Koten-bu Series

Perhaps I want to talk a bit more about the author Yonezawa in my review.
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As many have already noticed, Yonezawa sensei began to move away from Koten-bu series in recent years and worked on other literature which explores darker and depressing theme such as abolishing countryside infrastructure in Japan as a result of ageing population. We have seen traces like that in Hyouka anime in the last few episode: as teenagers grow up and move to cities, the suburban area where our main character happened to live is destined to age and fall gradually. Chitanda in the last episode confess to Oreki that she will eventually return to this land as she felt she has the family responsibility to develop her homeland. I think, Yonezawa sensei might have felt the same way. He was sad to see his hometown gradually losing spirit, and wants to use his power, through his words and stories, to bring the spirit back. And it worked. Hyouka was set scene in Takayama (Yonezawa's hometown) and the tourists number had risen by a large amount even since the work's release! it encouraged teens and other young business to ripe in the area.
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I don't know if Yonezawa sensei will return to Koten-bu series but I sincerely hope so. I really want to see how Chitanda will get out from the emotion turmoil she is in rn. And 'I am curious' as to how Oreki will help Chitanda.
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P.S I visited the Takayama 3 years ago. There's Hyouka reference and fans footprint everywhere. There's even a Hyouka official map where you can go visit the library, school, the cherry blossom road, the market, the riverbank, etc. I'll definitely encourage you to go if you are a Hyouka fan! plus they have great beef and Onsen.

Koten-bu.

This word means classical literature in Japanese and is also the name of the club that the storyline revolves. And living up with the title itself, the novel tells a slow-pace story about the activities of the same titled club. And everything started with an anthology named Hyouka.

Sounds mystery, huh? Yeah, that’s right. This kind of club doesn’t have a true activity for most of the time, so of course it must involve with some unrelated ones. But unlike some vague-purposed club’s activities? or plotting for a harem, its members solve some of the mysteries they met during daily life. Like before-mentioned, the pace is slow, so if patience is out of the question, then the consideration reading it should be the same, too.

And now come the mysteries. There are something terrific, some exciting, but mostly trivials. They are hardly noticeable, but when their existence is known, it is hard to overlook. Leading the curiousity of readers, the author has built up a well-written story with meticulously calculated series of mysterious events. Though those may hold not that much of meaning, they appear very casual and that’s what makes reading the series so relaxing.

And on that set-up stage, the characters fulfill their roles.

Houtarou Oreki is a ordinary main character. His appearance is normal, his personality is also popular and a person of his caliber is not inspriring at all. Then throughout six volumes so far, he shows sharp eyes on the surroundings. This definitely is a popular character. But let reconsider the time the series began. There weren’t many characters like Hikigaya there, and someone close might be das boiz Conan. So this character had his caliber formed by himself. Then his popularity isn’t an ordinary anymore.

Eru Chitanda is also a popular main charactress. She has mature air around her, but her curiousity is the proof of her yet matured personality. She is childish, innocent?, and mostly the cause of troubles for Oreki. But without her, Koten-bu might have nothing at all and that would be the least of interest, so she plays her role well. Since she has flaws, it’s expected of readers to observe her maturity and that, of course, makes room for further developments of the story. So Chitanda is definitely, maybe a good developing protagonist.

For the remaining two Fukube and Ibara, they surely bring the balance to the formation. There is nothing much to say, because that will spoil the details, but the flexibility in the points of view gradually leaves some spaces for their credits.

With that core of staffs, the story deliberately progresses. They discover the truth after mysteries, but those don’t come like mushrooms after rain. Therefore, they casually indulge themselves in daily life and this creates even more opportunities to expand the contents, whilst not falling too far from the original ideas. The variation in characters’ perspectives blows fresh air in the chain of events and does have some contributions to the series. In comparison, Conan had begun with well set-up cases of crime, but then gradually lost its initial nature and became akwardly romantic among endlessly repeated criminal plots for ridiculous reasons. This point I believe is the goodness of Koten-bu.

I really like the discontinuum of time flowing in Koten-bu, which was significantly shown in the collection of short stories, because just read it and you know what I meant. Something is invisible there.

The illustration is almost non-existent, and the protagonists didn’t appear until the cover of the fifth volume, but that’s great. The cover with real pictures does serve its purpose, like the rooftop under the sky along with the title ‘E*** t***** I** t*** I n** h*** w****’. Totally classic. Without those illustrated characters, we can concentrate on how come the works genuinely attract attentions. How many light novels have the guts to do that? And since people didn’t seemingly fall for some cute characters, the series has served its goal, providing something genuine that readers can honestly enjoy. If the illustration is concerned, then Hyouka’ll be a better choice. Of course, it will be more dramatic, since it is an animation work, but the anime does stick to its original and the end with the p***** of h****-d**** is whole-heartedly spectacular.

