Line #156 Literature/Hyouka


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tropes_hyouka_6253.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350: Your average classic literature club. They solve mysteries. [[note]] From left to right: [[PhotographicMemory Satoshi Fukube,]] [[BrilliantButLazy Houtarou Oreki,]] [[SuperSenses Eru Chitanda,]] and [[{{Tsundere}} Mayaka Ibara]] [[/note]]]]
3
4	->''"If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, I'll make it quick."''
5	-->-- '''Houtarou Oreki''''s life motto
6
7	''Hyouka'' (氷菓[[note]]"Ice Cream"[[/note]]) is a mystery novel written by Honobu Yonezawa, serving as the first volume in a total of six in the ''Classic Literature Club'' (古典部 - ''Koten-bu'') series. It was turned into an {{anime}} in the spring of 2012, produced by Kadokawa Shoten, animated by Creator/KyotoAnimation and directed by Yasuhiro Takemoto, with [[Literature/FullMetalPanic Shoji Gatoh]] serving as series composer, and Futoshi Nishiya serving as character designer; the series covered the first four volumes of the novel that had been published to that date. A manga counterpart was started in January 2012 in ''Monthly Shonen Ace''.
8
9	The story follows a [[BrilliantButLazy lackluster]] teenager by the name of Houtarou Oreki who, while cursing his first year of high school, lives by his motto "If I don't have to do it, I won't. If I have to do it, I'll make it quick". Nonetheless, things don't go as planned, as Oreki becomes involved with his high school's "Classics Club" at the behest of his elder sister. There, he meets Eru Chitanda, an apparently happy-go-lucky girl [[TheBeautifulElite belonging to a very wealthy family]] who, besides having an extraordinary memory, possesses a level of curiosity far exceeding that of anyone Oreki has ever seen. Alongside the curious Chitanda, the chipper Satoshi, and the strict Ibara, Oreki will find himself pushed into using his untapped talent in solving various mysteries ranging in nature and scope throughout his foreseeable high school days.
10
11	After five years, the anime series was finally licensed for an English language release by Creator/{{FUNimation}}, who released the series in two parts as Blu-ray/DVD combo packs in July and September of 2017. The English dub is also available for viewing [[https://www.funimation.com/shows/hyouka/ here]].
12
13	A live-action film based on the series, ''Hyouka: Forbidden Secrets'', was released in 2017. It stars Creator/KentoYamazaki as Oreki and Alice Hirose as Chitanda.
14
15	[[FanTranslation Fan Translations]] of the original Hyouka novel series can be read [[https://www.baka-tsuki.org/project/index.php?title=Hyouka here]]. This includes the yet-to-be adapted volumes ''It walks by past'' and ''Even though I'm told I now have wings''.
16	----
17	!!''Hyouka'' demonstrates the following tropes:
18
19	* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil: Downplayed when Satoshi uses his position on the Executive Committee to put the Kotenbu's name on the far left of the festival brochure to make it more noticeable. Oreki doesn't notice it (and calls it an abuse of power when it's shown to him).
20	* AccidentalPervert: It wasn't that bad, but being caught by your friend after you've been [[spoiler:peeking at photos of them in cute outfits]] ''would'' be pretty embarrassing.
21	* AlcoholHic: Heard when Chitanda gets drunk on whiskey chocolates.
22	* AllJustADream: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xtuubiTq_M The second opening]], in which Houtarou disappears into a surreal dream.
23	* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Ibara has had a crush on Satoshi since middle school, but, despite being aware of this, Satoshi still hasn't returned her feelings. [[spoiler:Or, rather, he's afraid to]].
24	* AlmostKiss: Twice in episode 19. Notable because Chitanda has had a habit of invading Oreki's personal space since episode 1, so her sudden awareness of their facial proximity is a sign she is becoming aware of her feelings toward him.
25	* AlternateCharacterReading:
26	** Discussed regarding the word "犠牲" ("sacrifice")[[note]]which can be read as either ''gisei''--"scapegoat" or ''ikenie''--"offering"[[/note]] in the foreword to the second volume of ''Hyouka''. [[spoiler:This may be because Sekitani was forced to be this scapegoat, but came to take the position willingly]]. This trope is also the origin of the term "Kanya Fest". It appears to be a simple shortening of "Kamiyama", but [[spoiler:"''Kan'ya''" is actually another reading of Sekitani (関谷)]].
27	** Also appears during the festival itself, regarding the mysterious thief Juumonji. [[spoiler:His name can be read as "ten letters", the rule behind his series of thefts]].
28	** Oreki gets tripped up by this twice in the same episode; it turns out he's been misreading the names of the StudentCouncilPresident ''and'' the doujin circle that made ''A Corpse by Evening''. What makes the latter example even worse is that the reading is written in Latin letters ''right next'' to the kanji...
29	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Brought to the forefront for several characters during the Kanya Fest arc.
30	** Satoshi realizes, once again, that he will never have the effortless detective skill that Houtarou does.
31	** Mayaka wonders whether her manga will ever be as good as ''A Corpse by Evening''.
32	** [[spoiler:This trope is the whole reason behind both Kouchi's {{Jerkass}} attitude and the Juumoji Incident. Kouchi is deliberately avoiding reading ''A Corpse by Evening'' so she won't have to acknowledge that something so good was drawn by someone who did it as a lark. Tanabe (the true identity of Juumoji), likewise, is frustrated that said artist refuses to go back to drawing. He considers it a disservice to the world not to express such incredible talent when there are people like Tanabe who want that skill but will never achieve it]].
33	* AmbiguousDisorder: When Chitanda really wants to say something she won't establish any kind of context before cutting right to the chase, leaving the receiver of her comments without any clue as to what she actually meant. If she gets curious, she ''will'' convince Houtarou to get her the answers, usually by simply expressing her overwhelming curiosity so strongly that Houtarou has no way out of its glare but to submit.
34	* AnchoredShip:
35	** Satoshi goes out of his way to not answer Mayaka's feelings for him. [[spoiler:Taken to an almost bastardly level in episode 21 where, in order to avoid giving her an answer, Satoshi destroys the Valentine's Day chocolate that Mayaka planned on giving him.]] They finally begin dating at the beginning of their second year.
36	** [[spoiler:Houtarou and Eru]] end up like this as well, although for [[CannotSpitItOut different reasons]].
37	* ArcWords: Each episode, whether it is part of an arc or is a standalone story, ends with a short phrase that, upon inspection, is related to the plot.
38	** The Jun Sekitani arc episodes end with "the niece of time", a reference to the plot's similarity to ''Literature/TheDaughterOfTime'', with "daughter" changed to "niece" to match Chitanda's relationship to Sekitani.
39	** The Student Film arc has "Why didn't she ask Eba?", which cuts to the meat of the mystery--[[spoiler:if Irisu actually wanted to know Hongou's intended ending for the film, why didn't she just ask Eba, Hongou's best friend]]? It's also a reference to the Creator/AgathaChristie mystery novel ''Why Didn't They Ask Evans?''
40	** The Random Stories arc has "little birds can remember", which is a reference to yet another Agatha Christie mystery novel (''Elephants Can Remember''). The "little bird" is possibly Chitanda.
41	* ArtificialRiverbank:
42	** Comes up a few times in the first opening.
43	** In episode 11, when it's Chitanda's turn to talk to Oreki about the school film's ending, the scene takes place at one of these.
44	* ArtShift: Sequences play that help illustrate the analyses that the characters discuss when solving a mystery, and they are animated a different way each time. In the anime, we so far have a pop-up book, mixed media imagery of '60s propaganda, and sketchy, dreamy animation. Episode 9 features three possible solutions to a mystery and a different art style for each proposal.
45	* AttentionDeficitOohShiny: Chitanda has to ask the student council president if he can give the Classics Club more space for the festival, but she ends up getting distracted by all of the cool festival activities she encounters on her way to the student council room.
46	* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Oreki. When he puts effort into it, he can make brilliantly logical deductions by simply examining and thinking about a few clues in a matter of minutes. Houtarou often says that his deductions are simply luck.
47	* BatmanGambit: Kouchi baits Ibara by being patronizing as a way to get customers. "See the Girls at War" posters were made in advance.
48	* BeachEpisode: The OVA. It was a public pool though.
49	* BigFancyHouse: Chitanda's place. It's quite impressive.
50	** The Classics Club meets at Chitanda's in episode 4. When Oreki and Satoshi bike there, the anime takes the opportunity to show off the scale and grandeur of the Chitanda family's land and mansion. Satoshi is a little disappointed when, instead of a butler or a servant, Chitanda greets them at the door.
51	** Mentioned again in episode 18. Oreki compares a Japanese castle in a magazine to Chitanda's place:
52	--->'''Oreki:''' Your house is pretty grand, too.
53	--->'''Chitanda:''' My house isn't all that grand. I think it's just a little bigger than normal.
54	--->''[aerial shot of Chitanda's property]''
55	--->'''Oreki:''' ''[to self]'' I don't understand what your idea of "normal" is.
56	* BookEnds: The anime ends with a scene similar to where it began: Houtarou and Eru together in the Spring, but this time, Houtarou allows himself to bask in the glow of the rose-colored cherry blossoms.
57	* BottleEpisode: The bulk of episode 19 consists of Oreki and Chitanda in the Club Room trying to figure out the mystery behind a mysterious announcement.
58	* BreakTheCutie: Satoshi's normally jovial expression is broken momentarily when Oreki tells him he's found a lead in the Juumoji case by means ''other'' than discovering a mistake or connection of occurrences, methods Satoshi has tirelessly been using in an effort to solve the case himself.
59	* BreakingTheFourthWall: There is a very subtle one at the start of episode 11. After Oreki's [[spoiler:clever movie ending is completely trashed by Ibara]], as soon as she has left the room, Oreki turns and [[AsideGlance looks directly at the camera]].
60	* BrilliantButLazy:
61	** Oreki. He is always complaining about how little energy he has left.
62	** Also, [[spoiler:the illustrator of ''A Corpse By Evening'']]. He's extraordinarily talented, but rarely uses his abilities; he only did that one task "for fun" and refuses to create anything else. [[spoiler:The entire Juumonji incident]] was an elaborate, and unsuccessful, attempt to convince him to help with a new project.
63	* CantHoldHerLiquor: Chitanda in episode 9. Granted, the whiskey chocolates were stated to be rather strong and she did wind up going through almost the entire box by herself--but she still wound up getting so drunk she passed out and woke up with a hang-over, so it probably still qualifies.
64	* CatchPhrase:
65	** Chitanda's "Watashi, ki ni narimasu!", variously translated as "I can't stop thinking about it!", "I'm curious!", etc. It's a sign to Oreki that things won't be quiet for a while.
66	** Oreki's "Bingo".
67	* CatchphraseInterruptus: Oreki stops Chitanda's in episode 15.
68	* ChainOfDeals: At the beginning of episode 12, Oreki's sister gives him a broken fountain pen for no particular reason as he leaves for the school festival. Later on, a fashion club member asks to use it as an accessory, giving Oreki a voucher for a free make-over in exchange. In the next episode, another student arrives to buy an anthology from the Classics Club booth and Oreki gives him a heads-up that his fly is down; Oreki gives him the safety pin from the back of the voucher so he can fix it. The student then gives Oreki his toy water pistol in return. The next episode, Oreki trades the gun along with an anthology to two members of the confectionery research club for two packs of cookies, as well as a pack of wheat flour. Oreki then gives the flour to Satoshi to help Mayaka in the cooking contest (by tossing it down from a window instead of actually going down there himself, [[BrilliantButLazy naturally]]). In the episode following, Mayaka (at his request) repays him by giving him a mirror from her ''Manga/HimitsuNoAkkoChan'' "Akko"-chan cosplay. When his sister drops by the next day, she decides to keep it going by trading him a copy of ''A Corpse by Evening'', which turns out to be [[spoiler:essential to solving the Juumonji incident]].
69	* CherryBlossoms: A very nice scene given during the time Chitanda invites Houtarou to her small home district to help her in a doll festival. Too stimulating for Houtarou's energy conservationalism, but he ''did'' enjoy it.
70	* ChildhoodFriends: Oreki, Satoshi, and Ibara. If you couldn't tell from their banters already.
71	* {{Chuunibyou}}: Members of the Club seems to have this syndrome. All of them take very seriously their duties in the Club, at the point of working more as a Mystery Club than a Literature Club.
72	* {{Cliffhanger}}: [[spoiler:The ending of the last published novel ''Even Though I'm Told I Now Have Wings''. The reader is left not knowing under what circumstances Chitanda lost/may lose her position as heiress to the Chitanda family's legacy, and what will become of her should she lose such an important aspect of her life and upbringing thus far]].
73	* ClubStub: The Classics Club was in danger of being discontinued due to low membership had it not been for Houtarou joining.
74	* CookingDuel: One staged by the Cooking Club though their members are the judges and commentators rather than the contestant.
75	* CordonBleughChef[=/=]LethalChef: PlayedForLaughs in episode 14; Misaki Sawaguchi from the Astronomy Club. What in the world ''was'' that, anyway?
76	* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Hyouka'' is this compared to the other slice-of-life themed titles from [[Creator/KyotoAnimation KyoAni]], containing more realistic and serious tone, dealing with mystery-solving, manipulation, logical thinking, and generally less wacky hijinks than other titles have.
77	* DaydreamSurprise: [[spoiler:Done in the last moments of the finale. With Chitanda mildly lamenting her fate within their small city (in short, keeping it alive), Oreki proposes that she does not have to do it alone to her elated surprise. One brutal GilliganCut tells us that Oreki only imagined saying that to her, being too afraid of relinquishing his current lifestyle with such a proposal]].
78	* DeadpanSnarker: Oreki.
79	* DitzyGenius: Oreki pegs Chitanda as this.
80	* [[DoggedNiceGuy Dogged Nice Girl]]: Ibara for Satoshi.
81	* DraggedByTheCollar:
82	** Several times in the Niece of Time arc, Chitanda drags Oreki out of the Kotenbu clubroom to investigate something.
83	** Mayaka drags Satoshi off to work on Hyouka's manuscript in episode 11.5.
84	* DramaticWind: This is actually used quite often, though subtly at times.
85	* DullEyesOfUnhappiness: Episode 16; Oreki is about to talk of his thoughts on the Juumoji case, which excites Chitanda. But when he denies her curiosity by telling her it involves an "adult topic" and she can't hear him out, her reaction is nothing less of this trope. It's pretty hilarious. [[spoiler:The topic is extortion, by the way.]]
86	* EagleEyeDetection: Oreki has this among his arsenal of detective skills.
87	* EasilyForgiven: Satoshi is let off the hook fairly easily for [[spoiler:stealing Mayaka's Valentine's chocolate and breaking it, just so he didn't have to accept it]]. At the very least, Mayaka could have let him stew in his own guilt for a while. A ''long'' while.
88	* {{Eyecatch}}: A simple bit of PurpleProse regarding the date.
89	* FaceDoodling: At the very end of the second opening. The victim's Oreki. The culprits are Ibara and Satoshi.
90	* TheFaceless: Oreki's elder sister, Oreki Tomoe. The most we get is everything under her nose. [[spoiler:Pause episode 16 at just the right time, though, and you can catch just the bottom half of her [[https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tumblr_m8hbffoMLC1r67ekro2_1280_9654.jpg eyes]]]].
91	* FairPlayWhodunnit: The student film in episode 8. Although the script is unfinished, the fact that the mystery follows all the rules means the director is confident that Oreki and company will be able to tell her the solution even though she can only show them the first half of the movie. [[spoiler:Subverted because Hongou did not intend for the victim to actually die and Irisu is lying about why she wants Oreki's help]].
92	* {{Foreshadowing}}: [[spoiler:In hindsight, Oreki's theory about the end of the student film not only does not fill the gaps that his friends later point out to him, but also misses the very part that would have led him to Hongo, which is the reason ''why'' the culprit did what he did. As Irisu was deliberately trying to veer him away from Hongo, she immediately gives the okay for the first thing he presents that makes sense and prevents him from digging further in by showering him with flattery.]]
93	* FortuneTeller: Chitanda's aptly-outfitted friend from the 13th episode, Kaho Jūmonji, who sets up a tent in the hallway for the culture fest. Wheel of Fortune not included.
94	* FourTemperamentEnsemble:
95	** '''Sanguine:''' Chitanda. She fits the outgoing ProperLady type to the letter.
96	** '''Choleric:''' Ibara. Although she's not a leader, she gets very [[HotBlooded passionate]] over the things she cares about, as seen during the cultural festival and the Valentine's Day episode, and is rather short-tempered and impulsive. However, in her gentler moments, when she's not annoyed, she's quite the phlegmatic.
97	** '''Eclectic:''' Satoshi. Although he's quite an extrovert, his HiddenDepths reveal that [[spoiler:he's this way because otherwise he'd fit the negative attributes of the Melancholic type (obsessive, perfectionist to the point of depression) a lot more]]. He's ultimately a combination of sanguine and a phlegmatic (sweet, kind, witty, teasing, a bit quieter than Chitanda), with some melancholic traits.
98	** '''Phlegmatic / Melancholic:''' Houtarou is introverted and somewhat aloof and cynical, but also calm, stoic, reliable, compassionate, observant and definitely lazy, reactionary and (in his gentler moments) docile.
99	* GenkiGirl: Chitanda is a more refined example. The hot-bloodedness is there, just a bit lower in temperature, tempered by her kind and polite nature.
100	* GenreSavvy: Satoshi realizes that his lack of talent or motivation prevents him from having "main character" capability, [[spoiler:which results in him being a StepfordSmiler]].
101	* GirlyRun: Done by most girls, even when they're not running that fast--but especially by Chitanda.
102	* {{Hallucinations}}: Oreki frequently experiences a variety of hallucinations, often attributed by him to the level of energy he feels he is experiencing from others. Often these involve perceptions of moving or shifting kanji. At one point in episode 1, he has visions of Chitanda's hair becoming vinelike with radiant flowers in it, ensnaring him as she pleads for his assistance. At another point, he sees the kanji from a set of club posters flood around him as a black sea. He also sees dozens of tiny red Chitanda "angels" tugging on him when she gets him involved in another mystery. Don't worry. He's still very much sane.
103	* HeroicBSOD: [[spoiler:Houtarou]] goes through a particularly nasty one in episode 11 [[spoiler:once he realizes that he was totally wrong and that Irisu was lying to him in order to manipulate him into writing the script]]. Also, judging from his actions in episodes 10 and 11, [[spoiler:Satoshi]] is veering ''dangerously'' close to one as well. [[spoiler: As of episode 17,he is most DEFINITELY in the midst of one.]]
104	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In episode 19, Oreki attempts to discredit his deduction skills by trying to decipher a vague school announcement. His conclusion turns out being completely correct and Chitanda is all the more impressed.
