I appreciate the dark turn, the notion we're getting the Demon King stuff after all, and I'll applaud the shit out of this if they actually killed off Yoshiharu and we're dealing with legitimate fallout. He'll turn up alive though.
Damn, that was an incredibly beautiful and immensely satisfying conclusion; likely the best episode of the entire series.
The relationship between Oreki and Chitanda has developed in a very satisfying manner, becoming one of the best aspects of the show. As such,
Oreki and Chitanda's relationship took center focus throughout this episode, and it was, once again, fantastic, despite the somewhat open ending. They complement each other extremely well, due particularly to their great chemistry. Their final conversation was amazing, and a perfect sequence to close the series on. It drew on so many elements of their developed characters, particularly the contrast in stature and class between the two of them, resulting in a rather significant portion of insight into Chitanda's state of mind. That entire conversation was framed beautifully, with a strikingly colorful aesthetic that effectively highlighted the distinctly extensive change that had taken place in Oreki, and how significant his feelings had become for Chitanda. I thought his "confession" strongly mirrored the scene in the very first episode where his imagination creatively portrays an illusion in which her vines entangle him.
As utterly brilliant as the Festival arc was, I’d have say that these last few episodes have, surprisingly, been even better, as they’ve fully delved into the characters, delivering a satisfying pay-off to all the bits of small character development that filled the earlier parts of the story. The pacing of this episode was quite excellent, effortlessly balancing the complex workings of the
procession with the more isolated focus on Houtarou's thoughts and his feelings toward Chitanda.
The tone of this episode was in such distinct contrast to that in the previous one, creating a very noticeable dichotomy between the melancholy nature of the Valentine episode and the
sweetly romantic
nature of this one. As superb as they usually are, the production values were particularly incredible in the final episode, from the
dream-like procession to the final conversation beneath the sunset
As for the series as a whole, the story was exceptionally structured, deftly weaving a plethora of subtle emotions gradually into the characters and, consequentially, the story. The direction delicately handled these nuances with a mastery that’s really rather impressive. I thought the story benefited considerably by having Oreki’s perspective be the central focus, since it allowed for the most satisfyingly complete character arc, portraying how significantly his outlook evolved over the course of the show, due especially to Chitanda’s influence and inquisitive nature. I loved how the show quietly detailed Oreki’s gradual development into a character willing to do much more than is required, culminating with his participation in the
procession
, something he would never have put any actual effort into achieving earlier in the series. Since these character developments were allowed to slowly build over time, it resulted in these moments of noticeable growth to be more strongly resonating and important.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the unexpected insight into Satoshi’s flaws, and how difficult it was for him to pursue an actual relationship with Mayaka, despite how strongly he felt toward her. It seemed as though there was a bit of a
happy resolution to that somewhat troubled relationship here, since it showed them together, potentially dating, after what I now assume was a pleasant phone call at the end of the last episode
.
The animation was astoundingly good throughout the entire show, especially when dealing with the very particular, subtle facial expressions that often illuminated the intentions behind specific moments far better than words could ever have hoped to have likewise achieved. This was especially evident during quiet interactions between the characters, such as last episode’s bridge scene and the sunset conversation from this episode. The music often evoked a certain poetic wistfulness that accompanied many moments quite wonderfully, and the specific selection used for the last scene of this episode is easily my favorite.
The layered, multi-dimensional characters often elevated the story above the occasionally mundane mysteries. As such, the mysteries, for the most part, ranged from mediocre to outstanding, but, alas, they certainly weren't the main draw of the series for me. The best mysteries were those that dealt specifically with the main characters, since they usually allowed a heightened level of fascinating insight into their complex emotions and ideologies. The story never faltered in it’s execution, rarely failing to be interesting, hardly ever slipping into an unfortunately dull nature, save for episode six, which was the only exception. However, I can’t complain about that episode too much, considering the other twenty-one episodes, because, in those episodes, there was a distinct energy that permeated the story, even during the more subdued arcs. There was, above all, very few flaws of any particular significance within the story or characters that I could elaborate on, save for, as I’ve already mentioned, the terrible sixth episode, which is best left forgotten entirely.
All in all, Hyouka was an extremely impressive show, particularly excelling with it's terrific writing, direction, artistic composition, animation, and character development. This was, for me, the best show of the year so far, and it's final episode has only reaffirmed that belief. Really, this was KyoAni at their best.
It's kinda funny how out of all the regular people posting about Hyouka, firehawk is the only one who bothered to do a real write up. Everyone else seems too withdrawn by the fact that the show is actually over.
But I have to agree with him. It was a pretty amazing ending.
It's kinda funny how out of all the regular people posting about Hyouka, firehawk is the only one who bothered to do a real write up. Everyone else seems too withdrawn by the fact that the show is actually over.
But I have to agree with him. It was a pretty amazing ending.
KADOKAWA days of despair - 23
As much as i enjoyed last week , i disliked the ep this week.
The vilain motivations didn't appeal to me , and the fighting was médiocre nothing worthy of note in the animation... AND i still don't understand the point of yurikano in the plot at this point ..
looks like guts is getting in on the genderswap revisionist history too. this development will undoubtedly be explained in the next part of the berserk manga that will never be published
KADOKAWA days of despairs - 23
As much as i enjoyed last week , i disliked the ep this week.
The vilain motivations didn't appeal to me , and the fighting was médiocre nothing worthy of note in the animation... AND i still don't understand the point of yurikano in the plot at this point ..
Isnt she trapped in Rin-ne? I guess shes there for that?
Anyway, I wish they would adapt the manga, Yurikano, Kirius, Array, Izo, and everything is so much better than Madoka, Lan, Muginami, and the plot feels better and is more enjoyable even if it is ecchi :/
What was the point of most of this season if they are just going to reset character development instantly and undo everything because they need a conflict to end the show with?
There was an awful lot of that in Lagrange 23. It seems like it's supposed to come off as the equivalent of a shaky cam fight in an action movie, but... You know, doesn't.
There was an awful lot of that in Lagrange 23. It seems like it's supposed to come off as the equivalent of a shaky cam fight in an action movie, but... You know, doesn't.
What was the point of most of this season if they are just going to reset character development instantly and undo everything because they need a conflict to end the show with?
I was gonna rant about how awful this show was before festival arc (so it's over half bad, that's like an 8.8 on ign!), but that climatic head tilt negates everything.
It's adapted from a kids' manga, but it runs at 2:00AM in the middle of the night, so it's one of those things like Sora no Otsohimono or Mirai Nikki.
I guess it's aimed at the same age groups as all the light novel anime.
Isnt she trapped in Rin-ne? I guess shes there for that?
Anyway, I wish they would adapt the manga, Yurikano, Kirius, Array, Izo, and everything is so much better than Madoka, Lan, Muginami, and the plot feels better and is more enjoyable even if it is ecchi :/
What was the point of most of this season if they are just going to reset character development instantly and undo everything because they need a conflict to end the show with?
What a beautiful end to the series. This series started out a bit slowly, but turned into one of the most wonderful crescendos I've seen in a long time. Hyouka only got better as it went on, leading into this wonderfully fitting and beautiful finale.
Oreki's development as a character has been magnificently subtle throughout. While Chitanda obviously had the most influence on him, Satoshi and Mayaka also had a huge role to play in his development. The character dynamic is played to great effect throughout the entirety of the show, but the best part is how Hyouka doesn't just tell you what characters are feeling, it really shows the viewer with little subtle cuts, creative lighting, and masterful use of color in both the characters and especially the background art. In this episode, when the sun is going down, the lighting is pink rather than the usual orange, which works with the Sakura trees prevalent in the episode's subject matter and end. to use an example.
Satoshi's relationship with Oreki is both subtlety complex and brilliantly simple. They both have respect for the other, and simultaneously envy each other to some extent (though Satoshi shows it more). They're the perfect yin/yang of hard work vs. pure talent. And now that Oreki has gotten more "energetic" in recent days, he's much better suited to helping Satoshi with his problems by being able to actually get angry and present options that show consideration for others (see last week's episode).
Opposite of Oreki we have Chitanda, who's curiosity often goes completely out of control. Oreki is the best person she could have possibly met in her life, as she's the kind of person who needs someone willing to reel her in when she goes too far. But she's also a positive influence on Oreki, who's clearly by show's end starting to come out of his shell. And on a personal level, I admit I'm a complete sucker for "classic" beauties, of which Chitanda most certainly is and is no better exemplified than this final episode.
While she's not my favorite character, I have a lot of respect for Mayaka. She's very determined, hard working, and super cute. But she also adds very little to the character interaction outside of her strong affection for Satoshi. She still adds some balance to the crew though, which is important, and her relationship with Satoshi also affects Oreki's so it's not like she's unimportant. I guess she's the most normal member of the cast, I suppose.
Heh, this turned into an overall show gush rather than about this specific episode. Oh well. XD I wish I could write more, but whenever I sit down to actually write it all disappears, lost with thoughts of "that's pointless to write about" and "it's already been said by ___insert__username___here__" thoughts. I guess I'm just saying that I don't feel I have the words to properly express just how magnificent Hyouka was to me, and recently it's been the only show I regularly watch, which is why I'm sad that it's ending. I would love nothing more than for Kyoto Animation to revisit Hyouka in the future.
