Shoushimin Series – Let’s see if this lives up to Hyouka

Article at a glance:

• Unlike Hyouka, Shoushimin focuses on two friends, Osanai and Kobato, who aim to lead normal lives by avoiding the urge to solve mysteries.
• The best-friend dynamic and perceptiveness of the characters enhance the story, providing a relatable and engaging interaction between the protagonists.
• Produced by Lapin Track, Shoushimin’s animation style deliberately resembles Hyouka, though it may not match Kyoto Animation’s level, it is still visually impressive.

The novel series Shoushimin is based upon is written by the same author as Hyouka. Well, to be precise, Hyouka was the name of the anime/manga adaptation, the name of the original novel series is called Kotenbu Series. Hyouka was the name of the first book from that series. That’s enough about Hyouka though. But it is important to mention Hyouka here because that anime is iconic, so Shoushimin here has some pretty high expectations to live up to.

In many ways, this anime is the opposite of Hyouka. You will understand why I say that once I start talking about the plot. So welcome back to another first impression article. And today we will be talking about the Shoushimin Series. Let’s get started.

What do I think of the Shoushimin Series so far?

I say that this series is kind of the opposite of Hyouka because Hyouka was all about solving mysteries. Shoushimin though is about two people trying to get away from their habit of wanting to solve random mysteries. They want to be “truly normal” as in, they don’t want to stand out at all and live a peaceful life. So this already gives a very interesting dynamic to the interactions between Osanai and Kobato.

And I appreciate that. It remains to be seen if the series will lean into romance down the line or not. But I love this best-friend dynamic they have. They know each other so well, that you can actually feel how long they’ve been friends for from their interactions and I like that. Another great thing I’ve noticed about the characters in this anime is that they are very perceptive. We only know 3 characters well right now since it has only been two episodes but even Kengo is perceptive enough to know that Kobato is different from back when they were classmates.

As for the animations, they’re very good. The anime is made by a studio called Lapin Track. I don’t know much about it but it is clear that they went for a similar art style to Hyouka on purpose. Now, Hyouka was made by Kyoto Animation. Comparing anything else to KyoAni is a bit unfair. But again, let me reiterate, the animations in Shoushimin are still really good.

That is all for now!

So while I am not as immediately hooked by the Shoushimin Series as I was by Hyouka, there are still certain aspects of this show that I love. For now, I can give it an easy 8/10 and I look forward to seeing where the story goes from here. Let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my thoughts on The Cafe Terrace Season 2 here!