105	* HotSpringsEpisode: Episode 7.
106	* HowWeGotHere: The New Year's story in ''The Doll That Took a Detour'' is structured this way, showing how Houtarou and Eru found themselves locked inside a room.
107	* IntoxicationEnsues: Episode 9 features Chitanda absentmindedly eating the better part of a box of whiskey bonbons. She actually only gets a bit loopy, [[CantHoldHerLiquor only to pass out]]...
108	* InUniverseCamera: [[spoiler:The trick to the mystery in the student film. Although it turns out it wasn't the trick the original director had intended]].
109	* ImagineSpot: Triggered in episode 2 when Chitanda catches a scent of paint on a school history book. Oreki briefly imagines dog ears and a tail on Chitanda.
110	* JapaneseSchoolClub: What brings the main characters together: the Classics Club.
111	* JitterCam: The student film in episode 8.
112	* {{Keet}}: Satoshi. The colors are on the inside.
113	* KissingDiscretionShot: Or a less drastic [[KissingDiscretionShot Hugging Discretion Shot]]. Still, the way the animation portrays the end of Satoshi and Mayaka's exchange in episode 17 implies this heavily because of Satoshi's arms reaching out. [[http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8o0wsXajo1qcsnnso1_500.gif See for yourself]].
114	* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Kouchi, a member of Ibara's Manga Society Club, professes her patronizing thoughts on the club's festival booth, making light of their efforts, getting to Ibara easily.
115	** The way Kouchi smiled when Ibara finally responded to her remarks was quite {{troll}}y.
116	*** Apparently, the members invoked this trope as a part of a BatmanGambit.
117	* LockedInARoom: Chitanda and Houtarou accidentally get locked in a shed in episode 20.
118	* LockedRoomMystery:
119	** Episode 1's mystery, except no murder is involved.
120	** The student film in episode 8 features an example with a murder mystery. [[spoiler:Though that was not what the writer originally planned. It only appeared to be one to the Classics Club because the people doing the filming changed an important detail in the script]].
121	* LuminescentBlush: Oreki and Chitanda frequently exchange these:
122	** Episode 11.5, when Oreki points out how white Chitanda's bikini is.
123	** Episode 13, the mother of all blushes is shared by Oreki and Chitanda when she catches him peeking at her cosplay photos.
124	** Episode 20, when Chitanda first appears her kimono. Oreki is breathless, to say the least.
125	** Episode 21, when Chitanda is mumbling about Valentine's day chocolates and Oreki is trying to figure out what she means, to no avail.
126	* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Chitanda to Oreki.
127	* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:Oreki]], surprisingly enough. He blackmails multiple upperclassmen, [[spoiler:Tanabe and Tougaito]], in order to advance the goals of the Classics Club. He also goes out of his way to keep Chitanda uninvolved, even lying to her about the Jumonji case to keep her in the dark.
128	* ManipulativeBitch: [[spoiler:Fuyumi Irisu]]. Oreki figures her out, but not soon enough. Episode 14 expands on this slightly, delving into Irisu's character during her conversation with Chitanda.
129	* MeaningfulName: "Hyouka" is the name of the main characters' high school student anthology publication. Also see StealthPun and AlternateCharacterReading.
130	* MistakenForGay: Happens to Chitanda in episode 14 when she gets [[NoSenseOfPersonalSpace a bit too close to Irisu]], much to the Empress' dismay--[[LesYay or not]]. [[TheDitz Chitanda doesn't seem to realize the effect she's having on the other]].
131	* MundaneMadeAwesome: In the beginning of the novel and anime, before the actual storyline kicks in, the mysteries Houtarou solves are pretty trivial, yet most of an episode focuses on them. He solved [[LockedRoomMystery how a room becomes locked seemingly on its own]], why the same book was checked out and in from the school library for weeks, and where the unauthorized flyer for a "ghost club" was hanging [[spoiler:(this last one was actually a fake mystery he planted so he wouldn't have to waste energy walking to the other side of the high school to solve a mystery that Eru was curious about)]]. Still, his perceptive thinking has potential, despite his slothy exterior.
132	* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: Chitanda has a bad habit of thrusting herself in other people's faces when she gets worked up or 'curious'. Although in episode 19, she is [[ShipTease suddenly aware]] of [[AlmostKiss how close her face is to Oreki's]].
133	* NoSocialSkills: Oreki comes off this way, seeming to be too lazy to bother learning social etiquette. However, as long as it's not too draining, he can in fact socialize with others.
134	** He doesn't really emote (although he is shown blushing when praised), is only shown interacting with Satoshi, Chitanda, and Mayaka on a regular basis, and is rather blunt when speaking with others. Still, the fact that he can't seem to say "no" to Chitanda to save his life and that he went out of his way to help Chitanda at least twice suggests that Oreki is actually a nice guy underneath his constant frown.
