu series, an absolute delight for mystery and slice-of-life fans, revolves around the rose-coloured high school life of Oreki Houtarou, Chitanda Eru, Fukube Satoshi, and Ibara Mayaka.

The story starts with Oreki, a regular high-school student wanting nothing more than to live an average life without wasting any energy on activities he deems like a waste of time. A true energy-saver by his own account. He then gets a letter from his turbulent sister, instructing him to join the Classics Club. From then on, Oreki becomes entangled in multiple mysteries occurring in his school, often being the one to solve those mysteries.

The series combines mystery with the slice-of-life genre, resulting in a mystery novel series that feels unbelievably real. The characters are all relatable, with problems and conflicts that many high-school students might find in their own lives. Their monologues, the way they think, and how they perceive the others around them are all presented in such a way that helps the reader understand their characters. They are also not infallible. There are times where they mess up, and the thoughts that go through their head once they do are all too relatable.

The writer, Yonezawa Honobu, creates intriguing mysteries that, despite looking simple at first glance, actually requires a decent amount of deduction to solve. Every single story is engaging and suspenseful without being overbearing. Yet, it is also very detailed, almost to a fault as it savours every detail, making you want to read every single word on the page to ensure that you don't get lost in a sea of information. While reading, I was engrossed in the story, yearning for that final page when the mystery is finally solved. This does, however, result in a very slow pacing that's not for everyone.

The way Honobu maps out the stories throughout multiple volumes keeps the Koten-bu series feeling fresh as each is unique in the way it portrays the story. The first volume was more episodic, with short mysteries sprinkled alongside a larger, more impactful one. Then the second volume becomes much more detailed as, instead of continuing the episodic nature of the first volume, focuses more on a single larger mystery. The third volume portrays the stories from various perspectives of the four main characters instead of focusing solely on Oreki's point of view, allowing readers to better connect with them. This evolution in writing style continues in later volumes, keeping readers anticipating what comes next.

The mixture of mystery and slice-of-life turned out to be exceptional. The creation of realistic and relatable characters alongside mysteries that aren't far-fetched makes the Koten-bu series a delightful read. Even to those who aren't familiar with mystery novels such as me.

Finally, to answer the question. Yes, there will come a time when these stories become a classic, and for the Koten-bu series, that time has arguably come, as it should be regarded as nothing less than a classic. As for subsequent volumes? Well, in the words of an oh-so-curious lady: