For my next trick, I will steal something without your noticing!

—-

Now the true essence of Hyouka is kicking into full gear. As much as Houtarou didn’t want to get involved, the clues appear too obvious for him not to succumb to this little mystery. And he doesn’t seem to be the only one who figured out the Japanese hiragana alphabet trick since the entire school is going through an uproar over it. With this find, this possibly eliminates Juumonji Kaho of the Fortune Telling Society but who knows when the next curve ball is thrown. With the kanji reading changing from “Juumonji” to “Juumoji” (ten letters), everyone is off to the races (and press) to unveil the culprit and his/her next move. 

I think this is the first time anyone but Houtarou gets actively involved in trying to crack the case. I’m not sure what got Satoshi all riled up but he pledges to find the culprit and solve the case — like a rival detective would. This is an interesting spin on how the Juumoji case will play out because I sense an air of jealousy from Satoshi and he’s not his usual composed self, even going on to make assumptions that he normally wouldn’t. 

As for Eru, I love how she tries to be assertive but cannot really come off as anyone too serious. Her pulling Tougaito into a private corner seemed to me funnier than it should have, and by the end of the day, she flashes a brilliant smile just at the mention of the Classics Club. Well, I guess her next step is to actually be more Irisu-like, but not as presumptuous. 

Mayaka’s side of things seems to have drifted off more into the usual teenage girl problems with the bickering and loud gossiping, though there are no tensions between her and Ayako. I’m wondering if this is just a developmental section just for Mayaka or if any of the Manga Society’s events will involve the school-wide “crime”. If so, I can forecast how pleased I’d be next week and applaud KyoAni for getting everyone involved. If not, it’s still good for Mayaka because she really needed to get fleshed out more other than act as a disciplinary committee of one for Houtarou. 

Part four of the school cultural festival incorporated the mystery element on top of the fun and games of the previous three. It’s not as action-packed as the wildfire cookout event but has enough to keep you thinking. There’s a lot to speculate on what is going through Satoshi’s head and how Mayaka can rebound after a rough few days as a proud cosplayer. (Sorry! Don’t hit me!) Also, the biggest question is, will Eru have the energy to go through one more hectic day to promote and sell the Hyouka anthology? We already know one guy won’t spare an ounce of energy, that’s for sure. 

GO Rating: 3.5/5

But wait, is this a hint? Stay tuned…