135	** Oreki has also stated that he is "not good with kids" when he and Chitanda needed to ask the inn owner's child some questions. Chitanda doesn't question it and handles the situation for him.
136	* TheNoseKnows: Chitanda has this ability, which makes Oreki compare her to a dog. Her senses in general seem [[SuperSenses unusually sharp]], with both hearing and sight also being remarked upon.
137	* NotSoStoic:
138	** In episode 11, when [[spoiler:Houtarou]] discovers [[spoiler:Irisu's true intentions in requesting his help and her tendencies to being a ManipulativeBitch]], he gets ''[[WhatTheHellHero pissed]]''.
139	** In episode 21, Houtarou gets seriously angry over [[spoiler:Satoshi's actions, which directly hurt Mayaka, and indirectly hurt Chitanda. He goes as far as to tell Satoshi that if the latter doesn't have a really good explanation, he's taking a punch to the face]].
140	* NumericalThemeNaming: "Exponential Four Clans", as colloquially named by Satoshi, are four prestigious families in Kamiyama; '''Juu'''monji (10), '''Saru'''suberi (100), '''Chi'''tanda (1000), and '''Man'''ninbashi (10000).
141	* OhCrap: Oreki's reaction when [[spoiler:Ibara tells him that the new script he wrote for the movie didn't include a rope when the writer specifically asked for it]] can only be described as this. Fans would've reacted in much the same way.
142	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Satoshi and Ibara feared for the worst when Oreki finally declared that he was "curious" in episode 18.
143	** Basically any time Houtarou actually seems interested in something (a point or two in the student film arc being another example), expect Satoshi and Mayaka to overreact to it.
144	* OvershadowedByAwesome:
145	** [[spoiler:Satoshi]] implies he feels this way towards [[spoiler:Houtarou]]. A tidbit of this bursts out in episode 16.
146	** This may also be the reason for Oreki's slight resentment toward his older sister, who appears to be ''very'' much on top of things, much like the Sherlock-Mycroft relationship.
147	* PerpetualFrowner: Never smiling or even grinning, the ''only'' expression worn by Oreki is a hollow and lifeless stare coupled with a constant frown on his lips. And even when he does smile, it looks really snarky.
148	* PlayingCardMotifs: Point of view changes in the third volume are indicated by playing card suits: hearts for Chitanda, clubs for Fukube, diamonds for Ibara, and spades for Oreki.
149	* PosthumousCharacter: Chitanda's uncle, Jun Sekitani, although he's technically just a missing person soon to be legally dead.
150	* PublicDomainSoundtrack: Bach's "Air on the G-String" and Gabriel Fauré's "Sicilienne" are used fairly prominently.
151	* PunBasedTitle: See StealthPun below.
152	* PuppyDogEyes: Chitanda does this to Houtarou whenever she gets curious about something, which often leads to him reluctantly joining in.
153	* RealPlaceBackground: In true [[Creator/KyotoAnimation KyoAni]] fashion, Kamiyama is closely modeled after a real city, in this case Takayama in the Japanese Gifu prefecture. Many local landmarks are clearly recognizable, including the high school and the cafe where Chitanda and Oreki meet.
154	* RedBaron: Irisu from episode 8 is nicknamed "the Empress" for her domineering presence, encouraging a [[DiscussedTrope discussion]] on TarotMotifs.
155	* ReflectiveEyes: Both Oreki and Chitanda during their first (official) meeting.
156	* RomanticRideSharing: When Chitanda offers Oreki a ride home on her bike he [[ImagineSpot imagines two scenarios]], one of Chitanda being the one to drive the bike while he's the one holding her waist with a colorful background behind them along with butterflies, and the other is him driving the bike while she's the one holding onto him with angels and birds in the background. He refuses the offer in the end.
157	* RuleOfDrama: Nakajo in episode 9 doesn't care about the mystery film's solution [[FairPlayWhodunnit following the rules]] as long as the movie's dramatic.
158	* SailorFuku: School uniforms are same as actual uniforms of the original school.
159	* SavvyGuyEnergeticGirl: Oreki and Chitanda. The second ending shows this perfectly.
160	* SceneryCensor: In episode 7, with Oreki at the hot springs.
161	* SchoolFestival: This school festival, called the Kanya Fest, became an important factor in the mystery concerning [[spoiler:Chitanda's uncle, Sekitani Jun]]. The anthology ''Hyouka'' also revolves around this. In the anime, the actual festival starts in episode 12.
162	* SeriousBusiness: The series gives a nod to this, incorporating some ValuesDissonance: what seems trivial or superficial to an adult can be make-or-break for a high school student.