Honestly, I did watch the animation before coming to the series. People said the anime was bad, but I felt it different. It did convey what the original works possess, while rearranged the storyline due to the continuum of time. And at the success in adapting, what can be said about its source? In that way, I believe this series is actually a lost gem, because the author can write what he initially purposes. And for the reason it’s lost, who knows when it’ll finally have an ending. Nevertheless, the way it can end at any time does have its own greatness. Just accept it, me. =))

Let me preface this review by admitting that Hyouka is by far one of my favorite shows. Therefore, I had very high expectations going into its textual form. To be straightforward, these expectations were met and surpassed with no difficulty. The prose, the details, everything else: they all made it possible to easily re-enter the world of Hyouka. And while many say that the artwork in the show is one of its best aspects, it is truly seen in its original novel series that that is clearly not the case, and bluntly, it isn’t even needed.

I will refrain from an elaborate review of the first few volumes since KyoAni produced a spectacular adaptation. But for formal review sake, I would simply like to state that these chapters do a wonderful job introducing our beloved characters, and giving life to our favorite Classics Club. Oreki is reluctant as always and Chitanda is as curious as her anime counterpart.

However, now the question is how well does the story continue? What have we not seen under the precision and beauty of KyoAni’s production? Well, in short, it’s the same quality of substances that viewers have already experienced in Hyouka(2012). Currently, there are only two additional volumes that are not part of the animation (except for one chapter about Ogi-sensei and helicopters).

The first additional volume, volume 5, is an arc where the Classics Club members are now second years. They attempt to recruit more members and stumble upon an underclassman that seems interested initially. However, her interest suddenly changes and tension is caused between Chitanda and this new character. Oreki utilizes his power of deduction, as he does, to find the reason for her sudden change of heart. These chapters were an interesting read. It gave us a shakeup in the cast as well as an entertaining chance to imagine Oreki in his prime environment, the school marathon.

However, what I truly enjoyed was volume 6. Although there is still a slim chance, I still feel disappointed that I probably won’t be able to experience these chapters in an animation form. For a concise summary, these chapters dive deeper into the club members' individual and unique character (all except for Satoshi - but he already had that Valentine chapter so no harm no foul). It shines the spotlight on Ibara and her manga, Oreki and his motto, and Chitanda and her future. While these chapters are episodic, as viewers of Hyouka can expect, it is written superbly and emotionally intriguing, and is obviously a sign of love for the characters. Each chapter fleshes out an individual, allowing for even more relatability from the reader, and provides additional evidence supporting the growth of their relationship with another character.

Throughout the series, we get to see Oreki use his logic in these so-called mysteries that many could argue to be futile or obvious. But what I learned from Hyouka and continue to agree with after reading these two volumes, is simply that the beauty of this series is not in the detective work. The true gem is found within our four curious characters (some more curious than others), their bonds, and their ever so subtle development as they fabricate, experience, and enjoy their rose-colored high school life.

How can I guarantee this series is as good as I say it is? Perhaps I’m being biased. Perhaps the translators deserve the credit by providing improvements, obvious or subtle, to the story (I will never know if this is the case). Perhaps it is naive for me to say that there isn’t anything else like this series in the world (partly because one could say this for any piece of art that hasn’t been struck with copyright infringements, partly because my experience in (light)novels is meager compared to those who can proudly say they are experts in this medium).

Perhaps.

But perhaps Yonezawa created a series that is actually as magnificent as I believe it to be... yeah, I prefer that one. And if it is true, it gives merit to my review. But alas, since this is a subjective review, as all reviews happen to be, I believe that my opinion on Oreki’s quasi-idyllic life could be valid and/or useful to other readers who might have stumbled upon this wonderful series, regardless which “Perhaps...” is true.

Although what I’m about to say is unfortunately derived from my pessimistic expectations of Yonezawa, I genuinely hope for the continuation of this wonderful series. Maybe this series was just something for fun. Maybe this series was just a lucky break. But as Irisu-senpai said, “Everyone ought to recognize their own talents… Or it would be painful to watch for those without”.

But maybe the author actually got bored of the series, or blinded and overwhelmed by the very rose-colored life he himself manifested. Or maybe he is lost and is unable to discover a clear path for this series to travel upon. If that’s the case, then I, who is simply an earnest fan, give you these wings, Yonezawa, as the path might be hidden in the sky. But if you respond as the innocent Chitanda did when contemplating inside the storehouse, and say, “Even though I’m told I now have wings, what am I supposed to do?”, then I will follow Oreki's footsteps and leave you with something similar to his (lack of) response:

I had said everything I needed to say and done everything I needed to do. The rest, no matter how much it pains me, is for you to sort out.