This Hyouka episode was bloody unexpected! This is the second time that my predictions missed! Overall, this episode is dominated by a heavier mood for the writing theme than what was in the earlier stories. This is definitely a good thing for it’s proving itself more to be a very good thriller at this point. Also, the next episodes might be dealing with the last story arc. I would be preparing myself now for I would be missing this series once it ends.

Last time, I’ve suspected Houtarou’s sister to be the one causing the Juumoji incidents. Chitanda’s guesting in radio show drew crowds to the Classics Literature Club’s room. However, there had been an incident where Juumoji was able to strike with a set of paper suddenly exploding. A clever use of flashbacks revealed that it was Tanabe Jirou who them did on purpose. It was to tell Kugayama-san, the student council president, a message. The incident was definitely linked to some of the occurences and dialogues in Mayaka’s interactions within the Manga Society. Houtarou blackmailed Tanabe-san to buy thirty copies of the anthology to sell it online in exchange of not telling the public about Tanabe-san being the perpetrator of the Juumoji incidents. In order to draw more public intrigue and a bang for the end, Houtarou ‘helped’ Tanabe by making a plan to draw public attention demonstrated with what happened in the scenes in this episode’s first part.

Also, I think I can finally say that Kyoto Animation is also overdoing themselves with how the audio on this episode was layed-out. The rearrangement of certain classical music for the background music is spot on, the voice acting sticks to your mind and memories. This episode is another showcase of Fukuyama Jun and Nakamura Yuuichi’s amazing talents as seiyuu. Tanabe-san and Houtarou’s confrontation could be an archetype of how to convey the emotions and writing tone of a scene through voice acting.

Episode Entertainment Factor Rating (EEFR): 100/100

Images Used are under Fair Use.