163	** In the "Niece of Time" arc, an older character is highly scornful of her own (and her fellow students') actions several decades ago, saying that while they thought they were being righteous and revolutionary at the time, she now thinks of the incident as pointless tantrum-throwing that was never going to have any long-term effect anyway. Specifically, [[spoiler:the student body took a stand when the teachers decided to cut their beloved cultural festival short in favor of boosting the school's reputation as an academic institution. The students declared this a violation of their rights and staged protests and walk-outs]]. Notably, the librarian's views change once she's become one of the authority figures that she and her classmates were rebelling ''against''.
164	** The "Why Didn't She Ask Eba?" arc sees a short, clumsy student film at the center of both intrigue and personal crises for the main characters. [[spoiler:The club president tricks Oreki into writing a decent ending for the film after she judges the original writer's script too weak to run with, pretending that the film's ending is an unfinished mystery to avoid the unpleasantness of telling the club that the original ending was terrible.]] It's an unpleasant con, but the feelings of those involved are so overblown -- [[spoiler:from the Literature Club Member's harassing of Oreki when he fails to convey the "true feelings" of the original writer, to Irisu's overly complicated scheme to get a decent ending written, to Oreki's moral crisis when he discovers he's been tricked]] -- that the film's importance seems like that of an Oscar nominee, not a student film that will likely be seen by thirty at a high school event.
165	* SherlockScan: Episode 2.
166	* ShipTease: Oreki quickly gains a casual crush on Chitanda, but since his own negativity does a good job of repressing it, it develops rather slowly. Chitanda gradually begins to warm up to him as well, and that she feels the same becomes very obvious in episode 11.5.
167	** The second ED, while a nice homage to mystery novels, is a very strong Ship Tease for both main couples.
168	** Episode 6: Oreki is briefly excited by the prospect of Chitanda being a soulmate after she explains that she avoids getting angry in order to conserve energy. He's genuinely disappointed that she's joking.
169	** Episode 7 is quite blatant, with Houtarou passing out just from ''fantasizing'' about Chitanda in the bath, then blushing and flinching when she touches him. It probably didn't help that Chitanda expresses disappointment when she found out the hot springs wasn't a mixed bath.
170	** Oh, ''man'', the OVA. It's really hard to count how many times Oreki tried not to glance at Chitanda in her swimsuit.
171	** In episode 13, Houtarou finds the photos of Chitanda cosplaying...yeah. It gets especially shippy near the end where Chitanda hesitantly questions about it and they both start blushing.
172	** Episode 16 also has a moment between Mayaka and Satoshi, see KissingDiscretionShot above.
173	** Episode 18 features Houtarou and Chitanda going on a pseudo-date.
174	** Episode 19. The episode consists entirely of Chitanda and Oreki talking to each other, puzzling out a mysterious announcement to test his deductive abilities. The episode features Houtarou promising to accompany Chitanda on a visit to her uncle's grave, two [[AlmostKiss Almost Kisses]], and Oreki giving a ''[[WhenHeSmiles genuine smile]].'' And once again, the next episode promises even ''more.''
175	** Episode 20 is referred to by Animation Director Chise Kamoi as the "date episode" in [[http://ultimatemegax.wordpress.com/2013/03/16/hyouka-episode-19-20-kyoani-comments/ the comments of the rebroadcast]]. And for good reason: the episode starts with Chitanda inviting Oreki to a New Year's shrine visit to show off her kimono, and the two of them exchange blushes when Oreki first sees her.
176	** Episode 21: Plenty, as expected of a Valentine's day episode. For starters, Mayaka asking Chitanda if she likes anyone. After a bit of stammering on Chitanda's part, but before the audience can hear her answer, it [[AnswerCut cuts to a scene of Houtarou yawning]]. Later, Chitanda starts to explain to Oreki why she didn't have chocolates for him, and ends up nearly confessing only to [[LuminescentBlush exchange blushes]] with Oreki, who only barely comprehends the situation.
177	** Episode 22: Chitanda sadly explains to Oreki that, although her land is neither the most beautiful nor full of potential, she still wanted him to see it; she makes herself completely vulnerable before him so that he can understand her better. After this impassioned monologue, Oreki nearly confesses to her in a DaydreamSurprise, only to hold back at the last moment, to the dismay of shippers everywhere. All this happens amidst falling CherryBlossoms; an ethereal, pink-infused scene.
178	* ShoutOut:
179	** Ms. Itoigawa's flashback to the Kamiyama Cultural Festival includes what looks to be a [[Music/TheBeatles Beatles]] cover band.
180	** [[Manga/{{Nichijou}} Sakamoto-san]] can be seen in episodes 2 and 5 as a decoration in the library.
181	** The Manga Society cosplays a few Vocaloids for the SchoolFestival in episode 12, while Mayaka cosplays as [[Manga/TheyWereEleven Frolbericheri Frol]] and her sempai Kouchi dresses as [[VideoGame/SamuraiShodown Nakoruru]]. The following episode, Ibara and Kouchi cosplay as [[Manga/HimitsuNoAkkoChan Akko-chan]] and [[VideoGame/ArtOfFighting King]], respectively.
