Hyouka’s regular rendition optical media volume covers aren’t particularly colorful – yet the limited edition variants however boast lush cover illustrations which cumulatively highlight all four kotenbu characters.
Oreki and his current friend, potential lover, the moeblob, are featured on the Blu-ray’s limited edition – whereas the DVD equivalent centers attention on the energetic fellow and his tsundere companion. Both of these images are spectacular in many respects, yet a certain detail shines above all, and that is how a natural scene was taken advantage of to deliver the desired outlook. A shot of Oreki walking home from school alongside his moeblob friend, with his other two comrades trekking behind, is not anything amazing.
Hyouka’s characters, like many citizens of the second dimension who attend highschool, walk home from their educational facility on a daily basis – it’s nothing special, and the artwork doesn’t attempt to conform it to be an over the top, unrealistic plight into who knows where. Rather, it merely directs interest to what would in this case be one of the “simple things in life” – and the art is attempting to portray a scene one would reminisce upon, a scene of appreciated memory.
And in respect to the image higher in tsundere content, it’s much the same intended feelings – yet instead, now centric around the other two admirable members of the kotenbu.
Looking at both images side-by-side, notice how the color is reflective of the personalities of each pair of characters being emphasized. Mr. Neon Lights off to the right is prancing around within a sun basked atmosphere, with a backdrop of shops, a market being a busy, lively place – and do see that his legs imply a running motion.
On the other hand, the moeblob favoring work to the left has a mood more characteristic of Oreki and Chitanda’s contemplative personal struggles – a setting sun, giving slightly darker colors, with a background of fauna, and an overall relaxed theme as indicated by the aforementioned traits, alongside the subject matter’s own specific details. Such as Oreki and Chitanda’s feet giving a gentle impression of movement.
Moral of the story – Kyoto Animation can amazingly, truly express an entire series within a single pair of artworks.
May 26, 2012 @ 12:33 CDT
..or maybe it’s just such a simple series that summing it up in a single, basic image is possible and KyoAni doesn’t have to try particularly hard to do so.
May 26, 2012 @ 12:50 CDT
Or perhaps you’re not able to comprehend the inner depth of the series – that seems more likely, particularly as it appears you’re also incapable of analyzing the artwork in an intelligent manner.
May 26, 2012 @ 13:16 CDT
Well said. It shows that you feel “intelligence” is what you were doing in this post, and erases any doubts that you were trying to be anything more than a fanboy. Thank you for clearing that up.
May 26, 2012 @ 13:32 CDT
Rather, if you would have read the article linked to by the giant banner in the sidebar labeled “Analyzing Artwork Intelligently”, if nothing else, you would have at least recognized that this isn’t simply a “basic image”.
You’re free to think whatever you want of whatever – although if you simply can’t recognize something, that’s your own fault. If you’d like to elaborate how Hyouka is a “simple series”, you can certainly find one of the many Hyouka reviews we have here, which you likely didn’t read, and express how you disagree.