182	** In a blink-and-you'll-miss it moment, Ibara has one of [[Manga/KOn Azusa's]] shirts in her room while searching for her lost manga.
183	** In one of the final episodes of the anime, while Houtarou answers the phone, he sits exactly like [[Manga/DeathNote L]]. And barefoot, no less.
184	** The second ED shows Chitanda and Ibara dressed as distaff versions of Franchise/SherlockHolmes and Literature/HerculePoirot, with the names of several Holmes and Creator/AgathaChristie stories shown in the background. Likewise, Oreki and Satoshi dress up as Literature/ArseneLupin and Moriarty.
185	** The first ED features Chitanda and Ibara in a planetarium, on a circular bed, their feet at opposite ends but facing each other. Holding hands. [[Anime/RevolutionaryGirlUtena Sound familiar]]?
186	* ShownTheirWork: The show contains all those little details; the usually-left-unexplored tidbits of school's life that usually doesn't get covered by most anime. Examples include:
187	** In the second arc, the quiz club can briefly be seen practicing for episode 13's quiz game.
188	* SmugSnake: Haba, the props master for the student film in episodes 8-10. Ibara develops a distaste towards his 'presence'.
189	* StageMagician: The Magic Club shown in episode 15.
190	* StandardSnippet: An ''a capella'' group at Kanya Fest sings "Sukiyaki".
191	* StealthPun: [[spoiler:"Hyouka" means "frozen treat", or, commonly, "ice cream", in Japanese. The message that Jun Sekitani left for Chitanda by making the name of the anthology "Hyouka" was "I scream", a pun derived from sounding like "ice cream"]]. Houtarou personally views it as an IncrediblyLamePun, however. It shows up again in the OVA, which is set after episode 11. Houtarou is still in his funk after dealing with Irisu's deception, and he's presented with a case that helps snap him out of it. The solution? [[spoiler:"Hyouka", ice cream, once again]]. This one gets [[LampshadeHanging commented on]] as well, as [[spoiler: the mention of "ice cream" reminds Mayaka that Satoshi needs to finish the anthology]].
192	* StepfordSmiler: [[spoiler:Satoshi]] if episode 10 is to be believed. Confirmed later as the story goes on.
193	* StylisticSuck: The student film in episode 8 has boring music, poor writing, worse [[JitterCam cinematography]], and ''even worse'' [[BadBadActing acting]]. [[spoiler:Houtarou believes this to be intentional--that the awful lighting (the cameraman turning a flashlight on and off as needed), JitterCam, inconvenient camera angles, and the actors' looking into the camera and awkward speech are actually clues that [[InUniverseCamera the culprit was the cameraman]], driven to kill by the others ignoring him to his face. Turns out Houtarou is both brilliant and entirely wrong (that is, on the question he ''thought'' he was answering)]].
194	* TarotMotifs: Discussed in episode 8. According to Satoshi, Mayaka is Justice, Satoshi is The Magician, Chitanda is The Fool, and Oreki is Strength. Oreki as Strength is an intentionally loaded comparison, since in this episode, he is a lion being "tamed" by [[ManipulativeBitch Irisu]], but at other times the lion-taming woman would be Chitanda or his older sister Tomoe.
195	* {{Tsundere}}:
196	** Mayaka for Houtarou (interestingly enough, she acts nice towards her crush Satoshi).
197	** Arguably, Houtarou for Chitanda.
198	* UnknownRival: Tani to Satoshi.
199	* TheUnsmile: While taking care of a customer at the Classics Club's culture festival stand, Oreki's inner thoughts while half-smiling were "damn, I can't smile".
200	* UnusualChapterNumbers: The OVA is set chronologically between episode 11 and 12, and is therefore called episode 11.5 even in the official listing licensed by Funimation.
201	* ValentinesDayEpisode: Episode 21.
202	* VitriolicBestBuds: Houtarou and Satoshi and also Mayaka and Houtarou.
203	* WhatBeautifulEyes: A common reaction to Chitanda's eyes.
204	* WhatTheHellHero: In episode 21, Oreki calls Satoshi out for [[spoiler:stealing Mayaka's chocolate, which obviously hurt Mayaka's feelings but had the side-effect of Chitanda blaming herself for failing to guard her friend's chocolate]].
205	-->'''Oreki:''' I assume you have a good explanation for this. If this was your idea of a joke...
206	-->'''Satoshi:''' If it was?
207	-->'''Oreki:''' ''[grabs Satoshi by the scarf]'' I'd have to hit you. For both Chitanda and Mayaka. ''Hard''.
208

Context Literature / Hyouka